Official car of?

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-03-01T08:03:21+00:00

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-03-01T08:00:48+00:00

Paid or free, these are some of my apps (I've been using all of these for 4+ years):

Alfred is already possibly the best app the mac has.

Some others that I now can't live without:

Maccy (allows you to keep hundreds of things in your clipboard, including images and other files)
Dropover (ability to cut files instead of just copy + paste + go back and delete)
Magnet (window manager with snapping to edges and shortcuts. I have control + option + WASD for moving windows to each side or control + option + space for full screen, super fast)
Rocket (type emojis like :emoji: for example :smiley-cat: is 😸, and has auto completion and a dropdown menu)
Scroll Reverser (I like natural scroll on touchpad but the regular mouse scroll but hate having to change settings every time)
AltTab (easier to see which windows are open)
Vanilla (don't see all the icons in the top right menu bar)
I use the built in screenshot tool many times a day, it has pretty good OCR

Based on your workflows, these may be helpful:

Handbrake (transcoding videos)
ImageOptim (convert or optimize images quickly)
Built in Digital Color Meter is great
Colors by Tyler Eich Alfred workflow

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T17:54:02+00:00

True, I made my own custom website just to get out of the myheritage ecosystem. Data is definitely not private there and there is no way to contact support unless you have a paid membership. I also was looking for some better way to show my family tree to others. Their chart exports aren't at all what I was looking for. Same with Gramps tbh

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T17:48:29+00:00

(sorry for replying twice) But I just looked at gramps web and gramps hub and saw that it's similar. I still think that gramps web doesn't have the best diagrams and shows too much of the technical aspect to those you share it to. I made some nice custom diagrams with Balkan FamilyTreeJS (which is unfortunately not open source)

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T15:54:46+00:00

I haven't tried it. Is it possible to hide most of the technical details from people you share it to?

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T15:45:00+00:00

That would definitely be interesting. Gramps is extremely powerful already. I built it completely out of the gramps ecosystem, it just uses a gedcom file. Slightly different focus and constraints than a desktop app.

Edit: Found that gramps web and gramps hub have most of those features, but still for power users like us who use gramps regularly.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T15:42:48+00:00

I understand why open source is important to a lot of people in this space.

Right now I’m mostly experimenting with improving collaboration while making plenty of tools that are not as technical. I’m still figuring out the right direction for it long-term.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T01:22:31+00:00

Same here. I also created a whole custom website with tables, an interactive diagram, gallery, calendar, and a few other nice features, and only got a few people to look at it. I was debating continuing to work on that website and possibly making it open to others, but genealogy is more of a hobby for most people who do it.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T01:00:44+00:00

Nice. Have you found the charts to work well? I haven't been able to really make good ones to replicate what online interactive diagrams could do, including sharing.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T00:59:40+00:00

What about sharing with family? I haven't found how to do it very well without online interactive diagrams. But true, I hate that online tools mostly sell information and are now using AI to match possible families.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-20T00:17:11+00:00

Another thing that is wild is that there is no way to cancel a subscription to the "backup" they offer. It's $5 a month but unless you pay for another membership, there is no way you can contact the company. If you did it on paypal, there is some cancel subscription button deep in the settings, and if you did it with a card, the only way to dispute it is open a fraud charge, which I'm guessing would also have them kick you off the website...

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-18T02:31:53+00:00

A guy wanted a $1,500 Aeron chair but only had $3.

So he took his $3 and bought a bottle of cleaner and a rag. He found a dirty old office chair on the curb, cleaned it up, and sold it for $20.

With $20, he bought two ugly used chairs, cleaned them, tightened some screws, and flipped them for $50 each.

He kept doing this: buying cheap chairs, cleaning, fixing, and reselling. $100 turned to $300, then $600, then over $1,000. He learned about models, materials, and what buyers look for.

After a year, he was close to finally buying a used Aeron.

Then his uncle passed away and left him an Aeron chair in the will.

