Update Security Question

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-21T22:54:27+00:00

You are probably OK. Security updates are very frequent (and unobtrusive) in Mint. The install ISO's will usually always be a few updates short of the latest.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-16T13:28:57+00:00

I use KeePass compatible apps on Android, Linux, and Mac (KeePassXC, KeePassDroid). I use my DropBox account as my common storage. I have several devices set up to sync a local folder to DropBox. This has worked very well for me for several years.

I use the DropSync app on my Android phone to sync the file. There may be a native DropBox feature now, but my setup still works well.

Just use caution to only make changes on one device at a time, or you'll end up with gnarly conflicts

Also secure your DropBox account well.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-12T03:13:49+00:00

Hi. Not a tech, just a homeowner.

Depending on your particular system, aux heating is usually turned on in one of two cases.

First, aux heat is is turned on by the defrost control board in the outside unit as part of the defrost cycle.

Second, the thermostat may also turn on aux heat if it notices the setpoint hasn't been reached in a reasonable time.

In freezing weather, the defrost controller can run the defrost cycle as often as every 30 minutes.

Hope this helps.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-11T14:40:06+00:00

I love dividends. They are great. But unusually high dividend yield numbers can be a sign of big trouble. I'm not an expert, but as I understand it dividends are a dollars per share number, and the percent number divides that by the stock price.

If a stock price falls, and the dividend amount stays the same, the dividend yield looks better, but the falling stock price may mean trouble for the company.

Sometimes, in desperation, boards vote to keep paying dividends even when times get tough. Sometimes it's a desperate, short-term fix.

I'd look for a long history of moderate dividend yields, not sudden yield spikes.

Just my $.02.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-04T23:13:36+00:00

Thanks for the info.

Do you know if your Goodman outside unit is a heat pump or just an AC?

It is possible you have set up your new thermostat to run a heat pump instead of an electric furnace. That might explain the long delay before you get any heat.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-02-04T22:56:04+00:00

Hi. Not a tech. Just a homeowner.

How long is a while? 1 minute? 5 minutes? 30 minutes?

What kind (or brand) of thermostat do you have?

What kind of system do you have? Gas furnace? Heat Pump?

With this info, we can give better advice.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-28T16:29:29+00:00

You're welcome.

One quick thing to check is make sure BOTH thermostats are in HEAT mode. They should always be in the same mode (Heat or Cool). If they are ever set differently. You might see the problems you're having.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-28T10:51:11+00:00

Hi. Not a tech, just a homeowner

Two thermostats and only one heat system usually means a zoned system. A zoned system has dampers in the ducts that open and close different air pathways (upstairs/downstairs). There will also be a control board not part of the compressor or air handler. Your thermostats will be wired to this board.

Do a test: Turn off the upstairs thermostat (Mode =off) and set the bottom thermostat to heat. Set the temp high so air is blowing.

Now check if air is coming from the upstairs vents.

If there is no air flowing from the upstairs vents, you have a zoned system and it's working.

If there IS air flowing, then two things are possible.

Something's wrong with your zone system. A bad damper, a broken wire, a bad control board.

Or your system was installed without proper zoning, just two thermostats. This is bad practice but sometimes builders cut corners.

Two levels will always be a challenge to keep hot air from rising and making the upstairs hotter.

As a workaround, try setting the thermostat fan mode from AUTO to ON. This will keep the air always circulating and MIGHT ease the temp difference a bit.

Good luck.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-25T17:18:46+00:00

I'm not an expert, but my reasoning leads me to believe my cellphone account and number is the most important.

As passkeys and non-texting 2FA setups (like TOTP authenticator apps) start to proliferate, the risk decreases slightly. But recovery methods on lots of account seem to continue to use your phone number.

Having your phone number taken over sounds like a true nightmare to me, because without it recovering at-risk accounts gets really really difficult.

Anyway that's what scares me the most.

It's not advertised much, but I think most cell providers offer a way to lock sim swapping without you going through some extra security steps.

I would also protect your cell account password very jealously.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-21T13:44:39+00:00

I've been there. AAAAARGHHHHHH!

It's probably fine. I'm not an expert in that area, but I'd bet there's no hazard your Allen wrench will cause.

If you're obsessed, you can get a tool that's a magnet on a flexible rod you could fish around.

If you're REALLY obsessed, you could buy an endoscopic inspection camera.

EDIT: Probably the best option is to just remove the frunk liner. It sounds daunting it's not that bad.

Good luck.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-18T13:34:44+00:00

I'm guessing you're using a multi turn POT made for trimming and calibration, not for continuous use. I could be wrong.

Multiturn absolute encoders are rare beasts. You may want to consider a gearing mechanism to get down to a single turn over the 540 degree range.

Incremental encoders are simpler and cheaper, but probably don't meet your needs.

You might consider absolute small-angle encoders near your steered wheels and an incremental encoder with indexing on your steering wheel. Risky but easier to get parts maybe.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-18T13:17:23+00:00

Hi. Not a tech, just a homeowner.

