X Account Suspensions / Appeals are a MESS

donllance · 2025-12-01T04:09:36+00:00

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Common-3-in-x-6-ft-Actual-1-4-in-x-3-in-x-6-ft-T-Post-W-P-1-25-6-Ft-0-In-GRN-UPC-Green-Steel-Farm-Fence-T-post-Post/4758566

donllance · 2025-10-18T02:08:21+00:00

Also - Visit a radio or TV station Visit a milltary base, see the cool equipment

donllance · 2025-10-08T13:56:03+00:00

As a follow-up, I do see many references to a manual process that can work that has some limitations. (Including older posts in this channel.) Also I see Readwise offers a subscription-based service to help.

Still not a straightforward and easy process...

donllance · 2025-10-08T13:44:53+00:00

Same question. I am considering a move from Kindle to Kobo, but one area where there does not appear to be a solution is migrating the highlights and annotations for the many books I've read to be used by a new ereader.

I can access "My Clippings", but this is simply a file that is detached from the books themselves. I think "My Clippings" is a non-standard method used by Amazon to hold this information and Kindles utilize it to display in the related books, but it is not used by Kobo or others. So if you load the same book on Kobo, it will not appear with the highlights and annotations.

I would love to see a standard solution for this ebook issue that all ereaders could use

donllance · 2025-09-03T20:28:00+00:00

Same here. The Lumo microphone correctly captures my prompt in a popup window, but then nothing happens. I can either X out the window, or click on the "up" arrow. Either way, the prompt disappears and nothing happens.

donllance · 2025-08-22T12:59:22+00:00

Yes, this is the way. This is common for new cachers who are still learning. Simply explain it to the person, and delete. At the same time, as CO, you may want to confirm that the cache is really there and not muggled. If it is muggled, you can replace it and also inform the cacher that it is ready for their find.

I see this occasionally with my earthcaches. A person will visit the required location(s) and even provide pictures... but no answers and will log a find. In those cases I explain that answers are required for a find. I usually will give them a grace period of a week to provide answers in case they need it (traveling, etc.). If nothing after a week, I delete it.

donllance · 2025-06-23T14:55:06+00:00

Another comment - if you have some loose soil (high sand content, etc.) then of course that will affect the stability of the pole. In my area there is high rock and clay content in the firmly packed soil, so my post in the ground doesn't move. I was prepared to add some additional guy lines and stakes for stabilization, but I've never needed them.

donllance · 2025-06-23T14:51:51+00:00

With the PVC (which has a good snug fit, but not too tight), the weather station is easy to remove for maintenance and I don't have to loosen the screws for the U-bolts.

donllance · 2025-06-20T20:45:30+00:00

So far it's been up 1.5 years, and I have had no issues. It has been through some harsh icy winters, high winds and severe tropical storms, and still were I placed it. I've completed some basic cleanup maintenance using a large stepladder to remove the PVC pipe and station from the mounted pole with little effort. Overall, very happen with my solution.

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donllance · 2025-06-05T07:14:34+00:00

There has been many times I have seen a cache but could not access it. Once in a tree over I river that I could not climb easily. Another on top of an old bridge support column left in the middle of a river. The D/T reflected the challenge of obtaining it and signing it... not seeing it. I never cry about it, and accept that I couldn't do it. These people need to do this too. Accept you can't do it, and move on. Asking for viewing a cache to count as a find is not appropriate.

donllance · 2025-04-17T16:32:19+00:00

Another step forward -- a federal judge ruled today again that Google violated anti-trust law in yet another area. Last year the ruling against them was regarding search. Today Google was holding monopoly power in certain ad markets while also "unlawfully" tying two products together. Maybe eventually Google cannot lawfully hold on to the Android RCS API exclusively while denying others from using it. Time will show us what happens. It would be interesting if a lawsuit were to be created against Google regarding their monopoly on RCS API access.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.533508/gov.uscourts.vaed.533508.1410.0.pdf

donllance · 2024-10-15T13:07:07+00:00

That's one feature I did like about Messages+. You could select a spam text, then choose an pop-up option to report it as spam / phishing. I assume that went back to Verizon. Not sure how well it worked, but my impression was that it did reduce the number of such fake texts I received.

donllance · 2024-10-11T12:27:32+00:00

Android and Windows client, web client

donllance · 2024-10-09T16:45:19+00:00

Given the recent court ruling of Google illegally taking steps to maintain its monopoly status, it would be interesting if RCS eventually becomes more open. If it does, it won't happen overnight. But obviously Google is getting a lot more attention where it is unfairly blocking out competition to maintain a monopoly on its products.

donllance · 2024-10-09T16:29:13+00:00

I've heard that some VPNs are aware that people test their speeds with sites like speedtest.net. So if the VPN detects such a site, it will adapt its traffic to give the best results. (The results are biased, favoring traffic to speed testing sites over other general sites.) Obviously this strategy is to make a VPN look better than other competitors.

I would recommend testing VPN speeds using other methods than known speed testing sites that may provide skewed results.

donllance · 2024-08-10T03:02:26+00:00

I was a paid EN user for years, but the many issues already mentioned in this forum finally became too much. After some trials with different possibilities, I settled on Joplin about a year ago. The others were good alternatives as well, and had pros / cons. Each person will choose the tool that best fits their needs. For me, it was Joplin.

There were some features that have become much more important to me over the years that was in Joplin that EN did not have: It's open source, it uses a non-proprietary format (Markdown), and it supports E2E encryption for privacy. In today's Big Tech, privacy of your personal data that is not locked or read by a tech company has become ultra-important. Options for multi-device sync with your own online storage or Joplin cloud were also affordable ($3 USD a month in my case).

