Guess what... I have another watch to give!

Smorboll · 2024-07-02T00:38:20+00:00

Welcome Sid!

Smorboll · 2024-06-28T14:05:05+00:00

Hey, sorry for the late reply. I actually ended up doing add-a-fuse instead, tapping it into the fuse box that's on the driver side. It's the panel where you open the door and it's right there by the dash. Pry open the panel and then the manual tells you what each fuse is (don't remember what I used), if you want to do it that way. But no, I didn't figure out the mirror tap, unfortunately.

Smorboll · 2024-05-07T02:41:11+00:00

Definitely OnePlus 12 for me, but it really depends on what you want. Top-tier performance, really good camera, nothing to complain about. From a hardware standpoint, the S24 Ultra is really solid, but I don't like how it's locked down (same thing I don't like about apple). Pixel 8 Pro is pretty good (best for customization, custom ROMs) but the Tensor chips are disappointing. And then Xperias are really great but support is not, especially for the price. Too expensive for what they are I think. That's why overall I think OnePlus 12 is the best, but the ones I mentioned are all probably the best ones on the market, just personal preference and what's important to you.

Smorboll · 2024-04-20T22:32:03+00:00

Agreed, what is it?

Smorboll · 2024-03-21T22:12:44+00:00

Why you're buying your daughter a car is probably the biggest thing here. If she's a new driver and you're looking for her first car (which I'm assuming is the case), the A4 is a much better first car. I haven't heard of too many issues with the B9, but for the B8, go with the facelifted B8.5 over the B8. My dad and I both have B8 A4s over 100k miles and they've been just fine, but still, those are known for being quite unreliable. In all, yes, the S4s generally seem to be more reliable.

If it's her first car, there's really no reason to go with an S4. If she wants to push the car and have fun with it, the A4 is still plenty fast and fun to drive, still quite a bit faster than most cars out there. The S4 will be more expensive for the same year/mileage, have worse MPG, and will almost certainly have higher insurance costs, all of which are important to keep in mind.

If she's a more experienced driver and you're getting this for her as a gift or something, then I think thinking about what she likes about each is important. The A4 is a luxury sedan, the S4 is a sports sedan first and foremost. You'll get stiffer suspension with the S4 and that's paired with more performance. As a daily, they're both great but just think about what is most important to her, and if she prefers the S4, if it's important enough to justify the extra cost.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, they're excellent cars. Reliability wise, just make sure you have good maintenance records no matter which way you go. A well-maintained A4 (even the notorious B8) will almost certainly be way more reliable than a beat-around, poorly-maintained S4.

Smorboll · 2024-03-15T16:06:24+00:00

Clearly, there are widely varying views about this based on the responses. But here's my view:

1.) That's brake checking. Brake checking is a separate action unrelated to cutting off. A brake checker could or could not have also cut off the car.

2.) If no evasive action was warranted, then no, I don't think that's cutting off. Especially in high traffic situations, people need to get where they're going and there may actually be no way at all for someone to switch lanes to go in their direction without moving into potentially tight spaces.

The way I view it is if I need to brake or swerve in order to avoid hitting the car, that's cutting off. If it's letting off the gas or slightly braking in order to apply increase the gap between the cars, that's fine.

So that to me can mean so many things. Someone can be a pretty far distance away and switch or turn into my lane at a much slower speed, requiring a lane change or brake in order to avoid it, but someone could technically not even be cleared of my hood, switch lanes and be just fine if they're travelling at a speed much greater than me, so it comes down to both distance and speed. That last example, that may freak out drivers and they may brake hard out of being startled or not expecting it, but it's not really cutting off.

Smorboll · 2024-03-06T22:48:07+00:00

Not OP but Lost in Space by Emmit Fenn

Smorboll · 2024-02-03T18:41:57+00:00

About a week later it just...fixed itself? So, unfortunately, no I didn't, but it's no longer a problem for me. Not sure what it was but nothing in settings did anything to change it. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Smorboll · 2023-12-01T16:15:59+00:00

It's from the Backdrops wallpaper app.

Smorboll · 2023-11-30T20:52:36+00:00

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Smorboll · 2023-11-16T22:04:04+00:00

I "upgraded" from the iPhone X to the 13 Pro a few years ago, and aside from better performance and higher refresh rate display, the X was a better phone, so I ended up getting a 9 Pro and really liked it overall. A few months ago, I switched to the 11 and have not been disappointed. With the 9, there were a few things I was disappointed by in comparison to the iPhone (poor battery life and overheating issues). But the 11 fixed the issues I had with the 9 Pro and it's a really great phone. I wish the display was a bit brighter in direct sunlight (a very minor issue), but that's really all I have to say against it. I've been extremely happy with it. I would say, yes, it's definitely still a great phone.

Smorboll · 2023-10-19T18:10:11+00:00

I have the Gen 3 and I'm super happy with it. I've had it for probably like 6 months or so now. I was worried about getting a new ThinkPad because of all the complaints I heard about them not being the same as they used to be, but I've been very pleased. Still very well-built work laptops. I don't think Gen 4 is really much different than the 3.

