FranLab is getting evicted

[wilfred]

I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer.

If you really like that stuff I fully recommend you hunt out Squatch253.

Or Big Timber.


Thanks, was involved in forestry for a bit. Sad thing depending on your POV is few guys are on the ground swinging saws these days as it's all gone mechanised. 

Big Timber is about a small hands-on business with a boss that likes buying old equipment.

I've heard of Squatch253, but I just have to wind back on YT viewing. During pandemic lockdowns I really went over-the-top.

Still watching Puddin's Fab Shop, Marty T, Diesel Creek, Letsdig18, Watch Wes Work and Mortske Repair but the others like

Junkyard Digs
Dylan McCool
Vice Grip Garage
Salvage Workshop
Captain Kleeman
CC Equipment
Dirt Perfect
Buckin Billy Ray (timber felling)
Wrench Everyday
and many others...

Have had to go or become subject to extreme selectivity.

One channel I do like and is electronics content is Jerry Walker, he does slow considered repair videos and is presenting a series on designing a Z80 computer. The differentiator is he is doing it old school like in the days when the Z80 was introduced. No SRAM he is using DRAM and TTL video display as opposed to relying on a serial terminal. He is discussing the timing diagrams in a fair amount of detail.

But it is getting off topic. But that might not be a bad thing in this thread. Fran has made it abundantly clear why she doesn't want to leave her community and support network. My sisters kid similarly wishes to remain ensconced in their comfort zone. That's just human nature especially as you get older.

[Fraser]

Whilst I agree that Fran has an absolute right to live wherever she likes….. sometimes people need a reality check Renting four properties in an expensive location and then complaining that finances are stretched ….Hmm what a surprise. Then asking others to help pay for said lifestyle and location choice …. Time for a reality check maybe ?

[wilfred]

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

Same here! My favourite Youtuber posts a vlog every day about what he is working on (which can vary from hour to hour but there is a long term plan restoring all kinds of vehicles including tanks). But he has someone doing filming and editing almost full-time.

If tank restoration is your thing here is something that might be of interest. A small channel here in Australia has a guy who normally does rust repairs on old cars is XACOUPEGUY. He has a personal interest in tanks and has started his own occasional discussion on his tank repair. His most recent video "A trip to the Tank farm" was a visit to a fellow tank enthusiast where he does show some tanks driving around. The music is an acquired taste though.

[unknownparticle]

Whilst I wouldn't want to go back there, it's actually not THAT bad, and I would if I had to financially.

I'd live anywhere if I had to financially, it's called survival, and it beats the alternative. It doesn't have to be permanent. In my opinion though, owning property just about anywhere beats renting property just about anywhere else.

Couldn't agree more. You do what you have to do.  From what I see and know of Fran's situation, she basically has 2 options. 1/ move to another area to reduce overhead, or 2/ substantially increase income. And with option 2, if she stays put, she will need to keep increasing income to stay pace with rapidly increasing costs, because the US economy is going into recession, things are going to be bad for a long time.  The stress of that must be dreadful. I suffer with stress and anxiety and can't imagine being where she is without imploding.  It's obviously affecting her ability to produce appealing content, she has made that comment herself, so that will be an ever increasing downward spiral.

We all wish we had a 10,000 sq ft private, personal workshop for as cheap as chips with no external pressure to worry about, but that is a
rare thing indeed and not something to hope happens with no strategy for that!

[RAPo]

The more this saga drags on: stop whining, adapt or perish.

[sokoloff]

Whilst I agree that Fran has an absolute right to live wherever she likes…..

Does she? She has an absolute right to preferences in housing. But if she can't afford that lifestyle, none of her rights are being violated.

(I think we agree entirely on your broader point, but this intro sentence is significantly overly prescriptive in terms of what her actual rights are, IMO.)

[unknownparticle]

The more this saga drags on: stop whining, adapt or perish.

That about sums it up   The harsh reality of 1st world life in the 21st century.

