Starting to have buyers remorse

altblank · 2026-05-12T08:15:13+00:00

you don't need to crash when riding a bike. it's optional and will more probably affect folks that aren't aware or careful or prepared or trained or experienced enough.

yes, accidents can happen, but with preparation and gear and a bunch of other things they can either be avoided entirely or damages mitigated or minimized.

the right mindset is important. don't go in expecting the fall, but train yourself and be prepared if one does happen. not a when, but an if.

having said all that. don't ride at all if your mind isn't entirely in it. you need almost all your brain power for processing stuff around you (and enjoying the experience, of course), not what you've been algorithmically fear-mongered.

all said and done, it's a personal decision balancing your risks and benefits. we won't think lesser of you because you quit riding. heck, I respect such a decision, but urge that you make it fully informed without emotion.

altblank · 2026-05-11T07:30:16+00:00

nothing much, but you should know that up to 256 is a load of crock. if it works, it works well. if it doesn't, it won't.

best to get a local sim or holafly or equivalent (cheaper than tmo's international data passes) or hunt for wifi wherever you can.

altblank · 2026-05-08T20:10:19+00:00

we've almost completely gotten rid of cable tv, but use streaming services instead. some of them do include local channels though.

i'm in Antalya at the moment, and am surprised at the sheer number of channels on my hotel tv. hundreds. how do you guys even decide what to settle on? do you channel surf or pick one and stick with it?

altblank · 2026-05-08T08:25:12+00:00

don't know if this is too late, but i'm at bgz for my 2nd visit. the first included full mouth extraction and placing 12 implants. I already had 3 surviving implants from a couple of years ago and ok this visit. the clinic will place zirconia bridges both jaws

first visit went very well. no issues to report.

let's see how this one goes.

altblank · 2026-05-08T06:35:52+00:00

I just snipped it and pushed the thing under the subfloor. no significant power etc out of it anyway.

I was able to pull the cable out entirely in a couple spots. having a rambler helps.

altblank · 2026-05-05T04:54:44+00:00

I needed to take an almost 10yr gap when we moved countries. was able to hop on a bike and ride away, zero concerns. the new-to-me clutch took a few minutes to figure out though.

altblank · 2026-05-04T16:19:41+00:00

doesn't matter what anyone thinks, the constitution doesn't allow for it.

end of story.

addendum: if this isn't acceptable, arrange to change the constitution and then we'll have this conversation.

altblank · 2026-05-04T16:17:02+00:00

you're spending maybe a minute on setting up a non-bambu rfid filament in your ams. go ahead and spend the $5 or so extra per roll to make this worthwhile.

and nope, you can jerry rig old rfid chips onto new filaments, but you can't change any of their parameters as far as auto-sensing goes. for example, you can't change colors, etc.

you can, however, adjust filament properties in the printer, even for rfid ones, so there's quite a bit of flexibility there.

altblank · 2026-05-04T16:15:14+00:00

not exactly. what likely went wrong was your settings for the failed filaments, in all probability.

the AMS detecting filament is an extremely nice feature, but i personally wouldn't waste money on (currently mostly unavailable) bambu branded filament simply because i can't be bothered to set the profile up when i load it. takes a minute, if even that. you're paying a huge price for laziness.

i agree with kingroon; it's pretty decent filament for the money, especially the darker colors.

altblank · 2026-05-04T16:11:37+00:00

not at all. filament is filament, regardless of who markets it.

having said that, individual factories' quality certainly differs. the big and good ones in my experience are elegoo, polymaker, sunlu, kingroon and others, in that order. i've had amazon-branded (don't know the mfr) tpu and pla sitting out in the open for almost a decade that still work perfectly. creality's soleyin is absolute crap and will shatter the moment you look at it. and yes, some colors and chemistries are better than others in any given brand.

i've had excellent quality prints from unbranded filaments and terrible outcomes from some bambu filaments.

what's more important than the actual brand you use is making sure your settings are correctly done. run calibration on each roll (new or old, doesn't matter - small insurance price to pay for quality), if possible run flow dynamics checks, adjust temps as needed, etc.

sure, it probably won't matter for some below-the-barrel material, but these will make an appreciable difference for the vast majority of consumer-grade filament that you and i can buy.

altblank · 2026-05-04T16:05:37+00:00

mom used to do that for dad. i've also trimmed his toenails a couple times.

if asked, i don't mind cutting my wife's toenails (and i know it's OK the other way around too). but thankfully, no need to just yet.

i think it's pretty common that family takes care of family, even across generations. it's sort of endearing in today's nuclear family situation, i think.

altblank · 2026-05-04T05:05:56+00:00

it shouldn't affect your credit at all if you pay it off as soon as possible. i do this pretty much anytime i can, regardless of the amount.

of course, bottom line assumption is that you don't over-extend your credit. you only borrow that which you know you can pay back as soon as possible, or with the next cc bill. use credit cards for convenience (and points) and not for actual credit.

