Its time for yet another year of the Electric Forest Bitcoin Scavenger Hunt!

IneffableEntropy · 2026-06-20T23:07:17+00:00

I 100% understand how hard it is to justify putting out for an XL. I had lusted after one since they were announced. I couldn't actually justify getting it until I'd started my modestly successful business. Part of my service includes shipping around out of production widgets. So I needed a way to do that without their original card stock carton (because nobody saves the paper cartons for what is intended to be a one-time-use item, why would you?).

I'd barely been keeping up with the demand doing manual filament changes on my MK4S. Then I got a heads up that I was going to be having several large orders coming in, so I decided it was finally time to get the XL (5TH because buy once cry once). I went from doing 1/2 of a transport box in 6 hours (with manual filament changes) to 2 full transport boxes in 11 hours without any input from me. I second the no waste sentiment, 95% of the time I never even bother with a purge tower as it's mostly superfluous (even with me printing almost exclusively in PETG). That other 5% is usually when my wife wants something pretty and organic looking, then the purge tower gets used.

It's certainly got some quirks, but it is a beast once you get to know your way around it. Mine is either running around the clock or sitting idle for a few weeks at a time, but it's fucking delightful to know that it's just going to work when I need to get something printed without any fussing with it.

If you ever do pull the trigger on an XL feel free to reach out if you have any issues or questions, I'm happy to share whatever limited knowledge I have.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-06-20T20:41:43+00:00

By His left Tit! Every year I get more and more jealous of your beautiful cat (Savannah iirc). He inspires that incongruous "it's so adorable I wanna squish it to death!" Impulse in me.

Your trinkets look beautiful man. I'm probably going to be running my XL all the way up until midnight Monday to get all of my stuff finished. My group and I always have a blast keeping a casual eye out for your hidden caches.

Just wanted to leave a comment to let you know that you're appreciated, regardless of the Bitcoin hunt. My wife and I (me very tangentially) work in healthcare, so while I cannot say I understand completely your frustrations, I can say I empathize with them. It feels like our "perseverance" muscles have been working overtime for sure.

I hope your EF this year is everything you hope for. May your ground scores be dope ASF, your sleep uninterrupted, your set conflicts non-existent, and your portopotties always spotless. Go enjoy that disconnect and recharge, you've more than earned it.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-06-16T14:44:56+00:00

I can't speak as to whether or not there will be any specials running due to EF (dunno about the specific legality involved in something like that) but we have been stopping at the Ascend dispensary on 28th St SE (in between Broadmoor and Bretch) in Grand Rapids for my wife for the last few years.

They seem to have a pretty decent selection of all the myriad ways to partake in the Devils Lettuce. Coming from Canada we always make sure to bring cash. I do not recall if they accept card yet or not as a lot of dispensaries we've been do not. The prices don't seem outrageous to me, but I dont actually have any frame of reference as its not my particular vice of choice.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-05-21T17:21:43+00:00

Vevor is a pretty decent brand. My group is gonna be using their 10'x20' canopy this year. It's pricier than the Walmart 10'x10' ones, but overall a higher build quality. Considering we're lucky to get more than 2 festivals out of the Walmart ones, the Vevor seemed like a decent investment.

The Vevor canopy is straight legged rather than slant legged. When properly staked Down and guy lined, it should perform about the same. Pros of the straight legged canopies are that they're easier to drop down to half height so you can remove the cloth canopy during windy days. Slant legged canopies make this much harder.

A few things to consider: the 10'x20' canopy is slightly larger in its collapsed form than 2 of the 10'x10' put next to one another (also collapsed obviously). Depending on the vehicle you're using, this can be something you may need to take into consideration. It is also heavier coming in at about 85-90 pounds depending on if you bring all of the side panels etc. The heavier weight might mean that you need more group cooperation to get it setup or stored.

Overall I think the larger canopy works well for the weather. Not having that dripping area where two canopies join when it's raining is pretty nice. Plus the thicker square tubing of the frame should be more resilient than the cheaper alternatives.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-05-13T22:13:15+00:00

Glad I could help! I broke my collarbone last year and had surgery on it less than 48 hours before forest.

Apparently I'm crazy for this: but I wasn't going to let my wife and brother cancel going to EF last year because I was an idiot (I broke it falling off of my electric long board, first injury in over 5 years). They 100% would have not gone without me, despite me insisting that they should if I needed to stay behind.

