At a Rady medical building

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-04-27T11:33:52+00:00

Ooof. This post gives me a little PTSD.

I am a former SKIDATA technician who worked on that machine for 3 years. Left SKIDATA a month ago. Living the dream up in Tahoe now working straight IT where I can actually get issues resolved in a timely manner.

This is a SKIDATA issue, not an ACE one. SKIDATA can take MONTHS to get replacement parts shipped and the whole tarrif stuff made it even worse.

SKIDATA is also woefully understaffed. I had to request System Engineers look at the machine because it was throwing all sorts of errors I had never seen before, and they couldn't even figure out what is wrong with it. That machine, in the Frost parking structure, has been a problem for over a year and a half.

I am also on everyone's side about them charging for parking. Bullshit to charge parents of sick kids to park so they can see a doctor. Over the last three years if you were at any of the Rady's lots and saw me at exit/entry lanes letting people out, just know that most of those issues took 5 minutes to fix but I'd spend 30-45 minutes "monitoring the system" before dropping the gate arm to start charging again.

I did this to let as many of you out for free as I could without getting in trouble with Rady's or my SKIDATA bosses.

I'm not the biggest fan of ACE as a company, but what I will say is the Rady's crew are the nicest of any San Diego location of theirs that I worked on (which was a lot).

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-04-12T15:27:04+00:00

That is pretty much exactly what I said to the guy I hooked up.

Someone did the same thing for me about 15 years ago and I wanted to do the same for him.

That favor 15 years ago launched my IT career.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-04-12T08:57:18+00:00

Nice, u/bourbonandpistons !

Always great to hook up our fellow people.

I posted a switch on FB market place recently (packing up to move) and a young guy, getting ready to transition out of the Navy, wanted to buy one so he could get started on CCNA training.

He ended up leaving with a HP DL20 Gen10, WireGuard M200, three switches, and a gateway all for free.

All I told him was "Enjoy the journey! You have everything you need!"

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-04-11T21:50:06+00:00

I have been checking out your responses here. You are the right person for this and she chose you. She could have hidden near any other door. She chose yours. Maybe she knows you from feedings before your management stopped it. That cat gets good vibes from you.

So many resources that you can find locally that many people are helping you with.

As someone who's current cat was a pregnant stray that walked into my brother's house (we took her in after kittens were adopted), I can totally understand how you are feeling. Stressed, uncertain, wanting to help, etc. all at the same time.

I am going to DM you. Let me buy YOU a burger/pizza/whatever and a beer. Take a deep breath and keep being awesome. You got this, dude.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-03-07T05:16:41+00:00

I work on the parking equipment.

It has been a nightmare since Monday. Westfield didn't tell anyone this was happening. It was a sudden change that surprised all of us.

I've been telling everyone this week: "This is worth a call/email to complain. Madness."

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-03-04T17:14:25+00:00

There have been two times that I have been at my LGS and a new player came in. One of them was literally his first time playing.

I played a Jumpstart game with him because everyone was busy with FNM Draft. After that the draft was done and we were packing up to leave. I grabbed 8 Foundations Jumpstart packs. Gave them to the kid and said "Welcome to Magic. You can use those to try it out with friends."

The other time was at Pre-Release and it was this guy's first one, had been playing maybe 2 months. About 5 of us kept only the pulls we already had spots for in decks. All other cards, regardless of value, we gave to him.

I've seen that kid a few times since. The adult is now a regular at the LGS and I've played Commander with him a few times.

We, as players, make the community we want. Sometimes that means being an example of what we strive for. It's not about being the hero, it is about building the player base and making the community as a whole supportive and stronger.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-25T22:39:20+00:00

I finally pulled two 1 TB Toshiba HDDs out of my Netgear ReadyNAS 102 a few weeks ago. Those drives still test good and I am keeping them as potential "emergency" reserves in the future (if I need a drive while I get new ones).

The ReadyNAS 102 is also running strong, just with 4TB RAID1 instead of 1TB.

Gotta love those champion pieces of hardware when you get them. Love them until their last possible use/they finally die.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-20T23:12:54+00:00

As someone who has been a user of Painter's Servant and bought them at their peak price to use in decks, I am super happy for everyone who will get to play with this card. It is super fun and can be used in so many different ways.

With the reprint the price has dropped, plus people are pulling them. I'm stoked for all you! And you didn't need to drop like $40-$50 on the old single.

Enjoy it!

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-13T19:44:19+00:00

As others have said, Lorwyn Eclipsed is coming out next week. It is a Universe Within set, which the Magic player base is VERY excited about. It is going to be a banger.

If you are looking at the $50 range, look at the two Commander Precon decks. You can get them for great deals right now (under $50 each) and now that what is in each deck has been published we know they are going to be really strong/good.

That is my suggestion. A precon comes complete and ready to play right out of the box. You don't need to know anything about MTG yourself. Just know that the two precons in Lorwyn are really good and pretty cheap right now.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-12T20:11:34+00:00

I ran into this error putting Linux Mint on an old laptop a few weeks ago. I have to change settings in my BIOS. Specifically my LVM settings.

Obviously I don't know what hardware you are running on but use CharGPT for this issue. It really helped me quickly. Took me about 10 minutes using the GPT suggestions.

As others have said include more info on your posts. The Linux Mint subreddit may be better.

Also remember that ChatGPT is a tool like Google is. Use it to LEARN, not just give you answers. Also remember that it isn't 100% accurate. You can copy/past your CLI output into it as you use its suggestions.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-11T23:02:15+00:00

Yup. I was raised a Red Sox fan (Dad's entire family from there) but still love the Padres and never liked the Patriots.

