EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Crowd Funded Projects => Topic started by: wilfred on September 08, 2013, 02:19:44 pm
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No, he wants to invent a clothesline and wants you to pay him to do it. He hasn't actually invented it yet.
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During my time there I got used to the lifestyle of an averege American. While in the US one of the things I've noticed while helping my mother out with drying clothes, is how much energy we waisted to do this.
OK.... I promise you, we're not all this retarded. I know how to use a clothesline... |O
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I also know how to wash clothes without using a washing machine, though using one does make it easier. Beats a big bucket and your feet.
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Yeah, but drying is a lot easier. An electric/gas dryer is only marginally easier than sticking them out on a line to dry; I can't really see whatever this is having a significant enough advantage over a simple line to justify the cost.
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Along with many other residents in the USA, I am not legally permitted to use a clothes line. The homeowner's association forbids it.
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Along with many other residents in the USA, I am not legally permitted to use a clothes line. The homeowner's association forbids it.
So use a solar and windpowered eco clothes dryer, problem solved. ;)
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Ugh. HOA... :( I live five miles deep into a forest :-+
Ridiculous snobs. If your idea of benefiting your neighborhood is banning clotheslines and telling people how to cut their grass, you need to get a damn life.
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It's all about neighborhood property values. We don't even get to change the color of the paint on the exterior of our home, although we are still required to repaint it every 5 years. We aren't allowed to allow our home to fall into disrepair. We aren't even allowed to park in the street (it's a private street) overnight.
In return, our home retains its sale value much better than other neighborhoods which don't enforce such rules. I also don't have to worry about asshole neighbors who decide to start fixing cars in their driveway and growing rusted refrigerators in the yard (this is also forbidden). It's a good trade-off IMO.
But what's that got to do with another nutjob who's trying to scam money on IGG?
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You shouldn't get to tell the neighbors what they can and cannot do on their own property because you're worried some asshole won't want to pay as much for yours because the neighbor has a clothesline. It's not their fault people are tightwads. My idea of a good trade-off is "I get to own my property, which means I can hang clothes to dry and paint my house whatever damn color I want. So can the neighbors, whether I like it or not." This ridiculous culture of making every single rule you can think of that doesn't personally affect you needs to end.
But what's that got to do with another nutjob who's trying to scam money on IGG?
Because his idea is idiotic in a place where people can use clotheslines, but might make a shred of sense otherwise.
(Yeah, it's slightly OT, but really, I don't imagine we could carry on a long discussion about this stupid IGG campaign. A clothesline is about the only thing I can imagine that fits his sparse description...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_rack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_rack)
The amount of energy waste in the US amazes me every now and then. Even if I also use the drying machine.
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You shouldn't get to tell the neighbors what they can and cannot do on their own property because you're worried some asshole won't want to pay as much for yours because the neighbor has a clothesline. It's not their fault people are tightwads. My idea of a good trade-off is "I get to own my property, which means I can hang clothes to dry and paint my house whatever damn color I want. So can the neighbors, whether I like it or not." This ridiculous culture of making every single rule you can think of that doesn't personally affect you needs to end.
But an HOA isn't something that sneaks up on you after you buy the property. They are formed when the neighborhood is built. You know about it and all of the rules before buying. So if the rules bother a person, then they can just find a home in a different neighborhood with different rules. And one neighborhood HOA isn't able to impose rules on another neighborhood.
I don't see why this arrangement would get anyone riled up?
I happen to like the idea that some ass can't move in next door to me and do things that devalue the resale appraisal of my own home. Like the guy who moved in next door to me in my previous neighborhood, and decided to start rebuilding nasty old Fieros in his driveway, in addition to only mowing his lawn perhaps once or twice per summer.
