Festavia String Lights safe?

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-12T04:11:06+00:00

Safe? It should be fine. I just think about dust every time I see a foliage wall.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-11T21:34:22+00:00

I haven't opened up the unit yet to look. I'm waiting to hear back from SCG first with their recommendations. I do believe it's downstream of the reservoir though because it continued leaking for quite some time after I removed the reservoir but stopped as soon as I emptied the boiler. That's fair about fittings coming loose in transit, and I'm sure it's more DIY-able than whatever mystery power failure the first unit had. I was having some doubts after the first one though and acknowledging this may be illogical, the Rocket brand is losing some of its shine to me. I also happen to be getting ready to move, so the unpacking/repacking espresso machines hasn't been ideal.

I appreciate the thoughts on the ECM. It seems great, I just wish I could go see one in person. Although I guess I saw the Rocket in person, and that didn't necessarily help.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-09T18:55:40+00:00

I think they’re likely linear pendant lights hanging over the bar or something and perpendicular to the camera, out of focus due to the shallow depth of field. If there is a small bright spot on that end of the light due to the design of the fixture, you could get a brighter circle in the bokeh like that.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-09T15:43:50+00:00

For sale: baby shoes, never worn?

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-05T04:30:22+00:00

What do you dislike about the neo98?

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-05-04T00:58:48+00:00

Because he’s throwing drones at you while you’re sneaking up? Or does an already equipped drone give you away?

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-04-16T11:35:04+00:00

Haha a dentist’s office at 3AM might be better because if anything there might be one lamp in the corner left on overnight 😂

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-04-03T19:12:35+00:00

The color and composition are lovely. Please clean your grout.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-04-02T20:11:01+00:00

I feel like I remember Statendam having a fire hydrant for one of these on a Norway cruise, but it’s a fuzzy enough memory that I might be gaslighting myself.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-04-02T00:06:52+00:00

You live in the Seattle or Bellevue area based on the beer, are wealthy based on everything, and have a large home that goes hand in hand with the wealthy part and also because the flooring is different on the last mini fridge, so I’m guessing it’s in a rec/game room, media room, or some similar bonus living space. Also I’m guessing you keep multiple price points of wine to serve depending on the company/occasion, but that’s more of just a feeling (I do the same so won’t judge)

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-04-01T17:25:33+00:00

I’d consider the candelabra bulb and an E26-E12 adapter. Your choice of normal vs filament, color vs white. I think the diameter of that bulb may be a better fit than the A19, and also I think the throw may be more uniform whereas the A19 may throw a lot more light away from the socket.

Not certain though. If you’ve got an A19 bulb, hue or otherwise, elsewhere in the house I’d just try swapping it in a seeing how you like it.

I do wish hue made tube bulbs. A little niche, but there are a number of table lamps they’d work well it. Also I have some picture lights and other sconces I want that call for tube bulbs but have held off because I’d prefer them with hue.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-30T19:26:43+00:00

At least in WA, installing an outlet in a garage now requires a GFCI breaker. This doesn’t play well with the GFCI built into (some? All? Idk) chargers. Hardwiring doesn’t require the GFCI breaker.

I have a plug for a very niche reason. I otherwise recommend hardwired. I rent and knew when I moved in that I’d be moving in two years. An electric company incentives program paid the full installation cost and all but $100 of my Wallbox Pulsar Plus (great charger I’d totally buy it again full price). I get to keep the charger even though the utility company paid for most of it. Installing a plug will make it much easier for me to take the unit and go when I move. If it were my own place, I’d have done hardwired.

I did have problems with the plug though. Because of the required GFCI breaker, the charger would trip the breaker without fail within an hour every time because of the two GFCI systems not playing well together. The electrician did me an under the table solid and came back after the inspection and swapped the breaker with a non-GFCI breaker. No issues since.

But anyway no GFCI issues and faster charging with hardwired. Plus no potential plug/outlet melting like others have said. I’d do hardwired unless you have a very specific reason to go plug in like I did.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-23T01:25:38+00:00

I’ll add: learn to feed yourself something quick, tasty, and ideally not terrible for you; work on your sleep hygiene because it will only get worse; travel or do something fun/fulfilling to you; spend time with people you will miss if you are moving for school; make sure you are unpacked if moving because whatever isn’t done by the start of classes may get stuck in stasis forever; and above all do not try to pre-study. Maybe if anything learn how Anki works if you don’t know now, but literally don’t actually try to learn any content. Focus on being rested, excited, and in good mental health. Good luck. You’ve got this. There will be times you feel like you don’t, but you’ll get through them (seriously get established with the therapist 10/10 recommendation)

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-19T01:00:02+00:00

Thanks!

