potate

joined 2 years ago
[–] potate 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The provided link is to a directory site and the link dead ends. There seems to be a ton of low effort copy-paste spam from this directory site.

I can understand providing a link to the directory site in one post - but a post about a specific business should provide direct links to the Canadian business in question - not to this directory.

19
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by potate to c/buycanadian
 

Just got a crate bed from Vagabond Pet Supply - made right here in Alberta.

Stetson, our CNIB guide pup in training hugely approves of the his thick new bed and they even sent along a knotted chew toy made from scraps of material.

I haven't tried it yet, but they also sell enzymatic cleaner in large containers. We have three cats, and a rotating cast of foster cats in addition to our training pup, so we go through the stuff like crazy. I ordered a gallon.

[–] potate 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I kinda like pet-chem if we're going to do more upgrading - and sure enough we're seeing activity in the space.

Refineries produce gasoline (for old cars), diesel (for old trucks), and oils (there's alternatives). Refineries are for antiquated tech that were trying to phase out IMO.

Upgrading light ends (methane, ethane, propane, etc) are what I'd be investing in if I was looking at fossil fuels investment. We have LOTS of gas plants sweetening and fractionating that stuff so the product streams are there and the emissions intensity of that end is WAY better than liquids.

Dow is building a huge ethane cracker to produce polyethylene. IPL has the Heartland petrochemical complex that's going to be soaking up immense amounts of propane to produce polypropylene pellets. I haven't checked what Nova is up to lately, but I can promise you they're looking to grow in the space.

I don't love polymers, but we COULD recycle it if we were smart and unlike combustion where everything ends up in the atmosphere, a landfill full of plastic is actually carbon sequestration when you think about it.

Methane (natural gas) is worth approximately nothing at the moment, but coastal LNG exports will help China et al. ween off coal while they continue to build out renewables and Europe needs LNG for similar reasons and timescales.

Source - random internet person

[–] potate 13 points 5 days ago

I live and work downtown Calgary in an O&G related field (emissions reduction analysis - it's a frustrating job). I listen to a LOT of anti-Smith diatribes. The UCP mostly gets elected by rural ridings. They have about half of Calgary, and I don't know why they even bother running candidates in Edmonton.

There's a lot similarities to BC actually - BC votes conservative (whatever they call themselves) most places outside of Vancouver and Victoria.

There's even recall campaign talk in Calgary at the moment because people are hoping to force an early election to try and force the UCP out. (abresistance.ca for any Calgary homies who are interested in getting involved)

[–] potate 8 points 5 days ago (4 children)

I think that the scale of investment involved in oil sands development necessitates MUCH longer range planning than relatively short political cycles.

There's may be something to be said maximizing CAPEX when the commodity pricing sucks. Spending pullback from the more boom/bust centric conventional/frac operators reduces competition for trades and key manufacturers.

I think the differentiator at the moment is the lack of predictability. Normally your financial models only have to factor in modest price uncertainty. Right now the tariffs change so quickly that who knows what things will cost. I don't have a clue how you price a project in this environment. I pitty project managers.

Steel plate and pipe is easy to source domestically - especially when the US buyers aren't tying up Evraz capacity. Big inch valves would start to get tricky I think - but it's been over a decade since I was working in that space. Coatings are Dupont and 3M for buried assets - so lots of risk exposure there.

Personally, if I operated any major facilities (fractionation/refineries) I'd be looking at what turnaround/maintenance work I could be pulling forward right now. When oil's booming, you don't want to shut down your money machine to do repairs.

[–] potate 65 points 5 days ago

Huh, I thought it was just me that did that - I just assumed everyone else was so much more disciplined than me...

[–] potate 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I've got a 5kW array of panels so yea, piddly stuff like charging USB is nothing - it's more the principal of the thing.

My EV charger is definitely the biggie. The system will dynamically adjust charging current in 1A steps to make use of available excess generation. It works pretty well - 16kWh spinning my meter backwards would earn me a whole $1.50 - instead it added ~20% charge to the car.

[–] potate 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I know a number of people who got too much buildup from over applying and decided it was crap. My advice was always - be more lazy.

[–] potate 2 points 6 days ago

I damn near bankrupted myself to buy a Bertazzoni induction range. Zero regrets. It ain't Canadian but the EU are homies (mostly) and have some damn nice appliances. We have a Bosch dishwasher that was made in Germany and I didn't realize that dishwashers could actually wash dishes until I got it (ten years old and still works beautifully).

