I've talked on here about my Pixel 4a and how much I like it, but the battery life has been really dreadful as of late. I was at 900+ cycles on the stock battery so not exactly a surprise, but I didn't want to buy a new phone so replacing the battery seemed the best way forward. I got a kit from iFixit for ~$60 including an OEM battery.

I read online that it's a tough process since the 4a has a very fragile screen that's likely to break during such repairs, but everything went (mostly) fine! The iFixit guide got me most of the way there but I supplemented with a YouTube video. Hardest part was actually removing the adhesive strips keeping the battery in place, I ended up having to use isopropyl alcohol to dissolve some of the glue instead of pulling it out. Also I did kinda puncture the old battery which shot out some sparks, but it seems to be stable (currently chilling on my kitchen table until I can take it to be recycled/disposed of properly).

One thing to note about the iFixit kit is that the included adhesive strips for sticking the screen back on are kinda doodoo and likely to get stuck on the kit packaging during transit, which ruins them. I tried to make do with the remaining strips but noticed edges of the screen sticking up, so I replaced it the next day using some TESA tape I got off Amazon which seems to work great.

Overall kinda sucks that you have to jump through so many hoops, but was also somewhat satisfying to feel like I accomished something. And of course battery life is much better!

Had an interview today that I feel okay to good-ish about. Was hoping to talk to the person I'd be working under but they were tied up on time sensitive stuff so I just talked to the HR person.

He was telling me that in addition to a very modest amount of conventional PTO, they give a paid weekday off every three weeks. It was spun like a good thing because the amount of total time off was more than the national average, but that's pretty dishonest right? PTO is conventionally understood to be time you can take off whenever for whatever reason, not fixed days off like holidays.

I generally like the vibe of the place but it's got weird things like that, plus not being open to hybrid because it doesn't align with their "values" and some Russel Brand quotes hung up on the walls

So turns out there's this concept called "Escheatment" where governments will take custody of unclaimed property, like if a check is sent to your previous address so you never cash it because you didn't know about it.

In the US, this is handled by state governments. If you google "[state] escheatment" you should see a .gov website that will let you search your name to see if they've got anything for you so you can file a claim. There are aggregator searches like missingmoney.com, but it didn't list some of the entries that the official one did so I wouldn't recommend it. You should check any state you've lived, and maybe your family too if you're feeling saucy.

I didn't find anything in my name, but it showed similar results by last name and I found stuff for my mom, dad, sister, a few aunts and uncles, and even my late grandmother! It usually won't be much, but it's your property, so you might as well get it, right? Plus in the case of your family you get to ring them up and say "Hey, how would you like some money?"

Millions must go without cheddar bay biscuits !boohoo

Periodical cicada nymphs from Brood XIII are crawling out of the earth and moulting on trees, leaving husks like in the picture. For the next several weeks they'll be everywhere in the affected area. Then they lay their eggs in young tree trunks and other such supple plant stems, which hatch later in the summer only to burrow back into the earth for 17 more years.

I may return with other cicada facts as more come out. Very curious to see if it's any different from the last time in 2007 due to climate change

I've been looking at phones to replace my Pixel 4a as the battery goes and it becomes increasingly silly to get it replaced instead of getting something new. I don't like huge phones, which i consider to be anything over ~6.2". Everything under that is either:

• A Google Pixel with poor efficiency, thermals, and call reliability
• A Samsung Galaxy S with a high price, locked bootloader, dodgy privacy, and bloatware
• A miscellaneous brand with abysmal software support lifespan, variable bootloader lock status, and little to no custom rom support

the ASUS Zenfone 10 would have been honestly perfect for me - sub-6" screen, headphone jack, good performance. But they just haaad to remove bootloader unlocking despite promises to the contrary so now you have to settle for one more OS update and three more years of security updates for something that costs $600+. blurgh.

RIP Arkane Austin. I know at this point the people who made Prey aren't there anymore but it still stings

Me without hexbear for less than half a day: !kitty-cri-screm !aaaa

I do not have the type of social life to tolerate downtime well

Interviewing for a job where I'd either be working 11pm-9am four nights a week or one 14 hour day and two 10 hour days or something.

My mom is very skeptical about the overnight, and I'm aware there are health risks, but if they offer it I don't think I've got much choice as I am currently sans job. I'm already a bit of a night owl, is it manageable if I take precautions?

Do you buy them? Will you refuse to buy conventional if organic isn't available, broadly or on a per product basis?

I confess I've always blown off organic foods as kinda silly (unless you've got a sensitivity to whatever's in the conventional stuff) in large part due to overlap with GMO panic. Still, as we hear more about microplastics and harmful chemicals showing up in most everything I've been wondering if it'd be good for my long term health to be an organic andrew

It will take hold of you, and you will regret it's absence

\- a stupid idiot who thought they could explain why arbitrary age limits are a poor heuristic for experience to a /r/politics user

god typing that out really sells the stupid idiot part huh

Last year I was employed at a decent paying job with good benefits, doing work that mattered. Now I'm seven months unemployed, out of benefits and still getting ghosted by employers. Most everything else has remained the same (no friends, uncertainty with my gender and how I want to live my life, stuck living with my mom) except that I started seeing a therapist ~10 months ago who I really like.

It just feels really, really bad. I'm assuming other people have had this experience in their life already (I am both fairly young and a late bloomer in most respects), so I guess I'm asking how you dealt with it and how things got better, assuming they did :aware:

you can also commiserate with me if you like

thanks gamers

Also here's a pic of Goonin' Gary since I don't think I ever posted one !

Apparently temporary until the supreme court rules on it, still very funny

Todd and his consequences !todd

I've got one on Tuesday that looks like my best shot at a new job since I got laid off in the summer. It's with a vice president of the company and the person whose position I'm filling since she got promoted

I'm just a little weirdo, I don't know how to make them want to hire me !boohoo

Tbh idk what the difference is between this and previous "creation club content" but it's amazing to see todd coming back to the Skyrim well for more money

!lathe-of-heaven You have been warned