What are /r/SeattleChat's favorite Products & Services?

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Alright 16+ peeps, have at it.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/those-16-and-older-can-sign-up-now-for-covid-19-vaccine-in-seattle/

Direct form link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RR7meOtrCUCPmTWdi1T0G2oHZB0Q1AZPn08T2zoB3clUOVRHQldQNlM2WDM4OUdBN0s3REE1MUc3Sy4u

Proper ergonomics are king, and a lot of "clacky" mechanicals fail pretty badly at that. I went through the usual programmer love affair with Type M's and their imitators, but realized they're actually kind of terrible to use after a few boughts of RSI. The biggest thing is getting a few minutes hands on to know how they feel with your particular hands, which isn't really possible right now.

I can recommend the Microsoft Sculpt though, it's been my preferred work keyboard through several employers now. The key-travel is smooth, I like the island-style keys, and the split layout+elevated rest keeps my wrists aligned perfectly, standing or sitting. I've converted my entire current office to this keyboard.

Similarly, an ergonomic mouse is often overlooked, I find the cheapo Anker is actually great (particularly as someone with large hands), even compared to far more expensive options.

I'm guessing you'll find good threads on this in r/learnprogramming and r/cscareerquestions.

I think there are two paths you can take: learning specific skills (languages, systems) vs learning fundamentals. For the first, obviously the choices depend a lot on what you want to do. (One next thing might be to learn how databases work? There's a great Stanford online class about this though it may be rough if you have little CS background--there's no real programming in though, just query writing iirc.) The second may be harder to get motivated for, since it will feel a little abstract. I think it's valuable to have a rough understanding of what you're asking for when you write code that uses a certain amount of memory (even if it's not explicit), or ask it to find something in the DOM tree, etc. to have a sense what's reasonable and what's going to give you performance issues. (Or rather, once you have performance issues, having some idea where to look.)

I have a CS background and my bias is that you should consider taking a fundamentals class (on Coursera or the like, since you seem to be self-motivated) on algorithms and data structures. I can't recommend a specific one, but there'll be oodles of info out there on which ones are good and which use a programming language you know or want to learn. You could also do this by working through the book Structure and Implementation of Computer Programs which is available on the web and is a classic. (There seem to be multiple web versions?)

I have these and they work really well.

the trick is that command strips use a pressure-sensitive adhesive, so when you stick them to the wall you want to push on it hard for like 20-30 seconds.

Hmmm. I looked up the RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver & Party) route but as I suspected it goes east of I-5.

The "obvious" route (south on Ferndale Rd to Marine Drive) looks doable? Not a ton of alternatives.

Oh, hey, there's a trail on the east side of the Nooksack river (Tennant Lake to Marine Drive Trail). Unclear if it's open to bikes... looks to be unpaved... and where it crosses Slater Road you'll have to lift your bike over a guard rail. So, not built for bikes. Whether you want to do that depends on your bike and your comfort handling it I guess.

EDIT: the Strava heatmap suggests there's more people taking Ferndale Rd but also definitely cyclists going on that river trail.

The Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter costs $7.99 if you buy an Apple original, or $11 for a brand-X 3-pack. There are even ones that allow you to charge at the same time.

Apple is obsessed with removing stuff they feel is soon going to be "passé" (not to be confused with Gassée) like famously the floppy drive and more recently the regular USB-A port. Unlike Microsoft, they've never obsessed over backward compatibility.

I wonder, though... the first iPhone to remove the headphone jack was also the first one to be waterproof. Coincidence? Maybe. You'd think Apple could figure out how to create a waterproof headphone jack?

A couple of years ago I got a solar powered fountain for our birdbath (it's one of those dish-on-a-pedestal ones) and it only lasted a year because it was cheapo, but it was quite nice for that year, and I may get another one this year. The birds really liked flying through the streams of water.

Thanks to /u/spit-evil-olive-tips comment about wireless, backlit keyboards yesterday I am now $69.99 (+tax) poorer.

Ah man, not good to let the election suck your soul. I feel badly for those who had some mental health issues related to the election process (major anxiety and loss of sleep, etc). I don't blame you for not racing that often with that setup. I spent like 4 years staring at my 500 dollar wheel because the setup was so shitty.

