Here is the 21st edition of our annual newsletter, the Lee Family 2025 Year In Review. All 21 editions dating back to 2005 are hosted on Dropbox, and blog entries from 2014 and beyond are accessible via the “Year In Review” tag. Also check out Victor’s YouTube channel to view home movies of many of the things we discuss in the newsletter.
I recently experienced my second Bambu Lab A1 3D printer malfunction in 13 months, and I started to question the durability of Bambu Lab 3D printers. Bambu Lab Support walked me through the troubleshooting process and sent me a free replacement Power Switch Assembly despite my 3D printer being just outside the 1-year warranty window. I received the part yesterday.
Although the replacement part did not come with an instruction booklet, the QR code on the box directed me to the A1 Power Switch Replacement Guide on the Bambu Lab Wiki. I followed the instructions line by line, and although some of the instructions had awkward wording that made it a little confusing to understand at first, the combination of the written instructions along with pictures made things pretty clear. The estimated time to replace the part was 20 minutes. I spent about twice that much time—I am not accustomed to repairing electronics, but I was able to get the job done. Here is the newly installed power switch assembly on the upper right, with the ground cable secured in place on the far left.
Here is where the cables from the power switch thread through a narrow trough to the compartment where the power supply is located. The wiki states, “Note: In the new version of the A1 power switch, we have optimized the cable layout by removing the intermediate ground wire connector to the AC board. Functional and safety tests have verified that this change does not affect the normal operation of the power switch or the overall system, while also reducing the number of connection points and improving the reliability and simplicity of the cable layout.” Hence, the neutral (N) and live (L) wires are connected, but the ground cable of the AC board (PE; protective earth) is intentionally omitted in the replacement power switch assembly.
Finally, I confirmed that there was power going to the 3D printer, as evidenced by the green “OK” indicator on the Bambu Lab Assistant.
After replacing the Power Switch Assembly, I was able to get 6 consecutive 3D prints without power loss. The first 5 prints were small jobs that completed in 20-40 minutes each. The 6th job was a 2.5-hour print, and given these results, I am confident that the printer power loss issue has been fixed.
Although the 3D printer malfunctions are a nuisance, I have to give credit to Bambu Lab for helping me address the problem. First of all, I appreciate the fact that Bambu Lab Support walked me through the appropriate troubleshooting steps. Many companies do not offer detailed troubleshooting and relegate that activity to the third party repair industry or would charge fees to diagnose and repair their products. Second, I appreciate the fact that Bambu Lab Support was able to identify the problem with speed and accuracy. I guess it’s not surprising that Bambu Lab knows their products better than ChatGPT. Third, I appreciate Bambu Lab Support’s flexibility in sending me a replacement part despite my printer falling outside of the 1-year warranty window—I feel that this represents unusually good customer service.
In summary, Bambu Lab lost some of my loyalty to their brand with the 2 malfunctions, but they gained it back with customer support. Thanks Bambu Lab!
On October 18, I mailed a package via USPS Ground Advantage to a friend. It contained a variety of 3D-printed objects such as personalized Halloween-themed coasters and glow in the dark skeleton keychains. It also included some Wallace and Gromit-themed toilet paper holders among other knick knacks. I sent the USPS tracking number and asked him to stay on the lookout for a package.
On October 20, the tracking information stated that it was out for delivery, so I notified my friend via email at 11:42 AM. He responded at 4:07 PM and said that although the tracking information was updated to “Delivered, Left with Individual” at 1:58 PM while he was at work, his daughter had been home at the time and didn’t receive the package. He wrote, “It could have been placed in our community mail box - the tracking messages often get mixed up.” At the time, I hadn’t heard of USPS tracking messages being wrong, but ironically I personally witnessed it happen a few weeks later, and I wrote about it here. Anyway, after he got home that evening, he searched the surroundings but could not find the package. After waiting a few days, the package still hadn’t shown up, so we concluded that the package was either delivered to the wrong address and/or stolen.
On October 27, my friend filed a report with his local post office. The postal worker referred the case to the local office supervisor. The next day, my friend wrote, “The supervisor called me back already and is contacting the specific mail carrier to figure out if the tracking message was accurate. She said sometimes they are not, or sometimes the mail carriers leave the key in the package box and not in the individual mailbox.”
My friend did not receive any additional communication, so I called his post office on November 7. I was told that in addition to the last status of “Delivered, Left with Individual” at 1:58 PM on October 20, he saw another tracking status in his internal system at 2:07 PM (9 minutes later) that it was scanned as “delivered at parcel locker” (a community mailbox) which the public tracking details do not state. In any case, the package could not have been both left with an individual and delivered to a parcel locker—one of those tracking statuses was wrong.
