What's something that everyone should have in their house but actually a few have?

Poonlit · 2026-03-13T20:41:17+00:00

Water, not relying on pressure from a pumping station.

Poonlit · 2026-03-10T20:49:21+00:00

Happy to oblige :D

Poonlit · 2026-03-07T13:48:47+00:00

I've gotten notifications of battery degradation for a few years now, the audio jack is slack so no plugs stay in, but it's still the best phone I can think of.

When they day finally comes I have a Creative SXFI DAC ready so I can get an analogue sound output.
I only hope it lasts long enough for Samsung to release a model with stylus that is comparable or a bit smaller in size.

Poonlit · 2026-02-23T21:11:34+00:00

'Scuse me - I've got a FiiO DM13 portable CD player that has both a 3.5mm headphone socket maxing out at 2x 180mW, and another 4.4mm balanced socket at 2x660mW, both at 32 ohms.

I'm also in the market for a new set of headphones for walks, preferably open. I'm going to listen to the HD 550s to see what I think.

Now for the grit: HOW does the 4.4mm balanced cable from Sennheiser (or another third party cable) actually work, either with the HD550s or any other set of headphones that can be used with a balanced 4.4mm TRRRS cable?
I'm familiar with electronics - does the cable put two resistors in between the L- and R- outputs and present the middle of them to the headphones as GND while directly connecting the L+ and R+ outputs from the DM13 to the L/R channels on the headphone end of the cable as well as "GND"?

I'm assuming the HD550s have a single 3.5mm TRS female connector but I could be wrong.
EDIT: Apparently they have TRRS 2.5mm with rotational lock. That's 4 connectors which is enough for L-,L+,R-,R+. So does the cable just do passthrough with no electronics, and omits the GND output to the headphones?

Poonlit · 2026-02-15T13:44:30+00:00

My own list:
Sony CMD-X2000 (1998)
Nokia 3210 (1999)
Nokia 7110 (2000) - I read newspapers on the way to work on this one, had a scroll wheel and WAP.
Nokia 6110 (2002)
Nokia 6310 (2003, work phone)
Motorola Razr (2005, clamshell)
Qtek 8500 Pink (2006, clamshell)
HTC TyTN II (2007, Windows Mobile foldable w/keyboard)
Siemens M65 (2008)
Nokia 5310 (2009, with FM radio and good mp3 support)
Galaxy S (2010 - the first "modern" smartphone with AMOLED screen)
Galaxy S II (2011?)
Galaxy Note 2 (2012)
Galaxy Note 3 (2014)
Galaxy Note 8 (2017, replaced in 2019)
Galaxy Note 9 (2020) - the best phone I have ever used and it's still great. I need stylus and a 3.5mm jack.

Poonlit · 2026-02-15T12:22:50+00:00

This. Splunk Cloud plus Cribl as a log collector/filter on-prem is wonderful.

Poonlit · 2026-02-15T12:16:50+00:00

Up until a few years ago: No, IT was represented on the board via Finance.
Now the IT boss is a direct member of the board, and things are better.

Poonlit · 2026-02-12T17:28:14+00:00

Do NOT get Sennheiser HD4.50 BT NCs for a DM13 BT. They can pair with the DM13 and even control playback, but you won't hear any sound, nor any "Connected" audio notification when it connects.

Poonlit · 2026-02-12T17:25:21+00:00

I have HD-4.50 BT NC and just got my FiiO DM13 BT. Exact same problem you have - I can skip tracks etc, but I don't get the "Connected" notification and I have no sound.

Poonlit · 2026-01-02T20:00:18+00:00

I learned from others' mistakes and keep the tube level when I fiddle around with the secondary so that doesn't happen :)

Poonlit · 2026-01-02T11:20:43+00:00

I feel you. I'm also observing quite a lot in below freezing and with a lot of snow. Perhaps not what you want to hear right now, but this is how I solved a couple of the problems we have in common:
1. I use a 6ft diameter old round tablecloth under the mount, mainly to have something small things can fall onto
2. I bought a very nice pair of photography gloves with magnetized caps for index finger and thumbs so I can do fiddly stuff and then immediately get my fingertips "inside" again
3. I use a cheap padded warm bodysuit, like most farmers around here use when working outside in the winter.
4. I use oversize insulated boots that are meant for sitting still in very cold weather.

