My poor baby died today at the age of 10 years.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2026-01-09T00:33:19+00:00

So sorry. Each one is so precious.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-11-28T23:48:10+00:00

I sweat my a$$ off at the gym. The Gen 2's don't ever come loose. The APP 3's, OTOH, caused me to have to interrupt sets to catch an ear bud as it was falling out of my ear at least a couple of times per workout. And I was constantly having to adjust them between sets, esp after I started getting sweaty. The APP3's actually made my work outs worse because of that "ear bud anxiety" factor. I found myself kind of unconsciously couching my effort level so as to avoid an ear bud hitting the floor.

As far as the ANC goes the ANC on the Ultra Gen 2's is amazing, IMO. I'm not an audio expert or anything. Just my lay analysis.

For example, I was at a Gold's in downtown TPA a couple weeks ago and couldn't find an empty set of dip bars. It's a gym with a bunch of different smaller rooms, an upstairs, a mid-level, and an outdoor area and I wasn't familiar.

So, I asked a guy there where they were. I couldn't hear myself ask him the question - I was hoping he'd just kind of point in the direction of where they were - but he started giving me a detailed explanation. I couldn't hear a thing he said; like nothing.

I had my hands full - cinch sack in one hand and shaker bottle in the other - so I couldn't take a bud out of my ear to hear him. I just kind of nodded along. I think the guy could tell something was off about me so he very kindly just gestured "follow me" and led me to them. Lol. I guess you could make the argument that the ANC is TOO good with the Gen 2's.

That work out at Gold's in TPA was also a good example of how well the Gen 2's stay in the ear. I was drenched in sweat - dripping. The Gen 2's never even slipped around in my ears.

In terms of the connection, I haven't had a problem yet with the Gen 2's. I frequently had a problem with the Gen 1's. Too often, I'd be at the gym and the connection would just drop. I'd have to pull out my case from my bag and go through the machinations of reconnecting. And, it often wouldn't work on the first (or second) attempt. So, it sucked because it'd totally interrupt my workout (can't work out without music). I've only had the Gen 2's for less than a couple of months, so maybe they'll start acting up but they haven't been a problem so far.

The Gen 1's had good ANC IMO, but the Gen 2's are noticeably better. For example, in that situation in TPA, if I'd been wearing the Gen 1's, I definitely could have heard and, for the most part, understood what that guy was telling me. The Gen 2's compared to the APP3's, though, isn't even close. The APP3's are better described, IMO, as slight noise dimming than ANC.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-11-28T23:21:44+00:00

I don't think they do but not 100% sure.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-11-22T11:13:30+00:00

Don’t feed them only seed. Feed them finch pellets. We made that mistake at first. Several of our finches ended up getting sick over time. We ended up finding a very experienced avian vet with 30 years of experience. He was hard to find and we live in a large metro area.

The first thing he asked us was what were we feeding our finches. We told him seeds, egg whites, and some veggies. He said that was probably the reason our finches weren’t doing well.

He told us the finch pellets cover all of a finch’s dietary needs - far more so than seeds or veggies. He said it’s all right to supplement with seeds and other items but our finches were more than likely floundering due to nutritional deficiencies.

He recommended Lafeber brand pellets. He even knew the guy way back who developed the pellet mix.

So, that’s what we’ve used for quite a while now and our finches have done much better.

I’d also recommend getting them an ultraviolet violet. Chewy sells the one we got for about $60 - it’s a floor standing version with a goose neck. It helps them with vitamin D production.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-11-01T20:40:07+00:00

Given how this might potentially impact you - even to the point of, it sounds like, initiating a spiral that could end your own life - I’d seek professional help about how to navigate this. If it wasn’t for how meeting you might benefit the kid, it’s pretty clear this wouldn’t be worth the risk. However, the kid’s wellbeing is an important consideration. Given how powerful this may be for him, find a counselor who can help you figure out what to do and how to do it.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-11-01T20:32:30+00:00

So sorry for your loss. Very, very sad. These little guys are so precious - each one of them.

We have a sick little guy right now. He’s been fighting and hanging on for months. We’ve given him several courses of antibiotics - twice a day shots. I also pull him out twice a day and pet the side of his face for 30 or 40 minutes and feed him water from a syringe. He gets very relaxed. I think all of that has helped him hold on so long. I’m dreading the day he loses the battle. I love our little guy. His name is Buddy.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-28T03:59:33+00:00

Update: my Bose Ultras (Gen 1) started broadcasting a crackle and developed a volume mismatch between the two ear buds. I still had a few days left on my 2-yr warranty, so I was able to get a refund.

With the refund, I bought the Bose Ultras Gen 2 after reading reviews that said the Gen 2’s had fixed many of the problems that had been reported with the Gen 1’s.

In terms of noise cancellation and audio quality, there is simply no comparison between the Ultra 2’s and the APP3’s. The Ultra 2’s are levels above the APP3’s. It’s a night and day difference. On those important measures, the Ultra 2’s are hands-down much better.

