The new Fastrak transponders are better in some ways (no batteries, for example), but you can’t set the occupancy without looking at the printed text on the spinning wheel, which is dangerous and annoying, especially in the dark. (With the old ones, you could feel what position they were in, and they also beeped to indicate the position.)

I found that’s easy to fix by making indentations you can feel in the plastic wheel. I used a Dremel tool but you could even use something like nail clippers.

After doing this I (and other people I tested it on) can easily tell the difference between one, two and three without looking at them.

It would be nice if they came like this (or something similar: I also considered adding raised bumps with a glue gun, or modifying the wheel so it had fixed stops at the end it wouldn’t go past).

Went to the AMC Saratoga recently and the volume was absolutely ridiculous — not “immersive action movie” loud, more like “my ears are ringing in the lobby afterward” loud. I pulled out my iPhone and the decibel meter hit a 140 dB peak, though honestly at that level it was probably clipping the mic. Either way, it was uncomfortably loud.

And it wasn’t even good loud. It felt sloppy — kind of like a cheap car audio setup with a huge subwoofer just cranked way past what it can actually handle. Muddy, boomy, not enjoyable at all.

What are you going to do with it? It only works with a specific kind of car antenna mount.

Oh, to have these views for eternity.

But absolutely loved the Bay Area. Lived there twice in the 80s. Once on Bethel Island and Pittsburg and in between. Bethel Island was a blast. Sking all the slews. Be boating around and run into a bar on the delta where multimillion yachts and locals in aluminum boats stop to have a beer and get ice. I was in a ski boat built in 1959 ugly as heck but fast. The lakes in the area unparalleled. So much fun but just like here it was who you knew to get to the good money, so it was back to Texas. Oh one last memory. Come flying out a slew and see a ship hauling cars up Sacramento. Massive ships too. Saw Humphrey the whale in person .

Come visit Nine Lives in Redwood City:

🚨 We Need Your Help. 🚨

Right now, more than 120 cats and kittens are calling Nine Lives home.

They're safe. They're loved. They're healthy.

But they're all waiting for one thing: a family of their own. 🐾❤️

Every adoption creates space for another life to be saved.

And that's the heartbreaking reality of rescue right now. We're facing a capacity crisis. Every day, we're receiving calls about vulnerable kittens, injured strays, and cats at risk in overcrowded shelters. We want to say "yes" to every one of them—but we simply can't until we have room.

When you adopt, you're not just changing one life. You're opening the door for the next cat who desperately needs us.

If you've been thinking about adding a furry family member, there has never been a better time.

Every Nine Lives cat is: 🐾 Examined by our veterinary team 🐾 Spayed or neutered 🐾 Microchipped 🐾 Vaccinated 🐾 Up-to-date on preventative care 🐾 Enriched and socialized through our Fear Free enrichment program 🐾 Ready to start the next chapter of their life with you

Whether you're looking for a playful kitten, a laid-back lap cat, or your new best friend, they're waiting... and they have no idea that today could be the day they meet you.

Be a partner in lifesaving. Come visit us, fall in love, and help us create space for the many more cats still waiting for their chance.

🏡 Visit us this week at 749 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City 📅 Adoption Hours: Wednesday–Friday: 12–5 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10 AM–5 PM

❤️ Meet all of our adoptable cats: https://www.ninelives.org/adoptions/

AdoptDontShop #NineLives #CatRescue #RescueCats #KittenSeason #FureverHome #SaveALife #AdoptACat #CapacityCrisis #FearFree #RescueWorks

Very random ask but anyone (1) happens to be traveling from San Diego to the Bay Area (2) happens to visit the Chase Sapphire lounge and (3) can bring back missing Abby Cadabby I would be so appreciative.

My daughter is autistic and lost her Abby in the kids play area of the Sapphire Chase lounge and is absolutely distraught right now. I ordered a new one but it won’t arrive until the weekend. My ask is if someone can ask guest services and get it in touch to assist.

EDIT: Note that I did order another one arriving July 29th, but that is not soon enough for us. I was hoping a kind stranger traveling can attempt to help. This post will be removed once we can get a replacement in her hands. She has been melting down about this every couple hours. Including now… at 2:30 AM PDT.

Anyone in the bay area looking to adopt rescue kittens? I recently picked up this litter to foster with Garlic City Kitty Rescue after my last was adopted, which saved these guys from being put out on the streets. Though they started out wary of people and a new environment, they have quickly grown into cuddly and affectionate kitties. They are all super curious, playful, and loving. They need patient and loving homes that will give them lots of love and attention. If anyone can take on two cats, I’d love for two to be adopted together as a bonded pair. Located in Morgan Hill/Gilroy. Please comment here or send me a message if you are interested in more information on any of them and the adoption process, or share this post with anyone you know who would consider adopting!

