Consumer Research

I have a kid who likes to stay active and burns a lot of calories. He is in multiple sports camps each day during the summer.

He isn't a big eater and often prefers veggie sandwiches. Consequently he is very lean and doesn't build muscle very well. Any recommendations on shakes or supplements to help him get carbs and protein? I am not trying to bulk him up like Mr. Olympia, so I am not looking for the Gold's Gym specialty.

He is not quite 13.

We have the same issue. A kid that can't maintain weight through genetics and sports. We make fruit smoothies and blend in protein powder

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GIURIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_8XN90EYJDBWA8M5TAPXZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Have you seen that lawn seed mix that comes with mulch included so all you have to do is water to grow grass? Has anyone had good luck with that? Never works for me

The biggest issue with those mixtures is that they dry out and you need to keep them wet. Even if you water them in the morning and after work, they seem to always dry out and crust over. So, I'm with you and have never had any luck with them. Although, this year with the dry weather and heat, growing grass is not an easy process. Hopefully, the fall will be better growing weather for that.

Ensure provides a lot of protein in a easy bottle, comes in a variety of flavors. If he’s at camps all day pack a couple of frozen ones he can drink in between (highly recommend they be consumed COLD).

I’ll try it. And the whey from time to time.

I had my tonsils removed when I was mid 30s (I don’t wish that on anybody). So much pain.

Once I moved past the clear liquids stage I tried ensure. I hated it. But to be honest I hated everything at that time. Beef broth was good day 1 but I wanted to vomit thinking about from Day2 on.

I drink 1 Ensure a day about 5 days a week and have been doing so for about the past 4 months. I buy the powdered mix and throw it in the bullet with a banana for a quick meal substitute.

That Muscle Milk has a lot of protein, and actually tastes pretty good.

It does get that hot in Da UP. June 7, the Monday before I was up there, it was about 94 in Houghton. For Melmac's wedding in Houghton a few years ago, it was even hotter. It's rare, but it happens.

When my Wrangler went to the graveyard a couple years ago, the tower mentioned, "Huh, I was expecting a Patriot or Cherokee, not this." Now, the OLD Cherokees, the ones with the fake wood panels (80s? style), those were beasts.

[mention]Keith[/mention] may be able to provide some good insight if he still checks this board.

I've had good success building muscle with MusclePharm protein shakes in the past. I usually get the chocolate flavor and mix it with milk. It is delicious.

My mother in law decided that she was going to sell one of their cars since it doesn’t like they have a need for two cars anymore.

I decided to try selling the car online. In minutes I got a quote from Carvana and it was for a crazy amount of money compared to the Blue Book value. It took about an hour to get everything together and 30 minutes of signing papers yesterday but that was it. They sent the money to her within hours of all the paperwork being signed.

I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was and would certainly go that route again as an option for selling a car

The best way to build muscle is resistance training along with a calorie surplus + adequate protein intake. Since he's only 13, I'm not sure if he's lifting weights yet. The calorie surplus isn't quite as important as if he was a seasoned gym rat, but getting in adequate calories would be helpful. And aim for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight. Again, this isn't for gen pop necessarily, but for someone looking to build muscle. If you're not concerned about him becoming overweight, which it sounds like you're not, then there's nothing wrong with whipping up some protein smoothies, even using ice cream if need be. I'd suggest a vanilla casein protein powder (casein digests slower than whey so would be preferable if being used as a meal replacement of sorts) mixed in with milk, ice cream, yogurt, fruit, whatever your kid likes... that's where I'd start. Note: I am not a nutritionist nor qualified to prescribe meal plans... just have to say that.

Pro tip: don't buy anything from GNC, it's way overpriced. Amazon is likely your best bet. Dymatize and Optimum Nutrition both make quality casein powders that I've used for years.

Much appreciated. And I trust your knowledge on supplements.

He isn’t lifting weights yet.but he isn’t gaining much muscle. I think the casin powder shakes sound like a good addition to his veggie sandwiches to help from losing muscle. Milk alone is not enough.

If he's not lifting weights yet, I wouldn't expect much muscle gain at this stage. Which is OK, he's a kid. If he's a string bean and you're just trying to get some mass on him, then I'd look at total caloric intake... find ways to get more carbs & fats in there too. He's young enough he can get away with eating "crap" food, as long as it doesn't turn into a problem where that's ALL he wants to eat.

Casein thickens up more than whey protein, so he'll want to add more water or just eat it like a pudding... the chocolate casein is great as a pudding, mix with some PB in there... yum.

Cars are going crazy right now. Rental places are trying to refill their inventory, and used car sales are through the roof.

I knew they were but I wasn’t expecting them to buy at private party prices. It worked out really well for her

I have a friend that works for a dealership...he estimates another year or so of these prices, then it will get back to "normal."

That's why I'm glad I got my car when I did. I may have been able to squeeze more out of my Jeep if I'd waited for this huge boom but I definitely would have ended up paying another 3000-5000 on my current car.

fwiw - posted just yesterday.

I’m not sure where to post this but I need computer help! I’ve downloaded some photos off a usb to my Mac desktop. I’m applying for visas for overseas travel so these are passport bio pics. Yesterday I applied for visas to one country and was able to find the “file” on my desktop and attach to application.

Today I’m doing visas for another country. The same photos on my desktop are now grayed out and I can’t click on them. They open ON the desktop itself but not the “file” window. I can see that there are other files also grayed out, it seems random.

I’ve tried to Google info but it is very unhelpful, others have the same problem but there doesn’t seem to be clear advise. Why was there no problem yesterday and today there’s an issue? I’m using legit embassy sites so I don’t think it’s malware, especially since others note the same problem.

I need to complete these applications and I’m already stressed out. Any useful advice would be very appreciated. You can PM me if you’d prefer. Thank you.

Another person has helped me figure it out. It’s done. I need a cocktail to calm down…that’s not usually a good sign.

Don't buy Lenovo computers.

My 4 month old computer's hard drive fried out on Fri night. That's ridiculous. Being sent in on warranty, and me being me, :censored: waiting a couple weeks to have internet/etc. Bought an HP this afternoon. So far, this is rocking the hell out of the Lenovo (have had a good history w/HP).

T-mobile hacked

Hackers claim to have obtained the data of 100 million people—including sensitive personal information.

Great. My sprint phones just changed over to T Mobile.

Since I believe the dumb questions thread is still locked...

For my son enrolling at UM this year I do not think we will have time (nor necessarily an urgent need) to get him a driver's license during the time I will be in MN. However I'd rather he have a valid ID besides his passport. Recommendations on the best ID in that regard whether it's state ID or one of those new traveler IDs or whatever they're called?

He has a passport and we will have his birth certificate as far as supporting documents. Ease of acquisition is preferred but not necessarily the last determining factor for us. I will be there to assist between August 22nd and Sep 7th.

Thanks

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/dvs-content-detail.aspx?pageID=675

p.s. where did you end up going for your restaurant outing?

Nowhere yet - we don't arrive until August 22nd. I think we are going to go with Maynard's however. And thanks for the link.

Global Entry comes with an ID card similar in size to a DL. The downside is the time to get it is extended, usually a couple months from when the application is sent to when an interview (final step) can be set up with TSA. The interview is pretty easy and you get your traveler number right away and the ID card itself arrives 1-2 weeks after the interview. The cost is ~$100 and it's good for 5-6 years IIRC.

MasterCard getting rid of magnetic swipe bar

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/investing/mastercard-magnetic-stripes/index.html

SSD or HDD? and what brand?

But a Global Entry card is not an ID card as it has no photo. The local liquor store isn’t going to be impressed by a Global Entry card :biggrin2: I think a basic MN card will cover it. An enhanced ID or a RealID card needs more documentation then a passport and birth certificate. When I got a RealID I needed a current bank statement with MN address and a utility bill with same. There are other forms that are accepted but almost ALL need you to have a MN address.

