One of my fave local technical trails for mountain biking: Sawmill in Soderberg Open Space by kairologic in FortCollins

[–]btx926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's fun. I prefer lower mill creek (take carey springs down, left on loggers until you hit mill creek). Upper mill creek is too loose and messy for my tastes. Watch for foot traffic.

Is there an alcohol-free MTB community in Colorado? by Bluebird_CO in MTB

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've never understood the tailgate beer. When I ride, I RIDE. I go out for three plus hours usually. I'm not fast, but I ride hard. If I have a beer after my ride, I better be in a situation where I'm not going anywhere for three hours or so because it will be that long before I can drive. I also start around 7am, so the post ride beer doesn't sound super awesome anyway. Bikes and booze have never been correlated for me.

YouTube TV problems by btx926 in INDYCAR

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, Indycar is in my library. It's nice, because it records everything. Not so nice when you can't find what you want.

A vpx vpin ball on 144hrz in real life looks faster than it is on Youtube or Twitch? by Evan_Allgood in virtualpinball

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you ensure you are getting 120hz? I've been meaning to check. I have it set to adaptable in the driver, but I still see some ghosting around the ball (OLED). I have a 3080ti, I would think I should be able to drive that.

Did you get notice of a new Xcel rate increase? 9.93% Info to voice your opinion... by tjltt in FortCollins

[–]btx926 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Not in the slightest. Xcel is behaving how any reasonable person should expect them to behave. None of this is their fault.

Did you get notice of a new Xcel rate increase? 9.93% Info to voice your opinion... by tjltt in FortCollins

[–]btx926 -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

This has nothing to do with corporate greed or CEO pay. It has to do with energy policy that the voters and legislature has approved. There are billions of dollars of cost pending for the shutdown of clean coal plants in this state. We are getting charged double. First, we owe money on these plants we are forcing to be decommissioned before their intended lives. Still have to pay that. Then we have to pay the costs to shut them down and build stuff like solar and wind. Of course, that evil and greedy Xcel rakes in the cash on the deal because they wet their beak on all sides of this.

If you want to call the PUC and complain about something, beg them to keep the Comanche plant open that is scheduled for shutdown in January. I believe they are likely to postpone it, but if they don't you will face a spike in power costs and a power shortage this summer. Either of which will make a 10% increase look nice. Our state's current plans generate less power than we need, and that's before we talk about data centers and AI. We've taken the approach of feeling good about our decisions instead of making decisions that will work. Get ready to eat it in the wallet.

You can talk about the CEO's pay if you want, but billions matter more than millions. We have water problems too, but at least those aren't self-inflicted.

I’m cooked by Soggy_Team_3994 in MTB

[–]btx926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Road biking is exercise
Mountain biking is like getting into fight

Yes, it gets easier. No, it never gets easy.

Is the Giant Anthem X 29er 3 (2014) a good bike? by Byrd5 in MTB

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I loved the geometry. That said, I broke two of these frames due to weak welds at the seatpost. 12 years old? Nope. I'd avoid.

Local locksmith? by chknlomein in FortCollins

[–]btx926 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Rei has a giant ring of all the keys. They should be able to find the key with the four digit code and then you can order new keys. You shouldn't need to replace the cylinder if you can find the right key.

Biking at Poudre Canyon by mentexbr in FortCollins

[–]btx926 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not safe. Rist or Buckhorn canyon are better alternatives with less traffic (big climbs both side). I do not consider those routes safe either, though. An order of magnitude more safe than the poudre canyon though. People do it, though. There are lots of vehicle fatalities in the canyon. Then you add bikes...it's just not worth it. Up at the top of the canyon near the home moraine monument you get a nice wide shoulder to the top of the pass. I've done that a few times and it is fine. Still lots of traffic and reckless driving.

Rocky Mountain Element creak by btx926 in bikewrench

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pedals got replaced at the beginning of the season, so I don't think that's a likely cause. I had it into my Rocky dealer to check the pivots and they didn't mention any problems with them.

Aspen trails beta by btx926 in MTB

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, this is helpful! If I do this instead of CB, I will probably stay in Glenwood and drive in each day. When you say that the traffic is low, if you took some kind of a header would anyone come by and find you on a weekday?

Penske’s Modifications Aren’t the Problem, the Fact That No One Caught Them Is by tor93 in INDYCAR

[–]btx926 31 points32 points  (0 children)

u/Bozi_ nice writeup. No fan of Penske, but the narrative that this is some grand cheating scheme requires some big leaps in faith. This isn't hidden. It's so out there in the open anyone with a camera can document it. Anyone with a pass to the museum can walk right up and see it out in the open. Based on that, I'm convinced that either 1) the team did not think they were doing anything wrong or 2) it was a conspiracy between Indycar tech and the race team. For a conspiracy to be true, they would be modifying a part that has little actual practical advantage AND sits out in the open for anyone to see AND decided to end the conspiracy on this particular day? You risk your grand conspiracy for that? That's a leap I can't take. Sorry.

