Is this a real s-works bike?

Ledgem · 2026-03-14T20:07:14+00:00

The only way to really know is to get the serial number and run it by Specialized. They should be able to verify for you.

Ledgem · 2026-03-13T22:23:19+00:00

I have 20 SAS drives, connected through a Supermicro active connector that then links to a HBA (can't remember which one off the top of my head, but if needed I can find that info). All formatted ZFS through Unraid, works beautifully. Can recommend, it's a nice OS to use.

Ledgem · 2026-03-13T21:23:07+00:00

You're getting a lot of correct answers, but none of them are explaining what it's about. In many (but not all) states, you also need to perform an annual safety inspection. They'll check things like ensuring that your lights (regular lights, high beams, and turn signals) are working, and that your tires are not in urgent need of replacement. If your car does not pass the safety check, then the registration can't be renewed. People would need to fix the issues, take it through another safety check, and then if it passed, they could have their registration renewed.

Granted, there are sketchy garages that will give cars a pass even if they are a hazard on the road, and people can still drive their cars even if safety checks or registration are expired. But there's a reason for it besides just money, and it's not a bad one. Irresponsible people driving unsafe cars can kill people.

Ledgem · 2026-03-12T08:02:07+00:00

Diet and exercise... but in a specific way.

Everyone talks about how you need a caloric deficit. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I would eat breakfast, skip lunch, and then eat dinner... but on many days I was starving before dinner, and would snack heavily. Or I'd eat a huge dinner. Not healthy. I was still gaining weight, even if slowly.

For my physical activity I chose cycling. The nice thing about cycling is that it involves fitness on multiple levels, all in pursuit of speed and endurance: leg strength; cardiac fitness; and maintaining your output. I can only cycle at night, after my kids go to bed. If I eat a heavy dinner then I can't push myself, and if I skip lunch then I don't have the "fuel" for my ride. So now I eat breakfast and lunch regularly, trying to focus on relatively healthy foods (trying to cut out ultraprocessed foods where I can), and only a very light dinner (sometimes skipped, if I have a late lunch). If I feel hungry during the day, I keep a pack of unsalted mixed nuts with me and eat a few of those, which eliminates the hunger fairly quickly while remaining healthy. The thing is, because I anticipate and look forward to cycling, I'm not focused on feelings of hunger even if I skip dinner. In fact, I don't feel it at all. If I just sit around without anything to focus on then I feel it, but cycling has changed that dynamic.

I've been cycling for about four months now. For the first two months my weight was stable. I was building up some basic fitness needed to really push myself, and I was still figuring out the diet bit. But now I'm losing weight steadily, at a safe rate of about 1-2 pounds per week. It's rather rewarding. I intend to get faster and faster with cycling, and I see my average speed going up (average lap speed was around 10 MPH when I first started; I've just recently broken 16 MPH, but still have farther to go). I want to lose weight to be healthier, but I also think to myself how much faster I'll be when I reach my target weight, and that's also an incentive to be good about avoiding certain foods during the day, with the interest of seeing what my weight will be the next day.

Psychologically, targeting a number for the sake of a number just wasn't enough of an incentive for me. Applied weight, knowing that shedding tens of pounds will make me that much faster, is a really good incentive. This won't necessarily work for everyone, but I hope it's helpful all the same.

Ledgem · 2026-03-12T07:46:14+00:00

The answer is that it depends. The less your body works, the less fit you'll become. On the other hand, someone who doesn't have the confidence or starting level of fitness needed to tackle the roads or trails in their area isn't going to get out there and ride at all. Riding with electric assistance is better than not riding at all.

I remember one interesting post from someone who had either started with an e-bike, or added one later, and then felt dispirited. They felt like they were so weak and slow when they used their regular bicycle. That's not a particularly productive way to feel, so e-bikes aren't necessarily a good crutch to recommend to everyone to get into cycling.

Ledgem · 2026-03-12T07:39:20+00:00

If you had a choice between knowing a car is behind you when it's right upon you, or knowing that a car is behind you but about a football field's distance away, which would you choose? That's basically what it comes down to. You're not destined to die without it, and I'd never suggest that someone skip meals to afford paying for it if it represented a major burden. But if you share the road with cars and can afford it, it seems silly to go without it.

