Chalkie

56 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Elon's latest scam?

Scam by definition means it is a dishonest scheme or a fraud. It is neither of those as there are product reviews from other sources. Do those reviews all reflect the rosy picture painted here? No, they do not but they do not show anything dishonest or fraudulent any more than an advertisement of any other product. Like any product you will find good and bad reviews, reviews of this product seem to be split about 50/50. Consumer Reports rates 149 models of space heaters and unfortunately this is not among them as it would be nice to see an unbiased review.

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

My biggest plastic cutting board has a gutter around the edge on one side but not the other. The gutter side is for cutting meat. Everything else uses the other side. I used one of the smaller ones yesterday to slice tomatoes; it does not have a gutter and I wish it did--tomatoes are juicy.

Linda Sand

Or, you could just give it a wash and use whichever side you want. If you were really concerned you could use a food safe sanitizing wipe on it. 

3 hours ago, Jaydrvr said:

Lol,, that's funny. I guess in a technical sense, but there's nothing here we're worrying about protecting. Jay

It is accessed via https:// and in the connection it is as secure as a connection to say your bank. Now, granted this connection is to a forum with lots of members and therefore what you say is shared among others and may find its way elsewhere, but yes, it is a secure site in internet terms.

3 hours ago, Jaydrvr said:

I haven't logged out in years. It's not a secure site, so it never occurred to me. Maybe there's a good reason to?? Jay

This is a secure site. 

1 hour ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Good old Robert A Heinlein....

One of my favorite writers, and he did popularize it, but as I learned in a college English course it actually goes back to the 1930's or earlier. The reference comes from the habit of saloons offering a "free lunch" to get patrons to buy overpriced drinks. What they would serve was salty foods to make the patron thirsty, kind of like the really salty bar nuts served today.

3 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Pick a news story. Ukraine, Middle East, any place that the local infrastructure is under stress, StarLink steps up as an alternative. Once entrenched as the defacto provider, service is provided at their whim. I don't need anything that they provide badly enough to fund their mischief.

Yes, Starlink has stepped up in providing internet access to those places initially for free. Eventually, yes, they do then start to charge for it and if it is not paid for (or perhaps officially authorized) then service is discontinued. I don't see that as a whim so much an end to charity. I personally do not see anything wrong with this, but it is your money and your choice.

An interesting comparison might be Comcast or ATT cutting off your service for lack of payment after a free introductory period. There are many things where one sees the offer of free or low cost introductory periods and then the price goes up or the service goes away. Any utility service (internet, cable, phone, electricity, water, etc.) is provided at someone's whim, if you will, but it all boils down to money - no money, no service. What is the acronym? TANSTAAFL

I have had Starlink now for 2 years without any issues. Yes, there have been some modest price increases, but what hasn't gone up in price? 

1 hour ago, folivier said:

I think the value of this will be for hikers and off-roaders, off grid where you're away from your starlink system.

I'm very interested in this while at our mountain cabin for the summer. Hopefully Samsung will have this also.

According to that press release it will work with any LTE capable phone. It is not equipment brand specific but it carrier specific. 

4 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Given Starlink's history of unilaterally killing service for their own reasons, I'll never depend on them for service.

Could you explain this please? Or provide some references?

ArdTechnica provided a few more details in an article. This is going to be tested in several other countries as well as T-Mobile in the US. 

Starlink launches first “cellphone towers in space” for use with LTE phones

2 hours ago, lappir said:

So the reason I put salt on my Cutting surfaces, wood, plastic and one Glass one, is to keep the material from slipping around so much when I'm cutting or chopping. Not sure where I heard of doing it, but it works very well. It really doesn't take all that much unless your ingredient is very wet to start with. (Better to allow it to drain a bit if freshly washed). 

I have heard of Salting a "Butcher Block" for sanitation and I know people who are really bothered by my using a wooden cutting board at times. I do soak it and then put it in the microwave for a good steam  and then a sun dry when I think about it. 

I have a Bamboo board that has 5 plastic inserts each with a label indicating what should be cut on it. Poultry, Meat, Bread Vegetables and fruit. They all nestle in a slot under the board and the board is cut out to keep the plastic from sliding around. I just pull out the one on top and cut what I need and then wash the plastic in addition to the holder. Sometimes I just throw them in the bottom of the sink rinsed and then wash several at once. Better use of water in my mind. 

 

Rod 

OK, so now I am going to have try this trick. I never would have thought of it. 

Interesting thing about wooden cutting boards, they are actually safe. I mean when you think about it wood has been used for cutting boards or butcher blocks for hundreds of years and there is no evidence of rampant botulism or salmonella ripping through the population. In actuality wood is naturally anti-microbial. 

