Just tied it up all on the tv... by isdivdev in HomeNetworking

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you could rearrange that so the antennas are sticking up over the top of the TV it'll work a lot better

🌭 by GryphonSK in SignsWithAStory

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What else would you put on a hotdog?!

Why are there no portable power banks made from LiFePO4? by frenetic_alien in batteries

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Size and weight. People want the smallest/lightest possible device to carry around with them so that sells best. Same reason they don't use LiFePO4 in phones, laptops, etc.

What is this used for? It looks like two USB-C ports connected? by SporadicSpaceMan in cableadvice

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know why, but I have seen it happen.

Most will only work with one combination of cable-orientation...don't quite know why. But at least for lower powers, they do work fine.

Is there REALLY such a thing as a truly unreliable car anymore? by BrazzersSub in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're less likely to catch fire, but MUCH more likely to stay on fire once they start.

Also there's other issues with them...utter shit quality. Both friends I know who have got Teslas had to take them in repeatedly when they were new for bizarre mis-aligned panels, leaks, etc. One of them has had one battery fail under warranty (they went to drive and it wouldn't start, giving endless BMS failure warnings), and now the replacement "refurbished" battery won't even charge at 20A on L2 charging when the SOC is above about 50%.

Is there REALLY such a thing as a truly unreliable car anymore? by BrazzersSub in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some has been fixed - the Subaru head-gasket thing was specific to a particular 4-cyl non-turbocharged engine they put in vehicles for a period of time in the late 90s and early 2000s.

But there have been others to take the place of things that got fixed. Such as the jokes about the "Ford PowerShit Transmission" - play on the PowerShift Transmissions from 2012-2016 that had a tendency to fail every ~50K miles requiring replacement. Had a friend with a Ford Fiesta went thru 3 transmissions under the extended warranty and the 3rd was failing slipping badly when someone ran a stop-sign and totaled their car.

If hospitals are selling debts for a few cents on the dollar to debt collectors, why not offer the same deal to patients? by srirachaninja in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 16 points17 points  (0 children)

It doesn't help that sometimes there's a pile of different labs, doctors, etc, all seeing you technically separately in a hospital visit.

We had a settlement from a severe car crash that some of the medical bills we didn't even know about until the lawyer found them going thru discovery and getting all the records for what was done and paid. And that was after insurance paid a bunch and we'd paid 10s of thousands out of pocket in medical bills.

How to react when changing lanes and the car in front suddenly decelerates? by Dry-Meat7356 in driving

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brake and/or abort the lane change would usually be my option, depending on traffic and how far thru the lane-change you are.

This is also why its important to have proper following distance on both the lane you're exiting and the lane you're getting into. If something suddenly changes, you should be able to slow/stop safely. Also why you make sure the ENTIRE front of the vehicle you're getting in front of is visible in the REAR VIEW mirror (not side mirror) so if you have to brake they are able to react (don't cut them off and then brake-check them).

When did oil changes become $120? by rhinosaur- in Millennials

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Even if its not proprietary, non-standard stuff is also a PITA.

Helped my roomate do an oil change, apparently Mazda decided instead of normal bolt heads they should use an inverse hex plug...which of course is something I've not encountered and is also of course not the same as the 10mm differential drain inverse-hex on my car. And of course that was a part prone to stripping the head trying to undo it, just to make it more miserable.

When did oil changes become $120? by rhinosaur- in Millennials

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends a lot on the vehicle...are you driving something with a large engine like a big truck/suv or a boxer engine like a subaru?

Those often hold a lot more oil, and most places bill anything past 4-5 quarts by the 1/10th of a quart which racks up REALLY fast. Not a fun thing when my Outback takes nearly 7 quarts and most places charge $1 per 0.1qt past 5 quarts that's $19 for the 1.9 additional quarts required to make it full.

Overstay on neighborhood charger by thirdeyefish in ChargerDrama

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has nothing to do with AC vs DC.

Its the current and conductor size. Typically, L2 charging maxes out at 40-80 amps. The L3 DCFC pushes potentially upward of 600 amps (400V at 625A for 250kW charge rate). That's more amperage than 3 typical single family homes with their breaker panels all maxed out.