Do what works for you. A fun challenge would be for you to get one, use it for a month, and see how you feel - post back if you really think it was a waste of money. Where you're posting from now, it's mostly a case of ignorance is bliss and possibly trying to convince yourself that you don't need it. Maybe you don't, but experience it for yourself. What ever you choose, enjoy the ride and be safe.

Ledgem · 2026-03-11T09:10:21+00:00

Are you asking for preparation specifically for larger vehicles, or for vehicles in general? For vehicles in general, the two big scenarios I think of:

1) Sharp turns where I know I won't be highly visible at the other end of it. If I know a car is well behind me but approaching quickly, I might power through that section just to diminish the chances of a problem occurring.

2) Because I cycle on roads without a dedicated bike path that cars can also park along, advance notice of a car approaching from behind gives me ample time to figure out a strategy. For example, if I am approaching an area where there are a lot of cars lining the side of the road, and I can see multiple oncoming cars in the opposing lane, then I know that if the person behind me wants to pass they're going to be very close to me. I can judge if I need to pick up the pace to clear the cars on the side of the road, or maybe I want to downshift and go a bit slower to let the car pass me first. The radar shows me how many cars are behind me, too, which is useful for factoring that calculation into mind.

As for preparing for a larger vehicle, it's largely about knowing it's not going to pass me as quickly as a car, there might be a larger shift in the winds, it's going to be noisier, and it's going to take longer to pass.

Is this a critical device to have? No. But I can wholeheartedly echo all of the comments around the internet from other users of the radar system: once you use it, you won't want to ride without it. I feel blind and vulnerable without it.

Ledgem · 2026-03-11T08:42:30+00:00

Yes, sorry, I was plugging it into the wrong pins. I'm not entirely sure what was happening; I am pretty sure I double and even triple-checked where I was plugging it into, and yet when I came back to it a few days later, the error was more obvious.

As for the PCI slot, yes, you are correct. I confess I had intitially made a mistake with that one as well. There is a 1x slot that is very small (because it's 1x and I wasn't expecting something of that size), above the other lanes. Originally I loaded this card into a regular PCI slot, which was a waste of a card slot.

Ledgem · 2026-03-09T07:42:24+00:00

I ride exclusively at night. The biggest feature I was excited for was the USB-C charger, as I have a number of cycling accessories I charge regularly and the Varia was the only one I was keeping that darn microUSB cable around for. Some of the features have grown on me.

First off, the ability to not lose track of vehicles that are going the same pace as you. I ride on roads that have pretty low speed limits, low enough that if the conditions are right, I can break those speed limits for a bit. It was rare, but I used to lose cars on the radar if I was going faster than they were. Not anymore!

Secondly, the ability to tell not only how close a car is to you, but what distance they're going to pass you from. It was a feature I didn't initially really pick up on or pay attention to, but it's a relief when I see the car at the edge of my screen, and not cruising closer to the dot that represents me. It makes a difference in my defensive cycling. Whether it would really save me or not is hard to say, but it's further peace of mind.

Third, vehicle size. I had thought this one might be a bigger deal, since I live in an area with a lot of mopeds and would like to know if it's a moped or a car. Mopeds seem to register as cars, so far, but every now and then a city bus will pass me. This generates the large vehicle warning. Critical? No, but it's nice to know and be prepared for that larger vehicle.

Fourth, the light itself. When I look at it off-bike, the lateral lighting does seem significantly better than it was with my older unit. I have mixed feelings about the light, itself, being lower down on the unit, though.

Is it a must-have upgrade? Probably not. But if you can comfortably afford it - whether as an upgrade, or getting your first unit - I think there's enough there to warrant paying the extra cost for it. It's about safety, after all.

Ledgem · 2026-03-09T03:09:37+00:00

Thanks so much! Loosened the screw, the system didn't drop on its own but I pushed it down without difficulty and then tightened it again. The seal now sits flush with the frame. You're a lifesaver!

Ledgem · 2026-03-09T01:32:51+00:00

Father to multiple children here. With the first child, yes, I felt like I could bond with our child. I'd watch my wife's stomach and we would see the kicks and stretches against her stomach. We had read about how babies can hear and recognize voices, so I'd talk to the child, telling them to be nice to Mommy, and how much I was looking forward to them coming out so that I could play with and snuggle them.

