first-must-burn's recent activity

  1. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I was parking lot car shopping at Target yesterday, and the RAV4 did catch my eye. It looks like good medium-sized choice. I was briefly involved in the litigation for the unintended acceleration...

    I was parking lot car shopping at Target yesterday, and the RAV4 did catch my eye. It looks like good medium-sized choice. I was briefly involved in the litigation for the unintended acceleration stuff in the late 00's, so I have a slight bias against Toyota. But honestly I think that kind of thing can happen with any of the manufacturers, and it's more about the reliability of specific models.

  2. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    She might get one that says "Hot girls hit husbands"!

    She might get one that says "Hot girls hit husbands"!

    1 vote

  3. Comment on How to write idempotent Bash scripts in ~comp

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    When you get to the end of this series, I hope you publish one a tête-bêche that reads as a bash manual on one side and this story on the other.

    When you get to the end of this series, I hope you publish one a tête-bêche that reads as a bash manual on one side and this story on the other.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Hitting curbs with the plastic skirting is probably the biggest problem my wife has with her Impreza!

    Hitting curbs with the plastic skirting is probably the biggest problem my wife has with her Impreza!

    1 vote

  5. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My sister has the Kia minivan and is pretty happy with it.

    My sister has the Kia minivan and is pretty happy with it.

  6. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Curious - how do you evaluate what kind of condition these high mileage cars are in? And do you work on them yourself? I know the basics, but am not a "car guy" by any means. Also, my reliable...

    Curious - how do you evaluate what kind of condition these high mileage cars are in? And do you work on them yourself? I know the basics, but am not a "car guy" by any means. Also, my reliable (and cheap) mechanic retired, and I haven't found another one, so we've seen our repair costs on our older cars go up quite a bit in the last few years.

    1 vote

  7. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My 10 year old has entered the chat.

    If you like using your hands so much, why don't you eat steak and veg with your hands?

    My 10 year old has entered the chat.

    8 votes

  8. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I like Wendy's fries dipped in chocolate frosty. Nothing better!

    I like Wendy's fries dipped in chocolate frosty. Nothing better!

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

  10. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Thanks, I will add it to my test drive list!

    Thanks, I will add it to my test drive list!

  11. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Our other car is an aging impreza, but hoping to just replace one this year. No pets. Occasional 20 minute commute + 15 minute trip to get my kid from school. Budget in the $25-30k range. Could...

    Our other car is an aging impreza, but hoping to just replace one this year. No pets. Occasional 20 minute commute + 15 minute trip to get my kid from school. Budget in the $25-30k range. Could potentially swing more, but would want it to be to get some specific benefit. Road trips are usually 5-6 hours, sometimes 8-9.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Restaurants recommendations near Times Square in ~travel

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Thanks for asking / reminding me to follow up. We had s great trip! Montessori Model UN was amazing, but that is another post. We were staying in the Marriott Marquis that is literally in Times...

    Thanks for asking / reminding me to follow up. We had s great trip! Montessori Model UN was amazing, but that is another post.

    We were staying in the Marriott Marquis that is literally in Times Square. Other than some further out stuff on the tour bus, we stuck to walking distance things. The kids weren't interested in anything too exotic food wise.

    Here are my quick reviews:

    • Juniors Cafe - mediocre breakfast diner food. Ate there once, then stuck to the hotel buffet which was more expensive but actually good quality, and much faster in the mornings. Thumbs down.
    • Ellen's stardust diner - food was nothing special, basic diner fare, but the singing was amazing. As an experience, I would do it again. Two thumbs up.
    • Annita La Mamma del Gelato - Amazing. Go in the middle of the day. At night, the line is around the block. 10/10, Two thumbs up.
    • Los Tacos #1 - good tacos, but a fairly rushed / chaotic experience. One thumb up.
    • Lazzara's Pizza Cafe - excellent pizza, nice place, mediocre service. One thumb up.
    • Carve Cafe and Pizza - simple place with good NY style pizza, plus good burgers and a salad bar. Take out or eat in if you want something quick and easy. Two thumbs up for what it is.
    • Krispy Kreme Times Square - if you have Kristy Kreme at home, don't bother. If you don't, it's worth a stop. One thumb up.
    • M&M Store Times Square - Tourist trap, but the kids loved it. One thumb down.

    We saw Almost Happy Endings, a musical about two robots falling in love. I'm no connoisseur of musicals, but it was enjoyable, and the effects were amazing.

