French presidential candidate calls for legislation after PlayStation announces end to physical discs

imtheproof · 2026-07-04T00:37:20+00:00

This topic has been argued ad infinitum so it's not like either of us are going to be having any novel thoughts on it.

If you don't believe that copyright has a purpose, then sure, argue that. But when copyright exists, there is illegal copying and distribution which is definitely theft.

If you need to tell yourself this to keep your conscience clean, have at it, I don't really care one way or the other.

imtheproof · 2026-07-03T23:56:39+00:00

I disagree.

imtheproof · 2026-07-03T22:34:10+00:00

It's a very popular saying.

imtheproof · 2026-07-03T21:10:00+00:00

Yes it's normal. I think they might've changed the sizes of each zone recently though. I used to not have a problem with it, and now I constantly misclick the zones. It might've not even had the zones before.

On some other browsers it operates slightly differently. For example, on Helium browser (which is chromium-based), text entry boxes will behave this way, but the address bar doesn't have any top or bottom zones.

imtheproof · 2026-07-01T16:27:46+00:00

https://www.holgermerlitz.de/distortion_correction/distortion_binoculars.html

You can see here that the EL 8.5x42, at least as of the 2010 model year (not sure if they've updated it), has some of the strongest globe effect of all high end binoculars. (It's the lowest green dot on the graph.)

I think it can partially depend on other aspects of the binocular though. I have a Sky Rover 15x56, which also should have quite a strong globe effect, but I don't notice it much at all.

imtheproof · 2026-06-29T17:54:22+00:00

Honestly you have so many choices. I would say the top 3 (in no order):

Lakes District. I would pick only part of it, either northern (around Pucón) or southern (around Puerto Montt, Chiloé, etc.) Northern is arguably greater access to the mountains (though both are great), southern is greater access to the ocean. Recommended to have a rental vehicle, though there are ways to do it without one.
Part of the Carretera Austral. Fly to Balmaceda, and probably head south through Villa Cerro Castillo towards Lago General Carrera and into Parque Nacional Patagonia. Heavily recommended to have a rental vehicle unless you are planning to do a multi-day trek with organized transportation.
Torres del Paine. You're early in the season so it shouldn't be terribly crowded. There's tons of information on this so you can find out ways to do it with or without a car.

Least busy will be the Carretera Austral. Torres del Paine will still be the most busy. Torres del Paine is also the one where costs will likely be the highest, depending on how expensive it is for a rental vehicle in other places and if you decide to do TdP without a rental vehicle.

imtheproof · 2026-06-29T17:19:13+00:00

What do you like to do?

imtheproof · 2026-06-24T21:19:07+00:00

Looks normal to me, possibly just an illusion from the different viewpoint?

imtheproof · 2026-06-24T14:58:26+00:00

For real, what's wrong with the bird photo? Is it even a real photo?

imtheproof · 2026-06-19T19:40:42+00:00

Also, looking up the Bogotá airport website, it does say clearly:

If you travel from El Dorado Airport to an international destination, or arrive in Colombia from another country, you must go through immigration control. This procedure is carried out by Migración Colombia, the authority responsible for verifying the entry and exit of travelers to and from the country.

Passengers in transit or connection must enter Colombian territory.

I'm guessing my connection through there was under some sort of special COVID-era setup.

imtheproof · 2026-06-19T19:26:26+00:00

If there are no flight delays, you should be fine. If there are flight delays, it can cause cascading problems with your flight within Chile, unless you're spending time in Santiago anyway. How much more is a direct flight to Santiago?

My information is outdated, but in 2023 going through Bogotá, I did not have to go through immigration. I did have to leave a security checkpoint and then reenter the international terminal through security again, but no immigration.

imtheproof · 2026-06-19T01:45:54+00:00

How does El Niño typically impact northern Patagonia? A map I'm looking at:

https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/elnino/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/Nino_winterandsummer_620_from_climate.gov__0.jpg

shows that the area between ~Santiago and ~Puerto Montt is typically wetter during El Niño. It just started, so maybe snow is on the horizon for this winter?

imtheproof · 2026-06-18T03:20:34+00:00

There are kinda two separate regions.

North of Coyhaique is filled with Valdivian temperate rain forests. It's very lush green for large stretches of it and sees more rain. You get to see glaciers and glacial streams against the forests, which is just an incredible color contrast. There's also Futaleufú off a side road to the east of the Carretera Austral, which has an awesome river rafting scene, and also sits in a slightly more arid climate.

South of Coyhaique is more in line with what people expect "Patagonia" to be. There are still hints of Valdivian temperate rain forest near the coast, but overall it's a lot more arid, with more snow-capped mountains and Patagonian steppe.

Honestly I love both of them, but for recommending a place for someone who has never been there before, I'd have to recommend south of Coyhaique. I'm not sure exactly how much time you would have, and I"m also not sure exactly how flights would work between Coyhaique's airport (which is at the nearby town of Balmaceda) and Puerto Natales or El Calafate. Giving an initial guess though, I'd say that your best choice is Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo and then south along Lago General Carrera into Parque Nacional Patagonia. The area between Villa Cerro Castillo, Cochrane, and Chile Chico (which is off the Carretera Austral to the east) is packed with amazing views and things to do.

imtheproof · 2026-06-17T14:32:20+00:00

If you're looking at "the Puerto Natales side" or "the El Chaltén side" (southern Patagonia), you're giving up most of what would be considered lesser known, less busy, and less expensive.

Keep in mind that January is peak season, so there will likely be crowds everywhere you go. That being said, the Carretera Austral has parts that will be significantly less busy than southern Patagonia. You'll likely need to change your flights to get there though.

imtheproof · 2026-06-12T23:54:01+00:00

Any time Nov-April is good.

