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time

Storage? I am Storage!
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Jan 18, 2002
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Brisbane, Oz
Being online is normal for hardcore Scrabble players, based on the sample of one that I know. If you're stuck, I could ask her if there's any offline alternatives she would consider.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
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Jan 22, 2002
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Best Buy seems to have my number this "Black Friday" week with all their various promotions. From the $3.99 & $6.99 CDs to the BOGO Blu-rays and free shipping regardless of the order size or amount. I can't remember the last time I bought this many things from them.

On the other hand, Amazon.com is just playing the part of the imitator copying the deals of others and not really running any unique sales of their own. They're really going all in trying to push Prime, which I'm just not interested in. Some of the "deals" are exclusively for prime members. In some cases they didn't even lower the price on the item. They kept the item at the same price it was a few days ago (when anyone could get it for that price) and made it exclusive to prime members. :tdown:

I wouldn't be surprised if I end the "Black Friday" week through "Cyber Monday" period without a single Amazon.com purchase, which hasn't probably happened in more than a decade.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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I have the Prime, but never am interested in the online stuff due to my internet speed.
I did order some HDDs from the egg.
 

LunarMist

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What are you all using for conductive gloves? The newfangled cars have some touching areas, etc. and the old pigskin is not going to work.
 

LunarMist

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I thought you lived in a warmer area? I don't own any gloves.

Not anymore, at least for ~2 years if my health remains stable.
I use gloves in CA and AZ/UT, etc. as well, especially at high altitudes.
They are also necessary in the southern hemisphere for the penguins up close.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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I can understand with the penguins, but you won't be driving your car there...

No, of course not. Maybe everyone is more immune the cold, but I wear fingerless gloves down to about freezing then need a closed glove below that.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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When I installed my home HVAC, I did so planning to upgrade to a zoned system at some point. The price would have been about $6k.

Ecovent. Thoughts?

I thought you had a smallish, well-insulated home. If it's a just a project for fun perhaps, but is there any ROI? What are your electric and heating bills now?
 

Howell

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
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Chattanooga, TN
When I installed my home HVAC, I did so planning to upgrade to a zoned system at some point. The price would have been about $6k.

Ecovent. Thoughts?

I've looked at ecovent in the past too. HVAC systems are not designed to run with all vents closed so their needs to be a mechanism to turn off the fan when approaching the danger zone. Since we moved we've taken a few steps back in air sealing the envelope so I need to take that before revisiting HVAC.
What are you using for HA?
 

DrunkenBastard

Storage is cool
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Jan 21, 2002
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on the floor
What are you all using for conductive gloves? The newfangled cars have some touching areas, etc. and the old pigskin is not going to work.

My latest set of gloves are the Gyde by Gerbing Vanguard 12v heated gloves, they are conductive on the index finger. Good to about 40F on the bike at 65MPH without plugging in. 150 grams of Primaloft.

Also have the Hestra 3 finger Army gloves, with their warmest Primaloft Extreme liners - would not recommend due to lack of waterproof liner unless you are workin in temps below freezing and just have snow to deal with.

Warmest I have is a pair of Outdoor Research Alti Mitts, these are massively bulky when worn with outer shell (hard to drive a car without hitting the turn/wiper stalks) but are reasonably dextrous when the shells are off and the liner gloves are used standalone.
 

DrunkenBastard

Storage is cool
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on the floor
I tend to prefer stuff that's more manual, but in case of a powered mower, I would only buy one that stops the blade once you let the handle go. That way, if I ever fall for whatever reason, I won't find myself missing a foot.

That being said, unless you have a large field, a mecanical mower is my favorite option (more maintenance, but a lot greener).

The Hondas have blade brake control (take your hand off the safety bar and the blade stops) while the engine keeps running.
 

LunarMist

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The Hondas have blade brake control (take your hand off the safety bar and the blade stops) while the engine keeps running.

I don't know about north of the border, but in the US "Walk behind rotary lawn mowers are subject to both voluntary are mandatory rules. The mandatory standard, which requires an operator presence control to stop the blade within 3 seconds, went into effect July 1, 1982." Read more here.
 

ddrueding

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Horsens, Denmark
I thought you had a smallish, well-insulated home. If it's a just a project for fun perhaps, but is there any ROI? What are your electric and heating bills now?

I've looked at ecovent in the past too. HVAC systems are not designed to run with all vents closed so their needs to be a mechanism to turn off the fan when approaching the danger zone. Since we moved we've taken a few steps back in air sealing the envelope so I need to take that before revisiting HVAC.
What are you using for HA?

My house is smallish and well insulated. However my wife and mother-in-law both have rather extreme preferences. My wife wants 73-75F at all times. Even a well insulated house can get costly managing that large a dT. Turning down the temp in the main room (which has a wall of french doors) would probably save a bit. More interesting is when my mother-in-law is here; she wants her room at <62F at night and will leave the window completely open to get it. Pumping hot air into a room with the window open annoys me.

The ROI is still questionable, but the geek in me wants to see it in action.

We have a very efficient heat pump (19.5 SEER / 9.2 HSPF), but I compromised the efficiency a bit in exchange for faster response by oversizing the unit.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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My house is smallish and well insulated. However my wife and mother-in-law both have rather extreme preferences. My wife wants 73-75F at all times. Even a well insulated house can get costly managing that large a dT. Turning down the temp in the main room (which has a wall of french doors) would probably save a bit. More interesting is when my mother-in-law is here; she wants her room at <62F at night and will leave the window completely open to get it. Pumping hot air into a room with the window open annoys me.

The ROI is still questionable, but the geek in me wants to see it in action.

We have a very efficient heat pump (19.5 SEER / 9.2 HSPF), but I compromised the efficiency a bit in exchange for faster response by oversizing the unit.

