Consumer Bits

Christmas Music Stations in California 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 01:46:00 +0000

It's that time of year where we all want to find a good source for our holiday music entertainment.

For SiriusXM (Satellite Radio), they have 20 channels between both streaming and subscription, doling out the Christmas cheer.

Country Christmas ch 55

Holiday Traditions (Traditional) ch 71

Holly (Contemporary) ch 104

Hallmark Channel Radio ch 105

Jolly Christmas (Upbeat, feel good) ch 14

Christmas Spirit ch 610

Holiday Soul (Soul/Motown/R&B Holiday) ch 612

Jingle Jamz (Hip-Hop and R&B) ch 614

Jazz Holidays ch 616

Cool Jazz Christmas (Smooth Contemporary) ch 618

Mannheim Steamroller ch 620

Holiday Pops (Classical Christmas Carols) CH 622

Holiday Instrumentals Ch 624

Navidad (Latin) Ch 626

Rockin' Xmas CH 628

Acoustic Christmas Ch 630

Holiday Chill-Out (Downtempo Holiday Chill Music) Ch 632

70s/80s Holidays Ch 634

Kids Christmas Ch 636

Noël Incontournable (Francophone) Ch 640

( https://www.siriusxm.com/music/holidays )

---

Amazon Gift Cards

Other Online Resources:

There's ChristmasFM

And iHeart Radio. (When you do a search for holiday sources, they'll direct you to local stations in addition to their other holiday streams)

Spotify also has a ton of playlists.

Terrestrial (AM/FM) Radio:

In the Los Angeles region,

KOST 103.5 FM is the Holiday station to look for.

KKGO 105.1 FM is a country-based source.

In the Bay Area (San Francisco, CA) region,

There's KOIT, 96.5 FM.

---

There's also a great site called the Radio Locator. It seems pretty handy for specific searches about radio stations. Like looking for Holiday Stations in your state!

I hope this helps you out gang!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

AVTA's New, Potentially Dangerous Electric Commuter Bus

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 17:26:00 +0000

AVTAs New Electric Bus Poses A Potential Egress Safety Threat to some passengers.

This experience piece represents my experience in attempting to use one of the first 8-10 rows in AVTA's new electric bus.

I realize that empirically, I may only represent a small part of the ridership demographic in stature, but in my opinion (and experience), the Antelope Valley Transit Authority’s (AVTA) new electric bus, the MCI Coach D45 CRTe Le Charger Commuter Bus presents a passenger safety concern.

I feel that the seating configuration in AVTAs new electric commuter bus poses an egress safety threat to myself and others of my size and stature. At six feet tall and a mostly trim 200lb build build, I find that I have little to no room to easily navigate into or out of most of the extremely tight-spaced seats.

In an emergency scenario, this configuration could be problematic and pose a threat to a tall or portly sized passenger’s safe and expedient exit from the vehicle.

—

In late 2021, the AVTA, based out of Lancaster, CA, started to put their electric commuter buses, the D45 CRTe LE Charge, into service on the routes serving Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.. The 'D45 CRTe LE CHARGE battery-electric commuter coach,' is from MCI Coach.

After I rode in the bus, I found it to be the most uncomfortable seating environment I have experienced in the last 15+ years of using public transit. I apprised the AVTA Facebook social media rep of this perspective on 12/6/21. But I did not go into in-depth details, and they did not further inquire into my experience, so I was feeling my transcribed experience was sufficient.

But as the AVTA is rolling out more of the fleet of electric commuter buses, I feel the following information needs to be disseminated to whomever needs to see it.

Initial Observations:

The seat space per passenger is too small for someone of my stature / height.
There's no leg room. My shins are painfully pressed up against the base of the seat in front of me.
I cannot stretch out my legs.

If I keep my legs in front of me, I am forced to keep them bent more than 90 degrees throughout the ride. This required having the small of my back pushed firmly against the seat lumbar support.

Unless I sit with my legs splayed.

