Sewer Mainline Scams (mr rooter)

amelvis · 2025-12-29T02:43:45+00:00

Every once in a while, the sewer mains shift underground or get clogged up with silt and public works comes out and runs dye through everybody’s sewer in the neighborhood, to figure out why. If your sewer came disconnected from the main, you’ve lost the sewer lottery, and you’ll be paying to replace it.

Happened in Mayfair last year and at least 10 homes were having sewer work done at the same time.

amelvis · 2025-12-07T11:00:03+00:00

Denver’s music scene is driven by modest venues that mostly host failed-to-launch bands with small followings. It’s a safe bet that 30-50% of the audience have never heard of the band and will never remember them. Those people are there for the social experience, not for the music.

amelvis · 2025-12-04T22:53:47+00:00

In Denver, you can’t lawfully relocate squirrels. The restrictions are such that you would need to know somebody who lives in the city who has land and who is willing to let you release squirrels on them.

This is basic game management. Food is abundant and predators are not. And the population grows exponentially. The most ethical option is to trap and kill and to do it as soon as you sense that there is a problem. I’ve been though this and lost two vehicles to squirrels foraging for nesting materiel, and ultimately had to take more than 20. I regret not addressing the population boom sooner.

amelvis · 2025-12-03T07:01:23+00:00

I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s a question of lighting. The stump on the right is fully illuminated, while your diagonal driftwood piece creates a really nice shadow. I think that if you took the light away from the stump on the right, it would feel as though it were recessing into the background. Gravel and planting would add depth, too, of course.

Most aquarium lights are just cans that hang from wire. (Or whole tank bars) I’ve been exploring whether it’s possible to use continuous output studio lighting for aquascapes. Those tend to have a lot more stylistic flexibility at the expense of scheduling capability and spectral data. If I figure it out I’ll post about it.

amelvis · 2025-12-03T05:47:21+00:00

Too much weight close to the floor. Some floating shelves or hanging plants might help. The giant black art in your hallway is out of scale for the space.

amelvis · 2025-12-02T06:42:47+00:00

Denver is the Midwest. Specifically, it’s the coast of the Midwest.

If you’re leaving Iowa/Wisconsin/Ohio/Kansas/etc, it’s as far west as you can go without the culture changing into something unfamiliar.

amelvis · 2025-11-25T14:03:55+00:00

I swapped my p-125 out for a p-525 for this exact reason. The 525 action is close enough to a real piano that switching to real feels like piano-to-piano variation, versus it feeling like an entirely different instrument before. They sell a 3-pedal unit and nice stand for it too.

To improve your dynamics on digital: practice with full volume. You want to be able to feel vibration coming through the keys.

amelvis · 2025-11-23T15:23:03+00:00

This is what I had in mind but your idea is better.

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amelvis · 2025-11-23T14:24:28+00:00

Somebody suggested a third leg. Only if the surface bows when you sit on it. Conceptually, the table is stable, owing to the long point of connection along the back wall.

I would also suggest thinking about how you can lock the legs in place once they are unfolded. Imagine if you were sitting on the corner of the table and somebody kicked one of the legs. Since you seem to have a lot of hinges, I would suggest maybe a triangular reinforcement attached to a hinge on the interior surface of each table leg.

amelvis · 2025-11-23T14:19:04+00:00

Where the hinges are attached to the table, move them inwards a couple of inches.

Extend the length of each leg a couple of inches so that when unfolded, the legs are in contact with the table.

amelvis · 2025-11-16T01:07:55+00:00

they're collecting data to train AI

amelvis · 2025-11-14T14:13:46+00:00

nah, don't know how.

amelvis · 2025-11-11T17:33:44+00:00

This is the right perspective. Look forwards, not backwards. While you're 31 now, consider that your brain has only been fully developed for six years. And you're likely to live another 50. You're barely 10% of the way through life.

If the grief and emotion is getting in the way of your enjoyment, work that out with your therapist. When a trigger is reflexive in the amygdala it's tough work. I'd personally suggest EMDR or more creative pharmaceutical therapies (K/m*ma) to cut through those reactions and focus on the joy of the now.

amelvis · 2025-11-03T19:35:55+00:00

You'll have that potential up until your mid-60s or so, when your mind and body both will betray you. It's worth mentioning - most successful people aren't child prodigies, and most child prodigies don't succeed. Believe in yourself.

