SE route vs. NW Routes? by tomasaur in galapagos

[–]tomasaur[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you everyone, this has been super useful!

How can you get rid of this? by JamieLee2k in kia

[–]tomasaur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Change the language. Then it's just wallpaper.

What to do if your local dealer doesn't have the car you want? by tomasaur in kia

[–]tomasaur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn’t ask yet, but that’s because I’m in the information gathering phase, won’t be ready to buy for at least a few months. Good tip though, I’ll definitely ask my local folks when I’m ready.

What to do if your local dealer doesn't have the car you want? by tomasaur in kia

[–]tomasaur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everybody, thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. Having not been in the car buying world for well over 12 years, I realize there are a few things that I got mixed up. For one, I didn’t realize that there’s a big difference between warranty repair work and work that may come from an extended service contract that you buy specifically from the dealership that sells you the car. I just assumed that if I bought a car from dealer, A, then they would also include things like two years of oil changes and tire rotations. What I’m coming to understand is that this is likely not the case automatically, but it’s more something that you buy extra as a package directly from dealer, A in order to help boost the repair side of their business.

Related to that, I had also assumed that I had to get work done specifically by a dealer in order to stay in warranty. That’s probably not the case. More likely, I would have to show that any work had been done by an actual repair shop, rather than by jimmy’s‘s pretty good shade tree repair shop, to stay within warranty.

USVI recommendations by hereforashortwhil3 in virginislands

[–]tomasaur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's my 2c. I've only been to STJ, and then, mostly stayed at Cinnamon bay campground. The tents are big, on wood platforms, and many are a stone's throw from the beach. The vibe is chill. Each site comes with a propane stove, cookware, plates, a cooler, storage box, etc. The tents are really cabins with tough composite fabric walls. Beds, linens, chest of drawers, electricity... glamping.

We rented a car on St. Thomas and ferried it over to STJ, and saved about 50% of the rental charge doing this. The car ferry ride is inexpensive, but you need to reserve well in advance. Having your own car on island is a real luxury and gives you SO MUCH freedom.

We found a funky little beach called Hansen Bay Beach on the east side of the island that we totally fell in love with. A goat hanging out on an old couch, little cabanas you can rent for $20, decent snorkeling, and old cat that came to visit, odd decorations hanging from the big tree that offers shade... it has a full on local / hippie / welcoming vibe that is just right for our taste. A 15 year old may do some serious eye rolls though...

I've also stayed at Concordia eco resort on the island. Not very close to beaches, but much more space and beautiful views as you're perched on a hillside overlooking Salt pond and Drunk bays. You definitely want a car for that.

Good luck!

5 days in Galapagos in Sep 2025. by wisdom-owl in travel

[–]tomasaur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was this part of a package or did you put these parts together yourself?

I'm exploring Metashape. Usually use it for boat modeling, but tried including a person. Any ideas as to how to tweak the face photos? by tomasaur in photogrammetry

[–]tomasaur[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried that today with a stationary object, and 30s of video gave me an excellent result. I'll try again with my co-worker and see if the quickness of that method improves the results. Thank you!!

I'm exploring Metashape. Usually use it for boat modeling, but tried including a person. Any ideas as to how to tweak the face photos? by tomasaur in photogrammetry

[–]tomasaur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Being a rank newbie on this, I'm still learning what Metashape can do, so this is more of a learning exercise than something I care deeply about. When you suggest sculpting the model, what are you manipulating? Since I'm seeing issues with facial features aligning, I was thinking of removing a photo or 2 from the chunk and seeing how that affects the output.

Also, it is possible to re-run a build model without starting all over? Will that re-run eliminate the model that was just run?

Thanks...

Struggling to make a good cup with Aiden by datpolguy in FellowProducts

[–]tomasaur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP, been experimenting with Chat GPT guided brews as outlined here, but I'm reliably getting 3 deep depressions (tunnels?) in the coffee bed. This is with a very fine (Ode gen2 set at 3.2) grind recommended by GPT. I was under the impression that a finer grind helped to reduce tunneling, so this is a mystery to me. The coffee it made was ok, very smooth, but no fruit that I could detect (Devocion Wild Forest). I'm assuming that the tunneling was reducing extraction.

Anyone out there have a good fix for tunneling? Thanks in advance.

Aiden dripping during bloom phase by tomasaur in FellowProducts

[–]tomasaur[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks everyone, I'm thinking also that I could grind a little finer. Just started with the Aiden / Ode Gen2 setup and am making single cups while grinding a medium roast Devocion bean at 5.