The Vent and Rant Thread - Page 2102

poohbear_nc · 12-26-2017, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

[RANT!!!!]

OK, I know that any given skein of yarn can have a break in it. But NINE (9!!) PIECES! Some as short as a few metres, others up to 20 metres, and only two pieces of usable length? That's just cheating! If I'd bought this skein as a second? No complaints. But this was NOT a second, it was very expensive, undyed, aran weight, Blue-faced Leicester.

[/RANT]

Worst was, of course, this is a jumper (sweater) being knit out of my stash, and the actual yarn was bought at least 10 years ago. No chance of replacement or recovery.

Notice any mice around the house wearing blue threads?

CRussel · 12-26-2017, 07:57 PM

I'd almost prefer that explanation, pooh! Fortunately, I'm pretty sure I have at least one spare skein for this project, so I'll just skip over this one entirely. And the next skein I went to ball up was fine -- no breaks at all. But I was just so horked at the brazen nature of this. It's not like it could have been an accident. They had to save up a whole bunch of tag ends and throw them all into the same skein. Which, as I said, if it had been sold as a second? No complaint or kick on my end.

(This is, btw, absolutely luscious yarn. A pale creamy white, soft, lustrous, and a joy to work with.)

Cinisajoy · 12-26-2017, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'd almost prefer that explanation, pooh! Fortunately, I'm pretty sure I have at least one spare skein for this project, so I'll just skip over this one entirely. And the next skein I went to ball up was fine -- no breaks at all. But I was just so horked at the brazen nature of this. It's not like it could have been an accident. They had to save up a whole bunch of tag ends and throw them all into the same skein. Which, as I said, if it had been sold as a second? No complaint or kick on my end.

(This is, btw, absolutely luscious yarn. A pale creamy white, soft, lustrous, and a joy to work with.)

P ming you my address and size. Sounds wonderful. Glad you had extra.

Hemmi · 12-26-2017, 08:24 PM

Well, turns out it really was the battery. It wasn't even 2 years old so was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay for anything. Had a loaner car for the day as well. I guess the real test is if it starts tomorrow morning. We're already back to 21 below and we got up to a high of 9 below zero today. It is plugged in so it'd darned well better start in the morning.

ProDigit · 12-26-2017, 10:46 PM

Talk about battery,
My Kindle Paperwhite's battery died. I've owned it only 2.5 years.
Now owning a Kindle Oasis.

Hitch · 12-27-2017, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Talk about battery,
My Kindle Paperwhite's battery died. I've owned it only 2.5 years.
Now owning a Kindle Oasis.

Wow! Did it have very heavy use? Mine is still trucking along--as is the Oasis, which I'm sure is good news for you, (smile), but it's been...about 4 years? And I use them both constantly.

Hitch

ProDigit · 12-27-2017, 03:25 AM

I have about 7 ebook readers, so I'd say it might have suffered from very little use.

Hitch · 12-27-2017, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I have about 7 ebook readers, so I'd say it might have suffered from very little use.

Wow, that's crappy. You really ought to reach out to Amazon about it. I mean it. Granted, it's not the National Debt, in cost, but it should last much longer than that.

Hitch

DMcCunney · 12-27-2017, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

Was it looking particularly depressed?

(n.b.: one of the very few prepared things that I still love--love--is pot pie. I have endeavored numerous times to emulate that perfect creamy lovely sauce and the flaky crust. I've gotten the crust right--that's not hard--but that sauce? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....)

As it happens, I had that on Christmas Eve.

The SO suggested dinner at a diner a few blocks from us. We collect diners. A proper diner is owned and operated by Greeks, open 24/7, serves breakfast 24/7, and extra points if they have grits and/or scrapple on the menu.

This one isn't 24/7 - they are open till midnight seven days a week, but don't have the business late night to justify being open 24/7. A lot of their business is with companies in buildings around them, who have standing orders for a dozen lunches or the like.

We give them a pass on 24/7 because they meet all the other requirements, and do it well. They are a favorite spot in summer months because they make gazpacho, which is an easy thing to get wrong.

They had chicken pot pie on the menu, and I said "I know what I'm having!" They do it right.

We also had free entertainment. It's a local eatery frequented by folks who live in the area, and a couple of women were in with their small children. One was a girl about three years old, and the other was a boy about two. They were having a wonderful time running around. The diner has two side by side dining areas separated by a partial wall, and the kids could make the great circle around them. Lots of "Hayley, come back here!" calls from the girl's mom, but return was temporary at best before she was off again.

The SO and I managed to not ROFL watching the antics, but it was a challenge.
______
Dennis

DMcCunney · 12-27-2017, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wow, that's crappy. You really ought to reach out to Amazon about it. I mean it. Granted, it's not the National Debt, in cost, but it should last much longer than that.

