Donstar

Yesterday, I unearthed a laptop I forgot I owned. It is a Windows XP machine and the date on start up reads 2003. Of course it is password protected and I've been pretty good at changing passwords. In other words, I don't have a clue how to log on, so this morning I called upon Google for ideas. It looks like I will be able to eventually log-on but I think the value of this old computer is relegated to recyclable metals. Saving all things electrical has really backfired on me these past few months. I really thought saving this stuff would be useful one day. Now it is just hard to dispose of garbage! I'm sure many members have a lot of stuff that will never be used again. If you still have some extra time, deal with it now. You may be lucky and not have pandemic free time ever again!

I am not a good example of health and fitness but will comment on how I strive to increase my time on the green side of the grass. Several years ago, my weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were embarrassing. A back injury was my excuse. When I found myself altering the truth to my Doctor about how much I was putting into my mouth, I gave myself a good kick in the ass. I replaced beer with large amounts of water and hooked a pedometer to my belt. At the end of each day I recorded my steps. No booze, 10k+ steps in a day and patience soon found compliments from others. I tell this because last summer, I had to buy larger shorts for the heat and pants for the cooler days. I put a new battery into my old pedometer and started my old routine. 10k+ steps is now a much more difficult goal to achieve due to osteoarthritis in the feet but 5-7k steps proves I haven't sat for much of the day! My looks may not garner many complements but those who matter recognize my effort!

This is an example of how Covid19 has generated extra time for you. Your wife's extra work has resulted in you having staycations. My wife and I are both retired and aren't huge travelers. However we estimate that by not visiting our kids or entertaining them, we've freed up close to two months over the past year! Cutting out my daily trips to the coffee shop and/or "shopping" has added an hour or so to each day. The coffee shop has generally been replaced with extra walks with my wife and our "retired" best four legged friend.

Worry about a perceived loss of freedom/control may be something people do more of with their extra spare time. This pandemic has impacted everyone. Depression is something I've fought with since I was cut off from in-person contact with my children and their children. A paraproskokian I sometime use is, "When the going gets tough, some quit." I pride myself in adhering to the proper part about, "The tough get going". Or, lemons and lemonade may be more appropriate. Today, my wife and I are going to declutter our closet. This is something I cannot remember ever doing with her but she promises it will give me room for new stuff for when we can seriously shop. Throughout this pandemic, I've woken up in the morning with a specific and measurable goal. The unknown and the resulting worries of this pandemic can be distracted. Please share things that you have done or plan to do with the extra time generated by the pandemic. Your idea or discovery may help another member. I bet you I helped many learn a new word today; like I did yesterday!

Many of us have found ourselves with extra home time regardless of our views on masks, vaccines and politics I believe most people will take advantage of this extra time at home to do projects or activities that they wouldn't have done if Covid19 didn't happen. This morning, as an example, I watched my grandson make a live presentation to his class in Texas. (I live in Canada) Covid19 has forced me into a much higher level of comfort with media technology. The Canada/USA border has been closed to regular travel for a long time as a result of Covid19. It doesn't matter whether I agree with mask use or not, the border is still closed. A year ago, being part of an early morning Zoom call was an event I'd only hear about. Now, it is as routine as a phone call. The more I have advanced myself in Technology the more I have allowed myself to declutter my electronic treasures. It allowed me to let go of that 25' 24 pin printer cord I've been saving!

Once again, I didn't mean to get us off track and I appreciate that people will have opinions that differ from mine. I continue to wok on getting my home in order to allow me to maximize my travel and family time when we move on from this pandemic!

I find masks to be a visible act of caring for myself and others. Even if I doubted their effectiveness, the effort to wear one is so minimal that they are not worth a debate. Injecting a new vaccine required a little more thought and a little more of my time but the potential pros far outweigh the potential cons.