Splaying your legs has its own hazards:

When the seats in front of you are reclined, you are forced to splay your legs.

With the seats reclined one barely has enough space between your stomach and the back of the seat in front of you (see figure 1).

When you splay your legs to avoid the reclining seat in front of you from crushing your knees, your left knee gets pinned painfully between the seat and the bus wall. Your right knee is stuck out in the walkway, with no way to pull it back in (see figure 2).

In this leg-splayed position, I am pinned and cannot rotate left or right to get out of the way of passengers loading onto the bus and walking past me in the aisle.
To readjust in my seat, IE: to either sit sideways to try and stretch my legs, I have to lift my upper torso off the seat by trying to stand so I can re-adjust. I cannot stand straight up and I cannot simply rotate in my seat. I have minimal leverage to do so.

IN AN EMERGENCY, my ability to extricate myself (egress) from my seat is extremely hampered. I fear for my safety in this bus as it can take several seconds to get up and out of my seat.

Other incidental observations:

The seats, when fully reclined, puts your fellow passengers head in your face.
There is little to no room for backpacks.
The seats are pretty thin compared to other public commuter options.

When these buses fill to capacity, I cannot imagine the social and physical discomfort that will come of this.

The headrest is too low to be of use to one of my stature.
Turning sideways to try and find legroom makes the passenger legs a walk hazard that cannot be easily retracted due to the limited amount of space. (see figure 3)
I’ve overheard passengers joke, ‘It’s time to get small’ when loading into the vehicle. Many are not pleased at all with the lack of seating space but most of the AVTA's demographic will not take the initiative to say anything.
Nor has the AVTA taken any surveys of the ridership
Some were doing what they could to avoid taking the electric bus if they see it coming.
There are a few rows I can sort of fit in, but I was shoo'd out of the front row next to the entry door because the driver was 'Keeping my stuff' there.
The buses are having issues making a round-trip on a full battery charge. Seems the product was not properly tested for transit or passenger fit prior to purchasing.
Others of my size or stature are not happy.

Many, like myself, are considering other options for our commute.
Statistically speaking, knowing at least four people who will start driving rather than ride in this bus seems a bit more significant.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, I am being forced to look at options other than public transit to get to work.
I now spend less than a third of what I was on transit fare and am preferring to drive to work rather than being subjected to this kind of discomfort. I believe many others are doing the same.

Figure 1: The above image on the left (electric bus) shows the space this passenger has between the reclined seat back in front of myself and my stomach. Barely enough room for my standard cell phone to fit in. Image on the right, seating configuration in the diesel commuter bus.

Figure 2: (Left image, electric bus) When the seat in front of you is reclined, I have no room to evade backwards and my left knee gets pinned between the seat and the bus wall. My right knee is stuck out in the walkway, with no option to pull it back in. The small of my back is jammed back into my own seat. In this image, the seat in front of me did not fully recline to its fullest extent. (Right Image) The leg space on the diesel commuter bus.

Figure 3: Electric bus: Sitting sideways leaves your legs out in the walkway in this particular section, the seat in front of you still digs into the left side of your leg/knee. You are a hazard to anyone trying to walk by you as they load onto the bus. Notice the passenger’s shoulders are in line with or behind the plane my knees occupy.

---

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What Did Google Do To WAZE???

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:31:00 +0000

Back in 2019, I compared Maps vs Waze, asking which one was better.

Up until recently I had not used Google Maps or Google Waze for a few years. But before I took my time off from these traffic apps, my use of these apps depended on a few things:

-Maps always calculated transit time via known speed limits.

-Maps always gave you its best calculated route, via a variety of impersonal parameters collected from its user base.

-Waze would calculate your transit distance via crowd sourced speeds from its user base. It was a more realistic time estimate.

-Waze tracked your preferred routes so when you set your destination, it included your favored routes as part of its directions.

But starting a month or so ago, I've noticed a few glaring changes that have taken place between the two apps.

When I head to work, I ALWAYS turn left at the T-intersection at the end of my street.

