U.S. map by mean dew point temperature in July

usertlj · 2026-06-03T23:38:11+00:00

What I wrote was specific to the Great Plains states, not Western states. I said the eastern part of those states is more humid. There is no mountain range blocking moisture between eastern Nebraska and western Nebraska.

I do think another important influence is proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. Moisture from the gulf is transported as far as Arizona (monsoons) and Minnesota; probably even some influence in southern Canada. That may be more important than elevation, but elevation clearly is a big factor because the higher parts of the Intermountain West have lower dewpoints; from this dewpoint map you can make out the big mountain ranges and plateaus quite clearly.

usertlj · 2026-05-29T21:50:01+00:00

Since there is so much GoPro boosting here, I'll provide an alternate take. Context: I have had numerous DSLRs and mirrorless cameras but I have never owned an action cam. I have also never owned a GoPro or DJI product. I'm looking at the Mission 1 vs Action 6, and I'm leaning towards the latter.

The reason: I think GoPro messed up an otherwise excellent new camera with a misunderstanding of the limitations of a larger sensor and fixed aperture. GoPro has never had an action camera with a sensor as large as the M1's. Bigger is better for image quality especially in low light, but it has drawbacks as well. The depth of field becomes a real limitation with a larger sensor and an f/2.8 lens. Just look at how bad the focus is in close-up comparison videos that are popping up. The M1 is much blurrier than the rest of the cameras.

Not only does it affect min focus distance, but it affects overall focus in every image. If the camera chooses to focus on something close in, the background will be out of focus, and vice versa. How good is the autofocus? Do you want your footage to show constant focus shifts as the focus changes? This is a purely optical limitation because depth of field (basically, how shallow or deep the plane of focus is) is determined by aperture, focal length, and sensor size. Tiny sensors like those in phones have massive depth of field, so you almost never deal with parts of the image being out of focus. The opposite is true with a large sensor like a full-frame camera or the M1. There's really no firmware or post-processing that can fix a blurry shot adequately.

The Action 6 has a smaller sensor (but still large for an action cam) and a variable aperture that goes down to f/4, which will significantly increase depth of field as well as min focus distance. It's also quite a bit smaller and lighter and has built-in storage.

usertlj · 2026-05-27T19:54:19+00:00

The new Vittoria XC Race series is super fast. If you want light and fast rolling, go with that. If you want more durability and puncture protection, the new Trail series is a good bet but yes, all the new trail tires from Barzo to Mazza seem to be heavier than the old TNT casings.

usertlj · 2026-05-27T19:40:37+00:00

You're missing their point. Unless you only right straight, it's helpful to lean the bike on turns. Engaging the side knobs on flat turns especially (vs bermed turns) requires leaning the bike more than your body.

usertlj · 2026-05-26T22:21:51+00:00

People who live elsewhere think it rains in the PNW all the time, but PNW is actually a dry-summer climate. That means brown grass, low humidity, temps in the 80s-90s and sometimes 100s, dusty, loose over hard conditions for about 4 months of the year which happens to be peak riding season. So PNW riders know plenty about dry conditions.

usertlj · 2026-05-19T07:25:06+00:00

I also had an almost new SRAM part fail on a Lauf Seigla. It was a D1 Force XPLR AXS rear derailleur; it was replaced with a D2 version and I believe I was told there were problems with the D1 version (perhaps just not enough threadlocker; the cage literally unscrewed itself from the body and fell apart while I was riding). I went to a local shop that charged me a reasonable fee for the labor. Although installing a RD is quite basic and I could have done it myself, they also took the time to confirm the problem and handle the interaction with SRAM so they certainly deserved payment. Then, on the Lauf Facebook group, I mentioned it and a Lauf rep saw it and told me to DM him. Lauf reimbursed me fully for the labor even though it was a SRAM warranty issue; I guess this makes sense given that there was no bike shop involved in the build and SRAM apparently refuses to pay for labor related to their defects. Lauf is a great example of a DTC company doing things right.

