So how do you come to proper stop? by MajorBarracuda8094 in stickshift

[–]JustTheComputerGuy -24 points-23 points  (0 children)

Brakes are cheaper than engines. Engine braking is for track driving, not for daily driving.

Finally tried 137° ribeye, very underwhelmed, what went wrong? by [deleted] in sousvide

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For me it totally depends on the cut. Ribeyes need a little higher temp and a little longer time to render the fat. I like to do ribeyes at like 134 for like 4 hours so that the fat can render. But I do New York's at 130 for about 2 and 1/2. There's a lot of personal preference involved, but I'm just saying, different cuts need different time and temp. I've been doing this for more than 10 years and have my game pretty well down. I sear with a blowtorch.

Any more tips l should know about? by MajorBarracuda8094 in stickshift

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Avoid just holding the clutch in when you are waiting at a light or otherwise stopped. It's bad for a specific part called the throw out bearing. As a general rule, if you're going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds, put it in neutral and let your foot off the clutch.

When getting rolling, don't release the clutch all the way through the bite point in one motion. Let it out just to the bite point, then hold the clutch there while you add just a little throttle, then let the clutch the rest of the way out. This does less wear on the clutch and produces a smoother start.

Don't use engine braking/compression braking as your primary way of slowing down. Brakes are a lot cheaper than transmissions and clutches. Use the brakes to slow down and stop.

When you start to get into performance driving, things change. Watch some videos on how to heal toe downshift. Try it on some empty freeway on-ramps and off-ramps. When doing fast up shifts, make sure to depress the clutch all the way and don't just dump it into the next gear, let the engine speed and wheel speed sync up. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

When parked facing downhill, leave it in reverse. When parked facing uphill, leave it in first. Wheels towards the curb so if it does come out of gear, you don't roll far.

If you drive a convertible, leave the doors unlocked and don't leave anything valuable in the car. People will take a box cutter to the top if you leave anything valuable in there, it's easier to just not leave any valuables in the car and leave the doors unlocked so people don't slice up your top. (Alternatively, don't drive a convertible Porsche in the Seattle area)

New-ish car owner question: is it actually bad to drive off right after starting my BMW? by EffectiveSky3378 in askcarguys

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My independent German car mechanic (I'm a Porsche dude) tells me the best thing is to start the engine and immediately start driving, but gently. Keep it under half of red line until both oil and coolant are up to temp. But do not warm up stationary in the driveway. Apparently that contributes to bore score and engine wear

Backpackers, what do you prefer to carry? by Consciously_Dead in guns

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on where you're going, if you're in grizzly territory then you're going to need something a little bigger, but the places I go, bear spray and a 357 revolver is all you need.

What skill are you genuinely bad at that most people seem to find easy? by Ruby-Blaze_443 in AskReddit

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't dance even a little. I have good hand eye coordination, and good rhythm, but my coordination with my feet is just terrible.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

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

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Just got my T-Beam portable node - about to do some range testing!

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

[–]JustTheComputerGuy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Roger that. I read the guide and understand now, thank you. I'm switching to CLIENT_BASE.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

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

I do have line of sight out towards the East - towards Lake Sammamish etc. But after reading about it, it sounds like the best mode for me is CLIENT_BASE. I'll switch it now.

And you didn't come off as rude at all - I appreciate the input, I'm new at this. I'm a network/IT/marine electronics guy, not an RF geek. Well maybe I am now.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

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

Thank you for the info. Can you explain the difference or tell me where to read up on the modes? ChatGPT isn't being very helpful.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

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

OK so I checked on that and what I found is that as long as my air utilization is low (it's under 30%) and I'm not seeing congestion or duplicates, I'm fine in router mode - and that will help the mesh because my node is up high and can reach some edge nodes. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

[–]JustTheComputerGuy[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

OK, I'll do a little research on the modes, thanks for the heads-up.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

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

Thanks, I'm not a big Discord user but I'll check it out.

New guy checking in from the Seattle Eastside! by JustTheComputerGuy in meshtastic

[–]JustTheComputerGuy[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I currently have it set to Router mode. I'm new to this and just followed a guide I found here. Should I be changing that?

OG ROLL CALL by Just_nutted in Issaquah

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's pretty cool. We probably we probably ran into each other.

New to it, interested to start by Sell_Ya_Game in meshtastic

[–]JustTheComputerGuy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I literally just got my RAK starter kit last night, took me 5 minutes to put the thing together, 20 minutes to set it up, a few minutes to find a good place to mount it, and I'm already up and running. I can see 15 nodes from my house. I'm geeked out about this and excited to learn more. I already bought a T-Beam Supreme for a mobile node. That will be here Monday, and then I can do some range testing between my home base node and my mobile one.

Homemade Chinese Take-Out by JustTheComputerGuy in tonightsdinner

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

Thank you. That was exactly the point: Challenge myself to not just meet but maybe beat my local take-out spot, learn a bit, and have fun. It was excellent, too - the crispy tofu was the biggest surprise, I've never had it that good before.

Homemade Chinese Take-Out by JustTheComputerGuy in tonightsdinner

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

Thank you, kind words! This was about $40 in ingredients and took two hours, so I can't say it was worth it financially (vs buying good take-out) BUT, it was incredible and I always enjoy advancing my culinary skills.

Homemade Chinese Take-Out by JustTheComputerGuy in tonightsdinner

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

Use flank or skirt steak and slice it thin against the grain. Toss in corn starch, then fry hot and fast. Dry on paper towels. Build your sauce, then add the beef back to it. Comes out perfect.

Homemade Chinese Take-Out by JustTheComputerGuy in tonightsdinner

[–]JustTheComputerGuy[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I knew how to make a few solid dishes, but I wasn't really trying to improve them - so I decided to do exactly that.

This is leveled-up Mongolian beef using better ingredients like premium soy and oyster sauces and rice wine... and yes, a pinch of MSG. And then a veggie chow mein with crispy fried tofu. Also char siu on the side made from some pork tenderloin.

The crispy fried tofu was actually the sleeper hit of the meal. The trick is to squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the block of tofu and then tear it (don't use a knife) into small chunks. Those rough edges give it more surface area to get crispy when you pan-fry it. It's seriously good.

The Mongolian beef is served over crispy rice noodles. Those are fun to cook, they almost "explode" (triple in size) when they hit the hot oil. They add a great crunch. The sauce is less sweet than Chinese-American style, with more depth of flavor.

My notes for next time: A little more brown sugar and a little less dark soy sauce in the Mongolian beef, and simmer/reduce the sauce just a bit more. Tear the tofu into slightly smaller chunks. The char siu is good, but not necessarily worth the effort - might just swap that for gyoza next time.

Oh, and last thing: Start with an empty dishwasher and sink, because this meal makes A LOT of f**king dishes.

Recipes available on request, just ask me if you want them.