Modern problems call for modern koans

Those are all true, and I’ll add one more: many times contractors have specific expertise that warrants higher pay.

The part I can’t reconcile basically relates to long-term contracts. I have one client who has been paying me for as much time as I can give them for about four years. On an hourly basis, I probably cost them 80% more than the fully-burdened labor cost of an equivalent W2 hire (including taxes and benefits and overhead). Or in other words, for the ~20-25 hours/week I do work for them, they could have someone working 40 hours a week instead. In this case, your second and third points aren’t really a factor, so I’m banking the extra as a “risk premium.” They seem happy to pay it.

In a rational and efficient market (myths, I know), they would have hired a full-time W2 person to do the work I’ve been doing, long ago. And I don’t really get why they haven’t.

I’m a full-time contractor. One of my clients is based in CA but also has an office in my state. Some random thoughts:

• Dhork’s post looks accurate to me regarding state income tax stuff. As a contractor, I haven’t done anything at all in CA - I just get paid by my client and count it as normal revenue that I earn where I live. If you go the contract route, I expect it to be similarly simple for you.
• Tax-wise, a person who makes money from work other than employment is by definition a sole proprietor. There is nothing to set up, it’s just the word used for that the type of entity that earns contracting income that isn’t set up as a corporation or LLC. Even if you made an LLC, unless you elect s corp or c corp status, that LLC is a “disregarded entity” as far as the IRS is concerned and tax treatment would be the same as for a sole proprietor.
• people get worked up about self-employment taxes, but in my case I actually come out ahead because I can dump way more into an individual 401k than I ever could as an employee (employer contribution can be around 18.5% of your profit as a sole prop, on top of the employee deferral). I also run as an s-corp and my state has a PTE tax, both of which let me avoid a bit of federal taxes. But s corp is only relevant if you make like $80k+ from self employment and don’t have much other w2 income.
• submitting bids is a function of your relationship with the client and the norms in your industry. I have two clients where I just have an open-ended contracting agreement (both clients had their own standard agreements and I negotiated small changes in one case) and I bill for however many hours i worked every month on projects that are constantly evolving. My standard though is to submit time-and-materials bids for fixed-scope projects. I keep an eye open for fixed-bid opportunities too but I haven’t submitted any fixed bids yet.
• contracting is not that big of an administrative hassle so don’t let that deter you. But do estimate the tax impact and do either make estimated payments or adjust your withholdings at your w2 job to cover them (this one is easier IMO).
• contractors get a higher hourly rate than employees. Don’t undervalue yourself. If you don’t have a good benchmark, do some research. I am in engineering services where big companies regularly charge $170-200/hr for my level - I charge a bit below that normally, with a further discount on my long-term open-ended contracts. But the most I’ve ever made as a w2 was about half that amount, after taking all the tax and benefits stuff into account. I’ve never fully understood why clients are willing to pay that much, but they are.

Tax-wise, the instant you earn contracting income you are a sole proprietor. There is no additional step required.

Important to refer to them as “suspected” tornados until convicted in a court of law

🎶Ooooooh that smell. Can’t you smell that smell. That smell that surrounds you. 🎶

Kinda like an extended horseshoe theory

Did you have to finagle with the element at all to get it in?

Mine has a terminal pitch of 16 inch, and the only dimensioned elements I’ve seen so far with a similar shape are 18". I could flex it a bit I suppose.

Also most I have seen have quick-connect/Faston terminals, whereas my oven has screw terminals. Less of a problem than dimensions I suppose.

I think I will take a closer look at elements before pulling the trigger. Thanks for the nudge. I wish listings offered more than a photo and part number though - like maybe at least the width.

Just wish I would have paused to do that before I pulled the old one out…

The World Wide Web, then

Good guy landlord, remember to tip well

Oh yeah well my anus is bleeding

Ok, 7 grams.

Anythingbutmetric

You could get the nextruder <> v6 adapter and then use the cheapos

Psh amateurs. I suck 242 dicks on the way to my car

I read the whole diatribe at least three times before responding.

The grammar pedantry is just silly, it’s fucking song lyrics, have you listened to music before? Read a poem? Liberties are taken, and that’s that.

the reason the line is repeated so often is because it is unique and atypical (deriving from its “poor grammar”), and therefore recognizable

Try it out - “some cops are kkk members.” Not as catchy or iconic, sorry.

Who the fuck “works forces”?

Police

TPU that’s been printed right sticks to itself extremely well

I’ve done many TPU prints that were stressed to hell and they hold up amazingly well. Like 2000 lb shock loads on little 2mm walls, hundreds of times, and not tearing or delaminating. Ninjatek Cheetah and Fiberflex 40D mainly, but others seem to hold up really well too.

Perfect accompaniment to all this cheese I recently acquired

Screenshots of what seems to be Witcher 3, taken whenever the game was saved.