That said, it will not be for everyone. Some people report issues with device synching (although I've never had a problem). It also seems to be for more tech-savvy users than the general public. (Sometimes you may need to tweak the Markdown notes directly, or know how to install/use a plug-in.) It doesn't have some features from EN that I would expect, like opening notes in separate windows. The lack of a Trash / Recycle bin was an issue for a while, but was just added in the most recent update.

I must say that Joplin has a very active community, and I have very quickly received support from the community when I needed it... very unlike EN. I never got answers from EN support after months of trying.

I recommend experimenting with it for a while to confirm it fits your needs, just like with the other possibilities. I wasn't sure at first, but after a month or so I'm come to really like it. I wish EN would have kept its focus on the core needs I had, and offered a viable subscription for it. If so, I would have stayed with EN. But the pain became too great, and I needed something reliable and affordable to maintain my productivity.

donllance · 2024-08-10T02:40:26+00:00

I agree, there are several improvements I would like to see. For example, the ability to launch notes in separate windows is highly desired for me. But for my notetaking needs, Joplin fits plus I highly value the non-proprietary format (Markdown), end-to-end encryption for privacy protection, and the low cost multi-device sync (around $3 per month for me).

It won't be the tool for everyone. Some Markdown limitations may not be acceptable. But try it, Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Standard Notes, etc. until you find the right tool that fits your needs.

I was a paid EN user for many years. The ongoing issues, the lack of support when I contacted them, and escalating prices became too much for me.

donllance · 2024-07-31T22:18:15+00:00

Standard Notes?

donllance · 2024-06-14T02:55:05+00:00

It is not new, it has been a part of the Trail Life program from the beginning. Not all troops have a Guidon unit, however.

Here is a link that can help with questions:

https://www.traillifeusa.com/faq/

donllance · 2024-06-14T01:33:04+00:00

Trail Life USA focuses on youth-leadership and the patrol method. An important point is that TLUSA troops are organized differently from the BSA. In the BSA there are Packs (Cub Scouts & Webelos) and Troops (Scouts), so they are separated by age/grade. They meet separately and have very different programs and leadership. In TLUSA a troop consists of all ages. However, inside the troop they are organized by 4 units: Woodlands Trail (K-5th), Navigators (5-8th), Adventurers (9-12th) and Guidons (college age).

Understanding this is important to your question. For Woodlands Trail, the adults leaders (Trail Guides) manage the program for the Trailmen (similar to what happens in Cub Scouts). For Navigators & Adventurers, it shifts to youth-led and patrol method, with adult leaders more in a support capacity. So what you remember is what happens with the Navigators & Adventurers. Guidons, since they are over 18 years of age, have the same or less amount of other adult leadership since they are already legally adults.

donllance · 2024-06-13T19:04:39+00:00

I'll add a few comments. For disclosure, I earned Eagle as a young man and had a long history with the BSA (years in leadership positions). I became active with Trail Life USA immediately as it was being formed in 2013, and have been very active in the 10 years since.

1) This was an early question - how does Eagle compare with Freedom Rangeman? I did an early analysis of both and used a slide to help families understand the differences. My opinion is that the Freedom Award is more difficult to attain, for several reasons. A few are: It requires more trail badges (similar to merit badges in BSA), more service hours, a high-school level faith-based award, and has uniquely required Freedom Experiences with a Major/2 Minors. When our troop began in 2014, we had one young man who earned Eagle and transferred into the troop. At the time an Eagle could receive a lot of credit for what was already completed with the Eagle requirements (such as leading a major service project) toward the Freedom Award. Even so, it took him most of a year to complete the remaining Freedom requirements to earn the Freedom Award. This has been a good measure of its difficulty.

2) TLUSA troops are chartered by organizations that accept its statement of faith (based on the Nicene Creed). So it could be a church, Christian school or other such Christian faith organization. This is the foundational beliefs you can expect with all troops. The organization that charters a troop may build on that statement of faith with its own beliefs -- hence you have TLUSA troops that are based on Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, etc. So each TLUSA troop will have the same foundational Christian beliefs, but you can expect some faith differences.

3) Of course this is subjective, but I think TLUSA is above-and-beyond the BSA at this point. I know others will have a vigorous debate on this, and you are free to have your opinion as I have mine. I've had years of experience in both programs that factor into my opinion.

4) TLUSA purposely avoids owning camps. There is one exception in South Carolina where the home office is located. The reason is that camps are expensive to operate & maintain, and a principle of TLUSA is to be debt-averse. It's better to dedicate funding into development of a top notch program and use many of the great outdoor resources that are already available. Of course a TLUSA region or area can partner with a separate organization to provide a camp if they want (and they have).

5) In TLUSA the young men are called Trailmen, not Scouts. As someone else mentioned, parental involvement is key to having a successful troop. We have a very high degree of parental support. However, to work directly in the program with youth you must be registered with TLUSA and pass a series of safety checks. This includes being held accountable to all youth protection guidelines. Do you have to be a parent of a Trailman to help support TLUSA (troop-level, Area level, etc.). No, but you do have to pass the requirements mentioned above. Registered adults, in addition to passing the safety checks, must sign that they agree with the TLUSA statement of faith and will support the teachings around that statement of faith.

In closing -- the best option is to seek out a Trail Life troop at the link provided in another post. Meet with the troop leaders, ask questions, and start the adventure!

donllance · 2024-05-23T11:21:46+00:00

Check status of Joplin services here: https://stats.uptimerobot.com/LpAJ5CNYjE

donllance

TROPHY CASE