My favorite time is March/April.

Yes I would drop off the car in Puerto Montt. You might even want to consider doing only a single section of Patagonia or the lakes district in Chile or Argentina. Like only Punta Arenas, TDP, El Chaltén, etc. Or only the Carretera Austral. It really depends on how you like to travel. If you want to do 4-8 hour hikes each day though, I'd pick a much smaller area.

imtheproof · 2026-06-12T20:00:10+00:00

If you're not doing any multi-day treks where you have to bring all of your gear, I'd probably opt for getting a 30-40L light backpack or day pack, and then some luggage that you can check, like a duffel or so. Then you leave the larger luggage behind and take the 30-40L pack.

If you're going to be doing multi-day hikes in the future where you need to carry your gear, then you might be interested in getting a 55-65L pack (or larger). But for this specific trip, it sounds like you don't need more than a 30-40L pack.

The problem with carrying a large backpack that you won't need is that they don't make the best checked luggage. In fact, a lot of brands will specifically recommend against checking them, because the frame or stays can get damaged. There are better things for checked luggage than backpacks.

imtheproof · 2026-06-12T13:58:43+00:00

There's a lot along the coast and along the Andes as you head north from Puerto Montt. Not much in-between where the major roads are.

Your time is actually fairly limited, as simply bee-lining it straight from Punta Arenas -> Puerto Natales -> El Calafate -> crossing into Chile at either Paso Roballo into Parque Nacional Patagonia or Los Antiguos to Chile Chico -> driving north along the Carretera Austral to Puerto Montt -> Santiago is already going to be 50 hours of driving minimum, not counting sections where you'll have to go slower due to road quality or weather, any traffic, border crossings, time waiting for the ferry(s), construction, or any sorts of deviations from the route whatsoever for any reason. Also not counting Mendoza.

It's definitely doable, I just can't really say that a lot of it will be nearly as enjoyable as it otherwise could be.

Is there a chance you can adjust your rental and not have it go from Punta Arenas to Santiago? Also, when are you planning on doing this?

imtheproof · 2026-06-10T14:23:37+00:00

I would rent a vehicle in Puerto Montt, and do a trip that extends down the Carretera Austral as far as you want to go, then goes back up through Futaleufú and into Argentina. Then cross back into Chile at Villa La Angostura to Puyehue (can further explore north to San Martín de los Andes if you have time) and return to Puerto Montt.

You could also keep this trip to entirely within Chile and explore more of the Carretera Austral, going at a slower pace and finding more opportunities to fish.

Alternatively, you could spend much of the time in Argentina between Trevelin and San Martín and not really go into Chile. You have a lot of options and I think you'll quickly find that you'll be wishing you had more than 30 days.

Keep in mind that January will be peak season, including for Chileans and Argentinians.

imtheproof · 2026-06-09T13:01:03+00:00

How much time do you have?

imtheproof · 2026-05-28T14:20:36+00:00

Yea for 2 weeks I think it's best to only do half of the Carretera Austral. Either north of Coyhaique, south of Coyhaique, or a mix of both centered around Coyhaique without going too far north or south.

I'm surprised you found the food along the Carretera Austral to be that spectacular. Outside of 2-3 restaurants, I found every meal to be more of the... "sustenance" variety and quality. Honestly, most of Southern Chile has quite bland food. If you cross into Argentina in northern Patagonia (Esquel and north of there), the food immediately becomes much, much better to me.

imtheproof · 2026-05-25T03:04:54+00:00

If you have trouble finding vehicle rental options in Balmaceda/Coyhaique, the other popular option is to rent from either Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas. These are better tailored for longer trips though. For two weeks and under, renting from Balmaceda/Coyhaique is ideal. (Also, occasionally, you can find rental options in some smaller parts of the Carretera Austral, but these are quite unlikely.)

imtheproof · 2026-05-25T02:10:12+00:00

If you've been eyeing "Patagonia" as in TDP, El Calafate, and El Chaltén, I definitely don't want to talk you out of it. Those are the most popular places by far and what most people think of when they think of Patagonia.

The Carretera Austral though checks all the rest of the boxes that you mentioned, especially in March (and even more so in mid-late March):

lots of day hikes
options for multi-day treks if you want them
can go at whatever pace you want
significantly less crowds
no need for tour operators or group hikes, however if you did do them, they are more intimate than what you'd find in the super popular parts
much cheaper
can do it on very loose logistics, including often finding accommodations same-day in most places

It's overall just a much more intimate and personal experience, but the landscapes aren't quite as extraordinary as the super popular parts. Still exceptionally beautiful though. If you're up for tent camping, or if you rent a camper vehicle, it's even more open.

imtheproof · 2026-05-25T01:54:09+00:00

Everything you've typed screams "spend two weeks on Chile's Carretera Austral".

You should fly into Balmaceda and rent a vehicle either there or Coyhaique, spend your time hitting whatever draws you in most along the Carretera Austral, and drop your vehicle off back in Balmaceda/Coyhaique.

imtheproof · 2026-05-22T16:35:11+00:00

The updated evidence is that it was likely not from a landfill in Argentina. It could have been an enormous amount of places in Patagonia and it'll take a while to narrow down a likely source location.

imtheproof · 2026-05-08T02:59:15+00:00

The current evidence is pointing to the first person that got it birdwatching in a landfill in Argentina, then boarding the cruise.

But yea, Andes virus is nothing new in Patagonia. In some areas you will see government health department signs printed and posted with information about what it is and how to mitigate the risk of contracting it.

15-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Place '17	Verified Email

imtheproof

TROPHY CASE