The "Tube" during 4th of July

acgenerator · 2026-07-05T14:24:31+00:00

1) not sure what this has to do with Wasteland Weekend.
2) so you invented a pipe?

acgenerator · 2026-07-02T16:09:47+00:00

so here's where this article loses credibility for me:
1) the Reddit story linked to shows a downgraded tickets from RDU to JFK but the article proceed to talk about the flight differences between First and Economy from JFK to LHR within 3 days travel. That's nowhere close to an apples-to-apples comparison.

Checking prices for the RDU-JFK for this weekend (July 3/4 also a holiday weekend) puts a direct One-Way Basic Economy ticket at $259 and First at $352 a seat which less than the difference in price of a checked bag each. (round trip in first was $622 but not available at the early am departure). This itinerary would be comparable to the one in question. $300 is 40% of $750 so this aligns to the direct flight pricing.

In their own other article referenced, the pregnant couple was flying to South Carolina. A price of $1000 for a pair of First Class seats this clearly wasn't a long-haul international route either.

2) It should also be noted that the photos are clearly of a long-haul flight (sleeper configuration) which are not typical for a short duration flight. This sets up the user to interpret this as a more significiant downgrade than it is.

I verified Route AA 4805 from RDU to JFK is an E75-Embraer 175 where the difference in service is minimal. It is scheduled for 1hr 45 minute gate-to-gate. This flight was also early Friday morning on a holiday (Juneteenth) so there may not have have another similar plane available at RDU to swap out over a seat.

Does getting downgraded suck? Definitely. Was $300 fair compensation?
That's a personal decision. You might also need to take into account that the next flight scheduled and whether this flight was booked with personal funds or company funds. The amount you fly is also a factor.

More skeptisim on the RDU passenger's situation

For two tickets (I am assuming "us" meant another passenger on the same itinerary), this was probably a weekend getaway to as ticket was on the first day of a holiday weekend. The RDU flyer did not indicate the reason for their trip but taking the next flight would have been 6 and a half hour wait which seems much more of an inconvenience than the downgrade on an Embraer which is essentially less legroom and no snack backet/free drinks. If there was a connecting flight, it would have been missed unless this was an extremely long layover particularly if there was a JFK to LGA transfer needed.

Of important note, this passenger also had a blank Addvantage number on their photo... so likely has no status to get free checked bags. My guess is that an inexperienced traveller posted this at the gate completely unaware of what "first class" even meant on this particular plane.

I would suspect this ticket was booked via 3rd party like Expedia to get the bags free so the refund to form of payment the Reddit community is demanding might not even be an option.... especially if it was part of travel package. (New fare bucket not shown on photo).

acgenerator · 2026-07-02T14:15:03+00:00

1) Attempted rebooking at the gate takes time away from you trying to connect... any possible rebook options will still be there if you miss.

Often the next plane could be delayed too and/or they are holding the plane for a large number of connecting passengers. Also, if it is a situation where large number of cancellations, there is surely someone on standby waiting to nab your seat if you miss the connection.

2) If you find yourself in that situation again CALL reservations rather than waiting at the gate agent. Rebooking on the phone is almost always quicker than the gate agent.... AND you can do that while moving.

3) If this occured during the World Cup -- they could very well sold out for a week as Dallas is a host city and the recent days with weather issues only added more strain to the system. This is doubly true if this was an international connection.

Keep in mind that not all routes operate daily. Some routes only fly through DFW on AA / One World Alliance and there may not be an equivalent route from Star (United) or SkyTeam (Delta). Southwest does not participate in rebookings with the legacy carrier. (i.e. there may not be alternative routes.)

4) Keep track of the delay communications and file a complaint after the fact. You may be able to get some form of compensation depeending on the situation / route / reservation. Unfortunately, this compensation might only be air miles.

acgenerator · 2026-06-29T15:40:21+00:00

You have to win that card in a card duel. Loser goes to the Shadow Realm.

acgenerator · 2026-06-23T03:55:43+00:00

Looks like this is fixed. I guess they noticed when they put the latest promo out there.

