Random randomness

[Blackhawk]

Electrical gremlins are the hardest to find and fix, even for trained mechanics.

My car is made mostly from electrical gremlins. Practically every electrical system that goes into the passenger compartment is malfunctioning. The only things inside that function are the door locks (sometimes), and the turn signal indicators. That's it. No radio, AC, heater, dash lights, indicator lights, windows, dome light, mileage readouts, or anything else. Apparently it's a well-known issue with this year/model, and the repair costs thousands. At this point, that's likely more than the car is worth (even if I had the money.) It's never made sense to repair it.

So trying to troubleshoot an electrical issue is going to be challenging, to say the least.

Given the age and condition of the car, it's a ticking time bomb. It's going to die, and sooner rather than later. And when it does, I will not have the resources to replace it. Anything I need to do from that point on, from shopping to appointments, will be on foot.

[dbt1949]

carvana

[Blackhawk]

carvana

Not even close to an option. With this car eight years ago, I put every dime I had in, called in every favor, and even resorted to crowdfunding to get the money. I ended up with about $4500. Carvana doesn't even start below $7990, I have zero savings, and am not going to try crowdfunding again. The only reason I went that far last time was because I had two kids in school. I no longer do.

I can survive without a car.

[dbt1949]

I used to get my groceries on my bicycle. I had two sets of panniers,my carrier rack plus my backpack. Bread got a little squashed sometimes tho. Probably the equivalent of five brown paper bags of groceries.

[Isgrimnur]

More than the trunk of a Fiero would hold.

[dbt1949]

The Fayetteville VA is listed as the 3rd best VA in the nation. I've only been to a few but I believe it.

[stessier]

The more I think about the car, the more I'm worried about the short. Spending $150+ on a gadget to get the battery charged/get the car jumped is going to wasted money if I can't figure out what's shorted out, as it will just die again the next day.

I've been looking into how to find the short, but it's been a waste of time - "Map the car's circuits", "Identify the components in the circuit feed", "Use a multimeter/voltmeter to check the 5V", (all great if you're a trained mechanic or electrical engineer.) "Check for frayed wires" (and if they're all frayed?) The best I've been able to find is a how-to on how to figure out which section of the car it's in (using a single light-up tool, which I'd have to order), but that's it - how do you inspect for the fatal flaw when every wire shows said flaw? And that's assuming that I have a way to get under and around all of the parts of the car - which I don't.

I swear, I'm more than a little tempted to solve this with a can of gasoline and a match. This car has been a nightmare since I bought it (for ~$4500 8 years go.) I can barely get a mechanic to change the oil, as they freak out over liability issues because of the lack of a working odometer.

Note: This is me venting, not looking for a solution. The solution is that the car is the walking dead. It's scrap that runs (well, ran.) I know that. The reall solution is a tow-truck and a mechanic, which I can't afford.

Jump the battery and then unplug it every time you park. The short shouldn't be a problem while driving assuming the alternator is working. Won't be at all convenient, but it should work.

[Daehawk]

Shorts are basically impossible to find. Ive had mechanics not be able to find them and there clearly was one.

[LordMortis]

Had my first literal "kids, get off my lawn" moment yesterday. The latest in a long string of doesn't care about anything, renter neighbors had a party yesterday and all the kids were playing, oblivious to property. The whole clan (as do about 80% of the transient tenants) has a history of treating the world around them as their garbage can to say nothing of what happens if their rough housing leads to a kid getting hurt in my driveway or front yard.

[Holman]

So now I'm the reference librarian at a scientific research institution. Our library is large and contains material that extends even back to the 16th century. Much of it has never been digitized, and much of it is no longer widely available.

Scientists frequently need to consult the first attested report of a newly identified species (even if they are many decades or a couple of centuries old), so we get lots of interlibrary loan/scan requests from around the country and the world.

The other day I got a request for a 1921 article in an ornithology journal published in Berlin. I dutifully scanned a PDF and sent it along to the requestor, but it got me curious about the journal itself.

I could see the effect of history in the full run of this journal. From ca 1900 to about 1934 they published robust, 100- or 150-page volumes every year. After the rise of the Nazis they continued to publish, but volumes became much slimmer. By 1942 they were down to a slim 20-page pamphlet on extremely poor-quality paper.

Even more harrowing was the evolution of the table of contents and contributors. It can be difficult to distinguish Jewish German names from non-Jewish German names, but I still saw a very distinct trend towards the least Jewish names I could imagine. After the mid-30's almost everyone has a very Nordic name or else the first name of a Christian saint, something you wouldn't often see in German Jews.

