Toshi's thread
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The solution to your weight loss is clearly to start spending more time in the 'shed with Mike...
www.businessinsider.com
It doesn't sound like your calculations factor in the possibility of increasing muscle mass.
If you are able to replace a percentage of your fat / Kare pan with increased muscle and fitness then your metabolism would stay higher than your previous 'baseline' irrespective of whether you're "dieting" or "fasting" -- right?
I've found as I get older (~50 this year) the quick tricks (ie watch what you eat for a few weeks, avoid late meals) no longer work or take much longer to achieve the same effect.
I've been on the JPB day laborer workout program fixing up the cabin and while I haven't lost much "weight" per se, I have a bit more upper body strength and my pants are loose again...
Hoping for a good fall biking season to make up for slacking off...
YMMV
Pot Smokers Are Skinnier
A new study suggests that people who regularly smoke weed are skinnier than the general population. They also have better insulin and blood sugar control.
www.businessinsider.com
It doesn't sound like your calculations factor in the possibility of increasing muscle mass.
If you are able to replace a percentage of your fat / Kare pan with increased muscle and fitness then your metabolism would stay higher than your previous 'baseline' irrespective of whether you're "dieting" or "fasting" -- right?
I've found as I get older (~50 this year) the quick tricks (ie watch what you eat for a few weeks, avoid late meals) no longer work or take much longer to achieve the same effect.
I've been on the JPB day laborer workout program fixing up the cabin and while I haven't lost much "weight" per se, I have a bit more upper body strength and my pants are loose again...
Hoping for a good fall biking season to make up for slacking off...
YMMV
Muscle mass increasing metabolic rate is a factor, yes, but there are numerous pathways that the body uses to dial back that rate if merely using calorie restriction. See The Biggest Loser figure that I inlined--these people were exercising incredible amounts (or so I'm told--never watched it) and thus presumably increased muscle mass yet had their metabolic rate drop 500-1500+ cal/day.
I don't foresee myself going much over 175 lbs lean mass on my 5' 8" frame anyway. If I could cut to 190 lbs and maintain that lean mass I'd be ripped instead of looking like an underinflated Bibendum.
I don't foresee myself going much over 175 lbs lean mass on my 5' 8" frame anyway. If I could cut to 190 lbs and maintain that lean mass I'd be ripped instead of looking like an underinflated Bibendum.
More re The Biggest Loser. Their experiences are those of calorie restriction dieters writ large, literally.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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So they regained over 2/3rds of the weight loss and now have a permanently slowed metabolism, even slower than when they were at their nadir!
Because the man is still keeping me down, I'm not really up on current prices, but holy shit, holy much weed is he smoking?
I don't smoke weed, but it's around $180/oz for the good stuff here. It's a shitload of weed per month. In fact, I think he must be over-paying or lying.
This was my issue when I was last demo'ing bikes. All the LLS stuff was a LOT of work getting the front end up. I didn't like it.
Last night I mentioned to the wife-bot my plan to jettison the Tesla sometime in the January 2020-May 2020 timeframe, as long as I can get enough for it such that its monthly cost inclusive of tax is $600 or less.
She parried that she likes to drive it and would vote to keep it if it were more practical for the (3) kids. (It’s good with any combination of 2 of the 3 except for the whole lean-under-low-roofline-to-buckle-kid aspect.)
So I might keep it medium term for that reason, or if the resale market is soft such that I can’t get my number.
Or I might keep it until the Y ships: Now that the elder kid can harness herself in reliably the third row in the Y might be useful enough for day to day use.
I’d daily the Land Cruiser and bike commute as possible. The minivan and 3 would be sold or traded for the sales tax benefit. Wife would have a Y for kid shuttling: baby and middle kid in 2nd row, half up half down 3rd row for elder kid.
At that size it clearly wouldn’t be a road trip vehicle for all of us so I could go with a standard range RWD model even... hmm. Perhaps an option dependent on shipping realities vs her other future options (Chrysler Portal, Mercedes EQV, VW ID Buzz).
