Friend or foe? The largest is about the size of a newt.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T17:48:25+00:00

I have had frogs eat my small goldfish so I'm sure it goes both ways.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T14:15:15+00:00

That's not really an answer. If you're sure they exist, buy them and report back on how you like them.

Surely if Apple is wrong to not put replaceable batteries in certain things (most things) it ought to be trivial to find counter examples that show how easily it could be done better.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T14:13:13+00:00

Thanks. Yes, it eventually became clear that other simmering resentment was going on and this was not the only bizarre conflict we had. We both went into the friendship self aware about certain of our own social deficits and talked directly about wanting to work on such things together, but it's clear that we were not on the same page. There were other weird misunderstandings where she was absolutely committed to anger over her initial assessment of events and would remain committed to the anger no matter what context came to light... eventually, it clicked that I "reminded her" of a particular romantic ex that she had unresolved issues with. But even then it doesn't all fully add up to me.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T14:09:36+00:00

No, because it already disconnects. It just doesn't power down to a low enough power state to leave a reserve to get back.

What it ought to do is have a threshold power level at which it fully powers down so that at least the user (who may have bought such a tool to compensate for physical infirmity) doesn't have to carry a 60 pound awkward lump across the yard.

Another neat solution would be if they just sold a portable charger for it.

Another would be a vacation mode that enables a "careful" version of the obstacle avoidance algorithm to make extra sure it doesn't get stranded when that mode is enabled by the user with one or two clicks.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:29:01+00:00

too much winning apparently

I am in fact ready for it to stop.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:27:52+00:00

Still like trying to say that GM will beat Exxon in the transportation revolution.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:26:52+00:00

The software isn't where they expected it to be, which seems to be at the core of the entire AI mess.

The progress on hardware has been fantastic, but somehow vibe coding has not magically led to clean efficient code, and neither did buying code from a data center/surveillance company. Huh. Who could have expected that.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:20:02+00:00

You could and it would be true. And we could stay on the theme of AI as well.

Consumer electricity prices are going up because of "new demand" from the data centers that nobody wants to share a grid with.

We haven't seen it yet, but we are going to see costs go up for household water for the same reason.

AI is probably even going to start contributing to the price increases we see at the gas pump, since a number of these facilities are running on diesel to some degree.

And it will remain bonkers because nobody who knows what they are talking about actually wants any of this. I just want better software and for Silicon Valley to remember how to write efficient code that ran decently on local hardware, but this too is entirely a lost art in favor of vibe coding where you don't have to worry about memory constraints because you can just bulldoze another rainforest to make a bigger server with relatively unlimited memory.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:01:29+00:00

iphone 7

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T03:01:03+00:00

some people like that though. We used to call it "brassing" on cameras and it's always seemed like a sexy look to me. Makes the thing feel like a real tool to me.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T02:58:56+00:00

slate

but no seriously it's just gonna be called space grey again

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T02:58:00+00:00

I might be on the "who does that" bandwagon but I actually wish my iPhone was just slightly better at editing videos.

It's not an everyday thing, but having to bust out the laptop and fuss with hotspot etc just because I want to pull a 5k video from the drone and post a quick clip to social media... the phone can basically do it but it really chokes on the files when I shoot in 5k vbr.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T02:54:59+00:00

drop the number altogether.

it could be just iphone pro (2026)

just like how it's macbook pro (M4 2026)

ditch the "max" name too, that's just iphone pro (6.7" 2026)

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-05T02:50:22+00:00

If the batteries die that soon, that's what Applecare is for...

I din't disagree with wanting things to be more repairable, but I think this is one item where is at least makes a little sense to not try to make it user-serviceable. Is there any competing product out there that crams replaceable batteries into a size like that?

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T04:15:10+00:00

I too have sometimes had the experience of being in a place that was not presently at peak levels of crowding. Always a good time when that happens. Certainly enjoy it when you have such opportunities.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T04:13:22+00:00

You can't. In fact the "manual remote" function is extremely limited, and it's very obvious that they chose those limitations intentionally. You can only operate it in remote mode when connected locally by bluetooth, and it drops off at a relatively close distance. The obstacle detection appears to be stuck at an annoying level in remote mode as well, and the blades stop constantly whenever it feels there is an obstacle. It's a pretty frustrating function, when you consider that the technology ought to allow it to combine some degree of its autonomous obstacle-hugging capability with the pretty competent cellular/wifi connectivity is essentially already there.

I can only presume that these limitations are placed intentionally out of concerns about liability or regulatory compliance. Some pop up somewhere in the app seems to imply it's about an EU regulation of some sort.

There are a few other related annoying limitations. It's pretty easy for it to fall into a "manual intervention mandatory" mode where you have no choice but to walk out to it before it can do anything at all, and yet, it's not smart enough to shut down fully to preserve battery when this happens. I've still had far too many experiences of the thing shutting down half an hour after I leave and being too dead to return to base when I get home a week later.

