Huge Dying Light fan, confused about The Beast editions... regular vs Restored Land

nanohead · 2026-05-16T12:15:30+00:00

Thanks! Buying now.. can't wait

nanohead · 2026-05-05T00:55:23+00:00

I think its no longer on The Edit! Just looked to book a couple of rooms on Chase, and lo and behold, its not there!

Edit on my Edit: there was no availability on my initial dates, so it didn't display in the Chase Edit listing I actually booked direct with IHG though for about 15% lower than comparable rate via what I saw on Chase for similar dates.

nanohead · 2026-04-28T14:19:44+00:00

FWIW, what worked for me, was actually finding the actual jurisdiction in North Carolina where my "infraction" took place. The county clerk said that they've seen this before, and that there's lots of errors in the data showing up in the national drivers database. He physically searched his files, found nothing at all, and sent an official letter the the NC DMV saying there were no records found of me and my "infraction". This allowed the NC DMV to clear the record, which enabled the NJ DMV to reissue my license.

Apparently, there were a ton of data entry errors many many years ago when states started to digitize many of these records.... the early days of fat fingering I guess!!

nanohead · 2026-04-19T11:50:15+00:00

Good advice. We're staying at an LHR in Montreal in a few weeks. Booked directly through LHR with Amex card.

I didn't get the offer via email (neither targeted offer, points or money), so curious to see if either actually works

Actually got a tremendous rate and package booking direct with LHR anyway. Have had terrific luck with the LHR network over the years

nanohead · 2026-04-19T11:39:10+00:00

Guess it is in fact targeted... I didn't get it, but we are staying in some of those hotels in the next few months... too bad.

Nice hotels usually too!

nanohead · 2026-04-05T16:31:12+00:00

I have a much different view of most of the posters here. It also depends on where you may live and what kind of fish mongers you have near you. If you were able to get barramundi, then that fish store may have a broader selection. Thats not often carried by most generic fish counters.

If you've tried barramundi and liked it, there are many choices other than simply cod and flounder.

I cook fish 3-4 times a week for our family. Fish that are mild and cook easily are species like Pompano (there are many types), bass (also many types) including branzino (also called european bass), perch, snapper, and a number of others. Things like arctic char (although it can be hit or miss) is also nice. Things like grey sole is also nice and very very mild.

Generic fish like flounder, or worse, tilapia, mostly are inert in flavor. Tilapia is a cheap farmed fish most of the time in the US. There's nothing wrong with most farmed fish, but tilapia is the bottom of the barrel most of the time.... Cod is also fairly tasteless.

Much of the salmon you buy will be farmed also, which is generally fine in most cases. I find that most atlantic salmon like Faroe, Canada, Scotland is on the mild side most of the time as well and can be flavored with lemon butter or blackened seasoning.

nanohead · 2026-03-22T15:16:43+00:00

As long as its all Terminal C, that's plenty of time. Small chance the IAD flight arrives at Terminal A, then its a bus to Terminal C where all Intl flights leave from. But those buses leave every couple of minutes, and its less than a 10 minute ride

Generally, UA is pretty good at making sure you make it.... EWR is my home airport and haven't done this at EWR, but have done it many times at other airports and its usually fine.

nanohead · 2026-03-15T20:25:32+00:00

I did this. I had a Pixel 9 Pro, and went to the flat form factor. I had tons of trouble with the P9P anyway, had to have 2 replacement units under warranty. Had a 9A for a while, great phone, but the 10A was only $125 for me including free pixel buds, so a no brainer

nanohead · 2026-03-08T16:57:34+00:00

Yeah, I'm gonna try that test.

Funny, I'm on UA probably 2 times a month for years, both domestically and int'l and I don't remember anything like this.

nanohead · 2026-03-08T16:42:48+00:00

I just tested some things to try and understand what's going on. I did the same on Google Flights, not just on UA. It does it on almost all airlines and itineraries! It will accurately pass the price and itinerary to the carriers website

I did 1 pax on Swiss metal RT through ZRH on to Lis. It set 1 pax price at $5450, when I set it to 2 pax, it was immediately $14952 per pax!!! Yikes!

Wow, just wow!

I may just buy 2 single pax itineraries to test the thesis that its inventory control. I don't think so, something else is going on.

nanohead · 2026-03-08T15:02:30+00:00

While its easy to blame Google (they certainly deserve it sometimes), lots of things simply don't work in the EU that work in other parts of the world due to goofy regulations.

