General Computing Randomness

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Hrdina
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Hrdina »

jztemple2 wrote: Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:30 pm I got an email from Falcon Northwest today, notifying me of their Talon 20th anniversary sale, in that they have been offering the Talon model for twenty years. Actually it isn't a sale in the sense that anything is discounted, after all this is Falcon NW :roll:. However, they have a new version of the Talon chassis with extra bells and whistles.

Enlarge Image

But they are a victim of their own build quality. I got a Talon back in early 2014 and aside from a video card upgrade the machine still runs fine, upgraded to Win10 OK and still can run the latest games. Maybe on the Talon's 25th anniversary... :D

By the way, I'm surprised to find that their monster Mach V is listed as "Sold Out". I'm wondering if they are planning to discontinue that model since it is a full size tower. My first Falcon was a Mach V back in 2002 and while I've stripped the guts I still use it as a side table 8-)
I got that same email, and I'm in (almost) the same boat as you are.

I'm still using the Talon that I bought in January 2014. I don't think I've even updated the video card (still have a GTX 780). It still runs everything I care to run.

I figure I might buy a new machine for either MS Flight Sim 2020, or for Cyberpunk 2077. One of those is almost certain to require more than a new video card for me to run at high quality.

I also previously had a Mach V (which arrived at my home on 9/10/2001) and another Talon (April 2005).
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Thanks for posting the link! :D
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by hitbyambulance »

Hrdina wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:16 am
I figure I might buy a new machine for either MS Flight Sim 2020, or for Cyberpunk 2077
those are exactly the two reasons i'd upgrade.... maybe throw in Serious Sam 4 as well (which i super hope is not an Epic Storefront Exclusive).
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

I've been putting back my nickels and dimes. I'm really, really hoping to be able to afford a new mobo/processor/RAM prior to Cyberpunk 2077 being released.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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jztemple2 wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 11:22 am
Thanks for posting the link! :D
Yes, that's pretty cool, thanks!
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I can't seem to configure my Linksys AC router properly. I tried quick setup, but it can't seem to talk to the primary network server and get a proper IP address. That could be due to my setup (the ethernet wire may be connected to the modem, not the router behind it, so no DHCP and on the wrong network.) It got an address that's obviously outside my network and it works for 2 days and stops working with the IP address was released.

In the meanwhile, I bought an AC Wifi adapter for one of the PC's so my dad would stop asking me to set it up again. Then I bought a Wifi N extender to have stronger signals upstairs. (It was pretty bad upstairs, down to 2 bars, sometimes 1, not sure where's the interferences)

But I still want my AC router to work, darn it. :)
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:22 am I can't seem to configure my Linksys AC router properly. I tried quick setup, but it can't seem to talk to the primary network server and get a proper IP address. That could be due to my setup (the ethernet wire may be connected to the modem, not the router behind it, so no DHCP and on the wrong network.) It got an address that's obviously outside my network and it works for 2 days and stops working with the IP address was released.

In the meanwhile, I bought an AC Wifi adapter for one of the PC's so my dad would stop asking me to set it up again. Then I bought a Wifi N extender to have stronger signals upstairs. (It was pretty bad upstairs, down to 2 bars, sometimes 1, not sure where's the interferences)

But I still want my AC router to work, darn it. :)
Try using a free online tool to create a Home Network Diagram. That should help illustrate where the problem lies. If you still can't figure it out, just make a new post and include the diagram here.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Checked my setup... Dsl modem to router in pass thru modem. Router is also wifi.

My ether et was definitely connected to the modem, not the router (oops)

But I can't just replace the router... I have to edit the modem settings as it only paasthru to one Mac address.

Now I have no internet as I don't have a pc hooked up to the modem and router so I can't admin them at the moment argh. And the latest firmware update to the router acked all the settings and I lost all setup. Time to replace the router...
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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The old wifi/router is really f****ed up. Tried connecting to it via ethernet and it won't config, insist it's blocked. None of the old wifi passwords work, but the ID's all there. Turned it off and decided not to mess with it AT ALL. Maybe later.

