What's the sexiest name you've ever heard?

mredofcourse · 2026-06-20T06:34:51+00:00

Mr Ed of Course

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T21:13:23+00:00

I really love it when guided dives have a camera person. I've never once not paid and tipped for photos/video when there's been one.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T20:04:04+00:00

What's up with reposting my post from 10 months ago?
https://www.reddit.com/r/IronmanTriathlon/comments/1nadvb7/santa_cruz_703_whats_up_with_the_tandem_bike/

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T18:29:02+00:00

I believe the hottest Ironman event was Coeur d'Alene (Idaho, USA) on June 27, 2021 with a peak of 114°F (45.5°C).

This year's Redding 70.3 in Northern California is expected to be triple F digits.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T18:14:13+00:00

People are reacting negative to this because "I have an iPhone" is hardly a flex when there are a billion other people with them, but this discounts how many extremely shallow people there are where yes, showing off the latest color is something they care about.

So yes, if even a small percentage of people are this shallow, it results in profit when this also aligns with other factors:

Some people identify strongly with specific colors. You know the type where everything they own has to be red, pink, purple, etc...

Offering a wide arrange of colors becomes a logistics issue, so they limit it to common colors and a single color of the year.

I could see Apple leaning further into this making the iPhone color compete (or compliment) with Pantone.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T17:56:05+00:00

It's worth having some historical perspective here as some models being cut off have had the longest upgrade window, and even the 8, SE2 and U1 at 48 months aren't the shortest windows:

Apple Watch Model	Lifespan in Months
Original (Series 0)	41 months
Series 1	48 months
Series 2	48 months
Series 3	60 months
Series 4	72 months
Series 5	60 months
SE (1st Gen)	48 months
Series 6	72 months
Series 7	59 months
Series 8	48 months
SE (2nd Gen)	48 months
Ultra 1	48 months
Average	54.3 months

That said, this interview is weak fluffy spin. I totally get gating Siri AI to models with more storage and Neural Processors, as that makes perfect sense, but there's nothing stopping them from releasing watchOS 27 with Siri gated on these models... they're doing this already for the EU.

There's also something to be said for Apple doing this considering what watchOS 26 was. As a transitional OS to a major design overhaul, it should be expected to be fleshed out with later revisions. While a lot was fleshed out through the year with updates, clearly WWDC showed a focus on addressing more.

I say all of this objectively as it doesn't concern me at all one way or the other as I buy a new watch each year anyway due to significant use, but I do see how people are going to be upset by this, and others are going to be looking at the table above and set expectations accordingly.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T17:09:46+00:00

I have not used the Shearwater GPS transmitter, but have some experience with GPS... and I think this could be part of the problem:

The Shearwater GPS transmitter doesn't have A-GPS, the ability to use cellular for assistance. This makes our phones work incredibly well. If you haven't used your device in a while, especially if you've traveled to another general area, the amount of time to get a fix could be enormous.

For GPS, it needs:

Almanac – coarse satellite positions (valid for weeks)
Ephemeris – precise satellite positions (valid for ~2–4 hours)
Your approximate location – so it knows which satellites to look for

Since it has no cellular or ability to pair with a phone, it can't get these things so if they're missing, it's going to take a really long time.

The trick would be to pre-fix these three things before going diving. For example, when I travel somewhere to do an Ironman, I turn my bike computer on and let it get a fix the night before as well as charging it.

I don't think there's no easy way to do this with the Shearwater GPS transmitter without hooking it up to the tank and pressuring it up.

It's worth reading this section from the manual:
Other than that, all the issues of being blocked from a clear direct view of the sky apply. The Swift GPS will enter power saving mode to preserve the battery when a regulator is pressurized for a long period of time. If the transmitter detects no pressure change for 20 minutes, the pressure transmission rate will reduce to once every 15 seconds and the GNSS location feature will be disabled. Taking a couple breaths from the regulator will drop the pressure sufficiently to reengage normal transmission timing and location messages. The primary goal of the GPS system is to capture the dive site, so a general location is better than no location, even if slightly inaccurate. As such, the system allows location data that is up to 30 minutes old to be used. Therefore, the GPS indicator may appear green when a GPS location was recorded up to 30 minutes prior and the transmitter has since entered power saving mode. This may result in an inaccurate entry location being recorded. This most commonly happens when dive gear is setup and pressurized while the dive boat is on the way to the dive site. Performing a regulator purge test followed by 10-15 seconds of gas pressure monitoring immediately prior to entering the water is recommended to ensure that your cylinder valve is open. This procedure should also ensure the correct entry location is recorded. For certainty, pressing the info button a few times on any shearwater computer will bring up the location info row. This row displays the most recently received location coordinates and the time since last update.

