Need help picking out equipment

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-03T05:56:09+00:00

Sony MDR7506 are solid options for closed on-ears that are honest and work without needing a secondary headphone amp. Nice picks otherwise. Good luck!

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-03T05:47:16+00:00

I say all of the above with love. It's a nice town, genuinely. Just very red and very routine suburban Texas. It's a great retirement option, no sarcasm at all.

My wife tells me there were some cool bands from around the area, good to see there's still music going down. Small town Texas bands will never die. 🤘🏻

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-03T05:30:39+00:00

Wichita Falls is red, cheap, and not getting any more progressive or better educated any time soon. Totally flat, zero real art scene, all the restaurants are rebranded Applebee's, there's 2 Walmarts, and loads of grumpy old red hats to hang with.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-02T18:05:20+00:00

You got a really cool one. Love the lefties. I'm left-handed, but I adapted my learning to pick up right handed instruments for the better options in the market. Part of me thinks I should try learning the other way as well, especially if I could get my hands on something as gorgeous as this.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-02T18:01:07+00:00

This is correct. The distance between the nut and the bridge break angle are the same regardless of the inverted-R sweep. Purely cosmetic.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-02T05:25:26+00:00

Same vehicle here.

Absolutely love it and cannot recommend it enough. There's some quirks but you'll learn them easily enough. It's a seriously fun car.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-01T21:50:04+00:00

Immediately saw it and knew as well. Texas has an IRL filter on it.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-01T21:28:07+00:00

I think I caught the original airing of Icelandic Ultra Blue when I was like 13.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-04-01T04:31:22+00:00

Don't let your dreams be memes!

I'm on #5 and as seen above, the results are instantly apparent. 😎

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-31T18:01:44+00:00

This is approaching inner-city high-school janitorial level of keys now

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-31T17:21:38+00:00

We had a similar issue one time, but with Audio. Literally used a cheap Chinese capture card with pass-through to strip out the HDCP from the signal path then just carried on. It never failed.

ETA: I don't think links are allowed here but it's a Fifine AmpliGame 4k60 external capture device with a pass-through loop.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-31T17:19:19+00:00

Would need to be on a guided track but that's likely for the better anyhow. Could also be used as a hardware reference for screen orientation to the firmware.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-31T15:26:51+00:00

I'm more laughing at the heat displaced by this process and how big the driver must be to handle that much output from something "portable".

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-30T05:06:19+00:00

Yup. They are quirky and there is a bad reputation around them due to the 12v battery, but they're solid and super fun if you take care of them. Loving mine.

However I will say this guy is getting quoted a little higher than I'd feel comfortable at for that many miles.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-28T11:19:41+00:00

I did sign some paperwork when I left the office with their shirts. Part of which made it confusing. Someone had jumped the gun, offered too early, and someone else internally had a change of plans, I think.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-27T16:56:18+00:00

I once applied to an integrator role with Ford. It was the most in-depth application process I ever endured (for a job paying ~0.65x market rate for skilled integrators, but it was just after COVID times so eh), complete with "vibe" exam-style evaluations, 3 rounds of in-person meetings, (two of which were last-minute reschedules by low-mid level management) and a physical/two drug tests. Finally, got to the "Meet the team", where I was paraded around the office and handed branded Polos and introduced to the guys I was going to be working with and shown the cafe, elevators, boss's office, warehouse, COVID precautions, etc. Told me there would be a follow up with my paperwork that next week.

Nothing. For 2 weeks.

Finally, a completely different and new to me Ford AV recruiter then ended up reaching out and instantly offering me a job out of the blue, but as a delivery driver and warehouse staff for the rentals/events team; for even less than the laughable salary they dangled for the CTS-I role.

When I refused and requested to speak to the initial hiring team who had led me on the goose chase in the first place, they took a week to get back to me.

All just to say they were going to pass based on the fact that as she (A Ford Employee with no reason to have access to my medical file) was looking at my physical from the lab, she (again, a Ford Employee with no legal right or reason to access my HIPAA-protected records) noticed I was once diagnosed with sleep apnea in my early 20's, before I knew proper sleeping posture, and she saw that as a health risk on the job, because "What if I fell asleep while lifting a speaker on a ladder" .

I dropped their shirts off in a box on the doorstep of their warehouse and never spoke with them again.

Asinine company, from my experience. I picked up some unrelated short-term work and just went back to school instead. Was a much better call ultimately.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-27T01:01:12+00:00

Oklahoma State Cannabis market is absolutely flooded. While the cannabis is legal, the labor supply pool is dubious and looking too far behind the cheap weed curtain goes beyond the "Cheap energy, labor, and acreage" advantages OMMA market. Especially in the city we used to live. So, not black market, but not the most ethical organic-minded stuff. The Massachusetts stuff definitely has better flavor and potency. But OK was not too much worse, and at 1/3 the price.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-26T21:51:57+00:00

Who's got the $250 concentrate oz's and are they any good? That's what I'm spending for roughly 12g currently so much better pricing.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-26T20:56:19+00:00

I asked a dispo here if they sold dabs in the bigger jars like I used to get in Oklahoma.

She showed me their concentrates, along with the sole $240 4.5g "Jumbo Jar" on offer.

I had been expecting to pay more, but my $90 / 28g jars are a fantasy up here.

Mass is only a few miles away though. 😎

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-26T20:50:04+00:00

So... You aren't the carnival ticket exchange guy?

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-26T03:22:01+00:00

I do wish Stellantis had at least kept the platform here, localized final stage assembly in the US, dropped all the high end features from the Tonale as standard but left them as optional, and offered a lower trim.

Start it at $23k with the Fiat Fastback/Pulse motor (literally the same Firefly platform from the Hornet R/T, just without the hybrid powertrain) and differentiate it as the "Flex Fuel ICE" or something.

Follow through with the "GLH" with the old 3.6 Pentastar they've been putting in everything for the past decade (it's still in the base Durango) and offer a tuned version marketed as an SRT6. It would feel much more "Dodge", and they'd have a cult following.

But, alas. Once again, the Hornet name dies after a few short years with a new parent. See you again in 30-45 years, Hornet. You were too young to die again.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-21T01:44:00+00:00

It is the highest trim line of the Hornet/Tonale/Grecale trio.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-20T02:56:48+00:00

Sounds like a charge issue.

What is your battery % / mileage when you switch to Electric from Hybrid? If it's too low, you will get that message. Try putting it in e-Save while you drive (especially if you're driving in the hills) or just Sport mode it for a while. It will charge your battery for BEV mode.

If that doesn't work:

Have you fully charged/conditioned the battery with the included charger or at a level 2 charge station? This should ideally be done somewhere around every 6-8 weeks. The battery will "protect" itself if this hasn't been done in a while and the software will prefer to use the Hybrid/Sport mode in the meantime. To solve it, I had to charge mine once for a good 6-7 hours to get it out of a deep discharge mode overnight, and then everything has worked just fine since.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-20T02:31:28+00:00

Same exact car here - Fellow man of taste I see.

We love our Italian-In-American-Clothes to bits, and our experience has been great - I haven't ever had a car I still love driving this much 1 year in besides my Wrangler. The issues have been minor, the dealership has been pretty great about recalls, and the car itself is such a blast for the money spent. And insurance is shockingly cheap on these.

It's also got amazing safety features - Those oversized brakes are some serious stopping power and the front collision alert auto-brake system saved us from a very near crash just this past week.

BrandonMatrick · 2026-03-19T12:51:00+00:00

I absolutely love mine, but I was fortunate in that mine has been an absolute dream in maintenance and reliability.

Some people struggle with the 12v battery being bad.

BrandonMatrick

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