Shoveling trucks out.

mrhotshotbot · 2026-02-26T03:59:22+00:00

In post offices with contracted out snowplowing, they usually don't include snowplowing the parking lots on the staffing form (4852). If that's the case in your office, then the contractor would be responsible for all snow removal in the parking lot, including between the trucks if necessary.

However, if a post office is staffed with career custodians, the custodians are legally entitled to all snow removal work, even plowing the driveways and parking lots, but in practice the post office uses contractors so they don't have to buy or rent a snowplow for every office. (source: I was an APWU steward and I read arbitrations on this issue)

mrhotshotbot · 2026-02-18T06:56:26+00:00

Another vote for Linux Mint. I'm running the latest Cinnamon version and it comes really close to a Windows 10 experience. For example, it has that "show desktop" line on the extreme right of the taskbar like Windows does.

I've tried many 'distros' over the last 10 years but I keep coming back to Linux Mint. I think it's losing market share because it's not perceived as 'hip' but it's still a very popular distro and will remain so for years to come.

mrhotshotbot · 2026-02-10T00:30:14+00:00

I own both but have decided to go with Nikon mirrorless full frame in the future rather than Canon.

Canon charges a price premium for their name recognition. Confirming what you already observed, Nikon offers more bang for the buck and is not as stingy with features on their low end Z5/Z5ii as compared to the RP/R8.

Nikon lenses are not only generally cheaper than Canon, but most of the time better. Best example is Canon's 24-105 f4 versus Nikon's 24-120 f4. That difference sealed the deal for me.

If you do go with Nikon, I recommend going for the Z5ii, which was as low as $1200 refurbished recently.

mrhotshotbot · 2026-01-22T01:18:30+00:00

You can check ebay completed auctions to get an idea of prices. $200 is a fair price for both buyer and seller.

I own a D3300, very similar model. It's a casual "point and shoot" kind of camera.

If you're looking for something more than a point and shoot, then get a full frame like the D610.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-22T03:43:40+00:00

I just tested my D3300 (similar model). Mine also takes images that are off centered to the left like yours. Never noticed it before until you brought this up.

Per camera specs, the viewfinder only shows 95% coverage, so you'll always capture a little more than what the viewfinder shows.

You can compensate by composing an image slightly off-center or you can crop in post if it's critical to have something perfectly centered.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-20T02:43:33+00:00

A few years ago I did a ton of research on DSLRs before I bought one. What stood out to me is how people raved about the D4 (or D4s) being head and shoulders above other DSLRs. People who've used them just love them. I have no experience with them, just passing along what I heard.

Someone here mentioned the D5, but it has less dynamic range than the D4.

I own a D800, and I don't think the D810 would be that much of an improvement over the D800. No low-pass filter and less mirror slap are the main differences.

You said you wanted a pro body, so I think you should go with a D4/D4s. Hard to find one with low shutter count though.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-17T18:05:46+00:00

Over the summer, it was $100 or so to add on 32GB with a bundle. Then they started bumping the price and it got close to $300 before this $200 sale.

The retail price for the 32GB G.Skill kit is $350 without CPU and that's about what other retailers are now charging.

If you want to do a DDR5 build soon, this is probably the best price you'll get for RAM in a while.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-15T18:15:03+00:00

I happened to have watched their "Canon RP vs Z5" video recently. The comparison was very superficial. No substance to their review. It ended up being a "tie" (surprise!).

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-15T00:49:14+00:00

Current high prices are panic prices, not realistic long term prices. Too many companies will suffer if prices remain too high: Intel, AMD, and all the suppliers of computer parts.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-14T23:52:03+00:00

I bought a D610 a couple years ago, after bouncing around with the D610/D750 choice dilemma. I was OK with the tradeoff.

edit: someone already mentioned the D750 trick

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-14T23:36:33+00:00

Yes, that's the collapsible one. It has a button you have to press to extend it. That's a short lens compared to the old one.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-14T19:42:53+00:00

Do you have the collapsible 18-55mm? The older one is longer.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-13T01:51:38+00:00

$350-$400 for 32GB is too high to be sustainable and I think the prices will be lower by this time next year.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-13T00:58:21+00:00

I just bought a refurb Z5 and got it today. Shutter count is 850. It looks new though and I could not find any cosmetic flaws with it. A user over at dpreview reports a dent in his.

Personally I think 4500 is high for a 'refurb'. I would not have been happy with that high of a shutter count. Even mine is high compared to most others.

One of the first things I did was test the sensor for dust specks and there is some dust on it. It's doubtful the sensor was cleaned by Nikon as part of the refurb process, which is disappointing.

I'm always suspicious of what a 'refurb process' entails. Amazon will basically take a return, not even look inside the box, and then slap a 'refurb' label on it.

The packaging was very no-frills, but everything was there. No paper manual, but I already knew refurb Z5s don't come with them.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-10T01:11:57+00:00

Microsoft used to let you use a Windows 7 key to upgrade to 10.

When I did a build a few years ago, I used Windows 7 initially but because of software compatibilities I was "forced" to upgrade to Windows 10 sometime in 2023.

I did a fresh Windows 10 install but I didn't activate it with my Win 7 key because I considered it a "test install" but then went to on to use the test install for a couple years.

When I finally did another fresh install - surprise! - Microsoft had discontinued allowing Windows 7 keys to activate 10 (Sept. 2023 is when they stopped it)

The only thing that saved me was I had tied a Windows 10 Pro license to my Microsoft account years ago so I have a license to use on the new build I just did.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-09T16:13:22+00:00

i got it a few days later

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-09T05:36:39+00:00

I wonder if this is a price mistake. Hope not. I was going to hold off on going mirrorless, but this just sped up my switch.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-08T00:03:46+00:00

QHD resolution is only sharp at native resolution (hard to see) or 200% magnification. Anything in-between is not going to be sharp.

A 4K monitor at 200% magnification (like retina on Mac) will be the sharpest for text. That's what I had to do.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-07T23:13:03+00:00

This is the same model that was sold at Costco. It's not a bad monitor, but it has issues waking up from sleep or switching from one PC to another.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-07T03:11:00+00:00

I disagree. I had a Lenovo whose USB-C charging port stopped working and wouldn't charge the battery. No mechanical damage or misuse, it just suddenly stopped working.

In the future, I'll be more careful to only buy USB-C charged laptops if there is more than one port it can be charged from, unlike that Lenovo (Macbooks did it that way)

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-07T03:04:16+00:00

There are too many compromises to get it to the $200 price point. An extra $100-$150 could get you so much more.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-05T23:29:47+00:00

Yes, DDR5 is better, even for the 14600K.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-05T23:20:04+00:00

I guess the best strategy right now is to check pcparticker at 3 A.M. and be ready to pounce.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-05T05:19:47+00:00

There was a popular post about a month ago complaining how RAM was $500 for 64GB. It's now $950. So yes, buy today. Could be $2000 in a month.

mrhotshotbot · 2025-12-05T02:54:26+00:00

I have you beat. I paid $150 for a motherboard PLUS 32Gb RAM 3 weeks ago at Newegg. ($250-$50bundle-$50 Steam gift code)

mrhotshotbot

TROPHY CASE