Living close to an artillery range, airport, highway or heavy industry are choices people make. We knew this piece of undeveloped rock was in our neighbourhood and that housing could be a possibility in the future. Many other homes in the area are built on rock to take advantage of surrounding views but no one could imagine building three multi-story rental apartment units where a solid outcrop of rock once stood. These blasts are house shakers and one of my neighbours already faces the fight over a crack in his foundation. The attraction to this neighbourhood is the quiet and peaceful surroundings. We had the opportunity to buy a similar home next to the highway for considerably less money but peace and quiet have become very desirable in our retirement. A mid-day nap, for example, is something to make fun of when we're younger but sometimes becomes a necessity when we're older. A 76 year old neighbour said at least its temporary until I told her the project will be going on for a minimum of two years. A "two year interruption" for a senior has a significantly different impact than when you're younger!

Canadian pricing wouldn't make sense so here is a link to the brand on Amazon in the US. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Haloview/Haloview/page/13C5635C-BB10-475C-B3CB-F9D6008B3EDD I agree that it could appear to block your vision but I had no problems. I will add that for the price I found this to be a great setup but there is a slight delay with wireless operation. This isn't a problem for seeing what's around you and for parking. However, I wouldn't depend on wireless cameras for tight lane changes on a busy highway! I suspect the direct wiring option would eliminate any delay.

This is in front view mode c/w my bicycle hidden from a shorter driver's view. This unit also records. My trailer was sold but keeping rear view on fulltime made a huge difference. It amazed me how many drivers choose to drive in the blind spot behind our travel trailer!

I have to get my dog out in the early morning and certainly hear and see signs of spring. Unfortunately we have a major construction project occurring a couple of blocks away and their assault on our peace usually begins at 7am. Months of gut-churning blasting is part of the land preparation process. There is no shortage of undeveloped land surrounding our small city, but developers have chosen to build apartment buildings where a huge and beautiful outcrop of rock & trees once adorned the city! They took this weekend off and the silence is deafening! We have been advised that work on this project will extend with the days getting longer and will fill our airwaves for the next two years! Of course, I Google for information on blasting in residential neighbourhoods and find that it could be a lot worse! I am able to dodge Covid in the security of my home while surprise earthquakes randomly throughout the day drive me nuts! At least the ruck crushing between blasts keeps me from falling asleep/napping during the day!

I add my support to an inexpensive wireless combo like the ones found on Amazon. I bought one with a 7" dash mount monitor and left it on full time when pulling my trailer. When trailer was not attached, I switched view to the additional camera I mounted on my front license plate for parking assistance and recording duties!

I am looking forward to receiving a vaccine for Covid. Thankfully, our recent brush with the virus had negative test results. I became a little hyper-focused on the virus over the past week or two and find there is considerable evidence that all of the approved vaccines in US and Canada are highly effective in reducing spread. I once was apprehensive about receiving an injection of stuff that was developed and approved so quickly under a lot of public pressure. Now, it can't come soon enough! I hope those still struggling with masks and/or vaccines use their spare time to study the pros column and help us open up our borders! I have children and grandchildren to visit! A morning coffee at The Woodlands Sonic with another forum member or two is also on my list of post-pandemic activities!

My thoughts are with people who have suffered because of recent weather events. We are currently enjoying pleasant weather but have been "under the weather" for a few days. We have been advised to go for a Covid test which we will pursue today. I hope for a negative result as we have been well behaved! For the past while, I've been sorting out electronic equipment and accessories that I have gathered over the years. I feel like I have every chord type and length ever needed to hook up computers and stereo equipment for the past 35 years. I realized just how ridiculous it is to save such things when I found myself driving to Lowe's on Saturday to buy a 6' extension chord for a new alarm clock!

I hit 80k kms (50k mi) on my '15 Sierra yesterday and felt I'd entered the "old truck stage". At this rate, I'll be at a 1/4 million miles in twenty years! Thanks for posting! You made me realize my truck is still an infant!

I grew up in Vancouver and remember snow on the ground as a common winter occurrence when I was a child. It seemed to become very uncommon in subsequent years. However, this doesn't comfort me in explaining the extremes in weather we are witnessing in recent years. I know "climate change" can be a hot topic but, for me, debating whether it exists doesn't make the threat go away. One selfish concern facing me from this threat is our inevitable progression to electric or alternative powered vehicles. I predict we're going to soon see traditionally powered vehicles depreciate at an accelerated pace. I remember gas wars and gas gluts of the 70's / 80's and the impact on the sale of large vehicles. I know I'm okay with my current vehicle, but my next will boast superior operating costs. Funny thing is my favorite vehicle is a Suburban/Yukon XL. My dealer just brought in a slightly used Suburban LT and it is potentially within my financial grasp. I've used every mind trick like "you only live once", "bucket list", etc. but I know I'd be upset every time I visited the pumps! There is also the other elephant in the room and that is I've only had one other person and/or my 18 lb. dog in my vehicle for over a year now. I don't believe this will be changing soon. Also, truck shopping is something I love to do and time generated by Covid19 has escalated this passion. Once I buy, I have to stop shopping for awhile!