It was all just paper and scholarship, but the underlying narrative was pretty harrowing to recognize.

[Daehawk]

Wow. Dont laugh Im being serious...that must be a dream job. Ive always been science minded and that sounds like heaven. I always wanted to work a job doing SOMETHING anything at NASA or a large telescope or library such as that. Id mop floors just to have access and be there and could say Im part of it in some way.

I had so many dream jobs I wanted to do as a kid only to find out they all involved math and I LOATHE math. So those were out. I really should have stuck with my 4th grade recommendation and went into archeology. I coulda been the Indiana Jones of my field! lol.

[Blackhawk]

Research has always been a passion for me. You'd be surprised at how many of my posts involve an considerable amount of research to make sure that any statement I make is accurate.

[TheMix]

So now I'm the reference librarian at a scientific research institution. Our library is large and contains material that extends even back to the 16th century. Much of it has never been digitized, and much of it is no longer widely available.

Scientists frequently need to consult the first attested report of a newly identified species (even if they are many decades or a couple of centuries old), so we get lots of interlibrary loan/scan requests from around the country and the world.

The other day I got a request for a 1921 article in an ornithology journal published in Berlin. I dutifully scanned a PDF and sent it along to the requestor, but it got me curious about the journal itself.

I could see the effect of history in the full run of this journal. From ca 1900 to about 1934 they published robust, 100- or 150-page volumes every year. After the rise of the Nazis they continued to publish, but volumes became much slimmer. By 1942 they were down to a slim 20-page pamphlet on extremely poor-quality paper.

Even more harrowing was the evolution of the table of contents and contributors. It can be difficult to distinguish Jewish German names from non-Jewish German names, but I still saw a very distinct trend towards the least Jewish names I could imagine. After the mid-30's almost everyone has a very Nordic name or else the first name of a Christian saint, something you wouldn't often see in German Jews.

It was all just paper and scholarship, but the underlying narrative was pretty harrowing to recognize.

Interesting. I have a close friend that got a masters in ... Library Something? She's been mostly working as an archivist (I think that would be the right way to put it), focused on preserving... stuff.

[Kraken]

I just figure out how to use Google Image Search to answer a question I've had for a long time.

Now I have to figure out how people take pictures with their phones and ask google what it is. Don't laugh; I have seen this wizardry with my own eyes.

[Hipolito]

It was all just paper and scholarship, but the underlying narrative was pretty harrowing to recognize.

Thanks for sharing this, it is quite interesting. A friend of mine is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. Before emigrating to USA, the grandfather christianized his last name. My friend has thought about legally changing his last name back to its Jewish original.

As for libraries, I once worked in one but only do to computer/A-V stuff, not for book stuff. But I've done research in some huge, musty libraries. There were shelves so obscure and infrequently visited that you could probably take a sleeping bag there and camp for weeks before getting caught. And some of the books were in bad shape, sadly. The pages of one of them crumbled when I turned them. I took it to the librarian and asked if she had tape so I could try to fix it, but she took the book from me and said it would have to be sent off for restoration.

[Kraken]

I realize it's beside the point, but reference librarian is a thing I thought I wanted to be ever since I found out they exist. I considered studying library science before I started Curio City and might have gone there, except that a friend retiring from the profession talked me out of it because there were 0.1 jobs for everybody who wanted one. The internet has taken away 95% of their reason for being, but the other 5% is the most interesting part.

[hitbyambulance]

opinions on outdoor cameras? it's going to be mounted outdoors in SE Alaska to provide a continuous livecam. it looks like the Wyze Cam v3 + the outdoor IP65 cable is the most cost effective option. i don't like how you can't view the stream video on Linux/Windows without a subscription (or on the Firefox browser at all), but that seems to be the only knock against it.

[The Meal]

I like the Eufy ecosystem with local storage. There are privacy concerns wrapped around how it generates notification alerts.

[Daehawk]

Well couldn't sleep last night so at 7am I decided to go to the store and get a few items of food to do until Friday. And the battery was dead again. I boosted it with the lawnmower again and went to Autozone this time.

They also said the battery was fine it must be the alt. Did they check the alt or hook up a scanner. No. No of course not. I said to him how can you be sure its the alt ..might be a cable or a short or a drain....welp he says could be. Very helpful. Places today SUCK. But he did say that driving from home to them which is like 3 miles charged the battery 48%. So the alt is doing some work.

