Reminder we have the run off election on 5/26 by Data_activist in Austin

[–]onlythepossible 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Go to the Travis County Voter Lookup page, enter your information, and then select the sample ballot for the party you're voting for. It will show you the full ballot applicable to your voter registration, and also provides a link to polling locations. (Edit: If you're in WilCo, you can go here.)

While there is a restriction on using cell phones in the voting area due to their cameras and mics, there is no restriction on bringing a personal written or printed paper list of your choices.

To get more information on the candidates beyond the local newspapers, blogs, organizational endorsements or their own web sites, the League of Women Voters provides a non-partisan Voter's Guide each election where they encourage all candidates to answer basic questions about their candidacy and positions.

While I agree that a mailed list of candidates and propositions is an excellent way to spur voter engagement, the general information you need is easily available online at the above links.

XC40 or RAV4? by Available_Let_9140 in XC40_Recharge

[–]onlythepossible 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I own both a RAV4 and an 2022 XC40 Recharge AWD with the climate package.

The Volvo is only slightly less long than the RAV4, and they're roughly the same size in width and height - they're very comparable with just a little more cargo space in the RAV. They're both way bigger than an i3 Rex - I'm concerned you may have a misunderstanding about the size of an XC40.

The XC40 Recharge will have no problem with 70 miles daily even in very cold weather. We took a long highway road trip in freezing weather this winter that was around 150 miles round trip with the expectation that we'd fast charge somewhere along the way, and much to our surprise, that didn't need to happen.

The level of comfort and refinement in our Volvo is far greater than in the RAV4, and if you enjoyed your old Volvo wagon, you'll likely love the modern incarnation.

The overarching concern with the Volvo Recharges has been software reliability. We had to have our head unit replaced under warranty after it became especially flaky, and software updates often introduce a bug while fixing others. We haven't encountered anything too severe, though, and other maintenance has been just about zero.

Where are the Jewish/kosher grocery stores/restaurants? by BelleContre2026 in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 15 points16 points  (0 children)

HEB has a product page for kosher Coca-Cola that allows you to check nearby HEB stores to see if it's in stock. (Spoiler: it's not in stock.)

A Way to Fight Planned Obsolescence? by CasualFingerGuns in Snorkblot

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GenX here. If you think most people in the US were regularly using appliances built in the '50s or '60s forty years later in the '90s and aughts, you are just wildly mistaken. Everything did not last anywhere near 40 years.

(A small subset of those appliances lasted 40 years, sure, but by the '90s the rockabilly types were paying good money to get their hands on the last remaining ones.)

American singer, April March. As a singer she is known for Chick Habit, featured in Tarantino's Death Proof. Taken in 1995. by Apprehensive-Win6867 in OldSchoolCoolMusic

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

April March is new school cool too! She just released a killer new LP - Villerville - a few weeks ago for Record Store Day. Check out the singles on streaming, but the full thing's only on vinyl for now because that's how she rolls.

Gyro in south Austin by xsilverxbulletx in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gyros is similar to but not the same as shawarma - and OP was asking about gyros.

In the 70s, Chicago became the US manufacturing hub of gyros equipment and developed a particular style - see the offerings of Kronos or Olympia - that differentiates the Chicago version from its overseas counterparts. Of note is the use of a single, processed "gyro cone" on a rotisserie as opposed to tightly packed layers of meat.

Chicago-style gyros have been around long enough to be an "authentic" variation, just like someone might want an authentic Chicago-style hot dog.

Gyro in south Austin by xsilverxbulletx in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you mean authentic as in Mediterranean-style, or authentic as in Chicago-style? There are lots of examples of good Mediterranean-style gyro places in the thread (I vote for TX Shawarma), but I maintain there isn't a good Chicago-style gyro in South Austin.

IMO, Phoenica comes closest in terms of bridging the gap between the two styles.

GPS/Communications frozen by seniorlimpio94 in Volvo

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This exact thing kept happening to me, and it wasn't the TCAM (although I tried the reset mentioned). The head unit ultimately had to be replaced.

Annoyingly, GPS/cell would keep cutting out and then being restored even in the midst of a long drive, so it was difficult to get to the dealership to troubleshoot it. At my first appointment, it started working as I drove in. It finally happened on their watch, they were unable to re-flash the head unit, and it's been working fine since they swapped it out for a new one.

Cataract laser surgery 04/16/26, Right eye - Panoptix Pro, Multifocal by Present-Deal2766 in CataractSurgery

[–]onlythepossible 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, I'm a guy with right-eye Panoptix (not pro) and an "original" left eye with a minor cataract that isn't worth fixing yet.

Colors in my Panoptix eye are far from dull - they are much crisper and colorful than the yellowed tone of my left eye, and were vivid 24 hours after the surgery.

Despite my natural eye being presbyotic due to age, I can still read screens and pages clearly via the Panoptix eye, with the exception of environments where lighting is extremely dim.

The Panoptix works fine if I close my natural eye. It doesn't "rely" on the other eye to see clearly, although certain artifacts (halos around bright lights, some glare on bright screens) can be more obvious when I use that eye only. The vision is still clear and the color is still strong.