Decided NOT to f*** with passthru and all that stuff. I just factory reset the ATT U-verse provided modem/router/wifi and renamed the SSID into the old one so all devices can just log back in with the same password. Then connected my Linksys ACrouter to it in bridge mode with a new SSID.

(P.S. My old laptop seems to have finally bitten the dust, or needs ANOTHER new battery. It was practically NEVER on battery, always connected to AC, but somehow, it manages to run out of juice while being charged. Also noticed a LOT of cracking wire jackets around the existing wire stress points. Time to retire it and reclaim the HD for all the OTHER stuff I have installed on them. Finally, I can use that drive dock...
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Jaymon »

its been a while since I cracked open a case and upgraded anything.

last thing I did was install a quieter cpu cooler on the kids machine, and that was more than a year ago.

no, I don't need to upgrade. everything runs perfectly fine. but I gots the itch to do some upgrading anyways.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:01 pm
Hrdina wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:16 am
I figure I might buy a new machine for either MS Flight Sim 2020, or for Cyberpunk 2077
those are exactly the two reasons i'd upgrade.... maybe throw in Serious Sam 4 as well (which i super hope is not an Epic Storefront Exclusive).
"Funny" thing - less than 10 days after posting about how well my nearly 6-year-old Talon is working, it started having problems.

At first it was limited to the occasional hard-lock only when playing Elite Dangerous. The screen would turn all one color, then (usually) the sound would stutter and I couldn't even get back to desktop. I had to use the power button to shut down.

Then it started to happen more frequently, and occasionally when I wasn't even playing.

I ran the Open Hardware Monitor utility that came installed on my machine, and saw that the temperature for my GPU Core would shoot up from the high 30's Celsius to about 80 when ED was running.

Today I had started ED, then left it running in the background while I was doing something else. My wife called me into the kitchen to help her fetch something from a shelf, and when I returned I was greeted by a solid white screen. I'm not sure how long it was like that.

After rebooting, I started seeing stuff like this:
Image

It had gotten to the point where it wouldn't run for more than a few minutes after boot before locking up. I finally shut it down, turned the case on its side, opened it up, and did some extra cleaning of the fan under the video card that I usually can't reach when the case is upright.

I actually got it started, and it's been running OK for maybe an hour. I don't have any faith that it's going to stay that way.

So, assuming/hoping that this is an issue with my video card and not the motherboard or anything else, I may finally have a reason to upgrade from my GTX 780
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

FWIW, I've seen that exact effect and had it be nothing more than the video cable having worked loose, just a bit. If something was loose, you may have accidentally fixed it just by fiddling with it.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

My old laptop died.

I kinda need a laptop for emergencies, and I was thinking about getting a refurb Chromebook (with an Ethernet adapter) for that. I can get a refurb one for $120, and one of those ethernet adapters for $13 or so (or with a 3-port hub for $20) AND a carrying case, just in case. What do you guys think?

it's for just general web surfing, writing, and sometimes, mobile network troubleshooting (i.e. for hooking up to my router and whatnot). I have a secondary keyboard and travel mouse if I can't tolerate the built-in stuff.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Kasey Chang wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 2:17 am My old laptop died.

I kinda need a laptop for emergencies, and I was thinking about getting a refurb Chromebook (with an Ethernet adapter) for that. I can get a refurb one for $120, and one of those ethernet adapters for $13 or so (or with a 3-port hub for $20) AND a carrying case, just in case. What do you guys think?

it's for just general web surfing, writing, and sometimes, mobile network troubleshooting (i.e. for hooking up to my router and whatnot). I have a secondary keyboard and travel mouse if I can't tolerate the built-in stuff.
A Chromebook ought to provide you with a great bang for your buck, though I'd strongly recommend installing Linux on the Chromebook to unlock its full potential.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

The only thing I'd worry about would be the limited amount of storage on a Chromebook. Some come with as little as 16GB of storage. In fact, I just noticed the one I had in mind is the 2GB/16GB model. Eeek. Better up my budget to $150, or maybe even $185 with 1080p screen and some Type C ports.