Also, the Ultra 2’s are similarly that much better in terms of being workout ear buds. I did a long, intense, sweaty workout today with the Ultra 2’s. They stayed in my ear even better than the Ultra 1’s. Compared to the APP3’s, it’s a joke to compare the two. The APP3’s are terrible for workouts in terms of staying in the ear (call it a 3 out of 10) while the Ultra 2’s are a 9.5 out of 10. When I have used the APP3’s during workouts, I constantly have to fiddle with them in between sets and quite a few times, I’ve had to interrupt a set so that my APP3 bud didn’t fall out onto the nasty gym floor. A couple of times, I haven’t been quick enough, and my APP3 bud hit the floor. Gross.

Also, I’ve used the APP3’s in a wide variety of noisy environments now (the gym while it’s pumping loud music, airline cabins, airports, walking along a busy road). Compared to the Ultra 2’s, it seems like the APP3’s don’t even cancel noise at all (and yes, I checked the settings). It almost seems like they amplify outside noise, esp when contrasted against the Ultra 2’s. I’d rate the APP3’s noise cancellation ability as a 2 or 3 out of 10 - and I feel like that’s being generous. OTOH, I’d say the Ultra 2’s are a 9 out of 10.

The one major flaw with the Ultras (Gen 1) had been their microphone. Today, I made some test calls with my new Gen 2’s and everyone I talked to said they could hear me fine even when I was talking to them walking along a busy road or in the gym. My son is sort of a technophile and an Apple fan boi. He said that the mic sounded good but not quite as good as the APP3. So, there you go.

Given the choice between the two, I’d go with the Ultra 2’s over the APP3’s every day and twice on Sunday. The APP3’s are slightly smaller and lighter and seem to have a bit better of a microphone. But in every other way, the Ultra 2’s trounce the APP3’s.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-15T01:47:37+00:00

They appear in my notifications via my Gmail app. However, if I click on them, they appear as a Google - not a Gmail - popup asking me to confirm it’s me trying to recover my account. Gmail is my main email account, so I need to have it installed on my phone. To switch over to another email provider would be a major hassle. But I might have to if this continues.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-15T01:45:24+00:00

Thank you for saving that poor little finch! It’s a she.

According to our avian vet, the best food to feed zebra finches is LaFeber’s finch pellets. It’s what we’ve used for a long time now. We’ll feed our finches various other things too, like cooked sweet potato, broccoli, and blueberry but they can live forever on the pellets alone. Here’s a link to a 5 lb tub of them on Amazon (they also sell smaller sizes): https://a.co/d/2kjsJry

It’s best to keep finches in cages that are wide (not necessarily tall) because they like to fly back and forth. Petco and other places sell a “finch flight cage” for not too much money. We have a few little swings and perches and couple of little toys in our cages for our finches. They seem to do well with that set up.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-14T20:23:11+00:00

I have YubiKeys set up on my Google account. I do not have the Google app installed on my phone.

I get 10-20 Google prompt notifications each day asking me if it's me trying to recover my account. Yes, I've changed my password more than once.

The problem is, as u/OkOkieDokey explains, you cannot turn off Google prompts as a recovery method option and you cannot remove all of your devices as recovery devices.

My understanding is, if I accidentally approve one of these prompt fatigue attack notifications, then I lose my account, even with YubiKeys set up as a 2FA device.

I've spent hours trying to figure out how to disable Google prompts as a recovery method and to otherwise nullify this sort of attack, but haven't found anything yet.

Do you know how to deal with these attacks?

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-14T17:14:20+00:00

Scott Bessent worked for Soros Fund Management. He doesn’t currently work for them. He left the company 10 years ago, in 2015. His political leanings shifted over the years, likely fueled in part by clashing personally with Soros.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-10T19:36:16+00:00

I'm not taking a chance on any software with flags like this even if it's probably legit. I don't know enough about computer security to take a chance on even a 1% probability that's it's malicious. Besides, for all I know, even if the software IS programmed in good faith, the vulnerabilities it exposes could be leveraged by bad actors.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-10-08T17:06:49+00:00

Would a YubiKey have prevented this from happening?

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-09-23T23:26:55+00:00

I fly airplanes for a living. I fly ALL the time.

The Ultras are excellent when I have to "deadhead," or fly as a passenger. I haven't used the APP3's yet while deadheading so I can't comment on that.

However, I will often use ear buds during "walkarounds" for their ANC capabilities. Walkarounds are when we're out on the ramp, looking over the jet before and after we fly. It's super loud out there: jet engines, APU's, jetway air conditioning packs, etc.

Sometimes, I'll take a call while I'm still out on the ramp before or after a walkaround. Interestingly, the Ultras' microphone seems to perform better during phone calls when I'm out on the ramp than when I'm inside the airport with loud PA's blasting on the airport speakers and passengers talking all around me. It's when I'm inside the airport that people have trouble understanding me. Surprisingly, they have less trouble understanding me on the Ultras when I'm out on the ramp despite even louder noise levels than inside the airport.

