frostycakes's recent activity
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Comment on Amid marijuana legalization, a civic problem lingers: that smell in ~life
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Comment on 2024 Ford Ranger first drive review: A capable truck I don’t want to drive in ~transport
frostycakes Link ParentMy partner has an '06 Tacoma, even that one is larger than what I'm looking for. Something the size of the late 90s Taco is about as big as I'd go.My partner has an '06 Tacoma, even that one is larger than what I'm looking for. Something the size of the late 90s Taco is about as big as I'd go.
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Comment on 2024 Ford Ranger first drive review: A capable truck I don’t want to drive in ~transport
frostycakes LinkYet another truck ruined by the endless march to get larger and fancier. My '01 Ranger that I had when younger would be an equivalent of $29k new today after factoring inflation. A $40k+ Ranger is...Yet another truck ruined by the endless march to get larger and fancier. My '01 Ranger that I had when younger would be an equivalent of $29k new today after factoring inflation. A $40k+ Ranger is obscene, and the Maverick, while neat and the size I want, is still FWD if you want the hybrid and built on a car platform, not a true body-on-frame truck one.
Give me a small, RWD/4WD pickup with a manual transmission option, or failing the manual, a true hybrid or EV one that isn't a full-size truck. Screw the giant tablet dash too, while we're at it-- that is one of the worst trends in modern cars, IMO.
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Comment on WiFi 7 is officially here, but routers are pricey. Do you need it yet? in ~tech
frostycakes LinkGiven that I used moving to a new place that had gigabit fiber available to upgrade my routers to two 6E mesh nodes, it's rather pointless. 6E gives me the 6GHz band that's great to have living in...Given that I used moving to a new place that had gigabit fiber available to upgrade my routers to two 6E mesh nodes, it's rather pointless. 6E gives me the 6GHz band that's great to have living in an apartment building, and I paid ~$300 for two mesh nodes that even have 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, so they're decently futureproofed if/when my ISP starts offering faster than 1Gbps speeds. Mine and my partner's phones are 6E capable, as is our roommate's laptop, so we're getting some use out of it already.
If I was still using my old AC router, I might have gone straight to 7 instead of 6E, but this is good enough for our needs for the forseeable future.
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Comment on ‘No cash accepted’ signs are bad news for millions of unbanked Americans in ~finance
frostycakes Link ParentMoney orders are what are used instead, and basically every grocery store and many convenience stores sell them for a $1-$3 fee. I use them myself since I get 1% cashback on transactions with my...Money orders are what are used instead, and basically every grocery store and many convenience stores sell them for a $1-$3 fee.
I use them myself since I get 1% cashback on transactions with my debit card, and money orders at the grocery store are just processed like any other transaction there-- nets me more than the $1 fee costs me. The grocery store especially will typically offer check cashing as well (naturally for a fee), so it's rather common to see people on the first of the month at the customer service desk cashing their paychecks and getting a money order for their rent at the same time in poorer neighborhoods.
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Comment on What's the deal with the popcorn button? in ~food
frostycakes LinkSadly, all but one of my apartments has had a built-in over the stove microwave, all GE ones, which all have/had the crappy time-based popcorn button without a sensor. I dunno why GE/Haier seems...Sadly, all but one of my apartments has had a built-in over the stove microwave, all GE ones, which all have/had the crappy time-based popcorn button without a sensor. I dunno why GE/Haier seems so resistant to putting a sensor in (even the one in the house my family lived in when I was in high school, a pre-Haier buyout Profile model) did not have a sensor for popcorn.
I'm partial to the Whirley Pop popcorn pot I got as a gift some time back though. Toss some ghee in the pot as the popping oil/flavoring, crank the handle while it's popping, then toss the popcorn in a bowl with Old Bay as the seasoning. Beats crappy theater popcorn by a mile, IMO. I don't know why people are so enamored with the greasy, fake-tasting theater popcorn in the first place. So much better to find seasonings of your own to like.
