ach's recent activity
-
Comment on Fitness tracker (2025 edition) in ~health
-
Comment on Chuck Mangione dead at 84 in ~music
ach Link ParentI heard 'Feels So Good' playing in a Home Depot a few months ago and I just imagined him up in the rafters playing his heart out. RIPI heard 'Feels So Good' playing in a Home Depot a few months ago and I just imagined him up in the rafters playing his heart out. RIP
-
Comment on You're going to use Gemini on Android whether you like it or not in ~tech
ach (edited )Link ParentI've daydreamt about getting a cheap second phone and allowing notifications every time I'm prompted. I wonder how quickly it would become unusable.I've daydreamt about getting a cheap second phone and allowing notifications every time I'm prompted. I wonder how quickly it would become unusable.
-
Comment on What is the current status of MLMs? in ~life
ach Link ParentHerbalife is a major sponsor of the LA Galaxy MLS team, for which Adidas makes the jerseys. Might explain that collab.Herbalife is a major sponsor of the LA Galaxy MLS team, for which Adidas makes the jerseys. Might explain that collab.
-
Comment on What is the current status of MLMs? in ~life
ach LinkIt is not uncommon in my city to be approached by people recruiting for MLMs, mainly Amway. Usually it's a young person in their 20s at a supermarket striking up conversation with strangers. The...It is not uncommon in my city to be approached by people recruiting for MLMs, mainly Amway. Usually it's a young person in their 20s at a supermarket striking up conversation with strangers. The pitch is pretty obvious, "I like your shirt!", "Are you new in town?" - Things that most strangers wouldn't say to each other around here, especially while grocery shopping lol. I've never been approached like this, but we think my wife was once. I can't imagine these tactics are very effective, but MLMs are still out there trying.
-
Comment on Looking for home networking recommendations in ~tech
ach Link ParentWhich LTE backup do you use? Do you have an unlimited data plan on the LTE SIM?Which LTE backup do you use? Do you have an unlimited data plan on the LTE SIM?
-
Comment on Help with ants in the shower! in ~life.home_improvement
ach LinkWe had this exact problem recently and have a shower door very similar to yours. There was a small gap in the caulk around the lower part of the door track near the shower pan. Water was...We had this exact problem recently and have a shower door very similar to yours. There was a small gap in the caulk around the lower part of the door track near the shower pan. Water was collecting under the track and likely attracting the ants. We stopped using the shower for a few days to ensure it was dry and then sealed the hole with silicone caulk. I never figured out where the ants were actually coming from, but once the shower was sealed, there have been no more ants in our bathroom.
-
Comment on Taskmaster Season 19, Episode 1 - 'Sometimes spit.' | Full episode in ~tv
-
Comment on What would your past self say about your current self? in ~life
ach LinkThat hairline is tough, but looks like you're doing all right otherwise.That hairline is tough, but looks like you're doing all right otherwise.
-
Comment on Yuki Tsunoda set to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull in ~sports.motorsports
ach LinkI'll see it when I believe it. But if it's true, Red Bull has lost the plot. They screwed around with Nick de Vries and Ricciardo instead of getting Lawson a drive at Racing Bulls/Alpha Tauri only...I'll see it when I believe it. But if it's true, Red Bull has lost the plot. They screwed around with Nick de Vries and Ricciardo instead of getting Lawson a drive at Racing Bulls/Alpha Tauri only to ditch him after two races. Hopefully Tsunoda can at least get the car out of Q1, but I don't know how much of a future he really has with the RB program.
-
Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk
ach LinkJohn le Carrè A bit terrifying to think that no one will ever see the world exactly from our perspective. But it's also inspiring, to me, that our experiences are truly our own.Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.
- John le Carrè
A bit terrifying to think that no one will ever see the world exactly from our perspective. But it's also inspiring, to me, that our experiences are truly our own.
