Search found 3761 matches

by onourway
Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Garmin Watches: do you wear it at night? if not, does it affect stats?
Replies: 33
Views: 2743

Re: Garmin Watches: do you wear it at night? if not, does it affect stats?

My Garmin 965 presents me with a morning report when I wake up every morning that I find extremely useful. It merges sleep duration and quality, HRV, training load, stress, etc. into one place that helps me determine my daily regimen. I find it to be extremely consistent and it has been very helpful in nudging me to improve my sleep regimen, diet, and curbing/eliminating alcohol intake. I think it's the best set of health metrics I've ever had (having owned several Garmin watches, Apple watches, etc. before). That said, I train much more consistently and seriously than 99% of the population. If you sleep/eat/drink/exercise more like the general population, it will tell you that, but most people don't want to know.
by onourway
Sat Mar 09, 2024 6:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wool slippers worth it?
Replies: 53
Views: 5415

Re: Wool slippers worth it?

Another vote for Glerups. I wear them all waking hours in the house for 6 months of the year. They're shoes, they won't last forever - but they are worth every penny.
by onourway
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7894

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

There is an astonishing amount of bad advice in this thread, and it's not even over 1 page yet. Beardsicles is the only person who seems to actually know what they are talking about. 9mph is absolutely not that fast, but it appears to be too fast to elicit progression. Either that, or the inane combination of workouts that OP is doing. OP should have days where the focus is cardiovascular (i.e. easy running for 3 miles at probably 6-7mph, or whatever pace allows OP to hold an uninterrupted conversation), preferably at least 3 days a week but 4 would be better. OP should also have days where strength training is the focus. Working out 3 days a week for 45 minutes will never lead to progression or improvement for anybody that isn't simply se...
by onourway
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7894

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

That’s a pretty decent pace. I’m 47 as well and can run longer but can’t keep up the paces I used too. However, in general in order to get faster you need to train faster. Look up some track workouts like some 400m and 200m speed work instead of just 800s. Do those faster. I’d do 1 of my workouts a week with less overall distance but a much faster pace. I’d also go slower 1 time a week and run a much longer distance to build endurance and aerobic capacity. This is a good idea for me try. I will try some shorter 1/4 mile intervals at higher pace ( 9-10 mph ) and maybe once a week a longer 45 minute run at a slower pace like 6-7 mph. I would really advise against upping the pace even more on your current volume. It's a recipe for injury. Our...
by onourway
Tue Mar 05, 2024 5:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7894

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

I can't speak to the weight lifting side of things, but for the running, you are running way too fast for the volume of running you are doing. Running is an activity that requires a significant amount of base volume before you can tolerate speed. This is all the more true as you age. You are attempting to run at 6.5-7 minutes per mile which again, is very fast for your age and volume level. The fact that you are sore after every workout is your body telling you exactly this. Listen to it. It's difficult to make a huge change in fitness in a bit over 2 hours a week. Others have asked what the goal is which you haven't really answered, but you'd have much better results if you simply ran easy (9-10 min/mile) for 45 minutes twice a week and th...
by onourway
Mon Mar 04, 2024 7:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.
Replies: 21
Views: 2481

Re: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.

Haven't used those models specifically, but have a backpack I've been using as my daily carry and for work travel for over a decade. Incredibly well made and durable, but more importantly, I think, just well designed so that there is a space for everything, making organization a cinch. The company is also exactly the kind of company I'd like to support, so will definitely buy another.
by onourway
Sat Mar 02, 2024 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Subaru Wireless Charging And Wireless Charging in General
Replies: 13
Views: 2190

Re: Subaru Wireless Charging And Wireless Charging in General

A good quality case will allow it to sit flat, but wireless non-magnetic charging is always a game of trying to find the sweet spot. As mentioned, I'd get a genuine magsafe integrated mount and charger. Get a good one that does 15w charging (these are relatively expensive) and you get charging nearly as good as a cable, plus no futzing with a cord every time you get in and out of the car. We put these in both of our vehicles - best chargers/car mount setup we've ever had. How will that fit into/on top of the built in charger or charger space? Also, what charger is Toyota using in my 2023 RX350h? It works flawlessly. In short, it won't. The ones we have are vent mounted, which we use despite having one built into the vehicle that works fair...
by onourway
Sat Mar 02, 2024 6:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.
Replies: 88
Views: 13778

Re: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.