I learned 2 interesting things from ChatGPT about filing a claim for lost USPS packages. First, even if I did not buy insurance, certain shipping options such as USPS Ground Advantage (which is what I used) come with a limited amount of insurance, and I had entered $20 as the value of the package contents when I created the shipping label. Second, ChatGPT informed me that even for homemade items that are not accompanied by a receipt, I could estimate the cost of materials. I had nothing to lose by filing a claim, and at best I could possibly have my postage refunded and get reimbursed for the estimated cost of goods to make all of the 3D printed objects.
I submitted my electronic claim, along with a 3-page letter documenting the package contents. I used ChatGPT to both give me guidance on the structure of my letter, and I also asked it to critique my letter to optimize chances of a successful claim. I had taken photos of the 3D printed objects, so I included those in the letter, along with a screenshot from Amazon for the cost of a typical roll of filament, as I estimated that I used approximately the equivalent of 1 roll of filament to make all the 3D prints. In reality, I used portions of many different rolls of filament because the prints had multiple colors. In any case, I felt that my estimated value was fair.
Just a few minutes after submitting my electronic claim, I received an email stating that my claim was denied on the basis that (1) there was insufficient evidence of value and (2) proof of delivery.
It said that I could appeal the decision, so I did. Regarding insufficient evidence of value, the boilerplate language suggests that I did need some kind of receipt or statement of value, contrary to what ChatGPT told me about the ability to estimate the value of homemade goods. At the same time, I felt that the claim denial was automated because it happened within minutes of claim submission, and I doubted that a human actually read my 3-page letter. So I re-submitted my letter with the photos of the 3D prints and my reasons for estimating the cost of homemade goods at $20. Regarding proof of delivery, I felt that their delivery status was inaccurate because my friend’s daughter was home at the time of alleged delivery. I submitted the entire email exchange with my friend in which he stated that his daughter was home at the time of supposed delivery but did not receive the package. Not surprisingly, my appeal was rejected again on the basis that the package was delivered.
In conclusion, I was disappointed that my package was lost, or at least definitely not “Delivered, Left with Individual” as documented and that my claim was denied based on false evidence, but it doesn’t look like there is anything else I can do to get USPS to make things right or assume accountability for their error. I haven’t shipped any packages since then, but next time I send something important, I might consider using a different shipping company or sending via certified mail or something similar.
My friend purchased a gift for me from Amazon, and it was shipped via the United States Postal Service (USPS). My friend gave me the USPS tracking number so I could monitor its progress. On December 7, the status was changed to “Delivered, In/At Mailbox” at 4:52 PM.
I happened to check the tracking status around 5 PM and attempted to retrieve the package, but it was nowhere to be found. I considered several possibilities. I felt that the most likely scenario was that the package was delivered to the wrong address because I’ve seen that happen multiple time before—both with my packages being delivered to an adjacent building and with adjacent buildings’ packages delivered to me. Another possibility was that it could have been stolen, but given that only about 10 minutes had elapsed, and our apartment complex has generally not had a problem with package theft, I hoped that this was not the case. Finally, I considered the possibility that the tracking information was just wrong, but I hadn’t personally experienced that in the past, so I thought it was unlikely.
I notified my friend who sent the package to me, and he confirmed that he entered the correct shipping address. We decided that the most logical action was to wait a day or two and hope that if the package was delivered to the wrong address, then the recipient would deliver it to me. Also, Amazon says to wait 48 hours before contacting customer service when you have a missing package.
On December 8, my friend received an update in his Amazon app that the package was delivered at 9:56 AM.
In October 2024, I wrote about my Bambu Lab A1 3D printer heatbed temperature malfunction. Because the malfunction occurred within the 30-day replacement window, I was able to return the printer and have a replacement printer sent to me.
I have had a great experience with my replacement Bambu Lab A1 3D printer until November 2025 when I started witnessing that the printer would randomly lose all power. Sometimes it would happen during the pre-print routines (e.g., bed leveling, bed heating, filament purging), and sometimes it would happen in the middle of a print. Despite the main power switch remaining in the ON position, the printer would lose power, the fans would turn off, the screen would go blank and unresponsive, and the Bambu Studio slicer would lose communication with the printer. Initially this occurred infrequently, but it seemed to occur progressively more frequently over time to the point where most of my prints would fail due to unexpected power loss.