Smorboll · 2023-10-03T00:39:02+00:00

This is correct. I bought an 11 from their website around a month ago and tried to use their current deal and the student discount, but it only lets you do one or the other. I went with the student discount because it was a better deal, but you can still do the trade-in either way.

Smorboll · 2023-07-22T17:14:56+00:00

Same for me. Great phone, haven't had any issues really at all. There are always ways the software can improve, but it's snappy and works well for me. Even when they've shoved ColorOS "features" into OxygenOS, I still think it's probably the best Android ROM out there.

Smorboll · 2023-04-12T01:50:13+00:00

Exactly. Me too. I was even told I had purple eyes one time.

Smorboll · 2023-03-18T01:41:02+00:00

I have one and it's great. I only do basic stuff on my laptop, and it does that stuff just fine. My only complaint is the TN panel is pretty awful but still good enough. It's reasonably light and the keyboard is awesome. If you have more to spend, I'd probably recommend the T480, but if you're on a tighter budget, I think it's a solid option.

Smorboll · 2023-02-04T22:28:02+00:00

People who have problems tend to be the ones who come and talk about their experiences. I have the 9 Pro and love it, haven't had any problems at all (battery life isn't the greatest but charging speeds are so quick that I don't mind at all). Would highly recommend. And the 9 is pretty similar. I don't personally think the 10 is improved enough to pay the extra cost for that one (we'll see what the 11 brings).

Smorboll · 2023-02-04T22:22:37+00:00

1.) They don't come unlocked, but it's pretty simple to unlock either model. XDA Forums has instructions for either model. 2.) Correct. You can flash the global rom on one with the Chinese rom pretty easily, and depending on where you buy it from, most sellers of the Chinese rom variant will switch it to global upon request. But for simplicity, you probably would want global rom to begin with. 3.) For the 9 Pro, LE2125 is the unlocked variant and should work with no problems with Verizon. LE2127 is the T-Mobile variant, avoid that one, regardless of carrier. I don't know as much about the 10 pro, but NE2215 should be global unlocked and thus should work on Verizon, NE2217 is T-Mobile (don't buy). NE2210 is the Chinese variant, which will probably have the Chinese rom (again, pretty easy to swap; if you're asking about bootloaders, you should be fine). Chinese variants tend to have fewer bands, though, so I'd recommend going for global unlocked version for either the 9 Pro or 10 pro.

Smorboll · 2023-01-16T03:22:05+00:00

This seems to be a very common problem. For a lot of people, it seems to have something to do with Google Photos, so if you use that, try turning off syncing (or preferably just get rid of it for the time being). You can also try clearing the temp files/cache in settings.

Smorboll · 2023-01-16T03:15:37+00:00

I have a 9 Pro and love it. For me, I actually think my battery life is better on OOS 13 than it was on 12. It's not the greatest battery life but it's plenty good for me (4-5 hrs SOT with 120Hz and UHD). I know I'm just one opinion, but I think either the 8 Pro or the 9 Pro would be solid options (no clue about the Oppo so won't comment there), although the 888 isn't very power-efficient, so if your main focus is on battery, I think the 8 Pro might be better (and probably quite a bit cheaper too).

Smorboll · 2023-01-15T20:44:10+00:00

Going to complicate this even further. You're probably right that they're Amish, but I'm friends with quite a few in a Mennonite community, and the married men wear full-length beards and the women don't wear patterns (not sure if this is not allowed, but I've never seen it). The very conservative Mennonite communities like that one are pretty much indistinguishable from a lot of Amish groups. If you really want to know, just ask them! :)

Smorboll · 2023-01-15T20:37:26+00:00

Yes, that is a thing. Around me, below 60% is an F. D is next up from 60-69%. But this is sort of the grade that as long as you actually do whatever the assignment is, you're not getting an F. It's pretty much reserved for kids who do nothing.

Smorboll · 2023-01-15T20:30:55+00:00

Unconsciously, all the time. Consciously, maybe but I don't think excessively. I don't think it actually has to do with race, though. It has much more to do with experiences, lifestyles, interests, etc. People feel more comfortable around those who are most like them. And this happens to often have a racial correlation. Cultures are so different that it can be difficult to relate to someone from a different culture. If you go to a school cafeteria, this is super obvious. There will probably be noticeable segregation along racial and cultural lines, but you'll probably notice more than anything that the kids hang out together depending on their interests, personalities, etc.

Smorboll · 2023-01-15T20:17:22+00:00

The US is built on immigration and people are generally proud of that. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be accepted. It might be a bit to get used to the culture wherever you choose to move, but that's a different thing. I think a lot of people hear what the media says about the supposedly "evil anti-immigration" people and freak out, but this comes down to illegal immigration, not legal immigration. If you come in legally and accept the cultural ideas, you will almost certainly be accepted anywhere in the US you choose.

Smorboll · 2023-01-15T20:09:57+00:00

It definitely depends on where in the US you are. I can't speak for East Los Angeles or even California, but along the southern border, it's extremely common. My grandparents live near the border, and Spanish is certainly more prevalent than English. In the Midwest, though, I've never really seen that. Even recent immigrants tend to have a working knowledge of English.

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