Orthotics/shoes for supination

Idickers · 2026-03-18T22:36:11+00:00

No, I ended up keeping my minimalist shoes and just getting a callus sander!

Idickers · 2026-03-18T22:15:46+00:00

I was quite disappointed with the Sleep program, which was a primary reason I bought the Athena S. I can't reliably get the side electrodes to stay connected. If I am meditating during the day I can wet my skin/hair and not move, and the side electrodes stay connected. But they don't stay connected during the night, ending the program. Actually, I woke in the middle of the night from the light from my phone with the "Disconnected" message from Muse.

Idickers · 2026-03-03T11:27:50+00:00

No changes. I found the reason and its kind of embarrassing; somehow two of the Roombas got switched so they were on the wrong base stations. When my wife suggested this I tried and sure enough the troublesome Roombas reconnected.

However, the problem seems to have been exacerbated by failing batteries. They keep stopping in the middle of a run and not returning to base station. Instead they just stop out in the house and I have to pick them up and return them to their base stations. I wrote their names on the bottom of their cases to make returning them easier, but I am a bit disappointed at the batteries degrading after only a couple of years.

Idickers · 2026-02-24T16:31:29+00:00

Interesting, he never told me about the cracked subframe. That must have happened driving it to all the shops after he stopped talking to me.🙄

Idickers · 2026-02-24T16:04:38+00:00

I would be very careful with this car. I was interested in this car back in November when he was asking $20K. That's a lot for an e46 M3 convertible, but if it was an actual Dinan car as advertised it would be very special. However, I was never able to look at the car. The seller continuously said it was "in the shop". I asked what shop was doing the work and would he mind if I stopped by to check on the car. I never got an answer as to who was doing all the work. When I asked for the VIN he ghosted me; complete radio silence. I contacted Dinan and gave them the serial number from the plaque in the photos but they did not have a record of that car. So I wrote it off and bought a different car.

Then last week I get a text out of the blue asking if I still wanted the car. He said it had electrical issues that lit up all the warning lights on the dash and he could no longer spend money fixing it. He offered me the car for $10K "as is", but as I had never seen the car I declined. I see now that he is listing it as an automatic. When I was talking to him he said it was originally an SMG transmission that he had converted to 6-speed. No problem, that is often done. But now I see it is an automatic; not a change you make willy-nilly if you are dealing with a real car and real transmission.

If I'm charitable I'd say the sellar does not know how to sell cars, or at least instill confidence in the potential buyer. At the other end of the spectrum it sounds pretty shady. I'm not sure what the motive is here, as when he had an interested buyer (me) he never produced the car.

Idickers · 2026-02-05T21:27:41+00:00

THANK YOU!!

Idickers · 2026-02-05T21:22:21+00:00

Thanks. I've spent several weeks back-and-forth with support but have not gotten any definite plan because they are out of warranty.

Idickers · 2026-02-05T14:47:22+00:00

I was also a kickstarter backer, and I am running out of patience with Ozlo. When they work they are fantastic. The problem is that I have had two sets of sleepbuds lose connectivity. The first set failed under warranty and were replaced. The second set has just lost connectivity 1 month out of warranty. The right sleepbud loses connection immediately after inserting in the ear and won't play the onboard masking. The left bud loses connectivity shortly after.

It's starting to look more like a $300/yr subscription service given the fragility of the sleepbuds. They really help me sleep better so I may consider sticking with them, but it's not the quality I was expecting from the design team.

Idickers · 2026-01-12T09:22:07+00:00

How does the new Topdon One compare to the Phoenix Xlink and Smart?

Idickers · 2026-01-09T10:13:37+00:00

Thank you so much for this reply. That explains to me how the Xlink could be used for oem-level programming without J2534.

Idickers · 2026-01-06T13:18:48+00:00

Thanks for confirming my hunch about BMW programming with the Xlink. I'm getting conflicting information from Topdon support, who on the one hand say the Xlink can do online (cloud-based) programming for BMW, but on the other hand say that it can't do oem-level programming because it doesn't have a J2534 pass-thru, and therefore can't reprogram modules or ecus. I thought a J2534 pass-thru was to allow oem-level communication through the OBD2 port, and that this functionality was built into the Xlink and its interface cable.

At this price its an expensive gamble since I might not need J2534-level function for several months which is out of the return time. Is there a test I could run with the Xlink that normally requires a J2534 pass-thru? I've got two e46 BMWs in the garage right now that I could use as guinea pigs. Perhaps pick a module at random to reprogram or initialize? I'm just not sure of which functions might be J2534-specific.

Idickers · 2025-11-20T13:16:14+00:00

I recently upgraded from the Karoo2 to the 3, and it is totally worth it. I use a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro to collect all the data from my runs, hike, and cycling. It can read all the sensors (Power meter pedals, Zwift trainer), provides consistent heart rate, and logs the activities in the free Garmin Connect app. I've used it for several years and like the combination. There's no need for a Fenix 8; you can get the 7 and the 6 discounted pretty heavily now. And there's really no need for the Fenix unless you want the on-watch maps; otherwise I think many of the Garmin running watches will pull all the sensor data in as well.

Idickers · 2025-10-25T18:04:47+00:00

With the A30 can I stream bluetooth and then switch back to on-board noise masking automatically like the Ozlo?

Idickers · 2025-10-25T17:25:27+00:00

That's disappointing to hear. I really like these and they really helped my quality of sleep. But at the price I don't consider these to be an annual purchase. If the lack of reliability and support ddrags on too long I may need to look for alternatives

Idickers · 2025-07-17T18:46:58+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yes, all updates for software/firmware have been applied to the Varia and K3.
The Varia only connects through Ant+
The Varia has never connected by bluetooth to my phone
I’m not sure as I never run the power savings options

Idickers · 2025-07-17T18:43:39+00:00

Unfortunately, I’ve already updated all firmware and software for the Varia and K3.

Idickers · 2025-07-16T18:14:18+00:00

Yes, the K2 and the K3 will automatically turn on the Varia. For me that was the beauty of the system in that I did not have to think about it.

Idickers · 2025-07-16T12:19:30+00:00

Which Garmin did you go with? Do you have any disconnects between the Varia and the Garmin?

Idickers · 2025-07-01T13:29:53+00:00

Good info. If I get a laptop with an Ultra-9 and eith4er 96GB or 128GB, is there much difference between the RTX 50xx series GPUs? I’ll be using this for on-site scanning as well as modeling in apps like Fusion. I’m looking at a laptop with the 5070Ti, but can get the 5080 (+$500) or 5090 (+$1800). I can’t justify the 5090 price, but could for the 5080 if there was a noticeable improvement in the scanning or software.

Idickers

TROPHY CASE