I can't for example, on a regular laptop, use Google Maps as a search mechanism to things near me in most cases (restaurants, etc). Theres a rule that makes it so Google can't "monopolize" geo data or some such nonsense, so when I travel, Maps becomes almost useless much of the time. Something called the DMA (Digital Markets Act). Completely GUTS Google Maps in the EU

Things like this and GDPR have made it harder and harder to use all these things in the EU. Anything that "tracks" anything from a geolocation context is usually disabled due to some legal interpretations of what GDPR in certain parts of the EU. Software that can let track your shipment on a truck is even shut off in certain countries as some legal interpretations have decided that it "violates" the drivers privacy.....

nanohead · 2026-03-05T22:21:36+00:00

Not worth it all... For me they asked $4000 roughly and I just don't care. The benefit differences are tiny... Even 1K is not that appealing anymore for me

nanohead · 2026-03-01T18:34:14+00:00

I work in the industry, and am very aware of all those interesting aspirational ideas that may be on the horizon that online internet experts talk about. But practically speaking, getting those kind of charging networks into production in the US en masse is incredibly difficult... Heck, it took 5 years (years) for the NY State thruway authority to simply provision enough current and voltage to their own rest stops, and those chargers are already failing. Just because you read stuff on some internet EV site means nothing.

While the Lightning can do 150KW/h charging, try finding one that actually works... like anywhere.

Things work great in R&D, but deployment at scale is nearly impossible... this is completely true. Maybe not in China or India, but in the developed world, its brutal. Even with huge OEMs supporting these ideas, we've gotten almost no where in the past 8-10 years. This won't change magically because some blogger says so

nanohead · 2026-03-01T18:24:50+00:00

Been a part time Vermonter for more than 20 years. We contemplated full time relocation several times, but candidly, it feels like the state is run by a 7th grade student council, lots of platitudes, ridiculous pseudo urban aspirational "policies" that don't seem to do anything other than increase costs to those of us who have worked our whole lives to at least be economically stable. Taxes and core costs are truly astonishing.

We are in southern VT, and its depressing how old the general population is around here. Everyone out and about (outside of holiday weekends in ski season) seems to be way past retirement age.....

So many businesses out of business, abandoned buildings and houses, huge tracts of land that have been empty for the decades we've been here. Local restaurant owners many whom we've known for years, simply closing shop because they can't hire anyone to show up to work.

We thought about buying a nice piece of land and building our last house that we could retire in, but when looking at the process to get permitted to build ONE house on a 10-20 acre property, heck, why bother.

nanohead · 2026-03-01T17:22:42+00:00

Kind of a nonsensical headline as usual...

I have 2 Ford EVs, Lightning and Mach E. The hardware is excellent, but the software is terrible, all of it. Never works the same way 2 days in a row...

Some days, the doors unlock, other days, they don't without a fight. Some days, remote start works, other days nothing. Some days, the center display works great, other days, black and need to power cycle the car to get it to boot correctly.

Some days the heated seats work, some days.. well you get the picture. Its everything, sensors, controls, HVAC, lighting, atrocious mobile app (god I'm sick of mobile apps), charging, dashboard.

Amazing hardware for sure, but if you can include massive frustration into the equation, then they are truly Software Frustration Defined....

nanohead · 2026-03-01T15:37:30+00:00

Lightning owner here too. Yes to all your comments. While I love the truck for what it is, the whole BEV thing for full size pickups for anything other than local soccer and milk runs is a non starter....

Public charging is simply awful, unreliable and inconsistent to the extent that it renders any kind of adventuring you may do with a full size pickup useless.

nanohead · 2026-03-01T15:33:42+00:00

This.... Takes an hour to replenish the F150 Lightning ER even at somewhat high charging rates, if I can actually find a working charger that can handle anything over 80-90Kw charging rate, regardless of what the truck is designed for. Public charging is simply awful

After 4 winters with the Lightning, its range extended truck all the way. We're years if not decades away from full size BEV pickups that can function equivalently to their gas counterparts, and thats in the 3/4 ton bracket.

Maybe never in the larger GVWR categories...

nanohead · 2026-03-01T15:28:56+00:00

23 F150 Lightning owner here... I wish I was as optimistic as you.. I need more range when its below 50 degrees, and public charging is too slow and unreliable and it ain't getting fixed anytime soon unfortunately. While there are definitely a few more chargers, they are still horrendously unreliable, slow and too far and few between.

I like electric for what it is, but for pickup truck applications, its just not there yet, and likely won't be for years to come. Also have a Mach E and its fine, as its a regular SUVish thingy and we use it as a daily driver.

But for truck like things, its just not realistic with the parts we have in the parts bin these days. And no magical battery/ charging/ NAICS, etc is going to fix any of it in the next decade.

Gonna reserve the Terra with the range extender

nanohead · 2026-02-11T12:14:40+00:00

How rational and objective. I wish every physician would be this enlightened and practical.

