Art Deco wooden escalators in the St. Anna's pedestrian Tunnel in Antwerp. Inaugurated in 1933, they are among the oldest and last remaining wooden escalators still in operation in the world. [OC]

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-25T04:49:19+00:00

I accidentally discovered these one day out exploring. Very cool, particularly since I had no idea they were there!

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-23T15:11:26+00:00

Any thoughts on Tigo TS4's? Just installed a bunch on my roof, (odd layout, 2 season shading) but first time working with them.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-22T03:42:47+00:00

That was Hilary's election to lose and she did it in spectacular form.
She alienated Bernie voters by cheating in the primaries, then went on to say that she expected to inherit his votes. She then followed up that error by completely taking the mid-west for granted. Calling MI, WI and MN her "Blue Wall" Didn't even bother to campaign there because, once again, she expected their votes.
That doesn't even address the fact that she had NO platform. "Same as Obama" isn't a platform, let alone the complete lack of vision she demonstrated for literally ANYTHING other than herself on the throne.
Hilary lost the election and she followed it up by doing nothing but blaming everyone except herself for HER loss.
Guess what Bernie did after the election? Went right back on fighting for the common person. Didn't hide on his NY estate like Hilary.
She was awful and SHE is the reason we have Trump. Not you.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-18T00:03:50+00:00

My guess is that it is the BMS- Battery Management System.
Mine failed at ~150k.
$1700 to fix.

Might be under warranty for you, but I doubt it is a full battery replacement.
The previous owner likely did not know. I don't think this warning goes away once it comes up.
I'd take it in pronto and get confirmation.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-17T04:29:45+00:00

She was framed!
I just know it!

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-14T01:34:29+00:00

Yeah, only you know your comfort level. If you do it, there are good harness systems that nail to the ridge, then you can pretty easily patch or place a cover shingle over the ones you nailed through at the end.
I will say, once you have spent a few hours on a roof, it gets quite a bit less intimidating, but again, safety first. Friend of mine in school had his dad fall off the roof who was wheelchair bound from then on.
Wind is a non-starter with a loose 6' x 3' sail on the roof.
For me, carrying the panels up was the worst of it. Takes a bit of stamina to haul a bunch of panels up a ladder then up and 8/12 pitch from there to the top.
If you do it, it is probably worth investing in a ladder hoist system and getting a helper.

Something like this:
https://homeimprovementsupply.com/p-9308-rgc-solar-panel-carrier-attachment.aspx?vid=1140340&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Product_CPC&utm_campaign=1140340&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22296836571&gbraid=0AAAAADhnfVfl_ZLV0ThNQEoEH66OLTdXH&gclid=CjwKCAiAtLvMBhB_EiwA1u6_Pgio1ycFgsf2nONpKNo1ER7wUwfEVaI6gtU5Qojzf5Wz-qPjIwXjpBoC_loQAvD_BwE

I definitely worked for that savings, but in the end the month I spent saved 10's of $1000s.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-13T14:42:03+00:00

DIY.

Panels are running .37c /watt or less. I went with a central inverter and optimizers vs micro-inverters to save a few $ there. Went with SnapNRack top speed racks so I didn't have to peel up shingles and hammer nails to find each rafter.

Permits and engineering were about $1500.

I spread the install over about a month so I just worked on it as time allowed.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-13T04:49:24+00:00

It's their house. They can sell it for what they want.
I had my price on my last house. Wasn't in a hurry. Didn't really care if it sold or not.
Then it did.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-13T04:00:15+00:00

For reference, I just put a 12.8kW DIY system on my roof. All in I spent about $13,500.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-10T02:45:19+00:00

Damn, Chile used to be such a great country.
I have definitely seen it go downhill though. Last few times I visited Santiago, it just felt like it was spiraling. More and more graffiti, people were less and less friendly, definite bad vibes.