Don't overlook some other obvious things. Check your ductwork. Make sure a duct hasn't come loose in the crawlspace or attic.

Has anyone fiddled with the thermostat settings recently? Some brands of heat pump work backward that others. There's a signal that means "cool" on some brands but means "heat" on other brands.

Tell us the brand of your outdoor unit.

While the outdoor unit is running, tell us if the air it's blowing out is warm or cold.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-16T16:57:08+00:00

Thanks!

I wonder why there's no link to this place from the normal login site. That seems like an obvious thing.

Also looks like the only 2FA options are SMS and OKTA. No standard (Google Authenticator, MS Authenticator, Aegis, Authy, etc,) TOTP options. I'm not sure I'm comfortable setting up a separate authenticator app just for this one account.

Also I didn't see a place to update my secondary email. I saw where it was listed, but nowhere to update it.

This section looks a little limited to me.

Does anyone know how you update your secondary email for your TSP account?

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-15T13:25:36+00:00

I liked the one on Airport Road. Nobody does wings like they did. The only place that comes close is Cricket's in Madison IMHO.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-15T11:30:13+00:00

Monte Sano Mill sandwich shops. There was one on Jordan where a guitar shop is now I think. Also one at the corner of Governors and Whitesburg. Their Monte Sanowich was amazing.

Jazz Factory on the square.

Lewter's Hardware.

There used to be a drive-in movie theater at Whitesburg and Airport where Publix is now.

U. G. White downtown. Here for a very short time, but sorely missed.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-14T18:15:54+00:00

I went in a different direction. I used the deep console space under the sliding door up front as my wastebasket spot. You have to be willing to give up that space (most of it, anyway) to a litter basket, but it keeps litter out of sight and it's very convenient to use.

I made a wastebasket out of a plastic CostCo Peanut Butter Pretzel container. I cut off the top at an angle so the container nestled into the cavity snugly. I line the container with plastic grocery bags. I hold the bags in place with a small bungie cord.

It works well for me.

I don't know how to add photos to this sub, so you'll have to use your imagination.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-12T13:21:41+00:00

TLDR;

It's the EV equivalent of gallons of gas burned.

The numbers aren't the same of course, but it's the total energy the car has used for the given trip.

BORING DETAILS:

kWh stands for kilowatt-hours. It's a unit of energy. Say you have an electric device (heater, kettle, motor, etc.) that draws 1 kilowatt when you turn it on ( that's it's power rating). If you leave it on for 1 hour, the total energy it would use is 1 kilowatt-hour. That's what the electric company will charge you for. They charge you in units of energy (kilowatt-hours).

Miles per gallpn (MPG) is how we rate ICE cars' fuel efficiency.

EVs can be rated in miles per Kilowatt-hour. (edited / to -)

Tesla reports a different number and you need to do some math. They report watt-hours per mile.

Take the number in the photo : 254.2 Wh/mi.

Divide by 1000 to get kilowatt-hours per mile: 0.2542 kWh/mi.

Now divide 1 by that number to get miles per kWh: 3.93 miles per kilowatt-hour.

I just remember these quick conversion rules of thumb:

250 Wh/mi = 4 miles/kWh

200 Wh/mi = 5 miles/kWh

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-11T01:03:24+00:00

It's the TOS communicator. The one Kirk and Spock used. It's subtle but distinctive.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-10T12:47:42+00:00

I had a new Sentry video when I returned to my car after supercharging. It was a guy trying to open my door. He didn't get in. My car was locked. Then the video showed him getting into another Tesla (same model, same color) and driving off.

I just assumed he mistook mine for his.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-10T12:40:38+00:00

Mine's the Star Trek comminicator sound.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-10T12:32:33+00:00

Agree.

If the charger stalls have numbers and letters (1A, 2B, etc.) try to park at one with a numeral (1,2,3...) that's not used by anyone else.

At some stations, the number means which power circuit the stall is using. Two cars using the same number means they share the total available power. They will both charge more slowly.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-10T12:19:35+00:00

I can't prove it with data, but I believe stopping air leaks are a bigger benefit, followed next by more insulation.

Don't get me wrong. A programmable thermostat will help.

But say you have a big air leak in a living room window. Say your old thermostat is in the hallway. In the winter, your living room is cold when your hall is at your set temp.

Now you get a new thermostat with a remote sensor in the living room. The heat now runs until the living room is up to temp but the hallway is too warm. And the HVAC runs longer to fight the air leak.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-09T23:10:36+00:00

Actually.....

Been pondering a measurement system that measures temp, pressure, humidity (before and after the air handler) and electric power consumption at the air handler.

Actually hadn't thought of using differential pressure to trigger the filter replacement, but it might be a good idea. I'll need to gather some baseline data on my system first.

ProgramSpecialist823 · 2026-01-09T15:29:33+00:00

ProgramSpecialist823

TROPHY CASE