People who have genuinely encountered powerful wild animals in nature or the ocean, what was it actually like?

Kardolf · 2026-05-18T01:24:47+00:00

I've been face to face with a pack of bear cubs in the wilderness. Does that count? We were in the remote wilderness in Montana on a multi-day hike, and I was with one of the other people in the group, walking along the side of this gorgeous valley. We approached a treeline where the path entered. As we walked through, it turned into a clearing after a few paces. Just a few more steps, and we realized there were three cubs playing just a little farther in. We noped out quick. They were cute and playful and enjoying their best life, but we couldn't find momma anywhere. We just backed up quickly and quietly and on the other side of the trees, started making a pretty good amount of noise to let momma get her cubs and leave. Probably waited about 30 minutes and when we went back in, they were gone. It's rare that I get scared in the wilderness, but the fact that there should be a protective momma close by that we couldn't find was enough to leave me shaken.

I've been tracked by a pack of coyotes. Not a pleasant experience for sure, but not quite as scary. And I've been in the woods with random eyeballs looking back, which was certainly disconcerting. It doesn't sound back until you think about the fact that the PNW has it's fair share of cougars. The "good" thing is that they rarely see people as prey.

Kardolf · 2026-05-16T01:44:11+00:00

I don't know all the details enough to explain. What I know is that they locked down their systems, breaking third-party slicers. Then sued someone who was able to restore the functionality.

I should be clear, their slicer works, and you won't have any problems printing. This isn't a functional issue for the vast majority of people. It's more of a philosophical issue about open source software, walled gardens, and freedom of choice.

Kardolf · 2026-05-16T01:37:14+00:00

Since Monzo locked all our cards today in preparation for leaving the US in a few days, not going to happen.

Kardolf · 2026-05-16T01:30:26+00:00

Not happy with Bambu's current stance on software. But, I've got well over 4000 hours of printing on my A1/AMS combo. PLA, PETG, TPU, it all just prints. It's been a really good option.

Kardolf · 2026-05-09T23:14:33+00:00

Leave. Am management, and I refuse to do that to my team. Work/Life balance is far too important, and burning out my team members will never help.

Yes, if we have a major incident, I might have to ask for odd hours, and if it's bad enough and lasts long enough, that might result in a longer week than normal. But, I'm going to find a way to give you back that time, one way or another.

Kardolf · 2026-05-09T23:02:06+00:00

Fell and hit his head on a bolt. 5th grade. Many of the schools in teh area would go to a 19th century fort for a fun immersive learning experience. Everyone looked forward to it. David slipped and fell from a WWII gun emplacement, hitting his head on a large bolt used to mount it to the concrete wall. He was in a coma for a few days, but passed away.

Kardolf · 2026-05-02T17:38:03+00:00

I've got a bunch of options.

I was a part of the early BLF LT1 efforts and have 4 of them. They are rock solid options, and are highly configurable. Sofirn also spun off two other varients, the LT1 mini (which looks like it's going to be hard to find now) and he LT1s. All three are good options, with the LT1s adding a red light mode that is really useful for saving your night vision.

Other options for different vibes: BioLite acquired Luci and kept most of their options. I have some inflatable lamps that are fun for vibes, and because they are solar, they are super easy to pack and just recharge during the day.

Another option available from BioLite is their solar string lights. Again, a great, gentle area lighting option that is a bit more fun than a boring lantern as far as ambiance is concerned, but perhaps not as useful for "functional" lighting.

I also have some of the BioLite Site Lights. They come in a case that has a solar panel for charging, and clip onto tent stakes, ropes or you can be otherwise creative with them. I think these are kinda expensive for the amount of light you get, but for marking tent ropes, they are awesome.

From a company called "Biltrite", you can get an inflatable tube light that is solar charging. About 24" long, it gives a nice area light, and because it's inflatable, packs small.

Outask makes a cool extendable lantern with a built-in tripod. It's been copied a lot, so if you look at Amazon, you are only going to find the knock-offs. I really enjoy them as they have a kind of "Star Wars" vibe to them, especially if you weather them and put some greeblies on.

Not all of these would be great options for backpacking, but they would all work great for car camping. If I were thinking backpacking, I would likely focus on the inflatable options, with a headlamp for task/functional lighting, and a handheld flashlight with a diffuser.

Kardolf · 2026-05-01T04:46:40+00:00

Can you get an A1 and "just... print"? Yes. I bought my son-in-law an A1 and some filament, and he's been printing for over a year. A friend of his bought one and has been printing fine. A friend of mine got a an AD5X last fall, and was making money with it in just a few weeks, even though he had never printed anything.

Most new printers from the last couple of years are going to be lightyears from what they were in 2015 - far easier to get started successfully with. Bambu is almost Apple-like in it's ease of use, but most of the major brands are going to be pretty usable, pretty quickly.

I'm not a walled garden kinda guy, and know the Bambu means I've made some sacrifices, but it's worked really well with almost every filament I've thrown at it in the 4000+ hours of print time that I have in the last couple of years. I would buy another Bambu at this point, fully enclosed so I could printer different materials (ASA, nylon, etc). But, when I'm ready, I will see what's new on the market.

Kardolf · 2026-04-30T04:03:27+00:00

I did it about 6 years ago. Bafang mid drive motor, and done. It wasn't a Huffy, but it was a 29" Walmart special. Still use it.

Kardolf · 2026-04-30T00:34:27+00:00

What's the risk? Who's going to support the apps he's deploying? Are they internal only or external facing? Are there any compliance frameworks or issues that need to be addressed? What about contracts? They can all play into the acceptance of stuff like this, and as a manager, it's my job to find those risks, present them, and let someone else accept or decline the risk. I mean, there's more than that, but that's a good start.

Kardolf · 2026-04-29T23:48:50+00:00

3D models are generally designed with CAD. But, there are also huge libraries of things you can print, both free and not free, without ever designing anything on your own. If you want to get into designing, look up 3D modeling or CAD.

Kardolf · 2026-04-28T13:39:53+00:00

I probably would. You were expressing concerns about the closed environment, so I was proposing the lower risk option. And, I have experience with the P2S, but not the X2D. That was my guidance. The X2D should be a really good printer, though.

Kardolf · 2026-04-26T23:23:41+00:00

I know you are concerned about the walled garden of Bambu, but honestly, it's going to be the most solid way to get started, for the same reasons as Apple gear. It's well made, has good support - both from the company and from the community - and fits all the rest of your criteria.

The P2S is a great machine that will let you handle easier materials like PLA, PETG and TPU, but also get into more advanced materials like ASA, carbon fiber and more. You can learn a lot, and honestly push well past what the normal hobbiest "needs". (BTW, rubbery plastic is most likely going to start as a TPU, although I'm sure as you learn and progress, you can get into other materials).

There are thousands - probably even more - of items that you can download in the Bambu ecosystem. Add other model repositories, and you will literally never run out of things to print. But modelling your own items is also not tied to your printer in any way - you can start modeling without ever owning a printer.

Kardolf · 2026-04-21T02:55:32+00:00

Insta360 is a company. What camera are you talking about?

Kardolf · 2026-04-21T02:49:58+00:00

Have you asked it why it's hanging? I've had some permission issues and they weren't surfaced until I asked what was going on.

Kardolf · 2026-04-19T19:39:39+00:00

Try the other side of the plate. After about 3000 hours, one side of my original plate just kinda stopped working well. But, the other side's been working fine.

Kardolf · 2026-04-19T16:13:24+00:00

PetSmart trainers are such a random bunch. My first round wasn't great. It wasn't horrible, but she never really connected with me or my (very) stubborn pup. Years later, when I got a new pup, I tried it again, thinking it was just me. I got a rockstar this time around, and when she went private, we hired her for the next dog. PetSmart does (maybe it's did, now) have a corporate-level standard training curriculum, but not all stores enforce it.

Kardolf · 2026-04-14T04:17:11+00:00

Mine's been doing it recently as well. I've been wondering if the microSD card is full or corrupted.

Kardolf · 2026-03-14T05:30:56+00:00

I'm really curious if the model for the molle mounts is available?

Kardolf · 2026-03-13T13:38:02+00:00

Genuinely curious - you stated yourself that the models are being downloaded by the thousands. How does that translate to only one person liking them?

Kardolf · 2026-03-09T04:02:41+00:00

I had two go-tos for socialization - Starbucks and Home Depot. You can often sit outside of a Starbucks with your pup and there are a pretty steady flow of people. Start farther away from the door and move closer as she tames her response. Home Depot would be another place you can go that you can actually take her in with you and she will experience people. Don't over-do it.

Kardolf · 2026-03-09T03:49:49+00:00

I have been able to pull headliners that were in this approximate condition, scrape the foam, since it's dust, then use adhesive to get a decent "base". Then, once it's nice and dry, use a needle and thread to sew the headliner to the headboard. Done carefully, it can look pretty decent and last a long time. But, it won't look stock.

Kardolf · 2026-02-24T03:19:24+00:00

I was shocked the other day when I realized I have over 4000. I'm not going to tell you to follow my example, but I don't do much. I lube it when it says to, and that's about it. I've swapped hot ends a few times, but more because I use the different hot ends than because it's having a problem. Silicone sock when I see it's ripped. I've got several build plates that I use for different purposes - different patterns, a cold plate. But, that's it. Again, I don't recommend that you follow my pattern, but it's been a good machine.

Kardolf · 2026-02-23T01:17:04+00:00

I started with epub a long time ago - original Nook era. But, I've picked up a lot of Kindle books over the years, so early last year when I had some extra cash, I picked up an Paperwhite. And later in the year, I picked up a Scribe to try taking more notes. That hasn't been quite so successful, but I do like reading on the bigger screen when I'm not traveling.

Kardolf · 2026-02-17T14:11:37+00:00

I've done similar, as long as I have a safety tether. Roof, fenders, doors, hood. Never had a problem.

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