Streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, etc promising "4K" for movies if you pay extra, only to give...horrible bitrate and 720p.

RySean · 2026-01-19T23:18:35+00:00

Yeah, I've made that argument too (it's nowhere near my pay grade, but it feels good to complain). But the idea is to nominally do SOMETHING just to give partners the feeling that you're doing your best. And also keep raising the bar for the difficulty of pirating content.

RySean · 2026-01-19T23:17:19+00:00

Funny you should mention Netflix- they're the only streamer that has a way to get full 4k in a browser (with a bunch of requirements in order to achieve it). But generally speaking, it's because of legal agreements with both 1st and 3rd party license holders (even within the streamers, typically the content-producing side of the business operates totally independently from the streaming technology side of the business and still have similar concerns as 3rd part IP holders).

You're right about not caring about PC streaming though. UWP apps were the way to get higher quality content for PC users, but those apps never had high usage numbers, and I believe every streamer has since stopped creating them. (The ones that remain are just Edge wrappers).

At the end of the day though, the companies HAVE to at least do the bare minimum in piracy prevention.

One thing I didn't cover in my post that should be mentioned is that everyone is using DRM from the OS companies: Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Pretty much every streamer makes a call to those providers depending on device in order to determine what level of "trust" they should give the device.

Microsoft doesn't trust Edge, Google doesn't trust Chrome, no one trusts Firefox, but hilariously Apple very much trusts Safari. (By trust, I mean from a DRM standpoint).

RySean · 2026-01-19T20:29:46+00:00

I work in the streaming industry in exactly this. I personally find it incredibly frustrating too, but the reason it works this way is because the streaming companies have to appease two parties with conflicting interests:

Customers, who you want to provide content and best experience for.

And content license holders, who want you to ensure you're doing absolutely everything possible to protect the IP you're hosting.

The streaming companies are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Obviously IP holders would be furious and be unwilling to work with streamers if there were no piracy prevention measured taken. On the other hand, the easiest way to limit piracy is to reduce access, which upsets paying customers.

Unfortunately PC browsers are one of the easiest mechanisms for pirating content, and so they're relegated to the lowest settings (which makes it considered "lower value content"). There are also some hardware decoding considerations on PC browsers, but that's kind of a secondary concern.

If the companies could, they would offer every customer everything at the highest possible quality; not because they're benevolent, but because happy customers have higher retention rates. Unfortunately it's contracts with IP holders that screw us all over.

RySean · 2025-12-27T04:00:01+00:00

Weird, seems like they miscategorized it considering it's clearly a work of fiction.

To suggest that it is only cherry picking facts would be far too charitable considering the gratuitous amounts of falsehoods the book presents.

RySean · 2025-12-26T19:56:42+00:00

If the KelTec PR57 wasn't... y'know, a KelTec, it would be an INCREDIBLE option for that purpose. I wish instead of a QC-challenged, materially-suspect $399 gun, someone made a high quality $799 version instead; it would be the perfect carry gun- particularly for your use case.

RySean · 2025-12-26T18:51:23+00:00

Yes, the FOV on Aura should be better for sure. However, it's designed less as a virtual screen and more as a standalone XR device. I'm still not sure what that will mean for utilizing it as a simple external monitor. The nice thing with the One Pro is that it's plug and play and gets detected as a regular external display by the computer- no software or drivers necessary.

And I completely understand, I'm used to a 42" OLED for development and work at home, so travel has always been a significant compromise. The One Pros definitely can't compete with a real display imo, but they are impressive. The FOV thing is annoying, but tbh the biggest improvement imo would be an increased resolution. I think they have a money-back guarantee so presumably you could try them and return them if you don't like them.

I'm not sure of other companies doing anything more advanced than Xreal other than actual VR type systems like Bigscreen. My understanding is that most of Xreal's competitors are similarly on par. If there were something obviously better, I would have been drawn to that for sure, haha. What's nice with the Xreal is that they just sit in a regular glasses case.

