I own a couple actual vintage arcade machines and paid less for them than this. If you shop around you can find deals.

I also have one of these 1up cabs and it is definitely not like vintage. Software may be the same but it is using a modern monitor not a CRT. I think I paid around 300 for it several years ago. Not full size.

They’re actually earning the nickname Worst Buy.

?

I’m not exactly an expert so please research all of this further, but my understanding is that you have a few options. In no particular order:

1. COBRA. I know it’s expensive ($800 / mo or more) but you’re still getting the “group” discount your employer gets. Cheaper than buying insurance on the “open market” without getting your employer’s group discount.
2. Major medical. This is health insurance but only covers major incidents. No preventative care. Shitty but better than worst case medical problems bankrupting you.
3. Open market insurance. Just buying straight from a health insurance company. Very expensive. Try Obamacare first.
4. Obamacare. This has different names in different states. Tiered costs based on income. You’ll want to research how it looks at income because this might inform the timing of leaving your job/current health insurance.
5. No insurance. Terrible option, but you can go to the emergency room and they have to treat you.
6. Other insurance. I believe some places like Costco (Sam’s club?) offer health insurance for businesses.
   The whole thing is a confusing mess and no options are perfect.

Have you talked with other small business owners? Do you have connections to the business community that could explain what they do? If you don’t have anyone to network with about this, FIND some people. Even just by walking into their business and telling your story. Many communities have business incubators or other networking for startups. At least one mentor could make a HUGE difference for you.

Is starting the business and ramping it up for some time THEN quitting possible? This could make sense for a lot of reasons, not just health insurance.

If nothing else, you could work long enough to save up 6 months or a year of COBRA and then quit to do your business full time.

Best wishes!

I LOVED TA back in the day. I recently bought it again off Steam.

If the meat is not ground then there is no question about shady practices.

Do you have a better way to know when ordering food at a restaurant?

Honestly, anyone selling ground meat is kinda sus to me. There are reasons steak burgers are uncommon and it is not because they taste worse.

Why grind meat?

Do you put the ground beef into the blender? No? Mix the blended stuff into the ground beef (in a bowl)?

Sounds interesting but I think I need to understand better before I try it.

Atari 2600 gamez! Very cool. I still have my 2600 and the TV I used when I was a kid. Both still work.

Also, so glad someone put arcade games on their list.

Ultima IV !!! Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.

I played that on my Commodore 64 and waited a loooong time for the (actually floppy) disk drive to spin up.

I bet most people here don’t know any of the Ultima games.

Fuckin SHUT UP!

We don’t want to give those MS assholes ANY ideas.

Degoogle instead.

Yes

It might not be the door opener. The door/springs/track may just need adjustment.

I would call your local hardware store and ask for a recommendation for a “garage door guy”. Then follow his advice.

Be VERY careful with garage door springs! They can kill you. Torsion springs especially.

Bright light in a drunk’s face seems like a great way to get socked in the mouth.

Flashlight on your phone, buddy.

Cool, thanks. $5 -$6 / month is cheap.

This is pretty complicated, I think much more so than what you’ve said reflects.

First, if you can stop DO IT NOW. Any benefit you think you’re getting is a rationalized illusion and the risks FAR outweigh any possible benefits. It is irrational, foolish, and truly dangerous to continue smoking, especially if you can stop. If you need to remind yourself of the downsides and risks of tobacco use google some images and read some first hand accounts. It is NOT a joke that tobacco KILLS. STOP playing Russian roulette if you can.

I smoked and/or chewed tobacco for most of my adult life and feel fortunate that I was able to quit a little over 10 years ago. It was not easy for me to quit. I had tried to quit many times over the years. I took a class about quitting and finally did. I hope for good.

I do believe that some people are more affected and/or addicted to nicotine than others. I had girlfriends that would smoke at the bar and nowhere else, which really pissed me off because I COULD NOT do that. BUT, there is no good understanding about this. Maybe these people are not far enough into the habit to be addicted. It seems unclear if some are really resistant to nicotine addiction and I have NO doubt that it is not worth trying to find out.

I’ll stop here. But anyone can feel free to ask questions.

I’ll bite. What is frugal Usenet?

I’ve always been pretty bad at Tetris. This video was very engaging and entertaining. It tells a great story.