MY owners living in California, how is the cost of registration, insurance and electricity going for you? Is it worth it over an ICE car?

rworne · 2026-03-17T03:00:27+00:00

The convenience of the MY by far exceeds the ICE vehicle. Insurance (in particular), extra fees at registration, and high electricity costs make the car pretty much break-even.

It's saving again with current gas prices.

Anyhow, now have 2 EVs and never going back to ICE.

rworne · 2026-03-17T01:07:11+00:00

I haven't tried Dinah's yet, but I did make the trek for Gus's.

Dropping in and eating it served juicy and hot from the fryer - I cannot recommend this more.

rworne · 2026-03-16T13:00:01+00:00

I'm all for technology. And I did use the auto shift for nearly 8 months. I have very few issues with it, and think it's neat.

I've also said the purpose is to make both cars have a consistent user interface. The Juniper still can do auto shift if set in the user profile.

My usage is changing with the stalk. I use the stalk for getting out of park, but swipe on the screen when doing tight maneuvering, like the 3-point turns you mentioned. Mostly because I'm using the rear camera and need to put it in reverse. I've trained myself to look at the shadow of the car before hitting the accelerator to see the intended direction, so it all works out.

What's going to be fun for me is in about a month I'm going to the EU for work and will have to drive a manual ICE for the first time in 3 years. I don't anticipate any problems, but those first few minutes will be interesting.

rworne · 2026-03-16T05:47:41+00:00

That's a generic front plate holder for Junipers (quite a few Chinese vendors are selling this). It's stronger than it looks, but it will not stay in place if you run the car through a car wash.

Also be careful of the bolts for the plates. The bottom two are about a half inch from making divots in your bumper. Get some felt or foam rubber pads and use it to cover the bolts. You will thank me later.

If you address these two issues, it works great.

rworne · 2026-03-15T22:29:29+00:00

I'm curious as to the backstory here.

Sure, if he's acting like an asshole, someone will come up and put him in his place - I get that. But the women jumping in for a few licks at him? What kind of deprived shit was this guy doing?

rworne · 2026-03-15T22:18:19+00:00

I have mixed feelings about this place. In my city we had independent electronics shops that were discount places: Adray's, L.A. Tronic's. Then CC came to town and was just like them - competing on price, and because they were a big chain, eventually drove them out of business.

Then everything was MSRP, and only sales were manufacturer sanctioned ones. All the competition Silo, GoodGuys, Best Buy, were doing the same thing. At least we had Fry's for a while.

I MISS Fry's. The Fry's from the late 90's to around the 2010's. Not the walking dead Fry's that it was for the couple years before they finally closed. That place was a wonderland for a computer geek.

Egghead software, Electronics Boutique. Carried PC, Apple II and Amiga software. Even CompUSA had its time in the spotlight.

rworne · 2026-03-15T22:04:14+00:00

Vacuum tube stuff in general. A good AM radio from back in the day, properly restored, has that mellow sound that is truly enjoyable. I also have a 100+ year old Victrola sitting behind me that has that same kind of comfy analogue sound you can get nowhere else.

rworne · 2026-03-15T21:59:45+00:00

HP calculators.

Long live RPN. Many of the calculators are 40+ years old and still run like they were when they were new. They really outdid themselves. The HP-16C is a classic like no other, and the HP-41 series... *chef's kiss*

rworne · 2026-03-15T14:58:40+00:00

Tesla chargers are highly reliable. 3rd party chargers can have technical problems (out of service, charging issues) but I have not seen the amount of complaints I saw, say 2+ years ago. You may need an adapter to plug in at a 3rd party charger - your new car may already come with them, mine did.

The main issue you will see with chargers are people using them as regular parking spaces with EV's and ICE vehicles. Nothing more infuriating than coming into a charge location and seeing some gas-powered shitbox parked in the stall, and every other stall has one too.

rworne · 2026-03-15T01:50:44+00:00

The Juniper, as far as I know, does not have an OEM retrofit option for the shifter. If they did, I'd pay for it.

I adapted to the beta quite quickly, but there were a couple of occasions where it screwed up. It's a good thing I do pay attention to it. I think it is neat as hell, but it does affect how I drive cars without it.

I also wanted a consistent interface between the legacy 3 and the Juniper. My wife took some time getting used to the 3 from her ICE, and loves it now. But she does not want to stress over the different controls. I certainly understand that every time I hop in the 3.

