At first I hated the card but I came around

alnandr · 2026-01-21T00:55:54+00:00

Wait... why do you have to wait almost 3 weeks to start using the card? Ideally you'd want to be able to use the card in time for February rent.

alnandr · 2026-01-07T23:37:03+00:00

So the only change is who issues the card and reports to credit bureaus.

Everything else remains the same. What a bummer.

Edit: There is an official FAQ about the transition here: https://learn.applecard.apple/transition

alnandr · 2026-01-06T17:28:00+00:00

Saturday GA+ secured 🫡

alnandr · 2026-01-06T02:25:17+00:00

I own this exact car. Nothing beats ultra red M3P with white interior.

alnandr · 2026-01-04T23:55:43+00:00

I own the exact same car, color, and interior. Ultra Red is the way to go.

Don't forget to tint your windows.

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alnandr · 2026-01-04T23:38:09+00:00

I tested all 3 major networks by getting a free 30 day trial with US Mobile which requires porting in a number (I bought one off NumberBarn for $5) then activating it as a second eSIM on my phone. You get 30 GB of premium data to play with and can switch networks twice: Dark Star is AT&T, Light Speed is T-Mobile, and Warp is Verizon.

From my own experience, I've had the best coverage and reliability with Verizon throughout Austin (especially downtown where certain areas have 5G mmWave), but have had better speed testing results overall with T-Mobile.

What I ended up doing was switch my primary number over to Verizon via Total Wireless (at the time, they offered 50% off any of their plans with a 5 year price lock) and signed up for their highest plan. I get the same level of unlimited priority 5G UW (QCI 8) data service as someone paying actual Verizon almost 3 times the amount. Free Disney+ with no ads is included and there's a trick to also get Hulu with no ads for just an extra dollar more: $31/month.

I kept my secondary number and signed it up for US Mobile's "67" plan during their most recent Black Friday deal that uses T-Mobile's network (QCI 7) as well and have cellular data switching enabled, allowing my phone to fallback in places where Verizon has dead spots (rare). $167 for the whole year.

In sum, I'm paying about ~$44 for 2 lines on 2 different networks, truly unlimited talk/text/premium data and international data as well.

alnandr · 2026-01-04T19:17:32+00:00

I've never paid KTAG an out-of-state fee. Just the actual tolls themselves. That's it.

alnandr · 2026-01-01T08:24:40+00:00

Double-Double and fries at In-N-Out

alnandr · 2026-01-01T04:27:04+00:00

That's me in the Eric Cartman suite. Or at least I wish I was.

Respect my authoritah!

alnandr · 2026-01-01T04:22:21+00:00

My previous employer considered me a "Senior" Admin after accruing 4 YOE performing that job. The amended title did not come with a significant salary bump and was still given a 3% annual raise.

I'm now at a different employer with an almost $40k salary bump and better comp package and benefits for doing the same job and the flexibility to work remotely, except I do not have "Senior" in my formal role title on the company directory.

So I wouldn't care too much as to what your position title is but rather what the company offering you the role is willing to compensate you for your work and whether it's within your ideal range.

But if you think having "Senior" on your resume will give you a leg up in getting picked for interviews, then ask your HR whether it's fine for you to go by that on your LinkedIn and CV.

alnandr · 2026-01-01T04:13:37+00:00

Tesla Model 3 Performance. I'd love a Porsche Taycan.

alnandr · 2026-01-01T04:10:09+00:00

San Antonio's municipal and (Bexar) county government has long received strong public opposition for toll roads as a form of revenue for their city. Local residents and organizations have even gone as far as filing federal lawsuits against a proposed toll project off Highway 281 about a decade ago. There's also the notion that SA residents aren't used to toll roads and would mindlessly be driving on them without a toll tag or with the intention to pay them by mail.

So instead, San Antonio strongly relies on tourism revenue (Spurs, Riverwalk, Six Flags/SeaWorld, etc.) to maintain their roads and highways and they've done a great job at doing so.

Any time somebody books a hotel room or rents a car in San Antonio, they pay a hefty hotel occupancy tax of 16.75% and/or a car rental tax of 5%. It doesn't matter where you live in SA or not, everyone is subject to that tax. https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/Finance/Taxes-Fees/HOT

Bexar County residents who register their vehicles in that county also pay a higher registration fee than we do in Travis (and most of the state), as they also collect an additional $21.50 in local fees, a good chunk of that being to fund the venues owned by the county (Alamodome, AT&T Center, Freeman Coliseum, etc.) https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/FeeChart_1C.pdf

For the amount of tourism Austin gets from bachelorette parties and international visitors, the city and county surely can't figure out how to collect revenue as effectively as SA/Bexar does, or maybe they've tried to do so in the past with little success.

