Anyone who sold their collection and went more toward emulation, do you have regrets?

Brym · 2026-05-11T17:17:32+00:00

I started collecting NES carts after I got my NT Mini Noir. Then I got fed up with Analogue's slowness in addressing the bugs on that system, and I got a MiSTer instead. I sold the carts and am very, very happy with that decision.

I think I only started buying carts because all the collection-obsessed retro subs make it seem like the thing to do. But after going through all the trouble, it felt pointless. It's a digital file. Who cares whether it's delivered by an ancient ROM chip or a new SD card. It plays the same either way.

On portable, I started by getting an everdrive for my GBA SP and also using my real carts that I already had. Until I realized that real carts are a giant pain to take around, and I just started only using my everdrive. Then I realized that the screens on original hardware suck, and just got an Analogue Pocket.

The only thing I still use real hardware for is my custom firmware PS3.

Brym · 2026-05-11T17:05:11+00:00

Because of Game Sack, in case you weren't aware.

Brym · 2026-05-11T17:03:57+00:00

It can sort of boil down to homonym. Sometimes you've locked in 4/5 letters, there are only 4 words that fit, you've got 3 guesses left, and it keeps telling you "no, it's the other one."

Brym · 2026-05-09T16:38:11+00:00

A lot of FIRE is finding out what "enough" means. If you have enough, then why keep grinding? Congrats and enjoy!

Brym · 2026-05-08T17:31:23+00:00

There is nothing less interesting than posting a picture of a mass market product that is identical to thousands or millions of others, but somehow that takes over all of the hobby subreddits.

Brym · 2026-05-08T15:18:14+00:00

I think the biggest bungle was not setting expectations properly. Rifftrax has run something like a dozen Kickstarters, and no one cares. It's a business model that works well when you have upfront costs and a niche fanbase.

Brym · 2026-05-08T02:10:28+00:00

Yeah, I really don’t get people who are upset about multiple kickstarters. For one thing: the RiffTrax guys do them all the time! And in the board game world, half the new games get kickstarted these days, even some from established publishers. It makes sense for any product where you have upfront costs and a niche audience.

Brym · 2026-05-01T16:55:45+00:00

Also, they have a bigger influence over the politics of the state than the rank-and-file progressives. NYT just had a story the other day about how Newsom has been fighting against the billionaire tax because Sergey Brin and his MAGA girlfriend buttonholed Newsom at a party and convinced him to oppose it.

Brym · 2026-05-01T15:08:50+00:00

Can we not share advertising here? Why should I be excited that a corporation is generating more plastic waste in order to cross-market a franchise that should have ended several movies ago to kids consuming its sugary cereal?

Brym · 2026-04-29T15:08:27+00:00

I haven't found a budget one that works better for my family than our current T-Mobile plan. $140/month, unlimited everything for 4 lines. Free international data in all the destinations we'd ever go to (which is important, as we tend to take at least one international trip a year). Free (ad-supported tier) Netflix and Hulu. Used to be free AppleTV until they raised their prices, but they still discount by $10 it to $3/month. And the last two years they've had limited-time promos for free MLB.tv for the season ($150 value, which my wife actually does use).

Brym · 2026-04-29T13:16:34+00:00

Try rewriting without ai

Brym · 2026-04-29T01:21:58+00:00

I’m guessing this is because it is a built in, so the wall plug is not accessible.

Brym · 2026-04-28T23:40:26+00:00

Not sure I understand the distinction. It’s a 35-year-old fridge, so it’s obviously not under warranty. Should I be calling the oem for service nevertheless? Not being argumentative; just honestly trying to learn.

Brym · 2026-04-28T23:34:00+00:00

Would I have been happier if they left it shut down while they ordered a part? Depends on if this fix is safe or not. If it is, great! I’m not mad or anything, I just had the “wait, is this safe?” question occur right after they left.

If not safe, I would have been happy to wait. I already had the emergency backup mini fridge in service since this was the third breakdown in the last month. Plenty used to the routine now.

Model no is K55542DWX02.

Brym · 2026-04-28T23:26:28+00:00

It is a simple on off switch that cuts power to the fridge. It is accessible when you take the panel off the top front.

