The Advice Thread

[CMRivdogs]

Can paint tarps be used as wedding gifts as well?

[Biff Mayhem]

4 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Can paint tarps be used as wedding gifts as well?

 

On 1/17/2023 at 9:27 AM, oblong said:

 if ever plan on doing any painting on their own, invest in some high quality heavy tarps.  Get several shapes.   Get them as a "shower" gift if you must, much more practical than a bread maker, waffle maker, or fancy china. All that stuff just sits unused in boxes.

 

 

[oblong]

When we got married one of my best friends was a female.  for our shower she got me a humidor and some cigars, along with a cutter.  I think outside of our regular dishes it's the only thing remaining from our gifts that day, even if it's sitting in my furnace/work room untouched since about 2002.

 

 

[chasfh]

 

 

[chasfh]

See above.

Is anyone else getting their embedded tweets blocked in Firefox? This started just a couple days ago. Seems like a browser update on their side. I fiddled with all my add-on settings and I still can't get them to show up. They still show when I open MTF threads in Chrome (which I do not want to use as my main browser), so I know it's not a PC issue.

Anyone got any advice about a fix?

Edited January 19, 2023 by chasfh

[Screwball]

Let's talk TV mounts. I'm sure most here have a TV, and have mounted one to a wall. I ran into a TV deal so I bought a cheap one for the garage. Attached, but not heated, so I want to take the TV inside for the winter. I have another I take in and out every year, and it's a pain. It should be easy, but you always need a tool of some kind. I do, but why?

I have the answer to that dilemma, kind of. One of my mounts is so easy to take off the TV, all you have to do is take out a thumbscrew and lift it off. When you put it on, just drop it on the spindle, screw in the thumbscrew, and done. No tools needed. Couldn't be easier, and I applaud the design.

But I can't find it. I checked my history purchases, searched all the usual suspects in retail land, and come up empty. Here is a picture of how it mounts. Bueller?

 

ON EDIT; There might be more TV mounts than flies

Edited January 29, 2023 by Screwball

[gehringer_2]

Haven't seen that mount  - but LOL - I feel your pain because I have the *same* issue -  want to move the one set between two different rooms seasonally, and yes it would be ideal to just pop the set out of one quick release mount and into the other. My existing mount with the quick drop-in is a Sanus, which is a standard enough brand, but it came from Costco and was apparently a one time special build for Costco and there is no record of it ever being in their catalog. I have no hope of getting a 2nd with the matching mount.....😢

[Screwball]

15 hours ago, Screwball said:

Let's talk TV mounts. I'm sure most here have a TV, and have mounted one to a wall. I ran into a TV deal so I bought a cheap one for the garage. Attached, but not heated, so I want to take the TV inside for the winter. I have another I take in and out every year, and it's a pain. It should be easy, but you always need a tool of some kind. I do, but why?

I have the answer to that dilemma, kind of. One of my mounts is so easy to take off the TV, all you have to do is take out a thumbscrew and lift it off. When you put it on, just drop it on the spindle, screw in the thumbscrew, and done. No tools needed. Couldn't be easier, and I applaud the design.

But I can't find it. I checked my history purchases, searched all the usual suspects in retail land, and come up empty. Here is a picture of how it mounts. Bueller?

 

ON EDIT; There might be more TV mounts than flies

After looking through 8.76 million mounts I have found this guy.  The reason I like this one is 1) the simplicity 2) fully articulating 3) easy to remove the TV 4) easy to mount to the wall stud (2 screws) 5) Thumb screws for tightening the VESA plate and TV tilt adjustment.

So many of the "quick change/quick release" designs incorporate a stamped sheet metal part that has tabs on the VESA plate that attach to the wall mount, then you must put in a couple of screws to secure the plate.

Others have a drop in tapered slot kind of design that looks rather sloppy, and I'm not sure how they lock in. None of the mounts to a very good job describing the "quick change" mechanism if that's what is important to the buyer.  To me this is one of the most important features since some of these mounts are not very installation friendly.

