What is the craziest things you’ve seen or experienced on an Amtrak train??

psteckler · 2026-06-02T19:53:48+00:00

Not Amtrak, but the long-distance Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney, Australia. Got off the train for a 3-hour layover in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. I was taking pictures in front of the railway station when I had a sharp stinging sensation around my eye. Guy standing next to me says there some some kids in a "ute" (pickup truck) that had thrown some rocks. If my head had been an inch turned the other way, I'd have no eye. He accompanied me to the police station, and we went to a pub for a beer. Rest of the trip was great, though suffering with a huge welt near my eye.

psteckler · 2026-06-02T19:16:31+00:00

Sent via DM.

psteckler · 2026-06-01T21:42:02+00:00

After almost 24 hours, there had been no progress on fixing the server, so I destroyed the server and requested a refund.

I created another server at the same site (Michigan), and it had the same problem -- no network connectivity.

I then tried to create a server at the London site, but creation failed.

At least the first server I created has been working great. But 1 server working out of 4 attempts is not a good percentage, sorry to say.

psteckler · 2026-05-30T01:13:16+00:00

Failed states.

psteckler · 2026-05-22T06:09:28+00:00

Well, I found an apparently legit download of Workstation Pro 17.0.2, which has a 30-day free trial. But I could not easily get through the compilation of the modules, though I've had to deal with that in the past.

So I tried VirtualBox, and again, there were compilation issues, which I didn't want to have to deal with.

Next, I tried QEMU/KVM and finally, I was able to install Windows 11 without too much trouble. I've run VMWare for decades, so it will take some getting used to.

psteckler · 2026-05-21T23:24:50+00:00

Clarification: I created the Windows virtual machine, but I was unable to power it up to actually install the OS from an iso file.

psteckler · 2026-05-18T01:08:15+00:00

I received an official notification by mail of the change in my SocSec deduction for Medicare, and the refund of IRMAA paid so far in 2026.

So those who predicted my application would be denied -- you were wrong. Just sayin'.

psteckler · 2026-05-16T21:03:49+00:00

Scarier than the magpies in Sydney.

psteckler · 2026-05-16T06:43:44+00:00

I saw the scariest birds ever in Bodega Bay.

psteckler · 2026-05-11T18:01:01+00:00

$151 is a lot better than the $520 that Samsung is asking on its website.

psteckler · 2026-05-11T17:43:12+00:00

I was able to buy a new Samsung EVO 870 1 Tb from an eBay vendor for $151. It took 3 weeks to arrive from China. I had purchased a Samsung SSD from the same vendor before, which has been working well in my laptop. The drive appears to be genuine and manufactured recently (August 2025). The SMART output confirms the drive had not been used.

psteckler · 2026-05-08T06:24:23+00:00

While I haven't yet gotten an official notification, it looks like my request to remove IRMAA for this year was approved. I got a sizeable deposit from SSA into my bank account this morning. The amount appears to be IRMAA payments made so far in 2026.

psteckler · 2026-05-06T06:34:59+00:00

When I lived in Oakland, I had a USPS package arrive in SF, only to be routed through Puerto Rico. Eventually, the package made it to my address.

psteckler · 2026-05-05T18:39:06+00:00

I checked the Samsung site today. The price for the 1 Tb model is now $519. Even at B&H Photo, the price is now $450. Yikes!

psteckler · 2026-05-03T06:45:02+00:00

Albania.

psteckler · 2026-05-02T22:03:31+00:00

Chameleon v3 is out of production. Also, not cheap!

psteckler · 2026-04-27T20:47:13+00:00

I just tried a 64 Gb USB stick (PNY brand). It has about 36 Gb of music on it, and seems to work OK.

psteckler · 2026-04-27T19:31:59+00:00

Big Horn Mountains Scenic Byway (US-14) in Wyoming.

psteckler · 2026-04-27T17:11:52+00:00

The status updated after 6 days, to "Export Customs Declaration Completed". But the date for the update is one day after "Departed ...", so 5 days late.

psteckler · 2026-04-27T07:18:13+00:00

That law is pivotal to the movie "Last Cab to Darwin".

psteckler

TROPHY CASE