She parried that she likes to drive it and would vote to keep it if it were more practical for the (3) kids. (It’s good with any combination of 2 of the 3 except for the whole lean-under-low-roofline-to-buckle-kid aspect.)
So I might keep it medium term for that reason, or if the resale market is soft such that I can’t get my number.
Or I might keep it until the Y ships: Now that the elder kid can harness herself in reliably the third row in the Y might be useful enough for day to day use.
I’d daily the Land Cruiser and bike commute as possible. The minivan and 3 would be sold or traded for the sales tax benefit. Wife would have a Y for kid shuttling: baby and middle kid in 2nd row, half up half down 3rd row for elder kid.
At that size it clearly wouldn’t be a road trip vehicle for all of us so I could go with a standard range RWD model even... hmm. Perhaps an option dependent on shipping realities vs her other future options (Chrysler Portal, Mercedes EQV, VW ID Buzz).
You need to put some more thinking into your car choices 
The new Renault Zoe electric is looking good for a nice city car but not for the US crowd plus I have no excuse to get a second car:
I on the other hand is about to buy a robot lawn mower and I think it will be a fancy model from Husqvarna that I have been able to get at a discount from them.
The new Renault Zoe electric is looking good for a nice city car but not for the US crowd plus I have no excuse to get a second car:
I on the other hand is about to buy a robot lawn mower and I think it will be a fancy model from Husqvarna that I have been able to get at a discount from them.
UPS Has Been Delivering Cargo in Self-Driving Trucks for Months And No One Knew
The self-driving freight truck startup TuSimple has been carrying mail across the state of Arizona for several weeks.
gizmodo.com
A potential contender for last-mile transport emerges. Kind of heavy and I’m not sure if it’d fit in a trunk proper (like the Tesla’s) but it checks many boxes: pedelec, 28 mph, folding, $899 (!).
Lectric XP folding electric bicycle
Lectric XP folding electric bicycle
Not necessarily for me—my belt drive commuter works well enough and I don’t have enough service appointments to really need something like this. Rather for commuters who want to transition to public transit but have the last mile problem. Something less capable, lighter, and more portable probably would be ideal.
I didn't see much if any fanfare about this in the press, but Colorado recently enacted an extension to its "innovative motor vehicle" tax credit program.
House Bill 19-1159 as signed into law by Governor Polis on May 31, 2019
This table summarizes the new credit, with I think a typo for "light duty… vehicle over 8,500 GVWR":
For context the light duty vehicle credit was $6k and applicable towards used vehicles not previously registered in CO until 12/31/16. The previous iteration of this current 2017+ credit was to be $5k 2019, $4k 2020, $2.5k 2021, then 0. Now it goes $5k 2019, $4k 2020, $2.5k in 2021 and 2022, $2k from 2023 through 2025. (What's changed is thus what is in italics in the table.)
Better than nothing, I guess.
Some definitions for the purposes of this credit that may or not be interesting:
House Bill 19-1159 as signed into law by Governor Polis on May 31, 2019
This table summarizes the new credit, with I think a typo for "light duty… vehicle over 8,500 GVWR":
For context the light duty vehicle credit was $6k and applicable towards used vehicles not previously registered in CO until 12/31/16. The previous iteration of this current 2017+ credit was to be $5k 2019, $4k 2020, $2.5k 2021, then 0. Now it goes $5k 2019, $4k 2020, $2.5k in 2021 and 2022, $2k from 2023 through 2025. (What's changed is thus what is in italics in the table.)
Better than nothing, I guess.
Some definitions for the purposes of this credit that may or not be interesting:
The gas F-150 has a GVWR range depending on trim/cab of 6,100-7,050 lbs, so an electric F-150 would presumably similarly be well < 10,000 and thus a light duty electric truck.
I was just reading about the 912 they did with a Model S motor that was about 550hp and looked awesome.
The 914 at work forever ago was certainly along those lines of classic (even better air cooled) ev with usable range and serviceable parts.
Meth-shedThe solution to your weight loss is clearly to start spending more time in the 'shed with Mike...
Pot Smokers Are Skinnier
A new study suggests that people who regularly smoke weed are skinnier than the general population. They also have better insulin and blood sugar control.
