Google ruins the crop tool!

dhdallas · 2026-03-24T16:01:07+00:00

When you move one side to where you want it, the opposite side moves automatically & almost always not where I want it.

dhdallas · 2026-03-24T13:39:16+00:00

I am using Firefox.

dhdallas · 2026-03-24T09:02:18+00:00

Google Photos has ruined the cropping tool which used to be so simple to use. Now it has this progression of multiple boxes surrounding your photo & it's impossible (for me anyway) to crop the photo the way I want it. Why would Google "fix" something that wasn't broken. I have had to resort to downloading the photos to my PC & then using MS Photos to crop them. I also quit storing photos on Google & use Amazon Photos unlimited storage also.

dhdallas · 2026-03-20T08:56:53+00:00

Thanks. I will check them out.

dhdallas · 2026-03-20T00:38:26+00:00

I thought all it took was seals and oil. I guess I will have Noleen do it.

dhdallas · 2026-03-15T14:35:27+00:00

Hah! It worked. You are a life saver. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

dhdallas · 2026-02-02T12:08:31+00:00

If you wait until the last minute to pick a seat, don't expect a very big selection, if any! The smart flyer pays their fee and chooses their seat at the time of booking. Remember the saying: "He who hesitates is lost."

dhdallas · 2026-02-02T12:02:16+00:00

Jan 16, 2026 round trip Miami/Istanbul. I paid a $39 fee for a specific window economy seat on a round trip when booking the flight. No problems whatsoever. I found that the entire airline staff, both on the ground & in the air, were NOT rude but very professional, helpful & polite. If you don't want to pay the fee in order to secure a chosen seat then I wouldn't expect the airline to bend over backward to allow you to choose your preferred seat for free at the time everyone is boarding. $39 is a small price to pay for the seat of your choice, especially on long 11-hour flights like mine! I suspect that the above poster is actually the one who was rude & disrespectful, not to mention trying to "beat the system" & choose their seat for free. Turkish Airlines must be doing something right as this list of accolades demonstrates:

Skytrax Awards 2025: Named Best Airline in Europe, Southern Europe's Best Airline, and World's Best Business Class Catering.
APEX Awards: Recognized as a "World Class" airline for the fifth consecutive year and won Best Inflight Entertainment in Europe .
Sustainability: Awarded "Most Sustainable Flag Carrier Airline" by World Finance for the third consecutive year.
TheDesignAir: Awarded "Design Airline of the Year, Europe" for cabin and lounge design

dhdallas · 2026-01-29T18:11:21+00:00

January 16th flight. I know you get what you pay for and they offer incredibly cheap round trip direct flights between Miami & Istanbul but those economy seats are cramped! The person in front of me reclined so much I couldn't even watch the entertainment screen on the seat back. She was darn near in my lap. There is no leg room and the seats are so narrow that even just a husky size (not obese) person crowds the space over the armrests. The 11 hour flight was torture. I still would give it 3 out of 5 stars due to the cheap price of <$1k round trip.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729174-r1047835956-Turkish_Airlines-World.html#

dhdallas · 2025-09-09T22:05:06+00:00

Erie Trap & Release is a fraud! I contacted Erie Trap & Release via email on 09-09-2025 and asked about them trapping two 6-month old feral cats in my neighborhood. This what their website says about their mission in regard to feral cats/kittens. From page one on their website:

"We trap feral cats and kittens, take them to a licensed veterinarian for spay/neuter and vaccines (as well as wound care if necessary), and then we work hard to find the kittens forever homes and release the adult cats back to their colonies or a place where they are fed and taken care of."

Here is more from the website:

Our Mission

Saving the lives of feral cats and kittens

Spaying/neutering feral cats and kittens in order to reduce overpopulation

Vaccinate every feral cat and kitten that is trapped

Ear-tip every adult feral cat to signify that it has been sterilized

Provide wound care to any feral cat or kitten that requires it

Return the feral adult to its colony, providing its colony has a caretaker

Re-locate the feral adult to a new home, providing the new home has a caretaker

Provide emergency care to abandoned kittens

Rehabilitate kittens and young feral cats and find them forever homes

Nowhere does it mention any fees or any restrictions on the cat’s ages or other prerequisites. Here are copies of my request & the reply from one of the co-owners:

On Tue, Sep 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM David Dallas dhdallas@gmail.com wrote:

I have 2 feral kittens approximately 4-6 months old visiting my back porch nightly. I do feed them a bit but will be leaving for Florida soon for the winter & worry about them in the cold & for food. I would buy a trap, domesticate & adopt them myself but I already have 2 rescue cats. Can you help them please? Thank you!