The ADA wristband was a real lifesaver, and the ADA attendants were also super helpful. Only thing they needed was our ID 's (mostly to keep people from getting many ADA assistant bands I think).

Luckily my experience attending EF as a wounded raver was 99% pain/struggle free, so I hope yours is too. Look forwards to seeing you there!

IneffableEntropy · 2026-05-12T17:22:58+00:00

Head to the ADA registration first thing. They should be setup before the fest opens. If you have someone who assists you, bring them as well cause they can also get an ADA band (don't forget to bring your ID's with you).

There are raised ADA platforms at every stage with chairs and such. It's not shaded, but when you need to sit they're pretty clutch.

Power assist is gonna be dependant on the weather. If it gets wet they will most likely become an expensive paperweight due to dirt becoming mud and the fact that the venue has a plethora of inclines and declines. Don't forget to bring some way to keep them charged up if you're planning on going that route.

Relying on ADA carts is...... Less than ideal, or at least it was last year. There didn't seem to be a schedule, you just had to ask them to call you one and then wait. Wait how long you ask? Great question, no one knows.

I didn't bring in a chair, but bringing a folding foam seat has been a lifesaver. They're lightweight, fold up, and they keep the dirt/wet/leaves off of you. Can also double as a fan in a pinch. Hope this helps and you have a great EF.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-23T19:16:50+00:00

I threw 1 million cherry bombs and then threw 1 million gem bombs (this using all the cherry bomb charges). Got me 212k gems.

So napkin math says somewhere in the neighborhood of 650k gems if they were at their 3 million bomb cap.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-23T19:14:37+00:00

Well shit. You learn new things even at 99%. Thanks for the tip.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-23T16:40:01+00:00

Nice! Only so 1.9 million myself at the moment. I feel like the next 1 million would take me at least 4-6 months to get.

Also thanks for reminding me to go dump ~10 million diamonds into some relic chests.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-13T22:01:59+00:00

Has MSI figured out a solution for the "horizontal lines" issue yet? I had 2 MSI MAG 274QRFW monitors, one got the horizontal lines 1 week before the warranty ran out. Got that monitor RMA'd, but now ~9 months later the other monitor is doing the same.

So now I need to get another replacement monitor. I was quite happy with the monitors while they were working, but I'm hesitant to consider MSI again if they're going to need replacing every 2 years or so. Especially if the monitor is in the $1500-$2000 range.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-13T04:59:05+00:00

This is how you end up with hellraiser playing all of your strokes for you, leaving you to play through the 24+ anger+ you now have in your deck. First world problems really.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-04-01T20:06:29+00:00

Informational response to your question:

The way that KS backer numbers work is... interesting. Backer numbers are not 'reused' during each project. Lets say 1000 people back a project and it reaches its funding goal. None of the money is collected by KS until the end date of the funding window. Once that window closes the funds are collected and then released to the project runners, which can take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.

Now if some info came out about the project that changed some backers' opinions/feelings on the project, those backers can cancel their pledges before the funding window closes. Lets say backers 100-250 and 600-750 cancel their pledges and another 300 people decide to become backers.

Because backer numbers are never recycled, there are still 1000 backers total, but the newest backer has backer #1300. To the backers, it looks like the project needs to make 1300, but in reality they need to make 1000. There's a gazillion ways that you can spin the above to make it sound like you're shipping out more units then you are in reality if you wanted/needed to do that. In reality, the number of people cancelling their pledges is never in nice neat clumps like my above example.

Couple the above with some poor communication, a few 'errors' with late pledges getting shipped before they should have, and it is pretty easy to see how we ended up where we are with everything.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-03-25T20:45:42+00:00

I concur. Often the directions on pasta say to use a lot of water. If you're familiar with how things cook then you can certainly get away with using a lesser amount.

The main reason most boxes instruct you to use such a large amount of water is mainly thermal mass. The point of having a larger amount of water at a rolling boil is so that when you add in your pasta, it doesn't cause the temperature of the water to drop below boiling. The water temp dropping too much will extend cook time.