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Comment on Firefox will support at least 200 new extensions on Android this December in ~tech
frostycakes Link ParentBPC does have a combo blocklist for uBlock Origin and a companion user script install that works on Tampermonkey (and by extension, Firefox on Android) here. It's not quite as good as BPC on...BPC does have a combo blocklist for uBlock Origin and a companion user script install that works on Tampermonkey (and by extension, Firefox on Android) here. It's not quite as good as BPC on desktop, but it does the trick for the vast majority of paywalls I come across on my phone.
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Comment on The US tried permanent daylight saving time in the ’70s. People hated it. in ~life
frostycakes Link ParentAs someone who often has to clock into their job at 4am, neither do I. I never see daylight when I'm heading into work (aside from the earliest bits of twilight for a week or so around the summer...As someone who often has to clock into their job at 4am, neither do I. I never see daylight when I'm heading into work (aside from the earliest bits of twilight for a week or so around the summer solstice), and it really doesn't make a difference. Having it be dark before 5pm in December absolutely decimates my moods, however.
I'd be pushing for my state to move up a time zone if we got stuck with permanent standard time, and I live at the reference longitude for my current time zone, even.
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Comment on Can Windows make the jump to ARM like Apple did? in ~comp
frostycakes Link ParentWIndows NT (the base for all modern Windows, including 10 and 11) was originally developed on the i860 architecture explicitly to avoid making it dependent on x86 specific quirks or features....WIndows NT (the base for all modern Windows, including 10 and 11) was originally developed on the i860 architecture explicitly to avoid making it dependent on x86 specific quirks or features. There's been various versions of release Windows for MIPS, Alpha, Itanium, and PowerPC, in addition to the x86, AMD64, and ARM versions that we see today.
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Comment on Pixel 6 owners who use multiple profiles run into problems with Android 14 in ~tech
frostycakes Link ParentIt's not quite the same, but you can set your phone to drop the status bar by tapping twice on the back of the phone. I have that set to turn the flashlight on on my 7 Pro, for example.It's not quite the same, but you can set your phone to drop the status bar by tapping twice on the back of the phone. I have that set to turn the flashlight on on my 7 Pro, for example.
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Comment on The one-state solution by Edward Saïd (1999) in ~misc
frostycakes Link ParentLinks can and do fail, and many of these archive sites don't work on networks using Cloudflare DNS servers due to weird tiffs between them and CF. You also don't run into the problem that 12ft.io...Links can and do fail, and many of these archive sites don't work on networks using Cloudflare DNS servers due to weird tiffs between them and CF. You also don't run into the problem that 12ft.io did, where there are news sites that they won't bypass for you, either because they've been ordered to or paid off to.
It's a lot harder to completely get rid of a bypassing paywalls browser extension, than to take out a hosted service. What happens when an ISP (maybe not in the US, but I know this happens in Europe) is court ordered to block access to these sites on piracy grounds, for example?
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Comment on The one-state solution by Edward Saïd (1999) in ~misc
frostycakes Link ParentThere are paywall bypassing extensions out there, use them. I really don't like these archive links to bypass, same as 12ft.io. They're far easier to end up blocked by the original source, and as...There are paywall bypassing extensions out there, use them. I really don't like these archive links to bypass, same as 12ft.io. They're far easier to end up blocked by the original source, and as you mentioned, may have a chilling effect on their ability to archive things.
Even on my phone I have Firefox with uBO and Tampermonkey with the userscript for Bypass Paywalls Clean loaded into it. Don't even need to sideload, run Nightly, or enable developer options to do so-- both TM and uBO are officially supported on Firefox for Android. With how techy the Tildes crowd leans, I am baffled at how few people seem to just install paywall bypass extensions on here.