    2 votes

  13. If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy?

    ~transport Ask (recommendations)
    Lots of details I've been driving a 2006 Honda Ridgeline for the last 13 years. The engine is still reliable, just change the oil and keep fluids topped up, but there is rust in the frame that...
    Lots of details

    I've been driving a 2006 Honda Ridgeline for the last 13 years. The engine is still reliable, just change the oil and keep fluids topped up, but there is rust in the frame that won't pass inspection. I'm going to take it in to get it looked at this week, but I am afraid it won't be worth repairing. If I have doubt that it can be safely repaired (I'm fairly risk averse), I would rather replace it.

    This model Ridgeline is basically a Honda Pilot with a bed. I've often said it's the perfect amount of truck for a software engineer. I do think I'd like to have another truck, but I'd consider other options, like a smaller SUV or a larger hatchback.

    The truck has been our go-to travel car for road trips. We tend to bring a ton of stuff, so the bed has been nice, but having interior cargo space might also be useful. We don't do as many big hauling / years things as we used to, so the truck bed is probably optional.

    I was hoping that by the time I wore out the Ridgeline, there would be more plugin electric or real hybrid options, but it seems like there aren't many options. I wouldn't buy a Rivian or Tesla (not been around long enough). But I'd definitely be interested in peoples thoughts about hybrid options out there. If I'm looking at used hybrids, what kind of things should I worry about with the battery?

    The conventional wisdom when I was growing up was that a used car lost half its value when you drove it off the lot, so it was better to buy used. But in recent years, I've been seeing something more like linear depreciation. Helping my dad buy a new truck last year, it seemed like the year-old or two-year-old used options were just a few thousand less than new.

    Bottom line: I live in Western Pennsylvania in the US. I may shortly need to replace my aging Honda Ridgeline. I need a mid-sized truck/van/SUV that can be a good "road trip" car for a family of three that chronically overpacks.

    What car do you like? What car buying or car selling wisdom do you have in the post-pandemic car market?

    29 votes

  14. Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My next door neighbor when I was a kid (he was in his 80s) had a lamp where the base was carved like a woman. It was probably 3 or 4 feet tall. He called it Geraldine and would change the clothes...

    My next door neighbor when I was a kid (he was in his 80s) had a lamp where the base was carved like a woman. It was probably 3 or 4 feet tall. He called it Geraldine and would change the clothes on it. As I type this out, it sounds super sketchy, but he was an otherwise normal guy living there with his wife.

    The idea that this could be closer to the norm of ancient Rome is .... weird.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on Post something from your notes app in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Response I was thinking of this rabies vaccine, but it's definitely an older technique, so not clear if anyone's doing it that way now. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_embryo_vaccine
    Response

    I was thinking of this rabies vaccine, but it's definitely an older technique, so not clear if anyone's doing it that way now.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_embryo_vaccine

  16. Comment on Heathrow Airport shutdown causes flight chaos and leaves thousands stranded in ~travel

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I haven't seen any details, so this is just speculation, but things I have seen: Spares offline due to damage and not repaired due to cost or parts availability Spares offline for scheduled...

    I haven't seen any details, so this is just speculation, but things I have seen:

    • Spares offline due to damage and not repaired due to cost or parts availability
    • Spares offline for scheduled maintenance
    • Spares failed when the load switched onto them (latent fault in the spares)
    • Spares failed due to overload when switched in - cascading failure

    This kind of thing is hard to get right because a lot of the equipment sits dormant for long periods of time. Full testing is risky in and of itself, so the equipment might only be tested piecemeal, which means the backup plan is at least partly theoretical.

    I am fond of the saying: in theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.

    7 votes

  17. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Something I read a while back that was kind of a palate cleanser was The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buelman

    Something I read a while back that was kind of a palate cleanser was The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buelman

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Post something from your notes app in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Guesses Panera Bread Strawberry Cap'n Crunch Kimchi - the radish thing was an answer to the NYT Crossword a few days ago Pringles Ducks Coconut? Bean Bahnmi Chickpea / Garbanzo bean
    Guesses

    Panera Bread

    Strawberry

    Cap'n Crunch

    Kimchi - the radish thing was an answer to the NYT Crossword a few days ago

    Pringles

    Ducks

    Coconut?

    Bean

    Bahnmi

    Chickpea / Garbanzo bean

  19. Comment on Texas measles outbreak could continue for a full year, official says in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Someone in my high school class ~1996 once bragged to me that he went hunting with the grand wizard of the east Texas KKK. So ... yeah ....

    Someone in my high school class ~1996 once bragged to me that he went hunting with the grand wizard of the east Texas KKK. So ... yeah ....

    1 vote

  20. Comment on ShellCheck: a static analysis tool for shell scripts in ~comp

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I think this is a Severance reference? I really need to get my alternative media sources sorted out so I can watch that.

    I think this is a Severance reference? I really need to get my alternative media sources sorted out so I can watch that.

    3 votes