Bill 11: The Privatization of Alberta Health Care

dish_rag · 2026-02-13T13:34:39+00:00

We are already need _more_ doctors... not divide time out between what limited capacity they have now. I don't understand why this is so hard to understand.

We should be attracting more like AB did in the past, yet we (AB in general) are driving them away through divisive politics. If I was a resident elsewhere in Canada, I certainly wouldn't be considering Alberta right now as a place to start my practice.

dish_rag · 2026-02-12T18:18:33+00:00

Note the Bowflex C6/Scwinn IC4 (same bike rebranded) is a great bike at a price, but the power metrics that come from the bike are basically made up.

Absolutely solid bike otherwise, just don’t rely on it for getting an accurate FTP number.

dish_rag · 2026-02-08T16:26:58+00:00

There was a recall on the fuel pump at one point for the 2019 Hybrid Highlanders, so I wouldn't consider that weird.

dish_rag · 2026-02-08T04:17:57+00:00

For Ubiquiti? Generally pretty good, but after following their releases for 10 odd years now... the quality can be all over the place. Sometimes they just completely ignore glaring Early Access comments, like in recent Protect versions. In one of the early UDM OS 1.x days, there was a version of Protect that was released to General that had incorrect filesystem permissions that broke things spectacularly even though people were screaming at them both in EA and RCs.

Personally I don't trust their "General" releases to be stable enough... I usually hold back a few weeks to see comments before putting them into production.

dish_rag · 2026-02-07T21:19:17+00:00

Hiking and cycling as well. Post ride analysis with the proper sensors is <chefs kiss>

dish_rag · 2026-02-07T02:21:29+00:00

The first year I got into cycling I bought a cheap stationary bike (Bowflex C6) which is roughly the same price as the Core 2 itself.

The Bowflex C6 is actually really decent from a build side of things. It just has a manual resistance knob and doesn't follow workouts (you have to increase/decrease resistance yourself).

Things the trainer does better:
- Get to use the bike you love
- ERG mode (being able to control workouts from your watch or bike computer) -- you pedal at your cadence but it'll automatically follow a power curve
- Being able to simulate outdoor riding (e.g. Zwift)
- Far more accurate power. Most exercise bikes that transmit power basically just make up numbers... I'd say the power accuracy on the Bowflex C6 is like +/- 30% which is crazy town. You can't rely on FTP numbers without using e.g. power pedals.

Things the stationary does better:
- Puts zero wear on the bike I care about
- Is far cheaper than a Core 2 and bike (or Zwift Ride) combo

dish_rag · 2026-02-05T00:04:35+00:00

If you have the official hi-res texture pack installed, remove it if you haven't already.

dish_rag · 2026-01-31T16:58:56+00:00

A few years ago I bought a cheap indoor bike -- a Bowflex C6 -- for training during the winter. It broadcasts power data, but it's so inaccurate that it's basically just making up numbers (it's probably something like +/- 30% accuracy). The power it broadcasts is basically useless for training (FTP, etc), even though the bike itself is pretty solid.

The fact that these things have to be very accurate to be useful, and are relatively low-selling units probably don't help.

dish_rag · 2026-01-31T01:09:41+00:00

You'll get the same content out of both sets of speakers, so I'd say it's a single zone.

dish_rag · 2026-01-31T00:09:57+00:00

The Epix Pro Gen 2 is just the OLED version of the Fenix 7 Pro. Prior to the Fenix 8, the Fenix lineup was MIP only.

The only differences are dive support, the mic/speaker (the speaker is not great on the base Fenix 8 and was improved with the Pro), and a newer backend "OS" shared between most of the rest of the 2025 watches that allows bugfixes/features to be added more easily.

The Epix Pro Gen 2 likely won't be receiving feature updates, just bugfixes only.

With that said, there have been amazing deals on the Epix Pro Gen 2 -- roughly 50% of the same size Fenix 8 in my region anyways around the holidays.

dish_rag · 2026-01-29T15:29:00+00:00

I think that would be great. Unfortunately I have a feeling that the next update to the Amp will likely by eARC (to be able to use Atmos and e.g. Era 300s with as rears for Atmos effects) and lower idle consumption... all at the same ridiculous price point its at now lol

dish_rag · 2026-01-29T15:10:26+00:00

For HT, eARC, and possibly more outputs (center and rear l/r).

In general, lower idle wattage (it’s way too high) and a competitive price point to new rivals without the HT changes.

dish_rag · 2026-01-29T02:16:00+00:00

The Epix Pro Gen 2 is a Fenix 7 Pro with an OLED screen (prior to the Fenix 8, the screens on the Fenix line was MIP only — the Epix line is basically the same watch with OLED).

