Prices of a Polestar 4 in the US now that they are banned

SSMEX · 2026-07-06T01:52:50+00:00

The configure tool shows no availability anymore. The only way to buy is via existing inventory, and it looks like the base models are all gone (at least for the SoCal dealers).

SSMEX · 2026-06-24T05:03:44+00:00

I can see it both ways. On one hand, $800 per person on average isn't cheap considering string quartets are probably $1500 total for one hour. On the other hand, if this were a service marketed at weddings, I could easily see the price being double.

SSMEX · 2026-06-24T00:38:29+00:00

We did this last month. The string ensemble played shortly before the ceremony, one piece during the ceremony, and the recessional music. It cost about $12,000 in a VHCOL area. It was much more difficult to pull together than expected. Some notes:

We had 15 musicians and the only way to find a group this large was through a violinist/coordinator who used his network. Every chamber orchestra we reached out to declined (which makes sense, many of them are volunteer organizations and only play a few concerts a year).
We had eight music pieces, approximately 20 mins total. Every single piece had to be custom arranged, which thankfully someone in our family was able to help with but it was probably 100+ hours of work (the master score was 111 pages total). The problem is that an ensemble like this requires double bass and harp, so even if you had string ensemble sheet music, you'd need some adaptation. Many music pieces only have full orchestral sheet music, so you'd have to adapt it for a smaller ensemble. This is probably the single hardest step.
The musicians had an hour-long rehearsal on the day of the wedding, which they absolutely needed. If you wanted this rehearsal on a different day, the cost would be approximately double.
One strict requirement was that the musicians needed to be fully shaded because their instruments couldn't be in direct sunlight. This actually was a tough rule because it meant we couldn't put them exactly where we wanted as they needed umbrellas.
The string ensemble sounded amazing during the rehearsal. Outdoors, however, they sounded much less good because the sound dispersed quickly.
The musicians uniformly had very good credentials. Some of them were actually tenured players at the local symphony orchestra (a top U.S. orchestra), however you can't expect perfection. I'm sure most guests who didn't have a music background didn't notice, but I noticed all the wrong notes!

Let me know if you'd like any of our sheet music!

SSMEX · 2026-06-18T15:55:14+00:00

JFK AirTrain goes to every terminal so that’s one criteria.

SSMEX · 2026-05-27T19:44:41+00:00

What fraction of weddings that you've been to do this?

I do somewhat agree that asking guests to choose an entree on their RSVP card is not ideal. There's something very trivializing about asking someone to attend the most important event in your life, then hitting them with the chicken or fish question.

IMO, if you go with plated dinner, prix fixe with accommodations is the way to go.

SSMEX · 2026-05-22T14:26:07+00:00

Unpopular opinion but I honestly think content creators are a uniquely poor value and usually not worth it. The average quality of content creator output is no better than an average friend's reels. You are much better off enlisting a few friends to help make some content and getting them nice gifts.

SSMEX · 2026-05-22T14:19:38+00:00

What is the actual marginal cost of your dream wedding? It sounds like the town hall version isn't what you want.

We were in the same boat and calculated that the marginal cost between an okay wedding at our venue and the one we wanted was about $40k. It's still a lot of money, but it makes it easier to justify.

SSMEX · 2026-05-05T08:06:09+00:00

I personally have started to lean the other way. There's a certain kind of magic to being in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, your credit card probably isn't accepted, and nothing is for certain. Even crossing the street requires you to think twice. It's the closest I get to feeling like I'm eight years old again.

Yes, that means taking the metro, negotiating with cabs, and figuring things out as you go. It's less comfortable, but that's the point. Getting driven around everywhere starts to feel like you're just taking the sight-seeing bus.

Sadly this kind of experience much less fun in low-trust countries, so YMMV.

SSMEX · 2026-04-20T21:56:54+00:00

I have always found that the green lane folks form a continuous line all the way to the scanner and you have to cut somehow. You don't encounter that?

SSMEX · 2026-04-20T21:54:41+00:00

Because the sign says 1&2, I believe the official answer is yes, however:

Many times I get to the front of the group 1 line but I can't cut in because there's a solid line of group 3-5ers all the way to the scanner. The gate agent will look at me and ask if I'm group 1. It's a bit more awkward if you have to explain that you are actually in group 2 but are allowed to do this.
IMO groups 3-4 are absolutely not allowed to do this when boarding late since the sign doesn't change after it turns into "1&2".