-
Comment on Swedish companies join forces to steer children away from gang crime – dozens of big businesses from IKEA to Spotify back youth job initiatives as country grapples with epidemic of violence in ~life
ach LinkAs someone from a US city with a fair bit of gang and gun related violence, I really hope Sweden can figure this out quickly. It's encouraging that there are people and companies willing to take...As someone from a US city with a fair bit of gang and gun related violence, I really hope Sweden can figure this out quickly. It's encouraging that there are people and companies willing to take early action.
-
Comment on Former Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg has been named as St. Louis City SC head coach in ~sports.football
ach LinkHey, it's my team. :) Cautiously optimistic about this one. I'm glad they finally settled on a coach and that it wasn't Hackworth. Hackworth seems to be a good fit for technical director, so I'm...Hey, it's my team. :) Cautiously optimistic about this one. I'm glad they finally settled on a coach and that it wasn't Hackworth. Hackworth seems to be a good fit for technical director, so I'm glad he's staying on. Mellberg has a lot of new talent to work with; it will be neat to see how the team develops around him.
-
Comment on Dropkick Murphys feat Violent Femmes - Gotta Get to Peekskill (2023) - More solidarity and anti-fascist recommendation? in ~music
-
Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
ach LinkI've been listening to the new Bon Iver EP, SABLE, this morning. I'm still digesting it all, but the EP is a bit of a return to some of their earlier work, more acoustic than their recent...I've been listening to the new Bon Iver EP, SABLE, this morning. I'm still digesting it all, but the EP is a bit of a return to some of their earlier work, more acoustic than their recent releases. Emotional and complex lyrics from Justin, as usual. S P E Y S I D E is an early standout for me.
-
Comment on Seasonal hobbies: What are your summer/winter hobbies? in ~hobbies
ach LinkI try to make biking a year-round thing. Summer leans more towards mountain biking and winter more towards gravel rides. But I'll do either anytime of year, mainly depends on precipitation and...I try to make biking a year-round thing. Summer leans more towards mountain biking and winter more towards gravel rides. But I'll do either anytime of year, mainly depends on precipitation and trail conditions.
Gardening/landscaping projects usual happen in spring and fall with summer just being maintenance and harvesting.
Probably the only hobby that I do mainly in the winter is sim racing. I refuse to be holed up in my basement on the PC when the days and long and weather is relatively nice.
-
Comment on Taskmaster Series 17, Episode 1 - 'Grappling with my life' | Full episode in ~tv
ach LinkReally enjoyed the first episode - this lineup seems pretty fun. Steve Pemberton is so quick! His task with the egg was really clever.Really enjoyed the first episode - this lineup seems pretty fun. Steve Pemberton is so quick! His task with the egg was really clever.
-
Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life
ach LinkThree things that I learned from our wedding day. Don't be afraid to delegate. You and your spouse should be enjoying the day and each other as much as possible, so don't worry about doing little...Three things that I learned from our wedding day.
-
Don't be afraid to delegate. You and your spouse should be enjoying the day and each other as much as possible, so don't worry about doing little stuff yourself. We needed our car moved between wedding and reception, so we asked a good friend to do it. SIL and mothers set up the centerpieces at the reception. FIL was in charge of directing people in the reception venue. If you have an event planner, they should handle this, but if it's more DIY, just ask for help.
-
Hire a professional photographer. I've had a few friends use an acquaintance or someone "just starting out" and they were very disappointed with their pictures. We hired a pro and have some wonderful photos that we often look back at. It was our biggest expense after the venue/food but totally worth it.
-
Enjoy the process. Hopefully, you only plan one wedding, so make sure to enjoy all the little things leading up. I'm one to always rush to get things finished and focus on the end result. But I really made an effort to slow down and enjoy the planning process. I have fond memories of choosing tie colors, picking invitations, listening to first dance songs, etc. To quote Dawes, "it's not some stupid little ring, I'm getting a little bit of everything".