As others have noted, you're actually already spending quite a bit of money on non-housing expenses. My suspicion is that you don't have a good handle on that, and as a result, are probably spending more than you think on 'small' stuff - that is - it's easy for people who make good incomes to spend a LOT of money on things like - coffee out once or twice a day, eating out daily or several times per week, subscriptions you don't really use, weekly shopping trips that end up filling up your space with stocks of products you don't really need, and so on. Unless you comprehensively go through your yearly spending and tabulate all of those expenditures, you probably don't really realize how much you are spending on these things. At your stated i...
by onourway
Sat Mar 02, 2024 6:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Subaru Wireless Charging And Wireless Charging in General
Replies: 13
Views: 2190

Re: Subaru Wireless Charging And Wireless Charging in General

A good quality case will allow it to sit flat, but wireless non-magnetic charging is always a game of trying to find the sweet spot.

As mentioned, I'd get a genuine magsafe integrated mount and charger. Get a good one that does 15w charging (these are relatively expensive) and you get charging nearly as good as a cable, plus no futzing with a cord every time you get in and out of the car. We put these in both of our vehicles - best chargers/car mount setup we've ever had.
by onourway
Wed Feb 21, 2024 8:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All purpose wireless charger
Replies: 6
Views: 691

Re: All purpose wireless charger

Do you mean wireless charging as in wireless between the device and charger, or portable as in a battery power bank?

If the former, the answer is no because most of the devices in your list are not wireless charging compatible. If the latter, there are plenty of battery packs that will do what you want, but I'd change your title to clarify if this is what you mean.
by onourway
Sun Feb 18, 2024 6:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get my road paved
Replies: 77
Views: 6049

Re: How to get my road paved

I agree that for now you just need to slow down. Many of your neighbors may not want it paved because that simply increases the speed of traffic. Consider that possibility when engaging with them.

Someone in your local government knows who is responsible for the road and what its maintenance schedule is. You just haven't found them yet. Shouldn't be terribly difficult if you ask nicely.
by onourway
Fri Feb 16, 2024 8:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines
Replies: 32
Views: 2238

Re: Seeking advice: CU Boulder vs. Mines

In my industry CSM has a much better reputation than CU Boulder. I don't know where they stand regarding computer science, however.
by onourway
Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Time for a new roof and it’s the first one I’m replacing - help!
Replies: 20
Views: 2783

Re: Time for a new roof and it’s the first one I’m replacing - help!

I would not rule out a metal roof which may stand up better to your conditions. You aren't going to get standing seam at a price on par with shingles, but here in NY, standard metal roofing is everywhere, on houses at every price point.
by onourway
Wed Feb 07, 2024 5:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: EV Charging Station at Home
Replies: 48
Views: 3525

Re: EV Charging Station at Home

I vote hardwire. It's really not that much more difficult than a plug, and if you install a new plug, by code I understand you are likely to require a GFCI. If that GFCI ever trips, your charging will be interrupted which could be a hassle if you were counting on that charge to drive in the morning.
by onourway
Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Working Cushy job now, offered promotion to another dept. Stay put or make the jump over?
Replies: 32
Views: 2855

Re: Working Cushy job now, offered promotion to another dept. Stay put or make the jump over?

I would be wary of a move for a tiny pay bump if the new job may interfere with your time and energy for the side job that earns you more money.

What are the long-term prospects for the side job? Is this something that you expect to sustain for the long-term, or is it a short-term thing? I would let that inform my decision. If I intended to make the side job my main thing long-term, I would hold station in my Federal job. If the side job is more short-to-medium term, and the Federal job is the long-term career, I'd do whatever it takes to advance my position and pay there.
by onourway
Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bought the wrong house - Sell now or later?
Replies: 67
Views: 8359

Re: Bought the wrong house - Sell now or later?