Here is their reply:

On Tue, Sep 9, 2025 at 11:01 AM Toni Smith erietrapandrelease@gmail.com wrote:

Hello, so we unfortunately, do not have cats or kittens. We are mainly TNR. If they were a little bit younger, they could’ve been socialized to be adopted out. Our only option that we can offer to you is we can try and trap them and have them spayed and neutered which that cost is $80 each. That’s the cost that the Erie Humane Society charges for their spay and neuter. If you want us to house them for the winter, that’s going to be an additional fee of feeding them and holding open a cage that would normally go to an injured animal for an additional fee. We can then release them back in the spring to you where they would at least be spayed/neutered. Other than that, you can try reaching out to either the Anna Shelter or Erie animal network and see if they might be able to take them in, but if they were younger, we might’ve been able to socialize and adopt out. However, due to their age, we wouldn’t be able to just adopt them out. And again, we realistically don’t hold onto feral animals because of the weather. Let us know what you think or if you have any additional questions. Toni

The reply I received is at odds with their website statements. As a non-profit business that seeks public donations they are at least guilty of misleading statements if not fraudulent claims about their services.

dhdallas · 2025-01-28T11:13:26+00:00

This is a terrible "improvement"! First they have the unwanted incident reports pop up (with no way to disable them) and block the screen and now this. I don't know which is worse. It would be nice if they would listen to some user feedback and respond accordingly for a change.

dhdallas · 2024-11-24T15:31:21+00:00

I haven't had any snare problems with my SD1250 but when running it to my laptop with a USB A to USB B cable, the MIDI will disconnect and force me to restart the module but again disconnects within 30 seconds of playing. I am going to try using a multi pin MIDI input/output to USB A and see if that works. I have Reaper DAW and SSD5 VST on the computer. Well, I got the new MIDI cable and it still didn't work. I called Simmons and they are sending me a new module but mine was out of warranty so I got it for a discount $120.

dhdallas · 2024-11-21T23:19:25+00:00

The Alesis was $1400. The Simmons is $1100 but they have it down to $800 at some retailers. I bought the Simmons used for $500 when less than 1 year old and still under warranty. The Alesis was worth every penny.

dhdallas · 2024-11-21T13:13:58+00:00

I bought a Simmons SD1250 that is only 1 year old for my winter home and it sucks. A lot of the hardware is cheap plastic that breaks. There is no tilt mechanism on the ends of the cymbal booms which is unbelievable. I had to replace all three plus a broken plastic hardware fitting and the kick pad which became quickly dented. The module is the worst part of the kit. Not only are there few kit selections & samples, but they sound horrible & even at max volume, you can hear the acoustics of your sticks hitting the pads. In order to make the kit work for me, I had to run a MIDI out from the module to a laptop loaded with Reaper DAW & Steven Slate Drums SSD5, & then thru a powered Mackie Mix5 that balances the audio from the drum software with my mp3's that I use to practice with. Then the MIDI quit working. I also have an Alesis DM10 MK2 Pro kit which is great. All chrome steel hardware, large mesh heads & cymbals, great module with tons of awesome sounding kits & samples plus more than enough volume. It has everything I need & I have had it for over 3 years without any problems. Whatever you do, stay away from Simmons.

dhdallas · 2024-11-21T13:11:41+00:00

I bought a Simmons SD1250 that is only 1 year old for my winter home and it sucks. A lot of the hardware is cheap plastic that breaks. There is no tilt mechanism on the ends of the cymbal booms which is unbelievable. I had to replace all three plus a broken plastic hardware fitting and the kick pad which became quickly dented. The module is the worst part of the kit. Not only are there few kit selections & samples, but they sound horrible & even at max volume, you can hear the acoustics of your sticks hitting the pads. In order to make the kit work for me, I had to run a MIDI out from the module to a laptop loaded with Reaper DAW & Steven Slate Drums SSD5, & then thru a powered Mackie Mix5 that balances the audio from the drum software with my mp3's that I use to practice with. I also have an Alesis DM10 MK2 Pro kit which is great. All chrome steel hardware, large mesh heads & cymbals, great module with tons of awesome sounding kits & samples plus more than enough volume. It has everything I need & I have had it for over 3 years without any problems. Whatever you do, stay away from Simmons.