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Comment on Caroline Polachek: Tiny Desk Concert (2023) in ~music
frostycakes Link ParentIf you haven't yet, go check out her prior work as part of Chairlift, it's where I fell in love with her sound. You'll probably recognize Bruises from a late-aughts iPod commercial, or I Belong in...If you haven't yet, go check out her prior work as part of Chairlift, it's where I fell in love with her sound. You'll probably recognize Bruises from a late-aughts iPod commercial, or I Belong in Your Arms from Heartstopper. Amanaemonesia is another earlier track worth checking out. I'm still partial to their last album Moth, especially Polymorphing, Crying in Public, Romeo, and Moth to the Flame.
Polachek is just a fantastic musician all around.
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Comment on How can I get my engineers to accept being on call? in ~tech
frostycakes Link ParentThe problem is, at least here in the US, is that it's rare to have employment contracts at all. Outside of government employees, contractors, and people in the state of Montana, we are all at will...The problem is, at least here in the US, is that it's rare to have employment contracts at all. Outside of government employees, contractors, and people in the state of Montana, we are all at will employees. I've never seen a W2 job outside of those aformentioned scenarios not have verbiage staring that "this is not an employment contract" when receiving a job offer to sign.
I have a friend and former roommate whose job description explicitly included fully open availability (as an IT guy for a middling construction company) explicitly so that if they need to call someone in at 2am due to whatever crisis, anyone who says no can be terminated and be ineligible for unemployment. If these engineers for the OP situation's job descriptions didn't include defined hours of availability, odds are, at least in my US experience, they would be seen as terminating for cause for refusing to go on-call.
I'm no labor lawyer, obviously, and a court fight may well result in the worker winning, but there's also the spectre of binding arbitration agreements that preclude taking these things to court, which thanks to our lovely Supreme Court, are spreading like weeds amongst companies for both their employees and customers.
We have very few rights as workers here, at all levels.
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Comment on How can I get my engineers to accept being on call? in ~tech
frostycakes Link ParentThe problem is, at least in the US, that the clause is enforceable, especially re: unemployment and being denied due to termination for cause. It's gross and shouldn't be enforceable, but here we are.The problem is, at least in the US, that the clause is enforceable, especially re: unemployment and being denied due to termination for cause.
It's gross and shouldn't be enforceable, but here we are.
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Comment on How can I get my engineers to accept being on call? in ~tech
frostycakes Link ParentNot that I agree with the OP, but do these jobs not include the 'other duties as assigned' verbiage that I've seen nearly universally across basically every class of job from burger flipper on up?...Not that I agree with the OP, but do these jobs not include the 'other duties as assigned' verbiage that I've seen nearly universally across basically every class of job from burger flipper on up? Everywhere I've worked, and everywhere my family members and friends with whom I've discussed these things with (both blue and white collar, professional and not) has had that listed as a job requirement, and pointed to that whenever anyone made a stink about new duties like an on-call rotation. Hell, my mother (a 20+ year social services director at a nursing home company) is going through this right now with her job re: being required to push a crappy insurance plan on residents and families that, by her own admission, is worse in every way for the residents save one in the facility she oversees, with her ED using the 'you agreed to do other duties as assigned when you were hired' line and threatening writeups if her and the other staff don't start pushing these harder. Never mind that she has a duty of care to her residents, and is just presenting it as 'here's this plan's coverage, and these are the care needs for you/your family member at our facility, it's your decision'.
It's stupid and frustrating to be sure, but I'd be honestly shocked if any role did not have that listed amongst the requirements specifically to counteract complaints like the engineer here.
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Comment on Are you using WiFi 6E in a home/home office setting? Have you seen any benefit to the 6GHz channel? in ~tech
frostycakes LinkI have 6e (a single Deco AXE7500 mesh node, as I live in an ~1100 sq ft apartment), on a gigabit fiber connection. The only devices we have that have 6e support are my Pixel 7 Pro and our...I have 6e (a single Deco AXE7500 mesh node, as I live in an ~1100 sq ft apartment), on a gigabit fiber connection. The only devices we have that have 6e support are my Pixel 7 Pro and our roommate's new Macbook Air. It doesn't make much of a difference for her unless she's in our living room (as her room is on the outer edge of the apartment, meaning that the distance and walls kill the 6GHz band faster than 5GHz, which works just fine there), and on my phone, it just means I can pull the full 940/940 over WiFi.