I would start fixing the things that you don't like while continuing to watch the local real estate market closely. Most of the things you list so far can be fixed - to a degree at least - and it's completely normal to have a long list of things you want changed when buying a home. - Hire a painter to come fix the worst of the walls and re-paint the trim. - Have the trees around the pool removed/heavily trimmed and get a cover. If you want a pool but don't want the work, hire out the bulk of the maintenance. - Insulation can be blown in - get an energy audit and see what is recommended. Replacing windows generally has a negative ROI on energy cost savings. I'd wait until after doing insulation to see if they really need to be done. - The la...
by onourway
Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to buy refurbished flat-screen TVs?
Replies: 10
Views: 1182

Re: Where to buy refurbished flat-screen TVs?

I'd check your local Best Buy. They should have a selection of open box returns in-store. I prefer buying open-box locally vs. having shipped.
by onourway
Sat Jan 27, 2024 5:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: should we be saving in 529 or in taxable or should we pay off mortgage faster?
Replies: 43
Views: 3896

Re: should we be saving in 529 or in taxable or should we pay off mortgage faster?

A 529 plan offers the tax deferred savings and when used for higher educational expenses those are savings become a ax-free. Where can you find such an opportunity elsewhere? I would fund the 529 plan after you fully fund your retirement plans. Are you suggesting that I would avoid paying 36% (32+4) taxes on the first dollar that goes to 529? I thought the 529 are tax advantaged only at the state level. If they are, then I have to consider the 4% state that I avoid paying against the 5% mortgage interest I pay. You invest after tax money in a 529 (but may get a State tax break) but once the money is invested it can grow and be withdrawn tax free for educational expenses. Plus the possibility of converting a limited portion to an IRA should...
by onourway
Sat Jan 27, 2024 4:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon Wireless price increase
Replies: 52
Views: 5640

Re: Verizon Wireless price increase

Then use US Mobile? If I were concerned about more data(you can get more with Mint), hotspot, roaming, and priority as you mentioned, I'd consider US Mobile: 10GB/month for $15 including taxes and fees. Uses Verizons network, no deprioritizing(from the brief moment or two of research I did), has hotspot, international roaming, etc. Mint Mobile had really good signup bonuses for the first year, coverage is good where we live, and we ended up paying $11.67/month per line after all taxes and fees. Without the signup bonus, I paid $203 for a year, so $16.92/month after taxes and fees for renewal. For folks that don't need 5-10GB/month of data, there are even cheaper plans available. So I think my $15/month or your doing it wrong statement is p...
by onourway
Sat Jan 27, 2024 4:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cloud storage service
Replies: 11
Views: 1370

Re: Best cloud storage service

If you are using Apple devices, and photos are you main concern, iCloud is the logical solution. iCloud is not great for cross-platform, Windows usage (it works, but not great). But for photo syncing across Apple devices, it's the one you want. I'd suggest using a separate backup program, no matter what cloud service you choose.
by onourway
Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Awkward den with 2 doorways. Close off one of them?
Replies: 16
Views: 1545

Re: Awkward den with 2 doorways. Close off one of them?

Set up the room how you'd like it as if the doorway wasn't there. Live with it a while before you do anything permanent.
by onourway
Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon Wireless price increase
Replies: 52
Views: 5640

Re: Verizon Wireless price increase

TravellingTechOnFire wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2024 10:53 am With all the low cost options available, I think a good rule of thumb is that if you are paying more than $15/month for cell service, your doing it wrong.
Yeah unless you need more than 5GB/month, hotspot service, roaming beyond Canada and Mexico, priority data, etc. etc.
by onourway
Thu Jan 25, 2024 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help on Moving Programs/Software to New Macbook
Replies: 8
Views: 875

Re: Help on Moving Programs/Software to New Macbook

I would not do any migration - both because of the large numbers of programs you don't actually need, as well as the fact that you'd be migrating from Intel based software to Apple Silicon based software which can cause many issues. I also wouldn't bother to pay someone else to do this. I would make a list of the programs you use every day and can't live without. For most people this list will be less than 10 programs long. Manually install all these programs (making sure to pick the correct, non-Intel versions). This will probably take less than 30 minutes. Of those programs, there are probably less than 5 that you can't operate without. Focus on setting up those and getting them configured correctly. This should take less than an hour. Yo...
by onourway
Thu Jan 25, 2024 3:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon Wireless price increase
Replies: 52
Views: 5640

Re: Verizon Wireless price increase

It's worth re-visiting your plan as well as your commitment to Verizon if you haven't moved in a while. It may be there are new plans that aren't really that much more expensive when all is said and done. It's also well worth it to shop around. The best deals are almost always when you switch carriers. We recently switched to Verizon and got $2000 worth of free equipment which goes a long ways towards covering the higher cost of service. We played the MVNO game for a while and decided those are best for light users who buy inexpensive phones. We had serious de-prioritization issues as well as major customer service issues. And by the time you factor in the cost of buying your own equipment and the value of the more reliable service, hotspot...
by onourway
Wed Jan 24, 2024 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?
Replies: 35
Views: 4353

Re: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?