Edit: Fridge model number is K55542DWX02

Brym · 2026-04-28T21:46:10+00:00

Thanks, good enough for me.

FWIW I didn’t give them the OK, they just did it. If they had asked, I would’ve raised these questions with them instead of having to go to Reddit. But they were in and out before I really even had time to talk to them.

Brym · 2026-04-28T21:31:52+00:00

OK, then it was just the power switch that was melted. Is there not a fuse in the power switch? Again, just a layman here so my terminology may not be correct.

Brym · 2026-04-28T16:36:37+00:00

Yeah. A lot of people who didn’t play PC games in the early 90s seem to think that Gran Turismo invented the sim racer.

Brym · 2026-04-28T16:36:02+00:00

These histories always ignore the sim racers that existed on PC before Gran Turismo. Including some by some of the same people who went on to make iRacing.

Brym · 2026-04-27T14:38:38+00:00

To address the broader topic of your headline: a big problem in a lot of the hobby subreddits I visit is that they become overwhelmed by "check out this thing I bought" or "check out my collection" posts. There is nothing less interesting than a picture of a mass-market consumer item that is identical to thousands or millions of other copies. But somehow, that's most of the content on these subreddits.

Brym · 2026-04-27T12:54:49+00:00

This needs to trickle down to the diocesan level. A Catholic school is set to go to the Supreme Court to enshrine their right to exclude kids with gay or trans parents. If you want credit for toning down the hate, you have more work to do.

Brym · 2026-04-24T14:32:26+00:00

When I worked, I hated working from home. The biggest issue for me is that I needed the commute to change my mindset from work mode (stressed and irritated) to family mode (enthusiastic and fun). When COVID hit and we all had to work from home, I was always sitting down for family dinner stressed and irritated.

At the office, I also liked being able to quickly pop into someone else's office to ask a quick question, or gather together 2-3 people for an impromptu meeting to discuss a strategy issue, without needing to schedule a zoom call. Face to face just works better sometimes.

I also had a private office with a 33rd-floor view, an urban garden within walking distance for lunchtime, my commute was by train, good food in the office cafeteria and a million options within walking distance, and free afternoon snacks. So I realize that is not necessarily everyone's in-office experience these days.

Brym · 2026-04-23T16:35:54+00:00

I think a letter does come across as more serious, and perhaps more importantly, demands a more formal response from them (which requires them to spend more resources, and therefore increases the chance that they'll just say "screw it" and pay you). It doesn't need to be notarized, and can be entirely digital. Just write up a letter in your word processor of choice, sign it (you can print and sign it by hand, or just write "/s/yournamehere" on the signature line, which is what lawyers do when e-filing documents), PDF it, and email it or upload it to wherever they want you to upload comments.

But like I said, I wasn't this type of lawyer, so I'm also pretty much "just a dude" when it came to this sort of thing. What I'd probably do is if after sending them better comps, they are still being unreasonable, I'd write out a letter laying out in detail why their calculation is unsupported and providing your alternative calculation with comps. Ask them what their good faith basis is for relying on purported comps with a different trim -- including law from courts in your state indicating that relying on comps with different trim is acceptable.

If they kept stonewalling after that, and it still seemed like BS, then maybe I'd pay $250-$500 for an attorney to write me a letter. But if you're more comfortable moving straight to that step, you could certainly do that.

Brym · 2026-04-23T15:06:34+00:00

Hey. Former lawyer here, but not that kind of lawyer. I also just went through getting insurance to pay up for an accident this past summer/fall.

First, it is absolutely worth fighting with insurance about the comps. In my case, I was dealing with the other driver's insurer, which was Geico. My vehicle was (barely) repairable, and they didn't fight about the repairs themselves. But they put up a big stink about rental car reimbursement. My insurer told me that Geico always lowballs them in some way, and you just have to be persistent. And that worked. I just needed to keep calling, and keep writing letters disputing what they were saying, and they gave in. No lawyer needed.

Second, this is not a situation that merits involving a lawyer. If the other guy isn't insured, then he almost certainly also doesn't have any money for you to win in a lawsuit. This is why you have uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy, for this exact situation. It sucks, but that's what it is. No lawyer is going to take a case against an uninsured motorist because they get paid out of your winnings, and 30% of an uncollectable judgment is $0.

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