Humor Random Comments Thread

[Urwumpe]

Drat...airbag light is back on again after a week. I'm thinking I have a bad module. And inspection coming up next month. Drat...drat...drat...

Better check it, a defect air bag can kill you.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Better check it, a defect air bag can kill you.

There was an airbag inflator recall on these Hondas, which I had done recently (which might be the source of my problem? Hmmm....:hmm. Air bag light indicates that the system will not deploy IIRC.

Found instructions to get the bag error codes from the OBDII port using a jumper wire. Will look at that today and see what that is all about. If it is related to the inflators Honda may take care of it.

---------- Post added at 10:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 AM ----------

Well, the law is the law. If the government owes you money, they owe it, period. They don't have any problem coming after you when the shoe is on the other foot.

As it is, excess tax payments during the year pretty much amounts to an interest-free loan to the government. That money that you are getting back is money you were not able to use over the previous year.

 

[Urwumpe]

As it is, excess tax payments during the year pretty much amounts to an interest-free loan to the government. That money that you are getting back is money you were not able to use over the previous year.

More so, in Germany your taxes are deducted and paid by your employer in first place and he can't calculate the income taxes properly since he is usually not allowed to know too much about your life off work. Thus, your employer here usually deducts too many taxes from your income. And it is your duty to get the difference back - if you want so.

I already managed to nearly double my income in a year. A few months of paid work so the income stayed below the minimum threshold. Many kilometers of travel to my workplace. Additional expenses that had been deductable, because I moved into a new apartment. In the end, I got negative taxes - I got far more back than I have paid.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

More so, in Germany your taxes are deducted and paid by your employer in first place and he can't calculate the income taxes properly since he is usually not allowed to know too much about your life off work. Thus, your employer here usually deducts too many taxes from your income. And it is your duty to get the difference back - if you want so.

I already managed to nearly double my income in a year. A few months of paid work so the income stayed below the minimum threshold. Many kilometers of travel to my workplace. Additional expenses that had been deductable, because I moved into a new apartment. In the end, I got negative taxes - I got far more back than I have paid.

Here you can select a number of exemptions based on child and marital status, etc.. that controls how much tax is deducted per pay period, but you can set the exemptions to a minimum so too much tax is pulled out, usually guaranteeing that you get a refund vs. having to pay a tax bill.

From an investment standpoint it's not a great practice but in a way it is a great means to enforce savings discipline (unless you take your refund check and blow it on shiny things).

---------- Post added at 12:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:01 PM ----------

Found instructions to get the bag error codes from the OBDII port using a jumper wire. Will look at that today and see what that is all about. If it is related to the inflators Honda may take care of it.

Well, that was easy. Jumped two connections on the ODBII port with a paper clip and the airbag light flashes a sequence that delivers the error code. Getting code 3-1: Open or increased resistance in driver's seat belt tensioner. Cleared the code and light is staying off. This is great news; this is easy to get to and may just involve cleaning some contacts if it ever comes back.

Interwebz FTW!

 

[jedidia]

In Switzerland, we pay taxes for the next year, so it can happen that you get something back if you hit a snag, or that you'll get two bills next year if you had significant increases of income (one for next year, and one to pay the difference to last year's bill now that they know what you actually earned during the year). In general they hit it fairly decently, except if they put you in a much higher income class because "we don't believe you'll be able to live with so little, so we tax you more, because we're certain that you'll need to find other sources of income anyways". To be fair, you get the money back with better interest than you'd get on the bank, but it can be really disturbing for your constrained budget... But you certainly never get back more than you paid (except maybe the interest).

 

[Linguofreak]

In Switzerland, we pay taxes for the next year, so it can happen that you get something back if you hit a snag, or that you'll get two bills next year if you had significant increases of income (one for next year, and one to pay the difference to last year's bill now that they know what you actually earned during the year). In general they hit it fairly decently, except if they put you in a much higher income class because "we don't believe you'll be able to live with so little, so we tax you more, because we're certain that you'll need to find other sources of income anyways". To be fair, you get the money back with better interest than you'd get on the bank, but it can be really disturbing for your constrained budget... But you certainly never get back more than you paid (except maybe the interest).

They pay interest?!!

 

[Anroalh12]

Hey, I'm having a message I've never seen before. It says: "WARNING. A spacewalk is needed to fix other issues, please proced with EVA ASAP! Code nº0"

Do you know what is it?

 

[mojoey]

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

[jedidia]

They pay interest?!!

Don't really know how it is these days, as I said, the wife does the taxes... haven't filled out a form myself for a loooong time. I know that I had interest on my "Wehrpflichtsersatz" in any case, which is a rather swiss concept I'm afraid.