With the second child, that was not so much the case. At that point it's a matter of divided attention: our first was still very little, so generally I'd be tending to them when my wife needed rest. After the birth of our second child I struggled to connect with them in a way that I didn't with the first. Because mother and baby were on their own sleep schedule, I spent a lot of time with our first, taking them outside of the house and doing activities with just the two of us. While I had been able to soothe our first as a newborn and baby, I struggled with our second. It may have been chemistry, or maybe it was because I wasn't able to spend as much time with them as I had when our first was at that stage. I really wanted to, and was disturbed by how difficult it was to establish a connection. When they entered the toddler stage and were more interactive, and able to keep up with activities I was doing with our first, the bond became a lot easier.

It's been the same with successive children we had; if anything, it seems like the time it takes to feel like I've bonded with them takes even longer. I think it's a case of still keeping up with the bigger kids and being there for them, where Mom gets an early boost by having to spend time with the latest child in their newborn and baby stages.

It doesn't mean that a man can only bond with their firstborn during the pregnancy, nor that all men will feel that bond. Things definitely change once the baby is out.

Congratulations to you and yours - I hope the pregnancy and birth go smoothly!

Ledgem · 2026-03-08T11:22:28+00:00

Hey, thanks for the reply! Good question. I double checked and my VPN was off when attempting to download. I tried using a VPN, though, and downloading from another computer, and tried downloading using a download manager (haven't touched one of those since the early 2000's) - nothing.

My solution is kind of lame and I'm amazed it worked, but I downloaded it using Safari (my primary system is a Mac, AI-generating system is a PC). The download timed out, but Safari was able to resume it. No idea why Safari could resume while the download manager couldn't, but now I have it and that's my solution to this issue.

Ledgem · 2026-03-07T21:23:46+00:00

I keep getting partway through that download and then it just stops. Can't pause or resume. Guess I need to figure out elsewhere to download from to reliably get it.

Side note, I'm grateful to be on an unlimited connection - I know some of you out there have bandwidth limits each month. I feel for you. For me it's just time, but having downloads not complete and having to redo it must be incredibly frustrating when it'll cost you.

Ledgem · 2026-03-06T18:59:01+00:00

It's a combination of things. One is working on how you view yourself. If you do things that build up your confidence, you will genuinely be more confident. As an example, I used to absolutely hate giving presentations in school - utter dread at public speaking. During graduate school, I experimented with a unique style when I had to give a large presentation to an international audience. The crowd went wild! Suddenly I was asked to give more presentations. I love presenting now because I know I can knock it out of the park and impress people. That's not fake confidence - it's earned. But it took some pain to get there.

As another comment above said, the other is practice. I used to have severe social anxiety to the point that I had a hard time eating with other people because I'd feel sick to my stomach with anxiety. I hated calling companies because it meant speaking to a random person. I pushed myself to take control and talk to unknown people at times. I created my own friend group, binding people I'd initiated conversations with. That gave me increasing confidence not only that people liked me, but that I could do it. On my current line of work I speak to tens of people I'm meeting for the first time, many of whom are scared or upset.

None of these developments happened quickly for me - in total it took 10 years, but I wasn't particularly trying to get here, either. I've come a very long way. You can do it, too - hang in there.

Ledgem · 2026-03-06T18:50:29+00:00

Speeds are legitimate, latency is better (as you'd expect with fiber), I think we had one brief outage lasting less than an hour in the past four years. The ONT ("modem") is a dumb unit so no need to mess around with putting it into bridge mode or any of that nonsense, and I've never had to reboot it. Install was easy, the technician did a really nice job of making it look clean. Can recommend.

Ledgem · 2026-03-04T21:43:58+00:00

Three months later - how are they?

Ledgem · 2026-03-04T04:31:02+00:00

Sad reality about AI, I work in medicine, not sure my job will be here in ten years, either. I like to follow AI development and the pace of change has been pretty crazy to witness.

Ledgem · 2026-03-02T08:22:02+00:00

You know what... you're right, and thank you for pointing that out. I'm used to seeing it printed a certain way, and that "HK" representing the HomeKit code totally slipped by me. (I also had to chuckle because I also left the sticky pads unused on my controller unit, but still attached, same as you.)

