This lunchtime was mostly good. No extra charge for a tomato on my BLT. I feel much better about that.
I did have an odd experience though. Two weeks ago, I was surprised when my lunch there was served on a platter instead of a tray as usual. Today, I was surprised when there was neither a platter or nor a tray. I just received a wrapped sandwich and a bag of onion rings. Just trying to keep me on my toes, I guess.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Lunchtime
This was not a good lunchtime - not counting the guy who tried to drive into the side of my car, the two people who turned in front of me, or the lady who held her door open blocking the parking space I was trying to use.
First, my bank's ATM machine could not dispense cash. Then, I noticed my brand new ATM card is cracked. Adding to these, the restaurant charged me extra for tomato. I know there are restaurants that charge extra for tomato, but this was on a BLT. That is false advertising. You cannot say a BLT costs $4.50 and charge extra for the tomato. I don't know of any place that says they sell a BL.
I am going to give the restaurant one more chance. They have a special on the BLT on Fridays. If they charge me for the tomato again, my current resolve is to stop eating there.
First, my bank's ATM machine could not dispense cash. Then, I noticed my brand new ATM card is cracked. Adding to these, the restaurant charged me extra for tomato. I know there are restaurants that charge extra for tomato, but this was on a BLT. That is false advertising. You cannot say a BLT costs $4.50 and charge extra for the tomato. I don't know of any place that says they sell a BL.
I am going to give the restaurant one more chance. They have a special on the BLT on Fridays. If they charge me for the tomato again, my current resolve is to stop eating there.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
How Scientific are Scientific Studies
This week I saw media reports on two scientific studies, which warned of additional health risks. My first thought was "Don't we have enough to worry about?" As I had more time to reflect, I began to wonder just how good these studies were. In other words, how scientific were these scientific studies.
The first study warns that too much chlorine in swimming pools can lead to increased risk of asthma in children who have spent as little as a hundred hours in the pool. To be a true scientific study, it would have to 1) span several years, 2) include controls, and 3) allow for other possible explanations. As usual, the media presentation did not allow me to judge whether or not the study followed any of these criteria.
The second study warns that shower heads can pose a health risk. This is due to a marked increased presence of a bacterium in shower heads over what is found in the water supply. This bacterium can cause respiratory problems. The author speculated that the observed increase in respiratory problems in recent years may be linked to the increase in the use of showers over baths. My problem with this study is no evidence was presented to show the bacterium moved from the shower head to the individual who is showering.
Later, I leapfrogged to a new theory. Maybe, the asthma in children is not caused by the chlorine in the swimming pools. Maybe, the asthma is caused by the shower heads that have the bacterium. Most people who enter or leave a swimming pool shower rather than take a bath.
I hope these studies were conducted with proper controls and that their conclusions are based on properly observed data.
The first study warns that too much chlorine in swimming pools can lead to increased risk of asthma in children who have spent as little as a hundred hours in the pool. To be a true scientific study, it would have to 1) span several years, 2) include controls, and 3) allow for other possible explanations. As usual, the media presentation did not allow me to judge whether or not the study followed any of these criteria.
The second study warns that shower heads can pose a health risk. This is due to a marked increased presence of a bacterium in shower heads over what is found in the water supply. This bacterium can cause respiratory problems. The author speculated that the observed increase in respiratory problems in recent years may be linked to the increase in the use of showers over baths. My problem with this study is no evidence was presented to show the bacterium moved from the shower head to the individual who is showering.
Later, I leapfrogged to a new theory. Maybe, the asthma in children is not caused by the chlorine in the swimming pools. Maybe, the asthma is caused by the shower heads that have the bacterium. Most people who enter or leave a swimming pool shower rather than take a bath.
I hope these studies were conducted with proper controls and that their conclusions are based on properly observed data.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Financial Crisis
It is odd how many people are totally ignorant of the import of the current situation. They think, "Good, it's about time the banks had trouble. Now, they will know how we feel." Yes, they will, but it is very likely, you will feel worse. Failing banks lead to reduced money flow which leads to layoffs. You will also have real problems with any 401Ks and similar programs.
Another oddity shows up in the Wachovia crisis. Wachovia is being bought by Citigroup. Citigroup is also in trouble. They haven't made a profit for 3 quarters. They will be selling $10 billion in new stock. Who will buy it? If no one does, will they be in deeper trouble?
All of these bank problems stem from the failure to follow the normal bank rules for home mortgages. They gave money to people who could not afford the loans. They lent more money to cover the down payments. They became creative. When banks become creative, we all lose.