[SiliconWizard]

As I already mentioned, I see a lot of judgment here. While I have my opinion on what she does too, that's just an opinion. It's her life. She can handle it the way she wants. While her life may look "hectic" to many of us, she has always managed to make it one way or another, so I see no reason why she would suddenly hit a brick wall.

Well, she will eventually. But guess what? We all will.

Also, IMHO, living a pretty unstable life with the full consciousness of your situation being unstable puts you eons ahead of someone living in the illusion of a stable situation. Just my 2 cents (which will soon be 20 cents with the inflation and all.)

[Fraser]

SiliconWizard,

Good points but with Fran ‘airing her dirty laundry’ in public she is exposing herself to scrutiny and, to some extent judgement of her decisions and plans. As with true celebrities, when you seek the publics eye and notice, you can expect a fair amount of criticism and comment. It goes with the territory. If Fran was quietly getting on with her production of video content etc and all the financial strife was going on out of public sight, she would not expect judgement or criticism. She has, however chosen to make the financial and accommodation challenges very public and even requested financial support from her ‘fan base’. That is a path that leaves her exposed to comment, both positive and negative.

Fraser

[Kasper]

I'm guessing this is the case in USA also but certainly in Canada, many people demand to live in the most crowded and expensive areas in the country.  That demand for homes drives up prices so they demand their neighbors and the tax-payers subsidize their choice.  I'm not sure how far into that Fran gets but I think in general cases, it is good for people to encourage others to be part of the solution, to move away and reduce the demand instead of complaining about the supply/demand ratio and expecting others to fix it.

[SiliconWizard]

SiliconWizard,

Good points but with Fran ‘airing her dirty laundry’ in public she is exposing herself to scrutiny and, to some extent judgement of her decisions and plans.

Oh, I agree with this point. And while we could find doing that questionable, it's probably part of her "strategy" though.
To be fair, people relying on those "personal sponsoring" sites such as Patreon to make a significant part of their income are, one way or another, leveraging a bit of the same strategy: pressuring others for giving some cash for their appreciation and in exchange for the possibility of getting new content. In those harsh moments, Fran is just making it a bit more obvious, but what she does is not fundamentally different. And whatever we think of that *is* a moral judgment.

[Bud]

I have a feeling that Fran has realized "There's a sucker born every minute" saying has a merit.

[Nusa]

Although she seems to have burned some good will with all the continued fund raising and refusing to leave Philly, I think if she actually did a GoFundMe to specifically buy a cheap house in a small town, I reckon she'd probably get it, or a good chunk of it. But if it's not 100% cash, then there is still the problem of getting the loan.

Actually, in the case of US mortgages, if one can manage about 50% of appraised value, the loan is relatively easy to get. If the bank ends up having to foreclose, they're pretty much guaranteed to get enough in the lien sale to to recover their principal, unpaid interest and expenses. Of course, that's still quite a chunk of cash.

[SiliconWizard]

Well given the current financial situation, I'm afraid loans are going to be much harder to get. And/or with unbearable rates. So, better hurry.

[nctnico]

Well given the current financial situation, I'm afraid loans are going to be much harder to get. And/or with unbearable rates. So, better hurry.

That is true. Until the end of 2021, the last 6 to 8 years have been the most ideal time to get a mortgage ever.

[EEVblog]

But it is getting off topic. But that might not be a bad thing in this thread. Fran has made it abundantly clear why she doesn't want to leave her community and support network. My sisters kid similarly wishes to remain ensconced in their comfort zone. That's just human nature especially as you get older.

The thing is though is that Fran seems to be willing to literally go down the with the ship and end her dream job (Youtube content creation) over this.
No way I'd ever give up my dream gig of just dicking around my lab and making occasional videos.
If all my income vanished then you can bet that I'd be spending all my time trying to get paid sponsors for every video to keep the ship afloat. And/or I'd get off my arse and make paid content courses, write a book. I'd even sell a storage unit and downsize. Another crowd funding project etc. I'd be trying everything possible to keep the ship afloat.
With Fran it seems to be either the status quo or bust.

