AA5B

The SkyConnect dongle was sold as Zigbee but with the promise of also supporting Thread. This is available in HA as experimental. Does anyone have experience with how stable it is? Is it close to ready?

I’m going through the process to buy a new vehicle, and see pluses and minuses with Tesla’s online process. Yes it’s very simple and fast but it also gives very little info about what to expect and when.

So, coming down to the exciting part ….. I just got notified to schedule delivery. However “delivery” is apparently pickup, in a town 20 miles away, just like legacy car sales. However they only give me a choice of two days, weekdays only, and only during the day. That makes it tough to get someone to drive my old car back

Schedule pickup is not giving me any other choices. Does anyone know a way to do that on a weekend or evening or a closer showroom?

Edit: worked it out. While I loved the smoother, abbreviated purchasing process, I was frustrated at never knowing what was going on or what would happen next. I really wish they provided more info on how it all worked for those of us who worry when we don’t understand the details

In the US a decade or two ago, we enacted regulations to increase the efficiency of passenger vehicles. However larger vehicles typically needed for commercial and farming uses were exempt. Now we see the results of that as reverse incentive, where trucks became more common, even for simple commuting

Will the same happen with BEVs, a reverse incentive that increases the use of trucks?

I just read an opinion piece (lost just as quickly, sorry) that discussed issues with sales of EV pickups at GM and Ford. They made a compelling argument that EVs still have weaknesses as work trucks and point to the success of Rivian as a recreational truck. Certainly arguments against EV pickups do center on those weaknesses, even for scenarios where it wouldn’t apply (how many truck owners actually tow regularly?). So, as BEVs rapidly take over the car and crossover markets, and the holdouts have fewer choices of ICE cars, will they increasingly turn to trucks?

Is there a difference, and what?

I’ve been reading about the “15 minute city” idea, and it is both fascinating and brings back good memories. I’ve lived in a few neighborhoods of Boston, where my biggest use of a car is finding some place to stash one long term. I had all my daily needs in a short walk, as was a subway station. Combine that with a monthly pass and the freedom to go anywhere was fantastic. I know people in NYC with similar experiences, including several who never had a reason to learn to drive. My oldest is at college and on experiencing campus life, commented similarly. I hope y’all get to experience this some day

However the Boston area has focussed on” transit oriented development “ for the last few decades. They use zoning and other development tools to encourage mixed neighborhoods with more housing, more retail, and even more office space focussed on transit hubs. It’s not just a train station but each is a “hub”, centering other options including bus routes, taxis, trails, cycling, and other personal transportation. This is a lot of what makes a “15 minute city” possible. Now we’re extending it to Eastern Massachusetts, where any town convenient to transit needs to have similar zoning actively supporting transit oriented development.

These two concepts seem very similar, except for the special case of college campuses. What’s the difference, or is it just evolving terminology? Which is better? Are there strengths of one approach that need more attention in the other?

Has anyone else seen problems using a portable charger (USB-A) with their new phone?

I plugged the phone into my portable charger and saw all four status LEDs, indicating the charger saw the phone and had a full charge available. However my phone never started charging, and the status lights on the charger eventually went off as it gave up.

At first I thought it was the new cables, but I used the same cable with an old Apple charger, no problem. Unfortunately I don’t have another usb-c device I can try with that cable and portable charger.

The portable charger charges older (Lightning) phones, so that is not the problem.

So all three of my new iPhone, portable charger, and new cable work in other scenarios but not this specific combination.

Edit to add: rebooting worked. Thanks @[email protected]

Now that we see the iPhone 15 with the new usb-c port, what’s your first impression?

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For me it’s not too big a deal, functionally identical. I have the pro, so could use high speed data, but I never have used the charging cable for data and am not likely to start now. I appreciate faster charging but realistically charge overnight, so no change

I understand and support the goal of one set of chargers and cables for everything, but in the immediate term, it does mean buying new cables and chargers, and it means all the existing ones going to waste.

-- so far, I’ve had to buy two cables, a charger, and two new power strips with USB-C, and there will be more to come

-- My teens still have Lightning iPhones and they’re hard on cables, so my old cables won’t go to waste.

