Tag Archives: tech

Maybe, He Would Have Been a Good Man to Know

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I have no earthly idea what brought the subject up, but during a conversation, I mentioned that the guy that invented the pull tab made millions off of it. Suddenly, I was the center of attention. Everyone else had forgotten the throw away tab.

So now I have another thought that makes me feel old. I can’t believe that it was that long ago that the throwaway tabs have gone the way of the dinosaur. I guess you ask 10 people if they remember them and seven of them will look at you like your nuts. (at least 6)

Just for grins, I looked up the thing on the internet. Yeah, I found some writeups on them, though they seem to conflict somewhat so I hesitate to quote anything. From my own personal experience, it seems the stay-in-place tab came out in the early 80s. Seems to me, I was returning cans without tabs at least a couple of years into the 80s.

However, this much, I did find out, the man that invented the throwaway tab died with 40 million in the bank, so to speak. It is a shame. I never got to know the man. I would have liked to. I am sure he wouldn’t have objected to me borrowing a million or two. And, of course, if I forgot to pay him back, he’d not have missed it.

As an aside, while I was reading, my memory was jarred. I mean, do you remember the days you needed a can opener to open cans. That’s right. Don’t much care for it but they used to call them church keys. Regardless, I haven’t seen one in years. It would seem they have gone the way of the buggy whip.

And, here’s something else. The drink cans were made from steel. As I read it, I remember it now. However, up until then, it had completely left my memory. Can you remember drinking beverages from steel cans? Just figured I’d remind you. No reason for me to the only one to feel old.

Finally, don’t know how much truth is in it, but the story goes that the idea of a stay-in-place tab idea came from a doctor who swallowed one of the throw away tabs at a baseball game.

I had always thought the reason for inventing the stay-in-place tabs was the ecology. Apparently, many kids had swallowed the tabs and they decided to fix that problem.

I’m Not Going to Try to Figure It Out

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I guess about a year now, I noticed that I got most of the local channels except five, (NBC) on the antenna. A few days ago, I lost all channels, every one. After trying many other things, I tried doing a TV reset. (It makes the TV as if new.) As an aside, I had already tried to do a channel search and all that happened was the TV just looked at me as if I am dumb. Maybe I am for looking at the thing anyway.

At any rate, just for grins, I decided to do another channel search after I reset the TV. This time the search actually started, which was my first good sign. I mean I had already tried the usual stuff. You know, turn it off and on, unplug it, wait ten minutes and plug it in again and of course stand on my head, stand on one leg and rub my belly and the top of my head at the same time.

Thankfully, to my surprise, the reset seemed to work. Don’t ask me why. Before I retired, I used to work on electronics. Mind you, I worked on it. The more I worked on it the less I understood about it.

Wait. I’m not done. As I was going through the channels, I realized I had channel 5. If I had never reset the TV, I’d have never figured that out. The TV does not allow me to add channels. The only way I can do that, I have to do a full channel search. (I’m still trying to figure out why the engineers did it that way. It does create problems that I won’t confuse you with right now.)

At any rate, I picked up the NBC affiliate, channel 5, WMC-TV as well as seven more sub channels, including a news channel. Mostly, I don’t much care about anything but the news.

So, just for grins, I decided to watch the Chiefs football game. I ask you, can any one football team win more close calls? I mean, the kicker almost missed a chip shot. At first glance, I thought he did.

I am sure to the one team, it will be a night of celebration. On the other hand, I mean the other team was ahead and they almost won.

And to think, if the TV hadn’t messed up and made me rescan the channels, I’d have missed a pretty good game. And by the way, I do have the news channel now too.

Then, today, on the news, I heard a notification that WMC-TV did some work on their transmitter, making the signal stronger and added 7 substations. The suggested that we, all of us antenna users, rescan the channels. I don’t think any of the other stations would have made the suggestion. So I would not have heard the prompt to rescan the station.

So, I guess, when my TV went out on me the other day, maybe that was a good thing, though it did cause me a lot of confusion and anger. Who knows, if they keep adding channels to the antenna TV stations, I might have a better selection than when I had cable. The hitch is, I won’t know until I rescan the channels.

Odd as it is, strange as it seems, I think the picture clarity is better on the antenna than on the cable. If it is, I don’t think the cable companies will be nice enough to tell us.

The Problem With Pseudo-Buttons

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My cell phone rings. I pick it up before it rings the second time. It’s easy. I carry it in my shirt pocket. However, I slip up and touch some part of the face of it. SUDDENLY, the pseudo-button I need to use to answer the phone is gone. For some reason, I am looking at some internet screen advertising something I have less than any interest in, and I start searching frantically for those elusive buttons.

I find it and I start to press it as I hear the last ring and the button disappears. It brings to mind another one of my pet complaints, the CEO affect. That’s the one I wrote about a long time ago. You remember it. It is when the CEO of the company never uses his product so he never knows the problems with the things he makes.

I can’t swear to it, but I’d guess the CEO of the company that makes my not so smart phone, does not use the phone he sells. Now I ask you, does that make sense?

