I’ve been borring laptops from work for decades, but never owned my own until about a year and a half ago. It has this weird plastic removabale thingy that was a complete mystery to me. Since I couldn’t figure out what it did, I sort of forgot about it.
A few months ago I was on vacation and I had my camera with me. I thought “This is great, when I go home I can look at all of my pictures and send the good ones to friends.” Too bad I didn’t have my laptop with me. Oh wait, it’s in my room! And my room has WiFi! But I forgot my USB cable. I’d have to wait.
After a couple of great days of picture taking, I was walking by a camera store, and thought that maybe they sold USB cables. I thought that all they sold was high-quality cameras that only used film. But it was worth a shot.
When I asked the store owner, he balked a bit. A USB cable to plug my camera into my laptop? What was I, in the 19th century? He talked me into buying a very cool device into which I could insert my camera’s SD card, then connect a cable into the device, then connect the other end into a USB port. Very cool, and it was only 14 bucks! I was sharing pictures in no time!
Tonight I was on my laptop and got a little curious about that removable bit of plastic in my laptop. It’s about the size of my SD card.
I have a slightly used piece of plastic that will fit into that slot. I’ll sell it to you for $30. It comes with free lesson on how to transfer your pictures!
It dawned on me about three winters ago, while waiting for the interior of my car to warm the hell up already! that if I push the recirculate button, the heater could heat the air from inside the car rather than the outside, which would result in warm air a heck of a lot faster.
Doi!
I’d only ever used it to block smelly air from outside, but it makes quite a difference with both the heat and the A/C.
About two years ago a buddy of mine dropped a nice chunk of change on his first motorcycle and promptly became a Harley Guy. He put about 5-6000 miles on that thing in the first year. At some point during the second year he had it he was up at a Harley store getting something and was looking at the bikes. He noticed someone looking at one of the bikes and went over to tell them he has the same one and how much he loves it. the guy commented that he also had that bike and he loved the fact that it came with a CD player.
My friend, in all the miles he put on that bike and all the mods he did to it, had no idea the radio face plate flipped down to reveal a CD player.
I thought the button that says ‘soft’ on my washing machine was meant for loads which include softener. Instead of, you know, a gentle wash. In my defense, my machine is in a foreign language.
True, but in really cold weather it slows down the defrost function, since you’re recirculating all the moisture in your breath. so the car might be warmer, but you get a frost/mist buildup on the windows.
I was under the impression that running the defrost actually kicks the A/C compressor on to dry the air. This link seems to agree, but apparently not for every vehicle.
My contribution was the realization that there was a difference between micro-USB and mini-USB - this was a year or two ago and I hadn’t yet bought a device requiring micro-USB. I needed to charge my backup phone (RIP iPhone #2), and asked a buddy for a micro-USB cable, and was curious why it didn’t fit.
Actually on many if not most modern cars recirculation is blocked in defrost to allow the windows to clear faster. As far as engaging AC goes yes the computer may / will command the compressor on, BUT (and this is a big but) if the temp in the system is too cold the system will not engage.
So if you start the car at -10 and hit defrost you probably won’t get recirculation or AC compressor engagement. Later when the system has warmed up the compressor will engage.
Edit: just read the link while true it is a poor explanation of how AC works
A Prius has a nifty feature whereby you can push a button on the outside of the door handle and it locks. Don’t have to use the key/key fob so long as you have it on you right near the car.
We got our Prius 2 months ago and had the pleasure of pointing this feature out to friends who both inspired us to get a Prius and who’ve had their own for 3 years now.
Running the AC to dry the incoming air makes sense if the incoming air is warm and humid. However, air at sub-freezing temps contains only minute amounts of moisture, and heating it to indoor temps makes it really, really dry. That some car manufacturers have hotwired the AC and the defrost (demist) function only shows that they wanted to make the defrost function really effective as a demister at moderate temperatures or when you’re running on recycle, like in tunnels and such.
The control strategy of the AC/defrost/demist system in modern cars just shows that most car manunfacturers are more familiar with above-freeing temps than sub-freezing temps. I never set my AC to “Auto” during the cold months.
I’m a very technical guy, my job involves understanding complex computer systems and networks. Previously, I’ve worked in tech support and IT hardware repair workshops.
I was baffled by my first ipod, I got it home and tried to press on the sides of the circle on the front to navigate. This didn’t work so I took it back to the shop, who them agreed it was.a fault and gave me another. (it wasn’t an Apple store)
Got that one home and realised that you run your finger around the circle to navigate … oops.
My d’oh moment happens about twice a year: I’ll turn on the home theater system, and there will be no sound at all coming out of the speakers. I’ll check it out seven ways to Sunday, all the way from pulling the entertainment cabinet from the wall to check the speaker connections to pulling wire from inside the wall to make sure there aren’t any loose splices. Usually this process is accompanied by much profanity and huffing and puffing.
The I’ll take a close look at the receiver display, and I’ll notice that the A/B button, which changes from the 5.1 speakers to the (nonexistent) aux speakers, is set to B. I’ll sheepishly switch it back to A, and usually, my wife will laugh and call me a dumbass.
I love my iPhone. When our company handed out Androids, I had a slight advantage over the (okay, probably 3 or 4) people who had never used a smartphone in that I knew how to slide my fingers around to do stuff on the multi-touch screen. Tap tap, swish swish, look at me rock my new phone!
Weeks later, I got my first urgent phone call. I tapped to answer. Phone kept ringing.
I tap-tap-tapped away, more urgently now, yelling “moshi-moshi” into my still-ringing phone.
Guy kept calling. I knew it was urgent, and was now pounding my goddam phone, moshi-moshis now interspersed with what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-this-mother-effing-goddam-phone? screams. Fortunately the guy gave up on the phone and sent me a text message.
It wasn’t until I actually saw someone do the swish! that I realized that that was how to answer the goddam phone. Buh.
Didn’t read post 13 I see.
If it is 10 below no matter how the AC is wired it won’t come on, it is too cold. Later when the car is full warn the compressor will come on to dry out the melted snow off of your boots.
So riddle me this. Why does Volvo a car company headquarted in Sweden, and whose winter test track is North of the artic circle wire their cars so AC is commanded on with defrost? Could it be because this is the best way? Or are just dreaming of warm, humid climates?