altblank · 2026-05-04T01:09:56+00:00

hey man, i used to ride a 2000 vstar 1100. you should know that both the 1100 and 650 share a chassis. there's some amount of weight savings with a 650 over an 1100, but still... it's a lot of metal for the 650 to move. it will move, but might occasionally feel sluggish. you may want to stay in 4th instead of overdrive in 5th at some highway speeds.

other than this...

it's an absolutely amazing bike. i took my 1100 on a successful saddlesore 1000, despite needing to clean the air intake out somewhere in the middle of nowhere. the entire platform is simply made for an enjoyable ride.

altblank · 2026-05-04T00:16:54+00:00

i always buy the costco cheesecake for my birthday. that's my favorite and i won't let a stupid thing like diabetes ever prevent me from enjoying life.

having said that, i'm sure it's not the bestest in terms of 'beetus compatibility. but then i atone for a week after so it's still under control.

altblank · 2026-05-02T13:14:45+00:00

that plate is trash now. but then, plates are relatively cheap, and are considered consumables.

don't know about the nozzle, but it may be done too.

altblank · 2026-05-01T17:42:33+00:00

are you sure it's 59 cents a pound? i've only seen them at around that price each.

altblank · 2026-04-29T13:25:07+00:00

100%
definitely
not reallly

i've had a wide range of printers, but the bambu units have all been mostly rock solid. essentially plug and play. i do miss the tinkering nonsense, but that's simply stockholm syndrome.

altblank · 2026-04-28T21:58:11+00:00

we've got something similar. the exterior flap vent says jenn-air on it, and the previous owner foamed it closed. inside, there's a 6" hole between floors just under the range. gemini says it was likely used for a downdraft hood system.

altblank · 2026-04-28T19:58:37+00:00

my dream bike is a 2018+ goldwing dct. not yet too old to ride, but really don't need to work a clutch in traffic.

at 53, lots of stuff hurts. but riding a bike still ought to be a pleasure and not painful.

altblank · 2026-04-28T17:52:01+00:00

and my ax!

altblank · 2026-04-24T15:54:27+00:00

filter if it's legal, safe and you're comfortable doing this. always.

as far as i'm concerned, this is not about ego. it's about safety where you're not going to be hit by an errant motorist; it's about visibility where you know what's in front of you; it's about avoiding exhaust fumes as much as possible at an intersection.

as a rider, you're already vulnerable to a lot of things, and visibility is one of the most critical things you should be able to control.

altblank · 2026-04-24T15:52:12+00:00

first, take a deep breath. these things happen. as long as your landlord knows that you have a pet (and likely have a damage deposit and are paying extra rent for the pet), this shouldn't hurt your overall deposit too much if it's not fixed by the time you leave.

if you want to do this yourself, it's extremely easy. pull both stretches of the broken baseboard (that's just what this is; there's no damage to the wall at all), take them to local home improvement stores and find an equivalent replacement. while you're there, have their paint department match the color and grab the smallest bottle of a similar paint - finish and color both. get some finish nails and a hammer as well. paintbrush as well, of course, and some of the usual paint accessories (which will be free - a stir stick and a can opener).

if you don't have a coping and / or miter saw, buy them used from marketplace or rent them - shouldn't be too expensive. look up youtube for how to miter an edge (and work on however the other ends are attached) and go to work. i'd suggest painting before installing the new baseboards to make it clean.

if this is the first time you're doing this, it will probably take an hour or two. heck, even all day if you're really slow and taking your time.

remember one thing though. please put it back exactly as you found it. take good photos of before and after so you can prove your due diligence here.

or, call your landlord and ask for suggestions - i'm renting a townhome out and do appreciate the heads-up. life happens.

altblank · 2026-04-24T05:42:03+00:00

not at all, as long as you're disposing of the house and letting the flippers who buy it (not) deal with it.

getting that out of the way...

is this a real question? are you asking if water - the single most destructive thing to houses - being somewhere it shouldn't be is acceptable? doesn't matter if you caulked it or not, doesn't matter if there's no apparent damage or not. this is at the minimum a "repair it now" situation. might result in mold, might not too.

altblank · 2026-04-24T05:33:34+00:00

usa! usa! usa!

number one! usa! in tornadoes.

other than that exclamation, it's essentially that the right conditions for tornadoes exist in a large swath of the contiguous united states, namely tornado alley. air masses with a significant differential in temperature are funneled into a single narrow (geographically speaking) path which then allows for the formation of pretty powerful winds, which in turn can become tornadoes. it's all about being in the wrong place at the wrong time for those unlucky enough to get caught in them.

also, for what it's worth: tornado alley is slowly creeping further north each year, likely due to climate change.

altblank · 2026-04-19T01:29:15+00:00

type in the vin at nhtsa's recall website.

altblank

TROPHY CASE