A Geek Goes Flying

I feel like we need an updated version of Knoll’s Law of Media Accuracy ‡ for the Age of Memes. For the record, I’m not a fan of the Trump administration, or what they’re doing to the government. That said, I was recently sent this and wanted to clarify (from my limited, but somewhat greater than the average bear, knowledge of aviation): Trump didn’t cause these crashes. Meme incorrectly linking Trump’s antics to recent aviation accidents. 1/20: Trump guts the FAA. I can’t find a source for this? I don’t see anything here , for instance. 1/22: Trump disbands the Aviation Security Advisory Committee [?], declares he has ended DEI [?] and restored “excellence and safety” in air travel [?]. Here’s a White House “ fact sheet .” (I guess we’re back to “ alternate facts .” (Example: The “[a]lmost unbelievably, as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative, the Biden FAA specifically recruited and hired individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities, psychiatric issues, and com...

Magic Mouse At the SoCal Vintage Computer Festival , stumbled acrosss an OG Magic Mouse (the one that uses AA batteries) in a box marked $5. They gave it to me for $3 since it was untested. Got it home and tried to fire it up and no green light. Dead. Figured my $3 gamble didn’t pay off... But, being me, I futzed with it and, after testing the AAs and confirming they were good, kinda shoved them into the positive terminals and ... a flicker, then a steady flashing green light. Huzzah! It works fine, I’m using it as I type this. Pro tip: For $12, BetterTouchTool allows tap-to-click on the mouse, instead of requiring a physical click every time. Between that, and the built-in scrolling gestures (horizontal scroll to go back and forth between pages), I’m wondering why I never tried one of these earlier! (Probably because they’re like $80 and I’m forever a cheapskate.) Spent a few hours there, got to see everything on the floor and perused the consignment section. Learned how to properly ...

Growing up in the midwest without cable or a satellite dish ( satellite dishes of the time were huge , and if memory serves, expensive - at least, according to my parents), I was MTV deprived. I vividly remember my stepsister and I wasting chunks of a Steamboat Springs ski vacation parked in front of the hotel room TV transfixed by the just released video for Madonna’s Like a Prayer . But eventually, there was a reprieve, of sorts: The Jukebox Network. Jukebox (later “ The Box ”) broadcast nonstop music videos on, at least in the local market, UHF channel 58. Viewers could call up a (900) number, which would result in a $1.99 charge on the phone bill, and punch in a three digit code for a music video they wanted to see, which would be added to the queue. During the day, this could be a frustratingly long wait, but after about 1 a.m., it was almost guaranteed the next video to play would be the one just selected - VCRs , stand ready! This was where I first encountered Depeche Mode’s Per...

In the Car Using a laptop on a steering wheel desk while charging the car The Solterra provides the occasional opportunity to wait for a DCFC charger to recharge its batteries, which, with a few pieces of kit, gives the operator a chance to get some work knocked out. What I’ve found to work well, so far: USTTOP Car Steering Wheel Desk . $10-13. I wrap the “Vegan leather” steering wheel with a bandana or something similar to protect it from the somewhat rough surface of this piece of plastic. It’s not the most stable a surface, but it works fine for laptop use and the price is certainly right. Have to remember to rotate the steering wheel 180° before shutting the car off. Anker 323 52.5W charger . $12-16. This 12V adapter can reliably pump 30W into a MacBook Air over a USB C cable (or probably the MagSafe charging cable). Baseus USB-C charging cable with an LED display that shows the charging wattage, useful to make sure everything’s working properly. This MagSafe mounting kit for my...

On a 2024 Solterra Limited I did some light testing with a Klein ET920 meter  and think I have the capabilities figured out (I couldn’t find the specs anywhere). Solterra Limited USB-C port providing 5V⎓3A Testing with a ~50% charged iPhone 16 Pro, the Klein showed the Solterra delivering 5V and about 2A (and the Baseus PD 100W fast charging USB C cable with LED display cable was reporting 10W). Hooking up an M2 MacBook Air (also around 50% charged) saw 4.88V but drawing around 2.90A and the cable reported 13W. MacBook Air receiving 13W from the built-in USB-C port   So it seems like the Solterra USB ports are limited to 5V and up to 3A depending on what the device will pull. Meanwhile, I hooked up a $12 Anker 323 car charger (52.5 W) (model A2375; apparently, Anker has reused the 323 designation for multiple products), and ran its output through the Klein. The Anker’s output capabilities are listed as: USB-C: 5V⎓3A / 9V⎓3A / 12V⎓2.5A / 15V⎓2A / 20V⎓1.5A (30W Max) USB-A: 5V⎓...

This trip took a lot more than I thought it would... I got started a little later than I had originally planned, leaving West LA around 11:20 a.m., with a 98% state of charge (SOC) and 197 miles estimated range [with 3,821 on the odometer] . The plan for the trip, worked up using PlugShare, was to drive 126 miles to Rancho Mirage Marketplace, DCFC to 80% there, drive another 130 miles to Love’s Travel Stop Quartzsite, another charge to 80%, another 111 miles to Palm Valley Crossing in Goodyear, and then I’d be about 10 miles from my destination. Apple Maps was saying it was a 5 hour, 34 minute trip there (nonstop direct), and I figured, recharging to 80% twice en route would add a bit more than an hour to that trip time. After all, Subaru claims the 2024 Solterra’s “high-capacity lithium-ion battery charges from 10% to 80% as quickly as 35 minutes.” 🤣 ... 😡 By 1:20 p.m. I had made decent time, averaging 2.9 m/kWh with a fair amount of climbing (about 2500'), and using the cruise...

From Los Angeles to the Big Bear Mountain Resorts (Snow Summit specifically). Snow Summit winter trail map Bought parking in advance to park near the base, vs. having to get shuttled in from a remote lot. $40. Going up the mountain is about 110 miles and the Solterra is currently estimating it has a 192 mile range on 100% charge (outside temps in the high 50s, low 60s, °F). There are limited charging options in Big Bear, so I’m planning on charging to 80% at a DCFC before starting the climb. Using PlugShare, I found a municipal charging facility run by ChargePoint that is reported to have three (3) 62 kW CCS1 stations at $.35/kWh, which should match the Solterra more or less perfectly (I occasionally see 100 kW at higher speed charging stations, but that eventually settles into something around 50 kW).  That’s about 80 miles from my starting location – at 3.0 m/kWh for planning purposes, I should arrive with at least 50% state of charge (SOC) (I’m going to say 60%). Bumping back t...