They have a product available, where they basically seal the outside doors and then add positive pressure, so air is forced to go out all the leaks, they can know the volume of the leaks by watching the internal pressure. After doing this, they can spray some special stuff inside the room that will slowly fill up all the gaps and close all the leaks. I don't have any personal experience with it, just know it exists: https://aeroseal.com If you really want to close all those leaks, this might be one way to do that. Again, no experience with it, and definitely not a recommendation, just sharing information. Interesting - I knew they had Aeroseal for ducts, didn't know they now have it for whole buildings. I wonder, though, about spraying a c...
by onourway
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?
Replies: 35
Views: 4353

Re: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?

I had an energy audit done on our older home and honestly for us - I don't think it was particularly worthwhile. Our home is 150 years old and well built, but has no modern insulation. They couldn't do much other than verify the walls have no insulation in them, and tell us to focus attention on insulating attic spaces and rim joists. The house was too leaky to bother doing a blower test. Fortunately the radiant heat is way oversized for the job, so the house generally feels warm, but depending on where you are in the process, the energy audit may or may not be worth the time. Also beware that in many cases the energy audit is done by a company whose real motivation is to sell you solutions to the problems they find. The article posted earl...
by onourway
Tue Jan 23, 2024 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?
Replies: 35
Views: 4353

Re: Is having insulation blown into the walls of an old house worth it?

We are going through much of the same decision process. From what I've learned, the two biggest improvements are to ensure adequate insulation in the attic (heat rises - you want to delay its escape) and insulation at the rim joists at the foundation (inhibits the convection cycle drawing cold air from the basement or crawl space up through the wall cavities.) After that, look for obvious points of airflow around window casings, door seals, chimney vents, and so on. Last on the list are actual in-wall insulation, new windows, etc. One concern with older houses without insulation is that the foam insulation inhibits the ability of moisture to travel from the inside of the house to the outside, potentially causing moisture and mold problems. ...
by onourway
Tue Jan 23, 2024 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss
Replies: 26
Views: 1604

Re: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss

protagonist wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2024 12:29 pm I have a state of the art router with 2,4G and 5G capability.
Standard bluetooth speakers (like JBL, Wonderboom, Klipsch etc.) work in multiroom setups controlled by my phone without any proprietary app.

As I stated above, given the limitations of my aging ears and my input device, whether a $100-200 speaker like the JBL Charge 5 or Wonderboom 3 would sound just as good to me as a $700 speaker.
That's not necessarily state of the art. Dual band routers like that have been around for over 20 years. What matters is how your network is configured. Are the bands aggregated by the access point as a single SSID, or handled as separate networks with multiple SSID's?

There is also still the question about your wifi extender.
by onourway
Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss
Replies: 26
Views: 1604

Re: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss

Thanks. Among many other things, I already tried that. I converted the format of my audio files to a format SONOS understands and created a separate music file for these on my computer. I also tried Plex. But there are other issues: 1. SONOS supposedly does not work with Wifi extenders (I have one in my home). 2. The Beam (in the room with the TV) does not work with 5G files. 3. My computer chooses between 2.4G and 5G (as well as EXT) connections depending on what is strongest at the time (my system is not hardwired but works via router). The SONOS system has to be on the exact same network as the speaker that houses the files for the system to work. 4. I need to store the music files in the Symfonisk speaker closest to the router to avoid...
by onourway
Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss
Replies: 26
Views: 1604

Re: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss

What is the nature of the problem with your Sonos system? Multi-room audio is kind of the backbone of the system, and it's much more well suited to that than bluetooth. Bluetooth is designed as short-distance connection up to 30-50' or thereabouts. It's not really suitable for multi-room connections around an entire house. The Sonos system should be able to handle both multi-room and streaming from either local or streaming sources. The alternative solution to Sonos is generally Apple's AirPlay. The full sized HomePod is a very high quality speaker at $300, and can integrate into a whole home audio system. However, as good as they can be, Sonos is generally considered to be a bit more reliable for whole-home audio. I will suggest another op...
by onourway
Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nice home, nice neighborhood, unsavory neighbors – options?
Replies: 92
Views: 10635

Re: Nice home, nice neighborhood, unsavory neighbors – options?

