RandomPancake

joined 1 year ago
[–] RandomPancake 3 points 11 months ago

The backup camera is one of those things that you mock until you get one, then you can't fathom living without it. But you can easily add an aftermarket one to an existing system.

I wound up paying for Subaru Starlink when I discovered that any dealership can sell it to you, and several sell it at steep discounts. I'm paying $10 / month for a 7-year package that includes emergency response if my airbags go off or the car flips, stolen vehicle location, and some other things I really don't use. It basically stays out of the way. But when I had a Hyundai, I'd regularly get BlueLink popups about "special savings at your local dealership" and long story short, that's the main reason I didn't buy another Hyundai.

[–] RandomPancake 15 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This will be the most middle aged thing I ever post, but:

I'm Gen X. I feel like my generation, and maybe some millennials, got the best of both worlds. We know what it's like to live in an offline world, including cars. You can drop me anywhere in the continental US and I can drive home without GPS, and probably without a map. We grew up on mixtape-fueled road trips and not having every inch of our commute planned and cross-checked. We didn't know exactly what to expect in that upcoming town or city, because there was no Tripadvisor or Wikitravel.

We also know how convenient smartphones can be. It's great that I don't have to carry a camera plus a camcorder plus a Walkman plus an atlas plus a photo album plus a laptop plus a calling card plus a bag phone plus a notepad plus an encyclopedia plus a wristwatch plus a travel alarm clock plus whatever else I'm forgetting. But take that all away, and it's at worst a mild annoyance.

So if I can't use Android Auto, I'm just going to not buy that car. And if all cars suddenly stop shipping with Android Auto, then I'll see that as a precursor to mandatory 30-second ads before being able to drive, and I'll just buy whatever car remotely meets my needs AND makes it easy for me to install an aftermarket Android head unit.

[–] RandomPancake 11 points 11 months ago

Who could have imagined that this might happen?

Look I don't know about you but when I hear "quality software development" the first company that comes to mind is GM so

[–] RandomPancake 22 points 11 months ago (5 children)

I can honestly say that the phrase "my radio was stuck in a boot loop" is something I ever thought I'd need to say, but here we are.

Side note, you know what would be just absolutely perfect? Just Bluetooth. I don't need to watch Disney+ while I drive. I don't need up-to-the-minute notifications of the hottest celebrity news. I don't need sports updates. I don't need to know what my stocks are doing right now.

I just want to play music.

[–] RandomPancake 43 points 11 months ago (5 children)

We don't often talk about this in the limelight, but it's important. We need to understand how they got here if we want to have any hope of reducing the odds of that happening again.

[–] RandomPancake 2 points 11 months ago

I'm checking both out now, thanks!

[–] RandomPancake 1 points 11 months ago

That could be - I won't know for sure unless I get my hands on some but the chief complaint is that as soon as they get one side on the rim, the other side forcefully pops off. My first thought was that people are trying to put the wrong size tires on their rims but this complaint is common enough that I think there may be more to it.

I'll check out the Mountain Kings, thanks!

[–] RandomPancake 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

“Working long hours, being responsive, blending work and life, is not anything to shy away from,” he wrote in the email.

"Pay your employees overtime for off-schedule work, and allow for flexible scheduling so they can slide their normal working hours around to match real life," I said in reply.

I don't mind putting in the hard work and I do believe there's room for some amount of fuzziness between work and life. But I only get one life; I can choose another employer. If my employer runs me too hard, I'll just find another. My employer isn't going to take time away from my family, friends, or personal pursuits without compensating me. And there are some things I absolutely won't miss. Datacenter is melting down during my kid's play? You should have thought about that when you refused to hire additional support.

Saying I should be happy to put in extra work without expecting to be paid is like saying my employer should be happy to put in extra pay without expecting me to show up.

[–] RandomPancake 42 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Everyone should have the right to organize. Unions are why most of our labor laws, including pesky things like overtime and workplace safety, exist.

It doesn't really matter what someone's personal thoughts are on the subject. Don't like unions? Don't join one. I know the common response to this is "but what if I'm management and I have to deal with a labor contract", and honestly, that's why you get the big bucks. I'm management. I deal with a labor contract. It's far from the worst thing I have to contend with.

[–] RandomPancake 9 points 11 months ago

Good. I'm not familiar with their grievances, but every employee should have the right to organize and bargain collectively.

[–] RandomPancake 20 points 11 months ago

This is yet another reason why I would not buy or recommend HP printers anymore. My ancient laserjet from 10 years ago is still going strong, but if it ever kicks the bucket, I'm getting a Brother. They seem to just work without any hassle.

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