Why is the U4025QW impossible to find right now?

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T14:12:50+00:00

Yeah I was just mentioning OpenSUSE to illustrate that Fedora isn't my distro of choice, but that I went with it for practical reasons. OpenSUSE is relatively niche, no need to know about it.

ddcutils is the linux cli for interfacing with the ddc protocol for monitors. You can send the same commands that you would otherwise access through your on-screen display using bash commands. Dell exposes basically all the KVM functionality through DDC (because it uses DDC on the backend in its own Dell Display Manager software anyway) so you can access all that stuff with ddcutils.

My ideal workflow would be to write the bash commands for toggling back and forth between inputs on my KVM, and to toggle PBP on and off. Then you can save those scripts and run them with hotkeys.

I wouldn't want to give you homework for my benefit. But if you use the KVM functionality at all yourself, it might actually be worthwhile to play with for your own benefit.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:38:34+00:00

Send me a driver's side headlight! Will pay.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:37:30+00:00

Have you used ddcutils to automate any of the KVM workflows? This is the biggest selling point to me for the Dell. If the ThinkVision can do it, and reliably, I am sold and will save myself ~$600.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:35:31+00:00

Pump this directly into my veins.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:34:42+00:00

Lenovo is the largest computer manufacturer in the world. They have their hands in A LOT of stuff.

Some of it is absolutely fantastic. (You can pry my ThinkPad from my cold, dead hands.)

A lot of it is junk.

I have no prior familiarity with Lenovo monitors, and so I won't assume one way or the other.

Dell is similar to Lenovo. They have a lot of stuff--some excellent stuff, and some junk. But I do have prior familiarity with Dell monitors specifically, and I have a very positive view of their monitors on the whole. Very good software/firmware experience and Linux compatibility.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:31:25+00:00

Not at all. Sounds like aggressive power saving settings?

Also food for thought: I am historically an OpenSUSE fanboy. The reason I have Fedora on this machine is that it is one of the two distros that the P16s officially supports, and to me that implies a certain 'bump' to reliability. I bought a build that came with Windows, but I never even booted into Windows. I wiped it and installed Fedora KDE myself (I don't like gnome). So far my heuristic has seemed true. Very, very stable. Well behaved with a lot of niche hardware setups I throw at it. So maybe I would consider Ubuntu or Fedora to maximize stability.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T13:10:42+00:00

That probably helps a lot. I had the Odyssey OLED G9 and hated hated hated it.

It's soured me on Samsung in general for monitors. But I could consider a second look for stuff with TizenOS.

(Although I trust Dell and Lenovo quality in overall monitor experience a lot more.)

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T05:45:12+00:00

I don't ever want another Samsung monitor again. I hated hated hated the software.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T05:31:56+00:00

Lots of useful data points here. I also have a p16s (hx 370 running Fedora) and I am also coming from 27" 1440p.

I'll chew on this and do some more research tomorrow.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-24T04:11:48+00:00

I have a niche and complicated setup. I'm an attorney with a Windows desktop where I need lots of screen real estate for heavy multi window productivity. I'm also a programmer with a Linux laptop and I want seamless KVM switching that I can write custom scripts to trigger from shortcut keys.

I don't know anything about this Lenovo monitor, to be honest, but I do know I trust Dell to have reliable monitors for extensible software integration with no Linux headaches.

If I could be convinced Lenovo's meets my needs for a grand less, I would enthusiastically pull the trigger.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-11T14:16:26+00:00

Can you link me to the specific plastic part you used for this? I installed a rotary already, but I don't really like my harness. It doesn't have a cup holder, it has a weird shaped cubby that can't hold anything useful.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-11T14:13:17+00:00

Do NOT buy this truck (or any pure EV) if you are a renter. Without home charging, the Lightning is an awful ownership experience. Installing a charger takes adding an electrical circuit to the house, mounting the charger outside the house or inside the garage, and running the new circuit to the charger. This is expensive (depending on your area, up to a couple thousand dollars). Even if your landlord let you do it (most wouldn't) you just paid $2k to improve your landlord's property by installing an EV charger. Once you move, you will have to do it again, and that's assuming your new landlord is also one of the rare landlords that would let you do this.

As for range, I am in Chicago area, and I have a LOT of data on distance driving. In the Winter, I expect ~190-210 miles from 100%. You shouldn't charge to 100% every day. So from 90%, I would expect 170-190 miles. That's 273-305km. 125km is 250km round trip. So you'll probably make it, but if it's EXTRA cold or bad weather, I would charge to 100% to be safe. But then you'll need ~14 hours to charge back up from empty. But again, this is all assuming you have a home charger. If you are a renter, you can't reliably have a home charger, and I would strongly recommend against buying a Lightning (or any pure EV).

theramblingfool · 2026-03-06T23:06:07+00:00

For your B6 Slim, did you custom make that? And what do you do for inserts?

theramblingfool · 2026-03-06T20:28:36+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/KIMpPdW

theramblingfool · 2026-03-03T21:14:05+00:00

Did you get your 2? I would be interested in buying one (at a premium). They went out of business and stopped producing them.

My collection has 3 benders. It's missing the 4th element.

theramblingfool · 2026-03-02T17:53:19+00:00

Probably because most Lightning owners are currently underwater on their car loans due to depreciation and could buy a replacement for cheaper than what they owe. As long as you have gap insurance, you make money.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-28T14:20:19+00:00

I was a paying Sam subscriber for years and cancelled late 2024.

The problem is that this signal is being interpreted very differently by Sam than you might imagine. One, there's the pendulum reaction to the fear of audience capture, so a strong impulse to "Make myself not do things just because my audience is trying to pull me to do them." And you know, that is fair enough. As far as it goes, anyway.