Basically, since we have a citizen army, if you don't serve you have to at least pay for it (well, if you're male, at least). Since I was out of country for several years and therefore couldn't serve (it's usually 2 or 3 weeks a year), I had to pay. In advance, before leaving the country, of course. Since the advance sum was calculated for what I was earning then and without kids, it turned out to be some 750-odd bucks too much when I filed all the paperwork on my return (for the last 5 years - and that did NOT count for the taxes, for those we had to do the whole paperwork again). I remember getting some 20-and-a-few franks of interest on those.

And why would that be so astonishing? I lent them money, after all! If you're taking it in advance, you'd better be prepared to pay interest. We're very peculiar about our interests, us Swiss... :lol:

 

[Urwumpe]

Hey, I'm having a message I've never seen before. It says: "WARNING. A spacewalk is needed to fix other issues, please proced with EVA ASAP! Code nº0"

Do you know what is it?

Yeah, your AE-35 antenna unit failed and has to be retrieved. Don't worry.

 

[Notebook]

The AE35 unit is operating perfectly well, there is no requirement for an EVA...Dave.

 

[Andy44]

And why would that be so astonishing? I lent them money, after all! If you're taking it in advance, you'd better be prepared to pay interest. We're very peculiar about our interests, us Swiss... :lol:

In America that's just crazy talk.

 

[Notebook]

Just curious about the travel..
I have a parcel coming from Aerosoft in Germany. This is its tracking so far:
(latest top)

From:
AEROSOFT GMBH
BUEREN-AHDEN, DE

Herne-Boernig, Germany 11/04/2016 2:05 Departure Scan
Herne-Boernig, Germany 08/04/2016 22:40 Arrival Scan
Paderborn, Germany 08/04/2016 20:45 Departure Scan
08/04/2016 19:29 Origin Scan
Germany 08/04/2016 10:14 Order Processed: Ready for UPS

Its scheduled for delivery tomorrow, end of day. Anything special about those locations, and where might it fly from?

Thanks, N.

 

[Urwumpe]

Just curious about the travel..
I have a parcel coming from Aerosoft in Germany. This is its tracking so far:
(latest top)

From:
AEROSOFT GMBH
BUEREN-AHDEN, DE

Herne-Boernig, Germany 11/04/2016 2:05 Departure Scan
Herne-Boernig, Germany 08/04/2016 22:40 Arrival Scan
Paderborn, Germany 08/04/2016 20:45 Departure Scan
08/04/2016 19:29 Origin Scan
Germany 08/04/2016 10:14 Order Processed: Ready for UPS

Its scheduled for delivery tomorrow, end of day. Anything special about those locations, and where might it fly from?

Not really special - Herne-Boernig is just the major logistics center for UPS there. It is near the main autobahn for the Ruhr region. The next big air cargo airport is Düsseldorf.

 

[N_Molson]

Musicians around there ?

Well, here's a bit of fun for you :

:suicide:

 

[Notebook]

Not really special - Herne-Boernig is just the major logistics center for UPS there. It is near the main autobahn for the Ruhr region. The next big air cargo airport is Düsseldorf.

Many thanks, knew someone would know all! I di find it the logistics industry fascinating(sad isn't it). Once upon a time, you put your postal-order in an envelope, posted it, and....nothing till it arrived. Most of the time.
Now you can watch it en-route on your pc.
And it still doesn't arrive.

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

And it still doesn't arrive.

Depends on where you buy - some shops are extremely fast in getting their products shipped. You order a multi-effect pedal, and it arrives essentially 24 hours later. Right during the hour announced so you can be at home.

It is really great But yeah, logistics is an art.

 

[Artlav]

Right during the hour announced so you can be at home.

That sounds like some parallel world.

The most annoying thing of any delivery service is that the courier comes whenever he pleases.
Which means you expect him on tuesday, skip the work that day, and end up just wasting a day sitting at home.
Then you have to skip work on wednesday as well.
Even the ones that call and ask whether to deliver tomorrow or not have a 50% chance of arriving a day later.
No concept of "after business hours" as well.
It's a struggle to decide whether you really wont something that is courier-only enough to go through this mess.

And all of them have the audacity to take extra for "courier delivery" and call it a better option than the post office.

 

[Notebook]

Yes, had all those experiences as well. First time for UPS for me, so we shall see how they do.

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

That sounds like some parallel world.

Yeah, I know. That is why it was so memorable for me.

I remember that day, when I was supposed to get Washing machine and my kitchen delivered. All arrived on the same day, because for TV and washing machine I was allowed to pick the day, but everything at different times.

Kitchen: Arrived near the end of the 4 hour interval, delivered into the apartment in the first floor.
Washing machine: Late in the afternoon. Delivered only to the door, had to carry it into the basement myself (Don't ask how I managed that, I was pretty angry in that moment). Too late to ask brothers for assistance.