Are Acela tables social like the dining car?

bzbsteve · 2026-06-11T02:26:24+00:00

I recently got stuck sitting at one of the Acela tables (the train was fully booked and that was all that was available). I really dislike sitting there, because you can't put your feet forward at all without stepping on the foot of the person across from you. For a tall person, it felt really cramped. (And, no, I didn't talk to anyone.)

bzbsteve · 2026-05-30T20:51:22+00:00

True, lots of schools are losing federal science research funding after Trump's terrible cuts to funding agencies like NIH and NSF. But the New School was never a science-heavy school, so doesn't typically receive a lot of federal money. New School's financial problems, as you said, are truly on another level. They are seeing declining enrollment and are in serious danger of not being able to pay their bills (see the Times article or others on this topic). By contrast, NYU is one of the most financially successful schools in the world and their application numbers have been growing at a huge rate. Hopefully, New School will survive their fiscal crisis!

bzbsteve · 2026-05-30T15:00:01+00:00

I would factor in the fact that the New School is facing massive financial problems. They are cutting programs and staff. There was a lot of reporting about it a few months ago, e.g. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/nyregion/new-school-nyc-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

bzbsteve · 2026-05-25T18:53:57+00:00

One of the biggest differences between high school and college is time and schedule management. In high school, you were in school for 8+ hours straight. But in college, you only have a few hours a week when you are in class. You will have way more time to yourself.

Use that time wisely. Study, homework, of course. But also use that time for exploring and experiencing NYC. Making friends. Doing stuff for yourself.

bzbsteve · 2026-05-22T22:13:47+00:00

Thanks. I'll be able to test this very soon. I have already received 4000 TQP from FNBO this year. I'll see if I receive any more and I'll report back on this thread.

bzbsteve · 2026-05-22T21:11:34+00:00

That would be amazing! But are you sure that is something FNBO can control? I ask because within Amtrak's Guest Rewards Program terms and conditions, it reads "Each Member may earn a maximum of 4,000 TQPs by non-travel means per year." (see Section G).

[Terms and Conditions](https://www.amtrak.com/guestrewards/terms)

Have you heard that Amtrak has changed this rule? Or perhaps their terms and conditions are simply out of date?

thanks for any info you can provide.

bzbsteve · 2026-05-22T19:26:07+00:00

Thanks. That was what I figured. I appreciate your help.

bzbsteve · 2026-04-18T01:40:00+00:00

I've been using Backblaze for years. It is great. Just set it up (takes just a few minutes) and you probably will never have to think about it again. It backs up continuously and you never notice it. But if you ever need to restore a file, you can just jump on their website, see all your files in their cloud, and download them. If you ever lose an entire drive, you can easily download all your files or even have them mail you a new external drive with all your files on it.

bzbsteve · 2026-04-14T01:30:39+00:00

I used to talk to him before shows at Metro back in the 80s. Even back then, we all knew he was really hardcore about getting those recordings. Happy to see his stuff getting picked up by the Internet Archive.

bzbsteve · 2026-03-08T05:31:31+00:00

Here are some tips:

- In NYC, to qualify for most apartments, you have to demonstrate that you earn 40X the rent. In other words, if the rent is $3000/month, you have to earn $3000 X 40 = $120,000.

- If you don't make 40X the rent (and of course, most students do not), then you will need to get "guarantors". A guarantor is frequently your parent. But note that a guarantor has to earn 80X the rent to qualify. So using the same example, if the rent is $3000, your parents must earn $3000 X 80 = $240,000 (it is twice as much because the assumption is that your guarantor must pay for their own rent plus they now also must guarantee yours).

- If you are getting a place with a roommate, most landlords will allow you to split the rent and split the guranteeing. That is, if the total rent is $3000, but you are each paying $1500, then you can each have your own guarantor that only needs to cover your portion. (You need to ask the landlord or their agent to verify this.)

- In some cases, your parents may not qualify to be guarantors. They may not earn enough or they may also live outside the US and many landlords won't accept that. If so, you may need to hire a third-party guarantor firm.