Yesterday's bail-out vote reminds me of the famous Treaty of Little Big Horn.
That outstanding negotiator George Custer stated, "We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for the Sioux."
After the negotiations so dramatically ended, one of his helpful lieutenants was heard to remark, "Who knew they would be so thin skinned?"
Another oddity shows up in the Wachovia crisis. Wachovia is being bought by Citigroup. Citigroup is also in trouble. They haven't made a profit for 3 quarters. They will be selling $10 billion in new stock. Who will buy it? If no one does, will they be in deeper trouble?
All of these bank problems stem from the failure to follow the normal bank rules for home mortgages. They gave money to people who could not afford the loans. They lent more money to cover the down payments. They became creative. When banks become creative, we all lose.
Yesterday's bail-out vote reminds me of the famous Treaty of Little Big Horn.
That outstanding negotiator George Custer stated, "We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for the Sioux."
After the negotiations so dramatically ended, one of his helpful lieutenants was heard to remark, "Who knew they would be so thin skinned?"
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sick Computer
Vacation is Over
I came back from vacation and my home computer did not work correctly. Most of my Vista sidebar gadgets did not display properly. I could not see my router's web interface correctly. McAfee's interface was blank.
I used System Restore to revert to an earlier time. Everything worked - for a short while. I tried again going back to an earlier date. Everything worked - for a short time. I tried again, but all my System Restores had disappeared.
Finally, a web search found that sometimes some DLL's become "unregistered". I built a bat file with the following:
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 scrrun.dll
regsvr32 jscript.dll
I executed this as administrator. Everything worked - and is still working.
If you have problems with your PC, try searching the web, if possible, before you do anything.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Television Repair Depression
I'm back. I am depressed over my TV. I thought writing a new post might help. Later, I will get into the details concerning my television problems. Now, I am going to jump directly to my recommendations.
Before you buy a television, check the manufacturers repair reputation. Also, what will you have to do to get it repaired. Purchase the extra warranty. Most TV repairs will start out too high and only get higher.
Once you get your TV home, be sure to save your warranty information and your dated receipt. The ideal place to put this would be in a fire proof box. Keep the box in a cool spot. This is because today's receipts will often fade when exposed to heat over time.
Another possible location for the warranty information and receipt is in a small plastic bag attached to your TV. I would attach it low in the rear of the set since heat rises and you don't really want to display a plastic bag filled with paper.
The last resort for the warranty information would be in the infamous kitchen drawer. I have two filled with mostly useless paper. I didn't say I follow my advice. I just think it is good advice.
OK, what did bring me to this point of depression and talking about warranties. You probably guessed part of it. My TV is dying. I searched the Internet and believe I have found how to fix it, but that has not solved my problems.
1) I have no idea where my receipt would be. 2) I have no idea whether or not the TV is still under warranty. 3) I cannot figure how to disassemble the TV.
I bought the parts to fix the set. I need to replace four capacitors. I chickened out. How do I get to the main circuit board? If I can remove the main circuit board, will my soldering iron be hot enough to allow me to unsolder the capacitors?
With all that fear, I called a repairman.
"I have a TV that needs repair. I think I know what needs to be fixed. Usually, there are four capacitors that need to be replaced. Do you do that sort of work?"
"So you found something on the Internet and want me to do what you found. Or do you want me to fix it?"
"Well, I want it fixed, but if the problem can be fixed by replacing the capacitors, do you do that sort of work? I have dealt with some repair places who would not repair parts. They would only replace major assembles."
"Where was that? Not in Lynchburg!"
On and on this conversion continued. I will pretty much called a liar. He insisted that they would repair a part if they thought that was the right thing to do. When I bring in the TV, I will leave an $80 deposit. This will be deducted from my bill if it is over $80.
I am certain the bill will be over $80. I am also certain I will be told the main board needs to be replaced. If there are any other boards other than the main board, at least one of those will need to be replaced.
I do not know what I will do. If I had a place to work on the TV, I would take it apart even without instructions. I am 90% sure those four capacitors will fix my problem. Of course a new main board would fix it too.
Right now, I am leaning toward a new TV (a newer TV) with an extended warranty. I will carry the broken one to a place where I can disassemble it and try my disgusting Internet fix. Then again, ...
Before you buy a television, check the manufacturers repair reputation. Also, what will you have to do to get it repaired. Purchase the extra warranty. Most TV repairs will start out too high and only get higher.
Once you get your TV home, be sure to save your warranty information and your dated receipt. The ideal place to put this would be in a fire proof box. Keep the box in a cool spot. This is because today's receipts will often fade when exposed to heat over time.
