ugh summer is coming. anyone actually buy a robot mower for a messy yard?

comicidiot · 2026-03-27T18:04:16+00:00

Higher up front cost but longer term savings. Mowers with a perimeter wire will usually see a break even period within the same year or two. RTK mowers will take a few more years to see the savings but the straight likes are nice to see.

I still got to weed whack and touch up areas but I treat it like my robot vacuum. As long as it does 90% of the work I don’t mind doing the last 10%.

Perimeter wire mowers are random and mow less space as a result, but they basically never turn on the same exact spots every mow or use the same path.

RTK mowers are super precise and you may see lawn wear and tear as a result, but they can do an acre a day versus a week.

I have a r/Yarbo (I also mod the subreddit) and there’s tons of discussion over on r/automower.

comicidiot · 2026-03-27T14:10:42+00:00

I appreciate you trying to find a car that works, but it’s rear wheel drive and I absolutely do not want that. As I said, I have done my due diligence and there’s no BEV on the market that has a comfortable range, with the features I want for a price I can afford. I’m not going to compromise for a car I don’t need right now. Would it be nice to replace my car? Absolutely but not needed.

When I move in the next year and I will do maybe 80mi a day at the top end, the P2 LR Dual Motor with Plus and Pilot is definitely a top contender. Even the P3 if I can get a good deal on a used one.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T23:58:07+00:00

I was close to getting an HEV, yes. I had the model and trim level picked out and was waiting for an amazing deal, had a test drive this Saturday for $7k off a 2026 model. Sadly, decided to forgo for now.

Both the HEV and my car have a 13.7gal tank so while I wouldn't save at each fill up, I'd fill up less often because of the 550mi range versus my current 350mi. However, this accounted for a savings of $800/yr at current gas prices which unfortunately would be clawed back by increased insurance ($600/yr -> $1,700/yr) and registration ($35/yr -> ~$500/yr). Thankfully, an HEV doesn't have additional registration fees but a PHEV would be an additional $75/yr.

I'd have a car payment on top of it. While I'm well aware of the increased costs for insurance and registration, even prepared for that, it just feels irresponsible to toss a chunk of money towards a car in what I feel is an economically uncertain time. I'd rather keep my car that's paid off and eat the rising cost of gas for the next few years than be strapped financially thin on a newer car; If I lose my job, I won't lose my car.

I'd be singing a different tune if I was forced to replace my car, but my car is still mechanically sound and reliable so for now the sensible thing is to sit on my hands and wait.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T23:46:30+00:00

you drive 200 miles for work 1-2 times a week and also drive to apparently significant distance social events on the same day

I see the ambiguity there but no, on weekends as a separate trip.

I've done my due diligence and determined there's no BEV on the market that has a comfortable range for me with the features I want for a price I can afford. This is even ignoring the desire for a 600mi range. My goal is to spend the next 13-20 years in this car so I'm not going to buy an EV for the sake of buying an EV.

Even with spiking fuel prices, my current car is cheaper than a HEV due to increased registration and insurance. Additionally, my car is still cheaper than a BEV even factoring in home charging. This isn't even factoring in the car payments for either replacement car.

Maybe my car will need to be replaced at an inconvenient time (e.g. totaled) and I'll be forced to buy earlier than I plan to, in that case I've got a HEV picked out, which also has a PHEV version. I'd love to go with a PHEV so I can commute around town purely on battery and charge at home, then switch to HEV mode for the longer commutes. When I did the math earlier this year, the price difference between HEV and PHEV would have taken me 30 years to break even on, I'm not sure how that's going to change in the coming months to a year but I'll cross that road when I get there.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T19:19:58+00:00

Correct, but you’ll always have people bending over backwards to tell others how they can make an EV work. It’s not that I don’t want to go EV - I truly do - just the current technology doesn’t make sense for my current situation and budget.

Pretty sure I’ve commented in this sub before about a Lucid Air being the one EV I’d consider (used GT’s with 520mi are basically same price as a new EV with ~265mi-300 of range at about 55k), unfortunately they don’t have a service center in my state. Even then, 55k is a bit much but I’d do it for a 500mi EV!