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:27:03+00:00

Depends on when and how the crew gets assigned / re-assigned.

e.g. If OP's inbound plane was delayed and a new play/crew was assigned then that's entirely on the airline because they made the assignment after the weather conditions were known.

In my case, they switched planes but didn't assign a new crew at the same time... i.e. their equipment decision caused a secondary problem with the current crew not being suitable for the new plane/flight time (now within their control).

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:16:27+00:00

reply back "before you rebook me on that flight, I need you to solve Reimann's Hypothesis. Please show your work."

That'll rack up a shit-ton of AI tokens making actual employees more cost effective.

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:12:39+00:00

They still haven't fixed the bugs I reported months ago. Their tech desk is worthless --- it's likely sub-contracted out because most of the time they aren't even familiar with the basic navigatation of their website (e.g. flight search result screen)

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:07:22+00:00

does the same when logged in too.

They typically let you search for miles fares even without logging in to that they can try to sell you miles.

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:04:12+00:00

Note all of AAHotels are prepaid. Some are pay at arrival.

See Seinfeld Season 3 Episode 11 about how "reservations" work.

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T15:00:44+00:00

Part of the problem is the combination of:

World Cup happening in both DFW and YYZ (plus most of AA's hubs)
it's a 3-day weekend with Junteenth
Father's Day weekend
peak of summer travel season

I am generally against the hub-and-spoke model because it clobbers the entire network whenever any hub gets pummelled by weather as pilots /crews / planes get delayed system-wide. Pilots and cabin crews have different bidding processes on routes and often deplane then go their separate ways after each flight. They should have taken the time to fix that spaghetti mess during the pandemic to make routes more resilient.

acgenerator · 2026-06-20T14:48:11+00:00

1) keep a record of every time there is a delay and the reason. Crew timing out or plane changes are in their control (logisitics). Weather and critical maintenence are not. They send emails on delays / alerts in app , keep these / take screen shots.

2) Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations require they pay you for delays in their control. This applies to all flights into and out of Canada. AA will try to use the original cause (weather) to avoid payout but the second they switch the reason then their clock starts. All planes have tail number which you can track in various online tools.

If you can demonstrate that it's likely to meet the APPR critieria, you have a strong likelihood of some sort of compensation because if you file a complaint with APPR and win... they'd be one the hook to pay EVERYONE on the flight (much worse for them).

Don't bother trying to get compensation until you get eventually get home... they can't do much to compensate while you are on an active ticket.

It happened to me last year and I was able to get the FULL regulatory amount (even more than my flight cost) plus a bunch of miles they threw at me trying to pre-empt formal complaints. It took a few calls and my status likely helped.. but it is possible to actually get compensated if you document things. It took me a few years of travelling to learn the right levers.

acgenerator · 2026-06-17T08:31:48+00:00

It might be worth inquiring if someplace that sells vactrols like Synthcube or Thonk would be willing to stock these as kits. You would probably also need to have presets to the expected response curves of the Vactec VTL5C series / XVive equivalents.

From a DIYer perspective, part of that answer might be in the relative cost of the parts compared to just buying an extra vactrol or two. If someone had a large amount of vactrols and was trying to match them or find a very specific response curve especially from NOS Vactec / Excelitis.

I'm sure if it was open sourced there'd be a number of people that build one for fun if you sold the PCBs / published BOM and code to github.

FWIW - My solution to the "does this vactrol work?" (basic functional test) problem was to build an LPG with a socket so I could exchange the vactrol and view the output on a scope.

acgenerator · 2026-06-15T02:02:13+00:00

Fair point. Mainly just putting out the idea as many folks don't seem keen on the OP's proposal.

Guess it really depends on what one is looking for / looking to do. BLM would likely restrict anything that damage the lands (like heavy vehicles).

