Search results

  1. J

    Something Random

    Same thing with me, especially when I'm not in a big city.
  2. J

    Something Random

    I never could have lived like that. I hated even business trips of a few days. I like to sleep in my own bed at night.
  3. J

    Ryzen

    For the AMD APUs, faster RAM mainly helps with the GPU. I noticed higher frame rates on my system going from DDR3-1600 to DDR3-2400.
  4. J

    Something Random

    My beef with Amazon is the search engine. I search for one thing, and get a whole bunch of totally unrelated items popping up, along with a few hits for the item I'm actually looking for. Ebay's search engine always gives me only what I'm looking for. Are Amazon's programmers so incompetent that...
  5. J

    SSDs - State of the Product?

    I get a bunch of them popping up on Newegg when I do a search: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100011693%20600545605%20600038463&Order=1 The big story I'm seeing lately with SSDs is the fact they're around $50/TB on the budget end of the market. I've seen as low as $40/TB with some specials...
  6. J

    Video Cards

    I doubt contacts would go over that well with me, either. My uncorrected vision is in the area of 20/200 but I normally get by just fine without glasses. I only wear them when I need to see fine detail from a distance, like watching TV from the couch. I can ride my bike just fine without them...
  7. J

    Video Cards

    For me personally a large screen is a non-starter. I need to sit close enough to the monitor to see it clearly (no, I'm not going to wear glasses when I'm on my computer). For me that's about 11 or 12 inches. A large screen would exceed my field of view at that distance. I've been using a pair...
  8. J

    Video Cards

    Kill-A-Watt
  9. J

    Video Cards

    Yeah, and at over $0.30 per kW/hr we can't afford to use a lot. Besides, I don't want a system that uses so much power it needs lots of loud fans to stay cool. Nice thing about my system is the entire box uses not much over 100 watts, even at full tilt. I don't even need case fans. The CPU temps...
  10. J

    Video Cards

    No idea what the number is for me. I don't have any monitors that go over 60 Hz anyway. Maybe something higher would seem more "continuous" to me but I won't know unless I experience it. Also, since I'm using an APU, I doubt I can get over 60 Hz regardless, except maybe with all the settings...
  11. J

    Heat management: Water Cooling in an Apartment?

    I would literally die without A/C. On the hottest days the house would easily be over 100°F. Add in NYC's famous high humidity and you're well into the danger zone. Can you do water cooling for all the PCs using a single loop, then run that water to a heat exchanger which exhausts the heat...
  12. J

    Something Random

    I don't even enjoy short trips alone. Trust me, without someone special to share the experience with, I wouldn't enjoy it one bit. I'd probably be crying myself to sleep each night. Everyone is different. Some are fine traveling alone because they're more comfortable mixing up with new people...
  13. J

    Something Random

    The farthest I ever got from where I was born was Montreal. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I'd consider traveling once I'm no longer taking care of my mother, but that's contingent on finding a SO to travel with. That's not easy thing for me. I've always been amazed how easily people seem...
  14. J

    Something Random

    Nice to see you back, Dave. Smart to get out of CA. That state is heading to disaster. It's overpopulated for the resources available in the area. Since you're playing catch up on what people here are doing, I more or less retired in 2017. I had a good consulting gig with Exxon which ended...
  15. J

    Something Random

    Avoiding the sun is easy for a night person like me. I'm rarely even out of bed before noon, never mind outside. Most of my riding/walking is done at night. Unusual hair colors probably wouldn't work for me. Besides, fortunately as I mentioned earlier going gray isn't a problem in our family...
  16. J

    Something Random

    I agree. Biological age matters a lot more than chronological age. I'd say me and my siblings are probably still in our 30s going by biological age. I'd still rather find someone first before going on any trips but there's lots of opportunity for that in NYC. Just walking the streets and riding...
  17. J

    Something Random

    I'm seeing a major generational shift. Your generation supports this a lot more than mine. As your generation gets into power, it's a lot more likely we'll start to do something. Your generation is really the first to acknowledge en masse the problems with an auto-based transportation system...
  18. J

    Something Random

    Last thing I'd ever want to do is travel with seniors. Ditto for group travel where you don't set your own agenda. I just turned 60 but me and my siblings look 20+ years younger than we are, and can match that in terms of physical ability. My sister is almost 59. She has so few gray hairs she...
  19. J