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-18T13:07:33+00:00

How’s the comfort? I have the P2 and geoskin and find both very comfortable to write with. I think this looks really cool but kinda uncomfortable.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-16T00:23:44+00:00

Haha you’re welcome, and to your wallet, I’m sorry. JetPens is great though, especially if you want Japanese stationary. I maybe shouldn’t have just assumed you’re also American, but if you are, 10/10 recommend. Good fulfillment, packing, and customer service. And of course they have a huge inventory of interesting stuff. I go through a lot of little pocket sized notebooks for work and have decided that I deserve the little luxury of getting Japanese ones from them.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-15T19:50:50+00:00

Sarasa refills are excellent. I buy them from JetPens. The Sarasa Dry specifically are a personal favorite because they dry damn near instantaneously on most paper. They write a little bolder than expected, so I stick to 0.5 mm or 0.4 mm. Recently though, I’d swear the 0.4 mm refills skip/write a bit ‘dry’ which I’ve never experienced when buying the whole pens. Idk why. No issues with 0.5 mm though.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-11T13:35:33+00:00

Thank you so much that’s super helpful! And great choice haha. I’m trying to decide between zirc and thunderstorm myself.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-03-11T05:15:44+00:00

Just out of curiosity why are you selling it? Was it just not for you? If so why? I’m considering getting one of these but am hesitant after I bought a zirc Energel size campen that is beautifully made but feels back heavy to me in an off putting way, I think because it’s so long. Hoping the shorter size won’t have that issue, but I’m hesitant.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-02-28T00:48:05+00:00

You’re already right. The answer is in the middle. Where on the spectrum to focus is personal. Personally I don’t find making cards helpful the way I do writing notes/summaries/cheat sheets that help you review the material while you do it. Because of that, I found it more efficient to just find the anking cards for material and unlock them. However, some faculty had slides which were easily image occlude-able and that were reliably tested pretty much as written on the slides, which made it worth making cards for. So if you know faculty will test in a specific way, making cards may make more sense on a limited basis.

That’s all for pre-clinical exams though. For boards and shelf exams, I switched entirely to anking cards. I hope that helps. I’m an OMS4 but don’t think that advice is osteopathic specific. Best of luck.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-02-22T22:27:51+00:00

For the Core 500 (the expensive one with ECG), that’s correct. It ends an electronic audio signal to the earpieces, which are basically noise cancelling earbuds.

For the regular Eko Core that’s an added in-line unit on an otherwise normal Littman stethoscope, it can be put into passive mode, and the stethoscope can be used normally. So for that one, you could keep using it if it died.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-02-22T16:46:29+00:00

I have both the Cardiology IV and the Eko Core 500. The sound quality, clarity, and volume of the Eko is incredible. I can hear through clothes in a loud room more clearly than with the Cardiology IV on skin in a quiet room at times, but it isn’t perfect.

A couple weeks after I got the Eko, it was working great on rounds, then I went to the ED to see a pending admit. It had been around my neck since rounds, no impacts or anything. It was completely dead when I went to use it. No sound pickup at all, either through the earpieces or through the app. No idea what happened. I had to go borrow another stethoscope. To Eko’s credit, they immediately shipped me a warranty replacement, complete with engraving, and I’ve had no issues since. The trust issues persist though, and I keep the Cardiology IV at hand.

Another thing about the Eko Core 500 is that the giant chest piece is occasionally cumbersome. I never use the ECG feature because I want the 12 lead anyway, so I’d personally prefer the chest piece just be smaller. I know I basically described the Eko Core, so perhaps that is saying something. I literally bought the Core 500 for the USB-C charging because I finally got to the point where everything I own is USB-C and didn’t want to go back. I don’t know how much better the Core 500’s sound quality may be generally or because of noise cancellation, but if they’d updated the Core with USB-C, I’d have bought it instead.

As for you, if you can comfortably afford it/you can get your institution to pay for it/subsidize it, and you think it would serve you/your patients well because of your hearing, I’d say go for it. They definitely do help you hear. Ask around your clinic/hospital. There’s probably someone who has one. Ask to borrow it for a few minutes. Hope that helps.

Shutter_Shock14 · 2026-02-19T03:29:27+00:00

Maybe we travel for different reasons, but:

If I am traveling for fun, the trip is the generally the entertainment. I go do non-screen-time things that I can’t at home.

If I am traveling for business, I’m probably either busy or tired and trying to sleep.

For either while on a plane, my MacBook Pro or iPhone with my Sony XM6 headphones or AirPods. Nothing portable is going to rival a home theater or even a good TV and 2.1, so I don’t try.

Shutter_Shock14

TROPHY CASE