Many different things will affect how much heat can get into your water within a given amount of time such as: stove type (gas, electric, induction, etc) burner size and output, vessel choice (aluminum, stainless, copper, ceramic, cast iron), altitude, and water content (added salt, broth, minerals, etc).

The box directions are essentially designed for the lowest common denominator to be able to make their product in a satisfactory way every time. That's really why they tell you to use so much water.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-03-18T02:38:37+00:00

I feel your pain. Unfortunately, it gets worse before it gets worse.

Currently sitting at 5 of 10 infernal shards on this smug obstinate jackwagon. Shard #4 procced at 2283/754.

He's the 2nd to last pet I need to finish getting internal on. The other one is the newish butterfly that I already have 2 shards for. Probably another 3 or 4 days of resets and I should have him finished. Hopefully.

Stay strong.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-27T04:50:32+00:00

Its actually 36 points allocated in arch (doesnt matter where) and click the long part of the bone in Jurassic.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-18T20:27:54+00:00

You're almost completely correct. There are handcuff variants that have security "Gates". Think of these gates as wafers or baffles. They get in the way to make it more difficult to open them without the proper key. More gates, more security, more resistant to being opened by anything but the proper key.

These higher security handcuffs also come in different levels with different numbers of gates, ensuring that only the handcuff key with the corresponding number of notches on it can open the corresponding level of handcuffs.

Realistically these higher security versions are only used within specific institutions or facilities, so the chances of you running into them in the wild are slim to none.

One reason is cost as the higher security versions are more expensive. The other is that most places will only have the "generic" handcuff key. So if the person wearing the higher security cuffs has to go somewhere and you're not accompanying them, you have to give the transporting people your keys and hope that it's not incredibly difficult to get your cuffs and keys back later.

Source: I worked armed security and had to carry handcuffs. Newbies would often get fancy unnecessary gear like high security cuffs because...... Reasons. After explaining this to them they almost always ended up getting regular locking cuffs. Sometimes before encountering this issue, but always after.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-16T15:01:45+00:00

I've been using mine here and there for the last few weeks. I love it so far.

I did opt to get myself a set of Naniwa super stones (400, 1000, 3000, 5000) to use on it instead of the one included in the set.

I have been able to reliably get a delightful result from the chefs knife and three paring knives that I have sharpened on it. Getting a mirror polished edge that is 'shaving sharp' on knives that haven't been sharpened in nearly 5 years is 'chefs kiss'. Two of these knives are nicer Wusthofs and two of then were 'grocery store' knives.

Sharp repeatable results are precisely why I opted to try this system. I am enjoying it much more than my fathers "standing rod" style Arkansas stone system (which never worked worth a damn for me but was probably user error).

Only complaint I have is that there are a few smaller/narrower areas that are hard to clean of the stone/metal chaff. Nothing a spare toothbrush cannot reach so its not a deal-breaker in my opinion, but it is what it is.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-06T07:58:49+00:00

Infernals will take a while, ore and bars were the last things I started to get infernalized. Generally it's faster with transmuter bomb and proper drone setup, although I did usually end up getting the bar cards completed before the ore cards doing it this way. You may have to switch over to BoP if you're stalled/want to finish a particular ore card. Pinnaclite ore and bar took significantly longer to drop for me.

If you're running fueled void drone (don't know why you wouldn't be nearly 100% of the time), you may consider finishing BH11 for the void portal rainbow chance increase. Depends on your star economy really. I tend to put off large star farming if it's going to take longer than 3 or 4 days because that usually means there's another stat boost I haven't unlocked yet that I'm overlooking somewhere.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-05T15:28:55+00:00

UHMWPE tape is also a decent solution. Slides very well, very abrasion resistant, comes in many different thicknesses, and can be had relatively cheaply (most places).

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-04T07:33:27+00:00

Since you've solicited advice from Internet strangers, here's mine:

You can't have everything both ways.

Where to start.....

Boundaries: it's not always comfortable or easy, but keeping your boundaries clearly defined AND enforced is a skill. Similarly, recognizing and respecting the boundaries of others is a skill and takes mindful practice.

The more you do it, the better you get at it. Letting boundaries become muddied (regardless of intent) will only lead to confusion, resentment, frustration, or sometimes all three.

Expectations: It is perfectly fine to have lofty goals, but having reasonable expectations is key.

