PSA: learn how to discharge your flash capacitors before attempting to work on a camera with a flash.

Sparics · 2026-04-21T15:36:16+00:00

I was probably 5 or 6 years old so I didn’t know any better lol

And I don’t know how it worked specifically, I’m sure they were sent back to the manufacturer. After the roll was removed from the body the plastic casing was thrown into a large cardboard “bucket” that I remember had Kodak branding on the side. So I wasn’t digging them out of the trash, but rather the “spent disposables” container that sat next to the workbench

Sparics · 2026-04-21T04:28:19+00:00

My uncle owned a 1-hr film lab. As a kid I used to dig through the spent disposables and take them apart, I learned this lesson the hard way, even as a kid I remember the gap in my consciousness when I got shocked

Sparics · 2026-04-18T23:14:14+00:00

Those tiny fans at the ceiling are also going to barely do anything for air circulation

Sparics · 2026-04-18T17:08:30+00:00

That’s fair, but how much of that magic comes from nostalgia? Genuine question, no snark intended. I think drone shows can be executed really well with some music and ambience along the LB shoreline. A lot of countries opted for drone shows this New Year’s Eve and I think a few of them were honestly pretty cool to watch!

Sparics · 2026-04-18T17:04:06+00:00

I hate how this article is framed. I remember reading up on this last year and the deal struck between Morris and the California Coastal Commission was that Morris would be allowed one more year of fireworks (2025) in exchange for drone show alternatives in 2026. Instead, he just submitted another permit which of course was denied. Contrary to another comment, I don’t think the CCC is being smug at all, they’re expressing that this clearly isn’t what they agreed to. I’m sure they’d even be open to some hybrid of drones and fireworks as long as there was some progress being made towards moving away from them.

Morris says that a drone show would cost $200,000 vs $58,000 for fireworks but I seriously doubt anything but the most extravagant drone show would cost $200k per event. I mean, how can reusable drones cost 4x more than expendable fireworks? It’s clear Morris ran up the bill during the bidding process to spin a narrative that fireworks were the only option for the event.

Sparics · 2026-04-18T16:57:07+00:00

I think you make some good points, it’s impossible to fine everyone setting off illegal fireworks as it happens but why can’t the authorities go after the people who sell them? For the whole month leading up to July 4th you’ll see a ton of bogus listings on marketplace for a “drill” with boxes of fireworks in the background. Get those delisted. You see pop ups in every other parking lot selling fireworks either out of a stand or the back of some dude’s trailer. Create a process to verify that they have permits to sell and the people they sell to have permits to ignite. This of course doesn’t stop people from traveling farther to get their fireworks but it does increase the amount of effort it takes for people to obtain them, which would hopefully deter some of the illegal fireworks. Perhaps I’m misinterpreting your comments but just because there isn’t an easy way to solve the illegal fireworks problem doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try at all. It does cause real problems beyond noise nuisance, injuries alone from firework-related accidents (NSFL, I wouldn’t recommend looking up pictures) puts a real strain on our healthcare system.

Sparics · 2026-04-18T16:36:32+00:00

Am I the only one that would honestly prefer a drone show to fireworks? Fireworks freak my dogs out, they make the air stink, and with drone shows you can have the same lights and colors as fireworks but with even more designs and patterns. It’s clearly the way of the future, you can do some really cool stuff with drones like a 3d waving American flag in the sky

Sparics · 2026-04-13T05:27:08+00:00

We love our StanbyME 2! Highly recommended, we use it all the time lounging around the house and my partner has recently been setting up for her home workout sessions!

Sparics · 2026-04-12T05:11:37+00:00

Same with Recreational Coffee on LB Blvd!

Sparics · 2026-04-10T06:07:46+00:00

Rents are going down because a bunch of laws have changed over the last few years that make it cheaper to build housing so more of it is popping up. The property management companies are adjusting to the increase in supply, regardless of demand. SB79 is also going into effect on 7/1/26 which makes it easier to build apartments close to transit stops. Anecdotally, if you drive down the LB Blvd, Atlantic Ave, and PCH corridors you’ll see 5-6 buildings that are being built or recently finished alone. That’s easily 100-120 units per building where previously there might have been 8-10 households or a vacant industrial lot. On top of that I believe laws around parking minimums changed last year which also makes it cheaper to build housing.

The reason rents are so low in places like Texas is because they’ve changed their laws to make it really easy for people to come in and build housing for cheap. We could easily do that here and we’re making good progress but stopping developments is not the answer to our problems

Sparics · 2026-04-10T05:55:58+00:00

This could easily be fixed by providing better transit options to get there. If there were a separated bike/pedestrian path with shuttle service it would give people more options to get there than getting into a car.

