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.. because eYe really want to know...

The Wall. } P Floyd.
.thick as a brick. } Tull...
Off the Wall. } Jackson

Maybe you are like me and have a long list of things that really piss you off. I'll start with websites returning a 404 message. Comcast is my internet provider and this week, they sent out a new gateway/router with minimal instructions that required me to download their app on my phone to set the unit up. I don't want to use my phone and was looking for a way to do this via desktop computer. Calling customer service is a process because they are resistant to allow me to speak to a person. Their system is designed to be fully automated, which is okay if you only need one of the 5 problems listed in their menu system.

I wasn't getting anywhere because my request wasn't in their menu and (stupidly) accepted instructions by text. That wasn't any better. I called back and waited for live assistance. It sounded like the woman had a dog and baby in the background... probably working remote. She explained I could go to their website and make the selection 'activate' that will give me the necessary details to setup the new equipment by desktop computer. That's when I received a 404 message.


Okay, I'll try this YOUR WAY and downloaded the app, but it was asking all kinds of bullshit questions like alternate phone numbers and email addresses. Just get me to the setup page! Well... that didn't happen.

I read about Tourette syndrome and guess an episode was beginning to take hold of me. Thinking of a logical way out... the gateway I've been using wasn't broken, so I didn't see a need to switch to a new one that could require me to setup passcodes of all of the 16 devises in my house. I dropped the new gateway in the shipping carton and went back to work.

Always expected... there's a survey after the call to customer service that I'm known to ignore. This time, I actually went through the process, trying not to use profanity when filling out the 'other' selection that gave me the opportunity to actually type in a 404 message ended my desire to install the equipment. The old gateway wasn't broken and there wasn't any need to fix it.

My guess is I'll get an email followup about the setup.

Maybe I should switch from cable at $90 a month to wireless 5G home internet from my cellular provider at $60 a month. That sounds tempting.

In the mean time, I'll be thinking of more things that reallypissme off...

Nuked by a software glitch. I queried what happened and got the below reply. It seems I am not the only one.
Stuff happens.

"Hi Ken -- Thanks for the message. Recently a small number of user accounts and their associated messages were accidentally deleted during a clean up of our database. We apologize deeply for the problem. It's great that you've created a new account and we hope you'll continue to participate in the CS community.

Sincerely,
CS Staff"

Check this video out. EVs in confined spaces equate to Satan unleashed

I bought a refurbished Samsung phone last year to replace one that was around 5 years old. The old phone had a worn battery that needed to be charged a few times a day if I used the GPS and made a few hours of calls. There is a factory authorized service center not far from me, that could order a battery, but they needed the phone 2 days to do the work. I'm not okay with that so the total change was less restrictive.
Cloning one phone to the other was easy and It took a while to get to get all the apps set up the way I'm accustomed. One new preinstalled app was Samsung DeX. Normally when I connect the phone to the computer it's to upload photos or do a backup with Samsung Smart Switch.
This morning, when I connected the phone to the computer, DeX automatically came up. Okay... What's this? It's a projected version of my cellphone. I can drag and drop photos easily now. Lots of new stuff to explore... I just need to copy a few photos to my desktop today.

Thanks Samsung... I think I'll be using DeX often now!

What do y'all make of it? I think it's a scheme to try and stop more people waking up and questioning what's going on in the world. The Metaverse, in essence, is a virtual world which can be manipulated by those running it to present any set of ideas they wish. The goal seems to be to get more people invested in and plugged in to this metaverse. But why would this be? A control mechanism i think is the obvious answer (outside of obvious profit motives) - offer people a virtual 'safe space' where they don't have to worry about that big nasty (REAL) world, and where they'll be told everything they want to hear. Is it based in reality? No! Of course not! But if the reality is rife with corruption on the part of various people currently running it, wouldn't it make sense for those people to want to stop a mass awakening lest they be actually held accountable?? Yes, i think that is the point.

Tell me what YOU think

20 years ago I had a computer monitor go bad while under warrantee.
I returned it to the manufacturer's repair center and rather than wait for the repair, I was offered a refurbished unit they could ship the same day.
Not knowing what refurbished meant (exactly) the manager said all their new monitors go through a 24 hour burn-in test. Unfortunately, a small percent fail in the field. Those are repaired and returned.
The refurbished units not only get repaired, they go through extensive testing to find out what caused the problem in the first place.

