Things I've learned the hard way . . .(Part 2)

[Chauncey Gardiner]

?.....maybe I'll just write it off and save for an iPad.

I purchased a refurbished iPad 2 from Apple.com for $349.
It came with a new rear case, and full warranty.

~ Chance

[nbp]

That's actually a heck of a deal! If I can hold off on flashlights and outdoors gear for a couple months that may be the way to go!

The iTouch is in a bag of rice now. What can it hurt, it's not gonna get any more dead.

[Burgess]

point # 1 -- Not all Grapes are SEEDLESS !


point # 2 -- A grape seed can Damage my TOOTH !




_

[Illum]

Don't replace a 120VAC relay with a 12VDC relay, even if they look identical in the cute KH packages.
If you think its the right wire size, go one wire gauge higher
Do not assume that butane fired solder iron will cool itself down in 20 minutes, it won't.
Do not clean the PCB board with alcohol if you are using a butane iron
Batteries go in the battery bin, not the hardware bin.
Don't walk around the shop bare feet, a resistor lead stuck in your foot is painful stuff.
Don't flood the sponge, wet it will do, solder balls tend to jump if the sponge is saturated.
If you suspect theres going to be too much hetsinking, solder the leads to the LED before epoxying it down.
Check your LED to make sure the one you swapped out was defective and the new one epoxied in isn't.
If you have to use a battery as a power source, put an inline fuse in your circuit somewhere.
Do not heat the heatshrink until you have checked that there is no possibility that the connection is a cold joint.
Heatshrink cannot replace regular insulation, its just not flexible enough and the dielectric strength sucks.

[Cyclops942]

When a Jack-Wagon (substitute your own term here) is in the lane that is about to disappear and therefore must merge into your lane, and he acts like it is YOUR responsibility to slow down and let him in, it does not pay to insist that you are right.

• Although the nice police officer who eventually shows up to a non-injury accident will get to the truth of the matter;
• although the nice police officer will politely and firmly inform the Jack-Wagon that he was being a Bone-Head (not the term the nice police officer will use, of course), and that said Jack-Wagon was completely in the wrong;
• although the nice police officer will issue the Jack-Wagon a citation listing him as the cause of the accident;
• although the Jack-Wagon's insurance company will very politely pay for the damages to your vehicle---

you're still left with the incredible annoyance and delay of the whole incident, and the Jack-Wagon won't have learned a single thing.

Let the Bone-Heads be Bone-Heads in traffic all by themselves; it doesn't pay to be a stubborn Bone-Head along with them just because you're right.

[PhotonWrangler]

Let the Bone-Heads be Bone-Heads in traffic all by themselves; it doesn't pay to be a stubborn Bone-Head along with them just because you're right.

I gather that the Jackwagon didn't seem the least bit repentant at the scene of the accident?

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Pride cometh before a crash. Well at least you showed him. Sorry, I shouldn't mock your pain.

~ Chance

[Cyclops942]

I gather that the Jackwagon didn't seem the least bit repentant at the scene of the accident?

You gather correctly, fine sir. This also gave me an opportunity to see the nice police officer amaze me by staying quite calm in the face of said Jackwagon's verbal expressions of stupidity and anger; he never showed even the tiniest bit of irritation. That is a job I could not do well, and I'm glad that others have chosen to do it. I'm also glad that they get good training in how to deal with idiots.

Pride cometh before a crash. Well at least you showed him. Sorry, I shouldn't mock your pain.

~ Chance

Actually, you seem to have grasped and re-stated the lesson I was hoping to share rather well.

[redking79]

Don't waste time for money. You can always make more money but you'll never make more time.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

You gather correctly, fine sir. This also gave me an opportunity to see the nice police officer amaze me by staying quite calm in the face of said Jackwagon's verbal expressions of stupidity and anger; he never showed even the tiniest bit of irritation. That is a job I could not do well, and I'm glad that others have chosen to do it. I'm also glad that they get good training in how to deal with.

Of course it's a good thing the officer stayed calm, but it would of made for a great story if Jackwagon's verbal abuse had led to a proper tasing, then being cuffed-n-stuffed while you captured the whole event on video, then uploaded to YouTube for us all to enjoy.

I'm amazed at how much people are willing to risk for so little gain.

You would be amazed at how many Jackwagon's we have in Washington State.


~ Chance

[Ny0ng1]

its quite silly really, but i blamed it on fatique and eagerness to go home to start a good weekend.

Don't turn on the engine of your bike when you are cleaning/oiling/wiping/etc the chain-drivetrain. Well, i lost almost a full phalanx of my right thumb because of this

[H-Man]

When faced with an electrical issue in a car, check your grounds, the previous owner might have thought it was a positive ground system.