The problem is the mother in law, not the engineering of the HVAC. Close her vent halfway or a little more and leave it at that.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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What is up with the Amazons? I bought n=12 of a simple item, but they shipped in three groups of 4 boxes over a 12-day period with no additional notification. It's ridiculous. At least there are no additional charges per the Amazonian Primes.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
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I am omnipresent
Amazon fulfilled from multiple sites because no single location had the quantity you need.

I just got a delivery to my parents' home. It's almost 10PM here. The delivery was made by a US Postal Service employee. I don't know what Amazon is doing but I do believe they are serious about getting us our stuff.
 

ddrueding

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They've already ramped up their fulfillment staff (hired 500k additional temp workers), but buying has been below projections. This leads them to ship very quickly if a bit inefficiently.
 

Stereodude

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Jan 22, 2002
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They've already ramped up their fulfillment staff (hired 500k additional temp workers), but buying has been below projections.
That's because they go complacent and lazy with their Primecentric bargain focus. All they did was copy deals from Best Buy, Target, Walmart, etc instead of having their own unique deals. Those three retailers will ship for free regardless of order size without requiring a $99 a year membership and the deals were available for a lot longer than the copied Lightning Deals that vanished in seconds even if you had prime. Amazon also charges sales tax in MI now, so there was absolutely no reason to shop them for "Black Friday" deals with their current methodoly. Instead I spent my money both online and in store at Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. I also bought from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr. They both had good unique deals.

A day or two before Thanksgiving some of the things on Amazon became restricted only to Prime members when a few days earlier the same items were at the same price and open to everyone. :rolleyes:

I bought one DVD from Amazon for $7.99 since they were cheaper than anywhere else. I used a case of motor oil for the inevitable oil changes on S4 as the filler to get the order over $35 so I could get free shipping.
 

LunarMist

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They've already ramped up their fulfillment staff (hired 500k additional temp workers), but buying has been below projections. This leads them to ship very quickly if a bit inefficiently.

It definitely seems inefficient. What I've seen lately is that for one-day shipping the delivery time is scheduled for prior to 9PM. So then by 9:30 or 10:00 there is still no package and yet the online notification indicates that it was delivered at around 8:45. In the morning the package is by the front door so it must have been delivered after 10PM with no knocking/ringing at the door. That sucks.
 

jtr1962

Storage? I am Storage!
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Jan 25, 2002
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Flushing, New York
More interesting is when my mother-in-law is here; she wants her room at <62F at night and will leave the window completely open to get it. Pumping hot air into a room with the window open annoys me.
I've always had a bit of trouble understanding people who like to sleep in a cold room. I like cold weather when I'm awake, especially when I'm active. When I sleep however, I like the immediate area around me to be warm. I've been known to keep windows open for fresh air, but at the same time I'll be curled up with a space heater 2 feet from me.

I'm surprised it actually gets cold enough by you to need heat. Our house seems to hold a nice temperature on its own until you get down at least into the high 40s.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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That's because they go complacent and lazy with their Primecentric bargain focus.

I bought three $19 128GB flash drives, a new FireTV, a Fire Stick and a pair of $104 5TB hard drives. The only deal on that list that was for Prime Members only was the Fire Stick and frankly if you're buying one of those, you're probably already in the bag for a Prime membership. I'm incredibly glad I didn't actually HAVE to go to a retail outlet to get a good deal and all my stuff has already been delivered, so it's not like I'm out anything.
 

Clocker

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Prices on graphic cards are total shit this weekend, especially at Amazon. Prices have gone up, significantly in the past week or so it seems. Supply/demand I guess.
 

Stereodude

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Prices on graphic cards are total shit this weekend, especially at Amazon. Prices have gone up, significantly in the past week or so it seems. Supply/demand I guess.
What are you looking for?

I picked up an ASUS Radeon R9 380 2GB from Newegg on the 24th for $169.99 before a $30 rebate. I added a few SD cards that were at Black Friday price levels to pad out the order to $200 so I could use the Newegg/AmEx promotion for $25 off a $200 purchase. UPS is supposed to deliver it tomorrow.
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
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Jan 21, 2002
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Québec, Québec
At the moment there is several feet of snow on the ground there.
I didn't believe you, but according to this website, you might have received up to 34" of white shit so far this month. Of course, some of it must have melted, but it's plausible that more than 12" remains.

I'm surprised.

BTW, we haven't received a single centimeter, much less an inch, of snow here this year. The temperature is certainly colder than it is in California (it is -8°C outside currently: 17.6°F), but no water in solid form on the ground.
 

Pradeep

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Runny glass
I didn't believe you, but according to this website, you might have received up to 34" of white shit so far this month. Of course, some of it must have melted, but it's plausible that more than 12" remains.

I'm surprised.

BTW, we haven't received a single centimeter, much less an inch, of snow here this year. The temperature is certainly colder than it is in California (it is -8°C outside currently: 17.6°F), but no water in solid form on the ground.

Coug, I think when he says "there" he means Mother Russia. As opposed to "here", in California.
 

Stereodude

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So, I had no idea it was so hard to download drivers from AMD. I have a Radeon R9 380. I'm running Windows 7 32-bit. For the life of me I can't find a working link for the drivers. Not a positive sign.

WGhGy3V.png


First of all I can't pick Windows 7 - 32 bit on the left hand side. Further, clicking the display results button does nothing but reset the fields. On the right hand side clicking the 32-bit link next to Windows 7 takes you to a page that has no download link. :cursin:

I guess I'm going to use the drivers on the included CD for probably the first time ever.
 
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Handruin

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Jan 13, 2002
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It's not just you, it doesn't work for me either with plugins disabled, etc. It doesn't appear that they have a Win 7 32-bit driver version from limited Google searching.
 
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