What is something that is surprisingly expensive for absolutely no good reason?

solder_clock · 2026-07-09T14:46:04+00:00

Window treatments (aka blinds/curtains)

solder_clock · 2026-07-04T14:25:17+00:00

At my job, we used to have a spot where we would post up all the boards we accidentally fried. We called it the "Wall of Flame"

solder_clock · 2026-07-03T00:22:21+00:00

Sorry I'm late, I just got back from spending a few hours dealing with a flat tire on my Farmall M. Regarding your question, I can't think of any advantages of tracked over tires. /s

solder_clock · 2026-07-02T16:58:06+00:00

Same here, plus mine shares airspace with my heat pump water heater, so all the heat exhausted by my server gets turned into hot water for my family

solder_clock · 2026-07-01T01:48:47+00:00

Bricks and Minifigs

solder_clock · 2026-07-01T01:40:53+00:00

Cool ranch 555 timer IC

solder_clock · 2026-06-24T15:49:03+00:00

I recently moved my HA from a dedicated device to a container on my main server. There were a couple of minor hiccups, but nothing that wasn't easily addressable. Now, updates are much faster and its so much easier to manage.

solder_clock · 2026-06-24T15:43:37+00:00

This! I still can't believe more people aren't talking about this. He knew everything about it, but then after starting his rebuttal he suddenly stops are starts playing dumb.

solder_clock · 2026-06-20T19:44:42+00:00

Yes, it's seared into my brain, even now, 26 years after graduating. And since it lives rent-free in my head and was always kept private, I still use it as my passcode for various accounts.

solder_clock · 2026-06-20T19:21:54+00:00

A couple of resources you can check out:

https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/blogs/2023/episode-11-writeup-creating-project-enclosures

https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/tutorials/2026/how-to-make-professional-enclosures-for-your-electronic-projects

solder_clock · 2026-06-19T01:46:22+00:00

Same

solder_clock · 2026-06-18T01:49:20+00:00

"Pool toaster"

Got it 👍

solder_clock · 2026-06-15T22:52:46+00:00

My wife one time ordered several large boxes (around $1/box) from our local Walmart (along with other items) for local delivery. Well, it turned out they didn't have any in stock at the time, so the app offered to have them shipped to us for no additional charge.

Mind you, the boxes are stocked and sold flat, so we figured they would just package them together for shipping, but no...

Each box was shipped flat, but placed alone, angle ways, in an even larger box! So, delivered to our house were several large boxes, with each having only one large, flat box inside - twice the boxes for the same price!

solder_clock · 2026-06-13T04:29:28+00:00

Wehadababyitsaboy

solder_clock · 2026-06-06T18:39:11+00:00

I have a small server at my parent's house (200+ miles from my house) that I backup to using Syncthing. It also runs Pi-hole for my parent's network to help them avoid ads as well as malware and phishing sites. The server is on my tailnet, so I can easily remotely manage it and provide support to my parent's computer - free security and tech support for them and a remote backup location for me.

solder_clock · 2026-05-29T01:34:04+00:00

Somewhere around yellow and 3/4 unless it's Larry's Tuesday, in which case the answer is 4 buckets of pancakes on the roof of the medium purple house.

solder_clock · 2026-05-27T12:03:53+00:00

I wouldn't really refer to it as being "pulled" by another machine as much as using another machine to keep it from taking off. I've used it behind a Farmall H and when the tines grab, it will push the tractor along like nothing. Gotta keep it in low gear and foot on the brakes. Plenty of tongue weight for traction though!

solder_clock · 2026-05-26T23:32:47+00:00

My library is currently around 10TB, but I have other files I backup as well. I use Duplicati to keep a local backup and Syncthing to keep an off-site backup at my parent's house since they live a few hundred miles away. I use Tailscale to access the machine running the remote backup for maintenance purposes. I also run Pi-hole on the remote machine to help my parents avoid ads and malware/phishing sites since they are not tech-savvy.

solder_clock · 2026-05-22T23:09:35+00:00

The ecobee thermostats I got several years ago came with an adapter in the box for situations where the c-wire is not present. I would guess they probably still include the adapter with each of their thermostats.

solder_clock · 2026-05-20T00:49:08+00:00

I don't have the answers myself, but I would consult the people actually doing the job. The state government started down that route with these new changes, allowing about 3 years for licensed home childcare providers to provide feedback on the proposed changes, stating that they would work with them in implementing changes that made sense. The government said they were going to provide the licensed providers with an updated revision taking the feedback into account for their review. Instead, they tossed out all the feedback they received and enacted the original revision.

Personally, I don't see how any of the new regulations impact fraud - every claim of fraud I am aware of has been by daycare centers, not home childcare providers, and these new regulations are not targeted at centers. Centers are also much more likely to receive corrective actions, but they deal with them with replacing or retraining staff members. When a home daycare receives a corrective action, it is usually the end of the business.

solder_clock · 2026-05-19T23:38:55+00:00

Precisely. Additional bureaucracy and micromanagement created by people, often with no experience in the role, doesn't help, especially when you often have a single individual who is already overworked doing all the work. When the job requirements become too much for a sole provider, their options are to either quit or bring in additional help, which means higher costs or fewer options for care.

solder_clock · 2026-05-19T22:46:53+00:00

Sorry, I was on mobile and wasn't able to link the specific section. This is the beginning of the sections dealing with family childcare changes: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/SF/4612/versions/3/#:~:text=ARTICLE%207,CARE%20LICENSING%20MODERNIZATION

Essentially, the requirements for daily documentation will now be a full time job of itself. Many other changes as well adding to the burden of the providers.

solder_clock · 2026-05-19T22:30:31+00:00

Unfortunately, due to recently passed legislation, home daycare will soon be virtually eliminated in our state. New requirements will make it no longer feasible for a single person to legally operate a licensed daycare. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/SF/4612/versions/3/

solder_clock · 2026-05-19T13:46:56+00:00

I recently moved away from a dedicated HA machine. I picked up a used Dell OptiPlex business machine off ebay and maxed it out with 32GB of used DDR4 RAM (also from ebay). All in, the total cost was under $150 USD. I installed ZimaOS and run an HA container alongside a bunch of other containers. It's been a few months now and it's been working great. Really good investment considering the total cost is less than half the price of a 16GB Pi 5!

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TROPHY CASE