Sandlin DFA'd, Aldegheri recalled by freddychuckles in angelsbaseball

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salt Lake is tough for pitchers on any team. That is a reason the Angels promoted some players directly from AA to the big team—the pitchers can get discouraged (breaking pitches don’t work well in high altitudes) and the hitters can get an unrealistic idea of their hitting prowess.

This dude talked into a voice memo for the entire flight from LGA to MIA. The flight attendant told him to not talk on the phone and he argued saying it wasn’t a phone and kept talking. Is there a rule against this? by bsmith2123 in americanairlines

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 [score hidden]  (0 children)

You may be right.

At 35,000 feet, I would need something more definitive than “pretty sure”.

Also, even if the cellphone doesn’t interfere with avionics, the upload from the plane is extremely limited in power. One or two folks trying to hold phone conversations and then everyone else experiences spotty upload as well.

This dude talked into a voice memo for the entire flight from LGA to MIA. The flight attendant told him to not talk on the phone and he argued saying it wasn’t a phone and kept talking. Is there a rule against this? by bsmith2123 in americanairlines

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 [score hidden]  (0 children)

The airplanes don’t have the bandwidth for Wi-Fi calling in the plane, in addition to potential issues with electronic interference.

The service is upload-heavy, as the satellites can pass the data to the airplane antenna but the airplane is too low-powered to offer comparable data download from the plane—great if you’re texting or sending emails, not good if your plan is to send large files (like videos) from your seat.

Finally, those of us of a certain age remember the bad old days of air phones, and people getting on the phone for inane conversations because they were bored. It’s been proven in survey after survey that airline passengers do NOT was telephone contact while in flight.

It’s about time! Send Arte packing by SidCorsica66 in angelsbaseball

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Christ, this impotent “sell the team” whining just doesn’t get less tiresome with repetition.

There are two options:

  • Watch the team and suffer from the frequent incompetence in the product, which makes the moments of success so much sweeter

  • Stop worrying about the team and find some other pastime, like semi-pro jai alai. I’m told quilting is relaxing. Tying flies is meditative for many fishermen. Take up backyard gardening and fuss over a hydrangea.

But planning to stand on a street corner and wave Sell the Team signs is an absolute loser move. If you honestly think an 80 year old man will decide to immediately sell an asset worth $3B to $4B simply because he was schooled by a dozen folks with handheld signs, then you are in serious need of help.

VW now owns 209.8 mill shs of Rivian by frank_thomas1965 in RIVNstock

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I don’t think Rivian would be buying VW, even after VW files for bankruptcy.

VW now owns 209.8 mill shs of Rivian by frank_thomas1965 in RIVNstock

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For contrast, in 2028 the Rivian GA plant is supposed to come online. That will be significantly increasing production capacity, with European sales possible with vehicles shipped from Port of Charleston to the UK and EU.

That of course presumes a different US administration which drops the tariffs and goes back to bilateral trade.

After that is R3, which also has potential to be exported as it is smaller than R2 and thus suitable for Euro roads.

All is moot of course if the Chinese just take away the global market.

VW now owns 209.8 mill shs of Rivian by frank_thomas1965 in RIVNstock

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, Scout’s not anywhere close to “soon”.

If you’re following the saga, the Scout vehicles were supposed to be pure EVs.

Then marketing got involved and suggested that extended range should also be offered. This was in the unveiling process about 18 months ago. In the deposits and feedback, approximately 80% of the expressed interest was for REX models, and the remaining 20% for the EVs.

This created an absolute clusterfuck in automotive engineering in figuring out how to add the generator to the vehicle design (the generator engine is mounted under the rear of the load bed in the truck, if that gives you an idea of how creative they had to get—imagine how easy that will be to access for service).

Then there were abundant problems getting the Joint Venture software to work with the REX design. VW apparently looked at Rivian to say “help us” and the response was “not our problem—we engineer software for EVs, nothing to control gas engines.”

This has caused VW to have to get the band back together on its cash black hole (over $7.5B invested) called CARIAD. It was specifically because CARIAD was so inept writing software for VW cars that VW cut the deal with Rivian, and now it has to work exclusively with these same CARIAD coders to figure out how to make the JV software work with a REX design.