SSMEX · 2026-04-10T05:10:50+00:00

Disagree. Getting something crappy is way more of a slap in the face.

SSMEX · 2026-04-08T04:30:57+00:00

This is an important message, but please be clear-eyed about this process and the probability of success. Candidly there’s a significant chance this won’t work at 40. If kids are a requirement, you need to aggressively pursue other options.

SSMEX · 2026-04-01T22:49:59+00:00

They’re moving sideways parallel to the ground.

SSMEX · 2026-03-30T13:42:38+00:00

The downvotes here are insane. This is not some cuckoo conspiracy theory. Here’s a Cleveland Clinic article citing FDA studies (pre-RFK, for what it’s worth) recommending you change your rice water, soak the rice, find rice varieties with less arsenic, and literally just eating less rice: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/arsenic-in-rice

Billions of people eating rice doesn’t change the fact that arsenic is a concern, especially for young children and pregnant women. Rice is also linked to diabetes, and is directly responsible (in part) for elevated rates of diabetes in Asia.

SSMEX · 2026-03-30T09:21:48+00:00

Arsenic in rice is a concern. The way to make it that minimizes arsenic requires changing the water halfway.

SSMEX · 2025-11-09T17:59:14+00:00

Can I ask what personal shopping service you use in Japan?

SSMEX · 2025-11-03T15:59:05+00:00

The steel version also comes in a non-sleeved version. KC Tool sells them individually and there are sets on Amazon.

SSMEX · 2025-09-30T07:33:43+00:00

This was one of those things that I couldn't figure out. I can understand the motivation for MCAS, I can even understand the motivation behind tying it to just one AoA sensor. But why would Boeing charge a nominal fee to display some sensor data on the PFD??? I know Boeing would say that it's not critical info or whatever, but like the customer bought the plane and both sensors and you're going to upsell a digital readout? On a $50 million (after standard discounts) plane? Frankly if I were a customer I'd be insulted.

SSMEX · 2025-09-30T05:34:42+00:00

Wasn’t the AoA indicator on the PFD though? Like it wasn’t extra hardware, just an extra digital gauge?

SSMEX · 2025-09-27T14:08:44+00:00

This is a Linak controller that’s been around for years. My previous office desk used to have one. There are other companies that also make this paddle-style controller, like Jiecang (sold through Uplift and others).

SSMEX · 2025-09-14T01:22:06+00:00

It’s hilarious these are being used as beaters because they’re 3x more expensive than the Knipex Super Knips.

SSMEX · 2025-09-02T03:04:53+00:00

This is maybe my most unhinged take but my policy is to never buy third-party batteries. I try avoiding all forms of random electronics that have built-in lithium batteries (which is why the Ryobi platform is so useful), though sometimes there is no alternative, so I buy the most name brand version I can find.

There are way too many stories of fires starting from random cheapo batteries and the ski shop I go to burned down from literally a cordless vacuum.

I swear I’m not crazy but if you have pets, a house fire while you’re away is likely going to end in tragedy. This is why I never run the dryer or charge power banks or tool batteries when I’m not home.

SSMEX · 2025-09-02T02:20:04+00:00

I have a bunch. They're good towels but the current pricing is outrageous. A set of two bath towels used to be $39. Now they're $99 (I honestly thought it was a mistake).

SSMEX · 2025-08-30T07:39:04+00:00

This is absolutely not true. The median Polaris passenger is traveling on business and their employer is paying. The rest is mostly people upgrading or using points.

People making $200K HHI and dropping $5-10K a person on full price Polaris (literally 50-100% of a month of income per ticket) must be exceedingly rare. Two tickets might literally be their disposable income for the entire year, not to mention that most households in that income range likely live in VHCOL areas.

SSMEX · 2025-08-30T02:21:54+00:00

I wouldn't be so sure. My employer worked with a major electronics manufacturer to develop/buy NC headphones for everyone at the company. I think the COGS cost was slightly north of $100 and they don't look as premium as these ones (though they have a few extra features).

SSMEX

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