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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 3rd, 2023

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  • I got you, the caveat is that a DIY battery replacement is going to be easier than say a Pixel 6 (no main board removal necessary.) and will still work.

    Yes, their software locking of features (like TrueTone) and less availability of original parts is reprehensible, (luckily those are less critical functions for now but they wont stop there.) I won’t get battery health metrics but it’s about the tradeoffs you want. (See: Pixel Watches outright being considered unrepairable by Google. I’m not sure how easy it would to secure nearby battery service on a Pixel - but at least it’s available on iFixit for DIY…)


  • Yep, I’ve done plenty of custom ROMs, used most mobile OSes out there, etc. but I’m not joking when I say I don’t want to deal with SafetyNet, figuring out what works with/without Play Services and generally getting in bed with Google hardware (but that last bit isn’t privacy oriented.) And no way do I have the time to tell mom how to install Graphene and support it.

    Apple’s on-hardware processing for some things is a plus as well. Yes I know it’s their current business plan and can change but they make money on hardware and services, not knowing things.

    Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.


  • I own an iPhone since it fits my use case with a retail presence, (more) available repair, longer (if murkier how much exactly) software support, customer support and local backup option. (iTunes)

    Out of the box it’s a superior privacy experience to a Pixel but if you’re someone who wants to tinker, there’s less potential. Personally, I don’t want to have to “work” on my phone these days and Google’s engineering snafus haven’t been reassuring. (Google Drive “fix” then sticking head in sand when problems persist, Android 14 bricking…)

    and my most personal reason is that they made my Moto Z Play materially worse by removing the OK Google with screen off feature to push the then-new Pixel and pretended it never was supported.

    Edit: Yes, obviously an unpopular opinion but really think about what you want. Buy used to be more environmentally minded, do you want to tinker with your phone? Fairphone is neat, but tradeoffs are all over the place.


  • I’d skip the Santa Cruz largely since Hyundai/Kia are experts at cost-cutting that blows up big in customer faces down the line. (anti-theft, engines, warranty work, wiring, etc.) but your options are already limited so I wouldn’t blame you for getting it. I’d get the base engine/transmission though if you anticipate stop/go traffic or off-road use since the dual-clutch in the upper engine option is better than dry clutch models but IMHO still suspect.

    I would lean towards the Maverick but neither are really “small” since they’re still pretty long.

    There’s the Transit Connect if you want a cargo van that’s compact.




  • Mostly incorrect, entering the BIOS and having the toggle to switch between S0 and S3 (or, “Linux”) sleep does indeed exist but it is hard to identify what models have it (I hear Lenovo’s BIOS simulator helps) and it’s increasingly being removed in newer models or even removed in updates. Dell has no interest in putting it back and recommends hibernate or just powering off the machine when on-the-go.

    I made sure the ThinkPad I own personally had the toggle but my work-issued one does not so it is now a Hibernate-only machine. No setting can help that.


  • ADACA and Signalis just came out last year so not far behind but they were fun. ADACA is billed as Half-Life meets Halo meets STALKER by reviewers and it’s a fun, light FPS. (although I couldn’t get into the more open Zone Patrol mode)

    Signalis though, that oozes atmosphere, an excellent soundtrack, and offered feels in a neat fleshed out world. I enjoyed the gameplay quite a bit, a callback to top-down survival horror from an era I never really played. I really appreciate a lack of jump scares except one enemy’s presence when you enter a room making your screen/radio go haywire but hardly FNAF material which I will only watch.




  • A new Transit (at it’s smallest) in North America would be…

    • 12" taller
    • 10" longer
    • 3" wider
    • $6,000 more expensive comparing base sticker prices (Cargo)
    • $11,000 more expensive comparing base sticker prices (Passenger)
    • Use 20-30% more fuel (using Fuelly data to estimate)

    This is what grinds my gears about people saying to get a minivan instead of a mid-size crossover - yes I get ego is something to get past but MINIVAN’S ARE 80" WIDE THESE DAYS.

    In fact, if that person bought an Odyssey instead of a Ridgeline, they’d net a total difference of five inches of length.


  • It’s not new, offering a more car-like pickup is “wrong direction”? I don’t even understand how you think it looks like a shopping cart. The Ridgeline has been around since 2005 and between then and now has gotten longer by 4ish inches. The F-150 crew cab shot bed got 7ish inches longer in that time. (And you know what, I even lament the growth of minivans too since the 90’s!)

    https://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/ridgeline https://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/odyssey

    You’ll find here that real-life fuel economy is darn close - nowhere near 20% worse despite expected ratings. If you go look up the curb weights they won’t be that different either. They even share an engine. I understand the whole minivan “just use a tarp”, blah blah but this thing is similar in size (five inches longer) and I personally understand that there are use cases where an open, easy-to-clean cargo area can be a plus or something that won’t bottom out as much on a dirt track. (e.g. no trash removal, I’ve cut my weather stripping and scratched plastic trim in my crossover shoving in cut down 7’x3.75ish plywood, etc.)

    Your post states: “This thing can’t be useful as a truck” - how so? Neither towing nor payload are poor. It can average MPG outside of the teens which is tough for it’s V6 classmates to hit on Fuelly. Plenty of pickup owners don’t tow or off-road much. I don’t think you mean to say that it’s “better” from a Fuck Cars perspective that buyers purchase a less efficient but more “useful as a truck” pickup?

    “can’t seat as many as a van” - And? Does that mean a gas-guzzling 15-passenger Express van is the ideal Fuck Cars choice? (Obviously not)

    Honestly you picked the wrong thing to clown here as an example of what’s wrong with pickups. A fraction of an MPG, five inches of length, identical width versus literally any full-size or the larger HD pickups.

    Pick how tall trucks are getting, the (relative) lack of lift regulation, crash compatibility, pedestrian safety, the risk posed by wheel spacers (if you remember that Kia Soul being sent flying), headlight aiming - especially when towing or hauling, etc.

    (But tbh I would prefer the Odyssey/Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline to be a couple inches narrower but that’s just me.)


  • I’m a car dork, I also sub here for all the reasons this place exists but I’m assuming I’m lumped in with the “car-brained douchebags”. This is a misinformed take by OP picking on one of the “less-bad” pickup body-style vehicles one could pick because it… shares bits with a minivan? That’s the point of it - While it straddles the segments a bit with almost full-size width and mid-size length, it’s still going to net superior fuel economy (comparable the Odyssey too) than pretty most any gas-only crew cab, short bed pickup and he’s picking on it because it’s not “as useful” but that means more weight, using more fuel, etc.

    It brings car benefits to a pickup shape and I much rather this exist than another full-size pickup with a chest-high pedestrian-wacker hood line or trying to convince a pickup buyer that they ackshually want a minivan because good ol’ American ego already struggles enough with accepting a unibody pickup. (cue truck-bro “NOT A TRUCK” and “LOL PILOT WITH BED” comments)

    they also can’t be lifted as much (as easily) due to their suspension design so you might appreciate that too


  • Fuelly has the Ridgeline averaging 20 MPG with its competitors around 17-19 (likely bigger gap if you compare to full-sizers but will vary depending on powertrain) and the gap will likely be larger cruising so its fuel economy for a pickup is solid save for the newer and smaller Maverick (especially in hybrid guise) and Santa Cruz - their beds are shorter though at 4.5 and 4 feet I believe.

    Gas V6 minivans are pretty similar too at around 20 MPG as well real-life.

    Comparing crew cab short beds directly, the F-150 (not counting mirrors) is ~2 inches wider and ~20” longer.

    But I agree on width though, I was considering a Passport and the 78.5” width of the Honda midsize family (also Pilot, Odyssey) is a turn-off although in minivan land the others are also chunky. Rather not shove an extra four inches into a parking spot if I can avoid it.

    Honestly I’d commend a Ridgeline buyer for getting one as the “responsible choice” if it meets their requirements since that or the Santa Cruz are probably the least “I’m tough!” looking pickups.


  • It’s a different set of compromises. It’s actually pretty funny reading this because the Ridgeline is the odd-duck in pickup land with plenty of “not a real truck!! lol minivan!” derision.

    Yea it’s not a body-on-frame, tow anything, crawl anywhere vehicle. But it’s a vehicle with an open bed for those with use for it and better fuel efficiency, interior space, comfort than its midsize competitors. It’s the truck most folks can likely do just fine with. Maybe someone wants AWD rather than part-time 4WD, a less trucky ride, etc.

    Ignoring HyunKia engine quality and EZ theft, my Sorento can be considered a shit car since it’s not as good off-road as a 4Runner, not as nimble as an Accord, has less space than a Pacifica, uses more fuel than a Prius, cost more than a Mirage and tows less than a Frontier.

    But on the flip side, it’s also better off-road than the Accord, seats more than the Frontier, uses less fuel and is smaller than both the 4Runner and Pacifica (gas) and tows more than the Prius. All about the point of comparison and compromises picked, maybe the Ridgeline will make more sense compared to a Tacoma - plenty of potential uses cases out there too that an open bed would be handy for, if you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s objectively dumb. (but not me at this time, except maybe a bed would be neat for my bike or trash.)

    I think the styling is fine too, it’s just a basic pickup shape, no need to be so dramatic. Have you seen the first gen, or an Avalanche, Santa Cruz, Baja? I prefer this to the Silverado’s base front end too.