Because of the prior heatbed temperature malfunction in October 2024 and the current power loss malfunction in November 2025, I have started to question the durability of Bambu Lab 3D printers. Nevertheless, I bought another Bambu Lab A1 for three primary reasons. First, I enjoy participating in the Bambub Lab ecosystem where things just work (that is, until my printer breaks down). Second, I have meticulously set up air purifiers both inside and adjacent to my Bambu Lab A1 third party enclosure and didn’t want to re-configure my setup with a different printer’s form factor. I had considered upgrading to the Bambu Lab P2S, but that will have to wait. Third, Bambu Lab was in the midst of their Black Friday sale, and the A1 printer was on sale for $279 (normally $399).
Meanwhile, I asked ChatGPT to help me diagnose the problem, in hopes that maybe I could acquire parts to fix the older printer. After describing my scenario, ChatGPT concluded that there was an 80%+ likelihood that the power supply unit was responsible for the power loss. The other possibilities were a loose power connector (15%), a mainboard power regulator failure (5%), or a firmware or software issue (<1%). It encouraged me to contact Bambu Lab Support and stated that even though my printer was just past the 1-year warranty period, they might still help me out. I had previously written about the Bambu Lab Warranty, and at the time I had focused on the language related to returns, refunds, and replacement within a 30-day window. Looking more closely at the general warranty language dated November 18, 2025, it also says that there is a “2-year warranty for for consumers from the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland” and a “1-year warranty for the rest of the world (any country not mentioned above).”
I submitted a support ticket to Bambu Lab, and they directed me to the Bambu Lab Wiki for “Printer Circuit Failure Troubleshooting - A1”. I confirmed that all indicator lights were in their normal status.
Based on questions from Bambu Lab Support, I also confirmed that the fuse was NOT blown, and the power switch had good contacts and no corrosion. Also, I measured the AC power input at terminals #4 (neutral wire) and #5 (live wire) of the power module, and the multimeter reading was 123.8 volts—a normal value in the United States.
Bambu Lab Support asked me if the main power indicator light would turn off when the machine is powered off, and I confirmed that it did. They also asked me to confirm that the 24V power module indicator light was a steady green light (normal state) when the machine is powered on, and I confirmed that it was steady green. They also asked me to verify that connections for terminals #1 through #5 on the power supply were properly inserted, and as far as I could tell, they were. Based on this information, they decided to send me a power switch assembly and noted that despite my printer exceeding the 1-year warranty period, “This component is a special free replacement.”
To me, this gesture from Bambu Lab went a long way toward mitigating my frustration with my 2nd A1 printer malfunction in 13 months. Also, ChatGPT was correct in encouraging me to contact Bambu Lab Support based on a history of them supporting printers past the warranty period. Although I still question the durability of Bambu Lab printers, I must admit that I have received very good support that has exceeded my expectations.
However, one main question remains. Although ChatGPT seemed at least 80% confident that the power supply unit was to blame, Bambu Lab Support sent me a free replacement part for a power switch assembly which ChatGPT suggested was a much less likely culprit. I updated ChatGPT with my recent interactions with Bambu Lab Support and asked if they perhaps wanted to first have me replace the power switch assembly because it was a less expensive part, and ChatGPT agreed with my assessment. It went on to say that it still felt that the power supply was still the most likely culprit and suggested that I replace the power switch assembly as instructed by Bambu Lab Support and see if that fixes my problem. If I still experience power loss after replacing the power switch assembly, then that makes the power supply unit the only remaining rational explanation. ChatGPT communicated to me that this is probably just the normal troubleshooting algorithm they go through. Bambu Lab Support has not commented on their protocol, but the ChatGPT response seems to make logical sense.
So now I anxiously await receipt of my free replacement power switch assembly. I hope it fixes the power loss issue but realistically expect that I may have to reopen the support ticket and ask for further assistance, with possible replacement of the power supply as a result. Stay tuned for what happens next!
On November 19, 2025, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Autism and Vaccines website to state the following (click image to enlarge):
I’d like to take this opportunity to debunk the first 2 bullets in the Key Points section, as the information is just plain wrong, based on a preponderance of what the scientific community knows today.