From the National Institute of Health on a study the was done:

Quote

These results do not support the often-heard assertion that Plastic cutting boards are more sanitary than wood.

Full study here if you care to read it.

2 hours ago, lappir said:

How many "Salt" your cutting board before using? 

 

Rod

Never heard of that but I suppose as long as you were very cautious of the amount of salt added later it would be alright.

I ran across this on FB and thought it might be of interest to any folks with asthma. From CBS News:

A popular asthma inhaler will be discontinued in January.

20 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Humm, thanks for the information.  So I assume your private advantage plan works with TFL?

BTW, did you watch the Rose Bowl parade today? When the armed forces float went by they were playing Anchors aweigh, impressive.

The plan does indeed work with TFL. I/we visit a doctor or have lab work done and a couple of weeks later I get an email saying that Tricare has processed a claim. We also got the plan without Part D and use the TFL for medications. I forgot to mention that we also each get a card that allows us to spend $30 quarterly which can be used on OTC meds or vitamins or even a bandaids. It is not much, I agree, but every little bit helps. 

And no, we did not watch the parade this year, I'm sorry we missed it.

9 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

I cannot fathom any of the "advantage plans" being better than standard gov. Medicare and TFL. 

The one we have covers hearing aids, dental, vision and fitness gyms, as well as providing transportation to/from doctor visits if needed. None of this is covered by Medicare. Also, one must realize that TFL only covers IF a treatment is covered by Medicare in the first place. 

13 hours ago, markandkim said:

It was the previous administration that banned tictok.

This is not political, simply pointing out an error. Quote from Wikipedia:

Quote

On December 30, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, prohibiting the use of the app on devices owned by the federal government, with some exceptions.

19 hours ago, fpmtngal said:

 If it would not be a direct replacement, would you then have to buy an Ethernet dongle?  And if you did that, would it make more sense to just get the dongle and buy a separate, faster router?

I would agree and I think I am going to order the ethernet adapter. I need stronger internet signal for outdoor cameras and lighting so my options are spend money for a seperate, stronger router or buy a mesh extender from Starlink for about the same money that may or may not to what I need.

I wonder if they will offer that router as a standalone sale item. I would like that better than the current one.

Speaking from a past life in the building trades and observation of the toyhauler ramps I am not sure you will be able to totally eliminate the problem. Aluminum windows used to sweat like crazy in cold weather until some bright person created a window with a thermal break. Basically it was a piece of vinyl that separated the inside and outside parts of the frame so cold could not transfer from out to in. That same idea was tried on metal framed doors that were required for fire doors. Two problems came with that, one, in a fire that vinyl will melt potentially allowing the door to fail, and two, where windows are not load bearing in the same way a door is, it did not make for a very strong door. 

I just don't see how you could achieve that thermal break on a ramp without compromising the strength of the ramp. I think, as Vern has suggested, your best bet is going to be to insulate as best you can and eliminate air infiltration around it. Then inspect it more often. Also, I am not sure if you could specify the ramp core material, but if you can, specify pressure treated plywood certified for ground contact. 

I am not quite ready to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 but I did find this for those that are interested. It is a very good deal from the New York Post.

Microsoft Windows 11 Pro

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Here are a few internet sites that I thought interesting. 

Thanks for the links. They provided some interesting info and comparisons. I think we'll stick with the Firestick and Roku that we have.

Palmeris, wow! There certainly is a lot there, 99% of which I would never watch. For others this might be a solution.

2 hours ago, lappir said:

I've done several "Redneck" attempts and was ready to buy a pole, but when I mentioned I'd be putting a small antenna on it they said the warranty was void.

That's pretty funny since a normal 3'x5' flag flapping around in a 15-20 mph breeze likely causes way more stresses on the flagpole than an antenna would. 

21 hours ago, palmeris said:

super box

Great for local, plus Blue TV and Blue VOD

So I looked at this on the link you provided and I am still confused as to what exactly this device is. It has a keyboard and some local storage but don't you still have to get the apps to stream the various services like Netflix, Paramount +, etc.?

And if this is the case, why should I consider one instead of a Roku or Firestick at a fraction of the price?

Since we have Starlink and I was not worried about data usage I did some pretty comprehensive comparisons of YouTubeTV to other streaming services. We ended up dumping it as everything we watched there was available elsewhere and overall for less money per month. 

12 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

The state of registration somewhat dictates which California  laws and rules you must follow

The state of registration is the only state that matters if you are only visiting California as far as the physical vehicle is concerned. Rules of the road, such as speed limits, for example, must be followed.