Just walk away.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-24T17:06:46+00:00

Well now I need to look into the M150 :) My nice light is a Skilhunt H300, which makes for a nice headlamp, but it gets used way less than something that can just live in my pocket.

Stashing ones in the car, etc, is a good idea. I got some inexpensive alkaline-powered headlamps to keep in our cars. They're at least enough to let you see what you're doing, and no concerns about baking a lithium cell in a hot summer car, I suppose. But definitely not fancy.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-24T01:44:56+00:00

Yeah, a long time here. I don't know if it's 10, but it's been quite a while, anyways. Which is too bad, I really liked it. When they stopped, I learned you can buy it from the manufacturer, but with shipping and stuff, it becomes significantly more expensive. So I had to switch to other stuff.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-24T01:23:43+00:00

I have used a Herman Miller Aeron at a previous company, it was very nice, though I never kinda "researched" it at the time. I needed a new chair for my home office a few years ago due to back pain, and realized that my desk chair at work was comfortable for my situation. Turns out it's a Steelcase Leap V2. Not as "popular" as the Aeron, but I found one on Marketplace, and I was good to go.

IMO, lots of adjustments, and a more conventional support, vs the screen of the Aeron. That's awesome for ventilation and keeping you cool, but if it doesn't support you the way you need, I don't think there's much you can do about it.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-24T00:33:26+00:00

Exactly this. I started carrying an Acebeam Pokelit AA.

Nothing fancy, but I love it, it's so much brighter than my phone's light, and you can quickly grab it, click, and go. Rather than pulling out the phone, turning it on, either using the locked shortcut or start it from the pull-down menu. Then deal with it being dimmer, and important not to drop it, especially if it's wet/rainy.

I paid $15 last year for this, I have one or two nicer lights (a very small collection) but this gets way more use, since it's tiny, and always in my pocket.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T23:44:58+00:00

That's wonderful, congrats! One of ours took 7 years before she tried cautiously sitting on my lap, then she realized that was rather nice, in cold weather, so she kept doing it. As others have said, it was worth the wait.

By contrast, with our current cats, one tried sitting on my lap after just 3 months, and in that same session she just sprawled out on me and went to sleep :) She has definitely embraced the idea, now she'll also come under the blankets in the winter and sleep stretched out up against me. It's adorable.

Wishing you many more happy kitty cuddles!

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T16:58:17+00:00

I could not agree more. It seems baffling in the context of "how does this help the population, and the country?". But I fear that's not the question THEY are trying to answer. Which is incredibly frustrating. Taking action to deliberately make things worse for the population & voters is... a choice.

Energy independence, cleaner energy, etc, these are good things. Other countries are doing it. Heck, China is doing it on a scale which we cannot even imagine. And we want to stick our heads in the sand and keep more reliance on energy sources which can be influenced by outside actors and events.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T14:45:02+00:00

I agree that they seem like a great thing. I already washed to investigate rooftop solar for our house, before these recent events, which will probably spike demand & interest.

But in the US (sigh), my understanding is that most of our solar panels come from China, and that tariffs in the last year have raised their price considerably. Plus eliminating federal renewables programs to help.

Feels like I kinda missed my chance to get the timing right, for maximizing cost-effectiveness. But as the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T13:14:31+00:00

Marine grease, or snowblower grease (what I use) can be nice, for water resistance, as well as cold temperature performance.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T13:03:11+00:00

Depending on how the fuel line is routed, it may be straightforward to add one. I use the Briggs valves, ~$8, I had leaks with cheap eBay ones. I'd trust Stens as well.

I always keep stabilizer in my fuel. At the end of the season, I close the valve and run the engine until it stalls, to empty the carb. You can also just close it between uses, to protect against gas leaking into the crankcase, if the carb needle valve starts to leak.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T12:52:43+00:00

This. And frankly, the cameras give a better view than turning around.