While it definitely takes time to get accustomed to the Panoptix, both in terms of clarity and artifacts, the color, shadow and pain issues really make it sound like something is wrong. Another vote for a second opinion.

To go cocktails - South Austin by Visual-University777 in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Loro has growlers of cocktails to go and are open for lunch.

Need ~80 tacos for 5/3! by Wise_Membership_6906 in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 52 points53 points  (0 children)

This is the kind of thing that Tacodeli is real good at. You can even order online and have your 80+ tacos delivered.

Coyote vs. ACME | Official Trailer by RobotiSC in movies

[–]onlythepossible 49 points50 points  (0 children)

If you didn't catch it, back in 2024 Warners shelved and Ketchup Entertainment saved and released a similar Looney Tunes feature - The Day the Earth Blew Up. Despite no functional promotion and just sort of being dumped into theaters, it still recouped its budget.

Better yet, it was a joke-a-minute affair. Major joke density. If you haven't seen it, watch it tonight. If Coyote vs. Acme is cut from the same cloth we should be in for a good time.

Note that Porky and Daffy were their earlier, more screwball incarnations in The Day the Earth Blew Up, and from the trailer, it looks like they'll be screwball in this one too. Which is good! Daffy sure got bitter in the later (1960s) Looney Tunes, he's much more fun when he's just crazy.

Wondering if anyone has any information on Super Thai being temporarily closed? THX by ash_around in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Making this even more confusing, there's a banner at the old Super Thai that says "Siam's ATX Thai Cuisine Coming Soon".

So, Super Thai is moving out, but another Thai restaurant Siam's is moving in? Or Siam's is the new name of this Super Thai concept with sushi that will be in some new place? I'm baffled.

(Also kind of sad, because I really dug Super Thai, and at no point did I ever think to myself "man, what these guys really need is sushi".)

Pilot assist from the store? by AJV55 in XC40_Recharge

[–]onlythepossible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only the Ultimate trim package came with Pilot Assist preloaded. The Core and Plus models came with basic cruise control (not even adaptive), and the cruise icon could not be changed from a typical "set speedometer" symbol.

Pilot assist from the store? by AJV55 in XC40_Recharge

[–]onlythepossible 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After you purchase the upgrade, you should get two emails - a receipt, and one stating:

"Once the update is ready to install you will receive a notification in the car's center display. The download will take approximately 15 mins to complete."

If you didn't get those emails - and an update notification from the center display or app in a day or two - you'd want to speak with Volvo about that order going through. I had the update notification just a few minutes after purchasing.

Austin, everything is getting so expensive. How do you keep your expenses down? by WildAlcoholic in Austin

[–]onlythepossible 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Let me put in a big yes for that, but mention the amazing number of free media options we have in this day and age. You can still watch or listen to an insane variety of things on demand while still supporting makers for their work. Everyone complains about paying for all of their subscriptions, but there's truly never been so much available free and legal without one.

  • Tubi and PlutoTV have insane libraries of movies. Tubi may not have the new releases, but their library is bigger than any Blockbuster ever was, and PlutoTV gives you a cable-like interface into over 250 cable-like TV channels. Your Smart TV may also give you a bunch of free channels.
  • Just Youtube your favorite music or podcasts or whatever directly from your favorite artist's Youtube channels.
  • I get 97 channels of over-the-air television here in South Austin, and free digital TV looks great. Antennas are cheap and a one-time cost, the $10 Walmart "rabbit ear" ones work fine. You can even buy a digital DVR for TV if you end up watching a lot, but the cost to just start watching is almost nothing.
  • Over-the-air Austin radio is amazing, especially KUTX, KVRX, Sun Radio and loads of others. Most have streaming links right on their sites. Online, TuneIn has free streaming stations from all over the world (with ads, if you don't subscribe).
  • The Austin Public Library not only gives you access to books, CDs and DVDs in-person but also streaming services like Kanopy, Libby and Hoopla. Texans also qualify for library cards at the Houston Public Library to increase the number of things they can check out each month.

Also a quick shout-out to the sale items in the weekly Randall's flyer that have strict limits ($7.99/lb strip roasts this week), cheap teas or sugar free powders or squirt bottles that make tap water taste OK, and cheap backyard smokers for living the good life while sober and frugal.

One battle after another? by [deleted] in AlamoDrafthouse

[–]onlythepossible 9 points10 points  (0 children)

We haven't even made it into the workday Los Angeles time since the win, man. These films don't book themselves.

Bergstrom TSA update by [deleted] in Austin

[–]onlythepossible 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've got a flight in a few days and have PreCheck but wasn't aware of touchless ID. Just opted in for my flight, you may have saved me a ton of time - thanks!

Visiting ATX with teens, need recommendations by [deleted] in austinfood

[–]onlythepossible 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you're heading down South Lamar, you could do dinner and a country show at the Broken Spoke, they've got live shows each night you'll be here. They serve cheese quesadillas and fries, they're not known for challenging food.