[Monocrom]

Thoughtful intelligence and a sense of humor are not nearly as appreciated on some other forums as they are on CPF.

(Guess I got used to the intelligence and sense of humor of those whom Greta picks to be on the CPF moderator / Admin. staff.)

[Cyclops942]

Thoughtful intelligence and a sense of humor are not nearly as appreciated on some other forums as they are on CPF.

(Guess I got used to the intelligence and sense of humor of those whom Greta picks to be on the CPF moderator / Admin. staff.)

Yes, we are rather spoiled here, aren't we?

[will]

When faced with an electrical issue in a car, check your grounds, the previous owner might have thought it was a positive ground system.

Seldom is this a problem - check the ground connection between the engine and the frame....

[H-Man]

I found the reason my dome light fuse would blow: Previous owner wired up the chassis ground wire on the radio to a positive wire, so every time it was connected to ground via the antenna/ the brackets it is attached to, it would blow the dome light fuse. Enigne runs fine (I somehow had the positive terminal clamp break on me and it barely made contact with the battery, still the engine started fine but my fuel economy sucked seeing how I could only get 43 mpg when I didn't have any electrical loads.)

[Monocrom]

Yes, we are rather spoiled here, aren't we?

When the owner has a brain and a sense of humor, it contributes to the spoilage.

A mildly spoiled peach tastes better and is juicier than a fresh, rock hard one.

[Admiralgrey]

Don't inform someone that the head of your torch has gotten rather hot and expect them not to touch the lense and burn their fingers on it.

Never leave your rod in the bottom of the boat with the bail closed while unhooking a shark too big to come inside; it will be gone in an instant.

Don't let fish slide out of your hand backwards.

Never bring only crocs on a canoeing / fishing trip somewhere with locust trees. Those spines go right on through.

If a bulb is corroded into its socket, donning gloves before wrangling it out will prevent nasty surprises.

[Monocrom]

If you have a joint anything with another person, always be sure your name is first. Otherwise, don't bother. Had to deal with an idiot on the phone. Now because of a stupid misunderstanding, my elderly mother has to take time out of her day this Friday afternoon to join me for an appointment that I could have easily taken care of myself.

[PhotonWrangler]

Before you buy any significant gadget in a store that's got a great sale price, check it's reviews online. I bought something the other day that turned out to be absolute junk. Then I looked up some reviews to see if maybe I just got a lemon and found others that said - guess what - it's absolute junk! A quick trip back to the store for a full refund, but I can't help but wonder how many others are going to get suckered into buying it like I did.

[Kestrel]

When you close a thread, do it anonymously; this way posters don't know who to complain to via PM's.

Whoops - did I say that out loud?

[Illum]

People actually complain for that?
I figured thats how you get banned up here...

my fuel economy sucked seeing how I could only get 43 mpg ...

Sounds pretty good for me, I'm lucky to get 23 out of my SUV

[Monocrom]

When you close a thread, do it anonymously; this way posters don't know who to complain to via PM's.

Whoops - did I say that out loud?

And all this time we've been blaming poor Bill, for those.

[HighlanderNorth]

That being a defensive driver is important, but not being an obsessively defensive driver with no offense. In so many ways, life can be compared to football, and this is one of those many examples! When I first became a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles(no, I am not very patient so I dont know why I'm still there!), it was obvious that thier then head coach, Buddy Ryan, was 100% defensive oriented as he was a great defensive coach. Although he did hire a great potential quarterback in Randall Cunningham, he didnt make hardly any effort to build a good offense around Randall, but he did create the best defense that has ever played the game, so they were able to make it to the playoffs most years(still do), but never went all the way. You are never going to succeed without some offense.

That football analogy reminds me of my Mom's driving. Of course I love my Mom, but she is a 100%, hyper defensive driver. She takes these defensive driving courses and takes it all to heart to an extreme. Its to the point that she is a figgity, nervous, paranoid driver who is actually more likely to get into an accident than most non-excessively defensive drivers. In fact, she just got the good news that 2 people she hit(in one accident) 2.5 years ago have both settled their claims, and she wont be losing her license! She will slow wayyyy down in her lane and take her time to move into another lane, therefore holding up traffic, and nearly getting rear-ended regularly! Thats only one of many examples.