I was interested both for futureproofing purposes, and after living in an even smaller studio before this. Place was so small and packed with units that any non-DFS 5GHz channels were as congested as 2.4GHz ones have been for over a decade. Since I switched from the FWA 5G home internet I had at my last apartment to fiber here (as it wasn't available at my last place), I lost the equipment that supported DFS 5GHz channels, and needed another solution to handle an apartment complex where 5GHz is only getting noisier. It helped that I caught the Deco on a sale that meant it was maybe $30 more than the non-6E models, as well.
I'm thinking of getting a second node for the office room (which is by our roommate's bedroom) just to have 6GHz throughout, but I can't justify the ~$130 since neither mine or my partner's laptops support 6E, and my desktop is naturally hardwired with Ethernet. If my laptop wasn't a cheapo secondary portable device for me at this point, I'd consider upgrading to 6E on it (it only supports 1x1 433Mbps 802.11ac, sadly), but that's not in the cards until it gets replaced entirely. I'm the only tech inclined one of us between my partner and roommate, so with them I'm stuck in the "want really good WiFi" loop, to reference what @Greg mentioned at the end of their reply.
It's one of those where, if the added cost is small, it's worth it to futureproof. Failing that, I don't see much use aside from being used as wireless backhaul for multiple mesh nodes, something that I don't think would work well in a home large enough to need a mesh network anyways.
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Comment on The US dairy industry is trying to outlaw plant-based “milk” labels—again in ~food
frostycakes Link ParentThere's one at the grocery store I work at that's called Malk. It'll be just like the "be'f" that Gardein sells. I can't be the only person that doesn't care what they call it, I'll still be...There's one at the grocery store I work at that's called Malk. It'll be just like the "be'f" that Gardein sells.
I can't be the only person that doesn't care what they call it, I'll still be getting oatmilk and the oat based coffee creamer. I'm actually surprised that the dairy industry hasn't gone after non dairy creamers in the past (or present), as well.
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Comment on It’s the breakfast of champions no more: Cereal is in long-term decline in ~food
frostycakes Link ParentI mean, it's drinkable, but I found the water in Chicago, suburban Minneapolis, and northeastern Iowa to all taste pretty bad compared to the water in the Denver area or SW Montana, if we're...I mean, it's drinkable, but I found the water in Chicago, suburban Minneapolis, and northeastern Iowa to all taste pretty bad compared to the water in the Denver area or SW Montana, if we're sticking to the Midwest specifically. Same with Boston, Providence, and DC for the coast.
I don't know if its due to fewer minerals in the water out there, older distribution lines relative to here, or something else, but eastern waters are just not that good, to my taste.
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Comment on It’s the breakfast of champions no more: Cereal is in long-term decline in ~food
frostycakes Link ParentThe tap water is an east coast problem. Having lived in three states out West, our tap water in all of them has tasted excellent, whereas everywhere east of about Nebraska I've been has just had...The tap water is an east coast problem. Having lived in three states out West, our tap water in all of them has tasted excellent, whereas everywhere east of about Nebraska I've been has just had disgusting water, for whatever reason.
You'd be surprised at just how many people are hitting carts when they're out and about. That's the main selling point of them, IMO. They're discreet enough that most people cannot tell you're doing anything but vaping unless they're up close or it's a super terpene heavy live rosin cartridge, and even those dissipate quickly.
Back when I was taking transit to work, I'd keep a battery and cart in my backpack that I'd hit while waiting for the train to head home, and I was never the only one doing so IME.
I still use them at home to help me fall asleep, as my partner and I have a roommate who doesn't partake, so I want to minimize the smell for her. I do vape flower in our garage or when I'm out camping/hiking, and for the latter I'll bring some joints too, as the high is undeniably different between all of these consumption methods, and a joint is just something I've always done on camping trips since a friend and I would go on them back in high school.