josuepeq

It’s okay to be a luddite. Not everything needs to have an interface.

Got into a spat with a manager at my apartment complex because I refused to install their app just to deal with a maintenance issue.

He was like, “I don’t see the problem, you have to use the Latch app to open your apartment door.”

To which I replied, “No, I have the door keypad code memorized.”

Just like I don’t need an app to make a log of exit/entry history in a backend database just to enter my apartment via a Bluetooth lock…

…I should not have to install their app to make my apartment livable.

Indeed, my argument was convincing enough to have a resolution which didn’t include installing their app.

My problem is I can’t stay interested for long.

Yes, it’s possible that it’s a “me” problem.

90 minutes of kicking the ball back and forth across the pitch that feels too large for the task at hand, occasionally scoring, only to end up with what amounts to a pretty low scoring game. It’s just hard to watch, it seems to move so much slower than I can handle.

If it works for others, that’s awesome; any sport that has the potential to bring many people together is a great thing.

I was thinking about this a few weeks ago.

Doppler shift would substantially change the wavelength, and frequency too.

Perhaps the number of light years a wave has traveled moving in the same direction that Earth is moving in, would be less distance than the side facing the direction that we are moving away from.

The Earth, and Solar System are always moving in motion; I would imagine doppler shift would also have a significant impact on the success of receiving such transmissions.

I’m 40, on Social Security Disability Insurance and recently became eligible for Medicare.

After years on Kaiser because of familiarity, when I became eligible for Medicare, I had to make a choice between original Medicare or Medicare Advantage.

It’s incredible expensive to buy into adequate coverage if you’re under 65 and on disability and want original Medicare, but after the mixed experience I had with Kaiser, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As I have some serious health conditions, I signed up with Plan G Extra and a high coverage tier for Part D. It’s going to cost about $1300/mo plus an additional $202.90/mo for part B, but it’s better than having to worry about future health issues putting me in financial ruin.

Nice to preserve choice being responsible for at most a $283 deductible per year on top of the monthly cost.

I had a 3 day hospital stay in December 2024 that was $75,000 and I didn’t have to pay for it, so it was worth it to have good coverage.

Soon gas stations in the Bay Area will have to price Gasoline in quarts, because the gas pumps can only display up to $9.99.

Same problem at LAS, SLC, and DEN.

Whenever I have an overnight layover in any of these airports I now pack NIOSH certified ear muffs, along with an eye mask.

I look ridiculous, but I don’t care.

You’re correct, but this is unsustainable.

You’re sentiment is correct, but I also think that most Certified B Corporations arguably make the world a better place.

Additionally the U.S. Government requires that the states have balanced budgets, a requirement that is not stipulated for federal national spending. Unfunded spending obligations are not a problem, the federal government just raises the debt ceiling.

Yep, ran my refrigerator, my router and my modem with an inverter on my Chevrolet Bolt EV after blackouts from a large windstorm in California knocked power out for a few days.

The trick with Bolt EVs is that one must have the car on, because the high voltage battery will not engage when the car is off for safety reasons. Also, the car shuts off every hour of unless the seatbelt is fastened. This is not a big deal.

Every Apple Store has a Genius Room, which repairs everything Apple makes. This union sort of makes sense.

It can get quite sophisticated as all stores are specialized and trained to make these repairs, including Geniuses getting trained on much of the same equipment as an iPhone assembly line, (plus the equipment to do the reverse) including test and validation equipment. I have worked at flagships in top tier cities, down to the smallest mall stores in a market that has exactly one store, the job is exactly the same. These jobs don’t require engineering degrees, but at least for Genius they require quite a bit of training, not so dissimilar from trades. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been there but used to be if one is promoted up to Genius they will be certified to do repairs. If one fails training and cannot get their Apple Technician Certification, they’re demoted or fired.

The problem with most automakers (good example, General Motors) and their electronics divisions (i.e ACDelco) is their centuries of experience with getting sued, so everything innovative gets reworked to satisfy the demands of the legal department, specifically as far as cars sold in the United States is concerned.

Ironically enough the Costco in San Francisco has more free parking than any other parking lot in the City, and is bigger than most all of the paid public garages also.

I like the idea!

I also like Dingbats. And parking.

Removing parking minimums is a noble idea, but one thing I have noticed is that the new “parking free” apartment buildings in San Francisco, such as the Tenderloin and SOMA, are having a hard time getting all of their units filled, even with prices slashed. This is a problem that buildings with parking seem to not have. Even with good transit, the city is much easier to navigate by car. People who have the means to drive, will mostly drive when factoring decisions like this:

Today I went from Church/Market to Chestnut/Fillmore in the Marina on public transit, which took me about 40 minutes. If I was going to drive my car, 15 minutes.

In Berkeley, there are also buses that traverse every major street, BART cutting through downtown and then over to North Berkeley, but it is significantly more difficult to get everything done without a car - food deserts abound, and the main retail and entertainment areas are also lopsided on the east side of town, with the other being 4th street, which is more like a destination retail area - CB2, Apple.

Without a 1:1 ratio of parking, we gain an abundance of traffic congestion in people circling blocks to find a parking spot on the street.

If parking is available for rent in less than a 1:1 ratio, the affluent - with the deeded parking space in their market rate apartments - usually end up with the few parking spots in a development, on the idea that they can afford to pay premiums for it. Below Market Rate units usually only have a few spots available for multiple residents to pay for at full price.

Parking imbalances give credence to the idea that cars are exclusive, everyone else should take the bus. Its not easy to force people to give up their cars.