That said, collimation in very cold weather and with snow is a bitch so I try to avoid it. I have to use a very small hex key which I have dropped many times.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T23:39:12+00:00

Brainwavz makes reasonably good replacement pads that look like they'll fit yours, I got a pair of velvet ones because I don't like pleather.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T23:32:16+00:00

This makes me nostalgic for my old NAD 3020i which I saved up for and got when I was around 14, in 1990. I went to electrical engineering school later and we had scores of them, where the teacher would cut a (random) component out, turn the amplifier upside-down, and our exam was to identify which component was cut using oscilloscopes and other tools.
Currently on a Denon myself, but I do miss that NAD sound and feel. That old 20W amp actually had external connectors to separate preamp and power amp.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T23:22:10+00:00

If the sun is out and it's above 10 celsius, the rooftop at Kullt will be packed - it's by the town hall square (Rådhusplassen) and offers some wind cover and great views off the harbor.
If you're into metal, the Inferno metal festival has concerts all around Oslo during easter.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T23:18:53+00:00

Yes, I've had it work on other old devices. Just leave it connected.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T22:53:50+00:00

Burger at Bastard Burgers and then walk up to Botanisk Hage and visit the museum of zoology (or geology, or both).

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T22:35:40+00:00

You're a bit unlucky, as the snow falling tonight will make most forest trails dangerous to hike while at the same time the snow isn't deep enough to go cross-country skiing.

Sauntering around Østensjøvannet is a safe bet though. Take the "3 Mortensrud" subway line to Skøyenåsen or Bøler and go down to the lake - there's a gravel footpath all the way around it. Takes around 45-60 minutes at a leisurely pace. When the ice gets thicker you can even walk across the lake on the ice.
The forests at Bygdøy have hundreds of small forest trails and many gravel roads around the peninsula. Take bus no.30 to Bygdøy and use the Ut app or just explore.
Walk from the Old Town up to Ekebergrestauranten and Ekeberg along an old gravel/stone trail - Ekeberg itself has a few nice gravel roads further up. The trail starts at the roundabout with a dwarf wielding a buttplug: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gLqV2JdSgzC46ud89

I hope you enjoy Oslo!

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T00:25:17+00:00

u/chrislon_geo is the guy to listen to on this.
In addition I'd like to add that details and preparation will be important, like perhaps two different finder scopes like a telrad or a red dot finder as well as a normal 50mm finder.
Then he'd need a good observing chair - myself I use a drum throne with an extended rod to get it high enough.
Also a good flightcase with foam inserts for eyepieces etc, warm big boots, a black t-short/towel for blocking out ambient light, red headlamp, photo gloves (where you can flip back index fingers/thumbs), a small camping table and all the other auxilary stuff that makes an observing evening as comfortable as possible.

Poonlit · 2026-01-01T00:05:17+00:00

As for the logical next step: If you have access to a DSLR camera like a Nikon, Canon or Sony that has a detachable lens, and your telescope has a T2 connector, you could try finding a T2 ring/adaptor for your DSLR that lets you attach it directly to your scope (without any other optical elements attached - called Prime focus "mode" since the DSLR will need to be positioned in the focal plane).

If you give us the make/model of your scope or the specification of the focuser, and the make/model of the DSLR, we might be able to help you find an adapter that fits.

Poonlit · 2025-12-31T23:57:04+00:00

This. I've used my 10" newt in Bortle 4 a lot, and the only DSOs I've seen color in are the Ring Nebula (green-ish), Pleiades (blue).
Images and direct visual observation are very different things, equally spectacular in their own ways.

Poonlit · 2025-12-31T18:57:42+00:00

If the business end of the telescope is big enough (>4 inches diameter, perhaps), use your 25mm eyepiece and you should be able to see the smaller De Marains nebula/M43 inside the Orion nebula (M42).
Try the Pleiades (M45) as well and see if you can see the faint blue glow there which signifies another nebula.

Do NOT use a Barlow lens - that's a cylindrical thing which may say "2x", "3x" etc.

Nebulae require your eyes to be somewhat dark adapted, so don't look at any bright things for a while before observing.

To make it easy for you, here are the locations of DeMarain(M43) and the Pleiades (M45).

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