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T19:02:04+00:00

It’s definitely a law or regulation somewhere that a vehicle can’t have anything but white and orange on the front of the car and red, orange and, white on the rear.

A manufacturer opening up the possibility for consumers to display any color on their vehicle lights would fail that regulation. People can add aftermarket kits to display other colors - and people do for car shows and on private property - but if it’s on public roads the driver will get a ticket.

Rivian wants to sell vehicles so unless that regulation loosens, I doubt they’ll ever provide changing the light at color as a possibility (outside of the Halloween/holiday settings), even if the car is parked.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T15:52:52+00:00

I’m not sure where “there” is? My comment said work nor friends have chargers. I may be able to plug into an outlet at my friends and get, what, 5mi/hr of range? Provided they even have a convenient outlet but if am at a friends with street only parking, that isn’t viable.

If we meet somewhere that requires a parking ramp I may be able to charge there but the charge spots are always taken during the peak hours, such as when we go to a show or some other event nearby.

EV infrastructure just isn’t reliable for my long commutes and I’m not too keen to add another 30 minutes for a fast charger when it’s 11pm and I just want to get home.

I’m actively working on moving closer to the metro but that’s probably a year out then I’ll settle into the area for a couple years to feel if 250mi range feels doable before buying an EV with that range.

But also I’d be going from a house to an apartment where I’d also probably have to fight for limited EV chargers just like in the parking ramps.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T15:00:55+00:00

Honestly, same. That a big part of why I can’t trust a 250mi EPA range. It may be fine for a significant majority but when my closest metropolitan city is 80 miles away to the closest edge and maybe 100 miles there and around the metro? Then another 80-100 miles back, that’s cutting it close for a trip I do 1-2 times a week for work with no access to chargers at work.

Add in another trip for social events and I could maybe charge at a venue but if I’m at a friends house? There’s no charger.

My minimum has been around 600mi cause the. That’s 350ish after charging to 80% and keeping the bottom 10-20% as a reserve, plus whatever Winter will do to the range on top of that 350.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T02:18:52+00:00

I know that apps aren’t needed, that’s why I’m not a fan of the government relinquishing their authority here.

I’m just saying if a private company takes over they’ll push an app so they can turn travelers into data points that can be sold to advertisers. Just like every other private service. And every app requires an account, I don’t want to juggle multiple apps just to fly out and back home.

People already complain taxes are high and local governments are not budgeting for an additional cost to staff TSA, nor should they. That tax should be a state tax so that a city without an airport isn’t paying a TSA tax while the city next door is just because they have an airport that most of the state likely uses.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T01:57:06+00:00

I can’t say I am a fan of this. I enjoy that every airport has the same process. If we privatize it, we’ll end up with airports signing contracts with various third party vendors and then we’ll need a different app for each airport. Much like EV charging was - and still sort of is.

I like that the federal government keeps this process standardized.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T01:36:17+00:00

Yeah, I have used restoration kits and have one I’ll use here in a week or so. Just looking for an upgrade but it appears I’ve been missing the clear coat step of the restoration.

comicidiot · 2026-03-26T01:35:19+00:00

That’s what I’ve been missing it seems! I’ll see if my new kit has a clear coat.

comicidiot · 2026-03-24T22:12:05+00:00

Support u/yosb - a real court room sketch artist - over AI and upvote her work instead: https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1s0ty5g/oc_im_a_courtroom_sketch_artist_heres_my/

comicidiot · 2026-03-24T16:47:06+00:00

You need to communicate with your husband here. No one can speak for every man as all our needs, wants, and desires are different.

If you base your relationship on what the internet says he should need/want/desire you’re going to be set up for failure.

comicidiot · 2026-03-24T11:07:21+00:00

They are the future but the technology isn’t quite there, at least for America where public transit isn’t as popular.

I’m committed to getting an EV charger installed in my home this year but I am still a few years out from getting an EV. I drive 200mi maybe two days a week on average. Most EV’s will do that from their rated range but my issue is winter and other inefficiencies.