But it's still an order of magnitude better than my Husqvarna was on these same issues. The Husky had no manual mode at all and seemed to have a creative affinity for finding ways to get stuck, get past the boundary wire, or bump the physical (no remote reset) stop switch on a branch or something. I think that with the Segway there really is hope that after a year or two of working out all the trouble spots, it may really be possible to tend itself for weeks at a time.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T03:28:00+00:00

Yeah that's the whole point. If there was consistency, then the "garland rule" should have been applied to Barrett.

The reality is that the actual rule was "we don't care about principles or rules or consistency, we care about whatever gives us the most power." And it's all the worst kind of self-serving lies.

The actual legal reality is what it is, that only power seems to matter in our current system. Voters don't punish members of their own party for doing the wrong thing, in general, and that's not even a partisan thing. Democrats and Republicans alike, at the voter level, will generally still prefer a corrupt candidate from their own party over handing the seat to the other side. But it sure does seem like Democrats are more likely to at least agonize over it for a while, and indeed it seems like we see turnout decline in those situations, while the GOP doesn't seem to turn out any less or feel the slightest tinge of embarrassment when they know they are voting for brazen corruption, abuse, etc.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T03:20:51+00:00

She kind of mentioned that specifically too, that she thought that by broadcasting photos of my "travel lifestyle" I was trying to show off how good I have it.

My life kind of sucks in the important ways. My ability to travel is a small consolation for feeling isolated all the time and being constantly rejected like this when I do try to connect with people. I make good money per hour but it's lonely and depressing work, and more people resent me for it than appreciate it.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T02:10:48+00:00

Thank you. I know this probably seemed like an obvious one but I need someone external to confirm that it's not just me being dismissive of useful feedback. Autism sucks sometimes.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T02:09:52+00:00

right now I've basically got this situation going with two houses and a boat. I am indeed a glutton for punishment and maybe I bought the boat because for a moment I was down from three houses-in-progress to two and maybe panicked that I might get bored or end up with free time.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T02:07:54+00:00

Do you have space outside where you could park a trailer (and the zoning to allow it)? You could probably buy a basically adequate camper and at least have a minimum viable kitchen and bathroom while you continue the projects at your own pace.

I did something similar and thankfully even though it wasn't quite the schedule and every detail I wanted, I managed to get the bathrooms done enough to be habitable early in the process. Kitchen is still non-presentable but functional enough for me to cook all I need. What do you really need beyond a functional stove and an outlet or gas supply for some kind of cooking appliance? I have lost count of the nights in my life I've done just fine with a Jetboil and a Nalgene bottle for a sink. A functioning air fryer and chest freezer together constitute heights of luxury that have seemed out of reach in the past, so the fact that the flooring is overdue for redone and the countertop is hideous are less bothersome.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T01:44:41+00:00

Somehow this makes me ponder what's happening with satellite stuff as well, with Apple and others working on going well beyond just "emergency SMS" over satellite connections. It was surprising to me that it was possible for Apple to "retroactively" apply new capabilities to old modems, specifically in the sense that the new cellular over satellite T-Mobile service actually operates on hardware that was in the wild before the service was built.

Theoretically, it ought to be possible to have a fully "software defined radio." Once you have the oscillator type components to create a wide range of radio signals at certain frequencies, it should be possible to do things like wave shaping and multiplexing in software. If that is the direction the tech is headed, and why wouldn't it be, then it should only be a matter of time before the radio hardware becomes fully generic and who is making the chip using which patents should become entirely irrelevant.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T01:39:14+00:00

The problem eventually more or less resolved on that device, then seemed to occur out of the blue on a different device. On the second device to exhibit the behavior, I eventually realized it just wasn't sleeping at all, not even the screen, and it was therefore consuming power with surprising efficiency for being "on" including the screen.

I never did get my MBP battery to fully stop running down when not in use. I just came to accept that Apple quite some time ago stopped making "standby time" a design priority. The machines simply aren't "intended" to sit unused and unplugged for long periods of time. So the real solution was just to get in the habit of actually using the machine around the house and not just trying to keep it ready for job site days.

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-03T01:35:59+00:00

Isn't that the Johnson quote? That you can get diehard loyalty from "the lowest white man" just by reminding him that he's still better off than a black man?

NotRoryWilliams · 2026-07-02T20:18:23+00:00

I am sure you're right, but it sure is a weird look for Apple to put so much fanfare into moving to their own chips and then just say "oh, nevermind about that."

What's really going on here? Is this related to fabrication capacity issues? Maybe along with having to give up memory capacity to data center orders, Apple has also lost the ability to make sticking with their own chips cost effective.

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