/lounge/ - sushi social

Did you hear that Elon Musk dug a tunnel under the Las Vegas Convention Center?

I think it is pretty universally known by now that the "Las Vegas Loop" is impractical, poorly thought out, and generally an embarrassment to society and industry. I will spare an accounting of the history and future of the system, but I will give a bit of context for the unfamiliar reader. The Las Vegas Loop is a (supposed) mass-transit system built and operated by The Boring Company for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Besides four (ish) stations in the Convention Center, it has been expanded to serve Resorts World as well. It will, according to plan, be expanded to as many as 93 stops throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area, despite the mayor of Las Vegas calling it "impractical" and "unsafe and inaccessible." This odd contradiction comes about because The Boring Company is footing a very large portion of the construction cost, while much of the rest is coming from casinos and resorts, making it extremely inexpensive for regional government agencies.

In practice, the Loop consists of a set of mostly double-bore tunnels of small diameter, which are traversed by Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model X vehicles manually driven by humans at up to 40 mph. They have more recently switched to Model Y, but the operations manual I have predates that change, so let's stick with the older models for consistency. Each vehicle seats up to four. The system is nominally a PRT, or personal rapid transit, as the drivers take you to the specific station you request. The tunnel to Resorts World is single bore, and can admit vehicles in only one direction. A simple signaling scheme serves to prevent vehicles meeting head-on in single tunnels. While Loop and Boring Company marketing focuses heavily on the single underground station, all other stations are above ground. In the current state, I think it is actually somewhat generous to call the Loop an underground system, as most maneuvers and operations occur at surface level. It is perhaps best thought of as a taxi system that makes use of underground connectors to bypass traffic. Future expansion plans involve significantly more tunnel length and more underground stations, which will probably cause the system overall to feel more like a below-surface transit system and less like an odd fleet of hotel courtesy cars.

I am not going to provide a general review of the system, Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>19339
The punch line here is… remember what my husband said about the golf cart we saw? GEM makes carts that seat five in addition to the driver, with a higher seating position and open sides or optionally large doors for faster board/deboard. Even with the 25mph stock speed limiter for NEV/LSV regulatory compliance (and believe me, with some adjustments to the motor controller they can go faster), I suspect that switching the Loop entirely to GEMs would increase its total capacity. And the GEMs honestly suck, in the world of light electric vehicles. They just kind of pulled off a regulatory capture move and got the NEV rules written to pretty much require something that sucks as much as they do for street legality.

Subjective Experience
So as I said, this is not a review, just trying to focus on some things of interest to transit, communications, and policy dweebs. Which I assume pretty much describes my core readers. But I do want to point out a couple of oddities that add to the "wow, this is cheap" sensation:

The ride is surprisingly rough, even in a Model Y with highway-grade suspension. I am concerned that they may not be able to do much better when paving in the confined tunnels, given that I don't think standard paving equipment would fit in the loading gauge. The ride experience was not "oooo electric car luxury," it was more on par with the Orlando Airport APM100s with sketchy steering gear.

For the segment that requires tickets (to Resorts World), the ticketing system is based on a QR code. The customer-side implementation is fine enough, but the ticket checking is laughable. It's an iPad where you have to show a QR code to the front-facing camera, meaning you have to present the QR code with your phone facing away from you, looking at the image on the iPad for alignment. It is very awkward and there is no reason for it besides cheapness. Plus there's not really any way for the attendant to see if the ticket is valid without standing awkwardly close to you to look at the same iPad screen you are, and indeed, I accidentally scored a free ride by merit of the attendant's inability to see the actual result of the ticket check.

The stations are not especially well thought out. People walking in and out of the stations have to cross the path of the Loop vehicles in some places. The attendants are supposed to dPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

California’s new electric train makes for a shockingly better trip—we tried it
Caltrain’s electric trains started rolling out last week. The advantages go far beyond just cutting CO2 emissions.
California’s new electric train makes for a shockingly better trip—we tried it
[Photo: Caltrain]
BY ADELE PETERS

If you ride on the newest commuter trains from San Francisco to San Jose, the first thing that you might notice is how quiet they are: Instead of the rumble of a diesel engine, the trains now run on 100% electricity.

By switching to electric trains, Caltrain, the rail service, can eliminate 250,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year, roughly as much as the pollution from 55,000 cars. But it’s also just a better experience for riders. That might convince more commuters to stop driving to work, cutting emissions even further.


[Photo: Caltrain]
ELECTRIC TRAINS ARE FASTER
First, the electric trains run faster than the diesel trains that they’re replacing. Instead of a single locomotive in the front pulling the entire train behind it, each individual car is now an “electrical multiple unit,” or EMU, with its own engine, connected to overhead electric wires. “It’s generating power throughout the system,” says Dan Lieberman, a public information officer for Caltrain. “It just allows it to get up to speed much faster.”