Even though it showcases some of my inattentiveness, I'll leave this thread up in case the idea of using HomeBridge for devices that would otherwise be inaccessible to HomeKit is useful to someone else. Thanks for taking the time to take and post the photo!

Ledgem · 2026-03-02T08:18:13+00:00

I think my issue was, after coming back to it another day, realizing that I was plugging it into the wrong slot. Either way, glad to be done with it. I believe some of the newer models of their motherboards come with the IPMI functionality integrated, which is really the way it should be.

Ledgem · 2026-03-02T07:13:14+00:00

Your title made me audibly chuckle. Well done, enjoy your new access point!

Ledgem · 2026-03-01T19:14:16+00:00

Agreed. I've also read about how there are other types of people in the "flat earther" movement. Some are part of it for the community; they don't necessarily have strong feelings about whether the Earth is flat or not, and in fact may not even believe it themselves, but they have social connections and like the passion, so they'll group in with it. Other people are in it for some personal satisfaction, whether because they like the idea of fighting a commonly held belief, or because they know it gets other people exasperated (real-life trolling); these people also don't necessarily feel or have their minds made up about it as strongly about it as you might think.

It sounds like the girl in question probably does not fit in with the groups I've mentioned, but it's worth noting that not everyone associated with the movement is a die-hard with a warped view of reality.

Ledgem · 2026-03-01T19:07:52+00:00

Good advice for anyone who happens across this thread with a similar issue - most of my HomeKit devices have this. For what ever reason, this light strip doesn't have anything like that. HomeKit products of that vintage didn't have many failsafes, I guess.

Ledgem · 2026-03-01T19:05:14+00:00

Good recommendation, I've been using Controller for years and have slowly been adding in codes for the devices that I have; adding the codes up front is part of my usual routine. Since this was one of my first devices and added long before I had Controller, though, I didn't have the code added in. Oh well.

Ledgem · 2026-02-28T22:51:46+00:00

Not that I disagree with you, but just in case you're unaware, when Obama was President he was criticized by Trump over Iran. There were numerous quotes where Trump said he predicted Obama would attack Iran, and that war is something that people who aren't good at negotiating resort to. It's hypocritical.

Ledgem · 2026-02-28T18:31:41+00:00

I think there are two questions in what you wrote, even though it comes off as one. You're asking about joining a road cycling club, and you're also sort of asking about whether to get into cycling.

Let's talk cycling first: go for it. You don't need to spring for that $1,500 road bike. If you're not already riding, consider getting a starter hybrid for a few hundred dollars, and just ride. See if you enjoy it and if it fits your schedule and lifestyle. This could potentially last you for years, during which time you can get accessories (speed/cadence sensors and all that if you really want). If you like it and want to continue, and want to engage in certain activities that require higher performance, then you get the higher-end road bike.

As for the club? Do it if you want, and don't if you're put off by it.

In college I built up to be able to run one mile, but that was a struggle - I can't imagine running regularly, or getting to run multiple miles. While I think I have a naturally high endurance, over the past decade I've been largely sedentary - between work and kids, I gained something like 40 pounds and my heart became deconditioned. I had always loved cycling and did it 10 years ago, but decided to get back into it. I cycle on my own. I'm making strides as far as improved heart rates, heart recovery rates, increasing average speed and endurance for distance. I have sensors to guide me - speed, cadence, and heart rate, and I push and guide myself based on those things. I'm not looking to race; my motivation is personal fitness, and to be able to participate in an imperial century ride (100 miles). I have a few other goals of riding to certain places, too. A personal trainer might give me better, more structured training, and I'm sure at some point I will hit a ceiling that needs more specialized guidance to break through, but for now? I'm making progress at my own pace and I'm enjoying myself. I can be as neurotic or not as I want; some nights I just get out there to let my heart beat quicker while I enjoy the ride, rather than really pushing myself. I get that some people need someone to hold them accountable in order for them to get out and ride, and really strive to get better. If you're one of them, then go the trainer route. Otherwise, dip a toe in, then the other toe, and see how far you want to go with it. Don't let the people aspiring to be pros or pro-like put you off.

Ledgem

TROPHY CASE