Electronic components usually have a manufacturer's tolerance of 10% on resistors and diodes that are allowed to pass their standards for specifications. In the chance too many components are close to being out of tolerance (yet still acceptable) other components in the circuitry may fail due to the tolerance.

Guitarists may test out a few different amplifiers and pick one that sounds better. While they are wired with parts that pass standards, there are some that all the parts are ideally 'on the money' and exactly in tolerance.

I took that monitor he offered and used it for many years until it was time for something larger.

I've been shopping for a cellphone. My phone is maxed out on the SD memory with more than 5,000 photos and videos. I do monthly backups and purge old photos no longer needed. It's roughly 4 or 5 years old and the battery won't make it a whole day.
New models are around $1,200 and one drawback to many is you cannot add/extend memory as they don't have a slot for SD memory.
Samsung is offering 'refreshed' models that are a few years old. They have been thoroughly checked out, new batteries installed and screens, cases replaced if they have signs of wear. The operating systems are updated, unlocked and serial number with ID's are all new. One year warranty (same as a new phone) included. Priced about half of a new phone.

Some of the other models have dropped off the sales page and no longer available. Rather than risk the model I want to disappear, I made the purchase and expected it to arrive in 10 days or less.

I'll be cloning my old phone to the new phone and a few hours of updating apps and passwords should get me into another phone for a few more years.

S q u a r e.{ 7251
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.. .L A B O R./ 3021.) Radar )) ..
Establishment of position...
6828. N. [ true north.
.5639.....hidden
1189..(2)...a. Baal of North.( 6828.
....... ..3 O 2 1.
..........................1832... weeping.
...1189...b.) bel Typhon..( destroyer
.......... ..8 4 8 7..S. [ south
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.....1189..b... Operative verse from the hotel Version
...page 786..hab. 3:3,4....
...... S. [ 8487.
............. 8077....} deadly.
....4 1 0.. El. [ Mighty x very.
N O D. } notes on Direction. } ...
.."the super bowl came from Montana".- Uncle Joe.
" the cotton bowl came from Dallas " - McBob
.....( . choose wisely. )
Mcblogment $ ponsor.} Gematrix.org.
7 0 8...page Zero.
1204...here is justice.) the throne in heaven.
1912..the weapon is zeroed.
... epilogue of pop...
No Time./ ? ?
..point of know return./ KS.
Zero hour./ King

The computer mouse is an important tool in my daily life.
I've tried lots of different brands of 'mouse-like' products including trackballs, joysticks, stylus pens and touch screens.

Depending on the setup there are 4 workstations in my condo plus a laptop and 3 workstations at my office. All of them were using the 'old standard' Microsoft wired mouse.
I like the shape, buttons and way it tracks. Wireless mouse? No thanks.
They are cheap... $10
Some products are in the $40 to $60 range so I'm getting a bargain at $10.

Actually, I prefer the accuracy of the old style mouse with a ball. Yeah, cleaning lint every other day didn't bother me. They are dinosaurs... no more are available on the planet.

The Microsoft mouse has a textured finish and after months of use I notice the left button would turn shiny. No problem, but I'm having to replace them when the wheel starts to skip.
Maybe there has been a change in manufacture as in 'they don't make them the same' and I'm replacing them in months and not years later.



Looking for a change, I've found a Logitech mouse for $10 that has a very similar shape and feel as the Microsoft mouse.

I bought 4 of them and put them into my main computers and will replace the others when the wheels begin to fail.

On Friday, I got to visit the Carillon Historical Park, with some of the oldest buildings in the Dayton area. There were a few hundred displays of things & photos of the made here. NCR cash registers, DELCO automotive parts, Huffy bicycles, Frigidaire refrigerators for example. The Charles Kettering display had a moving mannequin describing some of his inventions and experiences.
The main attraction was the Wright Brothers National Museum where they had recreations of the bicycle store and workshop where they started propeller design and testing models that eventually lead to the building of their aircraft.
A small auditorium was playing movies with actual film footage of their experimental aircraft. I had no idea of the number of failures they experienced getting a working airplane and how they went to Europe to demonstrate it's flight and dispel the rumors as other inventors were very close in their attempts of manned flight.