Because the train can start and stop faster, Caltrain can add more stops to its express trains, and still shave minutes off the route. The new express route between San Jose and San Francisco will stop at 11 stations instead of seven, and take 59 minutes instead of an hour and five minutes. (The local train will take 75 minutes rather than 100 minutes.) During peak commute hours, more stations will now have trains every 15 to 20 minutes, even though Caltrain won’t use any additional trains. At off-peak hours, trains will run every 30 minutes, rather than every hour. (Caltrain started rolling out the new trains last week; they’ll be fully in service by the end of September.)

>>19367
If you ride on the newest commuter trains from San Francisco to San Jose, the first thing that you might notice is how quiet they are: Instead of the rumble of a diesel engine, the trains now run on 100% electricity.

By switching to electric trains, Caltrain, the rail service, can eliminate 250,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year, roughly as much as the pollution from 55,000 cars. But it’s also just a better experience for riders. That might convince more commuters to stop driving to work, cutting emissions even further.


[Photo: Caltrain]
ELECTRIC TRAINS ARE FASTER
First, the electric trains run faster than the diesel trains that they’re replacing. Instead of a single locomotive in the front pulling the entire train behind it, each individual car is now an “electrical multiple unit,” or EMU, with its own engine, connected to overhead electric wires. “It’s generating power throughout the system,” says Dan Lieberman, a public information officer for Caltrain. “It just allows it to get up to speed much faster.”

Because the train can start and stop faster, Caltrain can add more stops to its express trains, and still shave minutes off the route. The new express route between San Jose and San Francisco will stop at 11 stations instead of seven, and take 59 minutes instead of an hour and five minutes. (The local train will take 75 minutes rather than 100 minutes.) During peak commute hours, more stations will now have trains every 15 to 20 minutes, even though Caltrain won’t use any additional trains. At off-peak hours, trains will run every 30 minutes, rather than every hour. (Caltrain started rolling out the new trains last week; they’ll be fully in service by the end of September.)

Among the decades-old Windows apps to get renewed attention from Microsoft during the Windows 11 era is Notepad, the basic built-in text editor that was much the same in early 2021 as it had been in the '90 and 2000s. Since then, it has gotten a raft of updates, including a visual redesign, spellcheck and autocorrect, and window tabs.

Given Microsoft's continuing obsession with all things AI, it's perhaps not surprising that the app's latest update (currently in preview for Canary and Dev Windows Insiders) is a generative AI feature called Rewrite that promises to adjust the length, tone, and phrasing of highlighted sentences or paragraphs using generative AI. Users will be offered three rewritten options based on what they've highlighted, and they can select the one they like best or tell the app to try again.

Rewrite appears to be based on the same technology as the Copilot assistant, since it uses cloud-side processing (rather than your local CPU, GPU, or NPU) and requires Microsoft account sign-in to work. The initial preview is available to users in the US, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany.

If you don't care about AI or you don't sign in with a Microsoft account, note that Microsoft is also promising substantial improvements in launch time with this version of Notepad. "Most users will see app launch times improve by more than 35 percent, with some users seeing improvements of 55 percent or more," reads the blog post by Microsoft's Windows apps manager Dave Grochocki.

Microsoft is also adding generative fill and erase features to Paint in this update; the Paint app has already picked up several AI-powered image-generation and editing features. The generative fill addition allows users to select part of an existing image and type a prompt to fill in that area of the image with something AI-generated. Generative erase does the opposite, removing objects from a selected area of the image and attempting to recreate the background. The difference between the two is that generative fill is only available on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite chips in them, while generative erase will work on any Windows 11 PC.

On the technical end of things, a new Windows Insider Canary channel build released yesterday adds some new features to Prism, Microsoft's rebranded x86-to-Arm app translation layer for Arm-powered Windows PCs like the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.

This PrisPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>19760
yes, lol. she works there as a cook

I try to understand why someone might be doing something, and that usually helps. I also just don't like to start conflict, and so I let things slide even if they shouldn't.

>>19759
Forgiving your parents only really works if you maintain enough distance they can't easily hurt you anymore. Im not OP but if I forgave my parents I will be doomed

>>19764
Yes conflict avoidance, though dont let it get to the point you silence your needs to favor the perceived feelings of others

Don't give up and be the best version of yourself.

>>20142
How do you know what the best version of yourself is to begin ?

>>19678
Arch support gives you weak arches. People evolved without shoes. The problem more likely is stiff soles or the way many shoes slope forward putting your feet in an unnatural position.

Are mechanical keyboards worth it or are they just gaymer hype? I've heard people say they are good for your health and ergonomically better. I went down to the store to try out a cheap one and while the typing experience was fun, the keys were so high I'm basically lifting my wrists above the board which probably wouldn't feel good after a couple hours of intense typing.

>>20074
They are just more fun to type on. I don't think there is any other advantage than the feedback they give. Certainly not "health"-wise. Budget ones are usually noisy and bulky, so I went for a pricier low profile Keychron. I am perfectly happy with it, but thinking about a wrist pad for additional comfort. If it feels umcomfortable, don't even think about getting used to it.

