ics

I posted and then deleted a comment as I was going to ask if you'd tried draw.io. Even when I worked in electrical design (infra+industrial), it was my go-to sketching tool to have open next to -CAD. What would you do to improve it for your use case, or are you lamenting that it isn't open source either?

TIL that WRRV also has a website which publishes articles actually relevant to their broadcast area. TIAL that they have also managed to make the ads on their website exactly as irritating as the ads on the radio.

I’m skeptical of the change he having just heard of it but I do value improvements to bus service and am interested to see how this plays out.

For starters, it's a generic choice that's likely similar to what many used in school computer labs. No bikeshedding over which type of switches to get; that can be a very taste-specific choice. I might have missed it but wonder if there are any house rules against bringing your own mouse/keyboard.

Edit: kentonv replied answered before I hit submit. BYOK/M if you want, nice.

I did not say it was much harder. I called your response glib because you appear to be reading much more into my response than was actually written and speaking on many assumptions. If you want a summary of my first post which was to an outsider asking why brokers exist in the NY marketplace, it is that there was some marginal benefit which now is even less in my opinion.

I don't think I need to refute the overall glibness here, but in case you're looking for a place in the coming months/years: brokers are often the only ones who take checks these days. The last landlord I had who took a check was 15 years ago, since then it's been cash, bank transfer, or Zelle only.

In the past, there was some informational benefit for average Joe/Jane. Without internet, finding apartments, knowing which neighborhoods, buildings, or landlords were good or not was quite difficult. Whether the average broker helped with that I don't know, but those I know from that generation (pre-90s apartment seekers) the ones who used a broker did so for those reasons and were mostly satisfied. These days, most people I know exclusively look at direct listings and don't pay broker fees. The exception is usually when you are either more picky or in more of a rush. At my last apartment I paid a broker and it was indeed a place where the landlord simply didn't want to deal with vetting tenants and left it up to the brokers to get the info to impress them.

I meant to type Marine Corps' but seem to have clipped it before saving, too late now. One pilot crashing thrice in a week would be quite the feat though!

Brief summary and my understanding of why this occurred:

    - Pilot ejects, survives while losing very expensive plane
    - The crash is Marine's third in several weeks, the other two having fatalities; leads to a safety stand down across the entire corps
    - Investigation concludes that ejection was unnecessary and so fault of the crash is on the pilot, however adding that the procedures written were overly broad
    - Pilot is offered to lead VMX-1 after all this; key part of the responsibility is improving procedures

Reading between the lines, it appears that somewhere in the leadership was a belief that putting the pilot in charge of VMX-1 was an opportunity for both; let the guy who made a mistake move forward as they'll be least likely to make it twice kind of thing. General Eric disagreed and ordered him out; it's not stated whether that was based on his own judgement only or if others in VMX-1 lost confidence and that factored in. Nobody disagrees that they have the ability to fire him for what happened.

The pilot is from Atlanta, GA. His assignment to VMX-1 in Arizona happened after the investigation as noted in the article.

“Simplifying web development. Contacted us.” Perfect. I’m somewhat impressed with the amount of effort put into acting as though CF is a viable modern stack choice.

You can purchase anti-theft purple die which is used in retail devices for not very much money. We had a problem in my previous building with someone getting through the locked vestibule and stealing packages. Had.

Recently I had to change a password for my utility provider. One of the options for a security question was, not kidding, What is your favorite security question?

DannyBee didn’t claim that they “brought SourceForge down” or even attempted to. They said Google Code was intended to prevent a monoculture, i.e. SourceForge being the only popular option.

The best case is that it never happens. The second best case is that it’s caught as soon as it happens and stopped then. The third best case is that it’s caught some time after it happens and stopped before it has any external consequences (people getting sick). The fourth best case is that it’s caught some time after it happens but only stopped after external consequences.

Etcetera etcetera. Throw in another dimension of punishment besides just stopping operations and it gets more complex. With a little imagination, the worst cases are much worse than any of the above. We can be dissatisfied with the actual circumstances but still recognize the nuanced factors which might make up a “working” system.

As easy as it is to pick on Teenage Engineering you could say the same about tons of other instruments, pedals, etc. It’s just gear, if only talented musicians bought them then the market for such things would be tiny in comparison.

The other replies are correct but to explain the credit “game”, using credit cards is the easiest way to get started showing banks how responsible you are about paying back credit. For large purchases which most people will need credit for, e.g. new car or house, banks want you to have a good record as a borrower.

As to the overspending issue, that is indeed a problem that many have. I think credit issuers mostly want to walk a very fine line, accepting that some really won’t be able to repay their debts while others can and simply spend more of what they can but might not if they weren’t using credit.