When I start Waze, despite my preferred route, it ALWAYS tries to get me to turn right. When I make my left, it spends the next half-mile, trying to convince me to make a u-turn until it gives up on that.

But then as I transit along my preferred route, Waze continues to try to route me along its idea of a preferred route.

I haven't even tested the estimated time mode, but it seems to be on par since I only have a 50-minute commute most days.

On the other hand:

Google Maps seems to have swapped out some of its programming guts with the better parts of what was Waze.

Now, when I start Maps, it points me down my preferred route, and keeps me on my preferred route rather than trying to convince me to take another route.

I completely appreciate that after tracking my every movement, Maps shows me my preferred routes rather than it totally ignoring my apparent preferences.

I'm guessing that since Google acquired Waze, they've started butchering out the better parts for itself.

So for now, it seems that in my situation, my go-to traffic app is Google Maps.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Google Maps Shuts Down When Switching Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 16:24:00 +0000

Recently I started to notice that Alphabet Inc's Google Maps app stops tracking my trips when I bring up another app. When I swap back to Maps, I find that the app stopped tracking my transit and I have to hit the 'start' button to restart the directions on my trips.

It happens all the time now. It's annoying and in some ways, could be dangerous to the driver.

After some research, I found a few reasons for this new issue which in turn, guided me to a few different options or fixes for the issue.

My issues were on my Verizon backed Samsung phone.

This first fix seems to have worked for me:

Go to

Settings;

Apps;

Choose the Maps app;

Select battery;

Choose "Allow Maps to use battery in background."

OR another option out there:

Go to Settings->

device care - >

battery - >

click the '3-bar' icon in the top right

Select settings - >

Sleeping apps - >

Remove Maps from this list

---

Answer source:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Google Bookmarks Going Away End Of September

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 19:22:00 +0000

If you use Google Bookmarks, but haven't signed in recently, you should know that "After September 30th 2021, Google Bookmarks will no longer be supported." Ever so slowly Google has been pulling one service after another over the years, but admittedly, most of the services they've been pulling are their least used services. Though, it was one of my handiest tools at my disposal.

If you need to keep your bookmarks, you can export them NOW, (See bottom of your bookmarks pae) which saves them in the form of an html page of links.

If you need online bookmarks, there are quite a few alternatives out there to Google Bookmarks.

GGather (Web): Classic, Feature-Rich Alternative to Google Bookmarks
The free version lets you import up to 2000 bookmarks, and you'll have to upgrade to pro for more.

Linkish (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge): Powerful Bookmark Manager With Highlighter

Quarchive (Chrome, Firefox): Full-Text Search for Bookmarks

Notado (Chrome, Firefox): Note-First Bookmarking With Automation for Services

HiTabs (Web): Organize Bookmarks in Folders and Share Folders

Raindrop.io saves not just bookmarks but associated content depending on page type.

Firefox Sync : Lets you sync your data and preferences (such as your bookmarks, history, passwords, open tabs and installed add-ons) across all your devices. It's free to use. (Yea, I tried that once and it didn't go well for me, but that was due to how I operate on the web.)

Turtl organizes it all and makes it easy to find later. Sync across your devices. Leave nothing behind.

Diigo : with annotations, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving, bookmarking and more.

Pinboard is a bookmarking website intended for people who want to reliably keep track of large numbers of links.

Eversync will keep your favorite content within your immediate reach at all times!

Mozilla Pocket -- Pocket is available as a free and commercial version.

Saved -- Saved is a simply online tool. It requires an account but setting up an account is free. Bookmarks can be saved by prepending saved.io/ in front of URLs open in any web browser.

Papaly is a cloud-based social media bookmarking application that lets users synchronize all of their bookmarks from various computers and platforms.

Secure Bookmark offers storing bookmarks according to list and categories and get all these safely encrypted with the high encryption system of the Secure Bookmarks.

And others like

Booky,

Dropmark,

Evernote

Start.me.

