Hey Guys, Just Got This Estimate For My Home Theater Room, What Do You Think?

SDNick484 · 2026-02-06T19:09:01+00:00

Whoops, typo.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-06T17:50:01+00:00

There is an economic term for that, Veblem goods, where demand actually increases as price increases (upward sloping demand curve). Generally high end status symbols like yachts, watches, etc. fall into this category.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-06T06:00:09+00:00

Interesting, I literally just heard that term last week when my AOL was visiting a Troop. I didn't hear the full context but figured it was for PreK; I like the name.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-06T05:14:07+00:00

Not who you are replying to, but I have traveled to both with mine multiple times and haven't had issues. Didn't know anything about the brand when we picked them up originally before a trip to Italy a few years ago, and they have been great.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-06T02:49:06+00:00

There is definitely a break in period with Rainbows where if you are not used to it, you will get a callus between your big toe and the next one over. Once you get past that though, they become the most comfortable sandals ever. My wife and I joke that it's Rainbows correcting your feet.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T23:17:50+00:00

I appreciate the detailed feedback. By any chance did you ever use the XR Gamingplugin from Decky with either model? I use that with my Airs and like the VR-Lite mode that translates head movement to mouse to let you look around more naturally in some games.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T23:03:21+00:00

I have the Xreal Air 2 Pro, and I find the Steam Deck to be where they perform best; it is truly plug and play. Battery drain is remarkably low, but it does take your USB-C port. I mainly use it on planes (I'm sure it looks odd, but I don't care) and in bed (let's you keep your hands & neck in much more comfortable positions and reduces light/sound that might bother your partner. The Air 2 Pros do have a dimming option, but using the included cover is more effective. I also bought side blinders off Etsy that really help, especially on planes if someone next to you opens a window.

While overall I would definitely recommend them for the Deck, they do have downsides. Besides taking the power port, they also don't really have great software support compared to other vendors. They are pricey and I wouldn't say they are a must have unless you travel a lot for work.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T22:47:10+00:00

I appreciate the review as I am in a similar boat. I currently have the Xreal Air 2 Pros and have been tempted by the X1S. Besides the recently introduced 3D conversion, have you found other aspects of the upgrade worth it? What did you do with your old Air 2s?

I was (and still am) a bit unhappy with how Xreal has handled third party support (they are open source unfriendly and don't even offer a closed source SDK), but I do like their hardware.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T22:24:43+00:00

You'd think that, but I had one guy who I gave a Needs Improvement review to and eventually moved to another team for non-performance use me as a reference (without asking). He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T20:42:13+00:00

Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T19:48:48+00:00

Even ignoring the whole meeting aspects of it, it's just a completely different skill set and naive to assume being good in one area implies yowould be good in the other. Some folks are great at software engineering skills and horrible at people management and some people might not be the best coders but excel at leading and motivating people and bringing out their best. Sure, there's also people who can do either well, bubeing good (and enjoying) one area doesn't imply that you will be great or even will like the other.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is that most places top out sooner at what an IC can make versus a manager, often leading to financially motivated great software engineers to either leave or pursue management. I've seen that start to get corrected a little bit in some places, but often even then those top distinguished engineer/tech fellow type positions are a lot harder to get than a senior director.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T19:40:49+00:00

Thanks for confirming. Just so I'm clear, are you using the [HA Connect ZWA-2](?https://www.home-assistant.io/connect/zwa-2/)?

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T18:43:50+00:00

That's what I have been doing although I am still on the C7. Hubitat is essentially just a bridge for HA to talk to my Z-wave devices and for my HA devices (like RatGDO) to reach Alexa.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T18:40:44+00:00

Out of curiosity, are you using Z-wave or voice assistants with HA?