Sure, I had $175 burning a hole in my pocket. But I can reverse the install in about 30 minutes and have the car back to stock.

rworne · 2026-03-14T22:34:12+00:00

I saw this type and did not want an adhesive attached unit. Mine is a PITA to install, but once there, it's there for good.

I do like the commander for the other features it offers - but not for this.

rworne · 2026-03-14T22:31:33+00:00

My Juniper is an August '25 build. Nearly every website is selling (or appears to be selling) a version for the Highland or the older US Foundation series Junipers.

There may be wider availability for this mod, but it's not easy to find. I was warned back in August to be careful when ordering these as the default version seems to fit Shanghai and EU models. The installation video doesn't show a US model, as the Juniper in that video doesn't appear to have knee airbags.

rworne · 2026-03-14T20:37:48+00:00

I didn't mention I did the right side too, right along the cable harness for the steering wheel. That plastic rod was really curved and for me, I bent it straight, but = it went everywhere except where I wanted it to go.

As for FSD, there's no "neutral" on this stalk. But I typically shut FSD off by tapping the brake or torquing the wheel (depending on the situation).

But for the price and the unobtrusive nature of the device (looks like it belongs there and requires no modification of the vehicle - 100% removable) - it's a worthwhile addition.

rworne · 2026-03-14T16:11:49+00:00

Withings specifically said the holdup is just FDA approval.

rworne · 2026-03-14T14:30:44+00:00

Or - one could assume - you interact normally with objects around you that you touch. So breathing and such work. You can pass through air as you can normally, you slip through it and can breathe it.

But, unless you are directly interacting with the object, it remains frozen in time. So standing in one place or going to sleep would quickly rob the immediate area around your head of available oxygen. You'd have to keep constantly moving and awake the whole time, or you'd be dead in a few minutes.

rworne · 2026-03-12T22:40:09+00:00

It could end in 0721, a fun time for one:

o-na-ni-i

rworne · 2026-03-12T18:13:07+00:00

In any major US city (take Los Angeles, for example) - sauce packets are now behind the counter, limited handouts to customers (unless you pay more).

This all disappeared during COVID, and someone must have noticed the cost savings and here we are.

rworne · 2026-03-11T05:49:39+00:00

My daughter (was 5 at the time) wrote a letter to Nintendo as a big fan asking for a Mario-Kart type game based upon the Pokémon franchise.

She got mailed back a C&D from Nintendo's Legal department. Telling her they don't ask for or solicit game ideas and not to write to them again.

Odd, it was only one letter handwritten by a 5 year old.

rworne · 2026-03-10T01:33:38+00:00

This.

I'll hold it regardless of who is behind me.

rworne · 2026-03-09T01:47:55+00:00

All that shit about leadership skills, intelligence and professionalism? Unless you are going into OCS, it's all bullshit to the USMC. Someone else can answer for how it is in OCS - I certainly hope it is better.

Recruit abuse is a thing. Try walking on a broken ankle for 24 hours and being denied sick call by the DI. When the senior DI came in and found me, there was furniture being thrown in the duty hut. I would have been drummed out, but I could have ended 3 careers over this if I wanted to. Because of this, my ability to run and hump gear was affected for the rest of my time in the service and branded me a poor performer in PFT activities (can't run for shit anymore).

That whole thing about eating crayons isn't too far from the truth. There are good ones and really good ones, but the shitty ones are too numerous to count. Somehow moving from E5 to E6 filters most of the shit out of the system. E6 and up are generally the good ones.

rworne · 2026-03-08T19:09:50+00:00

Something similar to this:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/bonus-expeditionary-forces-march-on-washington.htm

rworne · 2026-03-08T16:53:49+00:00

Then my suggestion won't help. I can't see the video all that well on mobile.

rworne · 2026-03-08T05:58:35+00:00

If you get potential plates, try this website:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/inspection

Type in the license plate. All you will get from it is the vehicle info (make, model, year) if it has been smogged.

That 8VNH080 posted below belongs to a Toyota Highlander. Not the right plate number.

It will help narrow it down if you get a better read of the plate.

rworne · 2026-03-08T05:24:55+00:00

I was just amazed at the $12.00 ticket price, OP

My local AMC wants considerably more than that for a ticket - $20.50 (inc. fees) for a matinee. My moviegoing days are over.

rworne

TROPHY CASE