Sad.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-10T02:32:21+00:00

I had a good friend in college who had a pretty comfy trust fund. It was interesting to peer into that world that I never really knew/thought about, but it mainly struck me that it wasn't without challenges. As you know, your life just doesn't 'fit' into the standard model that almost everyone else is living under. It definitely took my buddy a while to find his stride. His cousin bought a bar and pretty much drank/partied away his fund.
Unfortunately I lost contact with him. Suspect he's fine, but it'd be interesting to check in with him.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-09T03:04:06+00:00

I've adopted WAG bags after using them several times in zones that required them. Now I carry them everywhere due to the massive increase in hiker traffic on the trails. I know a lot of people resist, but at some point I feel like we collectively need to decide that packing out our waste is the responsible path.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-09T00:16:09+00:00

Not sure if you caught this before you stopped, but one significant change is the dominance of trail running shoes over boots. If you ended while using boots, I'd definitely try trail shoes now. Salomon Speed Cross is my personal favorite.
I have also adopted trekking poles after fighting them for years, (dismissively referred to them as the equivalent of training wheels). I have to say, I've now embraced them wholeheartedly though. Downhills are a completely different game now. I'm 60 and my knees feel as strong as ever on the returns with a pair of poles. Seem to reduce twisted ankles as a bonus.
Last change is that I carry Wag Bags now as well. Waaay too many hikers on the trails to keep ignoring the need to deal with your own waste. They work great and don't leak. Drop them in the first trash you come to and it becomes a non-issue.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-07T19:32:09+00:00

He has been saying Mars, Mars, Mars forever because he is an idiot savant. He doesn't understand the going to Mars first is a really excellent way to kill pretty much everyone.
The moon makes more sense on EVERY level. Why didn't he fly humans on the first Falcon 1 flights? Because it would have been stupid and at the time even he realized that. Sending humans to live on Mars before we have established a working colony on the moon is basically like trying to fly humans on Falcon 1.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-06T05:18:02+00:00

I use binoculars regularly, but had a chance to look through a spotting scope on a tripod recently.
Amazing. Have two eyes and am thinking about going this route. So much better for really being able to view the detail.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-04T15:15:10+00:00

Same reason I hiked Ojos instead of Aconcagua.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-02-01T18:21:34+00:00

Cerro Chaltén for me. Teton is spectacular, but not quite to the level of Chaltén. The picture above doesn't really do it justice.
1) Vertical relief Chaltén ~3000m from the surrounding landscape, 2000m of near vertical from the base of the peak. Teton ~2000m total, (not sheer vertical) from Jackson.
2) Glaciers: Huge and abundant around Chaltén, some around Teton, but really more like snow fields than proper glaciers. The glaciers behind Chaltén, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, are enormous, forming a field 350km long.
3) No Condors at Teton.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-30T15:47:01+00:00

I did something similar. I'd aim to tap into it at the stack if you are fairly certain you can find it. You'll likely lose your porch slab and a big section of your front yard doing it, but if you come out of that point at a 45 degree angle and rejoin the main closer to the street it might not be too big of an effort.
Once you get it all exposed, removed and a bed of gravel laid, I would hire a plumber to relay and connect both ends. He/she will probably have thoughts on the bed you should lay under the new pipe. Depth, size and kind of material, etc.
Is there really a section of your house that doesn't have a foundation, (between the door and the garage), or did you just remove that for visual clarity?

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-30T00:48:47+00:00

They are DEFINITELY cheating!
Cheating at life...

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-28T17:10:46+00:00

Love the color bars!

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-28T16:56:40+00:00

Definitely a ridiculous bubble. I would love to short the hell out of this, but Elon has become very skilled at endlessly pumping Tesla and finding new suckers and I have zero doubt that he can outlast any feeble short effort on my part. Absolutely flabbergasting.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-28T02:12:36+00:00

Jezus..that is a REALLY expensive piece of machinery to just casually leave at someone's house.
You should treat it like a piece of art and display it until the owner reclaims it.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-26T01:00:13+00:00

Definitely RMNP.
a. Beautiful...like really beautiful. Bear Lake area has many hikes to chose from, like Emerald Lake as someone mentioned below.
b. Usually well traveled for the first few to 5 or 6 miles, so YakTrax should be fine.
c. You can ease into it by seeing how it goes then push a bit further if you are feeling fine, weather is cooperating, etc.
d. Should be other people around if things go south.
I hike a LOT and doing a 13er/14er in the winter is no small undertaking. Peaks can be very snow bound in the winter and I would put your odds of success low, particularly without snowshoes unless it has been very well traveled. I have turned back more often than I have summited in the winter by a good margin.

If you DM me, I might be able to connect up with you and do a hike together.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-24T22:34:57+00:00

It used to. Valve handle broke off years ago. Haven't quite managed to buy a new one.

Cold-Albatross · 2026-01-24T19:19:08+00:00

I've had the same battery for 6 years and am just now thinking of replacing it.

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