I’ve been wearing a WHOOP for almost four months and got the new 3.0 yesterday. The quality of everything is a huge improvement over the 2.0. If you want to track heart rate, sleep, and fitness activity (not steps) I highly recommend getting one.
Tesla Model 3 Range
A lot of people ask how far I can go in my car and it’s a hard question to answer. There are a lot of factors like season (the batteries are a lot less efficient in cold weather), type of miles, heat/AC use, etc. I decided to keep track of my trip up to Rogers City this weekend. When I got in the car the battery had been charged to an estimated 292 miles of range.
The trip is a total of 156 miles, with 47 of those on the freeway. When I arrived at Mom and Dad’s the battery was down to 101 miles of range.
So that’s 156 actual miles for 191 estimated miles of range. I have the bigger wheels which are supposed to use 10% of the range, so I’d say that’s pretty good efficiency. Below is the energy consumption over the trip.
Tesla Brakes Work
Yesterday my heart rate got a little jacked on the drive to Rogers City. It’s awesome that the Model 3 always has a dashcam recording (when you have a USB stick plugged in) and you can save the clips. First, a deer ran across the road.
Of course this happened on the only stretch of highway where the speed limit is 65 mph, so I was cruising along at 70. You can’t really tell from the video, but I had to make a full slam on the brakes and everything on the back seat ended up on the floor.
I shit you not, less than a minute later…
An older woman made a move to pass with seemingly no speed. I saw it coming so I slowed down really early and moved over to the shoulder. The vehicle being passed slowed down quite a bit too and she still didn’t have much room to squeeze in. Fucking idiot!
New Knives
I put new knives in Dad’s jointer today and aligned everything.
Link Dump – 2019/06/14
- How The Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio
The basics are very simple, but all of the moving parts together make a complex system. - Lance Armstrong: Next Stage
Great interview with Mike Tirico. This was a much different Lance than I’ve ever watched. - Symmetric Strength ⇒
Really cool site for comparing your lifts and imbalances. I’ll have to check back if I ever stop tweaking my back. - Maker Faire halts operations and lays off all staff
Sad to see this. I’ve learned a lot and been inspired by many of their YouTube videos. - What 10,000 Steps Will Really Get You ⇒
I find this hilarious! I’ve been saying steps are a poor indicator health and fitness for years. - What I’ve Learned in the Last 7+ Years as a CrossFit Coach… ⇒
Really good lessons in here. I still care too much about the cheaters, but haven’t found a good way to stop caring because I’m competitive. - Remove Background from Image ⇒
Looks too good to be true, but I’m definitely going to give it a try.
I Switched from AT&T Wireless to Spectrum Mobile
AT&T has been shit inside my house for the last six months or so. My phone makes weird noises to the people on the other end of a call and often cuts in and out unless I’m standing by my big kitchen window. So I’d been planning to switch to Verizon. Then a friend told me about Spectrum Mobile, which actually uses the Verizon network. They have two plans:
- By the Gig: $14 per GB of data usage
- Unlimited: $45 a month
The By the Gig plan sounded really cool and perfect for me because I usually use less than 1GB of data per month and rarely more than 2, unless I’m traveling. In the Spectrum account you can set notifications and it’s easy to switch between the two plans in the middle of a month, with no penalties. So if I was going to go over 3GB of usage, I’d just change to Unlimited for the month and then back after the billing cycle.
I’ve been paying about $73 a month for service through AT&T! That’s ridiculous for how little data I use and the handful of times I talk on the phone each month. If you don’t have a family plan, these cell phone companies basically rob you. $14-28 for most months with a maximum of $45 is much more reasonable.
The decision to switch was a win-win; better network and cheaper bill. I paid off the remaining 5 installments for my iPhone X and made the request for AT&T to unlock my phone. Then I ordered a free SIM card from Spectrum, paying a one-time activation fee of $10, plus $14 for the first month of service.
Apparently the monthly charges even include the taxes and fees here in Michigan.
I couldn’t believe how easy the entire process was. I never had to talk to anyone at AT&T to pay off or unlock my phone, which felt like a miracle. The Spectrum sign-up process was much better than any other time I’ve signed up for something with them (or the old Charter). After the SIM card arrived (in 3 days) I went through the activation (also a breeze) and I did have to call AT&T to cancel service with them.
Yesterday I called my mom for her birthday and I was able to have a conversation from my office, so it’s already much better than AT&T.
New Grill Cover
Michigan winters are hard on a grill cover. When I removed the old cover I found a gross mess that needed to be cleaned. I don’t think I used it at all last summer, which probably made it much worse.
Unpopular opinion: Grilling is overrated and a pain in the ass.
Surprise Nests
I think they may be old ones though.
Update: Yeah, they were vacant.
Mismatched Bolts
Franken-treadmill
Last August I picked up a free treadmill and didn’t use it once because it had a major issue. When I’d get on it and crank up the speed, either the belt was slipping or the motor couldn’t handle the load. I never got around to troubleshooting the problem. A couple of weeks ago I saw another free treadmill which was able to fold up. That was another problem with the first treadmill; it took up way too much space in the garage.
So I picked up this second treadmill and gave it a quick test when I got it home. It worked just fine at speed, but the front end wanted to tip back. I found the manual online and noticed it was missing the support leg extensions and wheels. I grabbed a couple of 1.5″ posts from my scrap wood, hammered them in, and they fit perfectly.
No more tipping over!
Last weekend I disassembled the first treadmill to salvage a bunch of parts, like the motor and speed controller. The support wheels were part of a framed piece, which I thought I could fit on to the treadmill I was keeping, so I saved them too.
Today I cut a couple of spacer blocks, chopped the leg posts, drilled some holes, and voila! The bolts I used were also saved from the other treadmill. I love when a plan works out and especially when it involves upcycling parts.
I was a little worried the posts wouldn’t be able to handle the weight of the treadmill when propped up to wheel around, but it works great. I probably won’t move the treadmill around the garage often, but it’s nice that it’ll be easy to do with the wheels instead of having to pick it up or shuffle it across the floor.
How many times will I use this treadmill in the next year though?
Nick Momrik 