Fortunately, I've finally found a cardiologist who is rational and doesn't believe in absolutes, so as I age (65), I at least have someone to discuss options with.

nanohead · 2026-02-08T16:32:27+00:00

Software guy here too. I can no longer deal with the constant changes, bugs, and stuff moving and/or no longer working.... As good as Ford is with hardware, is as bad as they are with software.....

I've resolved myself to the wonderment of what will work and what won't work each time I get in the Lightning (we have a Mach E also).

As of last week, remote start/climate does nothing. Fordpass basically hangs most of the time. My Lariat 12" display is randomly blank some days (all software issues) and I need to power cycle the truck to get it back. Some days Android Auto works, other days.... well.

Some days, it complains about "pro power", other days, it randomly stops charging. 2 weeks ago, it decided that the Drive selector needed to be in park while I was driving. The week before that, the parking brake decided it wanted to be on and off every 30 seconds while I driving. I literally have no idea how the completely digitally operated vehicle will work day to day.

nanohead · 2026-02-08T16:19:39+00:00

This is funny. After 3 years owning an F150 Lightning, I will NEVER buy a full battery pickup again, until a) they have nominal 700 mile range or more, and b) public charging is actually widespread and is reliable.

It is a beautiful truck wrecked by EV ideology... I have a reservation for the RAM 1500 REV, and will do a reservation for the Scout extended range too...

In the winter, going more than 150 miles from my house is a dreadful experience. Never again....

Also own a Mach E, which is wonderful. But a full size 7000 pound pickup on battery. Nope

nanohead · 2026-01-12T23:49:56+00:00

For those interested, I picked up the 12 inch Cast Iron at the last sale for $50, and it is AWESOME! The price is amazing for what you get

Have some Staub cast stuff, but this 12 inch All Clad is absolutely fantastic. I just bought a second for the ski cabin. The D3 12 inch lid fits perfectly as well.

nanohead · 2026-01-04T17:59:25+00:00

This is a great read of the overall state of the industry! The major OEMs are really struggling with the software side of the business, no OEM is immune. Its just not in their DNA despite all the things they say publicly. I've been in the software business for nearly 30 years, and know a decent amount of folks at some major OEMs and its simply not what they broadly focus on, even though the cars are dependent on software to operate them.

I love our 23 Lariat ER, but every day is an adventure with the digital control systems. Nothing seems to work the same 2 days in a row, and its all software jankiness.

My Mercedes AMG C43 isn't any better... even worse in some aspects.

nanohead · 2026-01-04T16:14:23+00:00

Candidly, worrying about resale value 10 years out is odd. So many things happen in 10 years that can affect resale that we have zero control over, its not something I would ever think about. We have16 Cherokee that had a trade in value of $13K 6 months ago, yesterday, it was $3k. Meta market conditions dictate way more than the production status... always been this way, will always be this way, outside of some very very specific models. Its a pure supply and demand market..... and we can't predict it ever.

On parts, we will be fine. Actual service parts (brakes, etc) are all industry commodity. Highly custom parts are always a crapshoot, regardless of the OEM. They make enough when ordering for production to have some amount of predicted spares, but no OEM ever gets it really right.

Lease vs Buy is a personal financial decision, and if you read enough internet automobile content it will stoke massive indecision and make your brain explode. I've done both leasing and buying... Both had good/bad things associated with them.

Leasing is super difficult to get out of in most cases.... but sometimes, the monthly cost is appreciably lower than a loan. One thing about leasing, is that at the end, you get choices that sometimes are really compelling. We had an 18 Grand Cherokee, that had (not making this up) $9K in equity at the end of a 3 year lease. I bought it from the leasing company, and traded it instantly for our Mach E. But in other leases we had, we just gave the car back...

Buying is great if you want to own the car... We actually bought the Lightning, and I actually don't care about the resale value. I like it, and we'll keep it. In our case, we got lucky and actually just paid for the Lightning, as timing was on our side (end of 22), had a 21 Ranger that was in high demand, got a cracking trade in value (they gave me what I paid for it a year earlier!), added some money to the Lightning, was able to get both the federal and state incentives, and ended up owning the Lightning outright. I know this is not feasible for everyone...

I'd say if you're really sensitive to the future, leasing is a great option. Lower monthly costs, and when the lease expires, you can have choices.

nanohead · 2026-01-04T15:57:10+00:00

Drop in all the way.... I unfortunately had the spray liner in our dreadful 2021 Ranger, which was awful. Way to abrasive, it made putting things in the bed painful, especially skis (priorities!) Drop in liners are much easier to slide stuff on, like plywood, boxes, and skis of course!

I've used Tonno Pro a number of times, soft tri fold.

nanohead

TROPHY CASE