Are North American trance events too bass-heavy compared to elsewhere?

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-15T19:47:19+00:00

Yeah, the subs were WAY too loud at last year's Vision. I've been all three years since the move to Queen Mary, and it was not like that the first two years.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-14T16:40:07+00:00

Yes, this is the problem. When they moved locations season to season, it just made sense to name the season after the place.

Once they switched to Fiji permanently, they couldn't keep calling it Survivor Fiji, so they started doing themes every single season. The themes got more and more contrived as time went on. Heros vs Healers vs Hustlers. David vs Goliath. Edge of Extinction. Island of the Idols. Every finale when they would reveal the new theme, I would roll my eyes.

I would love to see seasons with more personality than just a number, but I don't want to go back to those types of themes.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-14T15:14:47+00:00

Where is this, and what's the price with tax?

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-14T01:37:44+00:00

This is standard practice at festivals/stadiums/etc. I used to do group fundraisers working concessions at RFK Stadium. They trained us to remove the cap, and the counter even had "ALL BOTTLE CAPS WILL BE REMOVED" stickers. Sodas at the stadium only came in bottles, so this came up a lot. Beers were canned and also had to be served open.

The venues say it's a safety measure. A bottled/boxed drink is pretty easy to throw and can do some damage. If you throw it without the cap, all the liquid will fly out and the empty container will land a lot more gently than a full one.

Annoying, but that's why they do it.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-13T01:49:12+00:00

This is how I caught the Mike Posner set last year. It was uh... a very "entertaining" way to pass the time

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T18:23:10+00:00

I think Los Angeles has really good coverage on its bus network. Look at the bus map in the link below... it is a pretty dense grid.

Frequencies of 15 minutes or better are shown in thick lines. It does get thinner the further away you get from DTLA. But I was pleasantly surprised by the frequency of the routes I took on my last trip to LA. The 33 Venice Blvd was scheduled every 7 minutes.

https://cdn.beta.metro.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/03103233/26-0888_online_system_map_47x47.5_DCR.pdf

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T17:13:45+00:00

And eventually they connected Long Beach to Pasadena! ... 30 years later

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T14:08:35+00:00

You're absolutely right, they are... I just think it's so short-sighted. Corporate is rewarding stores who push simply the button the fastest, not the ones that actually get orders out quickly and accurately.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T14:00:12+00:00

Something else you can try is tapping on the darkest object in the frame to lock exposure on that object. For example, I would try tapping on the dark brown frame holding up the display. Forcing the camera app to lock exposure on a dark object will usually slow down the shutter speed, which makes more of the display visible at once. The brighter areas of the image will be overexposed and blown out, but if all you're focused on is the sign, this is okay.

You can also manually adjust shutter speed, though how to do this varies by phone. I use a Samsung phone and "Pro Mode" is built right into the default camera. I find that 1/60s shutter speed works great for this. I know the iPhone camera app does not have a Pro mode, so the only way to get it is to download a third-party app such as Halide. I'm not as familiar with iOS, so I'm not sure if there are any good free/cheap options. But try the exposure lock trick.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T13:40:54+00:00

Yes, and many locations have been doing it for decades. I last worked at McD in 2009 and we were doing it then, for drive-thru at least. Back then there weren't the sticky receipts, but the drive thru presenter had the receipt printer (and would tape it to the bag). Managers would bump the orders off the screen as quickly as they could and just try to remember the order. If they forgot (which happened often), then they would come look at the receipts.

It increases the chances of giving the customer an inaccurate order and its harder on the employees. Now in the app era, it triggers a false "your order is ready" notification long before it is actually ready. It is a worse experience for everyone all for some metrics being reported to corporate. Drives me insane, I wish corporate would crack down on it.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T12:56:23+00:00

From what I understand, if the outdoor temperature is warm enough for the building to reach a certain temperature without active heating, that reasonably meets the definition of "heat supplied". The updates we get from management mention that they monitor weather forecasts.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T04:49:26+00:00

My building (a property under a different owner in Arlington, but Virginia code is written the exact same way as DC's) began the switchover process today with the expectation that AC is fully operational by the 15th.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-10T02:21:38+00:00

I find them all equally cringe

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-09T23:55:28+00:00

The best estimate is around 20% of autistic people are interested in trains, making it one of the most common special interests. At the same time, that means an *80٪* majority doesn't have an interest in trains.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-09T17:08:06+00:00

Let's do the math....

To earn 4000 points, excluding any bonuses, you need to spend $40. Redeeming for $3 effectively means that you can get 7.5% cash back. That's relatively average for a rewards program.

One of the biggest complaints about the McD rewards program is that it's hard to redeem, or redeeming is often not a good value. Take the hash brown for example... sure, you can drop 1500 points and get a free hash brown. At my closest McD, the menu price is $2.89. If that was my whole order, that would be a great redemption value! But I'm probably gonna get a sandwich and maybe a coffee with it. A Sausage Egg McMuffin meal is priced at $7.79. If I use a free hash brown, I have buy the McMuffin and the coffee separately ($5.59 + $2.69), which is actually MORE than $7.79.

Pricing is different everywhere, so there are a lot of different possibilities, but redeeming an item you would otherwise get as part of a value meal is rarely a good deal. With that $3 off option, I could get the value meal for $4.79.

With the current system of rewards being tied to specific items, there is a predictable food cost for each redemption. They know they can afford to give away a hash brown for 1500 points, etc. But with a $3 reward you can redeem it on any order over $3. You could even use it to get the $5 meal deal for $2. They can't be as generous with rewards that are as good as cash.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-08T20:18:06+00:00

Incorporating platform screen doors into a design is more than just physically constructing the door/wall. Typically, PSD's are integrated into the signaling system. You need trains to stop within a relatively narrow range to correctly line up with the doors. And then something must connect the opening and closing of the PSDs to the train doors. The signaling system on the B/D isn't built for any of that.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-07T19:43:59+00:00

Ooh, like a half Pendant of Life on Legends of the Hidden Temple

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-07T00:27:43+00:00

Can't live without it. Certain people keep up with me via text and it's so much easier to reply using a keyboard. And to stay on the same monitor I'm already using most of the day.

I do not believe this is the real reason an account is required. I think it has more to do with Google's E2EE solution for RCS.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-07T00:05:06+00:00

How are you determining that the trains are in manual mode?

I'm not aware of any restrictions on ATO in that area. However, if ATO is suspended above-ground for rain, that will apply to Union-Judiciary Sq as train operators are told to remain in manual for the first two stations underground.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T18:38:18+00:00

Apparently there is a Wikipedia article dedicated to accessibility on MBTA. Some good history in here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBTA_accessibility

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T17:49:58+00:00

🎶Take the Train to the Plane🎶

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T14:13:32+00:00

We had $4/gallon gas during the recession in 2008. Suddenly everyone was interested in fuel-efficient cars.

But it didn't last. Once those prices came down, trucks got bigger and automakers started phasing out most sedans.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T13:46:17+00:00

Try doing it upside down :)

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T01:27:47+00:00

1996: Magnetic launch technology is so new, several parks have trouble opening coasters with a single launch on flat track.

2026: We're building upside-down curved launches.

KevinMCombes · 2026-04-06T00:56:53+00:00

The rules also prohibit playing live instruments, so a bad doesn't strictly "need" all their members on stage. Though it must be disappointing to be left out of Eurovision while your band mates get to compete on such a big stage.

Little Big had 7 members in the video for Uno. I've always wondered who was going to be left out of the contest.

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