FrankGrimes's recent activity
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Comment on Missing camper found safe after more than five weeks in Canada's Northern Rockies in ~news
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Comment on Joe Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with US long-range missiles in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentAm I crazy, or does it seem somewhat obvious that Putin and anyone who he would need to go through, aren't going to use nuclear weapons? As long as the West isn't threatening to topple the...Am I crazy, or does it seem somewhat obvious that Putin and anyone who he would need to go through, aren't going to use nuclear weapons? As long as the West isn't threatening to topple the oligarchy, why would they? Launch a nuke, and it all comes topping down, and for what? To have control over Ukraine? Maybe someone here can explain it to me, but it just doesn't make sense to risk all your power and wealth. A conventional war lets you keep power and wealth while pursuing whatever sick things your ego desires, but nuclear war does not.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentThe people placing (some) of the blame on the "no-voters" are doing it because it's hard to fathom idea that they were willing to let Trump become president, despite him clearly being worse for...The people placing (some) of the blame on the "no-voters" are doing it because it's hard to fathom idea that they were willing to let Trump become president, despite him clearly being worse for Palestine, and worse for the country these voters live in, in every possible way. It's a childish stance that ignores the reality of the US political system. Either Trump or Harris was going to be president - there was no other option. The question posed to all US voters was: which do you want to be president? The no-vote group answered "neither", since Harris didn't take a strong enough stance on Palestine to satisfy them. But that answer wasn't one of their options - that answer means Trump. So, now they're going to find out what he'll do for the people of Palestine.
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentI made the mistake of looking at "the needle" on NYT, and watching it creep towards trump. I should really just go to sleep and see how it looks in the morning...I made the mistake of looking at "the needle" on NYT, and watching it creep towards trump. I should really just go to sleep and see how it looks in the morning...
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Comment on 2024 United States election megathread in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentI remember this feeling so well from 2016. Pit of my stomach nausea - it's still early though (at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself).I remember this feeling so well from 2016. Pit of my stomach nausea - it's still early though (at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself).
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Comment on Touchscreens are out, and tactile controls are back. Rachel Plotnick's "re-buttonization" expertise is in demand. in ~design
FrankGrimes LinkWhile we're moving basic controls off of a central touch screen, lets remove touch sensitive anything. I was recently driving a newer VW - the fan and climate controls were their own separate...While we're moving basic controls off of a central touch screen, lets remove touch sensitive anything. I was recently driving a newer VW - the fan and climate controls were their own separate controls (not part of the main "infotainment" screen), but they were touch sensitive. On multiple occasions, while trying to turn the fan up or down, I'd accidentally touch just slightly off of where the fan speed touch area is to make the fan go either up or down one notch, and the fan would end up fully off, or full blast - now I've got to spend extra time and attention getting it back to where I want it. It was like this for most of the climate controls. Horrible design - not user friendly, dangerous, distracting, and incredibly frustrating. If I went to a dealer to buy a car and saw that, I'd immediately cross that car off my list. No chance I buy a car with that nonsense.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 28 in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentI agree that's likely what will happen. I can't find if there's repercussions for lying about alleged fraud, or if those people need actual evidence that gets reviewed by a court? Or is it as...I agree that's likely what will happen. I can't find if there's repercussions for lying about alleged fraud, or if those people need actual evidence that gets reviewed by a court? Or is it as simple as a few people just proclaim they think there was fraud, and that triggers a recount? If it's the latter, that seems like a shockingly low bar.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of October 21 in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentThey're about a year late. This should have been blatantly obvious to anyone paying even slightly attention that Biden or Harris are both better for middle east peace than trump. I'm glad to see...They're about a year late. This should have been blatantly obvious to anyone paying even slightly attention that Biden or Harris are both better for middle east peace than trump. I'm glad to see this acknowledged in that community, though - it's been very frustrating to me watching the "uncommitted" movement in swing states - it's cutting off your nose to spite your face, only in this case your face is an entire country.
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Comment on Jeff Bezos vetoed Washington Post plan to endorse Kamala Harris, paper reports in ~society
FrankGrimes LinkCombining all these stories about billionaires bending the knee to trump (la times, musk, etc) just reaffirms my belief that there's a concerted, conscious effort among the ultra wealthy and...Combining all these stories about billionaires bending the knee to trump (la times, musk, etc) just reaffirms my belief that there's a concerted, conscious effort among the ultra wealthy and republican leaders to turn our country into Russia.
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Comment on Bike manufacturers are making bikes less repairable in ~transport
FrankGrimes Link ParentCouldn't agree more. If it has 2 wheels and pedals, it's a great way to get around. If more people rode bikes, the world would be a better place.It's the best way to explore the world, if you ask me.
Couldn't agree more. If it has 2 wheels and pedals, it's a great way to get around. If more people rode bikes, the world would be a better place.