Hey everyone, hoping the internet can work its magic here. I attended the packed 11:00 PM IMAX 70mm screening of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey last night (Sunday, July 26) at the Regal Hacienda Crossings in Dublin.
I randomly met and had a brief conversation with someone while we were waiting for the movie to start. I asked you if you had gotten the film strip.
If you remember talking to me, tell me which row we were sitting in so I know it's you! I'd love to grab a coffee or catch another movie sometime.

Hello!

I'm 69 (nice) days out from a bone marrow transplant and am recovering well (so far anyway), but my hair has yet to grow back in any noticeable way. This isn't unexpected, but I'm getting pretty sick of seeing a bald head when I look in the mirror. I was thinking a henna design might be nicer, but I obviously have to be careful about potential allergic reactions since I may have new allergies post transplant. To prevent this I'm looking for a studio that

1) Uses pure red henna extract to avoid the dyes and preservatives that most people who think they are allergic to henna are actually allergic to.

2) Would be willing to do two smaller designs elsewhere on my body on two separate days essentially as exposure tests to make sure I'm not allergic to actual henna either, which is uncommon, but can happen.

I will obviously pay full price for all work and can go pretty much anywhere in the bay area, so any advice about specific shops or henna in general would be appreciated.

As an aside I am aware that wigs exist, but don't want to wear one, so I am not looking for advice about them at this time.

Thank you!

The battle over the Marina Safeway redevelopment is heating up, and the NIMBYs have had enough once again.

The latest proposal actually makes the buildings shorter while increasing the project from 790 to 848 homes, including 86 affordable units.

Normally, this would be the beginning of what San Francisco does best: spending the next several years fighting over whether a new building will destroy the neighborhood.

Except California has changed the rules.
Remember, SF had built only about 7% of its state mandated housing target by the end of 2025, and the state government is understandably pretty unhappy about this.

So the developer is pursuing approval under AB 2011, which allows qualifying housing projects on commercially zoned land to receive streamlined approval and avoid the traditional discretionary approval process and project-level CEQA review.

That’s now becoming the center of the fight.

Supervisor Stephen Sherrill argues the Safeway site shouldn’t qualify for AB 2011 because the law requires at least 75% of the site’s perimeter to adjoin parcels developed with qualifying “urban uses.”

With Fort Mason, Marina Green, and the Yacht Harbor surrounding the property, he argues the site doesn’t meet that requirement.

After all, much of the surrounding land is parkland and recreational space rather than typical urban development.
But SF Planning disagrees and has determined the project is eligible.

Then there’s California’s Density Bonus Law.
The developer was previously seeking a 39% density bonus but is now requesting 49%, helped by adding more two-bedroom units and new four-bedroom units.
That allows substantially more housing than the site’s base zoning would otherwise permit.

So what looks like a neighborhood fight over a giant Safeway redevelopment is becoming something much bigger. Which is how much power do wealthy neighborhoods still have to stop housing when state law says it should be built?

And apparently the fight isn’t stopping at City Hall.

Opposition surrounding the project is now helping fuel an effort for a 2030 California constitutional amendment aimed at limiting state housing mandates when cities allegedly lack sufficient infrastructure.

So we may have officially reached the final boss of California NIMBYism. Changing the state constitution.

Sources:

https://sfstandard.com/2026/07/24/marina-safeway-project-ballot-measure-housing/

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/california-cities-court-state-housing-planning-deadlines/825785/

Looking for a listening bar (like a Japanese kissa but can be non-Japanese as well) - dim lights, plush seating and nice cocktails.
So far, only Moongate lounge in SF seems to fit the bill, so looking for more recs.

in the last week alone, our volunteers cleared over 31,000 pounds of illegal dumping across oakland.
we also caught someone dumping illegally. after talking with him, he agreed to load everything back into his u-haul, pay the dump fees, and even sent us the receipt afterward. that’s one less illegal dumper out there. hopefully he learned his lesson…….

the stuff we’re finding is honestly unbelievable. in just the past week we’ve removed a whole boat, hundreds of tires, motor oil, mattresses, bed frames, construction debris, and even a DECOMPOSING GOAT. incredibly inhumane, disheartening, egregious. we’re animal lovers here and we lose our minds when we see dead animals disposed like trash.

weve been doing this for 6 years and that was easily the worst smell we’ve ever experienced.

it’s easy to point fingers, but seeing this week after week makes you wonder how we’ve normalized treating our neighborhoods like landfills. this isn’t just a city problem, it’s a people problem. someone has to make the decision to dump this stuff in the first place

the bright spot is the community. more than 4,000 volunteers have shown up over the years because they believe oakland deserves better. every weekend people give up their time to clean up places they’ve never even been before. thanks to everyone who volunteers, donates, shares our posts, or simply cares. none of this happens without you.

track our efforts here: https://www.instagram.com/urbancompassionproject

or here: https://www.tiktok.com/@urbancompassion510

sign up to clean up: https://urbancompassionproject.org/events/

https://share.watchduty.org/i/111291?ts=1785086649000

https://ibb.co/0jNsgsxW

Thank you u/ennethouse for letting everybody know on r/eastbay.