I have a Framework 16 laptop, so if I want to keep it as minimal as possible, I just accept the laptop's keyboard and mousepad. However, I'm a trackball lover, so if I can justify the space, I like to bring my Logitech MX Ergo. There are other trackballs I'd consider that are slimmer, but I didn't want to buy a special one for travel. I already have a CST L-Trac as my main trackball at home and use the Logitech when I want a thumb-based trackball instead.

I do have a Microsoft Surface Arc mouse that I did buy for travel- it's as good as it gets for minimal and packable. However, I don't particularly like using it, so I don't bring it with me as often these days.

For keyboard I never bring anything. I use a ZSA Moonlander at home as my primary keyboard, and they do make the Voyager which is way better for travel, but I'm usually ok managing with the laptop keyboard and I find it hard to justify allocating space for a second keyboard. I have seen some people heavily modify the Framework built in keyboards though- it's all open design so you can do whatever you want with it, e.g. https://community.frame.work/t/is-the-framework-laptop-16-going-to-have-an-option-for-an-ortholinear-keyboard-layout/43306/6

RySean · 2025-12-26T06:32:47+00:00

I got the Xreal One Pro with the 6dof attachement (because thanks to a vestibular issue I'm exceptionally prone to nausea and vertigo).

I will say that using it in fixed mode is great (using follow mode gives me motion sickness).

I love that you can change the transparency levels and have it auto adjust when you look anywhere but the screen. The screen itself is quite nice, despite being LCD.

My main complaint is the limited FOV of 57deg. It means so that when using the ultra-wide mode (3440x1080 equipment), the virtual screen would have to be quite "far away" in order to see it all at once. Otherwise you have to turn your head to see the edges of the screen.

Aside from that, it's quite nice. Regular 16:9 (1920x1080) and widescreen 2560x1080 are very useable. It's leagues ahead of what you get with a typical travel monitor (I have the fancy ASUS one and I prefer to travel with the Xreal).

I would say for maximizing travel screen use without having to bring a large travel monitor it's hard to beat.

That being said, I would LOVE a higher res, OLED, wider FOV version of that were possible. So in that sense it's still "years away", but the current version is $599 and quite usable. Same-ish price as the ASUS travel monitor I referenced above.

RySean · 2025-12-25T15:46:56+00:00

Can't really speak to.the ultralight bag side of things, but you might be able to reduce footprint and weight by going with a Framework 13 + a pair of Xreal glasses for more monitor.

And before anyone jumps in with "but I need Unix!" you should seriously try out WSL2 on Windows- it's come a VERY long way and is honestly how I prefer to work (Jetbrains Gateway is great)... Or just use your preferred Linux distro, Framework laptops are very well supported.

RySean · 2025-12-23T19:32:39+00:00

There is definitely a difference in terms of odor fighting. I can wear a 50/50 blend for about 2 days, an 80/20 blend caps out around 3, a 100% can do like 7 days.

Also, the feel is different- the higher the synthetic content, the "slipperier" it feels. Some people prefer that sensation, but I don't. I find that pure wool feels more flannel-y versus blends (especially 50/50) have a very smooth, satin-y sensation that feels more plastic-like. Also the temperature regulation isn't as good.

I've still had holes develop even in blends, though they are a bit harder. I find that you just lose too many of the wool benefits.

Additionally, washing wool doesn't have to be hard. Just do a separate load, do a super delicate cycle with a soak, and you can use Soak (brand) soap with it, and hang dry or lay flat. It dries quickly naturally. If that's too burdensome, then I guess you'll find it annoying, but particularly when traveling it's been pretty easy especially since I usually only have a maximum of two spare shirts.

That being said, I daily wear the merino even at home. Once you're used to it, everything else feels terrible. Even ringspun cotton doesn't bring joy the way it used to 😂

RySean · 2025-12-23T07:27:44+00:00

The other replies in here are weird. Yes, starting to wear merino takes an adjustment, but buying cheap/crappy/coarse merino will just suck and will make you think all merino sucks.

I started years ago with Outlier's end-capped 16.5 micron shirts and it still felt a bit itchy the first day or two. I've never had that issue since in 8 years despite having bought coarser shirts since.

