The problem with rising property prices is that, sure you can sell your house for 5 times what you paid for it, but unless you're moving out of the areas, you're probably overpaying for your next house.
When you work with people who are jerks, you have to be jerks to them otherwise the the message doesn't get through. If you work with nice people, you can have rational discussions and come to an understanding where the best decision wins based on it's merit
I work with tech types (developers, programmers, tech support) and non-tech types (data scientists, communications, program managers). Over many years, I've learnt that being "nice" to tech-types gives you limited success. Starting a conversation like this,
"Hey, I noticed you made X decision that had negative Y consequences. Let's sit down and figure out how we can undo the problem and get back on track"
Invariably ends up with the person defending their decision, even though it's quite obviously had negative consequences E.g. Hey, you reduced memory allocation to this VM which caused processing to crawl to a stop while it swapped like crazy. As a result, hundreds of jobs ended up taking hours instead of minutes.. The tech-type will spend all their time defending their decision with little or no regard to the the downstream impacts for others. It's like they can't just admit they were wrong. I could spend hours debating this person but experience has taught me that you just go in and say, "Hey, you need to increase the memory allocation back to what it was. Don't do it again without my express sign off"
Processing resumes, things get done. Life goes on.
Some tech-types are more open to review but if someone did something so obviously wrong and does it repeatedly, I'm saying you need to understand there's no value in conversing with that person in a way that isn't "old Linus" like.
It warms my heart to hear stories like this. I too recently bought a used car and wanted to pay all cash. I had done my research and knew the dealerships value finance deals over cash any day because they make some off the back-end, especially if they add a couple of percentage points to the interest rate for themselves.
During negotiations, I had asked for two prices, one just cash and the other with financing. The final-price with the financing was $3k cheaper than all cash. So I reviewed the finance agreement and made sure it was open-ended with no penalty for early payment.
As soon as I got home with the car, I logged into my online banking, set up a bill payment for the finance amount and paid it off. I should add, the dealer implored me to wait at least 5 months before paying it off so they wouldn't get hit with a 'charge back' from the finance company. I said "OK" but had no intention to wait
Under any other circumstance and any other industry, I likely wouldn't have been so ruthless but car dealerships are so bloody scummy that I have zero empathy for them.
It's not just GM. Here's how you know a manufacturer ISN'T serious about EVs:
1. The vast majority of their dealerships don't have charging stations
2. The ones that do, are placed as an afterthought rather than an integral part of the sales or post-sales experience
3. They have a 'special' salesperson who is the only one who appears to know anything about EVs
4. They are losing money on every EV sold. If a major manufacturer cannot figure out the logistics to sell an EV at a profit, they're not taking it seriously
5. Their EV's are regular vehicle models with an EV drivetrain jammed into an existing platform
There's probably a bunch more. Traditional car makers forget they are car manufacturers. Not petrol car manufacturers. The source of propulsion should be secondary.
... but what I want is better real-time information regarding traffic, hazards, construction etc. I use Waze and Google Maps (Android device) and while they work pretty well most of the time, I still get caught in traffic due to construction
There's been heavy road construction near my house for around 6 months. A few days a week, the road is down to a single lane so they will stop traffic in one direction while letting the other side through. That will cause a kilometer long backup real quick. Waze will alert me, if enough Wazers report it, but Google Maps is even more hit and miss.
When I'm driving, I don't need to look at the patch of grass between highways. I need better intelligence around traffic
I fear monetary fines aren't always enough. They'll pay them somehow and then end up laying off thousands of staff to help recover their cost. The CEO won't get a pay hit or even worry about his/her job but it'll be the lower rank employees that come out worse.
However, if the CEO thinks there's a risk of going to jail, they're gonna be very motivated to ensure they have proper data management procedures in place.
Counterpoint: Most Europeans live in tiny apartments in concrete jungles
If it works for you, that's awesome! I have family who live in the city and absolutely love it, they need the convenience of being able to to wherever they need to get to. But it's not for me.