So, you know I just got this then I bought assetto corsa because microsoft had a deal with AC and all car packs for like 16 bucks. Score. Well.... After reading forums for wheel settings. I discovered These. And I'm so fucking excited because they're load cell. Everyone says it's the biggest upgrade you can do (more than a nicer wheel or seat even) and the difference is literally night and day. I get them on wed! Your setup is going to be dope though. I'd be dancing like a little girl lol

Also /r/simracing is interesting sometimes.

I was thinking there was another book like that but I was thinking of this which is a bit different but also seems really interesting.

There's a gadget you can buy to stick to your windows that produces interesting light patterns designed to entertain cats... oh yeah, here it is. $35... meh. I'll just hang a faceted crystal of some kind.

Oh, mineral-crystal deodorant stones are totally a thing

As G-d as my my witness, I will never run out of garlic again.

I bought one of these with the "upgrade your home office" stipend work gave me back in April. Very happy with it, to the point that I'd buy it again even if I had to spend my own money on it.

USB-C rechargeable, backlit, and has a real nice heft to it, so even though it's small, it resists sliding around my desk.

microwavable rice is an abomination

the stuff I use is "quick cooking" brown rice, which is not "instant" rice, but normal rice where they've scratched the husk so it absorbs water faster or something.

also get a rice cooker. Zojirushi is the bomb. Costco frequently has deals on them, though I'm not sure about right now. mine can do 3 cups of that quick cooking brown rice in like 40 minutes.

Hey, does anyone know if the marsh trail at the arboretum is open? I think it's called Foster Island. Washington Trails Association says it's open but All Trails says it's closed, I can't find any other information confirming either way. Edited for better info.

IFTTT is just a fancy trigger system for those that want to automate certain data flows. I used to use it with co-workers at an old job to automate our step count contests. You can give it access to your fitbit data feed and posting permission to slack and it will post your step counts the next day without you having to do anything manual.

It can be cool for setting up data feeds on your biometrics, getting alerts/alarms on things like reddit posts, etc.

I haven't really used it in a couple years though so I can't vouch for what's up with it these days.

Mine just ran off a normal 110v switch, so I don't see why you couldn't wire in a simple timer switch to the outlet. Depends on where your current one is wired I guess.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-FD5MW-5-Minute-Spring-Loaded-Automatic/dp/B003A3HJ80

Python is the best all-around language for learning programming.

Learn Python the Hard Way is generally well-regarded. It's a free ebook but they also have an option for buying extra tutorial videos.

I think Khan Academy has some free Python programming stuff too.

Pygame is a framework/library for making games in Python. Haven't used it since a class in college but I really liked using it.

Be forewarned, though, that within software engineering, the game development world is absolutely brutal. 80+ hour weeks during "crunch time" are considered normal. Lots of people who went into gamedev because they loved gaming end up either burned out or without any free time to actually play games.

damn good question...I have no idea but I asked on Tildes

I'll PM you a Tildes invite if you want to participate there

Some are microphone-triggered like these:

https://www.amazon.com/BISEBIN-Ultrasonic-Adjustable-Automatic-Deterrent/dp/B094RFKXGT/

https://www.amazon.com/FANZ-Barking-Ultrasonic-Deterrents-Waterproof/dp/B08XM1BD4N

(I haven't read the reviews on these...)

I have these AirPod knockoffs from Anker and they're fucking great. never tried the actual AirPods so can't compare them, but can't argue with the price.

Holly Hunter in particular is goddamn amazing in it. the whole cast is great but she is a perfect foil for Danson.

and you jogged a memory loose in my brain - I doubt I was the original recommender of the good place since I came to it pretty late...buuuuut the people who originally recommended it to me (or at least, the recommendation that stuck because they told me, without spoilers, how important it was to let the entire first season develop) were people I carpooled with to a Buddhist meditation retreat.

if you want more Buddhist stuff I highly recommend Why Buddhism is True which is about the overlap between modern neuroscience and many centuries-old Buddhist teachings. (here's a Fresh Air interview with the author)

today's shitposting is brought to you by

24oz stainless steel, dishwasher safe, insulated beer stein.

I think I'm going to order a second one and have a beer mug and a coffee mug.

the onion, from a simpler time (2015): Man’s Bloodstream Enjoys Hour-Long Intermission Between Coffee, Alcohol Blitzes

> but having a whole party in the highest offices act like treasonous bastards is new to me.