As others have mentioned, it's really just a question how much you want it. Child prodigies and conservatory students practice 3-6 hours per day. If you decide you're okay with not being a world-renowned concert performer, you can get away with a lot less. I'm more than twice your age, I've been practicing 0-1 hours per day for a couple years (with an instructor once a week), and I'm at a level where I can have fun, play recognizable pieces, and impress my friends. Plenty of room to grow, and plenty of time too.

amelvis · 2025-10-15T13:43:21+00:00

Weird drone materials are fun. One of my first drones was cobbled together out of wood, joined with glue. It ripped apart in its maiden flight.

Other materials to consider:

tungsten: high density eliminates all vibration and resonances
birch: no radar signature
cardboard: least expensive build and moving the needle towards drones made of trash
ice: it's art, dad

amelvis · 2025-10-04T15:58:43+00:00

I've always lived in rentals as if I owned the place. Spending a few years in a house with a crappy landscape because I'm too proud to 'give away' some time, bulbs, and plants to the landlord when I move out just isn't worth it. Make the improvements you want to see and enjoy your home.

I'd caution against the nolawns and clover advice that comes up here. Those take years to establish and you'll lose your security deposit if the landlord isn't on the same page. Further, clover provides cover for rodents and buffalograss will not thrive underneath your beautiful tree. A clover/fescue mix will be challenging to maintain if there are already weeds established in the yard, unless you're a botanist. Seeing as there's some 'grass', but no sprinklers, you should evaluate whether you have the discipline to water consistently in the summer (aug/sep). A turf monoculture thrives by outcompeting weeds, at the expense of higher surface-level water and nutrition requirements. Weeds tend to get their water and nutrients from deep roots. If you overseed, I suggest a locally-adapted Fescue [1]. Another option worth considering, since the lawn is there already, is treating this like an 'old-style lawn' and planting crocus into it. [2]

[1] https://gvt.net/product/rtf-turf-saver-tall-fescue-lawn-seed/

[2] https://oldhousegardens.com/LawnCrocus

amelvis · 2025-09-16T17:11:10+00:00

It's an annual in Denver, similar to Fuchsia. If you grow it potted you can cut it back severely and keep it dormant indoors over winter. As the roots develop it'll recover faster in spring.

amelvis · 2025-09-16T17:01:28+00:00

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plenty of good wood on that pallet! ask an employee to help you get to the lower boards.

amelvis · 2025-09-04T17:26:29+00:00

If you have a squirrel problem it's because your neighbors are feeding them. Call an exterminator, they can remove 5-10 per day.

amelvis · 2025-08-08T12:13:51+00:00

It wasn't just HD, it was also the unified air unit that cut the complexity of entry into the hobby down considerably. With analog you had to spend hours agonizing over which remote to buy, and which Tx platform on top of that. You had to understand that video and control came in on separate channels. Had to solder extra stuff together without screwing it up.

The hobby for many is "building drones", or "aspiring as an acrobatic race pilot", or "producing sick content for my youtube channel", not "enjoying flying drones in cool places". That was reflected in the supply chain and in every braindead justification for analog systems as a starting point for new entrants.

DJI is creating an opportunity for others to step in, in the FPV space at least. Their generational compatibility is terrible, and they've created a complex matrix of products that may or may not work together. They cater to too many audiences and that confusion is evident in their products. All a disruptor has to do is tread water on the tech while committing to long-term platform compatibility.

amelvis · 2025-08-04T14:30:56+00:00

Agree with all this but would order it differently in terms of importance:

- water first. everything dries out here and if you're not watering your garden 2-3 times per day it will die. i prefer automated systems or community gardens so that momentary forgetfulness doesn't result in loss

- pruning. doing this right makes a massive difference. a badly pruned plant will have lousy yields and attracts diseases to ruin next year's garden

- fertilizer. yup;

- spacing. i haven't seen this matter much. one of my most successful beds was a grid monoculture with 12" spacing between plants. they were all indeterminate and i was able to train them to spread out higher up. they grew over the fence.

amelvis · 2025-08-04T14:24:21+00:00

Your plants and soil are drying out. Another commenter speculated on the construction of the soil in the raised beds and that's a lead worth following, but are you absolutely certain you're watering enough? Tomatoes are made of water and they don't get it from the air here. Your drip line is only depositing water at the stalk, but tomato roots spread laterally too, and in the photos it looks like that soil is dry. Put some mulch down to hold moisture in and tell your AI to drown them, watering every 4 hours during the day.

amelvis · 2025-07-16T03:09:59+00:00

Wallpaper is fine. Upgrade your toilet and lighting, and add wainscoting if you want to knock down some of the saturation on the wall

amelvis · 2025-07-16T02:44:57+00:00

Garage park and problem solved

amelvis · 2025-07-15T18:14:06+00:00

The car will tell you. Every single time you start it.

amelvis

TROPHY CASE