The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[DNSB]

Hmmm... The pricing on mine doesn't included the extra 10th of a cent but the links at the bottom are not useful as they are also all to UPS. At least the copy/pasted version is a bit more verbose than the naked links in the original conversation.

I found some great options for Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) under $100. Here are a few deals you might find interesting:

1. **APC Back-UPS 425VA (BE425M)**: This model is priced around $50-$60 and offers 6 outlets (4 with battery backup and surge protection, 2 with surge protection only). It's a compact and reliable option for small electronics and home office setups.

2. **CyberPower CP425SLG Standby UPS System**: Available for about $45-$55, this UPS provides 425VA/255W of power with 8 outlets (4 with battery backup and surge protection, 4 with surge protection only). It's a good choice for basic home and office use.

3. **Tripp Lite 550VA 300W UPS (Internet350U)**: Priced around $60-$70, this UPS offers 6 outlets (3 with battery backup and surge protection, 3 with surge protection only). It also includes a USB port for monitoring.

4. **AmazonBasics Standby UPS 400VA**: This budget-friendly option is available for about $40-$50. It provides 400VA/255W of power with 6 outlets (3 with battery backup and surge protection, 3 with surge protection only).

These prices can vary slightly depending on the retailer and any ongoing promotions. Would you like more details on any of these models?

Source: Conversation with Copilot, 2024-08-23
(1) Flat Rate Shipping | UPS - United States. https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/sh...-shipping.page.
(2) Estimate Shipping Cost - The UPS Store. https://www.theupsstore.com/tools/es...-shipping-cost.
(3) UPS Hundredweight Service® Rates | UPS - United States. https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/sh...ice-rates.page.
(4) Shipping Costs and Rates | UPS - United States. https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/sh...sts-rates.page.

[ownedbycats]

I love the Sims 2

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I wouldn't be so bothered except they just broadcast it on top of the Trek episodes and skip them instead of shifting them around so they still air in order.

I actually was frustrated about this enough to email CTV about it. I never got a response, but then when checking my DVR I noticed the future recordings were messed up for a bit (showing a generic show description rather than specific episodes). Today I checked again and they're fixed and not skipping episodes anymore. I think somebody heard me!

[ownedbycats]

I'm hoping that someday game developers will figure out that Windows has a built-in "Saved Games" folder rather than scattering them all over appdata, localappdata, locallow, documents....

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I'm hoping that someday game developers will figure out that Windows has a built-in "Saved Games" folder rather than scattering them all over appdata, localappdata, locallow, documents....

They do it on purpose. They don't want you to find and play the game again; they want you to buy it again, because you couldn't find it on your computer.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

They do it on purpose. They don't want you to find and play the game again; they want you to buy it again, because you couldn't find it on your computer.

That is the entire issue I have with installing programs. Although I know the reason why (they want to make it difficult/impossible to duplicate an application), the process shouldn't have to involve an installation program. Instead, why not go back to the old method: Copy the program files into one folder, and (maybe) install one configuration file into a configuration folder (one file per application), with the Operating System adding the new application to its list of programs. This would allow you to easy uninstall a program: Just delete the folder and its configuration file. No more remnants of old programs, no more broken installations because something went wrong, and no more Registry (one of the things I strongly dislike about Windows).

[DNSB]

Sadly, that would require monolithic programs that include all the code they need rather than using code libraries. While that would rescue us from DLL hell, it would also result in a massive increase in the average size of excutables.

At one time, when I tried compiling a simple XML editor as a monolithic program. The compile option existed from the original Linux version and I was curious as to what effect it would have on the Windows compile. Basically every referenced dynamic link library file and their dependencies were statically linked into the executable and the executable size jumped to 284MB from 1.2MB.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

If you're losing sleep over AI taking over the world, check out this copilot query:

You
Sent by you:
find best deal on UPS under $100
Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
Here are some great options for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) under $100:

APC BE425M - This UPS is highly recommended for low-powered desktops. It offers great value at around $49.991.
APC BGE70 - Ideal for protecting network equipment, this UPS is priced at approximately $29.881.
Tripp-Lite AVR750U - A reliable option with line-interactive topology, available for about $88.991.

So it correctly interprets what I want but all 3 links take me to UPS.com (United Parcel Service)!

I just did a copilot search for "find best deal on a UPS under $100" and I got some good results. All took me to articles on UPS. Maybe it was the inclusion of the a that makes the difference.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I actually was frustrated about this enough to email CTV about it. I never got a response, but then when checking my DVR I noticed the future recordings were messed up for a bit (showing a generic show description rather than specific episodes). Today I checked again and they're fixed and not skipping episodes anymore. I think somebody heard me!

I don't have to record Star Trek. I have the TV shows available on Paramount+ and Netflix. I have the 4K movies releases on disc.

But I really do dislike it when a TV show it rerun out of order or episodes get skipped.

[ownedbycats]

Even if I personally used streaming services, I don't think Paramount+ is available in Canada. I do have the DVDs for both the original series episodes and movies, but the channel airs in higher quality.

[John F]

Amazon going to AI/Rufus.

At first, on an item page, you could do a search, and it it would bring up the answered questions and reviews.

Then they recently added Rufus, which would let you search and attempts to summarize, and then let you looks at answers and reviews.

Now Rufus just summarizes, and you can't see the relevant answers and reviews.

If I ask if something is "airtight", an answer of "some users say that the item is not airtight" is not very helpful to me. How many is "some". I want to see the answers/reviews so I can do my own interpretation.

[ownedbycats]

Well, at least it's not a multitude of "I don't know, I bought this for my daughter" from clueless users.

[John F]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Well, at least it's not a multitude of "I don't know, I bought this for my daughter" from clueless users.

I wanted to ask the question, so I asked "Is it air airtight?"

I got 2 answers saying essentially "yes", with some added details.

I got one answer of "I highly recommend it." Does that mean it is airtight, they don't know, ...

[ownedbycats]

A song that plays semi-frequently on the radio has a sound that's similar to my cell phone's notification.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

A song that plays semi-frequently on the radio has a sound that's similar to my cell phone's notification.

Related: Radio stations that play music but don't tell us the song's name and the artist. There have been many songs that I've wanted but I could never catch the name. An example of this is the song The Big Hurt by Miss Toni Fisher. I'd heard the song for years but I could never catch the name, and due to the phasing effects used in the recording it was difficult to understand the lyrics, especially over a public audio system. It was only with a bit of searching via YouTube that I was able to finally identify the song.

Here's the song: