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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 1st, 2023

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  • Hyup. I was born and raised here, and love the city to death.

    Wilkinsburg is a bit of a strange part of town. It’s one of a few neighborhoods that have resisted annexation for a century plus. Just look at a map of Pittsburgh and you’ll see big empty holes (literally mount Oliver is completely surrounded by the city). This results in some weird circumstances, wilkinsburg has really high taxes, shit schools, and is one of the rougher parts of town.

    On the other hand, I love where I’m at in the city, I got a beautiful 1800 sq ft 4BR home built in 1890 along the river. I can see the water from my front stoop. $160k, and I have a few roommates. Currently slowly renovating the place.

    It is a bit ironic opening Instagram or something and seeing posts like “omg! Pittsburgh is so affordable, my rent is under $2k!!!” For those shitty “luxury” apartments going in all over the country. Meanwhile, my mortgage is $830 because I bought during covid.

    I feel the creep and know the city isn’t gonna be affordable forever. Wages are still a bit shit around here.


  • The OP said “house”. Interpret that however you’d like I guess. If you bought this place for $10k in cash, I don’t know who exactly would stop you from clearing out a room and living in it while working on it.

    You can get a loan for just about anything from the bank. You don’t even have to be very specific about what you’re using it for. All they care about is credit history, what interest rates they’re giving you, length of loan, blahblahblah




  • What a load of crap. My phone is 5 years old and the only security risk is me blindly installing questionable APKs off the Internet or clicking pop-up ads or something. It’s not like I’m walking around with a time bomb or anything when all I do is browse a few apps and text and call.

    Also the new pixel 8 supposedly is supposed to come with 7 years of updates. It’s entirely possible Google abandons that plan though, given their track record.




  • Hezbollah has shot missiles into Israel territory frequently and that’s a good thing. Since October 7th they have shot at precise military targets in relation to border skirmishes.

    Senior Hamas leadership is a separate entity from the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, who does have authority to take action without authorization from Hamas (and does frequently). Which is why the escalation and assassination is a bit puzzling, but I do feel Hezbollah being brought into the conflict as a much stronger force is a good thing if it means the destruction of the occupation and genocide being committed by Israel.



  • octobob@lemmy.mltoAsklemmy@lemmy.mlHow poor is the average American?
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    7 months ago

    Dog if you’re thinking about moving, come to the best small-town vines rust belt city that has the lowest cost of living in the US, where I was born and raised, Pittsburgh. I love this city to death and it has deep working class roots. I bought an 1800 sq ft, 4 bedroom home that was built in 1890 for $160k in 2020. I’ve been renovating it for the past few years and still got a ways to go but it’s coming together beautifully.

    For what it’s worth, our rent is still well below the national average, and I love this city to death. It’s small, but not too small, but not too large, everybody seems to know everybody, and there’s always always something to do. The geography and nature and rivers really forced this city’s hand a few hundred years ago where now everything is just built around and into mountainsides and deep woods, highways and roads and everything is a snarling maze of studio Ghibli elden ring on ketamine and I wouldn’t want it any other way





  • Yes. Specifically industrial control and automation, which is apples to oranges to commercial and industrial building power distribution for example.

    I worked for GE as a grunt first building inverters for solar fields and power plants. Then I did field service for them in the American southwest when they shut down the factory and sent all the work to GE Germany and Japan.

    Then when all of the re-work we were doing was done, I passed on traveling indefinitely and came back home to Pittsburgh. I got hired opening a new factory for a company that makes machinery used for plastics recycling and worked there for close to a decade as their only electrical technician. That shop holds a deep place in my heart for the connections and friendships I made there. But I saw us getting slow as fuck and everyone quitting and decided to switch jobs this year for a better paycheck and closer commute. Now I work solely in testing and do a bit of design work and drafting.


  • octobob@lemmy.mltoMemes@lemmy.mlWork is fulfilling and fun 🙃
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    8 months ago

    Trades are always hiring. My phone says I walk like 5 miles a day just working in our factory. I use my brain, body, problem-solving skills, and have real conversations with my coworkers daily about how to go about the work and solve problems, or just pass the time when we’re not as busy. I learn new things constantly and enjoy working with my hands and making my work look beautiful, which can be surprisingly deep in the field of industrial electrical work.

    Just know that if anyone’s interested in this kinda thing, make sure you have some thick skin and maybe leave a terminally online brain at home