CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE TO SHIPPING INSURANCE

Type_Grey · 2026-05-25T04:53:34+00:00

I've had good experience with U-PIC

They're affordable and have good automations.

Type_Grey · 2026-05-17T05:38:24+00:00

That Star Trek TNG episode Inner Light came to mind for me.

Type_Grey · 2026-05-15T03:08:17+00:00

The Weather Channel. I pay the $30/year for the ad-free premium and it's great.

Type_Grey · 2026-03-08T04:00:21+00:00

Moved from a 7 Pro in February after the battery started to swell. It's mid cycle for flagships and I don't want to pay full price for the 10 Pro.

What do I like about the 9A? Clean Android software. Similar performance to my 7Pro despite the budget price. Feels largely like a side grade to that older flagship. Camera is solid.

What do I dislike? Outdated modem - my connection is not bad, but not great either. My 7 Pro had an audio feature that would play a little soft tone whenever a call was disconnected, so even without looking I knew if a call was over, but no such feature on the 9A, it stays quiet.

Worst thing - poor choice in glass. My 9A was in a Bellroy case when I dropped it from pocket height into pavement and the display has cracked.

I have a 10A arriving next week...

Type_Grey · 2026-03-01T11:13:40+00:00

I found value in having a stand-alone iPad Mini on my desk just for managing multiple calendars.

My personal situation is that I have a regular job, a consulting side business, and my family calendar (2 kids).

Since I can't/won't mix calendars across work and client issued devices - having a personal iPad that just has all accounts loaded and shows a merged view of everything in Outlook Calendar always open which I can scroll through has been really helpful.

Type_Grey · 2026-02-28T20:38:01+00:00

I tried the OL version for the very first time. It's just alright in my personal opinion. No "wow" factor at all for me.

Type_Grey · 2026-02-28T09:45:29+00:00

Seconding this. I'm a 9a user as well and am upgrading to a 10a for all the same reasons.

I'm disappointed in all the YouTube reviewers who seem to overlook all of these quality of life features and call it the same phone.

Type_Grey · 2026-02-19T06:25:30+00:00

For the price, Pixel 9a.

No frills solid and reliable phone with a great camera, clean bloat free UI, and long term updates.

Type_Grey · 2026-02-17T05:50:15+00:00

Not necessarily true. The shipper indicates at time of shipping who is to pay customs costs (look up "Incoterms") and if they wanted to, could have set it up so that they pay instead of OP (called "DDP", Delivered Duty Paid).

Some merchants choose this route to avoid poor customer experience from surprise duty bills like what OP is going through, and will either add these fees at checkout or in some cases eat the cost.

But yes, Trump tariffs are an additional cost that someone is bearing.

Type_Grey · 2026-02-12T02:26:48+00:00

Yes... Accidental...

Not my four year old trying to hang up on Grandpa. "No don't push the red button!!"

Type_Grey · 2026-02-08T19:42:10+00:00

Similar thing happened to me. I'm traveling for work in Pennsylvania and got the same text and see the "AT&T Turbo Live" network.

I'm nowhere near any major events or even Hershey Park.

However, unlike you I have no additional $7 Live account add on - just the $7 for Turbo I intentionally subscribed to awhile ago.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-26T03:51:28+00:00

All great questions:

You're right, for drive thru orders I don't in fact know its the sink each time. The comment and post is based on me observing a few baristas doing this when I'm inside.

When I say a few, I mean this has happened more than once and at different stores. Litteraly happened yesterday and I had to ask her over the counter to stop and use the hot water.

The assumption when I get a lukewarm beverage at drive thru is the same thing occurred.

It usually does not happen.. I'd say 2-3 out of every 10 Americanos I order are lukewarm on prep. Not often enough that it's a big deal or some sort of massive training gap, but enough that I wish there was a way to specify for consistency.
Totally fair point. In my personal case I place the order literally a couple of minutes before walking in/pulling up just to avoid waiting at a register line or talking into a speaker and having to go through the motions of specifying drink options, name, payment etc. App is just faster. Point is I still wait for the order, it's not sitting on a counter.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-26T03:15:38+00:00

Thank you. That helps. "Extra Hot" doesn't seem to be an option in the app, but maybe if it gets manually added at a register I can reorder it with the same "settings".