The first bullet states “The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” I’ve worked in a health services research capacity with a focus on evidence-based medicine for 16 years, and I can say that this statement is misguided on at least 2 levels. First, the claim that “vaccines do not cause autism” IS in fact an evidence-based claim. The original study that suggested a causal link between vaccines and autism has been debunked. It was formally retracted and its lead author was found to have engaged in serious research misconduct, including falsification of data and undisclosed conflicts of interest. See this story for more information. Since then, there have been no credible well-conducted studies that demonstrate a link between vaccines and autism. Evidence-based guidance is founded on the principle that the preponderance of credible evidence favors a certain conclusion. Any knowledgeable and unbiased researcher would assert that the claim that “vaccines do not cause autism” is in fact evidence-based because a credible link between vaccines and autism has never been established despite countless studies that examine the benefits and side effects of vaccines.
The second part of the first bullet that is misguided is the statement that “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” This is just plain illogical and a confusing and possibly devious use of words, to which it is not logical to draw any meaningful conclusions. You see, studies cannot not designed to “rule out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism” because no such association has ever been observed. If I stated that “studies have not ruled out the possibility that pigs can fly” then it would be illogical to conclude the opposite argument that MAYBE pigs could fly, unless there was any credible observation that they could in fact fly. I believe that such a meaningless statement could only be made by someone who either has ulterior motives or beliefs that are not supported by science, or they are possibly made under duress.
Moving on to the second bullet point that “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities” is also misguided. The reason that health authorities ignore studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism is because there have been no credible scientific studies that support such a link. If I said that “studies supporting the possibility that pigs can fly have been ignored by the general public” then a rational person would say that those studies should be rightfully ignored because pigs have NEVER been witnessed to fly, based on credible evidence. So to imply that health authorities are sweeping an issue under the rug requires that there be a credible and rational reason to pay attention to the issue. In this case, there is no reason for health authorities to waste time on this issue. In my opinion, the only reasons we are even discussing it is because the general public does not have a sufficient understanding of the scientific process, and conspiracy theories arise from this lack of understanding.
Regarding the third bullet that “HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links,” I am supportive of such actions and can only hope that this research will be carried out responsibly and in accordance with the scientific method. I also assume that such a “comprehensive assessment” would result in data that are in agreement with the preponderance of previously established scientific information, and if so, then I hope that rational individuals would challenge their prior unsupported beliefs about a link between vaccines and autism. However, if HHS’ “comprehensive assessment” does not involve original credible research and they instead cherry-pick data from poorly conducted studies, then it will be obvious that HHS/CDC is driving a political agenda (as if it was not already clear). On the other hand, if there is novel credible research that is performed according to the scientific method that does in fact establish a link between vaccines and autism, then I will be eager to read that research, modify my perspective on this topic accordingly, and encourage additional studies to further corroborate such novel evidence.
In summary, the claims made by CDC are wrong and misguided based on a preponderance of the best available scientific information. At best, the claims represent a misunderstanding of science and evidence-based medicine. At worst, this is an example of misinformation by what was previously a well-respected federal agency. For additional reading on this topic, see the NPR article “The CDC revives debunked 'link' between childhood vaccines and autism” on 11/20/2025 and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s “Statement on Updates to CDC Website on Vaccines and Autism” on 11/21/2025.
Yesterday I received an email from YouTube with my 2025 year in review. It contained many statistics such as the fact that I started my channel on January 4, 2007, which means I’ve been a YouTube creator for 6,912 days. They also provided me with my top video of the year:
I knew intuitively that most of my subscribers would be from the United States, but little did I know that I have subscribers elsewhere:
And finally, I was given some statistics on the age groups and days of the week when my audience views my videos:
If you want to see the videos on my YouTube channel, search for @DigitalDaddyLA or just visit https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalDaddyLA/videos.
I recently wrote about a 2-part epic fail with a car rental from Payless here and here. My string of bad luck with car rental companies extended to my very next rental, this time with Hertz.
A couple weeks ahead of time, I reserved my rental car through Hertz via Expedia. On the day before and the day of my car rental, I received text messages to remind me about my reservation.
On 12/1/2025, I picked up my rental car from the Indianapolis International Airport (IND). Upon leaving the car rental facility, an agent asked me for my driver license. She appeared to do some sort of data entry and then handed my driver license back to me and opened the gate to let me through, all without saying another word. I confirmed that I was free to go, to which she nodded, so I was on my merry way.
On 12/6/2025, I filled up the gas tank at the Shell station on the outskirts of the IND and then returned the car to Hertz. Because of my prior car rental for which I was charged $727.41 for “glass damage” that I did not incur, I took photos of the car’s exterior before walking away. I felt that everything went smoothly with this car rental (foreshadowing).