---

I'm going to go check out Raindrop.IO. It's free (with a paid version) and opensource. It has an amazingly simple process for signing up and importing those Google bookmarks you just saved out!

When you import, you have a choice of ALL, ONLY NEW, or START FROM SCRATCH. (I'm hoping "new" doesn't go back too far, considering how many bookmarks I had!!!)

The import kept all my tags and imported ALMOST ALL of my bookmarks. Buggers...

But you can also have collections, which would allow me to start a new 'collection' of a cleaner set of bookmarks, versus the mess I was accumulating.

When you click on a bookmark, the default is to open a pane in the raindrop window. But that's easily changeable under your settings options.

At the moment, it looks like Raindrop.io will fit the bill with ease of use, and accessible from any web interface (AKA, not locked down to Chrome, Firefox or any other browser).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

How To Get Free Radio Classic Shows

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 17:06:00 +0000

Over on SiriusXM, channel 148, Radio Classics, is the best ever programming, hosted by Greg Bell, where they air the radio classics from the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's absolutely amazing and fun to listen to shows that range from Jack Benny, The Honeymooners, The Lone Ranger, Gun Smoke, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, Johnny Dollar and so much more. I absolutely love the variety and listening to the content and the production values of that era, like hearing how they project Superman flying through the air.

Though I am surprised at some of the content that is aired, in regards to sexual or racial equality and what not, but then again, it is also a great reminder about how far we've come since then.

BUT...

Yea,there's always a but...

As you listen to the oldies on SiriusXM, you hear ads for collections of the various radio shows and it's very tempting to drop some bucks on the offerings, but there is a free option for all the same content we listen to on SiriusXM.

There's a website called Old Radio World.

On the site it says their more popular content includes

Vintage Commercials,

The Shadow,

CBS Radio Mystery Theater,

Abbott and Costello,

Amos 'n' Andy

(Yes, the vintage commercials are fun and funny to listen to... like vintage ads for enriched white bread for fifteen cents and such.)

They've got EVERYTHING you can think of on Old Radio World. You don't need a subscription service or buy downloadable packages.

There's a second free resource to old time radio shows called OTR.Network.

A third resource is called the Internet Archive Old Time Radio. They too have a s***load of offerings.

Aaand... Old Time Radio Downloads.

As you can see, there are alternate options.

---

To some degree, I hate dissing on SiriusXM.

I've been listening to classic radio shows since the 70s when they were on at 9PM on KNX news radio, and then I had found channel 148 several years ago when it was just Sirius Radio and it's been my go-to channel ever since.

But I would be remiss if I didn't give fellow consumers the option to listen to this content if you don't have SiriusXM, and you have a few options available to you!!!

---

Sites referenced:

https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/radio-classics

https://www.oldradioworld.com/

http://www.otr.net/

https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio?

https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/

Bing Crosby 1951, photo credit by CBS Radio - eBayfrontback, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58423153

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Riding AVTA Creates High Anxiety For Passengers

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 22 May 2021 22:50:00 +0000

Out here in Palmdale, CA, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) just recently (April 26,2021) eliminated a number of bus lines in different routes in favor of buses filled more to their restricted 50% max capacity. The modification is understandable considering how empty the buses were on my commuter express route, that I could not conceive of the dollars being lost when an entire bus takes just a few individuals the distance for their commute. It's not an insignificant distance.

On my particular route they were running nine buses each morning and evening, one running practically every 20 minutes. They reduced this number to four each way, or roughly one an hour. The local routes are now running what they call "Saturday or weekend schedules" with the commuter bus routes being severely cut back.

Again... it's understandable from a financial point of view from the AVTA's side. But now, it's feeling pretty freaky now that they're packing us in there.

With the self-induced bus passenger capacity restricted to 50%, and the rescheduling, some of the routes are packed to over that 50% capacity. At times, we, the passengers find ourselves packed in there, with my face barely two feet away from the passenger in front of me and two feet away from the passenger behind me. But with the 50% capacity, no one is supposed to sit next to me in the same row on my side of the bus. But still...