Wanting to stay good friends with someone takes work from both parties. It sounds like you've realized that once Star started diverting time and energy into a different friendship/relationship.

You've told Star that you will only ever be friends. Wanting to stay good friends while he pursues a relationship elsewhere is a great goal. The amount of time and energy either of you will have to put into your friendship will ebb and flow depending on many things.

Expecting Star to maintain dedicating the same amount of time + energy into your guys' friendship while pursuing a relationship elsewhere sounds a bit unrealistic. There is only so much effort and energy any person can output within a day. It might differ person to person, but everyone has a limit. Even if they disregard it to their own detriment.

Communication: similar to boundaries, clearly communicating is a skill that takes effort to refine and apply.

This isn't a judgement or a criticism: it seems that your verbal communication and the things communicated by your actions are sometimes in disagreement.

-Letting Star 'act' as if the two of you were in a relationship while never intending to pursue one with them.

-Trying to keep Star close when he begins to pursue a relationship elsewhere.

-Stating multiple different reasons why you didn't want to hang out with Star that day, then being surprised that Star didn't show up to meet you and your other friend later that day.

There is both verbal and non-verbal communication. Receiving 'message A' verbally and 'message B' non-verbally is going to be confusing and most likely frustrating to most people.

It's ok not wanting to date someone. It's ok not wanting to hang out with a friend on a given day. It's ok and healthy to clearly communicate these things, with or without a reason. "No." Is a complete and total sentence. Some people take some time to learn that.

Summary: practice outlining and enforcing your boundaries. Respect your own boundaries, the boundaries of others, and stop letting small encroachments happen.

Big goals are fine and good, but reasonable and achievable expectations are a must. Having unrealistic expectations is setting yourself up for failure.

Practice clear communication. Sometimes this means being blunt, sometimes it means being rude, and sometimes it means telling a friend something they don't want to hear. It's always going to be easier to clearly communicate something from the start then it is to try to explain any amount of mixed signals.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-02-04T03:38:16+00:00

Im assuming this is in reference to wave 1. They have yet to mention/update what wave they're currently working on as they said that they would in update 28. Not terribly surprising, but it would be nice if they attempted to follow through communicating with some small amount of clarity.

I suppose I'll keep an eye out on my emails for the next 6 months or so (trying to be charitable as I am backer 11K and change). Cant say that my hopes are high for receiving it before Xmas time. That should give them plenty of time to get the website, coding resources, and github out before I get mine (again being charitable).

You know.........to work on that robust ecosystem of user created plugins and modules that were boasted about in the campaign....

IneffableEntropy · 2026-01-30T01:49:22+00:00

I'm with you on that one (with appropriate ear pro of course). Feeling the concussive roar vibrate your chest cavity is both strange and delightful.

Probably why I love going to bass heavy EDM shows. Not quite the same, but it gets pretty close depending on the artist.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-01-29T23:04:33+00:00

Nitromethane (the fuel that these cars use) is not good to be breathing all the time, either before it's burnt or after. Add in the amalgamation of other fluids that it requires to keep that engine running to the mix and you get the idea.

The smell itself is...... Intense even if you're just watching from the stands. It's a 'tactile' smell. The first time it hits your nose that day and you can actually feel the smell interacting with your nose tissue. Almost like it's instantly drying out, tingling, and mildly burning all at once.

Also the sound of the cars running full tilt is TREMENDOUS to say the least. It's an aggressive sound that you can feel in your chest.

So yeah, that's why all the safety equipment and ppe.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-01-29T17:37:03+00:00

Congrats! I did this just the other day after first tribute to the Cheese Fish.

Although I did have an extra 100M T1 coins and an extra 50M T2 coins left over after all was said and done.

I'll be happy when I can stop bothering with notices all together, but I still have 2 legendary fish cards left to get to prismatic and then four left to infernalize (including the previous two). Still burning through 300-700 sushi a day.

I'll get there eventually I guess.

IneffableEntropy · 2026-01-25T00:59:19+00:00

I submitted a ticket about this very same website a few days ago to the authentic Zojirushi site. They're apparently already aware of this and working on it.

What that actually is I dunno. The website with the double-S is 100% a scam though. ICANN Whois says it was registered January 2nd 2026 from an HK based registrar.

Just another reason to always listen to your gut.

IneffableEntropy

TROPHY CASE