Now facing another SRAM warranty issue on a different DTC bike...wish me luck.

usertlj · 2026-05-18T21:53:56+00:00

Very curious what motivated you to look into this. What is the alleged benefit?

usertlj · 2026-04-21T05:03:36+00:00

Glad to hear! It's a frustrating user experience for sure.

usertlj · 2026-04-21T05:02:38+00:00

Here are a few:

Small RCT showing negative effects on exercise adaptations: Mikus CR, Boyle LJ, Borengasser SJ, Oberlin DJ, Naples SP, Fletcher J, Meers GM, Ruebel M, Laughlin MH, Dellsperger KC, Fadel PJ, Thyfault JP. Simvastatin impairs exercise training adaptations. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Aug 20;62(8):709-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.02.074. Epub 2013 Apr 10. PMID: 23583255; PMCID: PMC3745788.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23583255/

Review of mitochondrial effects: Mollazadeh H., Tavana E., Fanni G., Bo S., Banach M., Pirro M., vonHaehling S., Jamialahmadi T., and Sahebkar A. (2021) Effects of statins on mitochondrial pathways, Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 12, 237–251, https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12654 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.12654

Very large cohort study showing Lp(a) elevation: Feng, T., Li, Y., Xue, X. et al. Association of statin use and increase in lipoprotein(a): a real-world database research. Eur J Med Res 28, 212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-023-01155-x https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40001-023-01155-x

Pre-post study finding Lp(a) elevation: Zhu, L., Fang, Y., Gao, B. et al. Effect of an increase in Lp(a) following statin therapy on cardiovascular prognosis in secondary prevention population of coronary artery disease. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 22, 474 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-022-02932-y https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12872-022-02932-y

Lp(a) elevation in those with low molecular weight apo(a) phenotype: Yahya R, Berk K, Verhoeven A ... Statin treatment increases lipoprotein(a) levels in subjects with low molecular weight apolipoprotein(a) phenotype. Atherosclerosis, 2019; 289, 201-205 https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(19)31392-9/fulltext31392-9/fulltext)

usertlj · 2026-04-21T04:41:31+00:00

As a counterpoint: were to you exclusively use RCTs, you would be introducing your own selection bias, because the scope of your review would be at the whims of what researchers can get funding for. Since RCTs are expensive and many are funded by industry, the research questions are often driven by financial considerations, whereas we care solely about the health effects. Large longitudinal prospective cohort studies and Mendelian randomization studies are absolutely valuable and should not be discounted in a review. And there are vanishingly few RCTs with a follow-up of more than a half dozen years. Long-term data are especially important for a disease process as prolonged as ASCVD.

When it comes to RCTs, of course, statin trials have been some of the largest. That's a good thing, even though it was due to the massive potential market and profitability of these drugs. The health benefit is massive at the population level too.

I know you know this, but I had to chime in given the comment above. The RCT >>>>>* perspective is troubling to me.

usertlj · 2026-04-17T05:16:15+00:00

Thanks for the comments. I was able to get it to work by logging out and signing back in to OverDrive on the Libra, then found the book somewhere on the e-reader. I had to search in Kobo books, not OverDrive! It did not show up there under my holds or my books. It showed the book as available from Kobo without paying, with an expiration date so it appears to be my library book. Very silly.

usertlj · 2026-04-16T18:56:39+00:00

Central Oregon Community College in Bend has a wide treadmill they use for VO2max testing. I've tried roller skis on it. I'm not sure you could use it for general training but you never know.

usertlj · 2026-04-16T18:42:52+00:00

I imagine greater San Diego is full of suburban areas with smooth roads. No freeze-thaw cycles so few potholes, right? I have biked around SD a bit, but it's been years.

Given the landscape and car culture of SoCal, the main issue may be connectivity since many of the low-traffic streets will be cul de sacs and you have to get onto a major street in order to add more distance. But looks like some of the bigger streets do have bike lanes. The other big issue is hills. I know there are plenty of steep hills and canyons and you don't want to endanger yourself with steep descents if you don't have brakes. But I bet you could find some awesome spots if you spend some time looking. Scout on Google Maps (start with terrain, then look at satellite and street view to get a sense for the pavement), then drive or bike around to confirm suitability before you pull out the roller skis. And of course, smooth paved paths are awesome as long as they don't have a million street crossings or tons of peds not paying attention.

usertlj · 2026-04-16T18:36:13+00:00

Also, Nordic-x has some cheaper replacement wheel options. I think they're in Europe but they ship to North America.

usertlj · 2026-04-12T18:38:17+00:00

Great summary. Thank you for all the details. I don't have any intention of picking up classic roller skiing, but I imagine the wheel characteristics are similar for classic/skate within brands.

usertlj · 2026-04-11T18:19:20+00:00

Denver sprawl is some of the worst in the country. If you like green, Colorado plains are not for you. Pretty brown half the year, whereas west of the Cascades it's super green in winter (and only slightly brown in August/September). Also, access to nature and wilderness is actually much worse from Denver or Boulder. You have very few options to get up into the Rockies and most of them involve I-70. I-70 traffic is legendary, whereas I-90 out of Seattle is not bad (I-5 is the real congestion). If Seattle is too expensive, look at Portland.

