TIL...

[Tora Ziyal]

^Of course it's magic. You live in the land of Harry Potter.

[Gary7]

Holdfast wrote:

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TIL that my TV has the power to heal itself.

It's a pretty old CRT (10 years-ish) which had developed a persistent flicker that usually appears after it's on for a few minutes. Today, I turn it on and not a trace of flicker, despite it now being on for a couple of hours.

It's magic, I tells you!

While it's possible that some kind of internal aberration managed to correct itself, it's also possible that the malfunction is due to something eroding and at this point it momentarily "self corrected". But, it may crop up again before too long.

While quality brand CRT's were made extremely well and some have lasted multiple decades without much loss of color, they do eventually fail. If you're on a budget and not really in the market for a new TV, consider getting an older used flat screen TV. You might find yourself a terrific deal locally. The difference can be extraordinary, enough that you'll be wondering why you didn't bother to upgrade sooner.

[cooleddie74]

TIL learned that you should always remember to pick up the cat food bowl around a dog. Now I have to refeed the cats all over again.

[B.J.]

^We put the cat food in a place that our rather large dog can't reach. Right now, it's under the shelves in the laundry room, partially blocked by a large box of kitty litter and the trash can. The cats can squeeze past easily, but the dog can't get to the food.

[thestrangequark]

^My mom has a special cat counter. Unfortunately, the dog seems to have recruited one of the cats, because my mom caught her using her paw to knock food onto the floor so that the dog could eat it!

[trekkiedane]

thestrangequark wrote:

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^My mom has a special cat counter. Unfortunately, the dog seems to have recruited one of the cats, because my mom caught her using her paw to knock food onto the floor so that the dog could eat it!

That's a power-thing: "look, I can feed you -or not, depending on my whim".

[thestrangequark]

^ I don't think cats are smart enough for that.

[Avalon]

^^ Pffft...that's what they want you to think...

[Holdfast]

Gary7 wrote:

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While it's possible that some kind of internal aberration managed to correct itself, it's also possible that the malfunction is due to something eroding and at this point it momentarily "self corrected". But, it may crop up again before too long.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right.

Still, it's been a couple of days now, and touch wood, it's still going strong. It's an old Sony WEGA that weighs an absolute ton and at just 36" is considered a small screen size these days... but the picture is just beautiful (when it doesn't flicker, that is). I suspect that this transient little break from flicker means it's going to really bug me if/when it returns...

I might upgrade if it does. It's not really that I'm on a specific budget; more that I inherited my parents' aversion to spending money on things like this until they truly & completely break. Mind you, when they did, we usually got something near the top of the line to replace it, in the hope it wouldn't need buying again for another decade or so. It's a strategy that works surprisingly often.

This is also why I've been driving the same car for over 8 years, and have lived in the same place even longer. The car is still really cool and I love my place... but I could have changed both several times in the interim. I do the same for computers; I only got a new laptop after that last one (about 6 yrs old) got stuck in an irretrievable boot loop. The money saved through through all this stinginess gets invested instead, which I tend to feel is a much more productive use for it as it generates passive income, thus effectively buying me time, which is much more valuable than commodities.

Well, that, and I buy clothes.

[Gary7]

thestrangequark wrote:

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^My mom has a special cat counter. Unfortunately, the dog seems to have recruited one of the cats, because my mom caught her using her paw to knock food onto the floor so that the dog could eat it!

Cats are very clever creatures. Very emotional too. And of course, relentlessly curious. Perhaps the cat noticed the dog's attention to the food and is feeding the dog out of sympathy, or is simply curious to see the dog eat it. I've seen cats play with things in ways that suggest avid interest to discover an object's characteristics. Ever see one play with a turbo track? I mean... it's amazing what some will do with it. Check out Maru and his thing for boxes (endless YouTube videos); hilarious to see what lengths the cat will go to.

Holdfast wrote:

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Still, it's been a couple of days now, and touch wood, it's still going strong. It's an old Sony WEGA that weighs an absolute ton and at just 36" is considered a small screen size these days... but the picture is just beautiful (when it doesn't flicker, that is). I suspect that this transient little break from flicker means it's going to really bug me if/when it returns...

SONY makes great TV's and I know that very model you're talking about. My sister had to leave hers behind in her last move because the thing was just way too heavy and inconvenient to take along.

I do appreciate what you say about keeping something until it breaks beyond repair. But with technology, there comes a point where something so much better is affordable and brings a whole new level of enjoyment. But yeah, if what you've got is good enough for the job, it makes sense to keep going with it. Like you I keep my cars for a very long time, the last one was about 12 years old.


TIL... that raspberries last a whole lot longer in the refrigerator as long as they get some air flow. Closing them off in a plastic bag hold mold/fungus form very fast. So, leave them in just the hard plastic container with all the holes.

[thestrangequark]

Avalon wrote:

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^^ Pffft...that's what they want you to think...

There's a big difference between aloof and intelligent! Cats aren't smart, they're just good at making people think they're smart.

[trekkiedane]

thestrangequark wrote:

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There's a big difference between aloof and intelligent! Cats aren't smart, they're just good at making people think they're smart.

So, you're saying they're smart enough to fool people!



Otoh, that only makes them as smart as politicians.

[thestrangequark]

trekkiedane wrote:

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So, you're saying they're smart enough to fool people!

Well, I never did say that people were all that bright.

Otoh, that only makes them as smart as politicians.

I am trying to wrap my mind around the implications of all this.

[ITL]

Holdfast wrote:

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Still, it's been a couple of days now, and touch wood, it's still going strong. It's an old Sony WEGA that weighs an absolute ton and at just 36" is considered a small screen size these days... but the picture is just beautiful (when it doesn't flicker, that is). I suspect that this transient little break from flicker means it's going to really bug me if/when it returns...

My last CRT TV was a third-hand pre-widescreen Sony Trinitron - it had a perfect picture. Cost me nowt and I had it for years. Great TV!

[cooleddie74]

TIL that it's pretty pointless to call out to a store and have someone check on the availability of an item.