The 'Tea Party' was all about treason. I watched that whole election cycle incoherently throwing stuff at the TV. We still have TV bricks from that era in a plastic tote in the entry closet.

not a gardener but I do love amateur chemistry experiments

it's soluble in both alcohol and oil, so you could also use vegetable oil as a carrier before diluting it in water. or possibly coconut oil if you wanted something solid enough that you could smear a line of it onto a fence as a barrier or something.

cayenne is fairly mild as far as these things go. habeneros are usually the hottest pepper you can find at a grocery store like QFC without going to a specialty store. simplest thing that would work would be habeneros and vegetable oil blended in a food processor then strained and diluted in water.

you could also get some hot sauce for people who use ability to tolerate spicy food as a proxy for dick measurement and dilute that. several of the reviews mention it being effective as a squirrel repellent.

and it goes without saying but, wear gloves, wear eye protection (to remind yourself not to touch your face, if nothing else), do this outside or run your kitchen fan if doing it inside.

> EDIT: fucking hell, I'm not going to buy a router that requires an app that doesn't work if the app can't reach the company's servers. WTF. And good luck figuring out which ones are in that category...

FYI you can root most routers to get around that. OpenWRT is one option I'm aware of but I haven't used or looked at them in like half a decade. Mileage may vary but most of the core brands are usually covered (Linksys, netgear, etc)

If you're 65 or older, here is the standby list for the city of Seattle (from Seattle Times link):

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RR7meOtrCUCPmTWdi1T0Gx2PbOg6RAdGgprGIJyZsjZUQjdNTktUWlhWOFVTUzJFNTU0U1JZSFVITC4u

Tildes has weekly threads for covid updates/discussion that have a very good signal:noise ratio.

PM me if you want a Tildes invite (open offer to anyone in this sub)

Mr. smells got me this last year and this, along with a different gift, has earned him the title of Best Gift Giver. I don’t love the look of a standing hammock, but it’s so comfy and cozy and super easy to put together and take apart for winter. It’s the best. The color he got was out of stock for a bit, and I think a few may be now, but there are a ton of color options.

Their top rated is the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty and I really strongly recommend not getting this unit

The box itself works great, but the replacements have a vile chemical smell. Check the reviews on their Amazon page. The worst part is the third-party replacements all have similar issues, or they don't fit right, or they aren't actually HEPA certified

It seems to me you could use something like these brackets, self tapping screws and then having 3/8" custom sized panes of glass cut.

We got these bumpers.

I recently bought one of those pod coffee makers when my Keurig machine went points up that also allows you to use regular grounds. I've been weaning myself off of the pods because apparently they are evil, but it just isn't the same. It is piping hot, though. And easier to keep clean.

I ordered one of these towards the end of March and set it up as a recurring delivery and then promptly forgot I had done so.

Apparently they were out for several months but continued to back order it on my account until it was finally back in stock. Imagine my surprise when I received 4 of them all at once last month. This was in addition to the 48 rolls I had ordered from Grainger in September.

Cornish game hens are back on the menu, folks!! They're a little on the small side, even for game hens, but we'll take it.

I've had my nose broken a number of times so I have to use a 'snore clip'. The latest one I'm trying out uses neodymium magnets. Oddly, it also seems to be helping with the gastric reflux as well.

yeah, I have cheapo pants too. those were a splurge for extremely lazy winter days. I have underwear from that same company and it's absurdly soft & comfy fabric.

> the Spider Plant attracts cats in part because it is mildly hallucinogenic

uhh

I have all of mine in hanging baskets because toxic or not, one of my cats is an asshole who'd kill any plant he could reach (all the snake plants are on these shelves because they're basically cat-proof)

but this kind of makes me want to feed them clippings

I guess so, especially at these prices: 3000 ladybugs for $5.60. Some people suggest trying these other aphid-eaters for better results.

There's a wide range of cam choices available. Since this is in your yard, I'm going to assume you want battery-powered, but if you can cover the spots from a place you can get a power wire to, you have more options.

One direction is wifi-enabled "smart" cams like the Arlo Pro 4 that Wirecutter recommends. Pricy, but you'll get alerts on your phone when there's motion. Battery tends to last weeks or months, depends on how much activity there is and whether you have it record long movies. May also require a subscription to their cloud storage service.

