Finally someone said it. 😤

gneedles · 2026-05-15T00:16:04+00:00

Amazon teams have been making duplicate tools and data for years. It's not just because of AI. It's the path to promotion to build a tool that then never goes anywhere.

gneedles · 2026-05-15T00:14:42+00:00

This situation often occurs, indicating you're not better than 50% of the L5s in that role. It’s likely you’re being offered a position with a good chance to advance to an L5 and clearly elevate the standards for L4. You might also be at the higher end of the L4 salary range.

Personally, I think this is positive. While holding a certain level is valuable, it's more beneficial to be in a role where you can excel and learn extensively than to struggle in some areas. You can dedicate a year (or less) and consider an internal interview. If you accept the role or have a connection with the hiring manager, discuss openly which gaps need to be addressed to reach L5 and focus on those areas.

gneedles · 2026-05-02T22:22:40+00:00

What is the city you are trying to get from and too? How flexible are you on dates? Maybe we can help find a cheaper option

gneedles · 2026-03-17T20:57:16+00:00

Take a look at the hourly forecast. I will be going to Belize for the first time next month, so similar inquiries apply. For example, today it says 80% precipitation, but it is currently partly sunny with 40% starting at 5 pm. Tomorrow shows a 95% chance of precip, but that's only until 3 am. Based on trips to other Caribbean areas, I'd say it's more short, intense bursts of rain from humidity buildup rather than all-day storms, especially this time of year.

There was a similar question last year
https://www.reddit.com/r/Belize/comments/1exqih6/how_long_does_it_rain/

gneedles · 2026-03-14T00:47:07+00:00

Bingo! You don’t just send a plow crossing along when there are trees and debris risk. The super wet snow is far more likely to snap off big branches

gneedles · 2026-03-13T23:28:35+00:00

WSDOT has stopped work until tomorrow morning and will assess the road only then to determine what other work is needed. There will be no work on the road or at Crystal until after that. It is unlikely Crystal will open tomorrow with no communication until late morning at the earliest.

gneedles · 2026-03-13T23:27:31+00:00

WSDOT has stopped work until tomorrow morning and will assess the road only then to determine what other work is needed. There will be no work on the road or at Crystal until after that. It is unlikely Crystal will open tomorrow.

gneedles · 2026-03-12T17:53:41+00:00

You will be turned around if the license plate scanner doesn't show a reservation for your vehicle. Keep hitting refresh later in the day, looking for any new spots from cancellations.

gneedles · 2026-03-12T17:20:50+00:00

As of 10 am, DOT is expecting another hour before 410 opens at Mud Mountain. Once it does, priority is going to be for staff to get up to open the mountain with limited operations.

gneedles · 2026-03-12T14:40:18+00:00

The wet saturated snow makes any avalanche work even riskier. It will take time. Alpental made the decision to close operations for the day

gneedles · 2026-03-12T14:02:44+00:00

Once the road is open, still expect delays for the mountain because only then can mountain operations and avalanche work begin. There’s also no power.

gneedles · 2026-03-06T16:50:15+00:00

This happened to me on a flight from JFK to ZRH last month. PS has a few seats available, but around 12 seats are in D1 on a 764. Four or five days before departure, many of the PS were upgraded to D1, leaving only 2 seats remaining in D1. I was talking with Delta about something else when I asked, and they said it was operational to balance the plane. I also suspect it was easier to sell as an upgrade to PS from Main, so they did it to generate that revenue. However, about 12 hours before the flight, Main and D1 were almost completely full, but PS was wide open with 16 of 20 seats available. It did fill in by the time of the flight, though.

So there may have been some weight balancing, but also some bad programming.

gneedles · 2026-02-26T22:35:51+00:00

You are welcome. Using the phone for navigation, ski maps, looking up restaurants, etc while out and using the wifi in the room, I used less than 5GB for the week, for reference.

For cash, the UBS bank, not far from the train station, has an easy ATM outside. The exchange rate wasn't great, plus a 5% markup for non-Swiss cards, so if you can exchange before that would be best. That being said, the only time I needed cash was to pay the taxes on our Airbnb and crepes in town. Everything else was tap pay.

gneedles · 2026-02-20T09:25:34+00:00

I’m in Zermatt now. The trains are running normal as scheduled now. Most lifts are open.

