u/CatoTheMiddleAged

Got my son a DeMarini Zen for spring 2025. Started off great with a solid double and he hit just fine for spring/summer/fall. He didn’t get a new bat for Xmas like many of his other teammates did, and when spring came around he declared his Zen “dead” and used his teammates bats in games. He hit worse. When I forced him to use his bat in one game, he hit a hard single and a fly double. But later at the cages he was 3-4 mph less on exit velo with the Zen (with one swing) so he again declared his bat dead and went back to using teammate’s bat.

Whatever. I’m over it. Have to get a new BBCOR bat for fall anyway. But I’ve got his old Zen and it’s basically seen one season of ball. I’d like to sell it to someone who will appreciate it but I don’t want to do that if it’s actually dead. How can I tell?

This last week has involved a lot of driving - far more than I usually do. Maybe 1000 total, mostly highway but some mountain roads. Anyway, during the course of this driving there were two disturbing noises; the first was a strange whir after having driven over some fresh asphalt. That went away after maybe 10 miles but I have never really heard anything like that noise before. Second was during some highway travel that involved a lot of slow traffic. During that period there was one fairly loud “clunk” from the rear of the vehicle. No other noises later and everything seemed alright. But it got me worried a bit since I’ve heard about problems with the ERAD. Is this something that I can have the dealer check out? The car is CPO for less than a year with about 34k miles on it. I’d like to get it checked before anything major happens but I don’t even know what to ask them to check. Thoughts?

Ok I got the hardware all set up, I have Windows installed. I downloaded some games to test it out and it seems to be running OK. What's next? How do I make sure that everything is up to date and optimized and running at peak performance? Is there some kind of checklist I need to go through?

System:

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi AM5

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X

XFX SWIFT AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT

I need to have a couple of watches serviced. Nothing too fancy, just some automatics that are having issues. But as you may or may not know, most jewelers and even places that call themselves watch repair shops actually send the watches out to this network of watch repair folks and the quality can be pretty hit-or-miss. Normally I go to 1:46 in Williamsburg but it’s a hassle to get to.

Anyplace more local that does work on site?

I’m already in over my head. I have a Mini ITX build I’m working on; Fractal Terra case, Silverstone SX750 power supply, Asrock B850 mb, rx9060xt gpu and a noctua cpu fan to keep it cool. I’ve got another case fan on the way as well.

My problem right from jump is how everything gets wired. The psu has all these cables and I have no idea which ones go where. There are two identical ones labeled PCI-E, two different types of EPS (one with one head, the other with two), two identical ones that have four slotted connectors each, and a similar one that has more of a four pin type connector.

I did figure out which one was the power for the motherboard so at least I’ve got that one installed correctly. I think.

Any guidance here?

Sorry for the lack of precision with language etc this is my first pc build.

I’ve never built a PC. I’ve tinkered here and there a long time ago but mostly just been using laptops or pre-built mini-PCs for the last decade or more. But I want to get something a little more powerful for gaming and video production, so I’ve started looking at SFF options.

I’ve narrowed it down to two options; one, buy a used home built PC with good specs, but slightly outdated vid card, or build my own with exactly what I need. The cost difference is maybe 10% less ($150) if I build it myself. But that’s without OS and maybe some parts I’m not accounting, and my own labor of course.

My gut says to build it myself because it’ll be new and exactly to spec, but I’m a little daunted by the build process. What do you think - should I just go for it? Or take the safer route and buy a lightly used machine that’s already been built and tested?

My son is 12ish. Looking to suggest some books to him and my first thought was Riverworld (TYSBG). I loved those books when I was a kid; the world-building, sci-fi mixed with historical characters… it was all just so fun to imagine. And a little dystopian/dark which I always gravitated to. I like most other PJF stuff too. Asimov, PKD, Heinlein, UK Leguin, Herbert…I guess mostly the more philosophical stuff.

But what should I recommend to him to start? I don’t want a snoozer like Dune or Foundation. Where did you start?

Weak grounder pretty much straight to short, who is playing standard position. But 3rd baseman makes a big run for it, thinking he can field it, makes a diving play and misses. Short has moved to cover behind the 3rd baseman but can’t really see the ball because the 3rd baseman slid in front, so the ball gets by him too. LF gets the ball as runner reaches first base.

Error on 3B? SS? No error?