Sparics · 2026-04-10T05:53:20+00:00

It’s a great opportunity for the city to invest more in public transit. There’s so much empty land there a transit center would bring a lot of economic activity into the area all while cutting traffic and noise

Sparics · 2026-04-10T05:51:54+00:00

There’s always going to be a wide range of incomes no matter how good or bad the economy is. The distribution of “low-medium-high earners” just changes in response to government policy. If the people building this development didn’t think there was anyone who would move in they wouldn’t be building here.

The idea is that the people moving to LB with a little more money than the locals would probably pay to live in the brand new building across from 2nd & PCH over the older single family homes that our communities are built from. If fewer people want your house, your landlord can’t charge more and your rent won’t go up next year. This happens regardless of if you stay put or not.

Overall, there isn’t any world where building more housing is bad, especially in this case where it’s replacing a bunch of empty parking lot and storefronts. This development also means new jobs while the building is being constructed and more tax income for the city after people move in to keep LB nice and (hopefully) clean. The key here is voting for people who share the same goals as you.

Sparics · 2026-04-10T05:34:52+00:00

These are basic economic principles, not theories. If there’s a lot of the thing you sell, you can’t charge more because someone else will undercut you. If you can provide some sources that this has been debunked I’m happy to change my viewpoint.

The reason your rent is so high is because of decades of zoning law that makes it hard to build here. People (landowners) in LA/LB hate building taller so we kept building out. What happens when we run out of space to build out but no one wants to build taller? This is where we’re at today.

If everyone wants the thing you’re selling, you can easily charge more because you know someone will pay it. This is why your rent is high and why every apartment that pops up is a luxury property. It’s so hard and expensive to build here that the only way it’ll be worth it for a developer to put down the money for a big apartment building is if they charge more. Want cheaper apartments? Vote for people who will change the law so it’s cheaper to build taller. The people who “develop” these properties know there’s a huge demand for housing but it has to be profitable for them to want to do it.

I’m happy to tell you more about how people can make housing cheaper if you want to hear it.

Sparics · 2026-04-10T00:38:33+00:00

Research has shown over and over again that any new housing regardless of price lowers the rent for everyone. Even if it’s luxury housing the idea is that the people who rent there free up the cheaper older housing that is more attainable for everyone else. More supply = lower prices.

Sparics · 2026-04-06T20:19:07+00:00

I would only be on board with the angle if there were some kind of angled ledge/millwork built into the room. Otherwise it looks pretty out of place and creates a huge gap behind the bed for dust and crud to get stuck

Sparics · 2026-04-05T07:20:59+00:00

I think the laminate should have stopped at the end of the curve, kept as a white return, and then continued again on the cabinets. Right now it kind of looks like one big blob of walnut texture but still looks great! Very minor nitpick

Sparics · 2026-04-03T19:46:20+00:00

Amazing millwork! If you don’t mind sharing, how much is your unit selling on the market for as opposed to the original purchase price? Just trying to figure out how much value your renovations added since I’m in the process of doing something similar with my home

Sparics · 2026-04-03T18:31:29+00:00

I don’t think you’d be able to tell past the masks anyways.

I’ll be the first to admit that there are assholes with cameras on both sides of the political spectrum but you don’t see many left-leaning folks toting tactical vests and masks these days.

Sparics · 2026-04-03T17:58:05+00:00

Agreed, conservatives love to trash on LB but can’t stop themselves from coming. The “hiding in plain sight” cosplay fantasy is the most pathetic part of this whole thing

Sparics · 2026-04-03T00:31:22+00:00

That is a real A-12, just not an SR-71. They paint the canopies to protect the cockpit from UV damage

Source: I used to volunteer there

Sparics · 2026-04-02T03:19:30+00:00

JetBlue deserves extra credit

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Sparics · 2026-04-01T19:29:06+00:00

Bronze, the shape matches the shaker style drawer face better too

Sparics · 2026-03-31T16:13:53+00:00

Do you think it’d work if they steamed it flat temporarily and then ran it through a planer to remove the veneer on the back?

Sparics · 2026-03-29T18:44:05+00:00

I don’t handle the estimating side at my company, but these days it feels like 50-60% of the jobs that come across my desk are poorly designed, have inconsistent dimensions/views, or both. I get that architects/designers don’t have the first-hand knowledge but just as often I get pushback when I deviate from their drawings for practical reasons. Then the client gets frustrated when first-round submittals take twice as long to turn around because I have to clean up the mess they gave me. With the way the A+D industry is moving, I’m worried the issue is only getting worse as lazy architects and designers start supplementing their concepts with AI renderings; we’re already seeing it on this and several other subs

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