If it wasn't for the houses in the background, I'd be able to pass this off as a picture of me yesterday!

My snowblower purchase last fall has proven to be a very good decision. The past three days have found me exceeding my daily step count (by noon) as well as being very popular with the neighbors! Cleaning a driveway with a shovel after a night of snow can be quite a formidable task but is relatively painless with a power tool! There is also a huge difference in the scope of the task when you have time to "enjoy" the task. Clearing a large driveway of heavy snow with a small snow blower can be hard work if rushed. Taking your time and letting the machine do the work turns the activity into a stress free experience. My grandchildren in Texas love the snow pictures that we send them but yesterday they had their own to send! There is no denying by me that the extremes of weather are concerning! Occasional surprises would occur but extremes now appear to be the "expected"!

My parents' baseline for media technology would be his family gathering around a radio. My beginnings recall the first TV in our home. It is fun to think of the growth in this area my grandchildren will be able to reminisce about in their senior years! This weekend I upgraded our TV's to wireless cable. This involves little boxes you can Velcro to the back of your screen and no coaxial. Your remote doesn't need to be pointed in any particular direction to operate and will provide you the opportunity to record six shows while watching another. You can talk to the remote or use the push buttons. Any show I record on one TV will be available on the other TV's in my house. The most amazing thing about this recent project is that very few people will see this as incredible! I've had an interest in "electronics" since I was 8 years old. My father gave me a dedicated corner in the basement to pursue and explore my interest and he would bring me old tube type radios and TV's to dissect. An early lesson I recall is that if you put your screwdriver in the right place of a tube TV, you'll be blown to the floor! I continue to make full use of my spare time. I don't want my grandchildren feeling like Judy and Elroy Jetson visiting Fred Flintstone when the border opens up!

I believe most of the cost to powder coat wheels is labor and the facility. It may be worth paying extra. Grumpy previously mentioned that other factors like location could impact pricing. I think suggesting that members paying more than you are being "ripped off" does not reflect reasoning for the differences in price.

Please explain. I've often thought of this for my truck and am curious about your criticism.

This would be my first choice before trying a DIY. I was wondering if your truck still had some original warranty left but definitely take advantage of your CPO warranty. Water leaks and air leaks often originate in different places than they appear. Your dealer may have a good idea of the likely problem spots on your make and model of truck and have the parts to do a factory fix. IMO, your truck is too new and nice to be adding foam sealer from a hardware store to areas you think may be a problem.

If you take your information from one source you may be misinformed. Amassing information from many and diverse sources will increase your chances of becoming informed. We can all remember our lessons on adding a significant and diverse bibliography to our research papers. Technology has not changed the need for critical thinking and has actually reduced our excuses for not being informed. Some of us are guilty of simply echoing the statements of a respected individual. I got into a school yard fight when I was 8 years old in an effort to support the fact that Fords were better than Chevys. The source of my information, my father, was always right!

A robust discussion on calculating mpg's turns into an opportunity to express bitterness towards change. FWIW I've enjoyed $5 per US gallon gas for years. It fluctuates between bad and worse. I don't know all of the variables with respect to pricing and climate impact but the push to reduce consumption and dependence has been around since I started driving, 50 years ago. I sense a couple of members believe this push is as recent as this past year! I agree that our DiC's can be more accurate but they are accurate enough for my needs. I always make fuel consumption a top consideration when looking for a truck. The built in consumption gauge helps me to improve my driving habits.

I really haven't given this any thought but you're wondering about motive. Personally, I wouldn't suspect intentional corruption of the read-out. I suspect they would be set to err on the side of favoring the manufacturer if anything but a little + or - is of no consequence, imo.