I was in this position before but would point out that there is a tactical approach when you know that others will not follow. I set up a cron job (on Windows, not really cron) to check scan the network location for updated source files. The git repo was on my drive and on the corporate GitHub account, safe from those who should have been using it. Whenever files changed it would just auto commit on the main branch with the username included in the message. I could do whatever I wanted on my own branches, keep track of what others were doing, and essentially wield git. You don’t have to try to be a hero inflicting proper source control upon your teams (their perspective) to still occasionally appear like a wizard to save them from inevitable, oft-occurring peril.

How much for a can of Perri-Air?

I look forward to seeing The Moss in theaters several years from now. Opening scene is a beautiful valley which turns out to be Mars followed by two hours of seeing how it has spread, done some irreparable damage to the planet which requires intervention to save surrounding planets, all while the mutant gene continues wreaking havoc on unsuspecting scientists trying to study the issue. Killer weed from outer space. Spreads on metals which alters their material properties. Filters certain gases or creates localized atmospheric conditions which prevent the team of scientists, and maybe frontier communities, from escaping the planet while their other resources get taken over by the moss... there's a lot of shlock possible here.

This is a nice point that is often missed in the cacophony of complaints about complexity. If companies are not simply leveraging complexity for the sake of profit, restricted use or repair, etc. then these complaints, as feedback, should still be worthwhile in order to employ complexity.

Extending this idea to how devices operate or are maintained it seems like we're still in a nascent stage. I benefit from a few smart devices but even in a very simple setup, things fail sometimes and then I have to fix it. My mom might benefit from some of these things but she feels better off foregoing the benefits because resolving any issue would be far more costly or impractical.

It was a little tricky because they do actually request that you provide all relevant information and then a narrative for how they relate to the claim. From my reading of the regulations, I should be eligible for EITHER a partial refund on each ticket due to the delay (CAD$700 each) OR reimbursement for itemized expenses. I reiterated in the narrative that I felt as though we were due one or the other depending on how CTA ruled on the original situation causing delay and Air Canada's handling of it (not providing adequate notification, etc.). I tried not to double dip, ended up (almost) empty.

Read that page again. The link you put in [1] also includes the link to the "New refund regulations" (which is what I linked). Reading the Introduction paragraph, it sounds like the page is from 2019 and has not been updated to reflect the new regulations; the newer one should be read and considered in addition.

I itemized all receipts and even had to provide USD/CAD/JPY conversion on every single one but funny enough the only thing which did get reimbursed, the stroller, was based on the current Amazon CA price for the similar model. In the section where you provide documentation you can provide a narrative, which I did along the lines of "I would request the maximum compensation based on my interpretation of X-Y-Z but be satisfied with the minimum reimbursement for itemized additional expense". Sure, the CAD$700 per passenger that the APPR mentions would be nice but the taxi ride seemed obvious? I figured it's one or the other because the point of reimbursement is to cover those extra things without putting the burden of receipts and claims on the customer.

I also noted that in the APPR it states "If the situation is within the airline's control (whether or not it's related to safety)" which led me to question what makes a safety issue in or not in the airline's control? I imagine this is common knowledge to those involved but again, would've found the judgement more credible if my question/claim had been addressed directly.

> I think you're overestimating how much the airline knew.

They submitted documentation showing that they were aware of the issue ~2hrs before our scheduled departure. From there, I think there are many reasonable steps they could have taken all of which are not pretend it's a catering issue while holding people in the airport for 6+ hours after scheduled departure and offering no assistance whatsoever.

I tend to approach these sorts of issues with very little expectation that my interpretation is right (even if it is reasonable), that I'm owed anything, or that other parties will do any more than uphold the minimum required of them. Still, it did not increase my confidence in CTA helping consumers when airlines somehow do not fulfill their own obligations.

Well, yes, I'm making a comment on the internet about my negative experience with Air Canada and CTA in about 15 minutes. The claim itself had all the information and took hours to compile, I'm not sure how long it would take for me to simplify that point by point without still missing something.

    - The delay was caused initially by a safety critical instrument being recognized as faulty, which required the airline to seek a replacement aircraft. This was deemed out of control of the airline, with subsequent staffing and catering issues cascading (in airline's control).
    - CTA stated that because the primary issue was safety critical and outside of their control, passengers were not due compensation.
    - CTA made no acknowledgement of the claims that 1) Air Canada did not inform passengers the nature or possible length of delay, 2) did not offer any rebooking, accommodation, or food/drink during extended layover, and 3) the Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protections Regulations (https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/content/new-refund-regulations-now-force) which requires the airline to at least communicate but in many cases offer reimbursement regardless of whether an incident is in or out of their control.
    - Flight was booked with Air Canada.
    - Cab ride was at our final destination, from Tokyo NRT to Yokohama where family resides. Instead of landing in the afternoon, it was well past normal arrival hours and everyone staff included was clearing out. By the time we got outside, taxi stand was empty, nobody was around, airport was locked behind us. Waited approx. two hours before one randomly showed up. (Yes, we were trying to call any local services in the meantime but of the ones which I could actually connect to without a local # none were actually able to send a driver to where we were.)