It sounds like you have explored this avenue, but in our city, our local council representatives and the mayor would be quite proactive about the situation. I would think that the best option would be to continue to apply pressure to the local government to enforce even minor violations, presumably of which there is something to enforce. The broken windows policy NYC once followed, so to speak. You say that there are admitted zoning violations, but their hands are tied. What does that mean? Why is there no enforcement?
by onourway
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: flicker-free A19 LED bulbs
Replies: 11
Views: 1331

Re: flicker-free A19 LED bulbs

As noted, make sure circuit is not on a dimmer.

After that, I'd look for the best Philips bulbs you can find. We have 150+ Philips bulbs and have never had a problem or a failure (some now well over a decade old). Every other brand I've ever dealt with I've had problems with at least one from just a handful of their bulbs - including Cree/Feit/etc.
by onourway
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shatter my Van Life Dreams
Replies: 65
Views: 8546

Re: Shatter my Van Life Dreams

We are not very mechanically-inclined and hope to minimize responsibilities in our retirement. Are we going to regret this purchase?[/list] I don't have much to add other than an observation that everyone I've known with a camper - especially a van conversion - has a fair number of mechanical issues with them. Not being able to do a fair bit of troubleshooting and maintenance yourself would seem to me likely to make for a difficult match. The problem is that things inevitably go wrong when you're on the road, far from a mechanic. A neighbor had a new Mercedes van conversion that was having an electrical issue. He spent months trying to get it fixed because Mercedes blamed the outfitter, and the outfitter blamed Mercedes. I was recently wor...
by onourway
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need your expert/experience advice w.r.t to buying house Now or later?
Replies: 58
Views: 4864

Re: Need your expert/experience advice w.r.t to buying house Now or later?

I think this is a value judgement. We should not judge as long as they are aware of the implications of their choices. Please see my response right above your post and let me know if you disagree with any of what I said. KF - I always enjoy your precise, often numbered and easy to follow posts. Perhaps, however I see it as taking advice from people who have been through this before. Which is what we're here for, right? :happy It's not only that they'll need to work more years to replenish their retirement funds. Their wealth will be highly concentrated in a single asset. A change in their local housing market - or even a change in their specific location - (see the current thread RE bad neighbors) could be very damaging. They are reliant o...
by onourway
Sat Jan 20, 2024 6:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need your expert/experience advice w.r.t to buying house Now or later?
Replies: 58
Views: 4864

Re: Need your expert/experience advice w.r.t to buying house Now or later?

I understand wanting to own a house even if it isn't the most financially optimal solution. Renting a house is just not the same thing. You've done a great job of saving thus far, and it's reasonable you want to provide a comfortable home for your family. I would agree with some of the advice you've received so far, but perhaps I can state my concerns in a different manner. If I were in your shoes, I would consider the $100k you are keeping as an emergency fund the bare minimum required for me to feel comfortable owning a home that expensive. In fact, when we bought a home at about half that cost several years ago, we only did it because we were able to do so while retaining an emergency fund significantly larger than what you are proposing...
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 12:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cookware to buy
Replies: 143
Views: 13940

Re: Best cookware to buy

I have a hard time believing that more cost-effective stainless/cast iron options wouldn't last just as long, but I have no experience as we've never had to replace ours. It's hard to have a meaningful conversation if you aren't coming at it from good faith. I gave you a list of the main objective reasons why inexpensive cookware won't last as long as nicer options which you chose to summarily ignore. It's fine that you don't personally value such things - many people don't value a Mercedes over a Toyota either. There are still objective differences. There are plenty of additional differences one may choose more expensive cookware as well. Some objective, some subjective. A Lodge cast iron pan will last effectively forever, but the factory...
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cookware to buy
Replies: 143
Views: 13940