Hypothetically, I can get a Windows laptop for about the same price... But it'd be more out of date. *sigh*

Normally I'd just use my tablet and my bluetooth keyboard, but I sorta realized I need a proper laptop with optional Ethernet port as often I need it to reconfig routers and whatnot.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Hrdina »

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:46 am FWIW, I've seen that exact effect and had it be nothing more than the video cable having worked loose, just a bit. If something was loose, you may have accidentally fixed it just by fiddling with it.
I hope you're right. The only time I've seen that before was an older card that failed.

Right now I'm running a stress test on my CPU/PS (using Prime95) to make sure my motherboard is still stable. It's been trucking along for almost 90 minutes now. CPU core temps are higher than I've ever seen (average about 75C, peak 86C) but it's still running. The PS peaked at 99 W. GPU staying at a cool 38C during all of this.

If the CPU seems OK, I'll probably load up Elite again to see if the GPU is back to normal. If not, then I'll replace it.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by jztemple2 »

Hrdina wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:19 am "Funny" thing - less than 10 days after posting about how well my nearly 6-year-old Talon is working, it started having problems.

<snip>

So, assuming/hoping that this is an issue with my video card and not the motherboard or anything else, I may finally have a reason to upgrade from my GTX 780
I upgraded from a GTX 780 to my current GTX 1060 on my Talon last year. I'm at five and a half years old and so far it's good. I have opened it up a few times to clean and I live in an air conditioned home so I'm sure that helps. Also, and I'm not sure if this helps, I have mine raised up off the short nap carpet with one inch wood blocks on the ends where the feet are, giving more access to the bottom air inlet.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kraken »

jztemple2 wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:39 pm
Hrdina wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:19 am "Funny" thing - less than 10 days after posting about how well my nearly 6-year-old Talon is working, it started having problems.

<snip>

So, assuming/hoping that this is an issue with my video card and not the motherboard or anything else, I may finally have a reason to upgrade from my GTX 780
I upgraded from a GTX 780 to my current GTX 1060 on my Talon last year. I'm at five and a half years old and so far it's good. I have opened it up a few times to clean and I live in an air conditioned home so I'm sure that helps. Also, and I'm not sure if this helps, I have mine raised up off the short nap carpet with one inch wood blocks on the ends where the feet are, giving more access to the bottom air inlet.
My video card fan started making an awful clatter upon startup, and it would occasionally start ticking in a menacing way whenever I put enough of a load on the card for the fan to spin up. It finally got annoying enough for me to open up my case and apply some canned air, plus a little gentle pressure to move the video card up by a millimeter or two (I have a short case with tight clearances). Now it's running nice and silent again. My office/closet is a really dusty place, so I really should clean out my PC more often.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

Hope ya take care of your car better :)

Annoying sound "Eh its ok"
Smell of something burning "Its fine"
Smoke and flames "Maybe I better check that"

:)
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Hrdina »

Kraken wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 10:52 pm
jztemple2 wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:39 pm
Hrdina wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:19 am "Funny" thing - less than 10 days after posting about how well my nearly 6-year-old Talon is working, it started having problems.

<snip>

So, assuming/hoping that this is an issue with my video card and not the motherboard or anything else, I may finally have a reason to upgrade from my GTX 780
I upgraded from a GTX 780 to my current GTX 1060 on my Talon last year. I'm at five and a half years old and so far it's good. I have opened it up a few times to clean and I live in an air conditioned home so I'm sure that helps. Also, and I'm not sure if this helps, I have mine raised up off the short nap carpet with one inch wood blocks on the ends where the feet are, giving more access to the bottom air inlet.
My video card fan started making an awful clatter upon startup, and it would occasionally start ticking in a menacing way whenever I put enough of a load on the card for the fan to spin up. It finally got annoying enough for me to open up my case and apply some canned air, plus a little gentle pressure to move the video card up by a millimeter or two (I have a short case with tight clearances). Now it's running nice and silent again. My office/closet is a really dusty place, so I really should clean out my PC more often.
I'm usually pretty good about keeping the inside of my PC case clean, but for some reason I didn't get all the lint from the fan on my video card. Maybe it's because the fan is on the "bottom" of the card when the case is upright, so I couldn't see into it very well. I do keep my PC up on my desk, so it wasn't getting all the dust from being down near the floor.