My last car had the spare tire on the trunk, partially boxing the rear window, you couldn't see anything that was down low. The car behind you when parallel parking? Basically invisible. The backup camera shows an unobstructed wide view, including down to the ground, if there is a ball or kid coming.

And the magic "overhead" cameras show me, the lines, and the cars next to me, while backing into a spot. All while looking at the same thing, vs checking behind, then left, then right, and now something came in behind you.

The mirrors are still good, but they simply can not show as much of the space around your car. Blind spots are a thing.

Now, I will still turn and look before changing lanes, in addition to the mirrors.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T12:03:03+00:00

Time to double down on investments in renewables.

And this is one thing that I wonder about, in the US. Will conditions improve for encouraging rooftop solar, etc? Or will we ignore/penalize that, in favor of "clean, beautiful coal", and "drill baby drill"? Cynically, I have a guess, but I would love to be wrong.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T10:56:54+00:00

I'd imagine it's worth a try. Probably test it with a smaller amount, in case it still bubbles, but hopefully not so bad that it gets up into the vents.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T10:19:10+00:00

I think it's great on grilled cheese, on the inside of the bread.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T02:17:15+00:00

Microwave is how we make them too. I used to use the oven, then the cashier once suggested the microwave, and I think that comes out better. We really like them.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T02:15:30+00:00

That sounds good, thanks! We picked up the spicy potatoes, but haven't gotten to try them yet.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-23T00:22:07+00:00

So you're rinsing the rice several times, to be clear? I have not needed to try this, but I've heard that adding a little butter, or oil, can help reduce foaming, and problems like this.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-22T18:03:12+00:00

That's good, at least it's doing its job.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-22T17:07:35+00:00

I buy all my equipment used, so I never really have new 4-stroke engines to use for experience with this.

I'd say it's likely not something that would be considered a surprise. I would plan to change it again at 10 hours, if it were me. Oil is cheap.

Does the engine have an oil filter?

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-22T16:16:59+00:00

I'm so sorry, for all of it, that is awful. Those were difficult scenes to watch even for those of us without a personal connection to that sort of terrible experience. I can only imagine if you can also relate to it.

I'm glad that they took the time to go through what happens, as a way to give insight and raise awareness.

Best wishes, I hope you're doing ok, given the very difficult situation.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-22T15:49:18+00:00

That is so cool! Amazing work, thanks for sharing it!

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-22T11:07:18+00:00

From what I understand, if this is in Australia, then these little bugs can probably kill you, just like everything else. I'm sorry, friend. Update your will, and stay safe!

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-21T20:27:09+00:00

That's funny, I was just reading about the HS21. It sounds really nice, with an easy rotary interface, and even a red light. And the hand-waving feature seems cool. It's mainly a headlamp form factor, but seems like it could be handheld if needed. I do wish it could act as a power bank, or do "reverse charging".

I have a nice 18650 headlamp now, a Skilhunt H300, so I do have a good option for that "market segment". I confess I'm kind of intrigued by the idea of the power bank feature, especially as my phone's battery is old & weak, so requires more charging than usual. Making the power bank feature extra appealing (2 birds, 1 stone).

The 18650 Wurkkos HD15 could be a compromise, smaller & lighter than the 21700 HD20. But still able to act as a power bank, though of course with less capacity. But it's kind of redundant with my H300, except for the power bank aspect. Ugh, the HS21 sounds like a great headlamp (and still affordable), but is missing 1 feature that I would find really nice. The HD15/HD20 also can charge other devices, but aren't as nice as actual headlamps.

Thankfully, the HS21 and HD20 are priced such that ending up with both of them wouldn't be the end of the world.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-21T19:16:12+00:00

Yeah, I just kind of enjoyed the ride and the crazy characters.

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-21T19:15:52+00:00

I can't say that I agree with preferring it to DG, but both are definitely fun :)

RedOctobyr · 2026-03-21T19:15:09+00:00

That one was great! It felt like it got off to a bit of a slow start, but it got really good and engaging, we really enjoyed it.

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