Re: Best cookware to buy

stoptothink wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:06 am
And $2k cookware won't have to be replaced?
Not generally.
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cookware to buy
Replies: 143
Views: 13940

Re: Best cookware to buy

stoptothink wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:00 am It is pretty hard to see the benefits. I guess I'm just not enough of a chef, but I've never used any of these items and thought they lacked in some way and they should last a decade or more (and some, ie. (cheap) Lodge cast iron, will certainly outlast me). From what I've read, high-end chefs do not use really expensive cookware; maybe research what they are using?
Most chefs are using some combination of carbon steel and stainless.

Cookware that lasts a decade will still need to be replaced 6-8 times in an average life.
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Driving from USA to Canada for international flight
Replies: 18
Views: 1361

Re: Driving from USA to Canada for international flight

I have crossed the border to fly out of Toronto many dozens of times. I suppose there is always a risk of some abnormal delay, but I don't think I'd overly worry about it. I've never been caught in a line more than an hour or so. International flights out of Toronto tend to leave later in the day so giving adequate buffer shouldn't be too difficult.
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best cookware to buy
Replies: 143
Views: 13940

Re: Best cookware to buy

$2k for pots and pans? Just to compare, look at what Walmart has for under $100. Very nice and sturdy stuff, looks good too. The benefits are? I'm trying to see the value in this, other than to be able to tell everyone you use Le Creuset. Several years ago we got an entire Tramontina set from the local Costco liquidation center, Black Friday sale with 50% off (already liquidation prices) all cookware, so it was something ridiculous like $60 for everything. They've held up great and look fine to me. It's not hard to see what the benefits are of any product that is built to a higher standard. Most Tramontina (like any inexpensive cookware) will have some combination of, coatings that wear out (the product is designed to be disposable), bonde...
by onourway
Fri Jan 19, 2024 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla in Cold Weather
Replies: 197
Views: 18112

Re: Tesla in Cold Weather

I just home last night after being a week in Steamboat Springs. While the Front Range of Colorado was -16 at night, it was zero to -10 in Steamboat a couple of mornings. So not as cold, but cold enough. Wednesday morning early I went to buy pastries for the family and noticed a long line at the Kum&Go for charging as I drove by. This is mid-week, 7-7:30 am. Honestly, the dedication you guys have to your EV's is pretty awesome, I don't know how you do it....I certainly don't have the patience. The last thing I would want to do is worry about charging my car while on vacation, but that's just me. For comparison, on this trip I travelled 445 miles and have 1/4 tank of gas left still. I filled up 8 days ago. Ford F150 Powerboost Hybrid wit...
by onourway
Thu Jan 18, 2024 2:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla in Cold Weather
Replies: 197
Views: 18112

Re: Tesla in Cold Weather

I think part of the issue is that even authoritative sources like the Tesla owner's manual don't get into specifics. For example, from the link posted just a bit ago: "If you leave Model 3 parked for an extended period of time, plug the vehicle into a charger to prevent normal range loss and to keep the Battery at an optimal temperature." What is an extended period of time? I'm holding off on buying a BEV because about 70% of the time that car would sit in an outdoor parking lot in NYC without ready access to a charger. I can generally park it with a 50% full battery, but how long would that last in February while the car is keeping the battery from freezing? I've read lots of anecdotes but real data are hard to come by. We left ...
by onourway
Wed Jan 17, 2024 4:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Microsoft One Drive
Replies: 37
Views: 4580

Re: Microsoft One Drive

I think I did a lot of that stuff with my Iphone without the One Drive just fine!!! Scanned documents on my phone emailed it. Submit claims, deposit checks. Easy peasy. Why do I need One Drive? I wish I know what I am missing. OneDrive maintains a copy of everything in its target folder in the cloud. It also keeps a copy locally on your computer as you are used to (there is a background configuration option here - but let's talk big-picture). The benefits are that if you have more than one device, you can access all of your files on any of your devices at the same time. No emailing files to yourself. No question about what version of the file is the most up to date. Additionally, this provides you with some level of backup protection (it's...
by onourway
Wed Jan 17, 2024 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Microsoft One Drive
Replies: 37
Views: 4580