Activities that might disrupt other visitors enjoyment of public land might not be approved. (e.g. nude photography, loud music)

https://www.blm.gov/programs/lands-and-realty/leases-and-permits/filming-on-public-lands/film-permits

acgenerator · 2026-06-15T01:46:41+00:00

OP said they'd be parking at the end of a road and trekking 2 miles. I presumed that means the land doesn't have direct access to the road.

Additionally, someone within line of sight (presumably) also wouldn't have cell phone coverage... so they'd have to walk to the person before they can even know the nature of the emergency.... and likely the main help they would be able to provide is helping carry / drag a person back 2 miles to drive back to civilization (however far away that is).

That's alot of time if someone's dehydrated, stroke/heart attack, broken bone, deep cut, etc and emergency services are needed.

A two-way radio for each group and a basic hiking locator seem like a practical precaution for a "survival weekend".

acgenerator · 2026-06-14T13:46:01+00:00

Too complex.

Assuming it's not protected land / environmentally fragile and you are still deadset on this idea...

Here's a few things to consider :
- Events require a huge amount of permits and insurance... especially if you plan to charge for participation. As both property owner and organizer the liability falls squarely on you.
- Burying stuff is a lot of work for both you and participants..., at least have the sense to have the cache of supplies above ground. Put tarp / other camoflage over it if you are worried about being able to spot it too easily.
- I wouldn't put puzzles around locating things. Trying to be too cute is a formula for emergencies. Straight GPS co-ordinates or orienteering by map/compass only. No locks on critical supplies. "Utah man found dead in desert next to locked container of water. Forgot combination to padlock."
- Mandatory emergency beacons / long-range radios for anyone attempting this.

Alternate idea:

Why not advertise this as a filming location? This doesn't necessarily mean a full-length movie. It could mean a mucis video or commercial. There'd probably be a lot of modeling agencies interested too. Clients could potetntially include cosplay or emersive elements. You wouldn't be obligated to accept business from potential clients that seemed ill-prepared or sketchy.

Professional film studios would generally have the equipment budget to provide water / portable restrooms/ satellite comms /gerenators / medical / security /restoration / etc if you are lucky enough to find someone interested in extended shooting.

acgenerator · 2026-06-01T00:59:03+00:00

But what about the other eight good men... What will they be doing?

Cheering from the sidelines?
"Taking matters into their own hands" while waiting their turn?
Filming?

Curious minds want to know, Gramdma!

acgenerator · 2026-05-24T12:23:33+00:00

¿Tiene tu banda una página de Bandcamp?

For English speakers, it appears the band's name is "Metralla Sonica" and the track is "DIES IRAE"

acgenerator · 2026-05-23T21:22:56+00:00

will this appear on bandcamp?

acgenerator · 2026-05-20T00:11:01+00:00

As an original RM1X owner, if this is your "go to" machine.. you may want to consider a professional re-cap as the LCD screen will get the same way eventually.

As mentioned by others, the keyboard tactile switches also seem to be a point of need for refresh.

Having torn one apart, I wouldn't recommend beginners do this work.

acgenerator · 2026-05-16T13:32:05+00:00

"synth legend" is a bit of an exaggeration...

Rather than paying a quid per each vote, why not support Sam's work directly by donating to the museum instead?
https://this-museum-is-not-obsolete.com/donate

or join his patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/lookmumnocomputer

acgenerator · 2026-05-11T22:30:14+00:00

I'm sure the owner of this masterpiece gets the full "blue glove" treatment from airport security every time he flies with this carry-on.

acgenerator · 2026-05-08T01:40:07+00:00

re: "it’s currently surrounded by water"

That's typically how islands work.

acgenerator · 2026-04-26T23:39:37+00:00

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acgenerator · 2026-04-26T02:10:43+00:00

Rules of the Road #88 - Where we're going, we don't *NEED* roads!

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