Yet there we are. And what I've experienced so far has been:

-Watching as the bus fills up to the self-imposed limit, with a few folks still ending up sitting next to each other because we're forced to take the bus that allows us to get to work on time. This has been seen time and time again.
-A few specific drivers won't even get up to make sure the bus stays at or below capacity.
-Passengers removing masks to talk. (You know, so they can hear each other better, like the two below)

-Passengers removing their masks to eat snacks or dinner.
-Getting left behind because the new bus schedule filled up. (When a driver is paying attention to limits)
--Waiting an hour for the next bus.

To be honest, I'm somewhat anxious being forced into this scenario. I effectively double mask up, but what about those who aren't taking the best of precautions? How many riders wear chin diapers, and the drivers let them on anyway? TOO MANY!!! What about the drivers who sit behind an installed plastic shield for their own protection, and that's about as effective as... well.

This is a worrisome situation as one to two buses each route get packed due to the new schedule with no oversight on capacity and there's little thought for the passengers in this scenario, in this crazy world of Covid19.

AVTA does not even seem to want to consider adding just one more route to thin us out. Fortunately, we're on the downward trend of this crap pandemic, but still. The disregard for passenger safety is diluted by all the other "measures" they say they've taken.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Amazon's BLINK Security Camera System Consumer Review

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:24:00 +0000

This is a review of Amazon's BLINK Security Camera System: I bought the "Blink Outdoor – wireless, weather-resistant HD security camera with two-year battery life and motion detection, set up in minutes – 5 camera kit" For the money, the BLINK Home Security System is a good compromise.

My Experience With Amazon's BLINK Security Camera System is not in conflict with the 43k+ reviews on Amazon that average out at 4.5 / 5. (The above link is a sponsored link)

For your bang for the buck, Amazon's Blink security camera system does the basics pretty well, with not too many bells and whistles you might want in a video surveillance system. It will sooth your concerns if you've been having issues or are concerned about some things.

Where to begin...

I bought the battery powered version... with 2-year lithium batteries. The longevity depends on use. I can imagine powering up the cameras a lot can wear out the batteries faster, but if you're not a handy man, these are perfect for you.

Camera Reaction Times: The cameras are not instantaneous when they detect motion. They kick in within a few seconds of detection.

Night Vision: It's not quite what I was hoping for, with a 20-foot detection range at best for these cameras. As I conducted my tests, the time-delay shows my head going under the camera, losing those first few seconds of motion. From what I've seen online, you should know that a 20-foot detection range is on-par with industry standards for home security systems.

Single Camera Operation?: NOPE. The system uses one hub to control all the cameras on your system and you cannot turn on only one... it's either all the cameras attached to the hub or none.

Motion Detection: It seems to sense and trigger off motion better with objects going thru the frame rather coming at the camera.

Viewing The Camera Views: Bringing up the view of any of the cameras requires a few seconds... they have to be powered up from their sleep mode. When you switch to another camera, you have to wait a few seconds for the 'live mode' to deactivate on the first camera, then the next camera view pops up, a few seconds after you've selected it.

Video Quality: is pretty good. The cameras have microphones, so you can hear what's going on in the scene. They say you can have two-way communications but I haven't tested that mode yet.

Wireless Range From the Base/Hub: The control hub for the cameras is centrally located in my home and every camera in each corner of the house have great signals to the hub.

Connecting to the Hub: Once you figure out how to connect the first camera to the hub, the rest are easy. The directions aren't horrible but I had to focus a tad to get them connected.

Can You Watch All Cameras At Once: NOPE. This is not that kind of security system.

Access Your Camera System on Your Laptop? NOPE. You can only access it via your phone app.

Mounting The Cameras: There's a wooden ledge under my roof and it was super easy to drill a starter hole, then drive the two screws to mount each of the cameras. The cameras then snap onto the mounts and are manually movable to fix your camera aim.