The simpler but more labor-intensive direction is a "trail cam" or "wildlife cam"--guessing this is more what you had in mind. These run weeks or months on a few AAs/AAAs, are not online, and record to an SD card. That means you have to periodically pull the card and sift through what's on there. As far as I've seen, they don't have the processing power to run a ML filter on what they see and distinguish motion of foliage from motion of people or animals. (I haven't looked to see if there's a way to do that with post-processing, but it did occur to me that that might be an interesting project if I ever get into learning ML.)

I have the GardePro A3 and am still seeing how useful it is. I get lots of false positives from swaying plants on windy days.

In general, the mounting systems assume that you install the cam in a somewhat hard to reach spot, because otherwise it can be easily stolen--they generally don't come with hardware that lets you secure them against theft.

> I also hate being too warm

Have you considered vests? Denim would be the classic for a punk look. I recently got a canvas vest for working around the property and liked the look enough to wear it around town. Or there's wool options for the full professor/hipster look. Pairs well with a flannel and hat in classic PNW style.

I've mostly switched from coffee to yerba mate after getting some fancy straws from Bez-Mart

drinking too much mate feels so much better than drinking too much coffee

A while back I needed a synthetic belt because $REASONS and bought a "tactical" nylon belt. I kinda like it and got a nicer one that has a better-looking (metal) buckle. The mechanism is not super high quality, but it works, and it's not going to need any new holes.

IIRC you're not a big fan of shopping on Amazon. But I gave up on buying belts locally after a string of garbage. Been very impressed with the KEECOW belts I have now. Simple and durable leather. They even include a decent leather punch if you need to make modifications so they match.

It sounds like you have a Toto Aquia. The supply line from the tank passes through a hole in the stool/bowl of the toilet. Due to the thickness of the china, you likely will not be able to access the side inlet of the tee adapter that came with the washlet seat.

A way around that is to remove the tank and install one of these.

And if it's the Aquia model I think it is, this video shows how the tank is installed onto the bowl/stool.

You could always go with something like Jabra earbuds which have ANC which you can enable and disable with a tap on side of the left headphone.

My concert-going audiologist friend gave me the Etymotic ER-20s. They do what runk said: lower the volume without distorting or muddling the sound. They come with a cord which lets you take em out and have em dangle around your neck so you don’t lose em.

there's two different types of smoke detection sensors, ionization and photoelectric. they're good at detecting different types of fires (flaming vs slowly smoldering)

your 20 year old smoke detector very likely only has one type of sensor. you can get dual-sensor detectors that have both for like $20.

also make sure you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen that's rated to put out grease fires (class B)

You might want to look into mesh trash bags for camping/hiking/boating/etc that are designed to be lightweight, like these (Amazon link)

Shin Black is ramen of the gods, provided you like it spicy

you can get fancier ones if you go to Uwajimaya or Central Market, but this is the best kind you can reliably find at QFC/Fred Meyer

Sounds like how Reddit currently is tbh. That's less than I thought.

I'm trying to find verification on the wayback machine of parler and how it worked, but not really having any luck. Did find this though:

> @StormIsUponUs - President Elect Joe M - Parler > [Search domain parler.com/profile/StormIsUponUs/posts] https://parler.com/profile/StormIsUponUs/posts > @Radagast73 My son is in IT and goes on the dark web or dark internet and he told me that some patriots in federal agencies have been warning on message boards that things are being ramped up and that arrests of prominent Trump supporters are about to happen. With Trump neutralized since the Capitol mess, it's getting dangerous. My son told me I should be using a vpn, Parler not secure enough.

>A shaft coupler might be trickier to find in stock.

The ones in the youtube video look like 7/16" drill bit extensions.

I go back and forth between on my back and side, but I feel your pain on being broad shouldered. My favored pillow for when my back is acting up is an almost 5" thick cervical pillow. It's dipped in the middle for back sleeping, but the sides are broad enough to support my neck/head when side-sleeping.

Not the exact model I use but similar:https://www.amazon.com/EPABO-Orthopedic-Sleeping-Ergonomic-Cervical/dp/B07BKVG42X/

Seconding evil-olive's suggestion to get an Aeropress before shelling out big bucks for an espresso machine. Ideally with the Fellows Prismo attachment. (That also removes the need for buying replacement paper filters, although it does let through a bunch of fine grit.)

The Bonavita kettle he recommends is not available anymore. I recently looked around for a replacement and ended up getting this one which has been working well.

The Baratza Encore grinder is a fine choice. I ended up getting the OXO Brew one instead, if I remember right because it promised to be quieter. It's not bad, noise-wise, and has been working well for me.