Also, I carpool with my wife so it's another hour or so we get to spend together
Ha! OK, not quite. I'm Canadian. Well, British-Canadian if you wanna get technical. We pay $1.20CAD for a litre of gas/petrol. I also have a Chevrolet Avalanche (5.3L V8). And I drive around 70km to work each way so 140km a day. For Europeans, that's a HUGE distance to travel to work. In Canada, not so much. On top of that, add the drive to the nearest grocery store (10km), gym (10km), family (20km) and you can see how it starts to add up
I live in a rural location, away from the city but I wanted it that way. After living in big cities all my life, moving to a place that has 10+ acres of open land is a godsend for my sanity. I never realized how much it helps a person 'turn off' after a hectic day of work (I work in IT) but being able to sit outside and listen to nothing but the odd insect is great. Plus, very little light pollution so you can stare at the stars too.
But seriously, I bet there's a LOT of North Americans here who drive a long distance to work compared to Europeans. Canada/US are large countries.
.. but when I stop and think about it, if I'm spending $700+ on a phone, I don't really care about brand. I prefer Android so in a toss up between Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, I'll really just go for the one with the most features appealing to me.
I have a Samsung phone right now (first Samsung..) but with all the bloatware, I'm not going to buy another*
*I can't root it as my company's UEM software will flag it as rooted and quarantine it *sadface*
It's not just gas savings, though they are likely the most significant part of any savings once you switch to EV. It's other costs like no more engine, transmission fluid changes and even less wear and tear on brakes.
I went from spending around $600-$700 a month on gas to spending around $50 with my PHEV. I haven't changed my driving habit or route, it's literally the cost savings just in gas . The oil changes in my PHEV are every 10,000km or 6 months. I have yet to hit 10,000km on the gas engine yet - I'm at 36,000km in just over a year of ownership and the mileage on the gas engine is less than 9,000km. The gas engine still kicks on periodically (even when the battery is fully charged) because I think it's programmed to cycle the oil etc. every now and then.
Things Tesla owners have to worry about:
- Brakes (although less frequently due to regenerative braking)
- Battery pack (warrantied for 7 years minimum I believe)
Things Tesla owners don't have to worry about
- Engine oil & leaks
- Transmission fluid & leaks
- Power steering & leaks
- Engine coolant & leaks
- U-joints
- Exhaust pipe corroding
- Catalytic converter replacement
- Spark plugs and wires
- Camshafts, lifters, valves and anything else in a combustion engine
When it comes to YouTube "how to" videos, it's not STEM type videos I'm watching, it's things like car repair, construction (e.g. framing, drywalling, plumbing etc), or welding.
I enjoy working on my cars and bought the Haynes repair manuals but watching someone change the rear main seal vs. reading how to do it and looking at grainy black-and-white pictures is no contest. Regardless of the subject though, there a massive variance in the quality of the "how to" video. Some people are precariously balancing a smartphone while using both hands to do get to a bolt but others have taken the time to understand camera position, lighting, graphics etc. Those should be rewarded appropriately if the aim is to encourage effective educational videos.
More recently, I stood up an ELK implementation and spent a few days trying to find a decent tutorial. Only by chance did I find a great YouTube video that walked through the basics and them some additional detail on config and logstash that I was struggling with.
Not sure if this a Canada/Ontario thing, but there's a really frustrating experience that I see ALL the time.
I'm on the ramp, about to join the highway. I'm doing around 100km/h and 'tracking' the vehicle in the right hand lane in my peripheral vision. If they're going faster than me, I might let off the gas just enough so I can slip in behind them. If they're going slow than me (e.g. even though I'm doing highway speed on the ramp, I'm going to end up joining ahead of them), I'll speed up just enough to ensure when I do join, there's still around 3-4 car lengths between us - assuming they maintain their speed.
You know what happens Almost. Every. Single. Time?
Even though they were going slower, by the time I'm getting ready to merge, they've sped up. They were doing around 90 km/h leading up the end of the ramp for me, but now they're doing a good 100 or 110. OK, so I slow down and merge behind them. Guess what? After 10 seconds, they're back to doing 90! They sped up ONLY to make it harder for someone to merge.
I put it down to some weird obsession that no-one should be allowed to merge in front of them or they have this pathological desire to make life harder for someone to merge. And it's not just merging, I see drivers actively prevent someone from switching lanes into their line, even though there's plenty of room. They could be doing a constant 50 km/h but if they see someone ahead trying to change lanes into theirs, they'll speed up to make the maneuver impossible or extremely dangerous.
This is one of the reasons self driving cars can't come soon enough. Once they've got the technology to a point where it's safe, we'll all be better off without the bizarre tendencies of humans driving 2 ton hunks of metal at 120 km/h.
