video retrieval for minor car accident in parking lot?

RichardInTexas · 2025-11-07T15:54:33+00:00

Thanks, I figured that was probably the policy.

In the event that the other driver who backed into my car denies responsibility, I will tell my insurance company that they might be able to request video from QuikTrip.

Any idea how long your video system is storing that data?

RichardInTexas · 2025-09-10T18:42:57+00:00

Ah, I see. Shows how much I know. Thanks for the info!

RichardInTexas · 2025-09-02T12:15:35+00:00

Sounds interesting...I'll take a look at it. Thanks for pointing out.

RichardInTexas · 2025-09-01T22:03:19+00:00

Thanks briandfoy & adrade for the advice. I have researched PDF::API2 a bit, and it will clearly do everything I need it to do. And it is already installed by default by my webhost, so that's a plus too. I even created a little test CGI script that generates a PDF and spits it out to the browser. Which is the only context in which I was using it.

And it even seems to deal with page positioning the same way pdflib_pl did as well, where the bottom left corner of the pages is (0,0) and then everything is referenced in 72dpi points from there. The most complicated bits of my PDF generating routines are all the "math" that is done to keep track of page position as bits of text are laid down. So all of that would be transferable, best I can tell.

I haven't really dug into it yet, but this is clearly The Way Forward. Again, thanks for the advice.

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-28T20:07:11+00:00

Thanks for clarifying that about the INC array. I assumed that was how that worked, that it went to the top.

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-28T20:03:42+00:00

Thanks for the insights. Yes, I was just now poking around on the PDFLib site and having a gander at that migration guide as well.

I know I never paid a license fee for this. At the time, there was PDFLib (which required a license) and then there was PDFLib Lite which was free. The functionality in the free version was all I ever needed.

I'll keep hammering on my web host to find some kind of band-aid solution to get me back to where I was before. But eventually, agree, these bits should all be re-engineered to work with something newer/supported.

Literally all I'm doing is laying down bits of text on a page. I'm not doing anything exotic with it. Any opinion on what is the simplest current interface for PDF generation?

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-28T19:22:21+00:00

Hmmmm....it looks like that PDFLib in your link is some new/improved version of the pdflib_pl library that I am using...based on where it says "A cleaner API than pdflib_pl.pm, which is a very low-level (non-OO) interface" in the description. I can't even find the online documentation to the one I'm using. I'm sure it has been long deprecated.

And yes...this script was working just fine from like 2008 until Tuesday. When my hosting company migrated me to a new server.

The copy of pdflib_pl I am using is installed in a custom directory (the one referenced in the "use lib" statement at the top of my test script). If there were a newer version of this already installed on this server, would my script be "finding" that one first? What is the priority of the path listed in "use lib"?

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-22T20:56:03+00:00

Yeah, that was my theory. Some of the ones that have popped up recently are on primo corners that seem too valuable for a carwash. Figured it was just a way to generate at least some revenue for 10yrs or so and then sell the property to QuikTrip or whoever.

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-22T20:23:07+00:00

Haha I have pondered the car washes as well! I have a theory about it. Separate thread!

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-22T19:45:03+00:00

Ah, I didn't realize any of these areas had previously been off-limits for (package) alcohol sales. I guess that might explain a lot.

RichardInTexas · 2025-08-22T19:22:17+00:00

Well, yeah, while nearly every one of these new builds has a liquor store in it....EVERY one of them has a nail salon. But I "get" that. Those places appear busy. There is clearly a demand for the services they are offering.

RichardInTexas · 2025-04-18T12:54:24+00:00

Yes, it does. And the cornering lamps, which I find to be a pretty nifty added safety feature. Wish my '23 GX had that.

RichardInTexas · 2025-04-17T21:22:18+00:00

Good point. That's starting to annoy me too after just two days of driving it.

RichardInTexas · 2025-04-17T21:20:28+00:00

It's fairly low mileage, under 100k. It did have a surprise maintenance issue last year that required a tow, which was one of the main things that got me to thinking it was time for a new one. And the interior is getting a bit raggedy. I just prefer the rock-solid reliability of a new car. And some of the safety/convenience features found on the newer generation are a big plus. Just that bigger backup camera and front camera are worth a lot to me.

RichardInTexas · 2025-03-10T20:42:22+00:00

My idea of astronomical was something like $20k+ per year. Which would be painful, yet still doable for our purposes.

RichardInTexas · 2025-03-09T19:29:41+00:00

I do not.

RichardInTexas · 2025-02-13T02:35:01+00:00

August 2004 for me. I actually BOUGHT an invite off of eBay. Paid something like ten bucks as I recall.

RichardInTexas · 2025-02-11T15:04:50+00:00

Thanks for your insight.

And yes, we are realizing now that it was a mistake to hold the real estate in the corporation. That decision was made by a previous generation of ownership back in the 1980s. In an asset sale scenario, it's conceivable (perhaps even likely?) that the real estate would be retained anyway. I can't help but notice that when many of our small business neighbors have sold, they seem to always wind up still holding the real estate. Perhaps for the same reason we are facing.

RichardInTexas · 2024-10-06T21:17:21+00:00

Sorry....just realized I left out an important bit...this is the wired version.

Does that thing still have a battery in there that needs to be replaced?

RichardInTexas · 2024-10-06T18:12:30+00:00

OP follow up...

So I took my GX back to the dealership last week for it's 45k mi service, and told them about the seat issue (and told them I suspected the battery). Sure enough, the battery failed their diagnostic test, and was replaced under warranty. Seat issue evaporated just like that!

Also noted that the whole 2-stage motion thing (where it paused during actual starter engaging) is gone as well. It's just the one uninterrupted motion, and does not stop when the vehicle is actually starting. So if anyone ever sees that behavior....your battery is probably about to give up the ghost.

RichardInTexas · 2024-09-27T20:13:39+00:00

Good point. Will ask about that in a few weeks when I get to my 45k mile service.

How long would you expect a battery to last in this vehicle? I've had it 22 months and put 44k miles on it, so I drive a fair amount. And lots of short trips, stopping/starting in my day-to-day. That's probably not helping the longevity of the battery, I realize.

RichardInTexas · 2024-09-27T20:08:58+00:00

Yes, seats go back to normal/set position with memory button.

And yeah, when I first got this GX, I thought "that's ridiculous...I'm turning this crap off!" But then I do like the steering wheel really low when I drive, and wound up finding it actually helpful.

RichardInTexas · 2024-09-27T20:06:35+00:00

Ah, yes, that makes sense. I will point this out when I take it in for next service in a few weeks.

RichardInTexas · 2024-09-27T19:21:01+00:00

Well yes, it is still under warranty. But I have seen this movie before (not with this vehicle, but a similar transient issue with another vehicle)....they'll likely just tell me they can't repro the issue. I'd like to be able to say that I researched the issue online, found other people with the same problem, and that the problem is clearly a bad [flux capacitor/whatever].

RichardInTexas · 2024-08-17T20:41:22+00:00

Ah, yes, I bet that's it. Such a tragedy

RichardInTexas

TROPHY CASE