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Comment on Bike manufacturers are making bikes less repairable in ~transport
FrankGrimes Link ParentHappily - there's not enough people in my life that want to talk about bicycles :-) I'll just state again, I'm absolutely not the person that views e-shifting as a "game changer" - certainly not...Would you mind explaining more about what makes your electronic shifting experience so positive?
Happily - there's not enough people in my life that want to talk about bicycles :-)
I'll just state again, I'm absolutely not the person that views e-shifting as a "game changer" - certainly not in the way that putting a dropper post on my mountain bike was a game changer (for me, anyway). I wouldn't recommend anyone go out and swap out their drive train for something electronic.
The feel of the shifting is so snappy - a light tap on the shifter, and everything just snaps exactly to where it's supposed to be. I do sometimes miss the nice mechanical feel of pulling on a cable and feeling everything move, but god knows I have enough bikes, so if I want that, I'll ride my mountain bike, aluminum gravel bike, or my 25 year old around town beater.
and how it feels worth thinking about a battery in the back of your head
So, for the first few months, this was a thing - I did think about it. But the Di2 (and I'm sure all the others) have a little LED that you can look at that will tell you roughly where your battery is - solid green means it's above 50%. I rode the thing for months on end and that light never showed anything other than solid (and I shift plenty often - I live in a hilly area). After those first few months, I realized I'd have to be riding something like 500 miles a week before I had to regularly charge it. I haven't thought about the battery on a ride since then. Like I said, when I happen to think of it every 3 or 4 months, I plug the thing in for an hour, and I'm good to go (and even after 3 or 4 months, that little LED still shows solid green). In short, unless you're using it as an adventure bike where you'll be riding huge distances unsupported for weeks or months on end, the battery is a non-issue.
Are there any parts you like worse about electronic shifting?
The purist in me doesn't like the idea of electronics getting between me and my bicycle. But all my other bikes are mechanical, so I'm ok with it, and like I said above, after a while I just stopped thinking about the electronic part...it just blends in now. Other than that, the electronic shifting is either on par, or better than all the mechanical stuff I have (the SRAM Eagle on my mountain bike is damn good, so I won't say electronic is better than that, other than never having to tune it up due to cable stretch or anything). I'm also not as familiar with setting it up, or doing tune ups (though the videos I've watched make it look dead simple - basically just put it into adjustment mode, then press a button to move the indexing one way or the other...like a barrel adjuster).
Have you noticed it failing you at any point?
Not yet, no - it's been extremely reliable - I rode it for 3 or 4 hours in heavy rain, and it happily chugged right along. And I've yet to have to do any sort of "tune up".
And what are the worst (and best) parts of your fancy new bike in general?
The price tag ;-) Though, grand scheme, it's a mid-level bike - less than $4,000 - I recognize the absurdity of spending that much on a bicycle, but it's something I enjoy immensely, and on an hourly basis over the course of a few years, it's significantly cheaper than many other hobbies (or that's what I like to tell myself, anyway). Other than that, I do enjoy working on my bikes - changing cables, adjusting derailleurs, etc - the electronics takes a lot of that out of the equation (some would call this a huge bonus...). I don't think mechanical group sets are going to go away anytime soon (and likely never), so I'm not too worried about running out of parts to fiddle with and tweak.
The best part is I absolutely love riding it. I mean, I love riding all my bikes, right down to the $200 dollar one, but this is on a different level. It's just so responsive and enjoyable to be on.
What sorts of bikes do you like to ride/own?
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Comment on Bike manufacturers are making bikes less repairable in ~transport
FrankGrimes Link ParentI agree with everything you've said as it applies to someone looking for a "utility bike". But also like you said, most of this doesn't apply to hobbyists. Carbon fiber frames are fun to ride -...I agree with everything you've said as it applies to someone looking for a "utility bike". But also like you said, most of this doesn't apply to hobbyists. Carbon fiber frames are fun to ride - super stiff, super light. Hydraulic disc brakes offer much better stopping power. A well tuned suspension makes trails an absolute blast to go barrelling down. Lots of gears equals lots of options on widely varying terrain.
And my favorite discussion topic - electronic shifting. Where do I start with it? I have such strong, mixed feelings about electronic shifting. I was adamantly opposed to it ever since they first came out - after all, a bicycle is a simple, beautiful, mechanical machine. There's no place for electronics on it. Charging my bike? You must be absolutely out of your mind! Then I came across a road bike I decided to buy that had e-shifters. I nearly didn't buy it because of that one fact, but after putting a couple thousand miles on it, my view has changed. Now, I'm certainly not the guy that's going to say "e-shifting is game changing, and you'll never go back to mechanical!", but I will say this: it's pretty nice. Would I seek it out as a deciding factor in a new bike? No. But the speed, accuracy, and ease of shifting has convinced me that it's actually a pretty nice feature. As for charging - I charge the battery maybe 3 or 4 times a season. I ride a couple thousand miles a year on that bike, and have never come remotely close to running low on battery. Basically, I just plug it in for an hour every few months as I think of it.