Batteries are constant sources of problems. They do wear out, and often faster than you would expect. Lithium-Ion batteries are mostly sourced from China these days, and quality isn't always as consistent as might be wished.

I have an Acer netbook that could probably use a new battery, but I haven't bothered. It's used plugged in to an outlet, and battery life isn't a huge issue. It's also ancient, low powered, and a candidate for being replaced entirely. What is likely to happen is that it will get an SSD and become a pure Linux machine. It came with WinXP Home, but with a 1.6ghz Atom CPU and 1.5GB RAM, it's not a candidate for a newer version of Windows. I can get a 40GB SSD for about $40 and swap it in, then put Lubuntu on it. Linux runs well enough in 1.5GB RAM, and slow HD is the major speed bump.

I have an older low end tablet that has decided it can't hold a charge, and will discharge completely over night simply turned on but not actually doing anything. It's shut down and powered off, and is an occasional test bed when connected with a power adapter.

The "production" HP tablet holds a charge well, but I have an eye on on a 10" model. With an external keyboard, that might just replace netbook or laptop when traveling, ans less to carry is good. One bit I haven't seen yet is reports on battery life. It's from the same outfit that made the one that decided it can't hold a charge. I have several of their devices, and only one has the battery problem, but it is a concern.
______
Dennis

ProDigit · 12-27-2017, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wow, that's crappy. You really ought to reach out to Amazon about it. I mean it. Granted, it's not the National Debt, in cost, but it should last much longer than that.

Hitch

Main issue is keeping a Li battery depleted.
It wears out the battery quicker, than keeping it charged.
There's only one thing worse than keeping a lithium battery depleted, and that's overcharging one.

Katsunami · 12-28-2017, 06:40 PM

#%^#^&* Damn.

As you might have read in the Tech V&R Thread, my Nexus 4 is dead (or more accurately, the battery was dead, holding a charge only for a few hours, and I killed the actual phone trying to replace it even though it's officially not replaceable).

My carrier sent me a nano-sim for the new phone. The sim is defective. The phone works with my GF's sim... I just hope there isn't a compatibility problem with my carrier's sims. So, they sent a new one and I'm still waiting for it. It should arrive between the 27th and 29th. If I'm really unlucky it would be the 2nd of January. (edit: the new sim card has arrived somewhere between 19:00 and 00:00 on the 28th, and it works.)

I've been spending Christmas throughout the entire country this year: at my mom's and dad's places, GF's place, and visiting my GF's family members in assorted cities around the country. I've not been at home since from the 24th up to and including the 27th.

That was without a phone, so I've had no 'live' information. I've been everywhere, except at my computer. I've just opened my laptop for the first time in 5 days.

In between all of the "Happy Christmas and New Year" e-mails and all the "Deal of the Day" mails there was one particular e-mail that stood out. It was sent on December 27.

One of the old guys I've been assisting with his computer for about 20 years (he took up computers at 65, at retirement) died on December 26, due to a heart attack. He reached an age of 85, IIRC. His death somewhere in 2017 or 2018 was almost inevitable, as he didn't watch his weight or health the last couple of years; he was very obese, had diabetes, and was even going blind because of that.

Still, I'm sorry to see him go, because until his early 80's, he was a very active and bright person, and one of the very few people where were NOT annoying to teach something to with regard to computers. If he called with a problem or for information, I could be sure he would've tried everything within his knowledge fix the problem, or find information or tutorials on what he was trying to do. (His main problem was not being able to read any other language but Dutch, so a solution/tutorial had to be in Dutch.)

I might have missed a bazillion calls and/or whatsapp messages.

%&*#^%^@%.

First time in 20 years I can't be reached for a few days, and someone dies. During Christmas. The mass may already be over if it was the 28th. FML.

BetterRed · 12-28-2017, 10:00 PM

@Katsunami - very sorry to hear about your friends passing.

There was a time when one could buy throw-away phones. Fuji had disposable cardboard camera's and some telco's had disposable cardboard phones. I recall grabbing some of each for a World Championship sailing regatta. Would have been in the analogue era. We had the telco's redirect people's landlines to the cardboard phones.

BR

Katsunami · 12-28-2017, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Katsunami - very sorry to hear about your friends passing.

Thanks, BR.

I've just received some of the Whatsapp messages. They state that he didn't want anything with regard to church services, so there will only be a burial/cremation. No date has been given. I assume this will not have happened yet.

ProDigit · 12-29-2017, 02:41 AM

The 2 most elaborate scams nowadays are battery related!