New Portable Fold Electric Scooter PD-X7
I got this brand new electric scooter for sale as photo.. Comes with charger and manual. $250 firm. When they 1st come out, they cost $700 new.
dallas.craigslist.org
I rode Mountain Lion today, which is not noteworthy in and of itself. What is new is that I did finally used the second battery that I’d bought within a month of buying the Shuttle (so at a 20% discount via GBS).
I had 3/5 bars on battery #1 when I turned in the bike to GBS for the wheel retensioning so probably would have been fine (as that means I used 2/5) but with that poor level of granularity of state of charge I thought it safer to use battery #2 which turns out to have drifted down to 4/5 bars just sitting on the shelf—BMS self-balancing is my guess.
Swapping batteries on the Shuttle is not a super easy process. 8 T25 Torx screws, 2 4 mm Allen head screws and just over 11 minutes as I timed myself. All that for a cleaner look and a slightly lower CoG. Probably worth the tradeoff given that I apparently haven’t seen the need to swap much at all.
(@SkaredShtles may recall that I tried to swap batteries one day when I rode with him mid day after an earlier jaunt, but was stymied at that time since Pivot uses a custom front piece for the otherwise-all-Shimano battery into which the two Allen screws thread. Said custom piece was later acquired from Pivot and now all is in order.)
((Retensioned wheels seem to be fine now. We’ll see how they hold up.))
I had 3/5 bars on battery #1 when I turned in the bike to GBS for the wheel retensioning so probably would have been fine (as that means I used 2/5) but with that poor level of granularity of state of charge I thought it safer to use battery #2 which turns out to have drifted down to 4/5 bars just sitting on the shelf—BMS self-balancing is my guess.
Swapping batteries on the Shuttle is not a super easy process. 8 T25 Torx screws, 2 4 mm Allen head screws and just over 11 minutes as I timed myself. All that for a cleaner look and a slightly lower CoG. Probably worth the tradeoff given that I apparently haven’t seen the need to swap much at all.
(@SkaredShtles may recall that I tried to swap batteries one day when I rode with him mid day after an earlier jaunt, but was stymied at that time since Pivot uses a custom front piece for the otherwise-all-Shimano battery into which the two Allen screws thread. Said custom piece was later acquired from Pivot and now all is in order.)
((Retensioned wheels seem to be fine now. We’ll see how they hold up.))
Tesla Semi Prototype Spotted Hauling 75,000-Pound Load Through Northern California
California Highway Patrol members spoke to the truck's driver, who said the test mule was "exceeding" its 600-mile range estimate.
www.thedrive.com
Truck GVWR vs. payload illiteracy at work. From the text by James Gilboy:
Uh, no. Most states have a max GVWR of 80,000 for 5 axles, and the semi + trailer tare weight isn't 5,000 lbs...
The actual CHP post from which this content was cribbed is correct, as one would expect given that they police overweight vehicles: https://www.facebook.com/CHP.TruckeeScales/posts/2683646465013336
"The truck is operating at approximately 75,000 lbs" means the gross weight including the tare weight and the payload (maybe 45k lbs?) total 75,000, under that 80,000 limit as above.
:facepalm:
I assumed it was a generic: ‘A 16” wheeled, folding, plus e-bike? What the actual fuck!’ facepalm rather than a personal attacking. Maybe.
I would like a personal flying-pod, yes please
I'm pretty sure I posted a video of a prototype of it many pages back. This one is a toy, only for use over water like in the video. Max height is 10 feet from water surface so I'm guessing it relies on ground effect?
This other model of theirs seems more promising. 2 person capability, autonomous, VTOL but then a pusher prop and normal wing for 93 mph flight. 62 mile range.
I'm pretty sure I posted a video of a prototype of it many pages back. This one is a toy, only for use over water like in the video. Max height is 10 feet from water surface so I'm guessing it relies on ground effect?
This other model of theirs seems more promising. 2 person capability, autonomous, VTOL but then a pusher prop and normal wing for 93 mph flight. 62 mile range.