But in my current neighborhood, all of the grounds are professionally landscaped every week. Non-emergency automobile maintenance is prohibited. I don't have to worry about someone moving in, painting their house purple and gold, and installing an inflatable pool on the roof (yes, a friend of mine had this happen in his neighborhood). My property resale value is relatively stable - aside from the obvious recession effects. The "trade-off" is a HOA that has the authority to collect fees and fines, and the ability to place liens if necessary to collect them. But again - it is an "opt-in" system where the rules only apply to people who agree to them by buying property in the HOA-covered neighborhood.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_rack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drying_rack)
The amount of energy waste in the US amazes me every now and then. Even if I also use the drying machine.
It's not "energy waste", it's "energy used".
Is energy in short supply, or something? Do we need to ration it only for things that the general public consider worthy pursuits for humanity?
I use my clothes dryer a few times a week. I can wash my clothes which takes 30-40 minutes in my machine, and my dryer has the whole load clean within an hour after that. Very convenient. Plus, dried clothes are wrinkle free, nice to wear on a cool day after being dried, etc, etc.
It's a convenience thing.
Who here drives a multi-seater car but has no passenger more than 50% of the time? Isn't that just as much, or more, of a waste? But we do it because it's convenient and we like it.
Ain't first world life great?
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How could he possibly invent something better than this gem ;D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hills_Hoist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hills_Hoist)
And as anyone who was a teenager in Oz should be able to remember, it can double for a whole variety of excellent drinking games... Goon-a-fortune being one of the countries all time favorites. ;)
A shinning example here: http://youtu.be/vqFFyW01FXA (http://youtu.be/vqFFyW01FXA)
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learn from animal how to dry cloth heh? i want to invent low noise good harmonic cable. i believe begging is another profitable hobby today.
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I don't see why this arrangement would get anyone riled up?
I'm not riled up, I'm just extremely averse to living in such a place. You can have your HOA all you want, as long as I can still find a neighborhood without one...
Non-emergency automobile maintenance is prohibited.
What!? :wtf: So you can't change your oil? What idiot thought that was a good idea? |O
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Wait wait wait wait... there are places with enclosed, private backyards, that have fences around them so they cannot be entered or seen into, that forbid clotheslines, and in the same manner, extended buildings attached to residences enclosed by walls for safety, security and privacy for storing motor vehicles that forbid motor vehicle maintenance?
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Many of the snooty pens around me do not have fences around yards, just around a group of houses so they don't have to see the common folk across the road. They do have garages, though.
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Wait wait wait wait... there are places with enclosed, private backyards, that have fences around them so they cannot be entered or seen into, that forbid clotheslines, and in the same manner, extended buildings attached to residences enclosed by walls for safety, security and privacy for storing motor vehicles that forbid motor vehicle maintenance?
Maybe there are. But I think they are talking about American suburbia where it is about appearance and looking neat and great on the outside. Where they prohibit fences, because they look ugly and block the view to the shiny property with all the neatness around and where the garages are full of junk, leaving no room for a car.
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Most of them probably have never touched a wrench in their lives, so I suppose I can see why they're OK with giving up the right to maintain their own property. Crawling under your car and removing the oil plug doesn't involve money or gossip, so they don't know how to do it.
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I'm not riled up, I'm just extremely averse to living in such a place. You can have your HOA all you want, as long as I can still find a neighborhood without one...
What!? :wtf: So you can't change your oil? What idiot thought that was a good idea? |O
I live in an area with no HOA. I would never live where there is one. I think it seems to attract egotistical people who like to think they are much wealthier than they really are (no offense intented to Mac or anyone here, just been my experience with many HOA types), and/or who have too much time on their hands.
In general, living in a wealthy neighborhood automatically solves this problem, because a rich guy probably isn't going to have 3 old fridges in his yard. Not to mention wealthy neighborhoods tend to have larger properties and you don't need to worry so much about your neighbor dragging you down.
But I shudder at the idea of a wealthy neighbor not being allowed to pull his all original 67 Corvette with a 427 out into the driveway and let me ogle it while he changes the spark plugs.