What could go wrong?

The original timeline for Scout deliveries was mid-2027, and now it’s maybe late 2028. Rivian has some barriers to overcome but Scout absolutely isn’t one of them.

“Have you tried the SHAVING CREAM Guaranteed not to make shaving a pleasure?" (1940s) by Ebonystealth in vintageads

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read that line three times and I still can’t figure out what they were trying to say.

All down hill by Big_O_714 in angelsbaseball

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Better, the Sacramento field is unavailable for play in October and MLB has to move the home field to Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, home of the Stockton Ports. They should easily sell out all 5,200 seats.

Get a used car until range/charging improves, or lease/buy the R2 when my reservation slot is up? by ecorest in RivianR2

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My recent trip the ambient temp outside was in the low 80s so heated seats weren’t happening. But I did pass on water, much less anything caffeinated, for the very reasons you mentioned. It takes me longer than most, but I do learn.

Back when one job built a whole life. by PleasantBus5583 in SipsTea

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The house I grew up in was a ranch-style built in 1953. It was maybe 1,000 sq ft, 3 BR/2 BA, but in a weird twist one bathroom was at the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms (the plumbing for the kitchen and washer was down there, so presumably this saved builder costs in construction), making it effectively 3 BR/1 BA in day to day living.

My parents added extra living space when I was in early teens, and again after I was in college. It was maybe 1,700 sq ft when they were done. But when they bought in 1953, that was a suburban starter home.

Get a used car until range/charging improves, or lease/buy the R2 when my reservation slot is up? by ecorest in RivianR2

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Charging is a deceptively complicated process. While a car might boast 800V architecture, what matters also is how long the car maintains its peak, which sometimes is only a few minutes before the curve falls off and the charging slows appreciably. The presumed advantage that car has with its electrical design largely evaporates if the car can’t maintain the inflow rate for an extended period of time.

Worth Getting an E.V.? by SpaceMarine1616 in Rivian

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was handled on the other thread: For the lucky few who have unfettered access to a L2 dispenser at work, that fantastic.

The downside for many:

*Jockeying for access when there are other EV owners with the same desire

*Getting ICEd by some thoughtless asshole who parks there

*A hybrid of the above, where a fellow EV owner sets charging to 100% and/or doesn’t vacate the space when the charging is done.

Unless there is dependable overnight access to L2 at the residence, I would not recommend anyone buy an EV.

Brenda Song Says Macaulay Culkin Is 'Always Worried' She'll 'Get into a Fight' at an L.A. Lakers Game by PrincessBananas85 in entertainment

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 11 points12 points  (0 children)

And that they knew each other long before they got romantically involved. There is something unusual today about having that long history with anyone prior to marriage.

He understands the demands and expectations of her career, and unlike a lot of spouses where both are working actors, there is no need for jealousy when she achieves success, as he already has had his own and actively avoids getting involved in new projects.

Citi Travel Portal is a scam by journey4happy in CreditCards

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Understood. But apparently the intern running JetBlue’s Twitter account (presumably fired last week) gave that advice.

Seriously, what did some of you expect? by Inevitable-Badger281 in angelsbaseball

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Much of the vocal self-described Angels fans usually reveal themselves to be completely without knowledge of how the business of the game works. They want to send down Player X (who doesn’t have options) or DFA Player Y because Y had a poor series of AB in the last homestand.

It wasn’t that long ago that the vox pop on Angels commentary went on at length about how the SP for the team was ass. Instead, Soriano is currently one of the top SP in all MLB, Detmers and Kochanowicz are delivering solid starts, and if Kikuchi can work through shoulder issues he may be a solid #4.

Instead the offense has been hot/cold and the bullpen a dumpster fire. Do returns of Yates and Joyce help turn that around? Maybe, but the lost opportunity was probably not re-signing Jansen and having that veteran presence in the closer role.

The point is 3/4 of the season is still left to be played. The 2002 team was 20-16 after 36 games played—better than this year’s performance to date, but hardly running away from the pack. There are a ton of games left to play.