Another possible location for the warranty information and receipt is in a small plastic bag attached to your TV. I would attach it low in the rear of the set since heat rises and you don't really want to display a plastic bag filled with paper.
The last resort for the warranty information would be in the infamous kitchen drawer. I have two filled with mostly useless paper. I didn't say I follow my advice. I just think it is good advice.
OK, what did bring me to this point of depression and talking about warranties. You probably guessed part of it. My TV is dying. I searched the Internet and believe I have found how to fix it, but that has not solved my problems.
1) I have no idea where my receipt would be. 2) I have no idea whether or not the TV is still under warranty. 3) I cannot figure how to disassemble the TV.
I bought the parts to fix the set. I need to replace four capacitors. I chickened out. How do I get to the main circuit board? If I can remove the main circuit board, will my soldering iron be hot enough to allow me to unsolder the capacitors?
With all that fear, I called a repairman.
"I have a TV that needs repair. I think I know what needs to be fixed. Usually, there are four capacitors that need to be replaced. Do you do that sort of work?"
"So you found something on the Internet and want me to do what you found. Or do you want me to fix it?"
"Well, I want it fixed, but if the problem can be fixed by replacing the capacitors, do you do that sort of work? I have dealt with some repair places who would not repair parts. They would only replace major assembles."
"Where was that? Not in Lynchburg!"
On and on this conversion continued. I will pretty much called a liar. He insisted that they would repair a part if they thought that was the right thing to do. When I bring in the TV, I will leave an $80 deposit. This will be deducted from my bill if it is over $80.
I am certain the bill will be over $80. I am also certain I will be told the main board needs to be replaced. If there are any other boards other than the main board, at least one of those will need to be replaced.
I do not know what I will do. If I had a place to work on the TV, I would take it apart even without instructions. I am 90% sure those four capacitors will fix my problem. Of course a new main board would fix it too.
Right now, I am leaning toward a new TV (a newer TV) with an extended warranty. I will carry the broken one to a place where I can disassemble it and try my disgusting Internet fix. Then again, ...
Monday, January 14, 2008
Privacy - Often Misunderstood
We hear a lot about privacy. Mainly, we hear about how to protect your privacy on the web. Many of the steps people take to insure their privacy on the web would be at least frowned upon in the physical world.
Imagine a world where everyone wore a mask. Several people would stop on a street corner to yell obscenities at someone who just commented on the radical design of a new car. Seems pretty unlikely doesn't it.
Go to a Windows forum or a Linux forum or just about any OS forum. Someone who would not use that OS on a dare will be there telling some poor sap he is an idiot. Usually, everyone is wearing a mask.
Of course, someone will now say, "I want to remain anonymous to keep my identity from being stolen." This is not a good reason. Yes, identities are stolen. The problem is they are not stolen because you let someone know your real name is John Doe. Identities are stolen because you bought something or gave someone a tax payer ID or driver's license number or other important number so you could go somewhere you wanted to go.
I doesn't matter to whom you gave this information. It doesn't matter where you were when you did it. It may happen online. It may happen at a store. It may happen at your credit card company. Truly, it happens way too often at your credit card company or at some other trusted agency. Someone breaks in or someone at the agency throws out old records without shredding them.
What can you do? Check your credit report. It will show you when someone has tried to get money from your identify. It will not show you that someone has been using your identity to harm others or to harm your good name. Only a solid identity system could prevent that, but then everyone would know who you are. You don't want that do you?
Imagine a world where everyone wore a mask. Several people would stop on a street corner to yell obscenities at someone who just commented on the radical design of a new car. Seems pretty unlikely doesn't it.
Go to a Windows forum or a Linux forum or just about any OS forum. Someone who would not use that OS on a dare will be there telling some poor sap he is an idiot. Usually, everyone is wearing a mask.
Of course, someone will now say, "I want to remain anonymous to keep my identity from being stolen." This is not a good reason. Yes, identities are stolen. The problem is they are not stolen because you let someone know your real name is John Doe. Identities are stolen because you bought something or gave someone a tax payer ID or driver's license number or other important number so you could go somewhere you wanted to go.
I doesn't matter to whom you gave this information. It doesn't matter where you were when you did it. It may happen online. It may happen at a store. It may happen at your credit card company. Truly, it happens way too often at your credit card company or at some other trusted agency. Someone breaks in or someone at the agency throws out old records without shredding them.
What can you do? Check your credit report. It will show you when someone has tried to get money from your identify. It will not show you that someone has been using your identity to harm others or to harm your good name. Only a solid identity system could prevent that, but then everyone would know who you are. You don't want that do you?
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