Re: Show me your sleep data - 8 weeks ago

I use Sleepscore by ResMed (free). Seems closest in accuracy to my old Zeo sleep tracker which was the only tracker that gave a fairly accurate reading for sleep stages (light, REM, deep, wake). Sleepscore has a kind of funky graph, but in other regards works well. Wifi/Bluetooth can be off but the phone must be on a cord or puck for charging. Positioning the phone is important, but the app has g

Re: Gluing a rubber mat to painted metal? - 2 months ago

Double sided tape? Some of that stuff is really strong and thin; I have never had a problem with latex paint or rattler can enamel lifting when I remove double sided tape.

Re: Friday Funnies - 3 months ago

Marriage Counselor: Your wife says you never buy her flowers. Is that true? Him: To be honest, I never knew she sold flowers.

Re: Friday Funnies - 3 months ago

I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 83). We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors - green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at her. The teenager kept looking and would find my dad staring every time. When the teenag

Re: Apple Pencil - can someone school me? - 4 months ago

The major advantage of the Apple pencil (gen 1 or gen 2) is that there is zero lag between movement and writing or tapping the screen. Other stylii have varying amounts of lag which is distracting and irritating. Apple pencils also allow tilt and pressure sensitivity which is great for graphics if that is a priority. The Apple pencil works via BlueTooth and charges from the lightning port. You ca

Re: It's Friday? Friday Funnies - 5 months ago

An Elementary School Teacher had twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. 1 Don't change horses……until they stop running. 2 Strike while ……the bug is close. 3 It's always darkest ……before daylight saving time. 4 Never underestimate ……the po

Re: I no longer offer to help my friends with their computers. - 6 months ago

Your experience was heartening to me as I am in the same, "used to help friends, coworkers, elderly and family with computers but no more. I got so tired of hearing, "I know you told me not to do xxx, but...can you get my computer running like it was before?" Also, because so much of the work is mental, and what is visible is waiting for the machine to boot, software to install, di

Re: I... think I need hearing aids.... - 6 months ago

Potentially useful article on airpods pro and ios 14 written by an audiologist:

Re: I... think I need hearing aids.... - 6 months ago

My sister has mild hearing loss but aids were out of her budget. The air pods pro with ios 14 will allow the air pods pro to function as personal hearing amplifiers but they do environmental noise surpression. She ordered a pair, but it's worth checking out.

Re: stoopid question re: silicone seal cure/drying time - 7 months ago

Another thing to consider is the 'use by' date on the tube. I have used silicone caulk only 3 months after the date on the tube and it never hardened, but stayed soft and, inside the bead, sticky.

Re: Some questions about generators - 8 months ago

An inverter generator gives 'cleaner power' with a true sine wave. It also modulates the speed of the motor to the demand. Non inverters have rougher, 'dirtier' power, and they run at a constant speed regardless of the demand. An inverter is worth it. Also, inverter generators tend to be quieter than non inverters.

Re: Vibration machine? Any good - 8 months ago

We had one and used it for 10 months, but felt/saw no real benefit. The research is tepid and weak as far as benefits. The marketers are aggressive in overstating effectiveness, research, and frequently mention NASA and space program use, implying endorsement. I have seen nothing in the last few years about vibration benefits that would persuade me. We gave the vibration platform away.

Re: New carpet installed. Now I need to cut the door - 8 months ago

One thing to consider is taking steps for a smooth edge. To get a good, smooth edge without tearout, splinters, etc, first mark the cut with a pencil on top, bottom and sides. Next, use a new razor knife blade to cut along those pencil lines. For the first cut, guided by a straight edge, mark lightly. Then mark more and more heavily, again on top, bottom and sides. Then put good quality maski

Re: What to think about when moving to California? - 8 months ago

Interesting article in SF Chronicle 6/½0 about falling rents-

Re: What to think about when moving to California? - 9 months ago

Actually, the rental situation is in a bit of flux out here. The 'no evict even for non payment' edict has made landlords more welcoming and more open to negotiations with prospective tenants with solid, well paid jobs. Second, Redwood City's proximity to Palo Alto and Santa Clara makes the rent quite high there, but the farther you get from those high tech areas the more you are able to find

Re: Critters under porch, need some advice - 9 months ago

Had good luck in our garage attic with a family of raccoons. I donned a respirator with charcoal for odor absorbtion, soaked rags in ammonia, and used our tree trimmer pole to push the rags into the corners and main areas of the attic while glowing eyes watched me. 10 rags in all. Three days later they were gone and I had to do cleanup and entry exclusion with welded ¼" wire (not chicken wi

Re: Updated with real images: Woodworkers--thoughts about my plans for a radiator cover, please - 10 months ago