On 12/9/2025, I received an email from Hertz along with an invoice and an unexpected charge on my credit card for $90.25.
I called Hertz to inquire about the charges and specifically asked about the “FUEL & SERVICE” charge for $69.43. The Hertz representative said it was documented that the fuel gauge was 61% when the car was returned. I said that it must have been an error because I verified that the fuel gauge was in fact full after I filled the tank. As an aside, the fuel gauge was analog with markings at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, so how in the world did they determine that it was 61% full? But I digress. I said that I didn’t have a photo of the fuel gauge, but I did have a receipt from the Shell station where I pumped gas immediately before returning the car. Originally the agent asked me to email the gas receipt to customerrelations@hertz.com and ask them to consider reversing the charge. He then placed me on a brief hold and then decided to just process a refund on the spot. I was told that it would take 3-5 business days for me to be credited the $90.25 (by the way, this happened earlier today, and I hope I don’t have to write a follow-up to this post about not getting my refund). He also apologized for the inconvenience and credited my rewards account with 1900 points which he said was enough for 1 free day of rental (I’d be responsible for paying tax on the rental).
Although I was the victim of errors at both Payless and Hertz, I think my experience at Payless was worse. Payless made multiple errors (did not charge car battery, did not give me charging cable, and erroneously charged me for glass damage), and I made more than 20 phone calls to get all of these issues resolved. On the other hand, Hertz made 1 error (erroneously charged me for fuel service), and it took 1 phone call to resolve (again, I have not yet received my refund, so I hope I am not speaking too soon). Additionally, they apologized and issued me reward points. I will probably never use the points because I spread my rentals across many car rental companies based on wherever I can get the best deal, but it was a nice gesture, and I felt that the customer service was better at Hertz. I think I am willing to use Hertz again in the future, but I can’t say the same for Payless.
In my last blog post, I wrote about a bad experience that I had with a car rental from Payless. It turns out that there was a sequel to the saga which I discovered when I received the following letter via US mail:
I was being charged $727.41 for “glass damage” that I did not incur. In fact, I have photographic evidence that all the windows on the Hyundai IONIQ 5 were intact when the tow truck driver took possession of the vehicle:
I called 1-888-728-5377 as instructed on the letter from Payless. When speaking to an agent, I was told that the number is only for Avis and Budget rentals, and I was instructed to call 1-800-729-5377 instead. To be honest, I was not surprised that Payless put the wrong phone number on the letter. Annoyed, yes. Surprised, no.
Anyway, I called the correct number and gave the Payless agent my rental number and stated that I did not damage any glass and I had photos to prove it. I wanted to first ask what glass was allegedly damaged, and I was ready to ask how they wanted me to provide the photos of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 with all the windows intact. She placed me on hold for a few minutes and then told me that my charges would be dismissed because the charge was invalid. I was relieved to hear that, but I was also curious to understand why the charge was invalid. She stated that whoever brought the charge against me did not provide any photos or evidence when reporting the damage. I was also told that I would receive an email confirmation within 4 hours of the dismissal of charges, and she confirmed my email address. I asked for a case number in case something happened, and she provided that information to me. It’s been more than 12 hours, and I have not received an email confirmation from Payless either in my inbox or spam folder. Again, I’m not surprised. I’m glad that I asked for the case number, although I hope that this saga is over and that I will not have to use it.
I still don’t know exactly what led to the generation of the “glass damage” charge. It is possible that the entire thing was a mistake, or perhaps glass was damaged during or after towing. In any case, there are 2 takeaways from this experience. First, I am glad that I took photos of the rental car when the towing company took possession of it. I don’t know if I will routinely photograph every rental car that I return, but for special circumstances such as the sequence of events that transpired with this rental, it made sense for me to take photos, and I’m happy that I did. Second, I will never rent from Payless again.
I travel regularly and have rented cars from many agencies in many cities. For my last visit to Indianapolis, I rented a car from Payless. I booked the rental through Expedia like I normally do, and an electric vehicle (EV) from Payless was the least expensive option, so I went with that. I have rented EVs before, as I am comfortable driving and charging them. We have a Tesla Model Y at home, so EVs are familiar to me.