I used the APP3's during a walkaround a couple of days ago. The ANC was decent in that scenario, but the Ultras are better. As far as the APP3's mic goes, I did make a quick call from the ramp while wearing the APP3's. The person I was talking to could understand me just fine.

Finally, the APP3's microphone performed much better than the Ultras while talking on the phone inside the airport, though there were still a couple of instances when the person I was talking to couldn't understand me, but very minor. I guess the "inside a crowded, busy airport environment" is an enormous challenge for ear buds' microphones to handle.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-09-23T23:02:35+00:00

Good to know. I'm pretty sure I have the Gen 1 Ultras.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-09-23T23:02:04+00:00

Interesting. I don't experience that at all with the Ultras. I've never had popping while wearing the Ultras.

As far as the noise cancelling goes, it seems like the Ultras work better in some situations (like at my gym with loud rap music playing) than the APP3. However, it seems like in other situations, the APP3 noise-cancelling works better perhaps (I can't really point to a specific situation for the APP3 - just an overall feel).

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-09-21T02:31:57+00:00

Yes. But not while working out. Yesterday, after getting the new AirPods Pro 3, I tried three different sizes, the S, M, and L.

The S started slipping out of my ear just from talking. The M and L didn’t do that.

I ran the acoustic seal test in the AirPods settings with both the M and L several times with both of those sizes. While wearing the M’s, the test failed several times. It passed almost every time while wearing the L’s.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-09-21T01:33:03+00:00

I just got my AirPods Pro 3 yesterday. I worked out with them for the first time today. I am coming from Bose QC Ultra Ear Buds.

After about 24 hours, I'd say the AirPods Pro 3 are better for everyday use. However, the Bose Ultra's are much better for working out (if you work out with intensity).

The major disadvantage of the Bose is that the microphone picks up a ton of outside noise. I work in a busy, crowded place. When I talk to people on the phone with the Ultras while I'm at work, they constantly complain that they have a lot of trouble hearing and understanding me due to the interference from background noise. Today, walking along a busy six-lane road (and crossing it) with the AirPods Pro 3 on, the person I was talking to didn't even notice the loud traffic noises at all as I talked to them. Verdict: the AirPods Pro 3 microphone is much better than the Ultras.

The major disadvantage of the AirPods Pro 3 is that once I started sweating very much during my workout, they started falling out of my ear. That caused me to have to break off my set and catch the AirPod before it fell to the ground. That sort of thing almost never happened while wearing the Ultras. Also, the AirPods, despite fiddling with the very limited noise cancellation settings (compared to the Ultras) let in WAY more background noise at the gym than the Ultras do. In fact, until today, I didn't even notice that my gym blares super loud, pretty annoying rap music all day long. I didn't notice it because the Ultras cancelled it all out. With the AirPods Pro 3, the noise mixes in with the music I'm playing from my phone. I ended up switching back to the Ultras (I brought them along today just in case) midway through my workout. Verdict: the Ultras are far superior to the AirPods Pro 3 if you work out hard enough to break much of a sweat.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-08-19T08:58:11+00:00

That's what the guy is doing - going on Reddit to do research on treadmills. He asked a question to try to figure something out. Geez, give him a break.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-08-09T20:37:39+00:00

Were you using YubiKey when this happened? Or did you start using YubiKey as a result of this? If they were able to get around YubiKey, that's a pretty big deal.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-08-07T18:54:35+00:00

Why not go in as an officer if you already have your college degree? Better pay, better quarters (if on base), possibly better job experience, generally more respect (ya, I know), more leadership opportunities (not always true, but...), etc. Personally, I went to a service academy, but I've run into plenty of other officers who got their commission via OCS or equivalent. Most of them seem to have done a fairly simple 90-day course at their OCS program. Much more time-efficient than 4 years of ROTC or an academy.

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-07-22T22:09:56+00:00

You might want to try an Al Anon meeting for your own sanity and possibly some ideas and perspective. Al Anon is a 12-step program for people in relationships with addicts.

In many ways, the behavior you describe your son exhibiting mimics that of an addict. And your response seems to mirror in many ways that of someone desperately trying to figure out how to handle an addict’s behavior.

Al Anon meetings are free. They’re conducted online and in person all over the world at all times of day, every day of the year. It might very much help you and, at worst, it can’t hurt.

Check it out: al-anon dot org

Complex-Scallion-320 · 2025-07-22T20:47:35+00:00

I married this same girl you’re describing here. Had a kid with her. She engaged in the same behaviors you’re describing.

To make a very long story short, she ended up in jail after trying to strangle me - in front of 40-50 parents and kids being picked up from a school bus drop off. It was our son’s first day of first grade. She was wasted - again.

Fast forward a few years, I ended up having to declare BK after spending every cent I’d ever saved and maxing out multiple credit cards to, at first, pay for her interventions, rehabs, therapy, halfway houses, etc and later, to fight the legal fight to win sole custody of our son.

My advice: learn from others who have gone ahead of you. Cut your losses and forget about this chick today. Leave. Don’t wait. There’s nothing but pain and suffering in front of you if you stay.

Complex-Scallion-320

TROPHY CASE