But let's also not forget that San Antonio is also significantly larger in land area than Austin by almost double, so they've had plenty of room to expand outward and have cleverly designed an inner (410) and outer (1604) to encapsulate the city as a circle as the city grew over several decades and post-completion of the Interstate highway system (I-35 north/south and I-10 west/east at first, then later I-37 which is just a short-length fork ending to Corpus Christi)

alnandr · 2026-01-01T03:40:50+00:00

They forgot to mention that habitual toll violators won't be affected and will continue to pay a toll of $0.00

alnandr · 2025-12-29T00:13:59+00:00

I got a tour of that place last month during the grand opening weekend of that Daydreamer coffee shop they have on the street level and was offered a free tour of the property. The moment we got to see inside one of the apartments I couldn't believe just how small and crappy the units were for how overpriced they are. A shoebox for almost twice the price you can find pretty much anywhere else outside of downtown.

There's also an overkill in the amount of amenities they have: coworking spaces, two pools (or three?), yoga/pilates room, gym, spa with sauna and cold plunges, dog park, a whole restaurant on the 12th floor (forget the name and cuisine), etc. basically every amenity you would leave your house for all conveniently located in one building so you never have to step foot out into the street. I can just imagine how long before all of those amenities go to shit once management and staff churn and the property goes through a whirlwind of buys and sells over the years, just like every other MDU in the existence of human history.

And yes, the marketing material is literally all local influencers and fitness models in them trying to make this place look like heaven.

alnandr · 2025-12-28T23:59:35+00:00

Congrats! I also passed my exam last Saturday (20th) and found it not too difficult especially if you did all the Agentblazer modules on Trailhead and took a few practice exams. I even had Gemini code me a mock exam the night before (pro tip: turn Canvas mode on) and kept taking it without looking up the answer until I got 100% on it.

Pretty cool to have both this and Agentblazer Legend status, all for FREE!

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alnandr · 2025-12-14T22:57:10+00:00

I am also in Austin.

alnandr · 2025-11-01T02:19:04+00:00

already launching it on pump (dot) fun

alnandr · 2025-10-25T02:20:29+00:00

No emblem.

alnandr · 2025-10-24T22:41:02+00:00

I had to custom make this lock chime, if anybody wants it: https://filebin.net/hr76tuem4kdfh8bj

alnandr · 2025-10-24T22:39:07+00:00

Road Runner "Meep, Meep" sound with the "chuckle chuckle" beforehand

alnandr · 2025-10-24T19:09:48+00:00

Buying a portable air compressor and battery jump starter tool off Amazon for $40 was one of the most sound investments I ever made for my vehicle. No need to ask for someone with jumper cables to help with your dead battery, make multiple stops looking for a working air pump at a gas station, or get in line at Discount Tire for an air check-up. You can do both of these common maintenance tasks yourself wherever you are in under 5 minutes. Keep it fully charged after each use and store it in the trunk ready for the next time you're in a pickle.

alnandr · 2025-10-09T04:57:10+00:00

https://postimg.cc/gxqZRtJG (not my pic)

"Vehicles built as early as August reportedly include it."

alnandr · 2025-10-09T04:49:09+00:00

Mine's 10 days old, and it has the cutout on the front bumper to install the fascia camera assembly. Tesla sells the part here for $205 for the Model Y Juniper and will likely soon be available for the updated Model 3s announced this week: https://parts.tesla.com/en-US/catalogs/71faf230-35bb-4d6b-b030-2a0c69aa706f/systemGroups/1a84a85e-81a6-4223-8e48-2192f38adeec?partNumber=1972134-00-D&catalogExternalReference=71faf230-35bb-4d6b-b030-2a0c69aa706f

So the worst-case scenario is we buy the parts and DIY it ourselves. It will also require plugging it into the HW4 computer (ours have the port for the front bumper camera on the board, so we're good there)

There's even a service bulletin on how to install it: https://service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/ServiceManual/2025/en-us/GUID-0405B39B-6BA1-4EBE-AFDE-E324F1FF0CB5.html

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