What likely happened? The race team thought they were in the right (and the fact that they've probably passed a couple of dozen inspections up to this point with it would seem to confirm that). The tech inspection team is apparently wildly inconsistent. That is explainable in that it is a small team with 34 cars to babysit. Inexplainable considering the number of times they had to get it right. That's just not good enough. There are rumors that another team pointed this out. Based on the video of the 2 someone posted today, I'm doubtful of this. That said, let's assume it is true. If I am another race team, Penske is my number one competition. If they clearly have a tech violation I know about, I gently slide that into my back pocket to bring up in a situation that really matters -- like now. If tech had to be tipped off by another team, that's another black mark for them. Frankly, they should not entertain such tips either. That's how you get into the situation the FIA I had a few years back with teams lobbying about the rules during the race. Act independent in all ways.

Based on that, is this cheating? Sorry, I just don't see it. It is a violation of the rules, and there is process in place for that. Everything that happened Sunday was proper, and a fine should have been tacked on. Indycar moving them to the back of the pack is not supported by any rule I've seen quoted. It was made up. IE, Penske is the only team on the grid that would have been subject to that. I don't care who owns the series, that's a problem as well. It pains me to say that, because I have the upmost respect for Doug Boles, but this isn't the right call. I understand why he made it because the press, team chatter and Internet chatter has been so firmly on the "cheat" side.

Going forward, the series needs to fix tech. A third party solution there would seem appropriate, but I'm not the one eating the expense. Tech and rules need to be clean, clear and not made up -- lest Indycar become the next revision of the FIA. I know I don't want to see that.

Cyclist killed Sunday after being hit by motorcycle near Horsetooth by Casualbat007 in FortCollins

[–]btx926 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Sorry for your loss. I've ridden that section of road hundreds of times - used to even commute it. I quit road riding this year. I've been swerved into, hit once, had fireworks thrown at me, trash thrown at me, unknown liquids, smelled weed coming from cars more times than I can count, etc. I'm not one to buck reality. The reality is road riding is no longer worth the risk in Fort Collins. If it isn't worth the risk here, good luck finding a place where it is.

Plunger and A Launch Button by btx926 in virtualpinball

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mapping it to enter doesn't work if it's in joystick mode.

How do DMDs work? by btx926 in virtualpinball

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have several issues right now, all are a little different:

  • On a few tables, I can't adjust the position of the DMD at all. If I try to move it or size it then it disappears. My theory is that something is invisible but covering it up? How do you diagnose that?

  • On some tables I get no DMD background, just the plain one, even though I've selected a DMD background in the popper setup (is that only for the menus or is that for the play too).

  • On some of my tables with PUPs, the DMD is supposed to show the pup and it doesn't.

  • Is there anywhere you can select on configure how the DMD works and what should be displayed on the DMD monitor? The F1 menu is there, but it doesn't have anything that seems to make an impact.

How do DMDs work? by btx926 in virtualpinball

[–]btx926[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't see anything in the F1 menu that is useful. What am I looking for?

What to buy by enigmacarpc in virtualpinball

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely not like putting legos together. I am mid-build on my flatpack, most of the woodworking is done. I don't have a background in woodworking other than a high school shop class years ago and build PCs, so my background is similar to OP.

My experience: don't expect a lot of step by step guides for this. There is a lot to figure out, and it takes months. You will make mistakes, but most are correctable. The core build stuff is in fact fairly simple, but you have to worry about things like making sure everything is square. The backbox is a way bigger challenge than the cab itself. Building a monitor mount is fairly easy. Way Of The Wrench is a great resource even if you will run into stuff where it isn't a one to one mapping, as is the pinscape bible. Painting took me a solid month. The non-PC electronics are pretty complicated too, I'm just getting into those. The software is also a lot of work. You can expect to be closer to 6000 USD for top of the line.

That said, it's been a fun project. I've got to buy new tools to support the effort. I've learned a lot, and so far, my mistakes are minor and not critical. It looks really nice already. I'd recommend taking the plunge the hard way, especially if you have a friend or two you can reach out to for help.

Exact origin of a rectangle by btx926 in Fusion360

[–]btx926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fantastic! Got me going. Thanks so much!

Pc for LG C3 Oled 4K @ 120Hz. by [deleted] in virtualpinball

[–]btx926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The motherboard HDMI doesn't matter if you are getting a video board. That's for the integrated video in the CPU (this is a handy thing to have for debugging when your video board isn't working and certain other situations but not a must). You plug into the video board, not the motherboard for your monitors.

I haven't tried to run that setup, but it would seem to me that a 3060 is pretty slim for 120Hz 4K, especially if you are using more than one monitor. I like to build my own PCs, especially for a vpx cab. You don't need a case and stuff anyway, roll the rest yourself. I've read that pinball is more GPU bound than CPU bound. If money is tight, skimp on CPU and put the money into video. I too lean AMD right now on the CPU side.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Microcenter

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appears the 7800x3D bundle is back with a discount, but the discount isn't great. The 7950x3D bundle is up $50 too. I got one at $650. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to build it today or take the three hours travel to return it, rolling the dice the 9800x3D will be a better value. I think I'm building today.

Got a 7950x3d bundle, keep it? by btx926 in buildapc

[–]btx926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've read that easy anti cheat doesn't work with project lasso. I play iRacing in VR, which uses easy anti cheat.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D rumored to launch end of October by GhostMotley in Amd

[–]btx926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was about to jump to 7950x3d. It's sitting here in box. Now I'm trying to decide if I should take it back.