1- All electronic gadgets have non-removable batteries, causing an excess of electronic gadgetry to be dumped in the waste, well before it's time

2- All Lead Acid batteries sold nowadays are sealed type batteries, causing you to have to cash up $130-250 every time your battery dies on you. With old batteries, the battery would die sooner, but $0.2 on distilled water was the solution!
Not anymore on sealed type batteries!
No way to fill them up again!

12-28-2017, 06:40 PM	#31527
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	#%^#^&* Damn. As you might have read in the Tech V&R Thread, my Nexus 4 is dead (or more accurately, the battery was dead, holding a charge only for a few hours, and I killed the actual phone trying to replace it even though it's officially not replaceable). My carrier sent me a nano-sim for the new phone. The sim is defective. The phone works with my GF's sim... I just hope there isn't a compatibility problem with my carrier's sims. So, they sent a new one and I'm still waiting for it. It should arrive between the 27th and 29th. If I'm really unlucky it would be the 2nd of January. (edit: the new sim card has arrived somewhere between 19:00 and 00:00 on the 28th, and it works.) I've been spending Christmas throughout the entire country this year: at my mom's and dad's places, GF's place, and visiting my GF's family members in assorted cities around the country. I've not been at home since from the 24th up to and including the 27th. That was without a phone, so I've had no 'live' information. I've been everywhere, except at my computer. I've just opened my laptop for the first time in 5 days. In between all of the "Happy Christmas and New Year" e-mails and all the "Deal of the Day" mails there was one particular e-mail that stood out. It was sent on December 27. One of the old guys I've been assisting with his computer for about 20 years (he took up computers at 65, at retirement) died on December 26, due to a heart attack. He reached an age of 85, IIRC. His death somewhere in 2017 or 2018 was almost inevitable, as he didn't watch his weight or health the last couple of years; he was very obese, had diabetes, and was even going blind because of that. Still, I'm sorry to see him go, because until his early 80's, he was a very active and bright person, and one of the very few people where were NOT annoying to teach something to with regard to computers. If he called with a problem or for information, I could be sure he would've tried everything within his knowledge fix the problem, or find information or tutorials on what he was trying to do. (His main problem was not being able to read any other language but Dutch, so a solution/tutorial had to be in Dutch.) I might have missed a bazillion calls and/or whatsapp messages. %&#^%^@%. First time in 20 years I can't be reached for a few days, and someone dies. During Christmas. The mass may already be over if it was the 28th. FML. Last edited by Katsunami; 12-28-2017 at 10:51 PM.*

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12-26-2017, 07:57 PM	#31517
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,297 Karma: 80074820 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), iPad Air M3	I'd almost prefer that explanation, pooh! Fortunately, I'm pretty sure I have at least one spare skein for this project, so I'll just skip over this one entirely. And the next skein I went to ball up was fine -- no breaks at all. But I was just so horked at the brazen nature of this. It's not like it could have been an accident. They had to save up a whole bunch of tag ends and throw them all into the same skein. Which, as I said, if it had been sold as a second? No complaint or kick on my end. (This is, btw, absolutely luscious yarn. A pale creamy white, soft, lustrous, and a joy to work with.)

12-26-2017, 08:24 PM	#31519
Hemmi Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,673 Karma: 15987608 Join Date: Apr 2015 Device: Sonys, Nooks, Kobo Libra, Forma, Mini, Paperwhite	Well, turns out it really was the battery. It wasn't even 2 years old so was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay for anything. Had a loaner car for the day as well. I guess the real test is if it starts tomorrow morning. We're already back to 21 below and we got up to a high of 9 below zero today. It is plugged in so it'd darned well better start in the morning.

12-26-2017, 10:46 PM	#31520
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	Talk about battery, My Kindle Paperwhite's battery died. I've owned it only 2.5 years. Now owning a Kindle Oasis.

12-27-2017, 03:25 AM	#31522
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	I have about 7 ebook readers, so I'd say it might have suffered from very little use.

12-28-2017, 10:00 PM	#31528
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,825 Karma: 30277270 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@Katsunami - very sorry to hear about your friends passing. There was a time when one could buy throw-away phones. Fuji had disposable cardboard camera's and some telco's had disposable cardboard phones. I recall grabbing some of each for a World Championship sailing regatta. Would have been in the analogue era. We had the telco's redirect people's landlines to the cardboard phones. BR

12-29-2017, 02:41 AM	#31530
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	The 2 most elaborate scams nowadays are battery related! 1- All electronic gadgets have non-removable batteries, causing an excess of electronic gadgetry to be dumped in the waste, well before it's time 2- All Lead Acid batteries sold nowadays are sealed type batteries, causing you to have to cash up $130-250 every time your battery dies on you. With old batteries, the battery would die sooner, but $0.2 on distilled water was the solution! Not anymore on sealed type batteries! No way to fill them up again!