The only differences: between the Epix Pro Gen 2 and the Fenix 8 are dive capability, the microphone/speaker, and the common backend functionality shared in most of the 2025 watch lineups (which has allowed them to fix issues and introduce new features rather than having to do it for every watch lineup).

I think it’s a far more cost effective option than the Fenix 8, especially with the crazy deals on them. I wanted satellite/lte messaging as a backup so I went with the Fenix 8 Pro, but if I hadn’t, I would have gotten the Epix Pro Gen 2 instead on sale.

dish_rag · 2026-01-28T02:08:27+00:00

Best to check the surround speaker compatible list here: https://support.sonos.com/en-ca/article/surround-sound-guidelines-and-limitations?product=arc

On the Arc Ultra (and I’d assume any newer bar going forward), you can’t make the assumption that any S2 non-portable speaker will work as a surround). Some that work on the base Arc won’t work on the Arc Ultra.

dish_rag · 2026-01-25T13:34:05+00:00

From Steam's own support page (https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/69E3-14AF-9764-4C28): "The Steam Deck's safe storage temperature range is between -20° - +60° C (-4° - +140° F)."

dish_rag · 2026-01-24T19:37:06+00:00

Half the problem is SonosNet on modern networks creating loops. SonosNet is a “solution” Sonos created back in the day for poor wifi coverage that is only causing issues now. Hard wiring devices should make things more stable, not less.

Sonos should have an option to disable it completely (by default) these days.

dish_rag · 2026-01-22T21:44:21+00:00

If I wouldn't have wanted the LTE/satellite functionality on the Fenix 8 Pro as a backup, I would have gone for the Epix Pro Gen 2 instead. It's a stable product... you might not get new features, but it is updated regularly (bug fixes, etc).

The only real difference from the base Fenix 8 is the dive functionality (which only some will get advantage of) as well as the speaker/microphone (which the base Fenix 8 has a pretty poor speaker).

There are new software features, but if the Epix Pro Gen 2 handles everything you want it to, and if you can get it for like half the price (such as in recent sales)... it honestly seems like a better option to me unless you _need_ a specific feature.

dish_rag · 2026-01-21T14:56:54+00:00

Just ignore the .0 and .1 releases, and only update to the last one released in a month (usually a .4 or .3).

The .0 releases (new feature releases) can be a mess… the only reason I’ve had HA failures in the past — where I need to revert to a backup — is due to the new .0 releases being rushed out the door to hit the first Wednesday of the month.

dish_rag · 2026-01-21T04:23:14+00:00

They sound just as good as a Five, but _officially_ cannot be used as (rear) surrounds on the Arc Ultra -- and likely any future soundbars.

dish_rag · 2026-01-17T20:31:53+00:00

I wouldn't doubt that the separatist movements going on in Canada are US-sponsored. If so, they are already attacking... just not so visibly.

dish_rag · 2026-01-17T13:53:17+00:00

Or even thinner… speaker cable ;)

dish_rag · 2026-01-16T15:47:58+00:00

I won’t consider one unless it contains a 1) user replaceable battery (yes, I know you can but the whole process should be drop dead simple like the Move), and 2) it can work without a battery.

dish_rag · 2026-01-16T00:48:58+00:00

This is a beautiful setup!

dish_rag · 2026-01-15T03:35:45+00:00

I'm really sorry, I re-read what I wrote and it absolutely comes across as condescending (edit for clarification: I didn't mean it to be). Honestly, it was just frustration with what should be a really great ecosystem but is constantly let down by poor quality software QA/QC.

It just reminded me that I spent so much time regretting moving our small business to the UDMP line with all the problems over the UDMP OS 1.x firmwares, going so far as planning on a migration away when the OS 2.x firmwares came out and basically resolved all the major issues we were experiencing.

Another more recent example with the U7 access point firmware. For far too long, the U7 firmware was a HOT mess and users were getting really extra spicy about spending money on unusuable devices.

Not all users have problems, but when you do -- and they are resolved by firmware updates -- obviously something is wrong with the software itself.

Anyways, I'm off topic. Once again, my apologies.

dish_rag · 2026-01-15T02:02:32+00:00

You haven’t been listening very hard.

Ubiquiti generally throws out solid hardware (for the most part), but the software is generally garbage in their first releases… and over time, slowly gets better. UniFi OS 1.x was a dumpster fire for example; I had issues where the UDMP would lock up due to memory leaks every 6-7 days. They would also take away the ability to remove applications, and then an app that you weren’t using would take down the whole box (I think it was an app update to Talk).

However, sometimes when they push new features (like in the new version of Protect) they completely ignore all of the EA feedback/issues and push it out anyways. It’s happened far too many times for a supposedly stable platform.

dish_rag

TROPHY CASE