Like in 2010 Im betting its the alt and it had a couple bad brushes or diodes in it...it works just not great.

But that doesn't explain why my battery goes dead just sitting in my driveway doing nothing at all. Ive checked the cables and they are tight and look fine. Ive checked for a light being on at night and nothing.

I went by the alt place thats been there since the 1960s and the entire town uses them...out of business. Guessing the guy died. Its a tire place now. So gotta find a new alt shop to have them look at it...next month when I have money again.

Maybe me and BH can go in together and buy a used pogo stick. He gets it for 2 weeks then mails it to me and I use it 2 weeks then mail it back.

[stessier]

Autozone is not a repair shop - expecting them to fully troubleshoot a problem is a bit much imo.

[Daehawk]

No but they 'could' have hooked and OBD scanner to it.

[stessier]

No but they 'could' have hooked and OBD scanner to it.

Did you specifically ask them to? Did you ask to borrow their scanner? I know they do the battery testing as a courtesy. I've always just asked to borrow their scanner for the OBD check. But again, it's a courtesy service.

[Fardaza]

My dad was a library science professor from about 1960 till about 1990. The last main thing he was in charge of was Pepperdine University's special collection. We were always looking around in used book stores. I have several old books he gave me. They're cool old books, but not very valuable. I have one from 1776 that lists all the plays of English playwrights published before then. (It would be difficult to list all the books that were published after that!) Also a complete set of Shakespeare's plays in individual volumes from 1903.

Sitting amongst dusty bookshelves brings back fond memories.

[Daehawk]

Nothing smells like an old library. The paper. The glue and bindings. Its like old book stores. A lost treasure of scents and visuals....each book a new adventure.

[coopasonic]

Research has always been a passion for me. You'd be surprised at how many of my posts involve an considerable amount of research to make sure that any statement I make is accurate.

Now consider the hard* work some of us have to do in posting thoughtless drivel in order to balance the scales. Thanks for giving us something to do!


*You may be surprised, but being intentionally thoughtless is rather challenging for some people. Me? There's a reason I didn't say "us." Thoughtless indeed!

[Blackhawk]

Maybe me and BH can go in together and buy a used pogo stick. He gets it for 2 weeks then mails it to me and I use it 2 weeks then mail it back.

You know, those things have two steps, and two handles...

Speaking of which, my battery charger came in today. I'm going to wait for a while, though - I didn't know that you couldn't use them inside the house, so I'm going to have to get my hands on a 100'+ extension cord. That likely means ordering and waiting.

[Blackhawk]

Research has always been a passion for me. You'd be surprised at how many of my posts involve an considerable amount of research to make sure that any statement I make is accurate.

Now consider the hard* work some of us have to do in posting thoughtless drivel in order to balance the scales. Thanks for giving us something to do!


*You may be surprised, but being intentionally thoughtless is rather challenging for some people. Me? There's a reason I didn't say "us." Thoughtless indeed!

Blame RM9. ~22 years ago on Gone Gold I posted an elaborate theory I'd been working on for a decade, something that was meaningful to me, and that I was extremely proud of. RM9 came along and poked it full of holes, and much of it was over things that I had simply assumed to be true (because I'd heard them all my life from multiple sources and just accepted them), but had never actually looked into. It was pretty seriously embarrassing, to say the least. It also taught me not to spout off if I haven't got actual knowledge about without doing my due diligence. That lead to research, to reading, to skepticism, to atheism...

[dbt1949]

Something I too have learned here. Whenever I spout off without double checking my sources I inevitably get called out.

[Jaymon]

Whenever I double off without spout checking, my out sources inevitably get called.

[Jaymon]

Whenever I double out without my spout sources, I inevitably get called Checking.

[hitbyambulance]

looking at a comment thread on slickdeals for a keyboard and so many people were complaining about the lack of backlighting. how many people are still hunt 'n' peck typing in their middle age? i assume 'a lot'.

(it's painful watching my dad type ... staring at the keyboard, push one key down with index finger, pause... push another key down with index finger....)

[Isgrimnur]

Yes. I'm a professional programmer and can not touch-type at all times.

[hitbyambulance]

Yes. I'm a professional programmer and can not touch-type at all times.

don't think i understand. touch typing can figure out |, :, ;, $, &, `, ++, --, /, <TAB>,, <ALT>, <CTRL>, etc... i suppose the function keys would be the only ones i would have to look for.

[coopasonic]

Yes. I'm a professional programmer and can not touch-type at all times.

don't think i understand. touch typing can figure out |, :, ;, $, &, `, ++, --, /, <TAB>,, <ALT>, <CTRL>, etc... i suppose the function keys would be the only ones i would have to look for.

