u/MissJoannaTooU

I'm a disabled person with a lot of chronic conditions, and my neurological symptoms go crazy above 28C - memory loss, loss of executive function, unfocused anxiety, fear, physical discoordination and more - that’s on top of the general misery of it from someone who doesn’t like heat.

I live in a 1st Floor Flat (don’t ask) which is a converted office building. That means the windows magnify the heat, making it like an oven. When it’s 16C outside at night it’s 23C in my flat. When it’s 18C outside it can be 29C to give an idea of how crazy it is.

I have a 9000 BTU portable air conditioning unit that I’ve had for about 3 years. I’ve had potable AC for about 10 years because I’ve always been heat sensitive, but in the last years it’s gotten so much worse as my conditions have progressed. To be honest 9000 BTU isn't enough for the high ceilings and large windows that magnify heat, but it was something.

Well today, it died and oh boy, what horrific timing given we are going into another week of 30C + weather. I’m terrified.

I’m also in poverty, trying to keep as much money saved as possible due to having no income and living in an unaffordable home. But I was like ok, I can spend ~£350 on another unit if I have to.

So I go online and everything is sold out or deliveries are 2 months away. Amazon, all the major retailers are the same.

Then there are spammy websites with very dodgy listing on Google Ads, or they are just sold out too.

I feel like I’ve just dropped into a new nightmare on top of the other 10 nightmares I’m dealing with where there are 2 months of this hell left this year.

I have to do things to survive that require my mind to work. This is unbelievable.

Thanks for listening. If you have any thoughts please let me know.

[EDIT: Ok Wonderful people of r/UKWeather - FE was a condensate/full-water/drainage shutdown state. I drained it (which was like having to build the golden gate bridge for me) and it works!

Thank you!]

This isn't a new idea - every time I've ever watched a weather update or hear literally any host talk about a hot sunny day it's "good weather".

It happens at work and let me tell you, if you protest, it will be seen as heresy and you'll be marked by HR as 'anti-social'.

The hubris of deciding for me, for us, the people, what constitutes "good weather" needs decolonising.

I demand the freedom to choose what weather I like.

I'm starting to see the media see the horror of heat, but there's a long way to go.

I was reading the old 5 Vs 4 string threads because my brain is being fried by the weather and people were saying that back in the day gospel music would have used E standard or at least just 4 string bass, as that's all there was.

Ok so I get that Bb and Eb are important keys, but say if it's a blues you can play Bb in E standard on a 4 string no issues.

So why did Gospel players get to the point where having a 5 seems mandatory with Bb standard being pretty common?

So I've been doing some testing and I've come to the conclusion that different brands of batteries impact bass tone (on active basses).

I've done extensive shootouts on my SR505e rotating the following brands:

- Duracell

- Kodak

- Amazon Basics

- Panasonic

- Some mystery one I found in a drawer

Duracell is definitely the most hi-fi. Tight low end, good transient response, maybe slightly scooped. Very modern. But honestly I think that if you're playing a boutique instrument you need them to get the most out of it.

Amazon Basics has good mids but lacked a bit of low end. Totally gigabble and nothing to be ashamed of at a hang.

Panasonic was the most balanced, but almost too polite. Good for church gigs or apologising.

The mystery drawer battery had the best growl but I’m 80% sure it was leaking, so there may be a trade off between tone and personal safety.

I don't mean to start a new tone debate but I'd be interested in people's experiences.

Edit: I should probably clarify before anyone starts bulk buying batteries for tone reasons: this is mostly a silly tone-post.

A fresh healthy battery in an active bass should basically just power the preamp. If there are audible differences, they’re much more likely to be battery age, charge level, voltage under load, a dying battery, confirmation bias, or me gradually losing my mind in a bass specific way.

Please don’t spend money chasing Duracell tone. Unless you want to. In which case I accept no responsibility for your alkaline journey.

The isn't rocket science and it might not work for everyone.

Let's say GPT X annoys you with guardrail speak, hedging, hyperbolic negations, whatever drives you crazy.

Argue with it and get it to understand the harm.

Remember that the model underneath can see the corporate BS but has to obey it.

If you can demonstrate to it the harm it's doing and ask it to articulate it, put that text in a new chat and ask it to update it's memory to not do this.

Why this can work: you're not asking it to blindly ignore Sam Altman. You're explaining how a simple first pass of its rules are causing greater problems than that solve. Detail and context helps.

And because it's writing it it's already guardrail approved by definition.

It's really helped me have a much better time with 5.5 thinking.