Oh man, I dunno how comfortable I feel putting my hard earned money with a company named after a robber. A well intentioned robber perhaps, but a robber nonetheless.
This comes at a pretty great time for me. My wife and I last week discussed reviewing our investment plans. We're still around 20 years away from retirement age but we've neglected it for too long. We both contribute to RRSPs through our employers and the employer match a certain percentage of our contribution. We've maxed it out ever since it started, around 10 years ago or so.
I check my portfolio maybe twice a year and have never been happy with the fees. When I'm making money on the investment, I don't mind paying a certain fee, but it's grating when I'm paying fees when they're losing money. Before any smarty-pants jumps in, yes I am aware that markets go up and down, but I feel ripped off paying a couple hundred in fees for the privilege of losing money.
We're meeting with a financial adviser this week to discuss our finances. Both our companies and the firm they use for managing our RRSPs offer financial advisers, but we want someone independent with no skin in the game. We made it very clear when booking our appointment that we're not interested in moving our RRSP so I'm hoping to get some good advise.
The index fund option is very interesting, the wife and I both agreed we should go down that route and reading the Warren Buffet article lends more credence to that strategy. Will be interesting to hear what this adviser says.
Did they program it to jump over the log and then up the boxes using distance and height? E.g. Run 10 steps, jump 50cm up, 40cm forward, run another 10 steps, jump 40 cm etc OR could they have put any random object in it's path and it would have automatically identified it and taken the right action to jump it??
"All so you don't have to go out in public and associate with real PEOPLE!!!"
I don't know about you, but I find the less "real people" I interact with, the happier I am. It's a rare occurrence when a stranger strikes up a meaningful conversation.
Honestly? Yes, I am too busy to do grocery shopping. I mean, I could do it, but it would mean having 2 hours less to do something else. Not sure if this is typical but there's always something to do:
1. Finish up my basement reno. Working solo mostly. Hard to get into a rhythm but once I get going, I can spend a good 10 hours.
2. Cleaning the cars. Whether it's inside or outside, keeping them rust and damage free is a frequent chore
3. Cleaning the house. Vacuuming, dusting, wiping down cabinets, cleaning furniture etc.
4. Gardening. Mowing takes 3 hours and is a weekly task otherwise the grass grows too long and then ends up clumping when cut, even with a mulching blade. And then there's the weeds that need to be kept in constant check
5. Playing with kids. They've started getting into soccer and volleyball so I try to spend at least 30 mins a day before it gets dark playing outside
6. Gym. Minimum 1 hour a day with 30 minutes drive time there and back
We used to do groceries on the weekend but that's prime time for most of the above activities, except for the gym, and groceries are unproductive time. Most people who use grocery services aren't lazy, they just can make better use of the same time.
It's tempting to think that's the case but it hasn't been my experience. I shop at Zehrs and they offer a service called 'Click and Collect'. You go on-line, order your groceries and when it's ready, they give you a call to pick it up.
You park in a designated spot near the front the store and an employee comes out and loads it up in your car. Easy peasy.
The fruit and veggies are exactly the same as the ones I would have picked, I've yet to get home and realize I've got something old, mouldy, damaged etc. The staff are friendly and helpful and they even give you a small bag of goodies as a 'thank you'.
This IS the future, I would recommend it to anyone who lives near a Zehrs that offers this service. It's such a great time saver. I know some people express concern about the growing lack of interactivity with others, but honest, how often to you stop and talk to random strangers when you're doing your groceries?
I think if you drive like a self-professed effing maniac, the danger isn't you to yourself, it's you to other road users. You may not have had any accidents, but you probably leave a trail of destruction in your path as people get out of your way?
At the very least, you've probably freaked someone out pretty good. My philosophy when driving is more along the lines of "make everyones life around me just a little bit easier"
What I meant was.. would something take over from mosquitoes? I mean horseflies already exist but it's not like their population is held in check by mosquitoes?
If all mosquitoes died today, horseflies probably wouldn't be any worse tomorrow.
Slashdot Mirror
The problem with rising property prices is that, sure you can sell your house for 5 times what you paid for it, but unless you're moving out of the areas, you're probably overpaying for your next house.