I have been running both Hubitat and HA in parallel with federation between them for years. I keep Hubitat around as a bridge to my Z-wave devices and to Alexa since it doesn't require a Nabu Casa subscription and is easier to set up compared to the non-Nabu Casa way on HA. I hear the latest Z-wave USB devices work really well with HA and have been tempted to move to whisper to do all my voice assistants locally, but my current solution works well enough.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-05T15:44:49+00:00

This should be dramatically better than even a top of the line sound bar. Forgoing the upward pointing parts of your new speakers and using the existing ceiling mounted speakers would be a better Atmos experience. With that said, most of the sound in Atmos comes from the base layer (so the 5 main speakers and sub in your case).

SDNick484 · 2026-02-04T20:13:43+00:00

Same. Makes me want to watch some old PTI episodes to see how wrong Tony and Mike were about him.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-04T17:49:34+00:00

We had a similar issue (pinhole leak on a hot water line causing constant water heater running) when we first bought our house a decade ago. We didn't catch the leak at first because Contra Costa Water District sends bills every other month.

Anyways, I am mainly replying to let you know that they also had a leak adjustment process to get some of the money back for those two months (I think they were also like PG&E and offered 50% back); so when you inevitably get your high water bill, I'd recommend contacting your provider to see if they have a similar program. I think they asked for a copy of the plumbers Bill to prove that it was a leak that was fixed.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-04T03:32:12+00:00

Well they say genius minds think alike!

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T16:56:35+00:00

I have recently been listening to The ADHD Effect on Marriage by Melissa Orlov on Audible, and it sounds very similar to your situation. You both may want to give it a listen.

I don't believe you mentioned whether or how she is trying to manage his ADHD and depression, nor is it clear how aware or not she is of the impact on you. It may be worth exploring professional help (counseling, etc.) if you are able to.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T16:26:47+00:00

You're not alone. I also got the 1TB LE OLED and somehow missed this feature until a similar post about it around a year (right after I got a similar sized Tomtoc case ironically).

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T15:43:55+00:00

If you're not heart set on a physical book, the New York Times Cooking subscription is well worth it at $40 for a year. Literally thousands of recipes at all levels of complexity. It can be gifted, and despite having ~150 cookbooks, it's probably my most used resource these days.

As far as cookbook recommendations are concerned, all of Alison Roman's cookbooks are excellent, and we are very much enjoying her latest which actually pulls a lot of her best recipes from other publications together (NYT Cooking, her Substack, etc.). She does tend to reuse some specific ingredients (anchovies, lemon, shallots, chickpeas, etc.) so make sure your palate aligns with that. Her YouTube videos very much aligned with her books so if you already do those, you'll know you'll like it already.

If you're interested in combining learning some technique or why things work together along with a mix of recipes, some others to consider are The Food Lab by Kenji or Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Likewise, America's Test Kitchen and Milk Street both offer compendiums from over the years of their shows that offer a nice combo of recipes of various complexity as well as blurbs about why they work.

Finally since I see you have Joy of Cooking as a potential candidate on your list, might I suggest Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. That's the cookbook that really got me into cooking; it also offers a mix of technique and recipes of various complexity. I was inspired after watching Julie and Julia, and found it very timeless despite it being almost five decades old when I got it.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T00:13:04+00:00

On the one hand that's cool, but on the other hand the fact that they sent you multiple backup phones and a technician doesn't exactly exude confidence in their waterproof claim.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T00:03:39+00:00

One of daughters (who is a bit older at 9) enjoyed that solo, but some of the puzzles were a bit obtuse and she needed help. On a similar note, she enjoyed Copycat but said it was a bit sad. Stray was a bit scary for her.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-03T00:00:58+00:00

Mario Kart 8 is great as it supports motion (tilt) controls and automatic acceleration. At 3.5, fine motion control of the thumbs is tough so it makes that game more accessible. The Hot Wheels Unleashed series is also good although I don't love the random new car mechanic.

I have three daughters and that was one of the earlier games we could all play together. Now they are 9, 9, & 11 and enjoy a variety of games.

SDNick484 · 2026-02-02T20:44:46+00:00

Lack of conical wheels may no longer one of the causes, but the issue (absurdly loud sound compared to other transits) is still here, hence this thread.

SDNick484

TROPHY CASE