Video Storage: If you need to keep your videos, there are multiple options to do so. Blink offers an online storage option for ~$10/mo for unlimited number of camera sources. They have a 30-day free trail. They also have an option to share your video, like mine below, that I uploaded to YouTube. Or, you can plug in a USB stick to store videos (I haven't tried that option yet.)

The following are product details from the Amazon sales page:

- Wireless battery-powered HD security camera with infrared night vision.

- Long-lasting battery life, for up to two years on two AA lithium batteries (included).

- Outdoor is built to withstand the elements, come rain or shine.

- Designed so you can set up yourself in minutes. No wiring, or professional installation required.

- Get motion detection alerts on your phone with the option to customize motion zones.

- See, hear, and speak to visitors with live view in real time and two-way audio features on your Blink app.

- Works with Alexa – use your voice to monitor your home through supported Alexa-enabled devices.

- Store video clips and photos in the cloud or save events locally to the Blink Sync Module 2 via a USB flash drive

If I had more money to spend on a system, I would have gone with a more robust, live and interactive system with better cameras. But as it stands and for the money it did cost me... I'm not unhappy with it.

Here are a few tests of mine:

-

-

UPDATE #1: If you remove the Blink online storage account and use the USB storage option, it seems they dumb down the speed to make their online storage feel better. I literally have a blazing fast internet connection at home and even when I'm at home, the app still claims that loading from the USB drive can take potentially longer due to connection issues. Even though I'm using the latest USB technology combined with my fast internet. So this is a bummer data point.

Amazon's BLINK Security Camera System

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What Happened To Chrome's THE GREAT SUSPENDER

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 06:26:00 +0000

If you're a Google Chrome user, and you were using 'The Great Suspender" to minimize the amount of memory your unused tabs occupy, well, you were hit by an interesting surprise.

I popped open Chrome and I received the message, that The Great Suspender has been blocked because "This extension contains malware."

Wait. What???

Turns out that this Chrome extension had changed hands and in November of 2020, it was suspected that the new owners had apparently inserted some 'nefarious code."

Per a GitHub post:

"The old maintainer appears to have sold the extension to parties unknown, who have malicious intent to exploit the users of this extension in advertising fraud, tracking, and more. In v7.1.8 of the extension (published to the web store but NOT to GitHub), arbitrary code was executed from a remote server, which appeared to be used to commit a variety of tracking and fraud actions."

I'm a little pissed that it took Google THIS LONG to actually kill it in my browser, it's what, early February?

But now, on the same GitHub post they talk about how you can get your old urls back if they're now stuck in limbo because of the extension being nerfed.

"Some others have had success simply pressing the "back" button on suspended tabs: everyone should note that the site's URL is included in the URL of the suspended page."

GO TO THE GitHub page for details on recovering tabs if the 'back' button doesn't work.

The details on what happened is also at the GitHub link and they do seem pretty insidious.

---

What can you do now?

After you've recovered your tabs, (or not), you have a few options to replace it or... you know, maybe you can not have so many tabs open...

Keep in mind that most modern-day browsers already do a good job keeping track of things. Chrome has 'Tab Freeze' already part of it's core, where it frees up memory your tabs are using after about five minutes of inactivity on that tab.

But if you need to replace it,

You can check out Session Buddy, OneTab or Tabs Outliner in the app store.

https://github.com/greatsuspender/thegreatsuspender/issues/1263

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Samsung's S10E Update Left Me With No Notifications

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 19:27:00 +0000

A consumer alert, if you have a Samsung S10E.

The most recent update to my Verizon Samsung S10E seems to have had a lot of changes built into it. And for the most part, I am not fond of them.

---

The latest phone update had a massive amount of modifications to the phone environment and my own app settings. Where once all my apps were set up to notify me of any incoming messages or notifications, they are now all silent. Like, crickets kind of silent in a bad movie.

My Facebook Messenger went silent. I discovered a bunch of unread messages waiting for me from the last few days.

My Text messages went dark! As in I was not receiving alerts that I was getting text messages.