    Something Random

    Well fortunately the NY Metro area is a major shipping hub, so I'm good to cross the Atlantic at least. If I needed to cross the Pacific, it's Amtrak to the West Coast, then hop a freighter from LA. Since I would most likely stick to major cities overseas chances are great those would be major...
  20. J

    Something Random

    There's ships to the other continents. If/when I ever travel overseas, time isn't an issue. I'm happy to spend two weeks on a freighter crossing the Pacific if it means avoiding flying.
  21. J

    Something Random

    Merc, I know Amtrak sucks in most of the country. The only place it handily beats or matches flying/driving time overall is on the East Coast. I'm talking about national HSR running at 220 mph and averaging, say, 180 mph with stops. NYC to Chicago in 5 hours. Counting the time getting to/from...
  22. J

    Something Random

    Only thing to add reading all this talk about airlines is I'm glad I never was in a position where I needed to fly, much less needed to do so on any kind of regular basis. If I ever get around to traveling, it's Amtrak for me. I flew once, back in 1990, when the airlines were generally much...
  23. J

    Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, philosophical/religious facts, theories etc.

    By definition you can't brainwash kids to become atheists because atheism isn't a belief system that needs to be taught. You're simply not burdening their minds with the baggage that is religion. When they're adults, they're free to seek out religion if they want. Until then, let them focus on...
  24. J

    Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, philosophical/religious facts, theories etc.

    That's fine because it's adults studying religion, and doing so for academic reasons, not to be converted. There is definitely value in that, especially if it convinces those who think their religion is the only true one otherwise. True, and this is exactly why I'm against religious...
  25. J

    Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, philosophical/religious facts, theories etc.

    In my opinion forced religious indoctrination on youth is just another form of tyranny (and child abuse besides). Religion shouldn't be taught at all to minors, regardless of the parent's wishes. Of course, all religions do this because they're far more likely to sway children into believing...
  26. J

    Here is Practical Explanation about Next Life, Purpose of Human Life, philosophical/religious facts, theories etc.

    Way too complex. The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42.
  27. J

    Something Random

    It's possible a new old stock power supply board can get it back into working order again, assuming you can find one, and the fire didn't damage anything beyond the power supply/cord. Wasn't that a fairly high-end printer back in the day? I personally want a Game of Thrones style Viking...
  28. J

    Video Cards

    For those prices I hope they can render photorealistic games in 8K resolution at 120 fps. That said, are there even any games at this point with such content? I suspect their target audience is cryptocurrency miners more than gamers/video editors/etc.
  29. J

    Up to date Malware Removal

    I keep scratching my head over why it bothers some people who others sleep with. These people must have really empty lives, or they must be super control freaks. Back on topic, I've been using Chrome mostly for a while, and I usually have an Edge session open as well.. Sounds like both of these...
  30. J

    Power for home lab/office

    Those numbers are fine for LiFePO4. I actually made a charger which does the absorption at 3.5V and the float at 3.4V. Those numbers translate to 28V and 27.2V, respectively, for an 8 series battery. Sometimes they use 3.6 or 3.65 for the absorption phase just to get faster recharge times but...
  31. J

    Power for home lab/office

    OK, no problem, I'm happy to help. I might dig out my APC UPS just to see what the charging voltage is, and if I can adjust it.
  32. J

    Power for home lab/office

    Anything 13.8V or higher is enough to fully charge a 12V LiFePO4 battery. SLA needs at least that much or more to fully charge, so most UPSes are voltage compatible with LiFePO4. Yes, a server rack with EVE or CATL would be an awesome backup battery for a UPS. I also have 6 packs with 48 A123...
  33. J

    Power for home lab/office

    That's why I would suggest using a standard UPS that takes lead-acid batteries but build your own LiFePO4 battery. You can get A123 cells in packs used for about $1 a cell. "Used" is a misnomer because when I checked the capacity, it was the same as new cells. To replace a 7Ah, 12V SLA battery...
  34. J

    I do want to buy a used car

    Just a question-how far in terms of miles are those trips? A free car sounds great until you consider insurance costs and possible repairs. When my father died in 2006 some people asked me why I didn't want his car. Putting aside that I didn't/don't have a driver's license, I realized it was a...
  35. J