Depending on the thickness of the vertical slats, a dowel joint would work on anything 1/2" thick and above. You can get a dowel jig for 10 to 20 bucks, and you should also get dowel center transfer plugs for another few dollars to help you get perfectly aligned dowel joints. As for the biscuit joiner, testing has shown that the biscuit joints are 1/4 as strong as a glued joint, and compa

Re: Updated with real images: Woodworkers--thoughts about my plans for a radiator cover, please - 10 months ago

This kind of joinery is traditionally done with mortise and tenon, or one of the machine made modern substitutes. However, that joinery technique is probably overkill, but I would not rely on nails. Pocket screws seem iffy given the thickness of the verticals. Follow your plan but rely on glue (Titebond III is excellent and very strong) if the wood won't get too hot. The nails would loosen and po

Re: Friday Funnies - 11 months ago

They said a mask and gloves were enough to go to the grocery store. They lied. Everybody else had clothes on.

Re: Friday Funnies - 11 months ago

In light of recent events, I bought a toilet brush. Long story short: I'm going back to toilet paper. Q: Why is everyone hoarding toilet paper? A: Because when someone in the room sneezes, 10 people poop in their pants. A police officer jumps into his squad car and calls the station. “I have an interesting case here,” he says. “A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she ju

Re: Laser printer: anyone use rubber rejuvenator on the rollers? - 1 year ago

This stuff is very toxic (and effective), but it is absorbed through skin, lungs, eyes, etc. If you decide to use it, bring the printer outside with an extension cord. Wearing nitrile gloves and a respirator spray it on a cotton swab. Rub the accessible parts of the rollers. Now run a short sheet through the printer, then apply the restorer to the rollers again. It take five times for it to work

Re: Any jigsaw experts out there? (the power tool, not the puzzle) - 1 year ago

Another vote for the Bosch. Also, blades make a huge difference in cut quality and control. The Bosch has an anti splintering insert in the saw that works well. The best jigsaw blades I have found are: Bosch 4-1/2 in. High Carbon Steel Extra Clean Cut T-Shank Jig Saw Blades for Cutting Wood (5-Pack) share Share save to favorites Save to Favorites print Print Bosch View the Collection 4-

Re: Friday Funnies - 1 year ago

In a small American town a band of squirrels had become quite a problem The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrel infestation. After much prayer and consideration, they concluded that the squirrels were predestined to be there, and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will. At the Baptist church the squirrels had taken an interest in the b

Re: Recommendations for Compression stockings? - 1 year ago

Second vote for AmesWalker. They carry all the brands but have their own brand for about half or less than the others. They have a labor day sale of 25% off according to a card they sent me; use the code LONGWEEKEND. I find their AmesWalker brand durable and effective, but less comfortable than the Juzo or Sigvaris. Of course, the smooth, comfortable Juzo are $90 per pair compared to $23 for the

Re: Carpenter-Cabinet maker types-Educamate me! - 1 year ago

Consider melamine shelves rather than the pine; as the pine dries/reacts to seasonal humidity change, the boards are likely to cup, warp, or twist. The movement of the boards will loosen your screws over time. Melamine shelves are very stable, and with the center support should be more than strong enough to hold books and heavy objects. Pocket holes work better for end grain than screws or na

Re: Hey oldtimers - what do you take for daily arthritis pain (in my hand) - 1 year ago

My brother has serious osteoarthritis in both hands, and he finds real relief from topical ibuprofen gels. He gets his from Canadian pharmacies, though ibuprofen gel (Ibuleve) is over the counter but not available here. The topical gel relieves the affected joint since rather than a systemic medication the topical gel is targeted where you apply it. Areas with thinner skin, like finger joints, be

Re: Anyone with experience or opinions on fibromyalgia? - 1 year ago

No personal experience with fibromyalgia, but I am helping a friend research VR headsets as the VR experience is so intense that the pain drops significantly and the relief lasts for a while after playing or exploring in VR. A number of preliminary studies have some hospitals scrambling to get equipment and software; apparently VR has found huge use in burn units where the horrible pain of daily

Re: Okay, next question: shaving - 2 years ago

The best shaving advice I ever received was to rinse every two or three strokes of the razor. The fewer whiskers rinse out easily. Of course, if you have a 5 day growth from a camping trip, you might have to go the toothbrush route...

Re: Friday Funnies: Post a joke, gif, funny story - 2 years ago

Re: Space saver spare tire question - 2 years ago

I also have a Kia Soul with 18" wheels. I bought the space saver kit and saw that the space saver spare is smaller than the 18" wheels. I went in and asked the service manager about the size disparity; he said that mismatched wheel sizes can damage the car if driven on for many miles. Space saver spares are almost always smaller than stock wheels, except on 15" or sometimes 16"