I honestly think the "I work for the Patrons" approach will ultimately fail. I can tell you about 10% or less of Patrons actually care enough to watch pre-release videos or contribute to discussions and polls etc. So in effect she is bettering her future trying to please about 180 people.

It works great for channels like AvE, but he's pulling in huge amounts via Patreon. He was at one point (before he hid all the data and metrics) pulling in something like over $500k a year as at one point one of the Top 5 subscribed channels on Patreon. Now he doesn't advertise Patreon at all in his videos, description or About page. I guess he's happy with his existing Patreon base. And it's awesme that he's making so much with a dedicated fan base.
Fran only has 1800 vs 12,000+ so it's precarious.

[nctnico]

Perhaps the difference is that Fran doesn't have a family to support so there is less pressure to make sure money is coming in.

[EEVblog]

Well given the current financial situation, I'm afraid loans are going to be much harder to get. And/or with unbearable rates. So, better hurry.

That is true. Until the end of 2021, the last 6 to 8 years have been the most ideal time to get a mortgage ever.

Yep, she would probably need a fan that works in morgages at a bank that could help her out. She's asked for that before without luck presumably.

[EEVblog]

Perhaps the difference is that Fran doesn't have a family to support so there is less pressure to make sure money is coming in.

That actually gives you a lot more options.
People always ask me why I don't move to a much bigger property and build a huge 100sqm lab building. I'm married with kids in school, so I can't, it's simply not an option to uproot the family and move.

[Quarlo Klobrigney]

Please we don't need another Aussie50!




Quote from: RAPo on Today at 10:49:16

The more this saga drags on: stop whining, adapt or perish.

[Bud]

Yep, she would probably need a fan that works in morgages at a bank that could help her out. She's asked for that before without luck presumably.

That would represent a conflict of interests for the bank specialist. I do not see that hapenning, most FIs do compliance training annually and things like conflict of interest are a big no-no.

[Kasper]

Supposedly a little 'salt n pepper' can help you get a mortgage in Canada.

Fake employment records, bank statements and T4s offered to would-be homebuyers

An undercover investigation by CBC Marketplace has exposed some networks of real estate agents, mortgage brokers and bank employees facilitating mortgage fraud for a fee.

Disclaimer: I do not condone this.

[nctnico]

Perhaps the difference is that Fran doesn't have a family to support so there is less pressure to make sure money is coming in.

That actually gives you a lot more options.
People always ask me why I don't move to a much bigger property and build a huge 100sqm lab building. I'm married with kids in school, so I can't, it's simply not an option to uproot the family and move.

In the end that is just a choice. I have moved 2 times together with my parents simply because it was necessary. And I doubt your kids would mind getting bigger bedrooms and a larger garden to play in.

[EEVblog]

People always ask me why I don't move to a much bigger property and build a huge 100sqm lab building. I'm married with kids in school, so I can't, it's simply not an option to uproot the family and move.

In the end that is just a choice. I have moved 2 times together with my parents simply because it was necessary. And I doubt your kids would mind getting bigger bedrooms and a larger garden to play in.

Nope, the kids love their school and their neighours and their house, as does Mrs EEVblog.
We are currently planing an extension upwards and a pool, at great expense to managment.
Of course we'd move if we were absolutely forced to, but they would never willingly choose that.

We have actually discussed buying a house nearby in the suburb as an investment, which could also be used as lab, and then in the future as a place for the kids to live once they have a family. I made the hypothetical argument that if that house was way bigger and better than our current house, they voted that they still wouldn't move.

[nctnico]

Take them over to the new home and then decide whether to move or not. 
More serious: I'm not sure whether it is wise to go around and buy homes for your kids. Setup a fund if you can: definitely yes. But you can't know what their circumstances will be as where they end up living won't be their choice entirely. For example: my wife insisted we move to a different city which is closer to her family. I didn't like that at all at first but in the end it turned out to be a good move.