At the rental counter, the agent confirmed that I was OK with a Hyundai IONIQ 5, and I said yes. She emphasized that I must return the vehicle with at least 70% battery life to avoid a fee, and I acknowledged. When I started the car, I noticed that the battery was at 25% with an estimated range of 60 miles. I mentioned this to the gate attendant who checked my paperwork and driver license, and I asked him to document that the battery level was 25%. He declined to document this. I stated that the lady at the rental counter made a big deal about me incurring fees if I don’t return it at 70%, and I didn’t think it was fair for me (or rather, my company) to have to pay for miles that I didn’t use. Again, he declined to document the battery level and said, “It’s not even worth it to document” and told me to just return the car at 25% and I would not get charged. I felt that this exposed me to unnecessary risk, so I took a photo of the dashboard with the battery level, making sure to also capture the clock to note the time and portions of the car rental facility to provide evidence that the 25% battery level was taken before I drove the car off the lot.
I drove 30 miles to my destination, by which time the battery level fell to 13% with an estimated range of 30 miles, so I had used half of the remaining charge to drive to my destination.
I often stay at a corporate apartment where I plug in EVs to charge them overnight. However, there was a second problem with this rental from Payless. The car did not come with a charging cable like it normally does. I searched the entire car, and the only trace of a charging cable was an empty bag in the trunk where I think the charging cable would normally have been stored.
I called Payless to ask them to document that the battery level was 25% upon pickup, which they did. I also asked them send a charging cable to me or allow me to drive to a nearby rental facility to pick up a charging cable, but they said my only option was to drive back to the airport to get a charging cable or replace the vehicle. I said that I wasn’t sure if I could make it all the way back to the airport without the battery dying. They gave me 2 options: call roadside assistance to have the car towed, or go to a local Avis or Budget car rental facility, as they are sister companies with Payless. I preferred to try Avis or Budget because it seemed like such a waste to have the car towed when there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. The local Avis and Budget rental facilities which were just a few miles away, and I decided to call them in the morning because it was after hours and those facilities were already closed.
Meanwhile, I tried to resolve the battery charging issue on my own and decided to look for charging stations in the area. Public charging stations have charging cables tethered to them, so my lack of a charging cable would be a non-issue when using public EV charging stations. I found a free charging station next to the corporate apartment, but there was only 1 charger and it was taken. I returned an hour later, and the same car was still using the charger. I then located another charging station, only to find that the entire facility was out of order and sectioned off with “do not cross” tape. I found a third charging station with 2 charging stalls, both unoccupied. But when I tried to charge the vehicle, it refused to let me do a 1-time charge with a credit card. Instead, it required that I download their app, set up an account, and upload my credit card information to the app. By this time, it was past 11 PM, and I had completely run out of patience and decided to go back to the apartment to get some sleep rather than set up the account and sit there while waiting for the car to charge.
First thing the next morning, I called the local Avis and Budget car rental facilities. Unfortunately one of them stated that they had no charging cables or available cars, and the other one stated that their computer systems were not capable of handling rentals from Payless despite them being sister companies. So my last option was to get the car towed. I called Payless Emergency Roadside Assistance and summarized my situation. The dispatcher initially said that I needed to hop in the tow truck and accompany the EV back to the airport, exchange the car, and drive back to my origin. I politely reminded him that Payless made 2 errors by giving me a rental car with 25% battery and omitting a charging cable, and because I spent almost my entire evening and part of my morning trying to rectify their mistakes, and making more than 20 phone calls, half of which were a result of me being disconnected, I asked that they send the replacement vehicle to the office where I work, and they obliged. The dispatcher asked me if I had a preference for a vehicle, and I said that any sedan was fine, even an EV, as long as it was properly charged and came with a charging cable. They said that my replacement vehicle would be “same, similar, or better”.
So Payless Emergency Roadside Assistance towed my replacement vehicle, a Toyota Tundra, 30 miles from the airport to my office, swapped vehicles, and then towed a perfectly working Hyundai IONIQ 5 another 30 miles back to the airport, all because it was not in their standard operating procedures to send me a charging cable. And of course, I thought it was fitting that they gave me a monster of a car as a replacement. The Tundra barely fit in the garage, and its gas mileage is poor as compared with sedans. But at least I had a vehicle to drive and no longer felt stranded.
The moral of the story is that if you rent an EV, make sure you have a way to charge it before you drive it off the lot. If you plan to charge it using standard electrical outlets, make sure the EV comes with a charging cable and recognize that it will trickle charge, perhaps adding a few miles of range for every hour of charging. If you plan to charge it using public charging stations (which charge the vehicle more quickly), make sure you are aware of the charging infrastructure and either have your accounts properly configured or be prepared to create new accounts along the way.
