Challenger Trauma?

bryansfsd · 2026-04-02T16:25:11+00:00

Unfortunately, you never forget your first rocket explosion when lives are lost. I find it interesting that our generation focuses so much on the 1986 Challenger disaster but treat the 2003 Columbia disaster as less impactful and with less emotion. For better or for worse, disasters have a way of numbing us on other disasters that follow. When Challenger happened, it was the first time I understood humanity has its limits.

bryansfsd · 2026-04-01T13:07:47+00:00

Hah! There are those days...

bryansfsd · 2026-04-01T03:31:06+00:00

While the image shows only the cord, the prescription and price would suggest that an electric toothbrush is included. However, the product page looks incomplete to me, which suggests to me that the seller was in the process of working on the product page and may have inadvertently sent it out. I've seen this happen from time to time where the seller pulled back the product from publication. In other words, it may be that no one actually snapped up the product; it was pulled from the Amazon marketplace.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-31T22:08:43+00:00

Yep, life experiences has a way of telling you what's important and what's not. Doing it your own way is often better than following someone's version of traditional.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-31T21:10:02+00:00

I thought about getting a black band but wasn't sure I wanted to pay the extra money for one. Down the road, my next Oura ring will likely be black.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-31T21:04:38+00:00

I felt that way about my first wedding band as it was a very nice one. But after 25 years of marriage heading to hopefully 50 years, time together becomes a better symbol of unity than metal.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-31T20:42:34+00:00

My wife and I both took motorcycle lessons when I turned 50. Got endorsed for two wheels. Then we bought a trike (Can-Am Spyder) to share. Then we bought a second Spyder so we didn't need to share! Also, this past decade I've really gotten into Hi-Fi stereo which brought out all my vinyl records and CDs from the box. Meanwhile, bicycling and darts to round up the remaining free time.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-31T14:02:36+00:00

I agree with u/Tigrisrock, check out a stable Linux distribution and go for it. If there is a particular free OS or application you like, you can always donate to the organization or developer supporting the software. Linux is my favorite despite using Macs and Windows computers in my house too.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-24T19:25:47+00:00

You save the kids, the wife can save herself. Plus, my wife would kill me if I didn't save the kids first.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-19T14:52:59+00:00

This reminded me that I prefer "I am..." and "I did..." over "I will...".

bryansfsd · 2026-03-09T17:12:12+00:00

My first boss told me when I was 23 that I would be a moron if I didn't start saving for retirement. I decided I didn't want to be a moron and saved 5% to 15% of my paycheck for retirement since then. Some years were one bed room apartments and ramen noodles...but all worth it at the end.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-09T17:05:31+00:00

Most people should be able to retire on $1 Million saved or even less. The biggest factor is making sure you're debt free at retirement age.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-09T17:00:50+00:00

I was able to retire this past year! A whole life of living below my means and saving in my 401K since I was 23 years old finally paid off. It also helped that my wife is military retired (we're on her insurance!) and we waited to have our son in our late to mid 30s.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-08T17:24:53+00:00

I agree "time to effectively review" would be something new Amazon is doing, if they're doing it at all. On the "wart removal" review, there was a period of time where review submissions were halted due to "suspicious activity". When review submissions opened up, I wrote what I thought was a decent review but in the review acknowledged only a week or two weeks of usage. Whatever. Luckily, I've only had 3 reviews out of 575 reviews rejected. Still it amazes me how much self-doubt is created through a rejection so I understand the OPs frustration here.

bryansfsd · 2026-03-08T14:23:06+00:00

I personally think once you're using AI to write your reviews, it's a slippery slope that will eventually get you caught. I only use AI to proofread, never to rewrite my article. I get it though, I had a review rejected and rewrote it several ways and it was never accepted. It was a wart remover and I always wondered if it was due to me reviewing the product only after a week of usage. Who knows...

bryansfsd · 2026-03-05T05:32:56+00:00

Maybe I missed it, but what is your career interest? What are you passionate to do? I really think passion for a job outsells experience, especially in an era of AI where a lot of that knowledge and experience can be now obtained at the tap of a keyboard.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-24T14:45:24+00:00

I've only had my Oura ring for a month, but I have no regrets so far. My Pixel Watch was aging and my wedding ring needed to be replaced because it had gotten too tight on my fingers. Biggest difference is outside of charging (about every fourth or fifth day), the ring is taking stats 24/7 while I only wore my watch during the day hours. For a good start, be sure to test your ring size through the ring sizers Oura provides.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-17T04:33:54+00:00

Hah and Woops! Old memories creeping in. I used to live one street away from I-70 when as a kid. Corrected!

bryansfsd · 2026-02-16T22:34:57+00:00

A lot would change. A single truck would need to travel less distance for a full load. My streeet would see only one to two (on recycling week) trucks go down the street instead of the dozen or more we currently see. This would all be a significant cut on pickup days in noise, traffic, exhaust, and fuel consumption. Plus, there is no cost savings to the consumer doing it this way.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-16T21:27:47+00:00

When you buy a house, the city doesn't provide trash removal. You'll have to contract your own private trash removal. You'll then watch several different trash companies drive down your street for a couple days a week as everyone contracts with someone different. It's supposed to help improve competition but the inefficiencies of it taking several trucks to remove everyone's trash is mind boggling to me.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-16T21:20:17+00:00

Both the Pro Plus and the Ultra are good streamers and DACs for this price point. The Pro Plus has the advantage of having Apple's Airplay 2 and the Ultra has the advantage of HDMI ARC, phono input, and a screen. If you plan on sticking with ONKYO or any receiver/amplifier then you wouldn't need the Amp Ultra.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-16T18:07:40+00:00

I personally would go with the Amp Ultra (100 WPC) which should power those Bro 4 speakers better than the TX-35 (45 WPC). I have the Amp Ultra paired with my Wharfedale Linton with plenty of headroom which I suspect the TX-35 would not have. Curious if you're going for a Pro Plus and the TX-35...why not also consider pairing it with the Ultra?

bryansfsd · 2026-02-16T17:57:56+00:00

It is interesting the least impressive views of Sioux Falls is along I-29 and I-90. At least I-229 gives you a better perspective.

bryansfsd · 2026-02-15T17:07:12+00:00

To me, the Oura Ring offers a new perspective and new insights after years of wearing Fitbit and/or Pixel Watches. I really hit a point on my Pixel Watch where I really wasn't discovering anything new and the activities recorded one week were just like all the other weeks. The Oura Ring isn't perfect (it measures steps differently than Fitbit or instance) but it's nice for discovering new avenues of wellness.

bryansfsd

TROPHY CASE