So $40 (Aeropress) + $25 (Prismo) + $70 (kettle) + $100 (grinder) = $235 for a setup.

One of my cats' favorite toys is this hexbug thing which is basically a plastic/silicone shape with embedded in it a battery and a thing that vibrates it enough so that it "walks" a bit and makes interesting noise.

Hmm maybe we should do a thread tomorrow about everyone's cats' favorite toys.

I bought several of those catnip banana's for my Mom's cat. It usually only takes her about a week to chew, bunny kick and disembowel one. She also likes catnip bubbles and will scratch at the sideboard where she knows they're stored until Mom gives in.

Roxy loves the "bird on a string" toy, but of course it's no fun to play with unless a human operates it for her. Her other favorite is the catnip banana. It's fun to watch her hug it and kick the life out of it.

of the latter category I like Honest Amish. it's a beard wax but it's thick enough I think it should work for a mustache.

there's also Clubman which is Ye Olde Mustache Wax but without any fancy packaging.

and you shut your whore mouth about laudanum. I wouldn't have survived the Oregon Trail without it.

a coworker mentioned this but I haven't tried it yet: https://wa.myir.net/

I also got these to keep my card from becoming origami

but yeah as R_V_Z said a picture is "good enough" for almost anywhere

Aside from the Urban Villages strategy, I think that's also roughly when the Urban Growth Boundary was adopted, which put limits on sprawl. Not sure if they went together, or if the Urban Villages were a response to the UGB.

The idea was very popular in urban planning circles; I remember the first edition of this book was everywhere.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, and was reaffirmed in the most recent round of planning and upzoning after explicit discussion on how growth should be distributed in the city. I don't remember much discussion back then about impact on vulnerable communities, nor an understanding that we needed more growth than we could reasonably produce in the Urban Village areas (or otherwise along arterials etc.).

Slightly off topic, but it was a little disconcerting when one of the Grandcritters grabbed one of these out of the pantry and stuck it in the fridge for later.

> Those M&M/malt ball hybrid bastards are my one true comfort food.

You can buy them in bulk and they keep for a long time in the freezer. Or so I've heard.

ooh, nice

I got one of these awhile back. I put my phone in it, clamp it to my desk, and then during a Zoom meeting I can point my video at a notebook on my desk and scribble on it. solves the "lack of a usable whiteboard" problem that's been one of the only things I missed about in-office meetings (and software-based whiteboards just aren't the same)

so far I've just used my paper notebook (metric-sized, graph-paper-ruled master race) but having a legit whiteboard would be pretty cool.

That ducati is dope!

I'm eyeing THIS i have a porsche I need to build. The lambos were 650 pieces, the Porsche is 1600. I think a bugatti is like 4000 lol.

Can you access it from below (basement/crawlspace) or from behind (closet)?

As blindrage and renownbrewer have pointed out, you could probably drill it out and then use an easyout, but I've never had much luck with that method and usually just replace the entire Waste & Overflow with a cabled W&O from Geberit or Mountain.

My general attitude towards things like this was to replace, rather than repair -- Basically you own it once you touch it and I was always very liability conscious when it came to things that had the potential to cause damage.

they have a hot water version but I don't think BB sells it.

the one I have is cold water only and I don't mind it at all (though in my apt the cold water lines aren't ice-cold).

and very easy to install, I did it myself and I'm fairly clueless about home improvement stuff. since I'm in a rental I needed one that didn't require any plumbing changes and was easy to remove when I move out.

Hey u/AthkoreLost and others who like non-alcoholic beer: this HopLark HopTea is worth trying. Less fruity than the Hop Refresher, bit of a green tea background behind the hops. It's probably caffeinated I'm guessing, so beware of that.

they make yerba mate energy drinks now too. waaaay better than Monster or any other swill.

another thing I like about it is that cheap green tea tastes like bitter ass, and good green tea is expensive and finicky about brewing time & temp.

mate, meanwhile, tolerates lazy / inexact brewing, and it's good even when it's cheap. you can get a kilogram of loose-leaf for like $12 (with bonus fun that you're buying pick-me-up drugs from South America by the kilo).

my go-to recipe with it is 6-8 teabags in a half-gallon pitcher, ~150 F water, half a cup of sugar, then top it off with some of the 100% blueberry juice from Trader Joe's and chill in the fridge. ends up being a clone of the "blue" flavor of those mate energy drinks.