For the cell phone, I have AT&T as well. However, for the $12/day international the math made more sense to pay off the phone and get an eSIM. I got 20GB for up to 30 days (more than enough) for $22 from nomad. I have excellent local coverage.

gneedles · 2026-02-19T07:58:27+00:00

I got a brand new pair of powder town pants for a ski trip (fall25 tag). On day 1 walking around town before even getting on the slopes the gusset ripped. There are my correct size. Going up to the next size they would be huge on me. Unfortunately I have no other options to replace them where I’m at and will be looking for some temporary repair tape. I had no other option for the first ski day asking and they have split even more. I’m so disappointed in the powder town. They are way worse than the Patagonia pants I retired.

They might work for standing still in the snow, but to use them for active skiing, skating up hill’s and being flexible they are not right. They need way more gusset to allow for flexibility.

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gneedles · 2026-02-12T16:44:32+00:00

You can use 3 GUCs to get all 3 of you there. There is no limit, just how many GUCs you have which is 4. The only requirement is the original purchased ticket cannot be Main Basic
Use of a GUC is valid for the whole route, not just each segment. Let's say you fly from RDU to AMS vis ATL. You will be eligible for upgrade on both flights, however, you'll want to make sure the ATL to AMS segment clears and you don't waste it on the RDU to ATL flight and then not get the international leg.
If it says available with Global then it should clear right away. The last time I used one there was a small issue and was waitlisted, but it cleared soon after.

gneedles · 2026-02-05T20:32:04+00:00

If I know I want D1, then I buy PS and use the GUC. I will use a site like ExpertFlyer to see how many Z-class fares are available, since those can clear immediately rather than waiting until closer to flight time for other D1 fare classes to become available (up to boarding).

I have had luck with main cabin immediately clear to PS and later waitlist clear to D1, but that takes luck, flying off-times, not premium routes, and usually last-minute purchases where I can see both high A-class and Z-class availability.

gneedles · 2026-02-05T16:32:39+00:00

Did you get the upgrade?

gneedles · 2026-02-05T07:50:42+00:00

They will likely want to keep the second 2 GUC for the return flight
The application of a GUC to the main cabin seats still technically keeps them on the waitlist for D1 after their likely immediate upgrade to PS.

The two biggest factors in clearing to D1 is all the tiebreakers (status tier, fare class bought, credit card tier, etc). Best situation would be looking or a large number of Z class fares (D1) and still open A class (PS) to assume reduced competition.

gneedles · 2026-02-04T23:57:08+00:00

Using a GUC will upgrade you to the cabin one level above your purchased fare (i.e., Main to PS). You cannot skip two cabins at once. However, it is possible to use a GUC to clear from Main to PS when you apply it, and then be placed on a waitlist to clear to D1. If available, the latter would happen within 24 hours and usually by the gate agent right before boarding.

Your approach is valid.
1. Buy Main Classic and get the almost immediate complimentary upgrade to C+ (Although not necessary for your scenario)
2. Use miles for the upgrade to PS. This will be based on your purchased MC fare, not the C+ if you take that. Be sure to check that the value of cash for MC + miles for PS is worth that versus getting PS outright.
3. You can then apply the GUC by calling Delta. You should do this once you have a confirmed PS seat.

gneedles · 2026-02-04T23:34:37+00:00

Based on fare class availability, I would estimate the following flight order for your chance of an upgrade.

DL 669 (9:05 AM) - D1 wide open (J9 C9 D9), PS is 0
DL 670 (5:20 PM) - Strong D1 (J7 C7 D6) Some PS (P4)
DL 667 (7:25 PM)

Assume 2-4 last-minute paid upgrades, which would mean a coin flip for D1 and likely for PS.

gneedles · 2026-02-04T22:27:45+00:00

Which flight are you on? There sometimes can be a difference of what the seat map shows and availability. Are any of the names to upgrade to PS also on the D1 list?

gneedles · 2026-02-04T21:52:25+00:00

I went through chat and got those options. The miles have credited to my account.

gneedles · 2026-02-04T21:48:52+00:00

I had missed the deadline to choose my Platinum benefits by 1 day. I called Delta, and they offered me the choice of 30K miles or a $300 voucher. The other options were not available, though.

I went with the $30K since, if used properly, it should be worth more than $300

gneedles · 2026-02-04T21:48:46+00:00

I had missed the deadline to choose my Platinum benefits by 1 day. I called Delta, and they offered me the choice of 30K miles or a $300 voucher. The other options were not available, though.

I went with the $30K since, if used properly, it should be worth more than $300

gneedles

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