-- admittedly, I’m trying to jump past the next transition by moving to usb-c chargers somewhat rather than buy new usb-a to usb-c cables for old chargers

-- I bought a usb-c watch cable but am not counting that because it was a replace t for a damaged usb-a Watch cable

-- I’ll still need charging cables for my car, and my laptop bag, and I’m sure additional charging block or two

There’s a guy in my neighborhood going door to door trying to sell Astound internet service. It seems like a pretty good deal: $45/month guaranteed 2 years, no contract, plus they include the router. He said it’s “hybrid fiber” and the basic package is 1,000/200 mbps

I generally don’t respond to solicitors, and am very happy with FiOS 1gbps symmetrical so am probably not interested, but that’s less expensive than I’m paying so does anyone have experience with them, good or bad?

In the last couple of years, I replaced all my lawn care equipment with battery powered and it has worked fantastically. I’m sure there will soon be other large batteries that need to be charged.

However I also note headlines about fires from cheap or damaged batteries. I don’t buy cheap and I do take care of my stuff so I’m not too worried but wonder if it would be worth building some sort of battery charging enclosure. Does anyone have any links, ideas or references?

My first thought is I have an unfinished basement with concrete walls and floor so that should be fire resistant: could it be as simple as stacking cinder blocks or pavers? My second thought is that would make a great oven, so no. So is there something I can do for my chargers to protect my house from any chance of fire?

I’m considering installing home charging (ok, I’m considering a Tesla so formulating my requirements for charging) so wanted to ask your experience for things that aren’t clear to me

the idea of multiple chargers appeals to me since there’s usually more than one car in my driveway. I like how the home charger has power sharing and I certainly don’t need concurrent max charging, but ……

— my panel is crowded. It’s unclear whether multiple chargers need to be on separate circuits or can share one? If can share, are there size requirements? One option is to put in a “big enough” circuit as the biggest expense but not worry about a second charger when I need it. But can they share a circuit? How big does it need to be? Or would I need a sub-panel in the garage? I don’t like all the extra connections for such a high draw circuit, but it would add flexibility

— anyone with experience having the charger outside? Would I regret it? I have a one car garage but have realistically never use it for a car. If I install the charger inside the garage, I’d generally snake the cable under the door

— for the universal charger, does it also have along cable or are there any placement limits? My driveway is one car wide by two long. If I park one in front of the other as usual, would I have any problems charging two cars at once? 24’ cable seems like it ought to be enough?

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Edit: I ended up installing only the one charger, and it’s outside. I verified I can park my ICE car up by the garage, and the cable is long enough to stretch the length of that to charge the Tesla in front.

Tesla’s list of certified installers was not helpful. Most wouldn’t even call back and the one that did said i was out of his area. However when I called my usual electrician, he was very familiar with installing Tesla chargers.

To move one circuit from my main to a sub panel, string a cable across my open basement ceiling and out a small hole in front of my chimney ended up costing $2,400. However I live in a high cost of living area and a new stove circuit had cost $2,600, so I guess it’s a fair price

So I have the opposite problem with a Chromebook from everyone else online, and haven’t been able to find any info ….

How would school management work on a personal Chromebook?

My teen is starting at a new school and they provide a free Chromebook, managed by the school. They do warn that it’s restricted and logged so he should keep personal use on a personal device.

That’s fine but he got his free Chromebook today and is seriously disappointed. The “new” school one is crap compared to his 4 or 5 year old personal Chromebook that I had to buy for his previous school. He wants to use his old one.

However what does that mean for school management? Can he even use his school account or only if he enrolls his personal device? Is management tied to the device or account? Since it’s his personal device, can he just create multiple logins and switch between them, or will the school see all and restrict all?

My teen is heading off to college this year (damn, I’m old), and we went shopping for a laptop today. I told him I was willing to spend more on one because he will have to do everything with it, carry it with him to every class, and hopefully survive all four years. We had a really slick salesman who sold us on one …. Out of stock … then we settled on one only $500 more.

My kid wanted to confirm it was ok … “sure, I expected to pay quite a bit more because you’re in college. But you’re right that I haven’t paid this much for a computer …. Maybe since …. holey crap ….. original 128k Mac …. 1984”. Fuck, I’m old

https://piped.video/watch?v=ErwS24cBZPc

This guy was such a huge inspiration — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tQ5XwvjPmA

Does anyone have good sources on status of the new High School and plans? It’s been a huge use of money, and a lot of disruption for the neighborhood, but has also made a lot of progress. It’s looking like a high school on the outside, but clearly won’t be done before school starts.

Also, even though my kids will miss it, I want to join any open houses or tours, to see what my “investment” in tax money went toward