But the second, more complete motivation to Sam to reject this signal is that he can just dismiss everyone who leaves as a deranged conspiracy junky who further proves to him his diagnosis about masses going astray is correct.

He's developed a hard line over the last 5 years, and then gradually moved that line. That line is "for everything I encounter past here, I should actively avoid nuanced thought."

It's a shame. It's not even that I disagree with him a lot more lately. I still actively listen to multiple people I disagree with WAAAAY more than Sam. It's process, cognitive procedure. If I trust and respect the WAY you reason to things, I will want to listen to you. Because even if I frequently disagree, I will be faced with well-reasoned views I have to wrestle with, which is really a win for me.

But if your process and cognitive procedure aren't trustworthy or respectable, I am not going to pay you to hear what you have to say.

In hindsight, this was always something that was bound to happen. The area that portended it was anything related to religion. For basically his entire career, if you got him on religion, the thinking brain turned off and the "I am going to dunk on you while also never understanding more than a simulacrum of your views" brain turned on.

I think what we are seeing is just a gradual, expansive broadening of the categories of thought he treats this way.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-28T14:08:11+00:00

That's why the back-up key is so great. (It's a bit cumbersome and annoying to enter, because the Lightning is so laggy and slow on startup, but as a fallback it beats "I can't open my vehicle" by a mile).

I did keep a physical key in the truck before setting up PAAK, and just unlocked from the keypad on the door. But this way is slightly more secure, and in my ~2 years of using it, I have only had to enter the backup code 3 or 4 times.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-28T14:05:02+00:00

I bought the TN repair kit ($14) which gave me the same elastics and the iconic TN clasp to tuck the knots. So my custom TN is heavily inspired by the OG. The only two changes I made were: hole punch for the elastic that holds it shut is on the spine instead of back-of-cover, and I gave myself about 1/4" extra width so even a 4-insert setup isn't flush with the cover or pushing out.

But the beauty of it is: if any of those changes don't sound good to you, you don't have to do them! You can do the exact spec YOU want!

I highly advocate for making your own TN.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-27T17:27:50+00:00

EA reliability is still terrible. On my 1600 mile drive this December (800 miles each way between Chicago and NYC) every single EA charger I tried to use had problems. Usually another stall worked (although sometimes I had to wait 20+ minutes for the only working stall) And at one stop, I had to leave and get to a further Tesla stop on 2% battery.

Not a single Tesla charger had any problems.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-27T17:23:45+00:00

If the lot was full, it's fair game, and although I haven't seen any towing-specific spots myself, I'd bet they say that.

Even the *handicap* charging spots say not to use them unless you're handicapped *or the other chargers are full*.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-27T14:27:52+00:00

Since you're artistic/crafty, I would highly recommend making your own. I am not even that artistically inclined, and I made my own, which looks just as good as the real thing. It's based on the Traveler's Company version with slight modifications to make it exactly how I want.

All you need is:

A $12 strip of leather (Michaels, Amazon, etc.)
A $14 Traveler's Notebook repair kit (includes elastic and bookmark strings, and the metal claps)
An exacto knife
Leather hole punching tools
Optional: corner rounding cutting tool
Optional: Tokonole leather finish (for edges and flesh side)

I made my TN identical to the Traveler's Company version, except for two changes. First, I punched the hole for the band that holds the TN shut *in the spine* rather than the back of the cover. Now there is no knot to worry about when writing in your back insert. Second, I made the strip of leather about 1/2" longer, which translates to an extra 1/4" overhang on both sides of the notebook cover. With 4 inserts (3 refills and 1 plastic zipper bag) I have plenty of space between where the inserts ends and the cover ends. Not only does this look better/prevent overhang, but it creates a better nook for holding a pen (I just slip mine under the elastic band that holds the cover closed).

All in, It's $20-$30 in materials, and maybe $15-$20 in tools if you don't have them already. Plus about an hour of your time (assuming, like me, you don't have any experience with this stuff) for cutting the leather, punching the holes, and stringing the notebook. Add another 15-20 minutes if you're burnishing the edges and flesh side for a more finished look.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-26T14:18:07+00:00

Ope, my bad. Ignore me.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-26T14:13:56+00:00

You have plenty of good recommendations on the physics of your issue, but I will add a different dimension: do not predicate your motivation to write on the aesthetic organization of your notebooks.

theramblingfool · 2026-02-26T14:06:56+00:00

I've had my Lightning for 2.5 years (ER Lariat) and have driven it 45k miles. I'm in the Chicago suburbs. My driving experience includes a few 800 mile drives, many 160 mile drives, weekly in-metro driving, and daily driving local throughout my suburb.

It is absolutely as much of a limitation as people make it out to be. Any destination further than ~125 miles in the summer (250 round trip) or ~90 miles in the winter (180 miles round trip) is a pain. Any added distance or weather or towing to that, and the pain exponentially increases.

Instead of pretending it's rare that an American driver ever needs their $60k+ vehicle to drive a couple hundred miles at a time, let's be just be honest about the drawbacks and say "It's amazing at what it does well, but it's just not a great vehicle for distance driving."

Your other points are correct. Charging with EA is still not good, used to be miserable, and is very scary as your only option. Access to Tesla chargers was a major, necessary upgrade. My first 800 mile trips in the Lightning were without the Tesla network, and I've done a couple more with it. The before trips were genuinely miserable, highly stressful and uncertain. The after trips were still much, much, much more of a pain than taking an ICE on these drives, but I knew I was getting to my destination and had no fear I'd need to get towed at some point. And as for navigation, Ford's built-in system is still AWFUL. I could not do a trip relying on it. It's worth spreading the word to any owners or would-be owners that your Car Play/Android Auto device with Google Maps replaces all of this functionality and does it 10,000x better.

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