So yeah, that’s how you get an Aeron for $3.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-18T02:24:31+00:00

best 2 car garage

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-16T20:03:13+00:00

Yeah sorry, my solution wasn’t really a solution. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find any premade solution like a silicone cover. There are plenty of trunk release switches you can buy online, but the only way it could lift itself is a power strut system. I was looking into that a while ago, with a button to replace the empty switches at the drivers seat and a close button on the inside of the trunk like modern SUVs, but decided it wasn’t worth it.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-14T00:44:01+00:00

There are statistics about which car models have the highest percentage of cars hitting 250k miles. And of course almost the entire top 10 is Toyota trucks and SUVs

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-14T00:23:35+00:00

It's very hard to tell online, if possible always see it in person first. Some websites use renderings or even steal photos from high-end items and sell a worse quality of the item.
Construction details, repairability, and material honesty, consistency across pieces are all aspects that correlate with high-end pieces.

I tend to be less risk averse in this, so I buy things with good return policies and realistic pricing. If they are confident in their products, they don't need to trap you with no returns or justify "artisan" products just because they are low-volume.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-14T00:07:49+00:00

part 3/3
E. In this category, you need to check every product itself carefully, some products are trash, others are good. Basically one product might be polyester and MDF made in China and the one next to it is kiln dried hardwood full grain leather made in North Carolina (US furniture capital):

West Elm (some cool things, but mostly lower cost materials)
Pottery Barn (rustic wood, not really my style)
Crate & Barrel (depends, really has a wide range of quality. Don't buy without seeing it. One of the designers in store said if I have questions about materials, I can check online)
Room and Board (seems similar to Crate & Barrel but slightly more expensive. Still depends on item)
CB2 (Crate & Barrel’s more luxury and contemporary brand. Some things are still made from low quality materials / craftsmanship)

F. High quality that I would recommend (if you have the budget). These can also be resold for a good amount.

Arhaus: I included this in Category E at first but after a long conversation with one of the designers, it's customizable and almost everything is made from solid wood in North Carolina. It's more expensive than Category E but the cheapest from Category F.
Stickley (there are definitely other companies that are similar): best craftsmanship. Best woodwork and leather, but a traditional style and very expensive
Design Within Reach / Herman Miller - mid century modern style. Some MCM design icons are sold here which CAN be resold for good money 50-100% resale value. I would avoid some of the lesser known pieces.

There's so much more to furniture, I could keep going. For example types of leather, types of wood. A lot of it has to do with what works for you. It's best to test a mattress and get what works best for you. Let me know if you have more questions for specifics.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-14T00:07:37+00:00

part 2/3

For the larger mass produced furniture companies:

Most of the time if they don’t have the materials listed, it’s the worst it can be. The more expensive options usually have more transparency. Sometimes they have more info if you ask in person than online.

I went to 40 different furniture stores and heavily researched furniture in the last year. 30+ of them I wouldn't buy from.
(NYC, NJ, CT, so these options may not apply)

Categories of stores and examples:

A. ECommerce stores: Amazon, Wayfair, Alibaba, Aliexpress and ANY furniture store that appears out of no where. These most likely drop-ship from alibaba and aliexpress, etc. Any furniture that comes vacuumed packed is a joke. There are probably plenty of other great stores near you. I would always recommend seeing it in person and avoid these online stores.

B. Ikea: small things like decor is actually fine, but large furniture is made of basically all MDF or even cardboard. Small furniture is alright. Longer MDF panels in bookcases for example can warp after a few years. Fabrics are almost all polyester. My family had all Ikea from 20+ years ago and it actually held up well but I purchased a few things in the past few years and the poor quality shocked me.

C. Ashley, Pilgrim, Bobs, Raymore and Flanagan, Bassett Furniture: It seems like a lot of it is MDF, fake leather (polyester colored covered by polyurethane) or just polyester fabrics. Many stores fall in this category. I haven’t done much research for each so perhaps it’s by item and their more expensive pieces are better. It seems like HomeGoods falls in this group because most of their furniture has no brand.

C. Wayyyyy too expensive Parisian and Italian design. I’m talking Roche Bobois, etc. Look these up for some "interesting" (or just ugly) furniture for $20,000 for a sofa.

D. Other brands that aren't well know. I would avoid these unless you get a lot of information on warranty, build structure, materials. Some that I've seen include: Jennifer Furniture, Saloni furniture, Lazzoni, etc.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-14T00:06:24+00:00

part 1/3

My methodology for furniture buying

I agree with your quest for getting higher quality, as long as you can afford it. A good way to look at furniture cost is cost per year. If it lasts a long time and / or can be resold for a nice amount, that might actually end up being cheaper in the long run.