I ended up buying an MSI GTX 1650, which isn't a particularly well-regarded card, but is certainly an upgrade from my 780. I didn't want to get anything too fancy/expensive, just in case the problem is with my power supply or board (and because I might upgrade my whole machine next year anyway).

Once I installed the new card, and swapped monitors with my kids' computer (because it had an HDMI port and my monitor did not), my system seems to be running fine again. I played Elite for well over an hour without any kind of problem, so things are looking better. :D
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

So, Dell Chromebook 11 (4GB RAM / 32GB eMMC) for $160+tax... (gently used)

Dell OLD Chromebook 11 (2GB RAM / 16GB eMMC) for $85+tax (renewed)

ASUS Chromebook 14 (4GB RAM / 32GB eMMC) for $128+tax (renewed)

or HP ProBook 640 G1 (14 inch, i3-4000M, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, Win7Pro, NOT Chromebook) renewed for $100+$11 S&H

Dell Chromebook 11-3120 (4GB RAM/ 16GB eMMC) for $79+tax (renewed)

While The HP runs win7, it's one less thing to learn, and it even comes with an optical drive (hard to find nowadays), and it seems to have an Ethernet port, so I can save $20 as I don't need to buy an USBtoEthernet adapter. I don't need long battery life, just an hour or two of mobile troubleshooting, and maybe mobile typing.

One more: HP ProBook 11 EE G2, 11.6" laptop, 8GB, 128GB SSD, Win10Home, RJ-45 ethernet port, HDMI port, VGA port, $199

The problem is with a Chromebook, I have to add the cost of a USB3 to Ethernet adapter, which is about $10-20, and I need to learn a new OS.

I am thinking about that HP Probook 640. I can probably transplant some of the parts from my old laptop into the HP and migrate the data over. I already bought an external HD enclosure, and I have a hard drive "dock" I can use with my desktop.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

The truth was I really wanted a large tablet, as I have keyboard and mouse I can use on the go. But I don't see any cheap Chrome Slate/Tab like that... And they wouldn't have ethernet ports. *sigh*
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:52 am The truth was I really wanted a large tablet, as I have keyboard and mouse I can use on the go. But I don't see any cheap Chrome Slate/Tab like that... And they wouldn't have ethernet ports. *sigh*
https://swappa.com/buy/tablets, then get an OTG ethernet adapter
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Or this transformer Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140, with Core M CPU, runs Win8, apparently includes the keyboard too. 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD. Main problem? No Ethernet port. *sigh*
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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So, what's the verdict? Is the 1903 update now safe to install? It's been available for me for a few months, but I'd heard horror stories which made me reluctant.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Bought a 2-in-1 Chromebook instead. Now I need an SD card or it... Hmmm...

And I may have split some diet coke on my existing keyboard. Backlight is flickering like mad. Using my older keyboard for now.

EDIT: Now I remember why I kinda retired this keyboard... the F key is flaking out. Half the time when I hit F I get nothing.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Isgrimnur »

Rumpy wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 1:27 pm So, what's the verdict? Is the 1903 update now safe to install? It's been available for me for a few months, but I'd heard horror stories which made me reluctant.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Ahh, thanks for that. I guess I'll just keep waiting.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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I don't use Win10 start menu or search any way. I use Start10 and Everything for respective uses.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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Argh. My primary (mechanical) keyboard died after I spilled soda on it. Pulled out my backup, and was reminded it's the backup: the F key sticks or doesn't respond. Ordered a mechanical wired/wireless BT keyboard but it won't be here until next week. Pulled out my yet ANOTHER backup... the cheap keyboard that came with the computer. What a CRAP piece of keyboard. It's rubber dome, feels like typing sponges. But at least the keys respond properly. I have one more backup keyboard here somewhere. :D And I have several bluetooth keyboards but those are for mobile use.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by hitbyambulance »

still using an 18? 19?-year-old Microsoft Natural Pro. this is the one i periodically disassemble and put in the dishwasher. ...never had a beverage spilled on it in the last two decades... but i did crack the shell with the swivel chair arm - still fine. this thing was built to last. don't understand how some go through keyboards the way they do, unless they abuse them.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I can't stand the sponginess of the cheap keyboard anymore so I pulled out my bluetooth keyboard. Due to the short travel it actually feels a lot better than the cheap keyboard, except the CTRL key is on the wrong place (not lower left corner, on these BT keyboards, there's a FN key there instead, and the CTRL next to it. )
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Re: General Computing Randomness