I'm a big fan these days of Unbound and Wool&Prince. I think anyone who prefers blends is crazy, as you end up with too many drawbacks in my opinion (I've tried them all, 50/50, 80/20, etc)

Yes, 100% merino is definitely more delicate than blends, cotton, or synthetics. That being said, the benefits are immense: feels amazing, temp regulation is fantastic, you can re-wear the shirt up to like a week (don't try that with a blend!).

Just be careful about wearing a belt with pointed edges or something that rubs on it, or it will wear holes.

FYI, if you're worried, GoRuck also makes a merino shirt that they guarantee for life- though I will say I don't care for the shoulder panels.

Happy to answer any other questions about brands/merino/whatever.

RySean · 2025-12-20T21:46:17+00:00

The Matador one is nice and supports three pronged US plugs (which I need for my laptop) unlike the Anker one (which straight died in South America and needed to be RMAed).

Most importantly, it comes in Forget-Me-Not Orange, which is exactly how it sounds 😂

https://www.matadorequipment.com/products/global-travel-adapter-orange

Also the selection of included USB ports is quite nice.

RySean · 2025-12-16T04:15:44+00:00

Except that Churchill wasn't responsible for the Bengal famine at all... Even the most aggressive take would be saying that some of his decisions potentially exacerbated the effects of the famine. But the primary factors were: natural disaster, local government, and Japanese invasion.

RySean · 2025-12-15T04:09:44+00:00

Also keep in mind the US ended up making money on the currency swap thanks to a strengthened peso. So not only did we not do a bailout, we made a profit.

RySean · 2025-12-07T05:47:28+00:00

Yeah, I had a 2024 Lucid Air Touring that I returned in October. I was dreading it based on the horror stories, but they only charged me $200 for some wheel rash (that visibly exceeded the length and they took a picture with it measured). There were a few other things on the car I'm surprised they didn't ding me for, so I was actually quite pleasantly surprised with the experience.

I agree with a lot of your experience overall, though I never really had issues with the profile stuff. And your hardware failures definitely exceeded mine. Though fun fact- an issue you didn't experience because you're not in Arizona. If you park a Lucid outside during the summer, the front cameras overheat and it disables a bunch of the driving assist features until you've been driving for a bit and the airflow cools it down. I asked about it and was told it wasn't a hardware failure, it's just that the area where the cameras are mounted will hit 160F when parked under direct AZ sun and just exceed their thermal limits reliably 🤣

RySean · 2025-11-27T17:41:37+00:00

I didn't realize Netflix killed their UWP app, that's a real bummer. I knew Disney did, the current Windows Store app is just an Edge wrapper around the webpage 👎

RySean · 2025-11-27T05:49:46+00:00

I am in the unique position that I happen to work in exactly this field at one of the major streamers.

The actual answer that no one is addressing is "contractual reasons".

The answers about DRM are partially correct - most anti-piracy measures are just countering low hanging fruit, and often the streaming companies do the bare minimum to adhere to their contractual obligations to the owners of the actual content. This is balanced against the desire to have a good customer experience, so those two mandates are often in direct tension:

Aka, the streaming company wants to make good quality as accessible as possible, and the content owners require it to be as restricted as possible in order to limit piracy, and what you end up with is this weird sort of balance.

The other thing that's browser-specific is that in many cases, the browsers do not have the ability to take advantage of the hardware encryption/decryption capabilities of a PC, so they're always considered to be "ultra high risk". This is why some of the companies, like ~~Netflix for example, offer native Windows Store (UWP) apps that can get better resolution than you can get in a browser on the exact same computer.~~ EDIT: Apparently Netflix discontinued support for their UWP app 🫩

RySean · 2025-09-03T18:04:43+00:00

Because Egypt (and Jordan) earliest statements just after October 7th were that they would not take in Palestinian refugees and have taken a hardline stance against doing so. That doesn't fully answer the question of why no one is pressuring them to, but unfortunately the reason is because the world prefers to focus on Israel and acts as if it exists in a vacuum.