With this one, all you have to do is unscrew the vertical "thumbscrew" and lift off the TV.  The VESA plate block has a female tapered hole that fits over a male guide that is pressed into the wall mount portion of the assembly.  This makes it very east to take the TV on and off.  Drop the VESA plate's tapered hole onto the mounts male spindle, screw in the thumbscrew and you are done - no tools required.

I have 6 TVs, now 7, and this is by far the best mount I have found for smaller (under 33lb TVs), and by far the best for quick removal and installation.

It is made by Mount-it or you can find it at Amazon in their endless pages of TV mounts.

https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Computer-Displays-Articulating-Compatible/dp/B000X381FA#

Obviously, there are cheaper mounts as this one goes for $27.99, but given how easy this one is to remove/replace it's worth every penny IMO.  And well built too.

 

[Screwball]

14 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

Haven't seen that mount  - but LOL - I feel your pain because I have the *same* issue -  want to move the one set between two different rooms seasonally, and yes it would be ideal to just pop the set out of one quick release mount and into the other. My existing mount with the quick drop-in is a Sanus, which is a standard enough brand, but it came from Costco and was apparently a one time special build for Costco and there is no record of it ever being in their catalog. I have no hope of getting a 2nd with the matching mount.....😢

See above, but as I was looking at the 8.76 million mounts on Amazon, Staples, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, etc., there are mounts that come with two "wall plates" so you can just take the entire mount off, leaving just the wall plate piece and move elsewhere.  So, you would have wall plates in two locations.

[Tiger337]

I haven't bought a TV in about 20 years.  I just keep grabbing old ones that family members want to get rid off after they buy fancy ones.  They don't have TVs you can just put on a table and plug in now?   

Edited January 29, 2023 by Tiger337

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

I haven't bought a TV in about 20 years.  I just keep grabbing old ones that family members want to get rid off after they buy fancy ones.  They don't have TVs you can just put on a table and plug in now?   

From what I've seen most sets still come with some kind of feet or leg stands, but they are removable. When you start getting wider than about 50" it does get more convenient to hang it on the wall just because you may not have any kind of furniture wide enough to stand it on if you wanted to. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by gehringer_2

[Screwball]

It's getting harder to find dumb TVs as well.  I was in a Circuit City and they only had one model of dumb TVs.

It's really amazing how big some are and what you can buy them for.

On the other hand, they had a really cool racing simulator.  Looked like F1.  Seat, 3 screens, wheel, petals, the whole deal.  You could test drive it - I did - crashed and burned of course.  Only $9,900 and something.  No thanks.

[oblong]

This one I just used and it was an accident.

Wife wants to go see Duran Duran.  Found the seats we wanted, 5 and 6. (They're starting to charge a $20 premium for the first two on the Aisle).  I got to the cart and realized I only clicked on seat 5, not 5 and 6.  They hold it for 7 minutes to complete the transaction.  So I went back and looked again for tickets, seat 5 unavailable because they are holding it from my previous selection, so I took 6 and 7 and bought those.   If you were to try initially to buy 6 and 7 they wouldn't let you leave a single seat in between when 3 and 4 are occupied.

 

 

[Biff Mayhem]

Now you know.....and knowing is half the battle.

 

A Simple Secret to Backing Up A Trailer (YUP ANY TRAILER), Like a Pro - YouTube

[Biff Mayhem]

We’re planning a day trip to visit the Henry Ford museum. How long does it take to go through it etc?

 

We will plan filler activities if it’s not a full day experience. 

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Biff Mayhem said:

We’re planning a day trip to visit the Henry Ford museum. How long does it take to go through it etc?

 

We will plan filler activities if it’s not a full day experience. 

It takes  more than a day. Pick out what you want to see and take your time at those things. I wouldn't try to rush through just to say I waved at all the exhibits.

