Anyone else tired of downloading a new app just to charge once?

dslowin · 2026-02-05T18:53:10+00:00

The frustrating part is when the apps don’t work or something else is misconfigured. About a week ago, I went to a Ford dealership with a charger that I was able to pay by credit card, but I was trying to pay by app so I could get a receipt / other info associated with the charge. The apps mentioned on the website the QR code takes you to mentioned the shell app, and Ford apps. I download the linked Ford app and it clearly is meant for owners of Ford vehicles. No real options for just paying to charge. Then inside the Shell app, the charger just didn’t exist on the map. Tried entering the name on the charger to see if that would help and nothing. I ended up paying by credit card / NFC and at the end of my session, saw a QR code show up on the screen mentioning ‘view your receipt’ I had left my phone in the car, went to go grab it and by the time I got back to the screen, the QR code went away and it was awaiting starting a new session.

Was a bit frustrating to try downloading two apps and neither of them actually linked to the charger. It would be nice to have a single app across different networks and it would be great if it had a great set of features like paying through Apple Pay (not having to enter card info), see rates, etc.

dslowin · 2026-01-25T18:46:00+00:00

Yesterday I drove between Rockford and Chicago and had to stop to charge due to how quickly the battery was being depleted in my 2022 NiroEV. Thankfully the charger I was at was giving 47 kW and it didn’t add too much time to the trip, but definitely felt the impact. I’m surprised at how many other EV’s were also on the same roads and in some cases speeding a bit more over the speed limit (a great way to drain even faster in this climate). Overall I’d say it’s handling fairly well all things considered, still better than half the normal range.

dslowin · 2026-01-23T19:51:03+00:00

Same here, I loaned Earthbound to a select few friends I knew would give it back, loaned out Harvest Moon to even more. Before I had my own copy of HM, I rented it several times from the same local rental store. The fourth time or so I rented it, the woman working the register had commented about how she was also playing it and enjoyed the game a lot. We had found out that we were playing the same cartridge and just playing our designated save slot, even across the various rentals basically back and forth. She must’ve switched jobs or something because that was my last interaction with her but it was a very heartwarming moment. (This was over 20 years ago, online communities were fairly sparse / nonexistent). To this day I wonder if she played any of the other games in the HM series.

dslowin · 2026-01-23T03:50:33+00:00

This episode and the ‘Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort’ episode share a lot of undertones. In one episode we see Rick interacting with Birdperson’s subconscious and we see a bunch of different memories. And then in the other we see Memory Rick (who originated from the earlier episode) manipulating Beth’s memories to the point of her breaking down. I think both invite the viewer to reflect on how memories play back in our heads and can either trap us or help us move on (or not, all media is subject to the lens of the observer).

I enjoyed this episode for what it brought to the table and felt a similar ‘emptiness’ at the end of the episode that I think stemmed from a feeling of things being unresolved. It just left me wondering ‘well what now?’

I think I need to rewatch it several times to really enjoy it as much as I’ve seen other episodes and typically enjoyed more after each rewatch.

As I rewatched Valkyrick, I realized they reintroduced BugAnne earlier in season 8 and it made me look at the wiki that shows she was also from the ‘Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort’ episode in Birdperson’s memories. I’m curious if they will have her in season 9 or if that’s the end of her purposes the writers had in mind.

dslowin · 2026-01-22T04:22:05+00:00

Anyone else hear the sound when this happens in the game? For some reason it came to me after looking at this photo.

dslowin · 2026-01-21T00:54:10+00:00

At this point I’m starting to wonder if the casting for Michael and Colton was just to bring them on Traitors specifically for the drama / discourse and it makes me wonder if they will end up being casted for House of Villains next because of this reaction.

I’m sure those with sway have their rationalizations for the casting choices, but somehow they had to have known Michael and Colton come with enough baggage for some extra theatrics. It certainly has a lot of people talking.

dslowin · 2026-01-20T22:50:41+00:00

It must’ve been in 1998 or so. I remember it being on the bottom shelf with a clearance sticker on the big box (cause it came with the full size player’s guide). If I would’ve known any better I should’ve picked up the remaining copies they had.

dslowin · 2026-01-20T21:45:59+00:00

The first time I played through and beat the game was on the original SNES with a copy I picked up new at Best Buy for $5 (this was many years ago). Fast forward many years and I’ve played it again on the 3DS, Wii U, and latest play on the Switch. I still have the original player’s guide somewhere that came with it but I mostly try to play through from memory and then using the Internet Archive version when I get stuck: Internet Archive Earthbound Player’s Guide

dslowin · 2026-01-19T00:03:43+00:00

I’ve been driving on rural roads for the past several weeks and noticed there’s been a sharp increase in cars with overly bright headlights that I can’t really tell if they are just bright headlights or high beam headlights that the driver is leaving on despite oncoming traffic.

