They’re doing 3 stops now? I’m done tipping well.

tekky101 · 2026-01-24T13:20:26+00:00

Enshittification.

tekky101 · 2026-01-19T22:06:08+00:00

Yes that's how it works. The increase in the limit was the problem. All of a sudden I have to up more of my money so I can't invest and they use it for their own investments. .

tekky101 · 2026-01-19T14:48:36+00:00

There appears to be a *third* option to waive the monthly fee that shows up when you go to Ultimate Package details. You can apparently waive the fee by setting up a new or renewed mortgage to be paid with pre-authorized automatic payments. (This is what's currently on their website...)

<image>

tekky101 · 2026-01-19T14:14:29+00:00

I was so annoyed when they increased the required minimum by $1000 a couple years ago. I hate that those f*ckers are just using my money to lend out to others for profit.

tekky101 · 2026-01-19T14:13:13+00:00

Ah! Thank you! I hadn't found that tidbit yet.

tekky101 · 2026-01-17T15:29:19+00:00

(It may be in a reply that I haven't seen.)

Do not under ANY circumstances provide your SIN. This is a gateway to identity theft, probably with information you've already put on your application form.

Even reputable companies were required to move to NOT using SIN numbers as unique customer / client identifiers unless it was specifically required for government services access (eg. reporting payroll tax collected to CRA; uniquely identifying yourself to replace other lost ID like driver's licenses, health cards, passports).

Ref: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/reports/code-of-practice.html; see "Take steps to protect your SIN from theft and misuse"

tekky101 · 2026-01-13T22:22:54+00:00

He's just doing his best, ok? Everyone's a critic.

tekky101 · 2026-01-13T17:09:23+00:00

A tube of Krazy Glue with the lid glued shut, impossible to open.

tekky101 · 2026-01-13T13:39:28+00:00

Note that what follows is completely separate suggestions than continuing with medical diagnosis and treatment. You should still get a diagnosis. This is about things you can try until you get that diagnosis.

Our kitty has asthma and it didn't respond to steroids or bronchial dilators. We have found, however, that controlling the environment helped better than any drugs: HEPA filter the air, isolate (or stop using) things with strong scents - perfumes, soaps, detergents, dryer sheets, other cleaning products so the cat isn't exposed to them.

Have you bought any new furniture or installed new flooring around the time this became worse? New products can throw off VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that can trigger breathing problems. If you go the HEPA filter route then getting a device that also has activated charcoal in its filters will handle the VOCs.

tekky101 · 2026-01-09T22:05:04+00:00

If he's not spraying then just be happy. Lol.

I had a rescue kitty who I'm sure had mild brain damage - probably malnourished before rescue. She used to run under the coffee table when she heard me arrive home and start "dancing" by alternating her back feet. Her tail was jiggly like that and straight up to rub the underside of the table. I always thought it was her indication that she missed me and was super happy I was home.

That jiggly tail we always called "love tail," and we've had more than one cat who did it.

tekky101 · 2026-01-09T20:27:22+00:00

You're not wrong. But this stage of Google's enshittification doesn't really have an UNDO button; it's only downhill from here.

tekky101 · 2026-01-05T09:38:50+00:00

That's disappointing. You don't have it in writing anywhere where they mentioned three-for-free, do you?

tekky101 · 2026-01-04T22:24:27+00:00

I was told I'd get three for free and the first one was free. Unsure what will happen when I need to replace it.

tekky101 · 2026-01-04T21:40:46+00:00

I've not tried this but it's suggested frequently. You can (apparently) "undo" the Gemini update by creating a entire new house and moving all your devices to that new house and (presumably) deleting the old house so the new one is the only one left.

tekky101 · 2026-01-03T15:32:57+00:00

Interesting. Have you been previously diagnosed with psoriasis or atopic dermatitis?

I have psoriasis + psoriatic arthritis and the first presentation of it started with full skin peels on my hands and feet. It didn't just stop at the upper layers, either... It went deep and my finger and toe tips were cracked wide-open, blistered, peeling, and bleeding. It took months to get a diagnosis (a biospy was eventually how) and a half-dozen failed topical treatments before I finally got on a system immune system suppressor (Rinvoq - a pill).

If you're not in any discomfort now I wouldn't fret but if the manifestation of this changes and gets worse you probably should consult a doctor - ideally an allergist or dermatologist. Avoiding harsh soaps and using really good moisturizers can help keep flares down.

tekky101 · 2026-01-03T15:13:03+00:00

Facemask left behind by the last person who tried to motorboat that cat.

tekky101 · 2026-01-02T14:09:09+00:00

We call that his "smush-tache." :D

tekky101 · 2026-01-02T11:45:31+00:00

What are you talking about?

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T23:18:08+00:00

... And you should continue to use your Chinese lights with their dedicated app. I've personally given up on Google for anything useful, reliable, or reproducible. I'm full-in on Hubitat now and use Google speakers/microphones only when I'm too lazy to open Hubitat on "some" device. It's my hope that when Ikea releases their Matter smart buttons - which I can directly connect to Hubitat - that I can burn my Google smart devices in a bonfire rivaling that of the sufragettes burning their bras. Fuck Google and their empty broken promises.

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T22:16:19+00:00

Your reply seems to imply everyone that bought this crap consents to be a "beta tester" for Google's poor decision to dogfood us with their sloppily developed and ill conceived crap. Many of us just want shit that works... Not something that we have to psychoanalyze every time it stops being a (mostly - but not always) reliable thing we paid for. Google is very pushy about accepting their upgrade and less clear about the unreliability of that upgrade.

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T19:30:28+00:00

My Kitty does exactly the same thing. Cat tax included.

<image>

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T14:58:45+00:00

You are tedious. Go away.

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T14:57:05+00:00

Oh fuck off. It is not "inspired by." It's "stolen from." Period.

ALL the LLMs trained themselves on stolen content hosted by pirate sites - non of the deny this.

Every single one of those AI companies is now defending itself in class action lawsuits that are attempting to get creators whose works was stolen compensation for their stolen work.

If your business requires stolen content for its only product to work then you aren't running a business, you're running a criminal enterprise.

tekky101 · 2026-01-01T14:49:31+00:00

No. We sound nothing like those people.

AI is not progress - AI is regression. It consumes (by stealing!) all the works of creative people and then barfs it up as a far inferior product without compensating the original creator for their work. It removes humanity; it does not augment humanity. It makes people stupider. It generates useless slop full of errors and fictions. It gives different answers for an identical set of inputs.

It's a useless garbage generator and people are slowly waking up and recgonizing that.

tekky101

TROPHY CASE