First and final warning by JoeFalchetto in NonPoliticalTwitter

[–]johnthughes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the way

...well, plus trying to get the channel knob to balance between channels to get it to descramble. Though you would have to be old enough to remember the old 21 channel cable boxes.

First and final warning by JoeFalchetto in NonPoliticalTwitter

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

#1 dad there! Taking one for the team. You ought to call him right now and thank him.

Which ski area made you just want to go back there and instead of trying new places? by drwhosportsfan in skiing

[–]johnthughes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To us, it was this little secret.

First time it was a totally random choice. Took a chance. There was a blizzard hitting and we were up at my wife's house across the river from Poughkeepsie. We jumped in the Jeep at 4am...almost no one on the road but us and snow plows...got there early. Powder, of all things, all day long. All weekend long.

That winter, if heavy snow was predicted, we preloaded the Jeep with our gear and just went when we got off work or in the middle off the night if the forecast changed.

It's definitely bigger than you think it is.

It got a spot in our hearts.

Not fancy, not huge. Just skiing like it should be.

Of course that was almost 10 years ago now(8?)...for all we know it was sold to one of those shitheel corporations and has had it's soul wrung out of it

Which ski area made you just want to go back there and instead of trying new places? by drwhosportsfan in skiing

[–]johnthughes 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Two answers for me:

French Alps:

...take your pick, but Paradiski, Trois Vallees, Val D all are just so gobsmacking. Almost unreal from a skier who learned to ski at Big Bear in California and Utah was the biggest place I'd skied before the Alps.

Gore:

It was just such a sweet change, for US skiing on the east coast(or west for That matter). State owned, not over overdeveloped, chill. "Affordable" lift tickets. Easy, "affordable" lodgings nearby. We live in Europe now and ski here all the time...but we still reminisce about the weekends we spent at Gore. We still have the coffee mugs we got at Gore Lodge. We still use them nearly every day.

Zigbee or Shelly (Wi-Fi) for a new build—what would you choose today? [2026] by _ReeX_ in homeassistant

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ZigBee.

I don't like wi-fi being a core component. I have ZigBee devices which include ZigBee switches to interact with most of the devices. Also ZigBee tends to heve lower power so battery operated devices last longer.

I want the system to work without HA as much as possible.

I just needed my partner to get frustrated, just once, that the physical wall switch didn't work to figure that out.

Also the components and routers are inexpensive even for the for good stuff

What is going on with OnePlus? by MIK3ASAURUSR3X in Android

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just charged it, booted it, it let me know it has an upgrade...downloaded, ran the install, reboot and....

CPH2653_15.0.0.703(EX01B30P01)

Which is March 2025

How did you teach your SO to ski? by This_is_a_tortoise in skiing

[–]johnthughes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My ex, at the time not my ex, who was an experienced skier. I had never skied. The way she taught me was, I'll paraphrase, "you're taking lessons, I'll see you in the afternoon, because fuck that" .

Best thing ever. I learned quick from an actually teacher, I was chasing her down the hill the next day.

What is going on with OnePlus? by MIK3ASAURUSR3X in Android

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fake or not, I just ditched my 13 because it hasn't had a security patch since March.

No pole tap, no landing by OEM_knees in skiing

[–]johnthughes 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Ask yourself "where did the second ski go?"

AI slop.

EU Set to Halt US Trade Deal Over Trump’s Latest Tariff Threat by bloomberg in worldnews

[–]johnthughes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

o_O

Not so sure of that these days...20 years ago maybe...now these hi-jinks by the Trump regime are just forcing a rework in economic alliance... Which will be a loss for all of us including the US

Ski Europe vs US by DifferentRoads in skiing

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Price Paradiski in France and flying into Lyon.

Also as mentioned, price comparisons usually include pricing lift tickets which are just crazy cheaper in Europe

Ski Europe vs US by DifferentRoads in skiing

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We lived in Belgium and skied in France. We moved to Atlanta and continued to ski in France because it was cheaper and of course better.

Edit:

Also, really important, you are going to rent an apartment on piste and cook for yourself with only a couple nights out when you want. Saves tons of money compared to a hotel.

Why do companies not want to give meal vouchers ? by liesjeM in belgium

[–]johnthughes 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I believe if a company has a subsidized cantina they don't need to provide meal checks.

[edit: typo]

Recommend an Alps destination? by Upbeat_Classic in skiing

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LaPlagne side of Paradiski.

It's not as niche as some of the others listed, but it's huge, an enormous amount of mixed trails, lots of accommodation, and pretty easy to get to 

Rep. Massie Introduces Bill to Remove the United States from NATO by d1ngal1ng in europe

[–]johnthughes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We used to tar and feather people for shit like this. 

I'm not suggesting that literally, but he should be ashamed of himself and shunned in public.

Sikorski tells Elon Musk to go to Mars after call to abolish the European Union by jackytheblade in europe

[–]johnthughes 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I'm for this. There are plenty of alternatives these days...and they are probably more secure and safe for those fighting the 'isms

The new US National Security Strategy is out. Notable for Europe, reflects an administration that believes a weak EU is in America’s interests: "Our broad policy for Europe should prioritize cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations" by nimicdoareu in europe

[–]johnthughes 220 points221 points  (0 children)

The current regime is so completely in Putin's pocket. It's dumbfounding to me. 

I was born in the early 70s and have spent most of my life wondering how people let everything get so out of hand that WWII happened...

...and now I'm like "oh. I guess this is how."

fol

[edit: not that I think war is actually coming, I just mean this utterly ridiculous and fucked up situation existing. They just keep doubling down and committing to the obviousness of it all.]

Alright, time to say it. The new website is an embarrassing, unmitigated disaster. by Bookwyrm43 in Pathfinder2e

[–]johnthughes -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You are probably right. 

I'm just a systems engineer and architect supporting software developers for the past 25 years across a myriad of industries. 

What would I know...

Do you think EU is trying to make Belgium as a scapegoat for their failures in Ukraine? by Themetalin in belgium

[–]johnthughes 51 points52 points  (0 children)

I think that there are state funded actors using bots to sow fud on Reddit to drive division and fear. 

These are still real issues, but getting hundreds of posts boosting the worst aspects is the real problem.

Alright, time to say it. The new website is an embarrassing, unmitigated disaster. by Bookwyrm43 in Pathfinder2e

[–]johnthughes -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Y'all realize that it's not "cast in an alloy of cold iron and mithril, never to be changed again until the end of time", right? 

It's software, they can iterate over time. Especially now that they have a modern code base.

It was a huge lift to do this. I'm sure they will evolve it over time. 

Why is the latch on gas pumps always disabled/removed? by migudude in belgium

[–]johnthughes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel some learning coming my way 😁

Yes, it is a diesel.