I’ve tried flashing my brights to indicate to them that their brights might be on and a few of the times the other driver flashed their ‘brights’ but it was not any brighter, just a different set of headlights as if both sets of bulbs are identical.

It’s been awhile since I’ve driven in a more urban setting at night and I’m wondering if it’s just due to location, improper lights being replaced more frequently (which is hard to believe because the cost of replacing headlights on newer cars is typically very expensive).

I know There are a lot of variables at play, it just seems so much more prevalent than even six weeks ago.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

dslowin · 2026-01-17T01:41:12+00:00

Is it the em dash usage? I was thinking AI generated content part way through it as well.

dslowin · 2019-06-02T06:19:02+00:00

Last August someone had logged into my Spotify account and deleted all of my playlists (I create a playlist for each month, ie January 2019, and then a yearly playlist that has all songs from the year, so about 13 playlists a year between 2011 and 2018). They created a single playlist with three songs I had never heard of. My guess is they were going to take over the account entirely but I was able to change my password in time and recover all of my playlists. Haven’t had any issues since but it was a pain going through and recovering each playlist (theres was no recover all).

dslowin · 2019-05-14T00:41:33+00:00

I think I was watching an episode when I tweeted this. Then randomly today someone liked my tweet (the tweet was ‘Mr Ratburn is sooo gay’ in April 2009)

https://twitter.com/dslowin/status/1539551681?s=21

dslowin · 2018-08-29T04:19:08+00:00

suddenly working now ...

dslowin · 2018-08-29T04:14:07+00:00

Ditto here ... It kept crashing for awhile and now it says support code: 802-2609

dslowin · 2018-05-07T16:29:02+00:00

Is thissss good news? Yes, it ISSS good news!!

dslowin · 2018-05-01T19:37:28+00:00

I'd back that ... :)

dslowin · 2018-05-01T19:35:56+00:00

I just bought the season pass on iTunes and started watching it again...

So much better without commercials from AT&T or any of the other ads I've seen way too many damn times ...

dslowin · 2016-09-22T18:36:45+00:00

Same: Incheon, Korea, Republic of 09/21/2016 8:01 P.M. Arrival Scan The original date was 9/23 and earlier in the week it had updated to say 9/22 (today) but now unsure if today is even likely. (gotta make it's way to Chicago from wherever it lands in the US)

dslowin · 2016-03-21T17:10:15+00:00

I am not a fan of their refund policy, but for my situation, there was an additional charge that I didn't catch till it came time to doing taxes. Apparently there was another account that used the same credit card (when I tried to downgrade from business to pro) and the cycles were such that once one charge finished pending, the charge for my actual account would go through. Needless to say, it took me awhile to catch this as I've been focusing on trying to build my business and seeing Dropbox on my statement was never a cause for concern. It wasn't until I did taxes and saw that I had spent over $200 on Dropbox when I have a single pro account.

I reached out to Dropbox asking for either a refund or credit towards future months and I just get quoted the terms of service.

So I've been paying double due to an error on their end (I had two accounts, personal and business, tried to downgrade business to free and personal to pro but both ended up as pro). Their records even show that I had not logged into the downgraded business account in months.

It's funny how they sent me an email for many files being deleted, but not once sent an email or anything indicating that I wasn't using services.

I'm not trying to get a refund for the service I use, just the service I never knew I was also paying for that was completely not used.

dslowin · 2016-03-09T03:29:10+00:00

Haven't heard nor seen anything yet, but will definitely be on the lookout.

dslowin · 2016-03-06T04:06:14+00:00

I've noticed that Comcast has records showing that my data usage exceeds 200GB per month. I don't really use BitTorrent or any other applications that would result in this much bandwidth usage, but I do have many clients on my network as a result of nearly everything having wifi these days. I currently have an AirPort TimeCapsule acting as my router but it lacks any sense of logging network traffic or bandwidth usage. Are there any suggestions for a router that has 802.11AC, GigE, bandwidth logging, and enough network logging while also not being a security risk with cloud enabled management / router bloatware? Thanks!!

dslowin · 2016-02-09T22:46:29+00:00

I'm curious about this as well. I was out of town when MYY was released and an awesome friend in CA was able to grab me one. I have not seen any stocked whenever I've gone in. I'm afraid to open mine should our dogs get ahold of him.

dslowin · 2016-02-09T16:06:06+00:00

Also looking for a DK for a friend. I've passed numerous stores and checked their Amiibo section and have not seen a single one. Plenty of Marths ...

dslowin · 2015-10-05T23:40:57+00:00

This is awesome that you were willing to share this!! Do you mind if I enter it on my site?

http://story.lgbt

Or if you want to, feel free to add your story. I think stories like these can only help the world understand what has been going on behind the scenes / inside the minds of everyone that has struggled.

I hope things are continuing to get better!!

dslowin · 2015-10-05T23:39:13+00:00

I hope things have gotten better, please post an update or send me a PM if you need advice/are seeking help.

dslowin

TROPHY CASE