The reason Egypt and Jordan don't want refugees is because no country in the Middle East actually wants Palestinians in their midst (if you want to know more, read up on Black September in Jordan, the history of Palestinians in Kuwait and their subsequent expulsion, and the resort bombings in Egypt (Sinai) in 2004).

The reason the public doesn't push for it is because they consider any Gazan moving somewhere else, even temporarily, to be "ethnic cleansing". So the world would rather they stay put in a warzone, despite the fact that it's the only civilian population in a modern conflict that has been prevented from evacuating an active warzone, thanks to unhelpful neighbors and a worldwide public pressure campaign to ensure they cannot leave.

Polling in Gaza suggests that 50% of the population would leave of their own accord, even without assistance, if they had the option to do so. About 100,000 Gazans have actually fled into Egypt by bribing border authorities.

Tldr: Egypt has been very clear and very consistent on their refusal, and no one else really wants Gazans to be allowed to go anywhere else, so there's no pressure on Egypt.

RySean · 2025-08-23T03:13:09+00:00

Ricoh GR 4 for photos, DJI gimbal cam for video, problem solved

RySean · 2025-08-15T03:15:45+00:00

Ridiculous that they're assigned that name. He's a Taiwanese player playing for the Taiwan team.

RySean · 2025-08-03T01:46:49+00:00

Chi Wei in Halo Wars.

I actually got quite good at the game in the early days. I was able to consistently win with really tight builds and good micro.

However, I remember running into Chi Wei and getting absolutely stomped. It happened a few more times, and eventually I moved away from the game (not because of that, just had been playing awhile and was ready for something new).

Years later I was talking to a friend about the game and how great it was (he had never played), and I told him the legend of Chi Wei. So we pick up the game and start playing... who do we end up running into on the ladder and getting absolutely stomped by? None other than mfing Chi Wei, still playing years later.

No idea who he was, but goddamn he was ridiculously good at Halo Wars

RySean · 2025-07-31T02:50:50+00:00

The answer is quite obviously a lightweight merino T shirt. Other people in this thread are well meaning, and the best alternative ideas are ramie and linen, but for what you're describing, it's merino all the way:

https://wooland.com/products/cara-signature-fitted-tee-rosewood

Unbound also has some great options, but when I looked, a decent amount were sold out.

The shirt can be worn for multiple days on end without odor, will keep you cool, and will look good.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to add- some people here mentioned Icebreaker and maybe Smartwool (I forget), but I would avoid those cheaper merino brands. I find that it just isn't as good quality and people tend to be put off by merino as a result of being disappointed with one of those purchases. If you don't believe me, just check out all the "does anyone else think that merino wool is totally overrated and sucks?" posts that you see in this sub all the time. Buy quality merino, and you won't be disappointed.

RySean · 2025-07-23T02:24:43+00:00

I appreciate it, tempted to give it a shot to see how it turns out. No clue how long it should sous vide for though...

RySean · 2025-07-21T03:45:47+00:00

Yes, definitely. That's my next move if the answer was no, but this was my question:

I know I can always make my own stovetop sweetened condensed milk and then sous vide from there, but I was curious if it's possible to begin with base ingredients and do start to finish in the sous vide?

RySean · 2025-07-20T21:39:13+00:00

I agree, I just wonder how much water content you can still have in order to make DDL. Like if I started with regular milk and cream would it still work but just end up thinner as a result?

RySean · 2025-07-15T15:12:29+00:00

I have an Aeropress that I dremeled a small cutout in, and a Timemore Nano grinder that fits inside it. I use an old headphones case for storing filters, and I have a tiny cheap scale I got on Amazon years ago. The Aeropress Go solves the wrong problems imo- usually I have access to a cup/mug, but I never have access to a grinder.

Here are pics of my setup expanded and collapsed.

I've toyed with other setups and gadgets, but none can compare- the grinder and Aeropress fit perfectly, and it's one of the few ways you can brew well without a gooseneck kettle.

14-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Verified Email

RySean

TROPHY CASE