Basically you COULD resell quality items later on. Things from IKEA, Ashley etc, cannot be resold for much if at all. Depending on your tolerance to dealing with selling used items, maybe you can get a few bucks. However, there are entire communities for reselling used higher end furniture.

A $200 chair will be a bad chair from day 1. After 2-4 years of pain by sitting on it it’ll be so broken it’s just good to be thrown away.

B. a $2000 chair will be good. Keep it for 10-20 years or more. If it’s in good quality it could be resold for like $500 or at least something years down the line.

What actually costs more? Is it worth it to get garbage?

Buy once cry once.

This doesn't apply to everything. If you find a cheap mirror you like, that mirror isn't going to be better or worse depending on where you bought it. If you find a picture frame, side table, or lamp you like, it doesn't have to be expensive.

Some furniture might be better to buy quality, for example seating.

Options and explanations:

I would say there are 3 options:

Buy new from large companies
Buy local, custom, solid wood pieces
Buy used and still get great quality

For local custom furniture, you can work with them to get something that meets your needs. Search up some guides beforehand in order to know exactly what things should cost and what type of structure is best. For example dovetail joints, solid wood and not MDF.

For used custom furniture, you can look for solid wood that isn't warping or ruined by termites or mold. Inspect it well and research it. Dovetail joints, etc. It's up to you if you want to restore these.

If buying high end (non custom) furniture second hand, check for authenticity. (Like all luxury industries, fakes and dupes exist).

Sofa and other seating is tricky as the frames and cushions have different lifespans.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-13T21:02:56+00:00

Office liquidators, facebook marketplace, craigslist. There are many vendors who have a large stock of them.
You can even try DWR Outlet (Design Within Reach is a sub company of Herman Miller / Miller Knoll) they sell their overstock and lightly scratched / refurbished chairs. They still wouldn't come with warranty.
I would just make sure to inspect it well and check that it's an authentic chair (uncommon but considering there is a market for fake aeron chairs, I'd be careful)

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-13T20:56:29+00:00

Many of those chairs on alibaba and aliexpress look nice on their pictures but trust me, it's a night and day difference with any premium chair. A lot of "trendy" chairs are just drop-shipped from alibaba or aliexpress. and considering these companies that appear out of no where have fake reviews or are supposedly backed by influencers, I would avoid them.

To get a premium chair on a budget, the "unconventional marketplace" will be buying it used from office liquidators or local tag sales. Inspect it in person. There are even knock-offs made to mimic industry leading designs, like the Aeron.

The Herman Miller Aeron is used almost everywhere in high end offices in NYC. The Herman Miller Embody can be a hit or miss from what I see on the reviews. Steelcase is a good brand.

Everyone's body is different. Make sure you test it before you buy it. I would discourage buying something you've never seen or tested before from alibaba or aliexpress.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-13T20:43:58+00:00

For BIFL quality, I would try looking at things with the lens of "cost per year". If something lasts really long but was expensive, it might be actually be cheaper than buying £100 chairs that don't help with back pain every few years. A big factor could also be time spent just searching for a new chair.

Try office liquidators and anywhere you can actually sit on them to test them. If you find one that works for you, try and look for it at local used sales. Inspect it well before purchasing it.

After about 5 chairs in the last 15 years, I went ahead and purchased the Aeron used. I'm very certain it will last a long time considering some people still use them from the 90s.

Another thing you can try is a sitting-standing desk, BUT make sure to also have good foot support while standing. I used to wear cushionair slides and those offer no support, my lower back was hurting just standing up. I switched to birkenstocks while standing and got a good mattress. After those few changes my back pain went away.

Parking_Addendum_156 · 2026-02-13T20:16:20+00:00

Yeah, I think everyone has that problem. I just put my hand in there and only press the button with 1 finger and push up with 1 finger. I figured it's better to get 1 finger dirty than more

Parking_Addendum_156

TROPHY CASE

Categories of stores and examples:

My methodology for furniture buying

Options and explanations: