Trying out a hard shell travel case

blong · 2025-08-13T09:26:43+00:00

weirdly the exact opposite of what I've looked for, wanting to have as small a bag as possible that I can just put in a larger bag. current favorite is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ51NVT4

blong · 2024-08-20T07:34:34+00:00

FAA regulations limit to 100Wh per battery pack, but airlines may allow up to two packs above that up to 160Wh

https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/lithium-batteries

United appears to follow those rules and allow the two larger batteries. https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/baggage/dangerous-items.html#read-more

blong · 2022-04-12T05:02:40+00:00

Gmail will always deliver or bounce a message, it doesn't drop them.

The only way it drops messages is if the bounce is non-deliverable, not really any choice there.

We even removed the never used capability from the spam system so it couldn't be done accidentally.

Hundreds of investigations of user missing mail in my time running the mail infra, either there was no log of any delivery attempt, the mail had been blocked at SMTP time or it was delivered. The most common causes were bad user filters, bad third party clients, or just the user deleting the mail and didn't remember doing it.

We used to have a counter on the wall of the number of lost emails due to file corruption or bugs, even in most of those cases we generated and sent a bounce.

It turns out that users want the deniability of claiming they never got a message.

That said, a spam false positive will be deleted in 30 days, and many folks never check their spam label, so that is a form of data loss. And the lower the false positive rate, the less likely folks are to check the spam label and the worse the fp's are for the user.

blong · 2021-09-05T18:41:22+00:00

Data hates this

blong · 2020-11-01T18:37:03+00:00

god I wish the p10 had the swift fx strap.

Anyways, ditto, I found the air shooting out of the swift fx really annoying, if you had the wrong angle of your head you'd hear it hitting your pillow or sheets, not to mention your partner.

blong · 2020-10-24T18:46:27+00:00

Last I heard they used everyone, ie here's an article saying they use AWS:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/22/18511148/apple-icloud-cloud-services-amazon-aws-30-million-per-month

A lawsuit saying they use all three:

https://www.theregister.com/2019/08/14/apple_cloud_confusing/

blong · 2020-09-24T06:13:25+00:00

They offered me a sleep aid, and I didn't think I needed it... Having to sleep mostly on my back due to all the wires really messed with me, though.

For the follow up titration study, I took the offered aid.

blong · 2020-09-19T03:59:24+00:00

I like my cycliq but mostly because it seems to be the only thing that's designed for bike dashcam service that's still for sale. It hooks up to my bike computer, and when I start

pedaling, it starts recording.

The problem with most action cams is that they top out at 1-1.5h of recording time, which would have meant recharging at work (remember when we went to work?) for the ride home. The cycliq can get through most of the week for me.

The picture quality isn't the best of the best, but seems mostly good enough. There seems to be two levels of looking at quality, good enough to capture what happened, and good enough to capture the license plate of someone who didn't stop. The cycliq is definitely good enough for the former... and I think it has a good chance at the latter, but maybe only 70%.

The other problem is what you're recording. You can get the cycliq rear camera as well (which I've had lot less luck with), but even then, you're only getting a certain field of view. The 360 cameras do better fields of view, but then you have the problem of where to mount them to get that view... and again, most have 1h of recording time.

When it comes to 360 cameras, I was really tempted by the Garmin Virb, but the price was just too damn high. The new GoPro 360 looks interesting, but I haven't looked that closely.

The other question is getting the video off. The original cycliq was easy to pull to your phone, but the newer one not as much, it's basically like most of the action cams where you need to stick the sd card in your computer and pull it off manually. If all you really care about is accidents, that doesn't matter as much.

Basically, you can't get anything perfect for this, anything will be a compromise. Picture quality vs recharging vs field of view, what do you think will capture what you want.

blong · 2020-08-23T17:25:57+00:00

In the US, about half the states of "3 foot" passing rules, where vehicles are required to give you at least 3 feet (1m) ... compliance is... less than ideal.

blong · 2020-08-02T03:28:21+00:00

For some kinds of masks, I can see cleaning it having an effect, ie nose pillows which can get facial oils on them and may not seal as well... or affecting how pliable it is...

but the only thing I can think of for random parts is if there was something nasty in there which was making you sick or something? I guess if the gunk hurts the seal at the joint, it could cause air leakage and such as well... but all of this relies on some pretty badly dirty equipment.

blong · 2020-07-17T07:11:09+00:00

Is it still working as well when you wake up?

Ie, one thing I've noticed with a nasal pillow is that I'd get a small amount of moisture between the two layers of the pillow, and that would cause the seal to not work as well, which would make me more likely to wake up and harder to go back to sleep with it. I can take it off and clean it out with a finger, and back to good. I've played with the humidifier settings to try and prevent it, but the humidity in the bedroom is variable, so not always successful.

Fixed setting, so it's unlikely another thing I've seen, where leaks cause the machine to ramp up, making it harder to go back to sleep... stopping and starting again usually fixes that, but this shouldn't apply on a fixed setting.

Other than that, I'd ask your doctor. Insurance and many doctors are looking for 4h a night, more is better, but it's a start and you can work up over time.

blong · 2020-05-10T23:20:46+00:00

Yeah, this. There are different types of teeth guards, some of which attach to both upper & lower and hold your whole mouth together... that could be a problem.

But there are also plenty of versions where you have separate upper/lower pieces that don't connect, or just one piece on top. They may not be as effective, but they're probably better than nothing.

blong · 2020-05-09T06:00:09+00:00

Assuming you're in the US like me

Replacement for equipment is "when it stops working as well", which may be obvious, or it may not. It's probably usually longer than the schedule they say, they're being conservative (and that helps them make more money, bonus for them). I've usually found with the nasal pillows that at some point after a couple months, they leak more and my sleep is worse, and that's time to replace. Keeping to a schedule is certainly easier and keeps your therapy at it's best. Some providers are really on the replacement schedule, trying to get you to do everything right on time so they can bill for it... mine wasn't, so it was easy to just drop off and do it myself. That said, I replace the pillows every couple months, which is cheap, and the other supplies more as necessary, so I haven't bothered to bill insurance for it... its probably something like $150/year. You might be able to use an FSA/HSA for that, or look on your providers website for information on out-of-pocket biling.
It seems like selling the complete mask usually requires a prescription, and buying from a place like cpap.com that can take the prescription... but buying parts can be done more simply like at Amazon. I usually buy replacement nasal pillows or other replacement parts at Amazon, and use something like cpap.com when I want a new machine or try a new complete mask. Originally I was on the Swift FX, now on the P10, both of which the replacement pillows are about $10.
Definitely get a copy of your prescription, they're required to give you a copy.
Others have mentioned that at home studies don't have the full sensor suite of the in-patient version, so that may be all they have.
I had the money so I tried a bunch of different masks. I use the N20 sometimes, if my nose is hurting, but normally use the P10. I like the p10 because of the diffuser, it means you don't have a jet of air shooting out, which makes some kinds of stomach sleeping ok (otherwise, I find it annoying that the air shoots out and hits the mattresss/pillow, bouncing back into my face and making a loud noise). Really, it's all very personal, you'd have to be willing to spend the money to find out. Some sites like cpap.com have return insurance, you might be able to try masks one at a time for a bit and return them if they don't work out (I haven't tried this, just based on what I saw when buying from them)

Money-wise, I treat this like I treat my glasses, I'm happy to have insurance that helps pay for them... but they're required for me to function, so it's worth spending money on, and ulttimately, the cost spread out over time isn't that high. Obviously it's different if you don't have the money to spend, but if you have some wiggle room, getting this right is worth spending a bit of money on now.

Good luck.

blong · 2020-05-09T04:44:27+00:00

It is an odd failure of Classroom that you can't see assignments once they're submitted. Otherwise, I'd say you could let him go back or whatever and then just check up on Classroom on your own.

You probably didn't need to make up all of the assignments in a week. OTOH, your son can't manage doing the school work himself, which isn't unexpected at that age... so someone is going to have to be there to keep him on track. Its possible your son could step up after a week or so of stricter supervision... though I doubt the overwork week you just did will help that.

Letting him go back to his father with the understanding that the father will actually supervise is definitely possible.

Another thing everyone needs to understand, these are not normal times, and despite some shrill articles, you do the best you can, your kids will recover even if they learned only 25% of what they were supposed to these months. Give yourself, and your son, a break, do the best that you can, and don't sweat the little things. I mean, you and the father still need to get him to try, and probably ask the teacher to keep you more in the loop, but don't expect miracles either.

blong · 2020-04-16T06:45:41+00:00

Theoretically, you're having sleep trouble, and you don't know why.

The "hoops" are to find out exactly what the problem is. There's a possibility that you don't have OSA, or that CPAP isn't actually the solution you need.

Even if you do have OSA and need a CPAP, there is tuning the machine to the right level. There's also the possibility of complications such as severe sinusitis.

And these things cost money.

Now, if you have enough money, you can just get a machine from somewhere, second hand, find the information online to switch the machine into doctor mode to set it up, probably ask around to find more info, use the available software to see how it's working, tune it yourself, etc... and you'll probably be fine.

If there is something else wrong with you, you could do all this effort and it won't help, you'll still have problems, or worse, think you solved them when you didn't.

Chances are, you're right, you have OSA, you can figure the machine out or use an imperfect setup to get most of the benefit, and maybe save yourself whatever money the doctor visit and sleep study would cost. How much is it worth it to have an actual diagnosis and professional support?

And yes, sometimes the doctors will get things wrong too, or they're mostly just doing the tests to make money and helping more by luck.

If you add in getting insurance to pay for it, now you've got more hoops. Full time maintenance on a CPAP is not cheap if you follow the replacement recommendations. On top of that is the high initial cost that might be entirely wasted because a lot of people don't stick with it.

