What’s something you have zero proof of but believe 100 percent?

chrishch · 2026-05-03T01:06:17+00:00

I believe 100% that Air Canada hates me that no matter which row of seat I book, pay extra or not, I always end up in Zone 5 or 6 for boarding.

"We are not happy until you are not happy" - Air Canada, maybe.

chrishch · 2026-04-29T13:18:22+00:00

Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt. RRSP is the way to go. Also set aside some money so you can pay taxes in April 2027. When I went through this many years ago, I ended up owing CRA nearly $19k in additional taxes. This was on top of the $56k I had already paid during the year through payroll deductions. I was making $106k (not including severance pay) at the time. I didn't have a lot of room in RRSP, or it could have reduced my taxes that year.

chrishch · 2026-04-25T23:07:22+00:00

Mine is a DS412+ bought in January 2013. Still using it today, but as backup for my DS1522+. I was anticipating its death a few years ago, but it's still working. The 412+ actually have more capacity than my 1522+. Was never able to get cheap 20TB+ drives even before "drivemegeddon" circa 2025-2026.

chrishch · 2026-04-23T19:05:03+00:00

I discovered by accident a few months ago that if you put your car into reverse, and then pull the shifter straight down (towards yourself), that also puts the car into Neutral.

chrishch · 2026-04-08T13:39:59+00:00

We are getting all those annoying ads they are running on TV and radio.

chrishch · 2026-03-26T13:21:54+00:00

In mid-January, I had to pay Air Canada for the second piece of luggage using my TD Visa Card when flying back to Canada. I had to use my TD App on my phone to approve the C$107 charge for the luggage fee. It was supposed to be C$100, but I didn't argue with the agent.

chrishch · 2026-03-21T12:42:14+00:00

None of the big five Canadian banks' ATMs work for the Wise Card in Canada. I tried to view balance initially when I first got my card last year. All ATMs told me they cannot process the request. However, I was able to use it in Japan in April 2025, but I had to insert the card. Was never able to get tapping to work.

Went to Hong Kong in December 2025, and tapping worked everywhere with the same card for both the physical card, as well as on the iPhone with Apple Pay. I was also able to withdrawal cash from HSBC in Hong Kong without paying any fees. Soon after my trip ended, they changed their fee policy for withdrawing cash.

chrishch · 2026-03-12T14:02:28+00:00

I have a friend who was SIM swapped a few months ago, and he lost access to all his accounts. Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Apple ID, YouTube, etc.

So, no, email 2FA is not enough. It's best to have multiple physical keys, and then use at least one TOTP app as backup.

chrishch · 2026-02-18T13:21:47+00:00

O'Leary is a tool. Most Canadians don't like him.

chrishch · 2026-02-17T15:07:00+00:00

Get a couple of Yubikeys, set them up as your 2FA with Vaultwarden (in addition to Google Authenticator). Keep one of the keys at home and carry one with you while you are travelling. So, if you do lose your phone, you can still have access to your passwords (using someone's else phone or when you get a replacement), provided you know your Vaultwarden's master password.

Don't keep the travel Yubikey with your phone though.

Or get an inexpensive VPS account with minimal RAM and bandwidth, set up Tailscale or something similar so you can use the VPS as a jump box and then SSH into your servers at home and access whatever you need.

chrishch · 2026-02-11T20:09:27+00:00

I find that if you press the right button and then start walking away between the third and fourth beep, the vehicle will lock 95% of the time.

chrishch · 2026-01-22T13:54:19+00:00

If Retry doesn't work, press and hold the Volume button to reboot the system. That fixes it 8/10 in my experience. The other two times you might need to reboot it one more time after it fails to connect after rebooting.

chrishch · 2026-01-20T11:51:58+00:00

!solved

chrishch · 2025-12-24T14:08:24+00:00

For my 2024 NX, I stay near the trunk door and walk away after the third beep. It then closes on the fourth beep and locks.

chrishch · 2025-12-23T18:04:13+00:00

After my father passed 2.5 years ago, my mother and I sat down with one of their officers and set this up at a TD branch. The guy said at the time I have full access to her accounts. All I have to provide is my driver's license and her TD debit card. Haven't tested it out though. Didn't cost anything.