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No doubt not a surprise to @Nick :
arstechnica.com
Wind power prices now lower than the cost of natural gas
In the US, it’s cheaper to build and operate wind farms than buy fossil fuels.
arstechnica.com
An update on Mariko's school stuffs, for anyone who might care:
Backstory is that she tests high on the WISC-IV but only got 90th percentile on Denver Public Schools' preferred kindergarten-level test, the NNAT. 90th gets her bupkis from DPS in terms of admission to magnet schools (97th unless one is FRL, which we are not) or even in-school pullouts (95th).
Through her network of moms of similar local kids my wife got word of the Young Scholars program through the Davidson Institute. It sounds pretty good:
She'll also be taking the CogAT this fall in 1st grade as an official DPS-administered thing. We've admonished her to actually pay attention and try to get everything right, as we're not positive she actually did that on the NNAT, not to mention that that test was with a computer with mouse and keyboard, something she's not used to at her age.
Backstory is that she tests high on the WISC-IV but only got 90th percentile on Denver Public Schools' preferred kindergarten-level test, the NNAT. 90th gets her bupkis from DPS in terms of admission to magnet schools (97th unless one is FRL, which we are not) or even in-school pullouts (95th).
Through her network of moms of similar local kids my wife got word of the Young Scholars program through the Davidson Institute. It sounds pretty good:
Well, we applied, having the kid's summer cooking class teacher (who also has similar kids) be her reference instead of her kindergarten teacher, who was nonplussed in general. She's now officially in the program, and we hope the consulting services/advocate part of it will be of aid to her as we navigate the bureaucracy of DPS.
She'll also be taking the CogAT this fall in 1st grade as an official DPS-administered thing. We've admonished her to actually pay attention and try to get everything right, as we're not positive she actually did that on the NNAT, not to mention that that test was with a computer with mouse and keyboard, something she's not used to at her age.
I do. I find it giggle worthy. Certainly useful on the freeway, capable of navigating any freeway speed curves, stop and go cruise is nice, though it auto kicks off after 3 seconds at full stop. Kind of wish it had a longer window, 5-6 seconds would be more appropriate IMO. Lane keep ping-pongs a bit. Definitely seems to be reactionary vs fwd looking, if that makes sense. Mountain roads are a bit trickier. As long as the lanes are marked well the car navigates them appropriately. Any curve marked for 60 or less seems to be a too much for auto-steer and it gets close enough to the edge/lane departure warning to force you to take over. Adaptive cruise is very nice in this car, compared to the mazda. While they both have this feature it seems much more natural in the Nissan.
City driving, meh. Lane keep kicks off as you pass through basically any intersection, but will come back on after 2-3 seconds. One lane stripe also is not enough to keep the car focused. Perhaps in a city with functioning infrastructure this wouldn't be an issue, but here in libertarian wonderland things like proper road markings are a slippery slope to gay agenda re-education camps.
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Like it totally turns off after 3 seconds? Or forces you to hit resume to start moving again?
When I test drove that Rogue with it I found that it had a lot of trouble finding the lane lines in the city. The Tesla is very willing to use the curb or the cut edge of the asphalt as one of two lane markings, for better or worse.
I find the adaptive cruise in the PacHy to be better calibrated than that in the Tesla. The Tesla’s is too responsive in slowing down and speeding up, at least in normal throttle response mode (as opposed to Chill or whatever it’s called). The PacHy has softer braking responses if someone cuts in, which is more like what a person would do. It does try to gun it if slow traffic clears out and suddenly the road is clear (which would kick it from electric into gas, too), so we’ve learned to instinctively turn it off immediately if that situation crops up.
When I test drove that Rogue with it I found that it had a lot of trouble finding the lane lines in the city. The Tesla is very willing to use the curb or the cut edge of the asphalt as one of two lane markings, for better or worse.
I find the adaptive cruise in the PacHy to be better calibrated than that in the Tesla. The Tesla’s is too responsive in slowing down and speeding up, at least in normal throttle response mode (as opposed to Chill or whatever it’s called). The PacHy has softer braking responses if someone cuts in, which is more like what a person would do. It does try to gun it if slow traffic clears out and suddenly the road is clear (which would kick it from electric into gas, too), so we’ve learned to instinctively turn it off immediately if that situation crops up.
