I want to be Andy Rooney when I grow up. Here’s the full transcript if you can’t see the video.
Watched byJason Friedon December 1 2008.
There are25 comments.
David
on 01 Dec 08
I want to be Andy Rooney’s eyebrows when I grow up.
Funky
on 01 Dec 08
I wonder why it is already Monday @37signals
brad
on 01 Dec 08
I don’t understand why he uses half premium/half regular. Why not just fill your tank up with regular and save even more?
Joe
on 01 Dec 08
i question whether you can just use half 87/half 93 octane to get 89 octane. something tells me the chemistry just isn’t that simple. time for some googling…
@Joe Yes it is that simple, and he actually gets 90 octane gas that way.
But someone needs to tell Andy that unless his car’s engine has a high compression ratio, and actually needs high octane gas, he’s going to get absolutely no benefit from higher octane gas, and he’d be best off just filling up with regular.
@Mike Akers doesn’t higher octane burn slower? Or is that the benefit of the high compression ratio?
Greg
on 01 Dec 08
Most millionaires are millionaires because they are thrifty not because they are TV stars, pro athletes, lottery winners, or trust fund recipients. Check out the Millionaire Next Door at the library.
Make your own coffee? Shine your own shoes? Take public transit? All solid advice. But stuffing a roll in your pocket at the restaurant? Stealing or not, that’s just gross. If a bowl of cereal is going to break the bank, just don’t go out to eat.
CJ Curtis
on 01 Dec 08
Last time I checked, you can get a bag of rolls at the store for $2. He probably paid $5 for them at the restaurant.
He always seems to have an underlying point to his grumbling, though. I think he just means that we need to be conscious of our spending habits no matter how the economy is going.
I’m guilty of adjusting my lifestyle way too much based on how much money is coming in. If we were all a little more thrifty, the economy might not grow so big so fast, but perhaps it would be a little more stable.
I find it a bit humorous that Rooney goes to these lengths to save a couple bucks, especially given his means. These tips sound like something somebody living primarily on social security would do, not somebody pulling down seven figures annually. Wouldn’t the extra few bucks in the pockets of the shoe shine boy, the dry cleaner or the cafeteria workers mean more than it does fattening his bank account?
And the last line doesn’t seem to fit at all. He’s not talking at all about using less. The same amount of oil is extracted and refined when he mixes grades. Whether he or the shoeshine boy polished his shoes, the same amount of polish is used, brushes are still bought, etc. Coffee is still grown, picked and roasted whether he brews it or the cafeteria does. OK, so maybe a roll doesn’t get tossed in the trash…
GeeIWonder
on 01 Dec 08
I find it a bit humorous that Rooney goes to these lengths to save a couple bucks, especially given his means. These tips sound like something somebody living primarily on social security would do, not somebody pulling down seven figures annually
My grandpa was the same way. He had a ton of money but liked to do things like this. And it’s not that he wouldn’t spend money at all (he bought quality items when necessary), he just saved what he could.
CJ Curtis
on 01 Dec 08
My grandparents were kids of the Great Depression. Debt was downright evil. By the time they were retired, they wanted for nothing. They paid cash for the house that I’m living in now. Never in my lifetime did they have a mortgage or a car payment. And my grandfater was not a doctor…he was a plant worker.
So yes, we live among generations of “buy now, pay later.” And it invariably leads to economic messes that we find ourselves in today.
@Joe Sak high octane fuel doesn’t burn any faster or slower, from wikipedia:
The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of gasoline and other fuels to detonation (engine knocking) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. High-performance engines typically have higher compression ratios and are therefore more prone to detonation, so they require higher octane fuel. A lower-performance engine will not generally perform better with high-octane fuel, since the compression ratio is fixed by the engine design.
and here’s something I didn’t know about gas stations:
Most fuel stations have two storage tanks (even those offering 3 or 4 octane levels), and you are given a mixture of the higher and lower octane fuel. Purchasing premium simply means more fuel from the higher octane tank. The detergents in the fuel are the same, Premium does not “burn cleaner.”
My dad always told me that difference between a rich man and a poor man is that a poor man will walk a mile to save a dollar. A rich man will walk five.
He reminds me of my grandparents, or more specifically my grandfather. Even though he didn’t grow up in The Depression, his parents did and he grew up with the mindset of wasting nothing and saving where it is appropriate.
A lot of trips taken with a Tupperware full of sandwiches instead of stopping at McDonald’s.
I work with a granite worktop fitter that has eyebrows that are like that, but even join in the middle – its like he has a bush on his forehead!
Andy ;)
Moar
on 06 Dec 08
Bulshit
This discussion is closed.
About Jason Fried
Jason co-founded Basecamp back in 1999. He also co-authored REWORK, the New York Times bestselling book on running a "right-sized" business. Co-founded, co-authored... Can he do anything on his own?
David
on 01 Dec 08I want to be Andy Rooney’s eyebrows when I grow up.