When you work with people who are jerks, you have to be jerks to them otherwise the the message doesn't get through. If you work with nice people, you can have rational discussions and come to an understanding where the best decision wins based on it's merit
I work with tech types (developers, programmers, tech support) and non-tech types (data scientists, communications, program managers). Over many years, I've learnt that being "nice" to tech-types gives you limited success. Starting a conversation like this,
"Hey, I noticed you made X decision that had negative Y consequences. Let's sit down and figure out how we can undo the problem and get back on track"
Invariably ends up with the person defending their decision, even though it's quite obviously had negative consequences E.g. Hey, you reduced memory allocation to this VM which caused processing to crawl to a stop while it swapped like crazy. As a result, hundreds of jobs ended up taking hours instead of minutes.. The tech-type will spend all their time defending their decision with little or no regard to the the downstream impacts for others. It's like they can't just admit they were wrong. I could spend hours debating this person but experience has taught me that you just go in and say, "Hey, you need to increase the memory allocation back to what it was. Don't do it again without my express sign off"
Processing resumes, things get done. Life goes on.
Some tech-types are more open to review but if someone did something so obviously wrong and does it repeatedly, I'm saying you need to understand there's no value in conversing with that person in a way that isn't "old Linus" like.
It warms my heart to hear stories like this. I too recently bought a used car and wanted to pay all cash. I had done my research and knew the dealerships value finance deals over cash any day because they make some off the back-end, especially if they add a couple of percentage points to the interest rate for themselves.
During negotiations, I had asked for two prices, one just cash and the other with financing. The final-price with the financing was $3k cheaper than all cash. So I reviewed the finance agreement and made sure it was open-ended with no penalty for early payment.
As soon as I got home with the car, I logged into my online banking, set up a bill payment for the finance amount and paid it off. I should add, the dealer implored me to wait at least 5 months before paying it off so they wouldn't get hit with a 'charge back' from the finance company. I said "OK" but had no intention to wait
Under any other circumstance and any other industry, I likely wouldn't have been so ruthless but car dealerships are so bloody scummy that I have zero empathy for them.
It's not just GM. Here's how you know a manufacturer ISN'T serious about EVs:
1. The vast majority of their dealerships don't have charging stations
2. The ones that do, are placed as an afterthought rather than an integral part of the sales or post-sales experience
3. They have a 'special' salesperson who is the only one who appears to know anything about EVs
4. They are losing money on every EV sold. If a major manufacturer cannot figure out the logistics to sell an EV at a profit, they're not taking it seriously
5. Their EV's are regular vehicle models with an EV drivetrain jammed into an existing platform
There's probably a bunch more. Traditional car makers forget they are car manufacturers. Not petrol car manufacturers. The source of propulsion should be secondary.
... but what I want is better real-time information regarding traffic, hazards, construction etc. I use Waze and Google Maps (Android device) and while they work pretty well most of the time, I still get caught in traffic due to construction
There's been heavy road construction near my house for around 6 months. A few days a week, the road is down to a single lane so they will stop traffic in one direction while letting the other side through. That will cause a kilometer long backup real quick. Waze will alert me, if enough Wazers report it, but Google Maps is even more hit and miss.
When I'm driving, I don't need to look at the patch of grass between highways. I need better intelligence around traffic
Armageddon reference?
Ah, I mis-read your original comment. I thought you were saying they were part of the US' "Axis of Evil" as in North Korea, Iraq etc.
However, I should have read it as "Israel is part of the US backed axis of evil" in the Middle East...
I don't believe Israel has ever been included in the 'axis of evil' statement by the US. In fact, it's the opposite..
I fear monetary fines aren't always enough. They'll pay them somehow and then end up laying off thousands of staff to help recover their cost. The CEO won't get a pay hit or even worry about his/her job but it'll be the lower rank employees that come out worse.
However, if the CEO thinks there's a risk of going to jail, they're gonna be very motivated to ensure they have proper data management procedures in place.
Counterpoint: Most Europeans live in tiny apartments in concrete jungles
If it works for you, that's awesome! I have family who live in the city and absolutely love it, they need the convenience of being able to to wherever they need to get to. But it's not for me.