I’ve got a 50 Atmo/1521, polished case with blue face/bezel. The bezel has got a little wear and I’m thinking to replace it with either sapphire or ceramic. Has anyone done this? How’s it look? Which would you recommend? Post pics if you have ‘em.

Also, looking to sell or trade it, so wondering if it’s worth the price vs just selling it as is. Thoughts?

I've had my PX13 w Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Radeon 890 M for I don't know - more than a year now? Every now and then I check the MyAsus app for updates but there are rarely any. The last update I got was in January of this year. I recently downloaded a video game and got an error message saying my graphics driver was out of date. So I checked it and lo, it hasn't been updated for more than a year! MyAsus says I'm up to date but I think there's lots of stuff that is out of date just like the graphics driver since I often have bugs and crashes.

What am I doing wrong - is there some other app I need to download to stay up to date? Do I need to manually download drivers? Why does MyAsus suck so bad at updating the system?

So I had a seizure a few days ago - I guess it was a TC, in the lingo I'm learning. I had one literally 30+ years ago which at the time was tested and nothing really resulted from that. This time, blood work and CT came back normal and ER doc said there was nothing to indicate why this happened. I have an appointment with a neurologist in a week or so, but until then I've been prescribed levetiracetam 1500mg/day which has left me feeling pretty down. Well, I don't really know how much of it is me feeling down because of the meds and how much is after-effect from the seizure, or the realization that I'm facing a major health event that may dramatically change my lifestyle. Anyway, I feel tired, I feel sad, I feel a little dizzy/woozy and I feel like I can't trust my brain anymore which sucks. Not sure really what I should be expecting or experiencing at this point; are after-effects from a seizure a thing that goes away? Will I get used to the meds? Is 1500 mg too high a dose? Can I cut back so I feel less lobotomized? Are there any good resources for people facing a diagnosis or am I getting ahead of myself here? Any tips/advice for someone new to this?

For reasons beyond my control, I find myself with several hours to kill in an area far from home. I figured I’d use the opportunity to charge the car up and just chill. But it’s 90 degrees outside. I’m in the car now and charging but I can’t seem to start the AC without starting the car and I can’t start the car without removing the charge cable.

Is there a way to have the AC going while charging? Internet search suggested it was…

Summer is here and I'm loving the freedom of working outdoors with my Tab Ultra C. The keyboard however leaves a lot to be desired. In partcular the fact that I can't actually use the keyboard without a table - using it on my lap, for instance doesn't really work with the kickstand case.

I'd love to use one of those iPad style cases with the hinge that makes a tablet more like a real laptop. Does any solution exist for the Tab Ultra C? Maybe a mod that makes an iPad compatible keyboard work?

Beef being so expensive these days, I’m always looking for a deal. So picanha was on sale the other day and I picked up a largish one - probably 3 lbs. at first I thought to cook it like a brisket but now I’m seeing it’s cooked more like a steak? What’s the best way to prepare it and what are some good recipes?

Monday night is usually pasta night for us - something simple, doesn't require much prep or many ingredients, low key meal. But my wife is now trying to cut back on the carbs and sugars because of medical issues and I need something to make that is simple, high protein, and kid friendly. Any ideas?

I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time this past week looking for a bag to replace my Osprey Daylite Plus, which I gave to my son.

What I need is something bigger 26-30L but that still packs light. I want to use it for all sorts of activities; hike/bike/ski and city explorer. Because sometimes I pack light on those activities, compression straps are a must. I also want to use it as a travel bag, so a luggage pass through is a must. I like the look of the Osprey and want to keep it “sporty” and not looking like a campus bag. I really wish the 26+6 had a sporty look and compression straps because that would be pretty ideal. Does something like that exist?

The closest thing I’ve found is a Thule Enroute, but I don’t really love the design of the 26 and I think the protected sunglasses “safe” pocket is a little hokey and give it a weird profile. But if that’s as close as I get, I’ll probably keep it.

Any other suggestions?

My son has a DeMarini Zen that he did some batting practice with yesterday, and they put a radar on it. He said he was getting 5mph lower exit velocity on it than he was when using someone else’s bat (forgot the brand - whatever the latest-hottest is). Now he thinks his bat is “dead.”

He’s had it for about a year and a half, so it’s seen 100+ games and lots of BP. But in practice just a few days earlier, he seemed to be hitting well and it sounded great.

So is there a way to know when a composite bat is dead? How long does a composite bat usually last? Obviously my son doesn’t want to use his bat anymore so it’s kinda a moot point, I guess.