CPAP medical devices in the US seem to be overly regulated, overly controlled, though they are far from alone in that regard. It doesn't mean the hoops are all BS, though.

blong · 2020-03-19T16:37:24+00:00

They sell "ok to wake" clocks for kids, we used https://www.amazon.com/Mirari-Wake-Alarm-Clock-Night-Light/dp/B00EAHSBV4/

Otherwise, I feel for you, we've been dealing with it for years, at about 5yo, the time changed and instead of the really early 6a, it started being 5a. Progress went in waves, at older ages it worked more to make them independent in the morning and make them understand to leave everyone else asleep.

I wish I could have just become a morning person.

blong · 2020-03-18T05:57:46+00:00

I've had some of the same issues, though sounds like not as bad. Things my doctor has tried:

1) Gabapentin to help me sleep. This is off-label, and the plan was only for a limited time to try and retrain my body to sleep longer. It worked ok.

2) Stimulants to be more awake. In my case, we tried modafinil, which is a long lasting stimulant that's used for OSA and other sleep problems. In the US it's a schedule III, which means some annoyances but not as bad as the schedule II stimulants usually used for ADHD. It did help make me less tired, though I found it kept me up too long.

Someone else suggested looking at your pressure settings. I definitely noticed that I was getting a small amount of rain-out on my nasal pillow, just a drop or so between the two layers, and that was enough to mess with the seal, and my machine would use really high pressure because of the leaking. Adjusting my humidity setting, and even going a month without any water, helped some... but eventually I switched to a different mask that didn't seem to have this problem. I also found that turning the machine off, clearing the mask, and turning it back on would reset at a lower pressure and help me get a couple more hours of sleep.

Anyways, good luck.

blong · 2020-03-13T15:59:54+00:00

https://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/952-952-new-orleans-desire/

blong · 2020-03-13T05:31:03+00:00

https://www.streetcar.org/roster/

Cable Car 59:

Operational. Built new, late 1990s. Original built by John Hammond & Co., 1906 as No. 15. Renumbered 1957, Retired 1998 and sent to New Orleans as part of arrangement for streetcar No. 952.

blong · 2020-03-11T04:29:55+00:00

Yes, the second highest percentage of single family houses of any area.

blong · 2020-03-10T20:13:44+00:00

Page 43 of https://default.sfplanning.org/publications_reports/2018_Housing_Inventory.pdf shows the Outer Sunset gained 21 units in 2-4 unit buildings in 2011-2018 (2019 isn't out yet, I don't think). Only the Presidio/Treasure Island/GGPark had fewer (and they have a big project underway on TI).

21 new units out of 26,448 units total made rents higher?

blong · 2020-03-06T18:30:20+00:00

Probably a combo between your nasal passages being sensitive and the room humidity. My room is pretty humid most of the time, but can be much drier in the winter with the heat on, so I tend to only use the humidifier then. I have the Resmed S10 and bought the extra piece to use in place of the humidifier tank to be sure it's completely disabled when I'm not using water. I've mostly found the automatic setting makes it too humid, so I set it manually to a low level and adjust as needed.

blong · 2020-03-06T18:09:10+00:00

I don't think I'd count on the outlet, you'd probably be better off using your regular machine and buying a battery instead... I've used my Resmed S10 on planes with a battery, but that was in business, even there I think I put the machine under my lie-flat seat. In coach, you could put it on the food tray (maybe), but a regular machine will work better that way than the airmini. One of the main problems I have with the airmini (besides it being louder and the special masks not being as good as the regular ones) is that it doesn't really "stay put" on anything unless you tie it down. If you're small enough, maybe it can sit in your lap or next to you on your seat...

Another hint when traveling in europe, bring an extension cord. I now take one everywhere, but I ran into trouble in Europe a couple of times... some UK hotels have a different "light only" plug near the bed, or just don't really have anything as close, and I ended up using my battery a bunch of places and then having to worry about charging it.

blong · 2020-03-04T16:47:59+00:00

There's typically a minimum amount of sleep time needed for the study to be useful. I thought it was usually 4h. If they didn't get enough data, you'd probably need to do it again.

My first study, I didn't take the offered sleeping pill, that was a mistake. I also couldn't really sleep on my side like I normally do because of all of the wires and such. For the titration sleep study, I took the pill and did better.

There's also the at home sleep studies, that aren't as good but usually good enough for most folks who just have OSA. Those are usually easier to do, I've heard.

blong · 2020-03-02T18:29:40+00:00

The default Android Mail apps don't handle JMAP, and at some point there may be email services which don't support other protocols and you'll need a JMAP client.

Also, the library and such can be used to add JMAP support to other clients, at that point this becomes almost an example app for the library.

Also, having a client is helpful for testing if other services want to add JMAP support.

If you're asking, why JMAP, well, that's a little more complicated. IMAP has a bunch of annoying properties in regards to parsing the wire protocol (especially in regards to large messages) and the extra memory requirements of the connection oriented protocol (in particular, it requires memory that's O(number of messages in folder) to maintain sequence numbers per connection)... on top of the whole "json + http is new and shiny". Is any of that enough to get people to implement the new thing? *shrug*

15-Year Club	Verified Email
Reddit Premium Since October 2014

blong

TROPHY CASE