I have always been an offensive/defensive driver. As previously mentioned by Cyclops942 in post 665, there are jack-a$$es out there who are terrible drivers, and you must sometimes take the initiative to get out of their way before they hit you! If you tend to be hyper-defensive around these people, you will likely BOTH end up with wrecked vehicles! Some times its best to get away, around, or ahead of those people if it can be done safely. Driving slowly nearby and waiting for bad drivers to suddenly learn how to drive usually ends up in a wreck! Some times you just have to get away from them....

[gadget_lover]

The difference between driving 15 MPH over for 60 miles and doing the speed limit is....

Not really what you would think. Driving that fast means that you have to be hyper-vigilant about cops. You have to be extra careful about other drivers as yo pass them, just in case they change lanes without notice. At the end of the hour I am often tired and agitated.

Otoh, when I drive the speed limit, I get there later, but enjoy the ride and get there relaxed.

Dan

[H-Man]

People actually complain for that?
I figured thats how you get banned up here...





Sounds pretty good for me, I'm lucky to get 23 out of my SUV

Only as in only when certain conditions are met. I can get it down to 14 MPG if I treat it like a rally car (manual transmissions are fun.) 43mpg is insanely high, I had to let it coast without the engine running (manual transaxel gets needed lubrication even without engine) to get that kinda economy. I get more like 36 if I drive it like a normal person.

[ElectronGuru]

Tons of good stuff this page...

point # 1 -- Not all Grapes are SEEDLESS !

Sometimes thats a good thing. Costco sometimes has these red seeded that are so good, so big, they're more like eating apples. Worth hunting for and eating around the seeds.

Let the Bone-Heads be Bone-Heads in traffic all by themselves; it doesn't pay to be a stubborn Bone-Head along with them just because you're right.

Two huge lessons in this story. 1) don't try to save others from themselves. Sometimes we don't know any better and sometimes we are determined to do it or do it that way. 2) School teaches that right is right. In the real world being right is narry a reason to do or be. Particularly when enforcing the 'rightness' costs more than the payoff. Without an enforcing 3rd party, it usually comes down to power or energy, with who has more getting what they want.

Before you buy any significant gadget in a store that's got a great sale price, check it's reviews online. I bought something the other day that turned out to be absolute junk. Then I looked up some reviews to see if maybe I just got a lemon and found others that said - guess what - it's absolute junk! A quick trip back to the store for a full refund, but I can't help but wonder how many others are going to get suckered into buying it like I did.

It seems every year, B&M retail gets worse and worse. With so many shoppers buying solely on price, for what ends up to be a disposable item, going first with mail-order ends up being a massive saver of time and trouble. Recent example: needed to buy some towels. 100 years of development, feeding some cotton into a machine to make a sheet.

After a set from the 90's finally thinned out (from a store no longer in business because their prices were to high), 2 local examples fell apart in a matter of months. Finally found a store online (LLbean) that has them made to their own standards.

there are jack-a$$es out there who are terrible drivers, and you must sometimes take the initiative to get out of their way before they hit you!

Oregonians are some of the most relaxed drivers I've ever seen (sometimes to much). I've learned to relax, but having learned to drive in LA, the inner racing driver is always vigilant, waiting for issues and/or opportunities to present themselves. Sometimes you just have to shout at the windshield.

In traffic, I tend to be a 'light before lane' driver, knowing that making it through before the red, means tons of options for getting over. Mrs Guru tends to be 'lane before light', piling up behind slower vehicles, then waiting a cycle (or two) for the light to let the long/narrow column through.

Driving that fast means that you have to be hyper-vigilant about cops. You have to be extra careful about other drivers as yo pass them, just in case they change lanes without notice. At the end of the hour I am often tired and agitated.

And that 10% more speed yields 10% time savings, which can be all of 3 minutes on a 30 minute trip, for which you burn 25% more gas because of the increased wind resistance. A real time MPG gauge is the best speed control I've used.


A couple of new ones...

From olympic cycling. Stand up from the saddle near the end, before they stand up from their saddles - and pass you. You're going to have to stand up anyway and work your ass off anyway. You may as well get gold in the process. Sort of reminds me of election dates. When you move yours earlier in the year, they are going to move theirs to leap frog you anyway. You may way well anticipate the move and move further the first time.

People least appreciate that which they have the most. One of the big appeals of the PNW is the excellent air and water quality. Never seen (or smelled) so many stinky, polluting cars in my life. Saw one last week, turned the entire other side of the freeway, a sickly blue.

[nbp]

Just use the funnel.

[jamesmtl514]

Don't leave an unopened softdrink/soda in the vehicle overnight in freezing temperatures.

[Illum]

Don't leave an unopened softdrink/soda in the vehicle overnight in freezing temperatures.

heh, don't eave an unopened softdrink/soda in the vehicle rolling around in any temperature