There is also the fact that it sort of paints people into a corner... unless you are wealthy to the point you'll never have to work again even through you spend like a drunken sailor in a Thai brothel, there's always the chance that hard economic times may befall you. And if they do, I can't imagine having it made harder by some snooty neighbors complaining that your car isn't up to snuff or that you save some $$ by maintaining it yourself, etc.
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I wasn't talking about that kind of stuff. Besides - you can just as easily change your oil or spark plugs while parked in your garage as you can with it in a driveway. No, I was talking about things like rebuilding an engine block or doing body work.
Perhaps it would make more sense if you actually understood the layout of the neighborhood instead of making assumptions about it. This isn't the far suburbs where everyone has several acres of land. This also isn't a neighborhood designed for young families. This neighborhood was specifically designed to cater to existing homeowners 50 years and up whose children have already left home ("empty nesters" is what they call them). Many people in that situation are looking to downsize their home because it sucks trying to maintain a huge empty house. They also prefer to not do their own landscape maintenance, and to have relatively quiet streets. And it is VERY important that the private streets not be blocked by parked cars in the event that an emergency vehicle (ambulance/firetruck) needs to get to a home.
Here is an old photo of the neighborhood during an ice storm about 6 or 7 years ago (didn't have any more recent). Obviously the vegetation has filled in significantly since then. But as you can see, the rules about parking in the street make sense here (we have a service alleyway behind each row of homes, and some shared parking spaces in a central park area that cannot be seen here). It should also be obvious how someone who decides to paint their home an "off" color would cause damage to the values of nearby homes (they are close together and fit within a carefully planned design).
(http://i.imgur.com/1p6E4mt.jpg)
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Are those street lamps, which illuminates anything but the street itself? ;)
So, home owners intended to be 50+, yet the buildings have two floors?
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I wasn't talking about that kind of stuff. Besides - you can just as easily change your oil or spark plugs while parked in your garage as you can with it in a driveway. No, I was talking about things like rebuilding an engine block or doing body work.
Perhaps it would make more sense if you actually understood the layout of the neighborhood instead of making assumptions about it. This isn't the far suburbs where everyone has several acres of land. This also isn't a neighborhood designed for young families.
I wasn't talking about your neighborhood specifically - sorry if it came across that way. I was just commenting on HOA's in general. I can understand that some people want a level of decor imposed on everyone, but for me personally I would never live like that. I have found that the sort of stuff HOA's are usually created in order to mitigate is stuff that generally only happens in lower-middle to lower class neighborhoods around here. There is a house near my work where the guy has - no lie - probably 20 or 30 old television sets in his front yard. Another looks like the yard has never - ever - been taken care of (weeds and vegetation 5-6 feet high). But where I live we've never really had a problem with it. There is always the redneck/bum type person in every neighborhood and in my case he lives just a couple of houses over. Has 5-6 cars in his front yard, only 2 of which he uses and the others haven't been started in years. But he's actually a really nice guy and I don't begrudge him living the way he wants. Doesn't really affect me, IMO.
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Are those street lamps, which illuminates anything but the street itself? ;)
So, home owners intended to be 50+, yet the buildings have two floors?
The tall ones are street lamps, yes. They are highly inefficient but get the job done. The shorter ones in front of each house are decorative gas lamps. Yes, we burn a flame 24/7/365. Nothing like expending fossil fuels for no good reason. Most people in this part of the South don't believe in global climate change - heck half of my neighbors believe that oil is continuously replenished through natural processes and wells will never run dry :-// I wish I were making that up :palm:
There are four floorplans, three have "Master on Main".
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Yeah, thankfully nobody really took offense, allow me to clarify... :-[ I was tired as hell last night and started ranting about neighborhoods near me. Mac, I don't mean to imply that you're anything like the people I was talking about. Most of the area around me ranges from poor to lower middle-class - but there are one or two high-profile employers who pay many of their employees way more than the average wages in the area, and a significant portion of those people are very stuck-up and snooty. I don't know you and have no reason to believe you are like that.