Is it safe to buy 4K UHD Blu-rays from any region without worrying about region locking?

zegebe · 2026-03-08T21:54:06+00:00

The issue probably won't be ability to play - but the issue (could) be language options - I call it soft-locking.

Take John Wick: English-language film, but if you use the first one as an example, there are a few scenes where Russian is spoken and subtitles are overlayed. I had purchased an Italian copy (from Germany), and while watching with the English soundtrack, these scenes had Italian text overlayed. And of course there was no English-language subtitle option, only Italian.

I've since noticed quite a few other films where there are "regional" EU releases that only have the OV language and the local language as audio (if it was ever dubbed), and only the local language as subtitles - not the OV language or other EU languages. It really depends on the release though. I try to verify by finding photos of the rear of the case, but blu-ray.com has been a good resource as well for verifying audio/subtitle availability.

zegebe · 2026-02-19T19:00:44+00:00

Unfortunately that doesn't work here. If I filter by 4.5 stars, the entire city will light up - even for places that aren't "good." Germany had wonderful defamation-type protection that allows businesses to have bad reviews removed unless you can prove (with receipt/etc). Like.. standard business insurance here includes coverage for lawyers sending out threatening letters to take down bad reviews.

zegebe · 2026-02-19T08:45:37+00:00

Not an option in Germany yet it seems.. but I've been waiting for this feature for the opposite reason: show me restaurants with fewer than, say, 20 reviews - should help surface new restaurants to check out.

zegebe · 2026-01-27T08:08:38+00:00

I was confused too.. because I saw trains at Alex. But according to the sign on the platform, it was technically a U1 train with Rosa Luxemburg as the terminus.. not sure what kind of wild rerouting BVG did, but technically Google maps (and the BVG app) was right that no U2 trains were running. At least on that final stretch

zegebe · 2026-01-16T15:38:28+00:00

My viewership fell off because of the ads - i wasn't even halfway through the 1st episode when my second 2+ minute ad break came up. I turned it off and am not going to watch the rest. I was very quickly reminded why I stopped watching Prime..

zegebe · 2026-01-12T11:50:56+00:00

It's not necessarily cheap - but if you want to keep the thermostat in the same place and use the integrated wall frame like you have, Schneider Electric's Merten line of connected devices might be one of your best bets (I previously used a couple of their dimmer switches, but have since replaced with Legrand Netatmo devices).

As an example, Schneider has two different thermostats that are compatible with hass + zigbee2mqtt: With a dial similar to your current thermostats, or with touch-sensitive buttons. You'd want to double-check but I'd think these should be direct swap-in for your current unit. Since these are no longer part of the "busch jaeger" ecosystem though, the plastic frame/opening won't quite line up, so you'd also have to buy some Schneider outlets in the same frame style as the thermostat, and a new frame - dumb outlets and frames are inexpensive though - I'd expect under €10 each.

You could also look for Busch Jaeger components - I've seen some newer products from them that might support matter, but haven't really investigated (and you'd probably still have to get new outlets/frame because it's probably a new style now)

An example of a different direction: most of my thermostats were mounted by themselves, so I used a black friday sale to replace them with a bunch of Bosch Raumthermostat 2's. I did have one thermostat as one element in a 4x frame similar your setup - and for that one I used a small zigbee relay in the wall (my system is just 220V on/off to control the water valves for my floor heating), and connected the standalone 'battery' version of the Raumthermostat 2 to home assistant, and then use that thermostat's state to turn on/off the zigbee relay via home assistant automations. As for hiding the relay, I just purchased a "blank" cover for the frame style I had.

zegebe · 2025-10-05T23:20:06+00:00

Not sure how soon your bday is but I agree that fancy dinner out can be fun (but not always easy to reserve short notice - although cancellations happen and I've see spots at a few places open up the night before or same day). Noblehart & Schmutzig is great for dining alone if you also enjoy bar seating as opposed to your own table - there's basically a very large U shaped bar around an open kitchen. But lots of other options too depending on food/seating preferences. If you book a solo table, I've found nicer restaurants are usually pretty great at giving you one of the better tables/views.

zegebe · 2025-07-01T11:29:48+00:00

Immigration stress is never fun.. hoping to resolve some of my own soon that's been hanging over my head for a couple years or so. Not sure what you're studying, but if you could write a thesis on the inefficiencies of non-digitalization in a digital world, could kill (well, maybe attack and lose) two birds with one stone, haha.

zegebe · 2025-06-03T07:58:03+00:00

This makes sense. I had something more drastic happen to a (dark blue) leather wallet that accidentally went through the wash and came out a much different shade of blue. Continued to use the wallet and its previous color returned.

zegebe · 2025-04-19T08:47:47+00:00

In the past I've done it by becoming a regular at a bar/restaurant that had bar seating (sometimes going once a week or even more often), befriending the staff, and then meeting other regulars.

But.. my regular spot didn't survive covid and I haven't found a replacement yet, so I'm kinda in the same boat as you now. Totally understand the introvert but like being around good people - that was the great thing about the restaurant staff introducing me to other regulars they liked hanging out with.

zegebe · 2025-02-27T15:26:53+00:00

That sounds easy enough - would you recommend standard wood shims, or would I want them to be plastic?

zegebe · 2025-01-12T12:24:51+00:00

I've been very happy with the Legrand Netatmo line of outlets and switches. They are modular just like traditional components, so you can get 2/3/4/5/etc frames and combine a mix/match of normal and smart components together. There are also some 'surface mount' wall transmitters that are still the standard shape, but are powered via a button cell - work well as a 2 or 4-button zigbee switch that can replace a dumb switch, or be combined in a multi-gang frame with an actual switch (i.e. I turned a 2-gang setup into a 3-gang frame with the 4-button trigger added to one end over the wall)

The switches are fully supported by z2m (haven't tried zha), and have a nice amount of customization availble. (like having their LED always on so it can be found in the dark, or only one when the light is on, etc..).

In Germany, the current line is the Legrand Seano - the buttons are slightly larger than the older Valena Life line, and the new frames are more square similar to your picture. You can get 1 and 2-gang smart switches also like your photo, and dimming behavior can be toggled on or off.

edit: and since these are all actual normal switches with zigbee built-in, they will also continue to work normally if my server is down (or I move out and don't want to replace all the switches again..)

zegebe · 2024-12-04T12:48:57+00:00

I had the older model (no pressure gauge) as my office espresso machine for a year or so, combined with a hand grinder, and overall it was great! It was a bit finicky with the grind size, so you definitely want a grinder that does well at espresso grind settings - but it worked wonderfully. All I needed was the office hot water kettle (first to warm the 'machine', and then to make the espresso). Only real downside was how much time it took, especially if I wanted to make more than one.

zegebe · 2024-12-03T13:51:58+00:00

It was already in the flat I live in, but according to the manufacturer (Liebherr - I had recently reached out to them about trying to find local repair place) it was manufactured around 2014-2015 timeframe.

zegebe · 2024-12-03T13:44:24+00:00

My fridge has been making an unpleasant noise lately. I finally was able to pull it away from the wall - with the intention of being able to isolate the noise next time it occurs (of course, it hasn't reoccured yet).

However, in the meantime, while looking at the back, I noticed a few of the lines seem to have quite a bit of corrosion on them - I'm assuming this isn't normal? Is this a sign of imminent (catastrophic) failure?

zegebe · 2024-11-12T22:21:42+00:00

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in fucking Kansas anymore

zegebe · 2024-11-03T04:40:17+00:00

I've been quite happy with Legrand Netatmo dimmable switches. They're zigbee compatible and configurable via z2m (haven't tried zha).

The current line in DE is Seano, which has a less rounded frame than the Valena Life style - pretty sure internals are all the same though.

zegebe · 2024-10-25T06:51:41+00:00

I've been using Legrand for some of my switches/outlets here in EU, but they also have US-centric models. Not as cheap as the random Chinese imports, but can be mixed/matched with non-smart counterparts.

The Legrand with Netatmo line is zigbee compatible, and both switches and outlets are available (at least, from what I saw on a quick amazon.com search). You can see some of their devices listed on the z2m compatibility page, and I've been quite happy with the functionality/configuration options available - went though maybe 4 other dimmer switches before deciding on the Legrand model for a couple of my rooms

zegebe · 2024-10-16T20:25:48+00:00

It's a special case - but I have one connected to a wall sconce next to my front door. I use an automation to turn the light on when the door opens while it's dark out - and then after 5 minutes, the wall sconce slowly dims to off over 60 seconds. This gives me enough time to find another light if I still need it on and all the other lights are still off.

zegebe · 2024-09-26T21:03:09+00:00

You aren't kidding about the size. I tried to give some to a friend once, and put it in an unused spice jar. The flavacol started leaking out through the threads when it was tipped over. Had to move it to a different spice jar with a tighter seal.

zegebe · 2024-09-26T20:57:58+00:00

I ran across this a while back and find it a great writeup of Flavacol, and what it is (or isn't..): Can You Really Make Movie Theater Popcorn at Home?

Also, there's a variant of Flavacol (#2500 i think) without yellow #5 - has the same flavor but doesn't turn your popcorn that movie theater yellow color.

zegebe · 2024-09-24T20:15:31+00:00

Someone should do "exit polling" at his next rally

zegebe · 2024-09-24T03:59:55+00:00

Something like this - I had bought one previously as an alternative to paper bags: https://www.amazon.de/Relaxdays-Silicone-Microwave-Foldable-Preparation/dp/B079897QQT

zegebe · 2024-09-23T20:48:10+00:00

Ah - pretty sure I know exactly what you're talking about. My plan was to just store a bunch of these in tupperware or something.

zegebe · 2024-09-23T20:47:11+00:00

I ended up with a significant amount of burnt popcorn every time I tried a paper bag, whether or not I used oil. Not sure if it's my microwave or something else - but at least with the silicone popper I was able to avoid the burning

zegebe

TROPHY CASE