I phrased that poorly, one needs to hit resume.
I find the Mazda to be like how you describe the Tesla, someone moves in in front of you it brakes pretty hard. Hard enough to elicit a "response" from my uptight, right seat driver, wife. Acceleration is much the same, goes to what feels like 80-90% throttle the second traffic opens up. It's quite obviously not "natural".
Pro-pilot feels much more "human" in regards to slowing/accelerating.
Ok, good. Resume is acceptable--PacHy does the same at 3 seconds. (Tesla will resume on its own at any interval, which is occasionally disconcerting if you've been stopped for a long while at a light.)
The Outlander PHEV I test drove (and the Jeep Grand Cherokee as well, for that matter) would actually turn off after coming to a cruise-dictated stop. Beep, beep, turn off, start creeping forward on its own. This is the worst of both worlds.
The Outlander PHEV I test drove (and the Jeep Grand Cherokee as well, for that matter) would actually turn off after coming to a cruise-dictated stop. Beep, beep, turn off, start creeping forward on its own. This is the worst of both worlds.
I dove elbows deep into the math of how much interest I'll pay on car notes and the mortgage, and it looks like attacking the car notes and student loans with utmost zeal and then refinancing the mortgage to 10 years (with the goal of paying it down in 5-6 years from that point) is in order.
If I do nothing but the term minimum payments the car notes will be done in 2023-2024, and the student loans (except for one small random one) in 2023. So I can aim to get those done by 2022 if I stay focused, perhaps? Or at least 2023 for everything. Then 5-6 years from that is 2028-2029, or 9-10 years from now.
I could potentially be debt free in 10 years. That's when I can drop to 0.7 FTE…
Yass.
If I do nothing but the term minimum payments the car notes will be done in 2023-2024, and the student loans (except for one small random one) in 2023. So I can aim to get those done by 2022 if I stay focused, perhaps? Or at least 2023 for everything. Then 5-6 years from that is 2028-2029, or 9-10 years from now.
I could potentially be debt free in 10 years. That's when I can drop to 0.7 FTE…
Yass.
On the topic of things that could push back that 10 years a bit:
Mercedes-Benz EQV unveiled
(if you're having deja vu it's because the Concept EQV was unveiled before as opposed to this production spec)
150 kW motor, 100 kWh pack (90 kWh usable), estimated 405 km/250 mile range. 11 kW on board charger, 110 kW DC fast charging capability, presumably via CCS. I have not seen US availability confirmed yet, let alone a price.
Mercedes-Benz EQV unveiled
(if you're having deja vu it's because the Concept EQV was unveiled before as opposed to this production spec)
150 kW motor, 100 kWh pack (90 kWh usable), estimated 405 km/250 mile range. 11 kW on board charger, 110 kW DC fast charging capability, presumably via CCS. I have not seen US availability confirmed yet, let alone a price.
Got two rides in today, Mountain Lion and then White Ranch from the top lot. Something like 2,700 vert between the two.
I didn’t swap battery packs (although I had the extra pack and the tools to change it in the back of the vehicle) as I had 3/5 bars after Mountain Lion, and it worked out fine.
Was down to 2/5 charge bars and probably on the edge of dropping to 1 by the end of the slog back uphill, but I called my ride because I was feeling tired, not because I was worried about the pack proper. That extending the route would involve doing Maverick (thumbs up) and then up upper Longhorn to the lot (thumbs down for climbing up a trail with a million water bars) made the choice easy.
EBLAS photo
I didn’t swap battery packs (although I had the extra pack and the tools to change it in the back of the vehicle) as I had 3/5 bars after Mountain Lion, and it worked out fine.
Was down to 2/5 charge bars and probably on the edge of dropping to 1 by the end of the slog back uphill, but I called my ride because I was feeling tired, not because I was worried about the pack proper. That extending the route would involve doing Maverick (thumbs up) and then up upper Longhorn to the lot (thumbs down for climbing up a trail with a million water bars) made the choice easy.
EBLAS photo
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