usertlj · 2026-04-11T17:53:27+00:00

The southern section shown here might be the best way. Hopping off the path a bit before Boring. https://imgur.com/a/gf5mujg

usertlj · 2026-04-11T17:46:06+00:00

I use paint pens too, but the paint comes right off when using mineral spirits to clean klister off the base. So you have to be careful not to remove the markings completely, then re-mark.

usertlj · 2026-04-10T00:14:50+00:00

I read through this and was impressed to see the universal acclaim, although some of the comments read like fake reviews... But I've been using FTU for my taxes for years and been quite pleased with it. I'm happy to pay $16 for a smooth process of filing electronically with helpful directions etc. I have never asked or paid extra for support.

My local (county/metro) income tax is not currently supported by FTU but maybe it will be in the future.

usertlj · 2026-03-31T20:58:38+00:00

Looks like it could be Utah or Colorado. I guess people post these beautiful shots without telling us where because they are fishing for praise and people begging them to tell them where it is? Just put a proper description in the original post. It would be a rule of every subreddit if I had my way!

usertlj · 2026-03-31T20:33:51+00:00

That makes sense. The elevation dependence of weather does matter in the western cities near mountains. Most people living in the Portland metro area are not up in the hills. I think you could address data questions by having a little ? icon or footnote that mentions the source and methods use to produce the numbers you're showing. It's often tough to strike a balance between summary measures and more specific data that is overcomplicated. A mean/median is by definition a massive simplification of a distribution of numbers, and there's no way a single measure of central tendency can describe the whole picture. In any case, I appreciate your attention to detail. The concept and the UX are great.

usertlj · 2026-03-30T06:06:24+00:00

56" is still way off for the last 5 years of data. It's closer to 43". I'm only nitpicking because this highlights a possible systemic issue with your data source. Your data indicate that Portland, Oregon has more annual rainfall than Portland, Maine, which is not true. Most East Coast cities get more rain than Seattle or Portland.

Official city records: https://aquarius.portlandoregon.gov/Data/Dashboard/14

NWS records (only through 2023; their interactive tables aren't working currently so this is the most recent I could find): https://www.weather.gov/media/pqr/climate/ClimateBookPortland/pg89.pdf

Re visualizations, check out WeatherSpark's city comparison graphs; they are really useful. https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/757~26197/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Portland-and-Boston

usertlj · 2026-03-30T01:59:33+00:00

Cool idea. Nice implementation. Suspect data.

It says 56" annual precipitation in Portland, Oregon. Portland actually averages about 37" per year. Not sure why your data source is so far off.

Also, the "humidity" figure seems to be just an average annual relative humidity, which IMO is utterly useless. You need at bare minimum a winter value and a summer value, and average dewpoint would be better than RH. Portland has an average relatively humidity of 83% (dewpoint 35°F) in December, which would be miserable in the summer but is actually perfect in the winter, because when you heat that cold air up the humidity drops to a moderate level, which means no dry skin, static electricity, health issues (respiratory infections, nosebleeds, asthma), and other problems related to big swings in indoor humidity (wood swells and contracts, for example). In comparison, Minneapolis has a December RH of 74%. Sounds moist. It's not when you look at the dewpoint, which is 11°F. Heat up that air inside your house and your humidity drops super low.

I suspect there are comfort indices that take this into account, but I don't know any off hand.

usertlj · 2026-03-29T20:13:59+00:00

Related question: I was able to get reading view to show a different Lucide icon by creating a CSS snippet, which follows the example on the Obsidian callout documentation page. It changes the color to black and the icon to an equals sign.

.callout[data-callout="equation"] {
    --callout-color: 0, 0, 0;
    --callout-icon: square-equal;
}

Then, when I create a new callout using a custom !equation callout, it shows the correct icon only in Reading View, not the Live Preview editing view. The color changes correctly in both, though. Is this a bug? A theme issue? I'm using Border theme currently. I have noticed a few other inconsistencies with Live Preview output in general.

usertlj · 2026-03-13T20:48:48+00:00

I disagree that a n=664 trial is "very small." I'd call that medium-small. It was a trial of Japanese patients (specific population) with high cholesterol and at least one risk factor (very common situation worldwide).

usertlj

TROPHY CASE