-
-
Comment on First time homebuyer who just closed on a house, does anyone have any general advice? in ~life.home_improvement
ach LinkPay attention to water around your home. Are your gutters and downspouts flowing properly? Is there standing water anywhere near the foundation or in the yard after it rains? During heavy rains,...Pay attention to water around your home. Are your gutters and downspouts flowing properly? Is there standing water anywhere near the foundation or in the yard after it rains? During heavy rains, where does the water from the downspouts go? Unaddressed drainage problems in and around your home can cause major damage over time.
Case in point, our back patio has sunk over the years and is now collecting water right next to our foundation. Hydrostatic pressure can cause foundation issues and water intrusion if you have a basement.
We also had a downspout that was dumping water right onto the driveway for years. This eventually eroded a trench underneath the driveway causing some major cracks and setting in the concrete. We've since redirected the downspout into the yard, well away from the house and driveway.
-
Comment on Any woodworkers here? in ~hobbies
ach Link ParentTell me more about your desk. I'm currently collecting ideas for my own. I'm leaning towards something like Adrian Preda's cherry desk at the moment.Tell me more about your desk. I'm currently collecting ideas for my own. I'm leaning towards something like Adrian Preda's cherry desk at the moment.
I do a variety of sports: running/trail running, mountain biking, gravel cycling, and rowing. As I started to get more serious about improving my fitness, it became clear I was going to need some data to help focus the training and manage recovery over all the activities. I settled on a used Garmin Fenix 6 as my first fitness watch. This was a great all in one solution for tracking mountain bike rides and runs and providing some basic navigation for longer rides.
Once I started rowing and doing more interval runs, I decided I needed to get a chest strap to properly measure heart rate (the optical monitors don't respond fast enough to track intervals). I ended up with a Polar H10. This has been a great device and works seamlessly with my Garmins and the Concept2 RowErg.
I eventually picked up a Garmin Edge 540 for my gravel bike to have a better navigation option for long races (5+ hours) and it provides some nice screens for training. I also use Favero Assioma power meters which just sync to the Edge. They have been rock solid.
That's a lot of data and devices to sync, but I find that Garmin Connect works pretty well. The fitness metrics can be a bit...frustrating (training load is low, but I'm somehow also overtraining...huh??), but they generally work well enough to guide training and manage recovery. I am a bit worried about Garmin adding the Connect+ paid option and that they would start removing features from the base Connect app, but so far that hasn't been the case. I have liked their model of features being tied to a device, so you buy and own the device and get those features forever. Hopefully they don't deviate too far from that.
I have also recently started using the site intervals.icu for tracking and planing training. It is an impressive application and I was so impressed I went for the paid option. It is mainly focused on cycling, but tracks other activities pretty well. I really like how you can see all the data and understand how it is tracking your fitness. Definitely more for the data nerds or serious athletes, but I much prefer it over the mysterious Garmin metrics.
My whole "fitness stack" looks like this:
Running/Trail Running: Garmin Fenix 6 + Polar H10 -> Garmin Connect/intervals.icu
Mountain Biking: Garmin Fenix 6 + Polar H10 -> Garmin Connect/intervals.icu
Gravel Cycling: Garmin Edge 540 + Polar H10 + Favero Assioma -> Garmin Connect/intervals.icu
Rowing: Concept2 RowErg + Polar H10 -> ErgData -> Strava -> intervals.icu (this took a while to figure out lol)
To summarize:
(0) Yes, absolutely. I initially just wanted something to keep track of my MTB rides and have navigation for longer rides. I like having all the data available and it has helped me manage my overall training load between different sports. Being able to (roughly) estimate my lactate threshold and max HR was something that I didn't realize would be so useful for setting heart zones (no more 220-age BS).
(1) (2) Definitely. If I had to settle on one device, my Fenix 6 really does everything I need (aside from proper HR). If I couldn't find another Fenix, I would still stay in Garmin ecosystem and use intervals.icu for planning.