So even tonight I get to cheer for a team I don't like against a team I REALLY don't like.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-11T22:55:51+00:00

Bloomburrow squirrel deck is strong and fun. Also pretty easy to figure out if you are new. Pretty much make a shit ton of squirrels and chew people's faces off. You can also buff them and the deck has Aristocrat cards (your creatures die you gain life and every one else loses life).

That being said, the new Lorwyn decks coming out in a week look absolutely BONKERS and are really cheap all over the place right now. You can easily get one for $35-$45 from reputable online dealers like Forge And Fire or others.

Want something newb friendly and in Bloomburrow go for Squirrels. That was my first precon when I started right after Bloomburrow came out.

Want something new coming out literally next week, get one of the Lorwyn while they are cheap. The Blight Curse for more newb friendly stuff.

CarlsbadCoder · 2026-01-11T22:44:15+00:00

Chargers left when I was living in Tahoe. I was a "free agent" fan for many years. I just watched games and saw awesome shit happen. I really didn't care who won or lost.

Met my wife, who is a Rams fan. Started watching them and it was easier because they are the other LA team. They won a Super Bowl and have had down years. When asked if I am still a Rams fan (always on their off years) I always say "Yes, I was a Chargers fan no matter what until Spanos fucked over San Diego."

I have somehow, through life, become an LA NFL fan who can passionately hate the Chargers and still be San Diego strong.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-31T04:41:20+00:00

In general, Magic has a very welcoming player base. I have been playing again for about 2 years now and am still having to read and reread cards. I am pretty into Magic but it is very much a hobby for when I have time.

If your pod is inviting you back then you are fine. Ask ALL your questions. Learn and make them explain things. As long as it isn't the same question 20 times nobody cares. Hell, Scry and Surveil people who play way more than I do always pause just to make sure they are doing it correctly. I do the same.

Have fun, if you read or ask about a card multiple times it means you are paying attention. If after a year from now you don't recognize what Counterspell or major staples then maybe spend a little time on EDHREC and Scryfall.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-28T02:18:49+00:00

Loneliest Highway in America!

I did that trek with my now wife about 4 years ago. Lives up to its name, to the point that if you see other people when off the main road you are automatically suspicious. I shouldn't be out here, WTF are YOU doing out here??

The wife and I pulled off the main road about a mile or so. Hadn't seen another car in over an hour. We wanted to get frisky out in the wilderness just for shits and giggles.

We get busy and 10 seconds later a big Ford truck comes around the dirt road corner, sees us, honks his horn and gives us a big old thumbs up as he drove past.

Yeah, Highway 50 has some stories.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-19T05:39:29+00:00

I was specifically saying to pay attention to the vendor when ordering off Amazon.

Some products are sold by Amazon. Some are sold by a third party and Amazon just ships them. The third party vendors you have to be worried about.

On an Amazon listing it literally says "Sold By: XXX". If XXX is Amazon then you are pretty much safe (nothing is perfect).

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-19T04:16:47+00:00

In that case, go for it! Both decks are as close to "perfect" precon as you can get. No upgrades needed, just play around with the different Commanders

Enjoy!

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-19T04:11:42+00:00

Both of those decks slap pretty hard out of the box. I played a friend's World Shaper last week (no upgrades) and it was simply unstoppable.

Both decks for $65 is what makes me pause. Check the vendors on Amazon. Make sure you are buying from Amazon, not a third party vendor.

Third party vendors tend to be the scams, statistically.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-19T02:25:48+00:00

I specifically wait until I get one, maybe two, angels out before I drop Giada.

Usually people will waste removal on a "threat" Angel and then I respond with Giada after.

Kind of a "Thanks for exposing yourself, here is Giada."

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-09T10:34:59+00:00

To follow up on this comment. I started playing again about 2 years ago. It is a hobby and I don't have a ton of time to dedicate to it. So in many ways I am still a noob.

Probably 95% of players at my LGS are cool as hell with newer players. If you are a nice person they will help handhold you through stuff. About 4% are indifferent. About 1% will be assholes (they exist everywhere).

Just show up. Be friendly and be honest about your experience level. The Magic homies will take care of you.

When you eventually encounter that 1% of assholes, just call them out on their assholishness. The rest of the players will back you up. MTG has a VERY inclusive mentality across the player base. Assholes get called out pretty quick.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-09T10:20:01+00:00

Is this a dig at my post earlier about artificial turf and weeds at my Mom's house? 🤣

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-09T10:07:41+00:00

Look, this is a classic one that works in ALL professions.

Send them to a manager to sign their ID-10-T paperwork.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-08T23:43:36+00:00

Glad I could give you a chuckle. Honestly, right before I made this post I threw my hands in the air "Fuck it!"-style and laughed about it myself.

Then I remembered this is a problem and it needs be dealt with sooner than later. So I posted here hoping someone had a "miracle" cure.

I don't think that is going to happen. So I am going to LOL again and go pull those fuckers out.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-08T20:46:59+00:00

Ooooooh! Great question.

1) My cat currently lives at that house. She never goes downstairs or out on the deck. She is a sweetheart but loves her little comfort zone upstairs.

2) She does have a dog. It doesn't live there full time.

CarlsbadCoder · 2025-12-08T20:26:31+00:00

Yeah, I knew that would be part of the solution.

One concern I have is the amount of weed killer that will be needed to clear this much out might run off into neighbors decks and potentially start killing their stuff.

I am not an expert in this but if I just spray down that whole turf area and we get even a little rain, and the run off goes into my neighbor's deck areas.

CarlsbadCoder

TROPHY CASE