    Power for home lab/office

    https://blog.tripplite.com/the-benefits-of-lithium-iron-phosphate-vs.-lead-acid-batteries-for-ups-systems They mention LiFePO4 lasting 8 to 10 years, versus 3 to 5 for lead-acid. In truth, if you float them at 3.4V per cell (13.6V for a 12V battery), instead of the more typical 3.65V per cell...
  36. J

    Something Random

    Thanks for letting us know. I skipped the two boosters because I was waiting for an omicron specific booster. I'm not in a high-risk group anyway, being that I only go out every other week to buy groceries. And I wear an N95 mask with a surgical mask over it. I'll get the booster in a few...
  37. J

    Power for home lab/office

    Anything using A123 cells can handle the load easily. I just bought some surplus 96 cell packs (12 series, 8 parallel arrangement which gives 38.4V nomimal and 20Ah). Not for a UPS, but for solar backup once I get a solar system. Anyway, right on the pack it says SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT 2250A...
  38. J

    Power for home lab/office

    This probably explains it better than I can. Most newer UPSes synthesize sine waves electronically, using what is basically a switching power supply which varies its output the same as 120VAC house voltage. This is done for cost and weight reasons. Pure sine wave inverters should be...
  39. J

    Power for home lab/office

    For me that would cost more than the equipment on it.
  40. J

    Something Random

    Sorry to hear about your friend's death, Merc. I've already been down that rabbit hole myself. I wrote about it here but can't find the post. I came within minutes of taking my own life in my third year of college. Only the fact the train I was planning to use came through at only 60 mph...
  41. J

    Monitors in 2022

    If/when I upgrade my monitor it's going to be OLED 4K but the price still needs to drop. I never bought into the widescreen fad. Still using a pair of 20" 1600x1200 monitors. I'd love OLED in maybe 24" 4000x3000 resolution but I guess that's too much to ask for, so I'll settle for 4K, maybe...
  42. J

    Something Random

    Ah, the good old days. My first PC was a 386-33 with 4MB of RAM. I got it in late 1998 after my friend upgraded the PC at his business. Needless to say it was slow even for the time, but it was better than having no PC. Anyway, that machine had a 1.2GB HDD which was using drive overlay software...
  43. J

    Video Cards

    Thought this was relevant given the concerns here about power dissipation: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/amd-and-nvidia-leaks-show-we-are-drunk-on-power-and-the-hangover-is-going-to-be-brutal/ar-AA102Kl8?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=458add52ac8841788f35a344cda18233
  44. J

    Something Random

    I don't know about you but a lot of the cost for me is delivery. For example, on the last bill: There's the basic service charge per day. This varies slightly depending upon the length of the billing cycle, but on average it's around $18. The delivery charges are north of $0.16/kWh once you...
  45. J

    Something Random

    That's a good guideline for what I would get with solar since I'm more or less in the same area of the country as you. Figure roughly 1 MWh/year per installed kW. Since I plan to put the panels on the garage, I'm probably limited to about 6 kW. That said, there are some newer panels in the...
  46. J

    Video Cards

    Yeah, but you still have to get that heat out of the case, which implies a lot of case fans. I don't even have one case fan. The fan from the power supply provides enough air flow to remove the heat from the case without unacceptable temperature rise. APU = Accelerated Processing Unit (AMD's...
  47. J

    Something Random

    They're about $0.30/kWh for me. That includes the delivery charge, which is actually more than the supply charge. ConEd wants another rate increase, so we might be looking at $1/kWh in the not too distant future. New windows helps a lot. As renter, that's out of your control unfortunately.
  48. J

    Video Cards

    At my current electrical rates a 300W card operating even 4 hours a day would cost $11 a month. That's not counting any additional AC use to remove the extra heat. How the heck do you even cool something like that? Air cooling isn't going to work, not without the system sounding like a vacuum...
  49. J

    Something Random

    Just take it one day at a time. He sounded like a really sweet cat. I still sometimes hear mild creaking sounds coming from my bed similar to when Jeannie walked on it. It would be a great comfort if we knew with certainty that something of them is still around after their body is no longer...
  50. J

    Something Random

    Just keep him company and keep him comfortable. Probably not much else you can do. I sadly went something similar with Jeannie in late 2020 to early 2021. At first I didn't think it was anything life-threatening. In late November 2020 she had diarrhea for over a week but recovered. Then she got...
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