>>20075
Are keychron boards really worth it?

>>20084
I found the Keychron K3 Max meets all my requirements - it's quiet, feels nice to type on, has a sturdy aluminum frame, and is lightweight. The 2.4GHz connectivity is more reliable than BT, and switching between devices is almost instant. If you are on a budget, I’d recommend Epomaker and its sister brands.

FREEBIRD

my favorite pigmhall is this one. I wish he'd do me 3d ones because they're cool.

>Oldest vid is 17 years ago
Dedication

found out just yesterday that pigmhall makes games on itch.io. really cool

>>20026
gorgeous forest I wish I was there

>>20035
wait that's a hueg flagpole what the heck

>>13606
Oh. Thanks for the qrd on qrd!

>>13606
Based and qrdpilled

>>13606
i don't know if true

>>13672
Probably not

fact no 1: its easier to find sushigirl by googling qrdpill than by googling sushigirl

2024 ~ the year of when the game changed

>>19577
>Awake overnight or asleep overnight Direct Service Professional
wow I finally have a name for the job I did in the army

Despite good intentions I absolutely fucked up this year and now I'm stuck in a shitty situtation that I practically put myself into. I've noticed the following flaws that are the cause of this.

1. Inability to make decisions, probably stemming from deep anxiety, fear of loss, fear of failure, and low self-esteem.
2. Avoidant behavior i.e. avoiding or delaying things like talking to people or paperwork because its psychologically stressful and depressing.
3. Chip on the shoulder. Resenting other people and myself for past greviences, or perceived greviences.
4. Poor time management, bad spatial awarenss, and shitty attention span meaning I get taken advantage of or mess basic things up because I didn't read things properly. I've tried reading stuff over multiple times but this still doesn't fix severe attentiond defecit.

How do I fix this garbage? I've got notebooks so I can write info down and map out my day. I'm thinking of grabbing a digital watch so I can keep track of time without getting sucked into the smartphone. I still have the attention span of a baby chimp on cocaine but hopefully with discipline things will get better. But I have no idea what to do for 1. and 2. I struggle to email people or even talk on the phone. I clam up and sutter easily. And if I have to send messages or do paper work or go outside I put it off for as long as possible. This has led me to massively fuck up my life and down the path of wasted opportunities and letting myself rot all year.

>>20007
>I struggle to email people or even talk on the phone.
Practice! I had this problem too, so I used to rehearse every call I had to make. After some time I didn't even feel anxiety when unknown numbers called me up. I used to reply with messages to avoid talking, silly.

If you struggle with e-mails, use AI assistance. You can ask it how they would interpret your message and it will also tell what you can do better. I use it a lot when discussing things on the webz - maybe even for this reply? Heheh.

>digital watch
Hell yeah, it can really help. If you can, turn off your smartphone too. I do that, and also put it in a place where I am too lazy to pick it up from. That goes for everything that distracts me. Regarding sounds I put rain on speakers, it masks irregular noises that make me lose focus. Unfortunately I do not have a strong will, so I have all kinds of dumb tricks to force me to be productive.

Basically I limit access to everything that is more interesting than my work - LeechBlock is a great extension for that, if you struggle with web surfing.

I think that is all I can offer help with, sorry!

>>19755
wow that seems OP

>>11475
>>11846
Time for my lunch

>>5818
Not all of us survived, unfortunately. After a suicide attempt(s?) and a brief stint of homelessness among five great and terrible years I ended up back living with other relatives before finally my parents once more.
Well, I survived at least (not to imply it's so fantastic to be alive all the time still, but sometimes good things happen, enough to warrant another day I suppose).

>>5819
Yeah just consider there's more responsibilities to owning any animal, even a cat, than you may have considered by yourself. At the moment I'm just sticking to patting other people's cats on the way home from work (my record is three in one walk).

Also, moving to a new place where no body knows you is great! Ideally I would every couple of years, that's when things start feeling too settled. Even in this city of 50,000 I can't wander around the streets drunk and high on the weekend without a co-worker spotting me in the act.

Exercise under the moon if necessary

>>16444
Physical activity is never a bad thing…

WIN at life. Do it!

A few weeks ago I was talking to a cat outside and a neighbour I hadn't noticed gave me a look like I was crazy (he didn't see the cat).

I sing moonlight dentetsu

Embarassment is weakness.
Embrace the cringe, let it flow through your veins and oxidize into a strength where no one can tell you the rights or wrong of this world…
Become. Unstoppable.

The most embarrassing thing I've done is stayed in a relationship with a loser longer than I should have only to get dumped by them because I "demanded to much", flossing teeth daily & getting out of academic probation. It's embarrassing because I pretended it was happy in front of my friends, so I cringe when I think of telling them about all the disrespect I put up with.
On the flip side I finally wake up happy everyday because I know I don't have to deal with my Ex anymore ToT

>>19734
the trash takes itself out.

I appreciate you bringing this to my attention sushi roll.