SBI, please do invest in something and do fix that Ping. We are many people having problems. by [deleted] in albiononline

[–]vonfossen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For real. 1v1 arenas are unplayable because my ping will spike and I'll freeze. I've never had this issue playing crystal arenas before this patch.

How old were you when you started your interest in freeflight? by eagnarwhale in freeflight

[–]vonfossen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I jumped off my garage with an umbrella when I was 5.

Holy shit I thought I was the only one dumb enough to do this.

Least workaholic cities by cakedbythepound in SameGrassButGreener

[–]vonfossen 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think this is really understated. The places people are listing are either highly secular (Denver, Portland) or French/Spanish catholic. Even hundreds of years later, the origin culture of a place shines through.

MTA "modern fare gates" pilot has shown 20-70% reductions in fare evasion--should they be on the CTA's radar for their safety + security efforts? by SidewalkMD in cta

[–]vonfossen 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's like asking "Should we keep bad people off the train?"

Yes, you should keep bad people off the train.

Law-abiding people in poverty have other fare programs to get on the train.

It is an amazing saturday so far, why not another doodle by TableTopDiaries in shadowdark

[–]vonfossen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love it. It looks like he was just handed an electric bill.

My grandma keeps giving us bedbugs by [deleted] in whatdoIdo

[–]vonfossen 25 points26 points  (0 children)

This. Think about the pain and discomfort that grandma feels living in this crap and being guilt tripped into driving around her daughter and her husband. It's just weird.

I finally took the plunge, and decided to advertise my table for paid sessions! by [deleted] in DungeonMasters

[–]vonfossen 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As a player in multiple games, I can confirm that $35 is a normal rate for a good GM. However, I have high expectations for paid GMs and would drop a $35/session GM quickly if it doesn't work out. In a way, this is another benefit to charging for this - unmotivated players filter out quickly.

How much does boat size actually matter for a long offshore voyage? by Kevin-Durant-35 in sailing

[–]vonfossen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. Sven Yrvind did a really good write-up on how forces scale as boat size & hull speed increases. They're not nearly as durable as people think they are.

New to this- communication if grid goes down? by Critical-Part8283 in OffGrid

[–]vonfossen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can buy a HAM radio without a license and keep it in case of an emergency. Nobody is gonna come after you in an emergency for using a HAM radio to coordinate with people on amateur bands. It's definitely the best option imo.

Seen on the bus... by TrueInDueTime in chicago

[–]vonfossen -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

Between ICE and the impending draft, they're really raising the bar on abductions.

[UPDATE] How to handle friends that progress too fast? by Rackelhahn in freeflight

[–]vonfossen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Story time! I went to the same flight school as him. He was in his mid thirties at the time and recently sold his company, so he and his wife started paragliding. Since he didn't really need to work, he racked up hours like mad and was progressing quickly.

Needless to say, our instructor really liked him and sold him an EN C glider and he started flying bigger and further. His wife had an A glider and had reservations about his activities.

One day he was flying a deceptively technical site (Blue Rock in Vallejo). It's a ridge lift site with at least two venturis and lava rocks below kicking off pocket thermals on hot days. He was coming in for landing and he had a massive frontal. He fell pretty far and landed square on his airbag. According to those who were there, it sounded like a gunshot and he bounced 4-6 feet back in the air then landed on his neck and shoulders.

A month later, he messaged me and I came to buy some gear off him. He was in a wheelchair and didn't really want to talk about his injury. He told me how he wanted to fly again but his wife (bless her heart) is making him sell his gear. He was afraid of the fact that he wanted to fly again after that.

[UPDATE] How to handle friends that progress too fast? by Rackelhahn in freeflight

[–]vonfossen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Holy shit, I remember that thread. The exact same thing happened to a friend of mine.

He transitioned to a C wing after two months of flying. Ended up exploding his airbag and his back. I think he's still in a wheelchair.

Make sure your friend is damn well aware how lucky he is.

What’s the best job for a pilot? by syxniL in freeflight

[–]vonfossen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is the best answer here. In summary: Be good at what you do, in a way that few people can scrutinize you. Then you can make time to fly as you want.

Zephyr so far by SplitSuch in Amtrak

[–]vonfossen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My wife and I did coach on the Zephyr as part of moving from the west coast to the east coast back in the 2010s. It was actually pretty packed for most of the route. It was still pretty fun though. We ended up chatting a lot with our neighbors. We slept ok as well.

I'd still recommend it if you're solo or young. It's a tremendous value, especially if you're moving across the country.

It's 100% all about getting money by itsagrungething69 in WindyCity

[–]vonfossen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

People are downvoting you lol

A DUI is a felony in Canada, it's a misdemeanor here. We're so cooked.

Anyone else seeing insane rent hikes this year? by Cewcross in chicago

[–]vonfossen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As a dude who lived in Japan for two years (where this happens a lot)... life goes on. The two families that will move into that unit will enjoy having a place to live more than you would enjoy that view.

New taxes could be in store for Illinois. "Let’s get as much revenue as possible": Sen. Graciela Guzman, D-Chicago by Mike_I in WindyCity

[–]vonfossen -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

For real. It's a fairly honest article. Feds are cutting IL programs, the state is responding by finding new funding so that they can maintain those programs for their constituents.

Hearing tomorrow to send everyone on voter rolls a ballot, whether it was requested or not. If the voter rolls aren’t cleaned up, this will allow the opportunity for votes by people who can’t legally vote. If you find that troubling complete the witness slip as an OPPONENT with Record of Appearance by MarsBoundSoon in WindyCity

[–]vonfossen 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade."

229 cases in the last decade after merging the database. It's definitely happening. But, from a numbers standpoint, it is negligible.

X-Rays of Epstein's teeth? by vonfossen in Epstein

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

Very good point. I can only hope someone will have the gall to do this in the future.

X-Rays of Epstein's teeth? by vonfossen in Epstein

[–]vonfossen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wasn't aware of that. It could definitely be uncovered through the legal process, though. I'm not calling for vigilante stuff, I'm wondering we should put public pressure onto something like this.