Edited March 22, 2023 by gehringer_2

[oblong]

I am a member of the museum and we go all the time since we live so close, even if we just want to get out of the house for an hour or so.  Haven't yet been to the Scooby Doo exhibit b/c its a timed thing you walk through.  Things I avoid are the sewing/furniture type things by the food location and all the weapons in the back. Been there done that.  One and Done.  There's a "pop culture through time" near the rotating exhibit hall that's great. The kids can dance and be on TV to Prince or Madonna or Dire Straits.   The President cars.  The area on airplanes.  The big train and all the cars next to it.    Right in the middle is a civil rights thing.  Hit those things and you get the essence of it all.

 

[Tigeraholic1]

Make sure you check out the Dymaxion House. Super cool late 40's early 50's vision of future homes. There are some very practical concepts and some not so much.

[Deleterious]

Good site to find new bands/artists.  Type in a band/artist you like and it will tell you similar ones.

https://www.music-map.com/

[chasfh]

With the dawn of mandatory ten-digit dialing, it is no longer necessary to dial a "1" before you call another area code, or your own area code for that matter. So save yourself the pain and agony of pushing eleven buttons to make a phone call and make it easy on yourself by pushing ten buttons instead.

[chasfh]

On 3/26/2023 at 2:31 PM, Deleterious said:

Good site to find new bands/artists.  Type in a band/artist you like and it will tell you similar ones.

https://www.music-map.com/

I'm not sure how some of these fit in with Frank Zappa, especially the soft prog rockers, but I did listen to a lot of them in my long-haired schooldays.

[chasfh]

Get familiar with using ChatGPT, or whatever other AI app you're signed up for, to craft emails or follow-ups for you in thorny situations.

Our HVAC provider had us on overlapping contracts for a couple of months and I had asked for a refund, crafting the original email myself. After some back and forth I got him to acknowledge the problem and he did agree to the refund. That was June 11. I'd heard nothing by June 28, so I wrote a short two-sentence "please advise" follow-up email. Still nothing.

I was thinking of calling the guy today and expecting to maybe experience pushback, because this would be the third contact about this issue, so I was wondering what exactly should I say to minimize that? As that task was lingering in the background I was perusing some newsletters and I was reading a story about openAI when, 💡:

Why not have AI craft the follow-up email for me?

So I asked it to do this:

Write me an email in first person plural to someone who promised me a refund after overlapping two contracts with me but has not paid me yet even after telling me by email that he would, and not replying to a follow-up email asking about it.

This is what it came up with:

Dear [Recipient's Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out regarding the refund that we discussed and that you kindly agreed to provide. We had a conversation over the phone recently, during which you acknowledged the overlapping contracts and assured me that the refund would be processed promptly.

However, it has been some time since our conversation, and I have not received the refund as promised. I also sent a follow-up email, but unfortunately, I have not received a response from you. I understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, causing delays, but I kindly request your attention to this matter as it is important to me.

I believe in maintaining clear and honest communication. Our prior agreement and your commitment to issuing the refund have not been fulfilled, leaving me in a position of financial inconvenience. I kindly request that you take immediate action to rectify this situation by processing the refund as soon as possible.

To ensure a smooth resolution, I kindly ask you to provide me with an update regarding the refund status within [give a reasonable timeframe, e.g., three business days] from the receipt of this email. If there are any unforeseen circumstances that are causing the delay, please provide an explanation so that I can have a clear understanding of the situation.

I value our business relationship and believe that this issue can be resolved amicably. I appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in resolving this matter. Should you require any additional information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance.

Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Contact Information]

It's rather long and detailed and strikes me as almost patronizingly over-polite, but I thought, what the heck? Not much to lose here if this approach goes upside-down. I inserted specifics in place of the bracketed parts and sent it along.

I got a call back from him within ten minutes. Uh-oh, I thought, what if he's ticked off by my persistence  and is loaded for bear? I may be the customer, but I'm not in the mood for that kind of drama. But, oh well, here goes ...

He starts off in a slightly agitated tone, but he wasn't agitated at me. He was agitated because, he said, he'd put this refund in through his system twice and still I'd gotten nothing, so he "ripped" his business manager "a new one" because this whole thing is making him and the company look bad, and I should be hearing back from the business manager by email first thing this morning and status and timeframe.