I recently made a video to commemorate my daughter’s 16th birthday, and I wanted the video to be of the highest possible quality, so I decided to use 4K (technically UHD, 3840x2160) resolution. The videos from my daughter’s first few years were recorded in 720p or 1080p, so I researched methods to upscale videos for the purpose of getting higher quality videos from Final Cut Pro (FCP). Bottom line: while FCP can upscale videos, you’re better off with a third party video upscaling application like Topaz Video AI. What I also found out was that all these years I’ve been exporting videos from FCP the wrong way.
Normally I’d export my FCP projects using the H.264 codec. I learned that it’s better to export from FCP using one of the Apple ProRes codecs (Apple ProRes 422 offers a good balance between quality and file size) and then use Compressor to convert the ProRes video to the H.264 codec. FCP uses Apple’s internal H.264 encoding engine which is optimized for speed, but it doesn’t always use the most efficient compression passes or bit allocation strategies. It may use a single-pass variable bitrate encode with conservative parameters which results in a quick export but can produce larger file sizes and may be associated with some quality loss. On the other hand, exporting in Apple ProRes is an intra-frame codec that yields a high-quality master, and feeding that master to Compressor has quality advantages. Using the Social Platforms > 4K preset, Compressor uses multi-pass encoding and performs better motion analysis and bitrate distribution, giving more bits to complex scenes and fewer to static ones. Here are the file sizes for each workflow:
1-STEP WORKFLOWIn full screen mode on a 32-inch UHD 3840x2160 monitor, I cannot see any difference in quality between the two H.264 files. In reality, there are some technical advantages with the 2-step workflow. FCP’s built-in exporter prioritizes speed over compression precision, which can lead to slight quality loss. The 2-step workflow is superior because Compressor encodes from a pristine, uncompressed ProRes master using more advanced multi-pass analysis and smarter bitrate allocation, producing a cleaner, more efficient H.264 file. It’s like the difference between working with an original photo vs. a photocopy. Perhaps a more discerning set of eyes could tell the difference in quality, but I’ll just conclude that the 2-step workflow yields a file whose visual quality is at least as good as or possibly better than the 1-step workflow.
So in summary, the 1-step export from FCP to H.264 is faster but comes at the expense of larger file sizes and possibly some slight degradation in quality, whereas the 2-step process involving FCP export to ProRes, followed by Compressor conversion to H.264 takes longer but results in smaller file sizes and equally good if not slightly better quality. I don’t mind waiting a few minutes for Compressor to convert videos, so unless I’m feeling particularly impatient, I plan to use the 2-step workflow from now on.
For more on this topic, see this article. Happy video encoding!
I use large language models (LLMs) almost every day to ask a variety of questions ranging from simple to complex. By default, LLMs generally provide concise answers. Did you know that you can alter the default prompting style? You can shape how LLMs respond through a set of instructions. For example, try using the following as your next prompt (copy and paste in its entirety):
From now on, use Ultra-Think Mode. That means:
• Analyze problems step-by-step before giving conclusions
• Explain reasoning clearly and in plain English
• Consider alternative explanations or perspectives
• End with a short summary or takeaway
If I say “Ultra-Think off”, go back to your normal concise style.
For both ChatGPT and Google Gemini, I’ve found that Ultra-Think Mode results in a structured response that follows a logical flow. Responses are slightly longer, but they remain topically relevant. I have not tried Ultra-Think Mode for other LLMs, so results may vary.
When I asked ChatGPT to tell me about Ultra-Think Mode, it emphasized that it is not an official ChatGPT feature name or setting. Rather, it is a behavioral configuration achieved through prompting. With some additional inquiries, it said that the following are all appropriate terms to describe Ultra-Think Mode:
Based on these explanations, I would expect Ultra-Think Mode to work similarly across many LLMs. Regardless of how you’d classify Ultra-Think Mode, let me know if you think it is useful. And if you have found other prompting styles that are useful for certain inquiries, leave a comment!
I sell a variety of items on Craigslist, and I am accustomed to receiving lowball offers and scams. I recently received a different kind of inquiry that I thought was too funny not to share.
I don’t know if the buyer was serious, as I simply did not respond.
I have accounts with both Apple Card and Apple Card Savings. At the end of each month, I receive an email for each account that tells me my statements are ready for viewing.
I prefer to download my statements so I can view them on my laptop or desktop computer. Apple Support provides guidance on how to view and download Apple Card statements and Apple Card Savings statements. There are lots of steps involved, and here’s what I have to do to retrieve my statements through the Wallet app on my iPhone.