I ask you, what is the problem with making the phone so as I can answer it any time it is ringing. Am I asking too much?

As an aside, I really don’t use my phone to surf the web. I have a computer and a pad for that. I have large hands and fingers. I do find it difficult to push those small buttons. Moreover, I am old. I have to wear glasses to read the screen. Some of the stuff on the screen is too small to see even with my magnifiers.

Hint for CEOs: Lock the screen on the phone while it is ringing, please. I don’t need to see some shoe ad while I am answering the phone. Actually, I don’t need to see shoe ads on my phone at all.

One more little thing on my wish list. Can we actually disable the screen while I am not using my phone. The batteries would last longer, you know.

New Things

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I sent off for another Amazon Fire. It’s my 5th and it will replace my T-Mobile tablet. I’ve got to admit, the tablet has been good. It has done most of what I wanted. However, I have drop-checked one too many times and the face keeps coming off of it. It is a bit frustrating having to keep putting it back.

However, not only was it only 7 inches, I am divorcing myself from T-Mobile. The tablet costs me $50 a month and I don’t need that. The Fire will do all that the tablet did but a lot cheaper without the phone line. Also, I will have to be close to a network to send or receive anything with the Fire.

The fire is 10 inches and the battery will last longer. There is one thing that I must fuss at. Moving files back and forth between my computer is not so easy, as it was with my new phone. Don’t know why they make that kind of improvement, but I am managing. Most important, after initial setup, I won’t be transferring much between my fire and computer. Most all will be going directly through the network.

Something did happen that did confuse me some. Maybe I need to converse with someone that understands how these new things work. I played a song on my Fire and it came out the speakers on my computer. I’m not sure I can change that. I hope I will be able to play things on the Fire without the the computer. The small hitch is that I haven’t a clue about how good the sound system is on the Fire.

I have a Rukku TV, almost new. I’m not totally sure, but I am beginning to think I can cast the image and sound from the Fire onto the TV. I don’t have a clue why I’d want to do that, but I guess, if I can, I might keep that in mind.

Something tells me, this new Fire will be full of all kinds of surprises.

As an aside, does anyone know anything about Hugh’s internet. T-Mobile is getting too expensive. Already I have decided to terminate my phone service with them. I also have internet with with them. I just might be stuck with them for a while anyway. It’s either that or do my internet work at the library, which I may do if T-Mobile keeps causing me grief.

By the way, does anyone know why it is that they won’t let us just copy stuff to and from the phones as they used to. It really worked good until I got this computer.

I’ve Had a Few

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This won’t be new to some, perhaps most of you. I have already written about them, though not at once. I started in a fast food restaurant for about 2 years. I spent 9 years in the Marines where I learned a lot, including that I am a poor leader.

For a short time after my discharge we had problems for a while. It proved you can learn from just about any job. during my time as a security guard I learned a lot about people that I carry with me to this day.

I went from there to repairing computers. I repaired the little ones and the big ones. I repaired big monster printers and huge disk drives that weighed 900 pounds. Years ago, I told a humorous true story of something that happened to me while working on a thousand pound tape machine. Won’t repeat it here. it would take too long. Maybe one day I should go back and make a list so those who want can go back and read them. On the other hand, maybe I can just put them all in a book. Open to suggestions.

One day computers, printers, disks and tape drives stopped breaking. In fact, I don’t even know if anyone even makes tape machines anymore. No need for them.

That put me in the unemployment line again. Well, I taught for 3 years while in the Marines, so I figured I might try to go back to teaching. I had hoped to get into teaching the basics at the Navy base at Millington, but they put me to work teaching radar instead, for three years.

I thought I had a secure position until peace broke out. They started tearing down the Berlin Wall and about half of us instructors were sent job hunting again. It’s sort of one of those things where really good new was not so good for some of us. Sometimes it happens that way. If you haven’t already seen it you will.

I found a bank that used the a computer I used to repair and went to work there. Wow. Did I learn a lot about banking by running that computer. You know, it’s the sort stuff you thought you knew but didn’t

Regardless, it was hard work and I was getting old. When I saw an easier one that paid more, I jumped at it, operating a computer but far easier. I guess I worked there close to 20 years. And by the way, the folks I worked for there were just the best. Sort of made me look forward to going to work.

When I first started repairing computers the processors were 1800 pounds. The input output processors were 800 pounds. Altogether, the computer weighed about 30 thousand pounds. The all-in-one I just bought which weighs about 20 pounds; if it existed back then, I could have replaced the entire computer and all that was in the room. Well, that would not have included the printers and three huge air conditioners. They each had two compressors that I don’t think two of me and a small boy could have lifted, even if I were in the shape I was in right out of boot camp.

My suggestion, don’t look into computer repair as a secure way of making a living. It has turned into the genuine Maytag repairman job.

I haven’t made a fortune, but I had some good times and raised a couple of sons on the way. By the way, I have 4 pretty good grand kids too.

Now my job is spoiling my wife for just as long as I can. She deserves it, really she does. I’m not just saying it.

Daily writing prompt
What jobs have you had?
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