When Air Canada submitted their response initially I was impressed because of the level of detail it revealed, including snippets of flight and maintenance logs. However, in reading the response from CTA I gather that was their strategy to dump as much info "in good faith" to make it appear that they really did their best and then the reviewer will more likely take it at face value. I am still genuinely perplexed that they addressed Air Canada's response point-by-point, but not the claim itself which was hinging really on the new regulations.

Obviously I don't want to fly on an aircraft with knowingly compromised safety, but if they had simply alerted passengers what was happening and what to expect then I would've arranged a pick up in advance or requested that we catch a flight the next day. Throughout the delay, I received 4-5 texts simply saying there was a catering issue that would be resolved "soon".

Last year I was on an Air Canada flight which was delayed over 6 hours, leaving my family and I at the airport in the middle of the night with no public transportation, no communication, oh and they lost our stroller enroute which meant by the time we were outside there were no cabs or another soul in sight. Frustrating, but I had read up on the rules for delays during our wait and was confident that at least we would be reimbursed something.

When a random cab driver finally came by possibly just to catch some shut-eye, a $400 ride sounded better than sleeping outside the airport with a toddler and no food or bathroom. After contacting Air Canada customer service and going through their complaint process, the responses were always that our flight was not delayed referencing the first leg but always omitting the second (the complaint was only made on the second leg, using that flight number, so not like it was left out). Well, I eventually got hold of an actual representative who, after a polite exchange or two, stopped responding to any further communication. I filed a case with CTA, citing the relevant Air Canada policies as well as the CTA delays and cancellations guidelines. Plenty of nuances around what is in or out of the airline's control, but supposedly a new rule went into effect last September which would provide compensation in either case. Disappointingly, the CTA reviewer closed the case in under 30 minutes from the airline's response without directly addressing any of this, leaving me with apparently no further option but I suppose to sue in Canadian court? Though I might have even signed away that right by entrusting the CTA with some form of arbitration. The money and time lost is one thing but the CTA's handling has made me unlikely to ever fly to/through Canada again if I can help it.

I remember the Million Dollar Homepage which was almost 20 years ago but the question is still valid. This is different, apparently less novel on the surface (selling typical slots, not pixels), so what or who is it for? I am curious too.

It is a good point and I am cautiously following developments on these because it will not be a pleasant surprise out of the blue. Users need to see how it helps, developers need to see where/how it fits, companies "need" (will) test people's tolerance everything imagined in between.

The analogy is broken a little by subscription license trends but otherwise I'd suggest it may be like getting a car with either manual or automatic transmission. Most people will opt for the automatic and pay more because it's easier. A still sizable portion will opt for the manual either for simplicity, control, cost savings, or a combination of these.

A developer will not want to leave the market for AI-powered versions of their app on the table so obviously they'll pursue it; users given the choice will have needs based on some other context. Maybe a journalist wants GPT powered research tools and plain editing software. A romance novel writer can handle their own research but appreciates GPTs to help synthesize that into outlines and exposition. Will everyone get the kitchen sink without any say or will boundaries emerge which lead to different patterns of providing software?

People are just trying things out and it will be some time before developers and users settle on what works best for them. In this case, you need to provide your own API key which is a pretty good filter for who wants to use it. Maybe it's distasteful to follow hype in certain cases although this one appears actually useful, even if minimally to the author. I would be more concerned with AI-in-the-OS or other deeply embedded system making it impractical to avoid.

I would put Pulp Fiction near the top of the list for "films with surprisingly wholesome moral examples". The overdose, Butch coming back to help Marcellus and their subsequent parting ways, Jules' acknowledgement that he's "buying" not "giving"... to top it off, nobody is trying to moralize or patronize the viewer. Jules was getting close enough to agitate Vince but that just strengthens the film; it's okay to feel Vince's side more and not feel what someone else does despite witnessing the same thing. I was probably late teens when I first saw it but pretty sure if I saw it as a kid that I'd have gotten the good with the bad.

Finally get to use this anecdote...

    Friend: Do you have anything that doesn't taste like middle school girl lip gloss?
    Gas station attendant: *chuckles* No, sorry.
    Friend: Fine, cherry-berry then.

I don't think it works.

In my case, the only iPad is the cheap secondhand one. It would still be nice if I could "borrow" it for the weekend without having to sign in to every service that is already tied to my Apple ID.

I don't disagree with you in general and it is what I recommend to others with the same issue... but the issue is completely unnecessary since (however many generations ago iPad hardware stopped struggling).