Funky
on 01 Dec 08I wonder why it is already Monday @37signals
brad
on 01 Dec 08I don’t understand why he uses half premium/half regular. Why not just fill your tank up with regular and save even more?
Joe
on 01 Dec 08i question whether you can just use half 87/half 93 octane to get 89 octane. something tells me the chemistry just isn’t that simple. time for some googling…
Nicholas
on 01 Dec 08We will all be Andy Rooney when we grow up. Old.
gfurry
on 01 Dec 08When you make around a Million a year (just guessing) is it worth your time to mix your gas to save $1.60?
Austin Kleon
on 01 Dec 08I’d rather listen to Grandpa Abe reminisce about his onion belt.
Mike Akers
on 01 Dec 08@Joe Yes it is that simple, and he actually gets 90 octane gas that way.
But someone needs to tell Andy that unless his car’s engine has a high compression ratio, and actually needs high octane gas, he’s going to get absolutely no benefit from higher octane gas, and he’d be best off just filling up with regular.
Jeff
on 01 Dec 08Thank you for sharing. That was awesome.
raamatupidamine
on 01 Dec 08ou yeah, good old 60 minutes with Andy Rooney and his amazing eyebrows. thanks for sharing.
Best Regards,
Raamatupidamine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubjqUP0nTeE
Joe Sak
on 01 Dec 08@Mike Akers doesn’t higher octane burn slower? Or is that the benefit of the high compression ratio?
Greg
on 01 Dec 08Most millionaires are millionaires because they are thrifty not because they are TV stars, pro athletes, lottery winners, or trust fund recipients. Check out the Millionaire Next Door at the library.
dansays
on 01 Dec 08Make your own coffee? Shine your own shoes? Take public transit? All solid advice. But stuffing a roll in your pocket at the restaurant? Stealing or not, that’s just gross. If a bowl of cereal is going to break the bank, just don’t go out to eat.
CJ Curtis
on 01 Dec 08Last time I checked, you can get a bag of rolls at the store for $2. He probably paid $5 for them at the restaurant.
He always seems to have an underlying point to his grumbling, though. I think he just means that we need to be conscious of our spending habits no matter how the economy is going.
I’m guilty of adjusting my lifestyle way too much based on how much money is coming in. If we were all a little more thrifty, the economy might not grow so big so fast, but perhaps it would be a little more stable.
Benjy
on 01 Dec 08I find it a bit humorous that Rooney goes to these lengths to save a couple bucks, especially given his means. These tips sound like something somebody living primarily on social security would do, not somebody pulling down seven figures annually. Wouldn’t the extra few bucks in the pockets of the shoe shine boy, the dry cleaner or the cafeteria workers mean more than it does fattening his bank account?
And the last line doesn’t seem to fit at all. He’s not talking at all about using less. The same amount of oil is extracted and refined when he mixes grades. Whether he or the shoeshine boy polished his shoes, the same amount of polish is used, brushes are still bought, etc. Coffee is still grown, picked and roasted whether he brews it or the cafeteria does. OK, so maybe a roll doesn’t get tossed in the trash…
GeeIWonder
on 01 Dec 08I find it a bit humorous that Rooney goes to these lengths to save a couple bucks, especially given his means. These tips sound like something somebody living primarily on social security would do, not somebody pulling down seven figures annually
So, maybe it’s a generational thing?
Matt Gorecki
on 01 Dec 08So, maybe it’s a generational thing?
I think it’s definitely a generational thing.
My grandpa was the same way. He had a ton of money but liked to do things like this. And it’s not that he wouldn’t spend money at all (he bought quality items when necessary), he just saved what he could.
CJ Curtis
on 01 Dec 08My grandparents were kids of the Great Depression. Debt was downright evil. By the time they were retired, they wanted for nothing. They paid cash for the house that I’m living in now. Never in my lifetime did they have a mortgage or a car payment. And my grandfater was not a doctor…he was a plant worker.
So yes, we live among generations of “buy now, pay later.” And it invariably leads to economic messes that we find ourselves in today.
Mike Akers
on 01 Dec 08@Joe Sak high octane fuel doesn’t burn any faster or slower, from wikipedia:
and here’s something I didn’t know about gas stations:
Aaron H.
on 01 Dec 08My dad always told me that difference between a rich man and a poor man is that a poor man will walk a mile to save a dollar. A rich man will walk five.
mart
on 02 Dec 08irony?
Bob
on 02 Dec 08He reminds me of my grandparents, or more specifically my grandfather. Even though he didn’t grow up in The Depression, his parents did and he grew up with the mindset of wasting nothing and saving where it is appropriate.
A lot of trips taken with a Tupperware full of sandwiches instead of stopping at McDonald’s.
Nathan
on 03 Dec 08You are all speaking as if he is serious. I thought he was being sarcastic.
Andy
on 05 Dec 08LOL,
I work with a granite worktop fitter that has eyebrows that are like that, but even join in the middle – its like he has a bush on his forehead!
Andy ;)
Moar
on 06 Dec 08Bulshit
This discussion is closed.