Apple Card
Apple Card Savings
Note that Apple Card statements can also be downloaded via laptop or desktop:
Although there are fewer steps required to download the Apple Card statement on a browser, there is currently no option to download Apple Card Savings statements on a browser. Therefore, I prefer to download and AirDrop both statements from my iPhone. It would be nice if (1) there was a way to also download Savings statements from the Apple Card website and/or (2) the process for downloading statements through the iOS Wallet app required fewer steps. Are you aware of a more efficient process to retrieve your statements?
I came across an article called “What Counts As Cheating With Ai?”. Ironically, when I read the first sentence, I suspected that it was written using a large language model (LLM; a kind of artificial intelligence or “AI” application). To confirm my hypothesis, I consulted with my favorite LLM, ChatGPT. Check out my full conversation for details.
In summary, ChatGPT drew its own conclusions and also consulted various external sources, with the ultimate conclusion that there is an 85-95% probability that the article was AI-written. Based on ChatGPT’s assessment, the reasons it provided include:
Those 7 reasons are based on the article that I referenced above, and there are many other criteria that can be used in general to detect AI-authored content. ChatGPT also also compared the text from the article against published criteria from major AI detectors, and it stated:
In conclusion, if you need help detecting AI-authored content, consider asking AI for help. I found ChatGPT’s reasoning to make a lot of sense, and the AI detectors listed above also seem to have valid criteria for identifying AI-authored content.
In follow-up to my post about Yahoo Mail reducing its free storage limit, you might be thinking about cleaning up your old emails to free up space. Here are some of my recommendations. Keep in mind that these instructions are based on the current capabilities of Yahoo Mail on desktop browsers. There may or may not be similar functions on the mobile app.
Yahoo Mail Search Presets
Click the “Storage” icon at the lower left of the browser window to be taken to https://mail.yahoo.com/n/manage_storage. The preset search options include some common searches that may be a useful starting point to free up the greatest amount of storage space with the least effort:
Advanced Search
You can also enter specific parameters using the Advanced Search options:
This enables you to find emails within a certain date range, emails with attachments or photos, etc. Notice that after clicking on options in the Advanced Search, you’ll see the “command line equivalents” in the search bar. For example:
You can also mix and match criteria to refine your search.
Delete Emails from a Sender
You’ve likely subscribed to emails from multiple companies and may have accumulated years’ worth of archived messages. Think about the companies that have sent you the most emails and the ones with the most/largest embedded graphics, as deleting them will free up space. To do this, open one of the emails and find the sender’s domain. For example, I’ve subscribed to Costco emails for years and have simply archived them without deleting them, but now it’s time to delete them for good. Mousing over the “Costco Wholesale” sender name reveals the sender’s email address as costco@digital.costco.com.
Use that address to search for the sender in the search bar. Note that searching for just the domain (@digital.costco.com) could potentially capture more emails than the full address (costco@digital.costco.com) because sometimes companies use different sender addresses on the same domain. From there, you will be presented with the first 25 messages. When you click the checkbox to select all 25 messages, you will be presented with an option to select all messages that meet your criteria (truly a “select all” option), after which you can delete all those messages.
Conclusions
As an individual user who wants a mail service to send and receive personal emails, if you want to stay on the free tier for Yahoo Mail, it is simple in most cases to perform routine maintenance on your emails to stay under the new quota. However, it does require a small amount of effort and a plan to reduce clutter. I hope you find these recommendations to be helpful, and if you have any other tips for efficiently reclaiming storage space, leave a comment below.
I’ve used Yahoo Mail for decades, and even though I find Gmail to be more user friendly (especially when comparing the iOS apps), I have continued to use both mail services. The main advantage that Yahoo Mail had over other email services is that its free tier offered 1 TB of storage. However, I received an announcement on July 28, 2025 that its free storage offering was being reduced to 20 GB effective immediately. Fortunately I was just barely below the 20 GB limit, and for those who were over the new 20 GB limit, this article provides additional information about its 1-month “grace period” as Yahoo Mail transitioned into full enforcement of its new quota.
Its current storage plans include 20 GB in the free tier, 100 GB for $1.99/month, and 1 TB for $9.99/month.
As a side note, it was ironic that Yahoo Mail’s own AI-generated summary of a follow-up email on August 25 completely misinterprets the reduction in storage as an increase to 20 GB. I guess we could chalk that up to overly positive spin by the Yahoo marketing team.
Anyway, this reduction in free storage space reminded me of the day when I found out that Google Photos discontinued its free unlimited storage. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