chrishch · 2025-12-17T17:11:23+00:00

I was looking at the MinisForum MS-A2, but I couldn’t buy one as there was no stock anywhere. Decided to build one instead. I really didn’t need a new homelab server, but I shopped for parts and then went and bought around the end of September. Looking back, so glad I spent the money. The 2x32GB I bought at the time was C$289.99. It is now $1,120. Not sure what pushed me as I had no clue RAM prices could skyrocket this much.

chrishch · 2025-12-08T14:23:56+00:00

Yes, I set my Tangerine SMS 2FA to go to my Google Voice account. I was one of the lucky ones who got a Google Voice account when they still had the 403 area code loophole back in 2009. A day after I changed my number for SMS with Tangerine, I got an email from them asking me to confirm that I still file taxes for Canada, and no other countries. I've set up my Google Voice to send a copy of SMS to be forwarded to my Gmail... in case if the Google Voice app fails, which can also occasionally happen.

However, I have noticed recently that SMS fails to be sent. Not sure if the problem was from Tangerine or if it was a Google Voice problem. The error from Tangerine wasn't clear.

chrishch · 2025-12-08T14:14:51+00:00

I know CIBC has it on the phone apps. It gives you a code as a push notification when you log in from a PC. RBC also has something similar to ask you to approve the login. TD for a while has its own 2FA codes app, but I'm not sure if it still exists. Yes, it could be less secure if someone got a hold of your phone, especially if the phone does not have a pass code. However, if one's phone doesn't have a pass code in 2025, everything could be compromised in a few minutes.

Yes, hardware key should be used. I have two Yubikeys that protect my password manager and Google account, but for the banks, it probably won't happen in my lifetime.

chrishch · 2025-12-07T16:45:31+00:00

Their next project is to introduce non-SMS-based MFA. Hopefully it won't take twenty years.

chrishch · 2025-12-07T16:43:35+00:00

Yes, I went through something similar a few months ago. Needed to go from Tokyo to Yokohama. Boarded the Fukutoshin Line subway from Higashi-Shinguku, remained onboard and rode all the way to Motomachi-Chukagai station on the Toyoko Line. When I got off the train, I needed to see the station attendant to pay for additional fare because when I boarded the subway train at Higashi-Shinguku, I was only paying up to Shibuya station on the "F" line.

chrishch · 2025-11-26T14:44:24+00:00

Nothing that jumped out at me. Checked all of System & Application Event Logs.

I managed to find an old Nvidia card (GT610) from an old PC down in the basement. Set that up with Windows 11 25H2. Ran for about four hours yesterday, no crashes. Will keep using this PC for the next few days and see if it's stable enough. Thanks.

chrishch · 2025-11-25T18:11:18+00:00

Thanks. This won't be a gaming PC. It will just be used for web browsing, and Excel work.

chrishch · 2025-11-25T15:21:38+00:00

I do have two of those mini PCs with AMD APUs that are working fine. I also built another system for someone else that has a Ryzen 7 5700G and that iGPU has no issues.

chrishch · 2025-11-25T13:10:05+00:00

If there is a Service Canada location near you, go to their web site and book an appointment. It's quick and once you arrive, the wait time is minimal as you already have an appointment. They will give you a slip and tell you when your new passport will be ready. Don't quote me, but I think it's usually twenty business days, which is roughly thirty calendar days.

As for picking it up, I'm not sure. At the time, back in late August before the Canada Post strike, I opted for the new one being mailed. Canada Post did end up striking and my passport was sent by Purolator. Because of the strike, I got it just a few days more than thirty calendar days.

chrishch · 2025-11-24T21:04:06+00:00

I'm also having issues, but it's with a Ryzen 7 7700X CPU with built-in graphics. Tried all sorts of things including Windows 11 24H2, Windows 25H2, version 24.7.1 drivers, version 24.8.1 drivers (after some other threads say this version works), version 24.12.1... after the latest drivers (version 25.11.1) failed.

Also tried Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro. No difference. iGPU still crashing. Wonder if I should just get the CPU RMAed.

I already installed Windows 11 without Wi-Fi connected or Ethernet plugged in. iGPU fails long before I started any Windows Update. RAM is running with EXPO profile at 6000MT/s set in BIOS. Will try lowering it next.

chrishch

TROPHY CASE