Well! That worked out pretty well! Thank you, our future AI overlords!

 

[gehringer_2]

8 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Get familiar with using ChatGPT, or whatever other AI app you're signed up for, to craft emails or follow-ups for you in thorny situations.

Our HVAC provider had us on overlapping contracts for a couple of months and I had asked for a refund, crafting the original email myself. After some back and forth I got him to acknowledge the problem and he did agree to the refund. That was June 11. I'd heard nothing by June 28, so I wrote a short two-sentence "please advise" follow-up email. Still nothing.

I was thinking of calling the guy today and expecting to maybe experience pushback, because this would be the third contact about this issue, so I was wondering what exactly should I say to minimize that? As that task was lingering in the background I was perusing some newsletters and I was reading a story about openAI when, 💡:

Why not have AI craft the follow-up email for me?

So I asked it to do this:

Write me an email in first person plural to someone who promised me a refund after overlapping two contracts with me but has not paid me yet even after telling me by email that he would, and not replying to a follow-up email asking about it.

This is what it came up with:

Dear [Recipient's Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out regarding the refund that we discussed and that you kindly agreed to provide. We had a conversation over the phone recently, during which you acknowledged the overlapping contracts and assured me that the refund would be processed promptly.

However, it has been some time since our conversation, and I have not received the refund as promised. I also sent a follow-up email, but unfortunately, I have not received a response from you. I understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, causing delays, but I kindly request your attention to this matter as it is important to me.

I believe in maintaining clear and honest communication. Our prior agreement and your commitment to issuing the refund have not been fulfilled, leaving me in a position of financial inconvenience. I kindly request that you take immediate action to rectify this situation by processing the refund as soon as possible.

To ensure a smooth resolution, I kindly ask you to provide me with an update regarding the refund status within [give a reasonable timeframe, e.g., three business days] from the receipt of this email. If there are any unforeseen circumstances that are causing the delay, please provide an explanation so that I can have a clear understanding of the situation.

I value our business relationship and believe that this issue can be resolved amicably. I appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in resolving this matter. Should you require any additional information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance.

Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Contact Information]

It's rather long and detailed and strikes me as almost patronizingly over-polite, but I thought, what the heck? Not much to lose here if this approach goes upside-down. I inserted specifics in place of the bracketed parts and sent it along.

I got a call back from him within ten minutes. Uh-oh, I thought, what if he's ticked off by my persistence  and is loaded for bear? I may be the customer, but I'm not in the mood for that kind of drama. But, oh well, here goes ...

He starts off in a slightly agitated tone, but he wasn't agitated at me. He was agitated because, he said, he'd put this refund in through his system twice and still I'd gotten nothing, so he "ripped" his business manager "a new one" because this whole thing is making him and the company look bad, and I should be hearing back from the business manager by email first thing this morning and status and timeframe.

Well! That worked out pretty well! Thank you, our future AI overlords!

 

not bad.

I went through this with my daughter recently as she was upset with the maintenance being provided by her landlord and wanted very much to write an angry letter and I tried to bring her down to writing a something more along the lines of the above. Maybe the biggest advantage for most people in these situations with the bot is exactly its lack of emotional involvment.

Edited July 14, 2023 by gehringer_2

[oblong]

My issue with using AI for something like that is it seems like it would take me just as long to ask the question as it would be to just write the email.

In my job I'm often faced with the dilemma of trying to systematically process something or manually. Often times manual wins out because the prep work and explanation to our tech people would take longer, or if not longer, would be more difficult.  Manual processes also allows for some multi tasking, ie doing it during a meeting, (or while I am watching Wimbledon)

 

 

[gehringer_2]

14 minutes ago, oblong said:

My issue with using AI for something like that is it seems like it would take me just as long to ask the question as it would be to just write the email.

But that's because you are in a self-selected group of people with enough facility of written language that you post regularly on a message board in full sentences over 160 characters.