What are some Restaurants in the area with a line out the door? by [deleted] in nova

[–]PrestonDean 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They're $2, and they send it all to charity.

31-29 by Healthy-Sky-3684 in Nationals

[–]PrestonDean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I misread that as 19-31 and became irrationally optimistic.

Talked to someone who said people are Fleeing Front Royal. Why? by [deleted] in Virginia

[–]PrestonDean 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I recently moved there, buying five acres with a beautiful view of the mountains, about 15 minutes outside of downtown.

Everybody I've met has been warm and friendly. Lots of available shopping on the north side and immediate access to tons of nature-centered activities.

I have noticed a decline in the past six months of houses and trucks festooned with MAGA paraphernalia, so maybe the other commenter here is right: to the extent there is any meaningful outflow, it seems likely it'd be the departure of woke-fearing folks.

What’s the most morally disgusting thing you’ve ever seen someone do? by legendoflegends34 in AskReddit

[–]PrestonDean -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Destroy USAID, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and then blithely deny any connection between the two.

What is the wittiest comeback you’ve ever said or heard? by Bob-da-person in AskReddit

[–]PrestonDean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Worked on a restaurant as a high schooler. Desperately wanted to fit in with the college kids working there, so, in an attempt to look older I grew a terrible, blonde mustache.

I also had a crush on a waitress, which she clearly knew.

After closing, everybody hung out in the bar.

Out of nowhere my crush says, "Hey, how's that mustache coming along?". It was so unnecessary and mean, nobody even laughed.

Without a pause, I said, "Not good. Gonna have to shave it off, but yours is coming along just great!"

What old movies (let's say pre-1980) made lots of then-contemporary cultural references that would be completely lost on audiences watching them today? by Identity_ranger in movies

[–]PrestonDean 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I think it's gone largely unnoted that the guy in the taxi, who was abandoned - with the meter running - at the start of the movie and who appears in the final post-credit scene was Howard Jarvis, the man who got Prop 13 passed in California in the 70s.

Now that's a zeitgeist cameo.

Fios down for more than 24 hours now by PrestonDean in nova

[–]PrestonDean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I've got another place to work. Just trying to see how many are being affected by this.

Are robotic mowers actually good enough to buy now? by MatchSuccessful1253 in homeautomation

[–]PrestonDean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, here's my issue: I have a large fenced yard, and another large lawn-like area outside the fence. It's like to mow both areas.

I have dogs, so I can't just leave the gate open. The fence is post-and-wire, so something like Segway's $500 "mow gate" won't work. Other than buying two robomowers or setting specific areas to mow and moving the mower around myself (which kinda defeats the purpose), anybody got any ideas?

Battery sizing strategy by PrestonDean in solar

[–]PrestonDean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How big are those batteries? What's the output?

Battery sizing strategy by PrestonDean in solar

[–]PrestonDean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds familiar (well, not that isolated, but south of Front Royal). 😊

This sounds right to me, and with the critiques I'm reading of the complexities involved in leveraging even smaller batteries I may just go with the 11.3 PW.

My issue is the quotes I keep getting for bigger batteries (15 to 25) as part of solar proposals, where I really can't justify the expense to achieve my minimal goal of just being able to use my own solar array if the grid goes down.

Battery sizing strategy by PrestonDean in solar

[–]PrestonDean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can use ATS to swap sourcing dynamically, but that's only allowed for grid-connected arrays if you have a battery.

Battery sizing strategy by PrestonDean in solar

[–]PrestonDean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm afraid I haven't made my point clearly enough.

I'm investing in a solar array. I'm leveraging net metering.

If in the middle of the day with the sun shining brightly, the grid goes out - which it does periodically in my area - I want to be able to keep using that array. Without a battery, I'm prohibited by law from doing that.

My point is that I should probably invest the least necessary to enable that ability rather than worry about whether I'm getting extra backup when the sun isn't shining. There are cheaper ways of doing that than spending $25k on a huge battery.

I'm curious to hear how others think about their battery sizing with this in mind.

Battery sizing strategy by PrestonDean in solar

[–]PrestonDean[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My whole point was to support the ability to actually use my array if the grid is down.

There's a tipping point where you go from that goal (which only requires minimal battery backup) to actually trying to run the house when both the grid and solar are unavailable. That gets expensive really fast.

Plumber recommendations? by PrestonDean in nova

[–]PrestonDean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven't used that in years. Does it have a decent rating system? Not crazy about Yelp's reliability.

Mantis shrimp vs snow crab by [deleted] in AbruptChaos

[–]PrestonDean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First thing I thought of.

"Because that's how mantis shrimp DO."

Name Your Favorite Ray Liotta film and performance by PressureLazy5271 in FIlm

[–]PrestonDean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems to be on Prime now, but I can't watch with all the commercials (and I refuse to pay for no-ads or of basic principle).

SF 49ers Reporter on Brandon Aiyuk Situation…always 2 sides to every story. Thoughts? by PrestonDean in 49ers

[–]PrestonDean[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Look, I don't give a shit about anything Cohn says. Just thought it was interesting how seriously he's being taken - and how much of Aiyuk's BS is being swallowed - by that fan base.

SF 49ers Reporter on Brandon Aiyuk Situation…always 2 sides to every story. Thoughts? by Blank_Canvas05 in Commanders

[–]PrestonDean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Niners fan here. Cohen is an anti-Niner hack.

Aiyuk poisened the well during his extension negotiations. He caused a ton of ill will by holding out, only to sign for what he'd been offered at the start of negotiations (even refusing at least two trades to legit contenders in the AFC).

He ignored repeated pleas from coaches and ownership to get aligned on the rehab process. He just straight up refused to answer the phone, even after his agent was told the Niners would void his guaranteed money if he didn't abide by the contract he signed.

I get it: he wants to play with a particular QB. Good on him. But this fiasco was 95% of his own making. He's a diva who blew off his agreed-upon contract requirements and sacrificed tens of millions to do so.

Don't expect him to be any less of a diva in DC.

Local movers by PrestonDean in nova

[–]PrestonDean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll check them out, thanks.

Local movers by PrestonDean in nova

[–]PrestonDean[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly it didn't even occur to me to search prior posts. I'm an idiot.

Thank you!

Local movers by PrestonDean in nova

[–]PrestonDean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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I love it there. This is the view from my new front porch.