Also, I carpool with my wife so it's another hour or so we get to spend together
Ha! OK, not quite. I'm Canadian. Well, British-Canadian if you wanna get technical. We pay $1.20CAD for a litre of gas/petrol. I also have a Chevrolet Avalanche (5.3L V8). And I drive around 70km to work each way so 140km a day. For Europeans, that's a HUGE distance to travel to work. In Canada, not so much. On top of that, add the drive to the nearest grocery store (10km), gym (10km), family (20km) and you can see how it starts to add up
I live in a rural location, away from the city but I wanted it that way. After living in big cities all my life, moving to a place that has 10+ acres of open land is a godsend for my sanity. I never realized how much it helps a person 'turn off' after a hectic day of work (I work in IT) but being able to sit outside and listen to nothing but the odd insect is great. Plus, very little light pollution so you can stare at the stars too.
But seriously, I bet there's a LOT of North Americans here who drive a long distance to work compared to Europeans. Canada/US are large countries.
.. but when I stop and think about it, if I'm spending $700+ on a phone, I don't really care about brand. I prefer Android so in a toss up between Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, I'll really just go for the one with the most features appealing to me.
I have a Samsung phone right now (first Samsung..) but with all the bloatware, I'm not going to buy another*
*I can't root it as my company's UEM software will flag it as rooted and quarantine it *sadface*
It's not just gas savings, though they are likely the most significant part of any savings once you switch to EV. It's other costs like no more engine, transmission fluid changes and even less wear and tear on brakes.
I went from spending around $600-$700 a month on gas to spending around $50 with my PHEV. I haven't changed my driving habit or route, it's literally the cost savings just in gas . The oil changes in my PHEV are every 10,000km or 6 months. I have yet to hit 10,000km on the gas engine yet - I'm at 36,000km in just over a year of ownership and the mileage on the gas engine is less than 9,000km. The gas engine still kicks on periodically (even when the battery is fully charged) because I think it's programmed to cycle the oil etc. every now and then.
Things Tesla owners have to worry about:
- Brakes (although less frequently due to regenerative braking)
- Battery pack (warrantied for 7 years minimum I believe)
Things Tesla owners don't have to worry about
- Engine oil & leaks
- Transmission fluid & leaks
- Power steering & leaks
- Engine coolant & leaks
- U-joints
- Exhaust pipe corroding
- Catalytic converter replacement
- Spark plugs and wires
- Camshafts, lifters, valves and anything else in a combustion engine
The list goes on and on.
When it comes to YouTube "how to" videos, it's not STEM type videos I'm watching, it's things like car repair, construction (e.g. framing, drywalling, plumbing etc), or welding.
I enjoy working on my cars and bought the Haynes repair manuals but watching someone change the rear main seal vs. reading how to do it and looking at grainy black-and-white pictures is no contest. Regardless of the subject though, there a massive variance in the quality of the "how to" video. Some people are precariously balancing a smartphone while using both hands to do get to a bolt but others have taken the time to understand camera position, lighting, graphics etc. Those should be rewarded appropriately if the aim is to encourage effective educational videos.
More recently, I stood up an ELK implementation and spent a few days trying to find a decent tutorial. Only by chance did I find a great YouTube video that walked through the basics and them some additional detail on config and logstash that I was struggling with.
Not sure if this a Canada/Ontario thing, but there's a really frustrating experience that I see ALL the time.
I'm on the ramp, about to join the highway. I'm doing around 100km/h and 'tracking' the vehicle in the right hand lane in my peripheral vision. If they're going faster than me, I might let off the gas just enough so I can slip in behind them. If they're going slow than me (e.g. even though I'm doing highway speed on the ramp, I'm going to end up joining ahead of them), I'll speed up just enough to ensure when I do join, there's still around 3-4 car lengths between us - assuming they maintain their speed.
You know what happens Almost. Every. Single. Time?
Even though they were going slower, by the time I'm getting ready to merge, they've sped up. They were doing around 90 km/h leading up the end of the ramp for me, but now they're doing a good 100 or 110. OK, so I slow down and merge behind them. Guess what? After 10 seconds, they're back to doing 90! They sped up ONLY to make it harder for someone to merge.
I put it down to some weird obsession that no-one should be allowed to merge in front of them or they have this pathological desire to make life harder for someone to merge. And it's not just merging, I see drivers actively prevent someone from switching lanes into their line, even though there's plenty of room. They could be doing a constant 50 km/h but if they see someone ahead trying to change lanes into theirs, they'll speed up to make the maneuver impossible or extremely dangerous.
This is one of the reasons self driving cars can't come soon enough. Once they've got the technology to a point where it's safe, we'll all be better off without the bizarre tendencies of humans driving 2 ton hunks of metal at 120 km/h.