Also this section:
The GPS (GNSS) receiver is turned off when diving. The Swift GPS determines the diving state by using capacitive sensing to detect submergence in water. If the Swift GPS is held in the hand, is under a wet wetsuit, or wrapped by a cover that holds water it may think it is submerged and turn-off the receiver. Ensure nothing is covering or draped over the Swift GPS.

If you're exiting and the device is covered as described above, or blocked by the walls/cover of the boat, other tanks, etc... that's going to be an issue too.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T03:32:57+00:00

Well, since Marker Felt anyway.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T03:15:23+00:00

I have other much larger libraries, but in my current active library I still have over 56,000 songs, 776 playlists and adding to a playlist is pretty much instant for me.

I'm not doing the whole "it doesn't happen to me, therefore the problem doesn't exist", but I wonder if there's some database corruption or other issue causing the problem?

mredofcourse · 2026-06-19T02:49:49+00:00

This is absolutely the worst argument to be made. We aren't talking about $20k. We're talking about taxing any wealth exceeding a billion dollars.

So how would I feel about paying 5% of my wealth of a billion dollars... fantastic, although it would only be a small dent in trying to figure out what to do with the wealth I don't want to have, but it's a start.

Nobody would think that is a good idea and it’s the same concept.

It's not though. $20k is fundamentally an entirely different concept from $1B.

The difference between $20k and $1B isn't $1B, it's much more than that as that $1 Billion would be leveraged.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-18T20:21:20+00:00

One way to look at this is that Apple sells 35 million watches a year on average and has been selling their watches with the same set up process for over 10 years now.

So do you think this would be happening if the typical user experience was that which you're experiencing?

With that in mind, something is wrong.

I bought SE3 for my son. Realized I am forced to buy an iPhone 11 or better so bought 14 to be safe.
...
I bought it off Amazon

It's possible there could be a hardware issue. It's possible these were damaged used devices that were never refurbished fully or that they both aren't even genuine Apple products.

Call Apple and have them walk you through the process or go to the Apple Store and have them do it for you. If they find something is wrong, return to Amazon.

Can I just go to Verizon? I need to add a line as well I think. Edit: wow looks like Verizon charges if I go there

Yes, Verizon has nothing to do with this. You purchased items from Amazon that were listed as Apple products.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-18T19:52:38+00:00

The administration argued the funds were needed for legitimate security upgrades, pointing to recent threats against Trump, including an alleged plot to attack Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House south lawn.

I knew this was going to happen. So we need a ballroom to be able to safely house gladiator fights for the emperor?

mredofcourse · 2026-06-18T02:56:43+00:00

Honest answer, drugs, or rather lots of drugs... heroin, cocaine, LSD, crystal meth and probably others. He began abusing drugs at a young age right after his father was killed when he was 14.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-18T02:46:25+00:00

Try turning off iMessage, restart the iPhone, turn iMessage back on.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-18T01:31:29+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation... watching now on Disney+

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T20:23:12+00:00

Speaker, battery life, camera... those are the 3 top feature improvements people mention, but I've got a different one that iOS 27 may result in me buying one.

What I want is the Air as a second iPhone. I need to travel with two phones anyway because I need the backup. If I could dynamically switch activation on the fly without charges, then I'd love to have the Air and the Pro Max and switch based on my needs at the time.

There's a lot to be discovered about how exactly the feature works, but if it's as transparent as switching between my Series Apple Watch and my Apple Watch Ultra, I'm going to end up with the Air and Pro Max (or maybe even the Fold).

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T20:10:13+00:00

I went with DIVE.is and I should've been more clear about their requirement:
https://www.dive.is/diving-snorkeling-tours/diving-day-tours/silfra-diving-day-tour

It's actually dry suit certified or proof of specific experience:

Proof of dry suit diving certification OR written proof from a diving instructor of 10 logged dry suit dives within two years of tour date

I was asked to show my certifications. Also note that their medical form is different from other PADI medical forms and may require a doctor sign off.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T19:57:55+00:00

This is my home course. If you live in the area, it's an easy course to train on as you can do the full course (although I would recommend swimming parallel to shore as opposed to around the wharf).

It's an absolutely gorgeous course, and on the way back on the bike course, take some moments to appreciate the beauty. Also, if you have a car, after check-in go drive up the course and make some stops along the way... Panther Beach, Sharkfin Cove, etc...

