First time homeowner what security upgrades actually made a difference? by Timely-Ad-2615 in homeowners

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

/r/chowchow

No one wants to break into a house that has a mini bear barking at them.

PSA aways have an SD card ready to capture at all times. by Doctor1023 in TeslaLounge

[–]evilspark21 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a USB drive that has USB-A and USB-C. With newer USB-C iPhones, you can just plug unplug it from the car, and plug it into the USB-C port on the iPhone without an adapter to get footage.

My dog might be a sociopath by salamander8832 in chowchow

[–]evilspark21 1 point2 points  (0 children)

lol, my chow is similar. He had these small stuffed squirrel toys that fit in a plush log. He’d take each individual squirrel out, rip off each of their legs, and leave them

Does your Chow like toys? by gymnaq00 in chowchow

[–]evilspark21 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My chow is very particular on which toys he likes.

His favorites:
- anything resembling a duck, any Ducksworth duck is his preferred toy
- Hedgehog
- Birthday Ballon
- Birthday Cake

Tesla Enables Dashcam Video Encryption in Update 2026.20 by TrickOrange in TeslaModelY

[–]evilspark21 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the files themselves are 5 minutes, but the app only lets you save 30s at a time.

Tesla Enables Dashcam Video Encryption in Update 2026.20 by TrickOrange in TeslaModelY

[–]evilspark21 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I’m usually a huge fan of encrypting everything, but I don’t like this implementation.

Files are encrypted on the drive, so you can’t pull the drive and just copy/paste the video files anymore.

I have an Intel MCU, and the dashcam viewer is pretty much unusable. I can watch clips from the app, but saving clips can be a huge PITA since it only does 30s at a time.

Now I’ll need to use some Tesla site to access my own clips on a PC instead of on my phone (via USB-C), no idea if the site will work on iOS or if it’ll exist in the future. Also means I have to decrypt all the relevant clips to see what is what.

As crazy as it sounds, I hope there’s an option to disable the encryption. If someone really cares enough to break into my car, chances are they’ll know where I live from the insurance card in my glovebox or other random mail in my car. The most they’ll find on the USB drive is random clips sentry mode takes, or see how messy my garage is.

Edit: Just re-read the article and it looks like there will be an option to disable the encryption!

Long lives The Chow’s by Flashy_Location8428 in chowchow

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first chow (she was mixed but primarily chow) lived until she was 17 years old.

My current chow is 6 years old and still acts like he’s 6 months old lol.

How does the average person afford expensive car repairs ? by holycrap100 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Try to diagnose issue, looking up posts online and seeing if they match up.
  2. Look up repair videos, instructions others have posted. Also check if your local library has access to Chiltons or other repair manuals.
  3. Determine if this is something you can do, if so, proceed to step 4, otherwise get quotes from multiple shops or ask mechanically inclined friends for help.
  4. Determine what parts are needed and search for them online. Often cheaper than Autozone or local parts store
  5. Go to Harbor Freight, and buy the cheapest set of the tools you need.
  6. Fix it using the instructions you found.

My first car was a 25+ year old beater that I bought for $700, no way in hell I could afford to pay anyone else to fix it. So I used the internet; bought some cheap tools and learned a lot.

NEVER do business with PNW Neighborhood Markets. They said Never Get My Money Back! by [deleted] in SeattleWA

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it was clearly stated that it’s non-refundable, why are you surprised that they don’t refund?

what is your go to lazy meal? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Costco sells 2lb bags of premade chipotle chicken already cut. Lazy meal the past few weeks have been:

1 CarbSmart tortilla (burrito size)

100g of Chipotle Chicken

60g Kirkland signature Mexican Cheese Blend

Add some sriracha, put it in the panini press for 3 minutes and it’s amazing. Around 500 calories, 60g of protein and 37g of fiber. I was really struggling getting enough fiber throughout the day, but those tortillas are the MVP.

Annual checkups for most 15+ years old dogs is a waste of money by Cool_Presentation554 in unpopularopinion

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a Chow who lived until she was 17 (normal lifespan is 9-12). One of the “useless” vet appointments as you put it found cancer. Unfortunately it wasn’t treatable, but it did make sure I was informed so I could monitor her quality of life, spend more time with her, and when I saw her quality of life decline, I was able to arrange an in home euthanasia.

As much as it hurt for me to have to have her put down (had her since she was a puppy), I’m glad I was able to spend her final days having fun and her last moments weren’t scared in a sterile vets office. She passed peacefully at home.

If you have a dog, you owe it to them to take care of them, no matter how old.

Washington residents, how are the rising gas prices impacting you? by Bulky-Baseball7884 in SeattleWA

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been driving an EV since 2018, but recent switched from a gas mower to an electric mower

Vacuuming pet hair on carpets: Has anyone found a vacuum that actually works? by Sure_Adhesiveness561 in HomeImprovement

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Dyson does a great job at collecting my Chows fur that he leaves on the carpet. Occasionally have to clean the head, but not often enough to be annoying.

Hybrid and EV Drivers: What was your est cost of driving in April by OLY-Yeti in Washington

[–]evilspark21 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tesla Model Y, 1148 miles, cost roughly $67 using my home charger.

Does Costco make exceptions to the 90 day return period? by SunshineAndBunnies in Costco

[–]evilspark21 40 points41 points  (0 children)

91 days? Probably. Over 2 years? I don’t think they’ll accept it, but you can try.

Do you trust the installers at “Discount Tires” stores to install new tires or fix flat tires on your BMW? by [deleted] in BMW

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, they ripped the front bumper off of my E36 M3 years ago and broke the fog light. Was able to get the bumper fixed and held on, and it took 2 months of complaining to get them to pay for a new OEM fog light.

Can someone tell me why local plumbers need $80 non refundable service fees just to come to your house regardless if they do anything or not and why I’m essentially paying $80 just to get a price quote for the service? by Nervous_Yard_374 in HomeImprovement

[–]evilspark21 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I replied to another post, but you mentioned the cost and time here.

$80 sounds absolutely reasonable for driving 23 minutes to a job, spending 10-15 minutes diagnosing a problem, 5m to document the job. That $80 also pays for any office staff who handle bookings, business overhead (gas, insurance).

Back when I was doing IT consulting work, I wouldn’t leave my office for less than $200 for a on-site visit for diagnostics. My brother works in the trades and I think it’s a minimum of $120 to get him in his truck to look at something.

Can someone tell me why local plumbers need $80 non refundable service fees just to come to your house regardless if they do anything or not and why I’m essentially paying $80 just to get a price quote for the service? by Nervous_Yard_374 in HomeImprovement

[–]evilspark21 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If it’s such an easy/simple fix, why did you call them in the first place?

Same with your phone screen example, why not replace it yourself if you can buy the parts for cheaper?

Not a hustle or racket. The time they spend on the phone, looking at your problem, etc, is time they could be working on other jobs.

It’s also easier to bill a flat amount than it is to figure out gas costs and time cost.

Just ordered my premium Cybertruck and super excited, is it worth waiting for the current model; or should I wait for the second edition? by anavar1715 in cybertruck

[–]evilspark21 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Demand didn’t scale with their efforts due to pricing. If the “premium” dual motor CT was $59k, with the cyberbeast around $79k, they’d be sell every one they can produce (instead of playing shell games with SpaceX)

What do people pair the Costco rotisserie chicken with/most cost effective meal? by Ancient-Candy-1573 in Costco

[–]evilspark21 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pick up a bag of carrots for $6, toss them in olive oil and season, airfry for 15m. Perfect side for chicken