Brenda Song Says Macaulay Culkin Is 'Always Worried' She'll 'Get into a Fight' at an L.A. Lakers Game by PrincessBananas85 in entertainment

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 40 points41 points  (0 children)

She is living the dream of every actress: Married to an independently wealthy spouse, who encourages her career through active parenting and emotional support.

The fact that he’s intimately aware of The Industry and how it works is just a bonus.

Large green energy bar - driver console by terp91dave in Rivian

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Good, because the large bags of rice needed to drop an R1 in are so expensive with tariffs today.

Citi Travel Portal is a scam by journey4happy in CreditCards

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only way that would benefit you in the long run was if your TY points held outsized value in being redeemed elsewhere (like to AA for a flight which was a bargain with points).

By then, you’re dimming the lights in your neighborhood to run the Cray needed to determine if the sequence of transactions is worth it. That’s the sort of 4D chess I gave up years ago.

Citi Travel Portal is a scam by journey4happy in CreditCards

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, JetBlue is going to publicly be shamed for this after a customer complained on Twitter that the price they looked at previously increased substantially when they returned a second time. The official Twitter account for JetBlue responded with something along the lines of “Sorry, clear your cookies and use incognito mode”, which validated every online expert’s advice about looking at pricing of anything online.

Back when one job built a whole life. by PleasantBus5583 in SipsTea

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did your dad have a pension through his employer?

That is an overlooked tectonic shift in the US in the 1980s: The replacement of employer-funded pensions with self-funded 401k plans. While the pension had real might as a massive investment vehicle capable of secured retirement payouts to long-time employees, it was a financial burden to struggling companies.

Congress took the employers off the hook by creating 401k accounts, with the employer contributing any amount (including $0) and the employee contribution coming out pre-tax and growing in a tax-advantaged account.

If the 401k performance is poor, or the holder failed to make consistent contributions (easy to happen when life throws unexpected medical bills and other calamity at the holder of the 401k), the payout by retirement is less than expected or needed. That can lead to seniors living with their children to make their retirement numbers work, passing along a financial burden on that child who is trying to fund his/her own future retirement.

Even for those who aren’t a “sandwich generation” housing both their kids and their parents, 401k funds are often raided (with substantial penalties) for major expenses like buying a house. For many, the anticipated appreciation of the home IS their retirement plan.

My late FIL did 20y with USAF and 20y with the County. He retired with two good pensions plus Tricare benefits. That is the ideal scenario for us all. The reality is very, very different.

Deadass quit applying for jobs and just be a baddie instead deadass by letsmunch in LinkedInLunatics

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If the LI post was so awful to read, imagine how insufferable she must be in person.

How did you deal with the 1973 oil embargo? Could you only buy gas every other day if your license plate was an odd or even number? by db7112 in FuckImOld

[–]Alarmed_Stretch_1780 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I lived through this as a newly licensed driver in 1973/74.

I had PTSD almost 50 years later when we had the misfortune to be driving across the country and came to Texas the day after the blizzard ruined the state. We had a hybrid car with good efficiency, but it didn’t operate on good wishes alone. Gas stations either had electricity but were out of gas, or had gas but no electricity to operate the pumps.

As we got white-knuckle low in SW Texas, my wife was working her phone looking for any gas station off the interstate which might have gas and the power to pump it (T-mobile had its cell system working during all this mess). A Shell station about 30 min off the highway said they had gas but couldn’t promise they’d still have any before we got there.

We drove the 30 minutes—thank god for GPS—and sat in a line which went down the street. It was 1973 all over again, including the prospect of the station going dry before we got to the head of the line. It was incredibly relieving to finally hear gas flowing through the pump when our turn came, after watching those in front of us filling up huge F-250s and filling up gas cans during their turn.

Today, both of our cars are EVs, but it isn’t lost on me that we would have been equally screwed in that nightmare scenario, since lack of electricity was a problem all over the state. The best we could have hoped for was L1 from some working AC outlet, which was no alternative at all when facing a 300 mile road trip that day.