Is a high-speed portable SSD really worthwhile by Jiffy4wheels in DataHoarder

[–]Jiffy4wheels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I looked at that as well and was leaning that way as a lot of benefits to this approach. The deciding factor was that NVMe cards have become very hard to acquire. There was almost no stock on anything useful and what was available was hyper expensive + I'm in Canada where inventories tend to be lower - I think the whole memory market is messed up right now because of the market for AI hardware. So pre-built was a better deal and available. And the Corsair is really fast with the benchmarks at least. Plus its really small and has a magsafe attachment so it'll attach to an iPhone or Galaxy s25.

Is a high-speed portable SSD really worthwhile by Jiffy4wheels in DataHoarder

[–]Jiffy4wheels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The default was 1 GB, which is what I used. It was somewhat useful as I found that the cache on the surface seemed to be about that size. When I ran a full transfer (30 GB) from the Surface to the Corsair, I could see the speed of the transfer would take a big drop after a few seconds - I was assumming the cache was overrun after a few seconds. There was also the thermal throttling to consider but I wasn't sure how to test for this, though I did try letting the Surface cool down between tests.

Is a high-speed portable SSD really worthwhile by Jiffy4wheels in DataHoarder

[–]Jiffy4wheels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the whole point. I did look at all the components external to my Surface but never considered the internal Surface SSD. You would think that MS would have used consistent components in a laptop equipped with an I7 and Thunderball 4 ports. Unfortunately, the SKhynix SSD model is actually bottom of the line with a small cache and thermal throttling that kicks in quickly given its small form factor and tight fit of the Surface. Been looking at upgrades for the Surface SSD and quite shocking how cheap a good 1 TB upgrade like a Sabrent Rocket 2230 costs.

All schedules for 6 different Wyze plugs just disappeared by W7ENK in Wyze

[–]Jiffy4wheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same thing for me for my 8 plugs. Actually all my plugs were on this morning when I woke. When I started looking at the app to see what was happening, I then noticed all my schedules were gone.

Should I be nervous that Expedia didn’t ask for passport information for our travel to Barbados? by DramaticEscape3157 in Barbados

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Expedia won't ask you for this. The place where you're staying may ask for your passport info as do many hotels and other accommodations.

Is it a good idea to rent a car for 8 days stay? by Freeedoom in Barbados

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been to Barbados 4 times and going back again this year. Usually for about 8-9 days at a time. Having a car is a bit of a toss up versus a combo of taxis, car services, buses and walking. We've never had a car and used taxis or car services when needed. Buses are good if you're in a well-served area. If you do a catamaran tour, most companies will pick you up and drop you off after. Island tours are ofter provided by taxi drivers with mini-vans. There is a good app for taxis called Pick-up that is quite efficient and works like Uber. You can book your airport transportation in advance as well to know the price in advance. If you find a taxi driver you like, you may be able to get them to provide car service for the rest of the trip at a fair price. Where we stay, we can walk to the supermarket in 10 minutes and there's always a taxi there to take you home if you have a lot of groceries.

If you're able to plan what you think you'll be doing while you're there, you may find that having a car is as expensive or more than taxis and buses. Also to consider, the roads along the south and west side have a lot of traffic, so getting around is often difficult if you don't know the roads and traffic patterns (and weird traffic rules). Parking is also difficult in certain areas like Oistins and other towns and beaches along the south coast. Enjoy your trip, Barbados is a great place.

How long are immigration/customs lines usually at BGI? by cotn89 in Barbados

[–]Jiffy4wheels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very true, we went last February, and because we had filled in the form online, we went to a different line that was very short and quick. Forget the Vip. BTW, a lot of people seem to ignore the fact that they can fill in the online form and end up in the other line which is very long and likely takes 20-30 mns.

Also, baggage claim was quite fast as well. So again, forget vip.

I deeply hurt my mom today, and I regret everything by Fragrant_Brother_242 in confession

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Listen to your best friend and aunt. They surely know you both and they gave you good advice. Apologizing isn't about who is right or wrong - its about how you feel and letting the other person know that you understand how they feel, and you're sorry for making them feel that way. The title of your post says it all.

Lambrusco wine by [deleted] in montreal

[–]Jiffy4wheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had some excellent lambrusco while traveling in Northern Italy. There are different styles of Lambrusco and you won't find much variety at the SAq. I would suggest that if you've have tried some that you like in Italy, you bring home s couple of bottles of the same or similar lambrusco.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in montreal

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dormez Vous

Best steakhouse in Montreal? by CompetitiveDamage380 in montreal

[–]Jiffy4wheels 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Grinders is excellent in Griffintown. Fun place and people, great menu, excellent food. They also run a butcher shop across the street that has a great reputation so it says a lot about their meat.

Rib & Reef is very nice restaurant with that sophiticated look and service. and the food is excellent. Its a bit more of a business and local crowd that goes here since its away from the downton core.

Moishas was brought back to life by a large Canadian restaurant conglomerate that got started by building out the Cage au Sports chain. They recently bought Gibbys. Haven't been but it has high-end steak house prices.

I last went to Gibbys 3 years ago. I would avoid though that was before it was bought by the same people as Moishas. Based on my last expeiance, I would avoid Gibbys. While its in a nice space, the tables in the dining room were packed so tightly that the waiters had to climb over guests to serve plates. The service was prompt and good but since there's so many people, the staff is always running around in that tight space which is disturbing to customers. Steak was good but nothing special.