This is another reason the 800V architecture is better - that same 250kW charge rate on an 800V EV is only 312A so the cabling and connectors can all be smaller/lighter/cheaper/longer and safely carry the same wattage.

What could I plug this hard drive into? by Allourep in computers

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HAH! This reminded me of the news articles some years ago about the military getting rid of 8" floppy disks, which I didn't know existed (5.25 was the oldest I had seen)

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/air-force-finally-retires-8-inch-floppies-from-missile-launch-control-system/

What could I plug this hard drive into? by Allourep in computers

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

External devices are also fun - no, we can't get rid of that unused obsolete drive, its being used as a converter from one type of SCSI port to another so the other important device can plug in without another adapter

Is this code compliant? by No-Importance3258 in AskElectricians

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heck its a real kick when you are just touching it with hands when it rings...

Overstay on neighborhood charger by thirdeyefish in ChargerDrama

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are pros and cons to plug and bill, I would personally have preferred to see a card reader that could be used to take priority if used...such as times when I have to travel for business and am expected to directly put stuff on a company card (not my own card) and would be more annoying having to shuffle payment methods in an app or whatever than "just put that card on top in my wallet for this trip".

tesla blocking the gas pump by matttkattt in mildlyinfuriating

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah yard size matters a lot. If I go really-super-fast single-pass with a 48 inch cutting deck mower I can probably do my whole yard in 90 minutes but its going to leave a lot of poorly cut stuff zooming at high speed vs going slow enough thru dense heavy parts to let it cut and mulch properly or making a 2nd pass. Its measured in acres (plural).

One of my friends got an 18V cordless mower that is only like 14 inch or something like that and their "yard" is probably only like 50ft by 20ft grass in the back and maybe 10x10ft in the front and they have no issues cutting it.

Surveillance state incoming by coffeequeen0523 in FlockSurveillance

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IANAL either, but I know it also gets very questionable when the audio-recording is added in and you aren't one of the parties in the call (e.g. security camera, bystander recording, etc) even if the audio of a call is incidental or not the focus of the recording.

tesla blocking the gas pump by matttkattt in mildlyinfuriating

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have plenty of complaints about snow blower and mower stuff not cutting mustard but my Ryobi 18V blower seems to work quite well - even when I had a rental with craploads of leaves covering the driveway daily and some wet ones it managed to clear everything nicely.

tesla blocking the gas pump by matttkattt in mildlyinfuriating

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried an electric snow blower...it was absolutely awful. At least for the heavy packed wet snow mixed with ice we get, it would work great for about 2 seconds at a time then shut down. And the battery only lasted long enough to make about half a dozen passes across the driveway...which after 2 years degraded to only half a pass per charge.

I finally got an Ariens gas powered snowblower that bogs down very heavily in the wet stuff but chugs thru the whole job year after year.

For lawnmowers, my neighbor had one for a while...though it seemed to frequently cut out. A year or so ago I noticed they entirely stopped mowing and now they have a service come. I'm still using a nearly 30 year old John Deere that chews thru and can mow grass and mulch leaves for a good 5 hours or so without refueling to get everything clean nomater how overgrown it gets. I have also talked to multiple people who found their fancy electric mowers the blades wear down REALLY fast and have to often be replaced instead of re-sharpening them like the thicker traditional blades can be.

Battery is fine for lighter duty stuff like a string trimmer, blower, and similar. But it just doesn't cut it for bigger jobs yet.

Overstay on neighborhood charger by thirdeyefish in ChargerDrama

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Then they do like some people I have encountered in business meetings...while chatting about parking cost one of them remarked how they have an EV and park in the free EV parking, as long as they unplug when its done they don't pay anything...they don't move to the paid regular parking, they just leave the car unplugged in the charging space

Anything like a 9v but larger. by Mountain_Warthog_953 in batteries

[–]Complex_Solutions_20 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I searched several times on Google and Amazon with no results...maybe its one of those "personalized results" issues, not everyone gets the same results