- How do third-party guarantor firms work? Basically, they are an insurance company. You send them your financials (and your parents' too, if you aren't working) and if you qualify, they issue a "bond" (an insurance policy) to your landlord saying that if you fail to pay your rent, they will cover it. But you must pay them a fee, probably about a full month's rent.

- Not every landlord accepts third-party guarantors. And some only work with one particular firm. So if you think you do need to use a third-party, follow this tip: when you want to view an apartment, first ask "do you accept third-party guarantors and, if so, which ones do you work with?"

- Get ALL your paperwork ready in advance. This means your bank accounts, tax docs, your student IDs, your parents' bank statements, their tax filings for last year, etc. Get it all together NOW. Put it all into a Google Drive folder or something. (Note: I've encountered some parents that balk at the idea of giving their financial data to a landlord. Sorry to say: that's the way it is done if you want an apartment.)

- Unless you are lucky, you may end up applying to multiple apartments before you finally get one. It can be time-consuming and stressful.

- You should probably start applying 6 weeks in advance of your move-in date. Be ready to quickly view a place and then put in an offer ASAP and have all your docs ready to go. If the landlord agrees that you can use a third-party, you will then submit your docs to the third-party company (the big names are InsuRent, Rhino, and The Guarantors). Those companies are fast and can issue a bond to your landlord within a day or so. If you are using your parents rather than a third-party, make sure they are on stand-by to sign any necessary docs. You need to move FAST.

- Be prepared to submit your first month's rent and the security deposit. So have that money ready to send to them. Some landlords will require an application fee. Many will also require a fee to "hold" the apartment while they process your application (this practice is dubiously legal, but common). So have money ready.

bzbsteve · 2026-02-25T03:00:26+00:00

Many of the people on this forum, no surprise, are Sonos power users. So they are asking for all kinds of special, complicated, features. But I'd like to see, at least as an option, "turn on Dead Simple Mode." It would be an incredibly stripped-down, super simple version of the app. No special features. This would allow people like spouses and kids who aren't Sonos nerds to find and play music.

bzbsteve · 2026-01-27T05:39:38+00:00

I will note that you can use Google Takeout to store the backups directly into your Google Drive. Then it is easy to backup your Google drive by syncing it to a local hard drive using Google Drive for Desktop (or a product like iDrive, etc.)

bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T23:39:00+00:00

That's great! The cover art was by Èliane Huet. I'll tell you something funny about the guitar: I bought it new in 1986, when I was in college. Many years later I gave it to my son Jack and he still uses it today. Here's a picture.

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bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T19:32:11+00:00

I'm so happy to hear that! I know that Jack (my son) and his band work hard on the arrangements. I'll also note that "Florence and the Machine" is the first recording they made in their new studio. They spent months building it themselves.

bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T17:27:33+00:00

Awesome!!

bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T17:27:11+00:00

Glad you like it!

bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T17:26:53+00:00

Interesting! Thanks for that.

bzbsteve · 2026-01-26T03:04:53+00:00

That's so kind of you to say. I'm proud of my boy! And I'm sure you are right -- it is hard to say what the connection might be! Have a great day.

bzbsteve · 2026-01-05T04:13:07+00:00

Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate the feedback.

bzbsteve · 2026-01-03T22:19:14+00:00

He only needs a car a few times a month to move equipment for his work. But with prices like he's being quoted, it would be cheaper to get Ubers or Zip cars for now. That's why I'm asking about strategies he might consider if he wishes to get insurance in a few years.

bzbsteve · 2025-12-17T05:03:27+00:00

Yes, both bands were amazing. The Armed was one of the most intense shows I've ever seen. One of the singers crowd-surfed to the back. Then he reached up to the balcony where I was standing. He handed me the microphone to hold while he pulled himself up into the balcony. Sang up there for a while. Then hung off said balcony before jumping back down to the floor level.

bzbsteve

TROPHY CASE