Re: Microsoft One Drive

Microsoft continues to incentivize the use of OneDrive integration with Office. If you use more than one device to access your files and/or you collaborate with other people on documents, the use case is pretty clear. If you are a single-device, single-user, the use case is less clear, although syncing to the cloud provides some level of protection against loss and makes migrating to new devices simpler. If you are subscribing to Office as a service, 1TB of OneDrive space is included as part of that, so no additional cost. Office documents stored on OneDrive are also saved automatically in real-time as they are updated. Office documents stored in other locations are still saved manually as you remember to. The default save location may have...
by onourway
Wed Jan 17, 2024 5:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Philips Hue users?
Replies: 16
Views: 1695

Re: Any Philips Hue users?

We have a very large whole-house Hue installation, including 8 of the PAR38 outdoor flood lights at 1300 lumens each connected to multiple motion sensors across 3 detached buildings on the property. They are very bright and the motion sensors are extremely reliable with long battery life (all going on 3-5 years at this point without battery replacement). The motion response is adjustable so that we get very few false positives.

I agree that if you go this direction, you should use the Hue bridge rather than relying on Bluetooth. It's much more reliable and will allow you to easily expand your setup should you like. Hue is definitely not the cheapest option on the market, but it is extremely reliable.
by onourway
Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Electric (battery) snowblower - Looking for a recommendation
Replies: 5
Views: 597

Re: Electric (battery) snowblower - Looking for a recommendation

I don't think you are going to find something satisfactory at that price point for that large an area and that frequent use. There is a long thread already ongoing this week on this topic. It seems like the Ego dual-stage is kind of the bottom price point unless you are simply clearing sidewalks of light to moderate snow.
by onourway
Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Family of 4 debating 3 row SUV
Replies: 71
Views: 8118

Re: Family of 4 debating 3 row SUV

With two car seats and eventually two booster seats, most two-row vehicles won't have room for a 5th person, even for a short trip. While they are in car seats, most three row SUV's won't have any access to the third row without someone climbing through the trunk. We had small cars and eventually one mid-size 3 row SUV for most of the first 10 years of our 3 kids lives. We finally got a Pacifica a few years ago and everyone in the family absolutely loves it (including my wife who was initially against it - she may like it the most!) Everyone gets their own, private seat. Enough room to bring a couple of additional people along. No tetris when packing for even long trips. It drives better than an SUV on the road. I don't understand people no...
by onourway
Thu Jan 11, 2024 5:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best way to sync files between multiple computers and external drives?
Replies: 47
Views: 4921

Re: Best way to sync files between multiple computers and external drives?

You should be able to do this with the Dropbox Selective Sync function. https://help.dropbox.com/sync/selective-sync-overview Other services like OneDrive also offer this. Essentially the files live in the cloud. You choose which folders to download locally on each individual device. Thanks, but that doesn't work as it requires all synced folders to be downloaded to one master Dropbox folder for each computer. It can't download some files to internal drives and others to external hard drives. Clearly I don't quite understand what you're trying to do. Perhaps using a symlink or alias would do the trick? https://www.lifewire.com/aliases-symbolic-links-hard-links-mac-2260189 I think this would work by syncing to the one master Dropbox folder,...
by onourway
Thu Jan 11, 2024 5:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good quality Air Compressor for car and bike tires, etc
Replies: 58
Views: 5933

Re: Good quality Air Compressor for car and bike tires, etc

I have used a standard pancake compressor I bought at a big box store well over a decade ago and it works fine for bike and car tires. Make sure you get one with a pressure regulator (maybe they all have them, I don't know.) These work fine but are extremely noisy.

If I ever have to buy a new one, I have my eye on one of these which are much quieter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TD ... X0DER&th=1
by onourway
Thu Jan 11, 2024 5:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best way to sync files between multiple computers and external drives?
Replies: 47
Views: 4921

Re: Best way to sync files between multiple computers and external drives?

You should be able to do this with the Dropbox Selective Sync function. https://help.dropbox.com/sync/selective-sync-overview

Other services like OneDrive also offer this. Essentially the files live in the cloud. You choose which folders to download locally on each individual device.