A basic MN ID card will suffice for a college student.

Mine has my photo, birthdate, and passport number. I actually used it as my ID with both Delta & TSA last time I flew.

That’s odd, mine does not. I’m looking at it right now. A blue and white plastic card with a magnetic strip on the back. No photo.

But I’ll comment again, he needs an ID that will be accepted as identification for things besides flying. Like I said, Dinkytown Liquors isn’t going to accept a Global Entry card. Nor will a GE get you entry into a bar. We’re talking a student, not a world traveler. Get a basic MN ID card.

Well I don't think he has to worry about the LQ store for a few years yet. Although I'm sure he'll give it the college try at some point.

RIP

Look on the bright side, fewer drunk drivers in Dinkytown.

True. Irv (I think that was his name) was a good guy. Hope he made out ok.

As related to this thread: It's sad to see a mom and pop shop go. I tend to avoid the big box beer stores as I've developed good relationships with a few local places. I'm sure some of the other beer guys on here can attest to that as well.

Same. Midway Liquor Store is my go to (University Ave, across Prior from Menard's) great family and fair prices.

Why did dinkytown liquors close?

More development. Everything needs to be new and shiny for the youngsters now. :anger:

I was going to say, do they need another high rise apartment building? ?

HP Envy, according to the box. Bang & Olufsen audio, 15+ inch screen, seems like a higher end processer, trivial bonus of a number pad on the keyboard (I do like that, though). The stickers on the unit say Intel Core i7 and Intel iRISx graphics. This lil' :censored: flies, I'll tell ya that. No internal CD/DVD drive, but I already had an external one to begin with.

They are going up so fast it's crazy. My former local fish store in Excelsior went out of business for a new apartment development (next to Hazellwood). And now much new local fish store in Hopkins is getting kicked out at the end of September so they can raze the block for more luxury apartments across from the Blake school. Not sure where to go for Saltwater fish supplies in the west metro anymore (weird little hobby, I know).

So I have had numerous companies I do business with get hacked the last few years. Home Depot, Target, Capital One, now TMobile.

One of the ways I see listed to help prevent any fallout from these incidents is to use "App-Based Authentication" for passwords and such on websites. I don't see how to do this... Can I do this with any website? USBank, for example, used to have 2-factor authentication via a text code to the phone (no other option) but that disappear and I asked why. They said too many people complained about it. So great, security is being determined by the lowest common denominator for everyone, not by creating a way to bypass it for those who don't want it.

But now I hear the text codes are bad, because people can just duplicate your SIM card through the TMobile data breach.

Can someone send me a link to something that shows how to set up app based authentication for websites that don't have it? I would love to have some form of 2-factor authentication for all my credit cards and banking, but none of them offer anything like that other than some dopey security questions at best.

The Blake area in Hopkins is quite the mess. I have heard that some developments can't build more than 2 stories, due to the soil underneath, but that could be town-talk. Hopkins is really trying to cram as much as they can into a small space....

It’s amazing how banks seem to have less stringent security like this. Wells doesn’t even allow certain special characters in passwords which is stupid.

I don’t know how to answer your question other than to setup really long and random passwords for those important sites. It isn’t two factor but it’s abit of a deterrent. If the text based two factor needs to be trashed then there aren’t a lot of common options out there that I’m aware of

For Wells, and credit card companies, they rely on algorithms etc. They think that can outsmart hackers. They KNOW your patterns, travel schedules, etc, before you even perform those actions.

That's the outdated part, where the businesses don't allow special characters/etc. There is the issue.

You can build anything with enough money... The BMW of Minnetonka building is on 100' pilings.

Jesus.

I have 3, sometimes 4, liquor stores I frequent. That way none of the employees ever feel like I have a problem!

I think they have a good idea when youride your bike to the liquor store.

I think he lives in a town with only 3 or 4 liquor stores