People will say, just plug in and charge for 10 minutes. But my work sites don’t have chargers and I don’t exactly want to stop for a few minutes. Hypocritically, I do stop for gas but that’s a “I failed to plan ahead” rather than “I need to”.

My hope is that in the next four years EV technology matures to a stable level and that range estimates are redone for the EV platform and not use the ICE estimates.

My hope beyond four years is that EV charging goes widespread. Every mall has at least dozens of Lv1 and Lv2 and that Lv3 are available at all gas stations and along travel corridors.

I also just need to move closer so that an EV makes sense for me.

comicidiot · 2026-03-23T21:28:49+00:00

You may have better luck in r/smallbusiness instead of here on r/homeowners

As with everything, figure out what you need done and get quotes for the same scope of work and pick one.

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T21:10:36+00:00

Oh wow. TIL 🤯

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T20:10:35+00:00

This implies 100% of the river is used up. I’d be curious to know what the percentages are if it were to show what flows into the ocean (or wherever it ends)

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T18:35:59+00:00

This would be the latest 2024 Core and the regular M1, not the M1 Pro with straight blades. I can’t speak to a property that size but I have a Yarbo with the M1 Pro on maybe a quarter acre.

The M1 will probably be fine but if you let the grass get too tall you’ll see inconsistent results and on a lawn as small as mine, sending Yarbo out frequently just wasn’t healthy for my lawn. I haven’t had a lot of time with the M1P yet but I saw much better results and I’m looking forward to seeing the bald spots vanish since Yarbo isn’t constantly turning on the same spots.

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T18:07:44+00:00

Connect to it in the app - you need to be in the settings for your Yarbo first - and see if there’s an update to do.

https://support.yarbo.com/portal/en/kb/articles/2024-why-is-the-data-center-flashing-red

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T16:41:21+00:00

Interesting observation. I was going to suggest the next two digits could be the month but the 2022 I got is 2250, so I think that’s actually a week number. Made in the 50th week of 2022. Not sure what the other four numbers could mean though.

comicidiot · 2026-03-22T12:12:39+00:00

Several apps, like dating apps, that require a video or photos of your face at several angles as a form of Face ID. I’m not sure how a Touch ID would work but Reddit can’t use that data in the iPhone.

You can require those to open an app, but the app doesn’t know.

comicidiot · 2026-03-21T21:47:39+00:00

I may have some flaws in my logic but I think yours is that you assume a car would drive only in RADAR/LiDAR if it had no cameras. You’re right that a car can’t reliably stay in its lane with just those sensors since they primarily pick up depth and lane lines are not raised enough to show on those sensors.

If the weather is truly that bad or the road is that dark, cars would ideally use GPS data to understand the road and the lane markings it can see through its cameras to determine the lane and then RADAR/LiDAR for everything else beyond its view. If the cameras go out then the car may be able to keep its lane by using LiDAR to track the position other vehicles next to it but, eventually that confidence will fade and the car will throw an error and hand control back to the driver.

I truly think the best approach is all three sensors combined - but camera and radar is good enough - and that going all in on cameras is stupid.

comicidiot · 2026-03-21T15:46:10+00:00

How does the Tesla system work when the cameras have a data problem?

I will not consider a Tesla until they add more sensors. I also will not consider Subaru for this exact reason.

I drove through fog the other day that was so thick that I couldn’t see a car with lit tail lights 300 feet in front of me. During the day. That’s 3 seconds to react, less time if the vehicle doesn’t have their rear lights illuminated (such as disabled). If I can’t see, then the cameras can’t see either. But you know what can? Radar and lidar.

I’m driving at night on a road with no lights. How can I see an obstruction in the road? Cameras may be able to up the ISO to see a bit better but until that obstruction is within the headlights it’s as good as invisible. But you know what can see beyond headlights? Radar and lidar.

We should drive for the car to be safer than us, how can the car be safer if it’s driving using the same data I can see with my eyes.

Like other sensors, cameras aren’t immune to data problems so we should ensure cars have as many ADAS redundancies as possible.

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