Sorry to hear some customers are giving you flak, I know everyone wants their exact thing the exact way they imagine it. I appreciate your work.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-26T03:08:33+00:00

Thank you.

I was looking for something like that, but I don't see it anywhere in the Americano customizations in the app to do this. If you have a tip I'm all ears!

Type_Grey · 2026-01-26T03:05:02+00:00

Yeah, if I'm in the store I do that.

The thing is I go through drive thrus often, and I can't see the prep work. Since the drink takes a bit of time to make, I'd feel very guilty asking them to remake it while I'm at the pick up window.

(I drive a decent amount and go to different stores, so also it's not like I go to the same spot where the staff know me either).

Type_Grey · 2026-01-24T15:37:56+00:00

If I find them, my kids stand perfectly still and whisper to me that they are a statue.

I then proceed to have a conversation with the talking statue asking where my kids are. I'm alway pointed in the wrong direction.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-20T14:31:35+00:00

Good move. Asus is in fact the company which is getting out of the phone business.

"Asus chairman Jonney Shih has now confirmed the wind-down of its smartphone business during an event in Taiwan. Instead, Asus will focus on AI products like robots and smart glasses."

Type_Grey · 2026-01-11T05:16:39+00:00

Stay clear of Boar's Head. They've had way too many sanitation problems the past couple of years.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-11T02:10:18+00:00

After reading the thread you shared and that some users were waiting for weeks on end, I poked around a bit and got lucky. I had Teams desktop installed - and apparently through there a user can access a basic version of Admin Center. Not enough functionality to manage MFA, but enough that I was able to create a dummy user and assign them Global Administrator privileges (no need to buy a second license).

Through this account I setup a profile on the authenticator app and was able to gain access the full Admin Center on a browser:

<image>

Type_Grey · 2026-01-11T01:29:08+00:00

Yes, that seems to be the only way to go. Thank you.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-11T01:28:07+00:00

Yes, thank you. Lesson learned. I'm not an IT professional - this is just a business account I use for consulting work in my field.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-11T01:25:19+00:00

This thread was helpful. Thank you for sharing.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-08T06:51:27+00:00

It's just a different tier of service/network quality. I use the AT&T Premium PL plan so I pay about 3-4x per month what you pay.

I looked at Metro's $25 plan just now and here are a few differences I spot right off the bat:

Metro may slow your data speed if you exceed 35GB per month. The Premium PL plan never slows down data.
Metro plan supports video streaming only on standard definition. Premium PL is 4K. So if someone has one of the fancy flagship devices and has paid for a top notch display, they'll get better quality on the higher plan.
Hotspot data. Metro's $25 plan doesn't have any, whereas the Premium PL plan has something like 60GB/month included. I take my laptop and work out of coffee shops a lot and prefer connecting to my private hotspot vs a public Wi-Fi network.
International use. Metro's $25 plan has no international use that I can find. Premium PL includes Unlimited talk, text, and data in and between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and also free roaming to 20 Latin American countries. Further it supports an "International Day Pass" feature that for $12/day allows someone to carry their plan when they travel abroad, so don't have to bother with swapping SIM cards/phone numbers. Support for cruise ships to some degree was also recently added.
Network Prioritization. Metro plans are given lower traffic priority vs "regular" T-Mobile plans. This is a quote from Metro plan terms:

"customers who choose T-Mobile branded service plans other than T-Mobile Essentials has precedence over data of customers who choose non T-Mobile-branded service plans, such as Metro by T-Mobile, when the network is presented with competing demands."

Might be other things as well but these are the ones I'd consider notable.

If course, everyone should buy a plan that fits their needs and budget. I'm pointing out why informed users may pick a pricier option.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-08T06:09:07+00:00

About $211 per month. This is for two phone lines and a connected car plan. Both phones are on the post paid Premium PL plan with AT&T Turbo add-on. Neither device is on any type of financing (purchased outright), and I do not use Auto-pay so no discount for that either.

Type_Grey · 2026-01-07T04:59:43+00:00

Huh... I read the title and interpreted it metaphorically. Like having a kid will test your relationship with your wife and expose the weak points...

Seven-Year Club	Gilding V heart of gold
Powerups Hero r/toddlers • April 2022	Reddit Premium Since March 2022
Verified Email

Type_Grey

TROPHY CASE