Shit's expensive as hell so there's a lot of privilege that goes into my 'damn the cost' strategy and it definitely isn't for everyone.

[–] potate 1 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Try the dry lube - it changed my life. That said, don't over apply - every complaint I've seen is due to over application.

[–] potate 2 points 6 days ago

Okay, I'm curious, I'll see what I can find. I just got a made in Canada Razor, shave bar, and brush so I've been down parallel rabbit holes ;)

[–] potate 8 points 6 days ago

Naw, I have a super efficient heat pump and my water heater has been on for about ten minutes today. When high demand stuff kicks in my system kills off discretionary loads until I'm not exceeding my production. And this is in Canada...

[–] potate 7 points 6 days ago

I think California has ~80% of the almond market which is absolutely absurd considering the water demand for producing almonds.

I've switched to oat milk in my coffee but am still divesting from almond flour...

 

Thanks to Emporia's excellent tools, I have outlets and usb chargers in my house that only work when I'm generating excess solar. I don't need my power banks every day so they get plugged into those outlets.

Oh, and my car. My car only charges as fast as my solar generation permits. I love Emporia.

 

I've been doing the 'buy Canadian' thing for a few years now. I actually enjoy the game of trying to find cool folks making cool stuff and I know that there are others like me just like there are people who lack the time or inclination to do the research.

I also think it can be tricky for people looking at starting a business to be able to identify a need.

So what's a product you don't know of a Canadian alternative to?

Personally, it's cast iron cookware. Meyer makes great stainless stuff, but there isn't a single foundry making cast iron cookware in Canada. I've actually started emailing a few to see if I can find a Canadian foundry that would be willing to batch produce cast iron skillets. Finding a local brand already doing it would be a LOT easier!

 

I previously built a Rotate Watches kit but wanted to build something where I wasn't constrained by kits. It would let me chase the look I wanted and ensure that I had figured out how sizing and part compatibility works.

Seagull St3600 movement (about to be replaced with a genuine ETA 6497), sapphire crystals front and back.

I'm currently designing my own case and dial in CAD and am planning on trying to mill my own parts as my next step.

Let me know what you think!

22
submitted 1 week ago by potate to c/buycanadian
 

Heads up to cyclists - NF Designs - makers of super nice riding wear is moving production to the US. Their stuff was made in Vancouver until recently - but they just announced that they are moving production. It isn't super clear from their website so I emailed asking if it was EVERYTHING or just select products that would be made in the US and their response sounds like it's everything.

Looks like I need to find a new brand of riding gear!

7
Send and respond to DM's? (self.thunder_app)
submitted 2 weeks ago by potate to c/[email protected]
 

Hi all - I'm a several-times-a-day Thunder user and really enjoy the app. It's steadily evolving and improving which is awesome to see and I really appreciate the efforts of the dev team.

One thing that I think is missing is the ability to send and respond to DM's. Is that accurate (or am I just incompetent) and if so, is there an accepted alternative for handling DM's?

 

The federal government just increased support for individuals with major disabilities by $200/month. Smith and the UCP are clawing it back by reducing AISH by the same amount.

I've volunteered with folks on AISH - they aren't getting by. They have to beg and plead for the basic supports to live life with the hand they were dealt. The UCP thinks they can do this because most of us don't have a close friend or family member who depends on AISH.

We need to prove them wrong.

 

A public inquiry seems pretty justified given the magnitude of the financials involved...

181
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by potate to c/canada
 

I haven't done adequate due diligence yet - could be inaccurate

I came across this article alleging that Germany is considering bailing on the F-35 aircraft because the US can remotely disable them.

If the US could do this to German F-35s, presumably they can do it to ours....

Additional reporting alleging concern in Canadian defence circles

 

tl;dr: Police "Insulted" by insinuations photo radar has been used as a cash cow. Also police: Requirement to restrict photo radar to school zones, construction sites, and locations with demonstrably higher collision rates due to speeding has resulted in a $28M funding gap for Calgary ALONE.

47
Made in Canada boots - solid value (www.canadawestboots.com)
submitted 2 months ago by potate to c/buycanadian
 

Shoes and boots are one of the few items where you have a ton of made in Canada options.

I've gotten pairs from a few different brands and the stand out value is the WM. Moorby line by Canada West. My set haave been durable, and look as good as boots I've bought at twice the price. They aren't cheap ($300+) but they can be resoled so they should last roughly forever.

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