Ah, thanks for the additional info
Forgive the question but when you say "total stock market index" and "total bond market index", are you saying I should split my money thus:
> 70% of the money in an index that only invests in the stock markets and the remaining 30% in an index that only invests in bonds?
I believe that's what you're saying but would love confirmation of my understanding.
Oh man, I dunno how comfortable I feel putting my hard earned money with a company named after a robber. A well intentioned robber perhaps, but a robber nonetheless.
This comes at a pretty great time for me. My wife and I last week discussed reviewing our investment plans. We're still around 20 years away from retirement age but we've neglected it for too long. We both contribute to RRSPs through our employers and the employer match a certain percentage of our contribution. We've maxed it out ever since it started, around 10 years ago or so.
I check my portfolio maybe twice a year and have never been happy with the fees. When I'm making money on the investment, I don't mind paying a certain fee, but it's grating when I'm paying fees when they're losing money. Before any smarty-pants jumps in, yes I am aware that markets go up and down, but I feel ripped off paying a couple hundred in fees for the privilege of losing money.
We're meeting with a financial adviser this week to discuss our finances. Both our companies and the firm they use for managing our RRSPs offer financial advisers, but we want someone independent with no skin in the game. We made it very clear when booking our appointment that we're not interested in moving our RRSP so I'm hoping to get some good advise.
The index fund option is very interesting, the wife and I both agreed we should go down that route and reading the Warren Buffet article lends more credence to that strategy. Will be interesting to hear what this adviser says.
What I want to know is:
Did they program it to jump over the log and then up the boxes using distance and height? E.g. Run 10 steps, jump 50cm up, 40cm forward, run another 10 steps, jump 40 cm etc OR could they have put any random object in it's path and it would have automatically identified it and taken the right action to jump it??
"All so you don't have to go out in public and associate with real PEOPLE!!!"
I don't know about you, but I find the less "real people" I interact with, the happier I am. It's a rare occurrence when a stranger strikes up a meaningful conversation.
Honestly? Yes, I am too busy to do grocery shopping. I mean, I could do it, but it would mean having 2 hours less to do something else. Not sure if this is typical but there's always something to do:
1. Finish up my basement reno. Working solo mostly. Hard to get into a rhythm but once I get going, I can spend a good 10 hours.
2. Cleaning the cars. Whether it's inside or outside, keeping them rust and damage free is a frequent chore
3. Cleaning the house. Vacuuming, dusting, wiping down cabinets, cleaning furniture etc.
4. Gardening. Mowing takes 3 hours and is a weekly task otherwise the grass grows too long and then ends up clumping when cut, even with a mulching blade. And then there's the weeds that need to be kept in constant check
5. Playing with kids. They've started getting into soccer and volleyball so I try to spend at least 30 mins a day before it gets dark playing outside
6. Gym. Minimum 1 hour a day with 30 minutes drive time there and back
We used to do groceries on the weekend but that's prime time for most of the above activities, except for the gym, and groceries are unproductive time. Most people who use grocery services aren't lazy, they just can make better use of the same time.
It's tempting to think that's the case but it hasn't been my experience. I shop at Zehrs and they offer a service called 'Click and Collect'. You go on-line, order your groceries and when it's ready, they give you a call to pick it up.
You park in a designated spot near the front the store and an employee comes out and loads it up in your car. Easy peasy.
The fruit and veggies are exactly the same as the ones I would have picked, I've yet to get home and realize I've got something old, mouldy, damaged etc. The staff are friendly and helpful and they even give you a small bag of goodies as a 'thank you'.
This IS the future, I would recommend it to anyone who lives near a Zehrs that offers this service. It's such a great time saver. I know some people express concern about the growing lack of interactivity with others, but honest, how often to you stop and talk to random strangers when you're doing your groceries?
I think if you drive like a self-professed effing maniac, the danger isn't you to yourself, it's you to other road users. You may not have had any accidents, but you probably leave a trail of destruction in your path as people get out of your way?
At the very least, you've probably freaked someone out pretty good. My philosophy when driving is more along the lines of "make everyones life around me just a little bit easier"
What I meant was .. would something take over from mosquitoes? I mean horseflies already exist but it's not like their population is held in check by mosquitoes?
If all mosquitoes died today, horseflies probably wouldn't be any worse tomorrow.