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hitbyambulance wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 4:38 pm this thing was built to last. don't understand how some go through keyboards the way they do, unless they abuse them.
You said it yourself, basically. Older keyboards were built better. Some keyboards these days are built rather cheaply using cheap materials and have failed due to simple usage. My last Logitech keyboard made me swear I wouldn't buy another keyboards of theirs. At the end of its life, some heavily used keys had broken and popped off to the point of being unable to be put back into place. Heck, even the day I had got it home that keyboard showed signs of less than ideal quality with stiff and sticky keys. The keyboard before that one which was a different make had eventually come to wear out the mechanism on its spacebar, all through regular daily use repetitive use. My current keyboard is a Corsair with an aluminum body that doesn't feel like it's going to go anywhere soon, so knock on wood.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

My little wife bought me a Razer KB around 2016. Its great and the LEDs are very bright like I wanted. But a bunch of the keys fit very loose and will simply pop off or fall off when using it. Lately the right shift is always coming off. The bigger keys have little plastic pieces that fit on each side of the switch and the spring that is supposed to keep those long keys lvl fits in them. But they fall out easy too and I use the right shift for my jump key. Im an arrows user and my ring finger taps the shift on only the right side of the key. Im tempted to glue the little plastic nubs in so it might stop it.
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Kasey Chang
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Daehawk wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:33 pmThe bigger keys have little plastic pieces that fit on each side of the switch and the spring that is supposed to keep those long keys lvl fits in them. But they fall out easy too and I use the right shift for my jump key.
Ah, you have one of those little "hooks" that you need to install for themodifiers.

The trick is a tiny piece of Saran Wrap (or equivalent). Cut a tiny piece out and wrap it around your thingie, then stick it in there and it should stay put.
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Daehawk
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Daehawk »

The trick is a tiny piece of Saran Wrap (or equivalent). Cut a tiny piece out and wrap it around your thingie, then stick it in there and it should stay put.
When I read directions even these days I hear a tiny voice in my head..."Directions unclear, penis caught in ceiling fan"...its an old internet thing but I still use it. Man I should grow up.
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I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

Decided I need a replacement AND a backup. So ordered two keyboards on Amazon. I usually buy cheaper keyboards so they are together about $100. And I like smaller keyboards so the extra keys don't block my mouse.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by gameoverman »

Update on the headphone situation, I cheaped out and got a pair of Philips SHP 9500s. I'm actually glad I did, these are more than good enough for me. I didn't realize how much I missed the sound of open headphones. Everything sounds much less congested or compressed. They are amazingly comfortable, they feel like I have a small towel draped over my head.
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Re: General Computing Randomness

Post by Kasey Chang »

I kinda mentioned I'm trying different headphones, as I'm trying to find a solution that 1) doesn't block my ears, and 2) have enough battery to last through my workday (which can exceed 10 hours easily).

Easiest would be to use a wired headphone, but it lacks flexibility.. I do have a set as backup, but I prefer Bluetooth.

I usually use a neckband BT headset, $22 on Amazon, 14+ hours battery life. But it blocks the ears.

Bought a "bone conduction' BT headset, $60, it works, except it's 10% too small. it doesn't block the ears, but sound quality is not that good due to it not fitting snug against my skull. and its battery only lasted 8 or so hours. (I tried)

I also bought an Aftershokz bone conduction headset, wired (but it also has a rechargeable battery?!) and it fits better. But it's wired! (argh!) and claimed battery life is 8 hours (didn't test it all day, but it seems to work?)

So now I am stumped... how the heck do I get 12+ hours of battery life AND bone conduction audio so I can keep my ears clear while driving?

Turns out there are BT "receivers" that claims up to 15 hours of battery life... That you can plug headphones into, essentially turning your wired headsets into wireless BT headsets. But that's yet ANOTHER item I had to try. *sigh*
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