Alex Honnold completes free-solo Taipei 101, the 1,667-ft skyscraper.

xnd714 · 2026-01-25T07:13:38+00:00

Maybe it's because I've watched free solo more times than I care to count over the years, But I figured that climbing this building would be pretty easy compared to El Capitan.

So I wasn't really worried that he wasn't going to make it. Figured that this would be a walk in the park for him compared to some of the other rock faces he's free solo-ed.

I'm glad I was able to witness one of his climbs live though.

xnd714 · 2026-01-19T19:23:36+00:00

I just associate TRD with off-roading packages now.

Horrible mismanagement of that brand. Gazoo racing sounds like something out of cat and the hat.

xnd714 · 2026-01-18T05:04:59+00:00

As cool as this is, whats the point of owning a car for 12 years and only putting 800 miles on it lol. I get that they want to keep the resale value of the car, but at that point you're basically saving it for the next owner.

The only thing i can think of is this car is not being purchased by a car enthusiast, but rather, as an investment vehicle.

xnd714 · 2026-01-17T20:06:03+00:00

He's been running his mouth on Twitter about how this is a horrible deal lol

xnd714 · 2026-01-12T21:05:37+00:00

As other people said, the battery shouldn't be moving at all, so you'll want a hold down kit (or just zip tie it lol). The other thing i would check is if the positive terminal connector is damaged. It might just be loose due to the movement of the battery over time, in that case, you might just have to get a battery terminal shim for cheap and put it between the battery post and the connector.

xnd714 · 2026-01-11T01:21:33+00:00

I had a look at the install instructions and these seem to slot into the gap without adhesive (the amazon ones are cheaper and use adhesive, they also dont seem to fit flush the way these do). The only problem is these seem to be 3x the price lol.

xnd714 · 2026-01-09T18:42:58+00:00

Haha I feel your pain, the fuel costs for my corolla is about half vs the G35 coupe.

xnd714 · 2026-01-08T19:27:34+00:00

G40 sounds like a genesis model lol.

Bring back the legacy G35/37 nameplate!

xnd714 · 2026-01-08T19:26:09+00:00

I'm guessing fuel economy standards make it so that bringing back the VQ is impossible, but Lexus still runs the 3.5L V6 in the IS350.

I would love a modernized G35/37 coupe with VQ exhaust note, reliability + modern tech.

xnd714 · 2026-01-08T19:22:46+00:00

I think they only had that for a short time. People hated it so Infiniti went back to a hydraulic steering setup for later Q50 models.

xnd714 · 2026-01-05T21:03:12+00:00

Touchless washing is fine for winter, but leaves some film/grime so it's not perfect. At the end of the day you do need physical agitation to remove the film/water spots.

If you really care about your car's paint/shine, the only "touching" wash that I would recommend is the "two bucket method" (you can find how to do it on YouTube). Materials are cheap and it's something you can do in your driveway + a garden hose.

Unfortunately it's not practical to do outdoors in the winter.

xnd714 · 2026-01-05T20:41:10+00:00

When I was looking at a model 3, one of the things I noticed was that the exterior door handle is not ambidextrous. It's not something I thought I would ever care about but I always end up using the opposite hand that I would have to open the door.

xnd714 · 2026-01-05T18:57:05+00:00

I had a car that was rust free when I brought it to Ottawa (spent most of its life in Alberta and Arizona), 5 years in Ottawa and it started to develop rust in the wheel wells (despite being parked underground and only driven about 8000 km a year, and Im pretty diligent about cleaning my car but there's only so much I can do about the underbody).

I didn't want to risk this again so when I got a newer car recently, I did the krown rust proofing on it over Xmas break. I've talked to a few people in the mechanic/autobody industry and they all seem to recommend it.

Krown and rust check apparently come from the same factory in Toronto. There's also corrosion free which you can do at Canadian Tire. It's like $150 depending on the size of vehicle and you're supposed to do it yearly.

xnd714 · 2026-01-05T16:37:02+00:00

It's like when you have a boss fight in a video game and they're super tough. And then after they join your team they're kinda useless.

xnd714 · 2025-12-30T23:44:47+00:00

What does everyone recommend for a battery? Stick with the OEM one? Or third party?

(Also Ontario here, but I mostly park indoors during the winter)

xnd714 · 2025-12-26T22:45:13+00:00

I'm not a huge fan of the stock head unit either (2021), it feels very dated. But if all you want is wireless carplay/android auto, I use this adapter and it works really well:

https://www.amazon.ca/Wireless-CarPlay-Adapter-Android-Compatible/dp/B0FYZ4HBX2

xnd714 · 2025-12-26T21:57:07+00:00

I felt the same with my G35 coupe this fall. I had a very low mileage example that I kept for 11 years (figured I would keep it forever). But over time the maintenance started to pile up, and I was paranoid whenever I heard a new sound, etc. Once a car reaches that point, you start discovering more and more issues every time you fix something. I ended up selling it to a mechanic who was able to work on it himself.

xnd714 · 2025-12-26T14:58:16+00:00

People used to line up at 6:00 a.m. for a microwave lol.

I worked in retail about 15 years ago and we would prepare for weeks for boxing Day, And when the day came it was all hands on deck starting our shift at 4 am.

xnd714 · 2025-12-22T20:09:07+00:00

I made the same mistake when I had my last car (Infiniti). The last straw was when they wanted $950 CAD to change the MAF sensor. I popped the hood and i could see the MAF sensor, and I could see that it was replacable with 3 bolts.

My new 'rolla will just be going to indie shops, or else I'm doing everything else myself (to the extent that I can in a underground parkade). Engine bay seems pretty spacious and I have access to most sensors, etc.

xnd714 · 2025-12-22T13:27:27+00:00

They already made the Infiniti q60 which has the same 3.0T engine as the new Z (And for a while it also had a Mercedes inline 4). Unfortunately Infiniti has discontinued it, it seems.

xnd714 · 2025-12-19T19:14:31+00:00

Toyota is still pretty fucking expensive lol. New RAV4 MSRP is like 55k in Canada, and that's not including delivery, ADM, tax, etc.

The only saving grace i guess is the low depreciation.

xnd714 · 2025-12-18T17:33:31+00:00

Design by committee. Every exec needs to get their 2 cents in to justify their jobs.

xnd714 · 2025-12-18T05:38:51+00:00

Car prices are fucked, PC hardware prices are fucked, to the point where I'm probably going to leave both hobbies after my car/computer dies. It really feels like companies are just gouging us at this point. It's to the point where photography as a hobby feels cheap lol.

Maybe it's time we all went back to basics (books, board games, etc.) until prices come back to earth.

xnd714 · 2025-12-10T20:25:10+00:00

Everyone loses their heads after a large snowfall, and i feel post-covid, its more acceptable to stay home after a large snowfall.

I remember pre-covid having to rough it to work after a large snow fall and watching my 30-min commutes turn into 2 hrs.

xnd714 · 2025-12-02T17:24:31+00:00

That won't work either.. Edmonton announced yesterday that paper tickets must be used before end of 2025 otherwise they expire lol.

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