I think I'm just excited to have a good discussion about bicycles on tildes!
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Comment on Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: Who is leading in the US presidential election polls? in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentCan I ask why you say this? It's not that the Democratic party is offering nothing to the left, it's that the left wants them to offer everything. Biden has been a very progressive president, but...Then when she lost, like a petulant group of children, the Democrats blamed the "left" for not voting for Hilary when they offered NOTHING to that base.
Can I ask why you say this? It's not that the Democratic party is offering nothing to the left, it's that the left wants them to offer everything. Biden has been a very progressive president, but he's not a king - if congress and SCOTUS don't go along, he's limited in what he can do.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
FrankGrimes LinkI use my desktop Windows machine as a Jellyfin server (media is stored on 1 hard drive, but the Windows install and Jellyfin are on a different one). I'm fairly tech savvy, but I will say setting...I use my desktop Windows machine as a Jellyfin server (media is stored on 1 hard drive, but the Windows install and Jellyfin are on a different one). I'm fairly tech savvy, but I will say setting it all up was incredibly easy - installed Jellyfin on the computer, pointed it to the folders where my videos are stored, and off it went to catalog everything, tag it, find pictures and descriptions. Once that was done, I installed the Jellyfin Roku app, and it automatically found the server (I had to do a little fiddling with my VPN settings, but if you don't have that, it won't affect you).
I can't comment on ongoing maintenance, since I've only been using it for a month or so, but I haven't had to touch a thing - it's all a GUI, and is very easy to navigate.
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Comment on Saluting the Chromecast, one of the great HDMI dongles in ~tech
FrankGrimes LinkI had a chromecast audio - got it when it first came out. I still use it today - such a great little piece of tech that let me easily send audio t my receiver - I never had any lag or much in the...I had a chromecast audio - got it when it first came out. I still use it today - such a great little piece of tech that let me easily send audio t my receiver - I never had any lag or much in the way of issues.
Lately though, every now and then the ability to adjust volume or change tracks has started falling out of sync - I go to adjust the volume or change track, and the volume level indicator changes or the new track shows on the phone, but it doesn't make its way to the chromecast. It's not gotten bad enough for me to find a new solution, but it seems I may have to eventually.
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Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 15 in ~news
FrankGrimes Link ParentAs crass as this is, I agree. I keep seeing articles on mid-high level democrats suggesting/implying Biden should step down, but no one's talking about what comes after that - who replaces him?...As crass as this is, I agree. I keep seeing articles on mid-high level democrats suggesting/implying Biden should step down, but no one's talking about what comes after that - who replaces him? Harris? Is there any reliable polling (as reliable as polling gets...) to suggest she'd be able to perform better? The last I've seen of that showed she was essentially the same as Biden, though slightly less unlikable.
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Comment on US judge dismisses classified documents case against Donald Trump in ~news
FrankGrimes LinkDoes anyone know what happens with an appeals here? If the prosecution were to successfully appeal, would the case go back to Cannon, or would they draw a new judge?Does anyone know what happens with an appeals here? If the prosecution were to successfully appeal, would the case go back to Cannon, or would they draw a new judge?
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Comment on Donald Trump whisked off stage in Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd in ~news
FrankGrimes Link ParentIs this the forum to discuss unconfirmed theories posted on X/twitter, followed up by saying we don't care enough to actually confirm? I thought we had slightly higher standards here.Is this the forum to discuss unconfirmed theories posted on X/twitter, followed up by saying we don't care enough to actually confirm? I thought we had slightly higher standards here.
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Comment on Donald Trump whisked off stage in Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd in ~news
FrankGrimes Link ParentIf we'd all stop spreading tweets and posts that are just complete speculation and wait for the actual facts, there would a lot less of the very difficult clean up work afterwards. "A lie travels...If we'd all stop spreading tweets and posts that are just complete speculation and wait for the actual facts, there would a lot less of the very difficult clean up work afterwards. "A lie travels halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes".
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Comment on Joe Biden calls Volodymyr Zelensky 'Putin' right before huge press conference in ~society
FrankGrimes Link ParentYou can when the alternative is a man who would openly and knowingly embrace Putin. Biden may have lost a step or two, but based on the last 4 years worth of accomplishments, the people he's...But you cannot re-elect a president that confuses his ally with arguably his worst enemy, Putin.
You can when the alternative is a man who would openly and knowingly embrace Putin. Biden may have lost a step or two, but based on the last 4 years worth of accomplishments, the people he's surrounding himself with have not.
I remember the Trump years like it was yesterday - just constant chaos, incompetence, lies, and embarrassment. You cannot re-elect a president like that.
First thing I thought of was all the time I spent watching Les Stroud. Not sure any of it would have saved me here though.