40 years on a keyboard, 30 of them as a professional programmer, and I never learned. I can mostly type without looking, but it's not traditional asdf hjkl, it's generally 5 fingers plus the occasional pinkie that have a good idea where the keys are. I tried to learn the right way with Mavis Beacon, but my method was so much faster early on that I abandoned the effort. I've tried to get my kids to learn to do it properly, but they appear to type about the same way I do.

[Blackhawk]

I spent a year in high school learning to touch-type, and can do it so-so these days, but enough to get by with only a few mistakes. The problem is that games tend to force you off of the home row (ASDF/JKL;), which disrupts the muscle memory required. If you have one hand on WASD (which is offset from the home row) and the other on your mouse, and you need to open your inventory (I), or your journal (J), or open the map (M), touch typing isn't going to help.

As a side effect, it's part of what made quick time events such a pain in the ass on PC. We don't think about the keys as letters when we're gaming. This is the forward key; that is the grenade key. If the game tells you to rapidly hit W and then tap R in an event, you have about a tenth of a second to translate your buttons into letters again, and that's when a typist's instincts kick in. And since we're not on the home row, that tends to cause us to hit the wrong key (Q instead of W), or else hesitate while we try to make the mental shift. Controllers don't have that issue, as they have far fewer buttons (most QTEs only use the main four), and there is no muscle memory sabotaging you.

[gilraen]

I've never bothered with backlit keyboards, I just figure out where my fingers are for any given game controls and go from there. Most frequently used letters on my keyboards usually rub off so eventually there's a whole bunch of keys with no labels. When I worked the night shift tech support, day people would periodically "borrow" stuff from the after-hours team's desks, including keyboards. No one ever touched mine

[Blackhawk]

I had a couple of Corsair keyboards years ago that came with extra 'textured' keycaps for the most popular gaming keys. I ended up with multiple sets of them. Every time I get a new keyboard, I swap out the WASD keys for the four textured equivalents.

Bonus on backlit keyboards: If the keys are lit, too, then the letters are holes in the plastic of the key that are filled with clear material (or some variant of that.) In other words, there are no labels. I've actually considered finding a way to add a finger 'pip' to the S key similar to the ones on F/J, but I've never gotten around to figuring out a reliable way (I'd probably drill a tiny hold and use kneaditite to add the pip.)

[Jaymon]

I also don't touch type. First second and thumb. But nobody ever tells me I am slow on the keyboard. So many years of doing it this way, I am plenty fast.

Do I make mistakes? Yes, yes I do, but thats nothing to do with my typing style. I am just a bad speller and grammerer. I always hit the keys I mean to.

[Blackhawk]

When I'm actually typing (like I am now), I touch-type, and only look at the keyboard for the occasional, rarely-used key. If it weren't for gaming (for the reasons I mentioned above), I wouldn't bother with backlit keyboards. Back before backlit boards with backlit keycaps was a thing, I used to use a special light (marketed to gamers as a 'Battle Lamp') that was just for illuminating the keyboard without lighting up the room (they could be set very, very dim.)

I was going to provide a picture of the lamp, but apparently they had a short run and weren't well known. I did discover that googling 'battle lamp' turns up some... interesting home lighting.

[Rumpy]

Touch-typing is how I learned in high-school, where we originally started on typewriters before moving onto Unisys ICONS (seriously, these were an interesting story in their own right, and any Canadians in school in the 80's and 90's would have been using them) and then IBM PCs. But that skill carried over, and to this day, I can simply be looking at the screen and my fingers fly across the keys. It feels completely natural to me.

And while I'm at it, and going into detail about the Unisys ICONS, they were server-based Microcomputers that were built for the the Ontario Ministry of Education to be used in classrooms all over Ontario, using a modified UNIX OS called QNX. The teacher would log into the server as admin and be able to watch over their students doing their work via the networked computers, and everything that was saved was via server rather than locally. This way way before most networked systems. The reality is that these were slow and lumbering systems, but one of their unique aspects was the trackball built-into the like-a-brick keyboard. They were expensive to operate and by the 90's they were phased out and the government ordered the systems destroyed, with only a few of them having survived, so there's not terribly much info about them online, but mostly first-hand accounts via people like me who've used them. If QNX sounds familiar, it's maybe because it would eventually become the basis for the OS used in the Blackberry.

https://jasoneckert.github.io/myblog/icon-computer/