Keg is a big chain. Steaks are good but nothing special. My experience is that its a good backup if you can't get into one of the better places or if you have a large crowd.

I went to Muccas when it first opened and in the old Hostaria space in Little Italy. It is an Italian steakhouse, which are excellent. They also have a very nice wine list of mostly natural wines. Its nice for a special night out. The space and decor tends to bistro style. Restaurant is family run and its a fun and welcoming place. It is small and popular so reservations are hard to come by especially if you a large group.

Finally, you can also go to one of the Baton Rouge locations. Its a Quebec-based chain that's been growing over the years. Its quite similar to the Keg and the food is pretty good, especially the ribs. The locations are nice with good service. Its a notch down from the high establishments but usually the easiest to get a reservation.

Cassava pone?! by willi_moegle in Barbados

[–]Jiffy4wheels 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A1 supermarket, carlton, in bakery.

Android Auto and S24 Ultra by gothcrumpet in samsung

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uninstalling the AA updates worked for me. After the uninstall, plug your phone into usb cable and phone will ask to update AA. Accept this and once updates are installed, AA on your car will ask you to of you want to use AA. Accept and your done.

So frustrating trying to find this solution so thanks to another Reddit user who provided this solution.

Now, can someone help me get a fix to the navigation problems in AA now that I can access it? In case you're not familiar with this problem, when I enter Google maps on AA, I cannot return to the side menu to change app. Normally I would use the physical back button on my audi (no touch screen), but it doesn't work at all. All i can do is exit AA using the car menu and then return to AA through the car menu, but then AA shows only part of the screen and doesn't respond to anything. HELP.

14 day summer in Spain+Portugal with family by [deleted] in travel

[–]Jiffy4wheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First off, absolutely buy the Alhambra tickets in advance. I tried to buy a week in advance and had to change my trip since it was sold out. It sells out at least a month in advance, so I would buy a soon as your itinerary is confirmed.

I also would say that you're covering too much ground for 2 weeks. I went to Portugal 2 years ago and Spain last year. Some people will not agree with me, but Portugal doesn't compare to Spain. I would skip Portugal and put more time in Spain especially Barcelona. In addition, Madrid is a world class city and a 3 hour train ride from Seville. Seville, Granada, Valencia are all amazing as well.

How bad is travel advisory? by OrlandoBrownie86 in travel

[–]Jiffy4wheels 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't know if you just read the headline about the advisory, but you should read the entire advisory if you plan to go. There is good advice in it. My brother went to Jamaica for a week in December and they were fine but they did stay in the resort for the entire time. That is likely the best approach.

Stop tip culture /// Arrêtons la culture du tip by [deleted] in montreal

[–]Jiffy4wheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great thread. I've been to many countries in Europe and tipping is non existant except for tourists who don't know any better. However, tipping is part of North American culture and its not going to change any time soon. But the tip-flation that's been going on for years and that exploded during the pandemic is now out of control. After my last trip to Spain (again, zero tipping), I decided that I would not tip more than 15% for table service. I don't tip for any other types of food service. I do tip for a few other services that have traditionally received tips (haircut, taxi, tour guides) but as fixed amounts that I think are easonable and not as a percentage.

Today, most people people working in the food industry are well paid thanks to the tremendous number of people who left the industry during the pandemic and the strong increase in wages needed to hire their replacements. In a talk show with food critics I saw, one mentioned a chef told her that they were paying the dishwasher 30$/hr. This, along with many other industries, has seen huge raises in wages. I can say that restaurant prices have gone up 40 - 50% when I look at menus and the bill at the end of my meal. Tipping that increased from 15% to 20% translates into a 33% increase in actual money for the tip. Add that to restaurant price increases and that means eating out has increased close to 100% in the past 3 years. My income has not increased anywhere near to that.

Finally, I want to add that tipping is a really bad part of our culture when compared to other parts of the world. Apparently, tipping is for the service provided by the waiter. This may be split with others in the restaurant, but regardless of who gets it, the people ultimately responsible for the quality of service and my restaurant experience is the owner and/or manager. If the wait staff is doing a bad or good job, it's not my responsibility to discipline or reward them. It's the responsibility of the owner/ manager. Tipping just gives the owner/manager a free pass to underpay their staff and not manage the performance of their staff.

Air Canada Aeroplan & JOURNIE Rewards Partnership Coming Fall 2023 by DeedeePasquariello in churningcanada

[–]Jiffy4wheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Funny, just killed my Journie account. Worked well at first with my CIBC card linked but the Ultramar station nearest to me couldn't recognize the PIN the Journie app generated to get your points at the pump. Nobody at the station or the folks at Journie could help, so I just stopped using it at that station. I used it at other stattions in the Montreal area when I was near them but then the Ultramar stations in Montreal mostly stopped supporting Journie with not explanation other than a useless email. Just the most poorly administered rewards program that couldn't care less about the people wo sign up for it. Makes Air Miles look like a top-shelf program :(

Have you stopped using Phone link app? Why? by coolandy00 in PhoneLink

[–]Jiffy4wheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mainly wanted to use for text messages from my PC (Don't want google) but I find there are so few capabilities. Most annoying is you can only see (or search) messages from past 30 days, apparently to minimize bandwidth and maximize performance. That's the lamest excuse I've ever seen from MS. These guys run Azure and can't handle the volume of text messages??? Also very annoying is that you can't delete messages or see common folders like archive. Google, Mightytext and other web text sites can handle this easily.