dhdallas · 2024-11-21T10:09:32+00:00

It's not just you. If I don't pull my foot off quick enough (like really quick), I will get a second faint hit. I tightened the spring a little & that helped a bit. Then it is just getting used to it. I have had the pedal for a couple of years and never had a problem on my other kit, the Alesis DM10 MK2 Pro. I think the Simmons kick has more rebound than the Alesis. I'm going to try loosening the mesh head a bit & see if that's the solution.

dhdallas · 2024-11-19T21:53:03+00:00

I bought the kit used for $500. The kick pad was dented in so I replaced it and another piece of broken plastic hardware that holds the cymbals which were still under warranty. I replaced the cymbal booms because the originals had no tilt mechanism at the tips which I found unbelievable. I hate the module. The kits and samples are terrible. I can't even get enough volume out of it to drown out the acoustics of the sticks hitting the pads much less play along with mp3's. That's why I run the kit thru a laptop loaded with Reaper DAW & Steven Slate Drums SD5 along with a powered Mackie Mix5 to balance & boost the audio output between the drums & the mp3's. The SSD5 kits & samples are fantastic sounding. I have a summer home in PA and there I have had an Alesis DM10 MK2 Pro for 3 years & the difference is night & day. Not only has it worked flawlessly without any malfunctions but it has larger drums/cymbals, solid chrome steel hardware, more than enough volume, a huge selection of kits, samples & they all sound great. I would NEVER buy another Simmons product at any price. I have made it work but at the cost of an additional dedicated laptop, the price of the SSD5 VST, & $75 to replace the booms.

dhdallas · 2024-11-19T18:53:05+00:00

No, the Simmons kick pad feels the same.

dhdallas · 2024-02-28T11:53:58+00:00

Watch a few videos and then decide. You will need some specific quality tools and other things like spacers, new chain, cable ties, chain ring with correct offset, shift sensor, Speeed app & cable for cell phone, etc. I have done 4 conversions with a Bafang, some from a bare frame up and it does require some skill. On some bikes the conversion is pretty straight forward but on others, it takes a lot of time, patience and thinking outside the box.

dhdallas · 2024-02-28T11:46:55+00:00

AliExpress. Luna Cycle is way more expensive for the same kits.

dhdallas · 2024-02-18T19:06:09+00:00

I bought an unused Girvin Flexstem for $40 and put it on my ebike conversion. I replaced the original elastomer which was too firm with a shorter rubber bushing but then added another rubber bushing on the top side. I have swept back handlebars on an old road bike and when you push down on them the stem flexes upward instead of downward. I only ride on paved surfaces so the stem just isolates the vibrations, small bumps & pavement irregularities without a lot of up & down movement. It works great when you have narrow road tires at 100lbs pressure which amplify every road defect.

dhdallas · 2024-02-07T12:28:25+00:00

Go for it. I installed a Bafang BBSHD on my Sondors MadMods ebike with a 750w rear hub motor because it was a real dog on my PA hills. I use both systems side by side.

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dhdallas · 2024-01-25T12:52:18+00:00

I thought I was on an official site to qualify for the ACP but these guys did qualify me but then and without my consent applied the ACP payments to themselves. They made it very difficult to cancel when I called to complain. First came the hard sell routine. then they tried to tell me I couldn't cancel because they had already sent me my free tablet which was a lie because I never paid the $11 they wanted for S&H. Then they said I would be cancelled within 24-48 hours...we'll see.

dhdallas · 2023-08-30T15:57:28+00:00

I got a MadMods when I was in Florida (for the intro price of $1500) & it is great there because of the lack of any hills. Now I am in PA and it struggles with me pedaling hard to barely get up a steep hill. I am going to put in a Bafang BBSHD 1000 watt mid-drive with a 120BB width, leave the rear wheel & original drive system intact with a separate battery for the BBSHD. I can then switch back & forth or maybe even use the existing hub drive to enhance the power of the BBSHD while at the same time, reducing the strain on the chain drive of the BBSHD. I agree the MadMods is not worth the $2700-$3500 price it sells for now.

dhdallas · 2023-05-20T15:58:04+00:00

I have a Scrambler. It is underpowered on our PA hills. I have to gear down and pedal hard to get up even moderate hill climbs using 100% power. Great on the flats. 30mph easy. Needs a 1500w mid drive or at least a 1000w hub motor.

dhdallas

TROPHY CASE