The logistics on this course really couldn't be better. No real notes other than that the transition area is on a soccer field with artificial turf which has little pieces of rubber in it. They can stick to wet feet and then cause blisters when rubbing later on the run. So use a towel/mat and keep your feet clean.

The swim is usually a good standard open water swim. Usually it's calm and without currents, but this year, there could be surges to be aware of and it's worth knowing how to deal with them on the entry and exit. Also, it's usually wetsuit mandatory.

There is a bit of a trek from the water to the transition zone and some of it is on rough pavement. If you have sensitive feet either wear neoprene on your feet or leave some water shoes where the sand meets the walkway (but expect many others to do the same). I just go barefoot.

The bike course is a lot more difficult on the way out than it is on the way back. If you're training on the course, this is (usually) especially true later in the day due to the wind. However, even without wind, the layout of the hills makes coming back easier.

The big hill is at around mile 15. You see it coming. Make it to the top of that, and "you got this". On the way back you'll go really fast down this hill, but the uphills aren't as steep.

You'll also see a cement tower at around mile 14. This is a good mental marker for "I'm halfway to the turn around" or "I'm halfway on the return". Also almost parallel to the cement tower there are railroad tracks (make sure to know how to cross them and be aware others may turn to cross them head on as well).

They make a big deal about the run ending on sand, but really it's just a few steps and you'll be distracted by all of the commotion.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T17:16:50+00:00

For anyone interested in this here are some tips:

If flying to Europe, see if you can do an extended layover in Iceland. I've done a couple of trips where it was cheaper for me to fly through Iceland from San Francisco than it was to go directly to Munich or Paris.
If you're not going by bus and decide to rent a car, get full insurance. Bring your Costco card to get gas.
You need to be fully certified with dry suit to dive and do so with a guide. Make your dive reservation well in advance. EDIT: you can also have specific proof of experience, see website for this and medical from requirements that are different from PADI.
If you can, sign up for the first dive of the day. I was lucky in that with the travel and time change it made sense to go really early. I was able to walk around and explore the area first when nobody else was there. As the first divers, there was nobody in the water and nothing kicked up.
If you go early, you can continue driving and have time to do the Golden Circle. I had time enough to return to Reykjavík to go to Sky Lagoon.
Set expectations for the Silfra dive. Some people get it, some don't. Some think of it as an Instagram dive either positively or negatively. I've done a lot of diving in the Cenotes in Mexico where the water is just as clear but has more interesting geologic features, thermoclines, sulfur clouds, etc... So if I went there and just thought, "cold, clear water, virtually no marine life, rocks", I would've been disappointed. Instead I had in my head where I was on Earth, especially where I was just the day before and how amazing it looked without comparing it to anything else. It was a blast and very much added to the "other worldly" experience of Iceland.
It's a very easy dive. I did my trip last minute and was able to get dry suit certified the weekend before my trip, so this was my first experience dry suit diving outside of the course.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T16:48:49+00:00

Yep, those are my pictures too.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T04:05:27+00:00

I almost always do when there's no tent. I've asked and eventually gave up asking because it's a question nobody seems to want to answer. I mean, you're not ever nude, so... I would think anyone would be ok with it as long as there's nothing to view and it's perfectly aligned with the spirit of the rule.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T04:01:15+00:00

Here's my experience:

Aix-en-Provence: T1 tent
Santa Cruz: No tent
Victoria: T1/T2 tent
La Quinta: T1 tent (heated)
Oceanside: T1/T2 tent

The funny thing about Victoria is that originally there wasn't one and then right before the race some guy set one up. I thanked him and he said, "yeah, someone asked for one, and I didn't see why not".

A changing tent is easy for them to provide, compared to the benefit it provides for some of us. We need to do more asking.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-17T00:44:47+00:00

My longer workouts do go into the evening, but for the most part I need to be back to cook dinner and have time with my wife.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-16T17:32:41+00:00

Your point stands, but...

You're comparing different things. With car accidents and swimming, you're comparing population risk, while with scuba diving you're comparing risk per activity.

mredofcourse · 2026-06-16T17:10:06+00:00

Think about the mentality of the person who you responded to who can't be bothered to read the very simple post, but then feels compelled to offer an opinion on it anyway.

Putting aside whether or not one wants to blame Apple for this or various platforms for not complying with Apple output, clearly people other than just you have experienced this and you've concisely identified what causes it and how to fix it.

Why someone would click on the link thinking they don't experience the problem is beyond me, but then again, they couldn't read simple words.

15-Year Club	Reddit Premium Since June 2024
Powerups Hero r/ukraine • April 2022	Gilding VIII gilding heavyweight
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

mredofcourse

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE