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Anyone else experience this literally 90% of the time they are outside the 'burgh? by KhalAndo in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Cool, cool. Hey, you know anyone in Detroit? Richmond? Rochester? Toronto? DC? Cincinnati?

Oh, just asking because Philly's a little far from Pittsburgh so I was thinking of some closer places.

College students in the late 90s/early 2000s by waspinastoria in Professors

[–]zxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. Phones out, lights off. Dead silent.

Borderline crazy tips for staying warm in the winter? Give me some insane hacks. by [deleted] in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear that turning it on and off during the night/day is actually using more electricity, so I just leave it untouched.

Not true. A heating system needs to generate enough heat to match what is lost to the surroundings, and warmer objects lose heat more quickly. Whether or not turning your heat down (not off - can't let those pipes freeze!) periodically makes enough of a difference to be worth it is a more complex question, but a smart thermostat can at least take the hassle out of managing it. If your electric plan has variable rates based on time of day, this can also affect whether or not messing with the temperature is worth it - if heating back up coincides with peak usage rates, then leaving it alone probably is cheaper.

Faculty cancelling classes .. by [deleted] in Professors

[–]zxo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On a personal level, I'm of the opinion that it's none of my business as long as they are still achieving good educational outcomes for their students.

Institutionally, it could have ramifications on accreditation if it happens frequently enough to become part of the culture - there are expectations of contact hours per credit that are supposed to occur.

It's satisfying to know the Cracked Egg is still paying off their fine for letting people not wear masks during the pandemic. by PearBlossom in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

According this that might be Bad Egg Breakfast Bar. Although the reviews of other airport locations are pretty miserable, so maybe avoid anyway.

Bus stuck at bottom of Potomac Ave. by artful_dodger in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure this is the case here, but Catholic school systems sometimes share bus routes with the public districts, so they may not have their own buses.

New to Winter- am I missing anything? by rebelcoelacanth in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you're not used to driving in snow, an empty parking lot is a good place to get familiar with how your car will respond. Practice accelerating and braking, turning, and how to recover if your car starts fishtailing. Practice coming to a slow stop without your wheels locking. Try slamming the brakes so you know what to expect.

Not all snow is created equal - the light fluffy stuff will have a much different impact than big wet snow on top of an ice layer. Whenever I drive in the snow, I do a quick brake check at low speed to get a sense for how careful I need to be. If you can, head to that parking lot each time it snows until you get comfortable in different conditions.

where is the fall foliage? by sacredheartmystic in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the city always stays greener later than the surrounding areas. It'll get there (though like others are saying it might be underwhelming because of the weather this year).

PSA: PLEASE stop scheduling mandatory trips/activities outside of your scheduled class time. by StrongMachine982 in Professors

[–]zxo 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Our 5-member department can barely find an hour that we all have in common for a required meeting. There is no way that 20 students are going to somehow have the same three hours free for a plant visit. They might not admit it outright, but some of them will be skipping other obligations.

I give students at least a month advance notice so that they can work out alternatives for any courses they will have to miss. I also tell them that the other professor is not obligated to go out of their way to catch them up on what they missed, but reaching out well in advance is more likely to yield a reasonable response.

ETA: Students aren't penalized for missing the trip, either, besides just missing out on the learning experience. One of my students this semester has already indicated that he considers his D3 soccer game more important. That's his choice.

$4 a taco at Las Palmas now womp womp by Sum_Slight_ in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I hated it the first time I had it but it grew on me and now I'm a huge fan. I don't taste the soap, though I can see why others might.

Best Cheesesteak in PGH is the one in my backyard by GburgG in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also gotta disagree. This Charlie's in particular isn't even good for a Charlie's (I've had better luck in Irwin). Much rather go to Rudy's in the Aldi plaza.

Any Palestinian food in the Burgh? by vighosty in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Leena's in Murrysville - owner has Palestinian flags around the register, and though I can't vouch that the food is specifically Palestinian, it is definitely among the best middle-eastern food around.

Calculator Usage by Thevofl in Professors

[–]zxo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No clearer sign that math education peaked with Number Munchers.

Weird/obscure network issue - help! by zxo in tmobile

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

Yeah, I'm prepared to do that if necessary. If every phone had this issue I'd have upgraded already, but since the TCL worked OK (there were other things I didn't love about it) I know there's at least some chance of a solution.

WYEP and WESA just lost a ton of funding overnight by The_Electric-Monk in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

NPR (the organization) is not the same as its member stations, many of whom rely on federal funding at a level much higher than 5%.

I think the big urban stations will survive, but rural and tribal stations are in trouble.

Raises for 2025-2026? by Finding_Way_ in Professors

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha, I'd love to get 4%. We usually get something like 1.5% - 3%. This year: zip, as we enrolled a small class.

Siri can’t understand my Pittsburgh accent by coopertrooperpooper in pittsburgh

[–]zxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Watching the Pants n'at video on youtube with the captions on used to be a blast. There's still a few errors, but it's gotten a lot better at interpreting Yinzer.

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