And there were a few other issues that ran along the same lines.

Then there's the reorganization of the screens, fonts, and other facets of my interaction with my phone that also changed. Some screens have a light background now, fonts seem different and what not.

All in all, one of my more obvious issues is that the shortcut icons are bigger or the groupings of shortcuts into their own windows have been modified so rather than having four icons across, I only get three. And if you have visual acuity issues and totally depend on icon locations, well, you're SOL. Too bad on you.

---

System Update 23

Release date: 01/22/2021

Android™ Security Patch Level: January 2021

Software Version: RP1A.200720.012.G970USQU4FTLN

This software update brings the latest Android OS 11, with new features including Conversations, Bubbles, Categorized Notifications, and One UI 3.0. It also introduces Samsung Free, a new media and entertainment service that replaces Samsung Daily.

The latest Android security patch is also included in this update.

They've added or updated the following:

-Conversations

See, respond to and control your conversations across multiple messaging apps. All in the same spot. Then select people you always chat with. These priority conversations show up on your lock screen.

-Bubbles

With Android 11, you can pin conversations so they always appear on top of other apps and screens. Bubbles keep the conversation going—while you stay focused on whatever else you're doing. Access the chat anytime or anywhere.

-One UI 3.0

The new One UI 3.0 improves user interaction for Quick Panel, Toolbars, Notifications, Settings, and more.

-Privacy Controls

One-time permissions – Give one-time permissions to apps that need your mic, camera or location. The next time the app needs access, it must ask for permission again.

Permissions auto‑reset – If you haven't used an app in a while, you may not want it to keep accessing your data. So Android will reset permissions for your unused apps. You can always turn permissions back on.

-Samsung Free

Samsung Free is a new media and entertainment service that replaces Samsung Daily. Samsung Free offers three tabs to Watch TV, Read news, and Play games. From the Home screen, zoom out and swipe right to access Samsung Free.

https://www.verizon.com/support/samsung-galaxy-s10-e-update/

---

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Why Covid Is Sticking Around And Why Masks Aren't Working

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 02:48:00 +0000

To be honest, when you see a few other countries over the new year being 'back to normal' you have to wonder where we in the U.S. went wrong? How did these other countries get it together and everyone wear their masks and beat their Covid-19 problem?

To be honest, you don't have to look all that far to figure it out and see that there's a very good reasons why masks aren't working here in America.

First, We Have More To Worry About

New Covid variants are starting to show up, which is actually quite normal for a virus - to mutate, to ensure its ongoing existence. What we've seen to date though, is how here in the United States, the massive resurgence of Covid19. But how is this happening?

People Want To Get Back To Normal

Some will call it stupid, others will say it's people being tired of being cooped up away from others and wanting businesses and other things to get back to normal. They want to get back to work. They want to support their local businesses again. Etc., etc. All of which, are good things.

I get that people want to get back to normal. So many people are missing their routines and friends. Look at the holiday travel we saw over the last few months. And then, look at the resurgence of Covid. People got their normal, but at a price.

The problem though, is that the people that are freely contracting Covid are usually not the ones who will suffer from it, but rather, become the 'Typhoid Mary' of this disease, passing it on to others and those, to more others, to even more, until someone dies.

When a person contracts this thing, (26 million in the U.S. so far) but then recovers, for many their personal experience and opinion is that it's not as bad as they all say. I get their perception, as they go on with their lives, extolling the over-hype of Covid19. But they, plus those who want to believe them become the new Typhoid Mary's of our era. (not quite that bad but...)

So no one thinks it's that bad and more become anti-maskers. Except for the friends and families of the 433,000 who have already died because of it in the U.S..

Per The National Center for Biotechnology Information

Typhoid Mary: Mary Mallon was born in 1869 in Ireland and emigrated to the US in 1884. She had worked in a variety of domestic positions for wealthy families prior to settling into her career as a cook. As a healthy carrier of Salmonella typhi her nickname of “Typhoid Mary” had become synonymous with the spread of disease, as many were infected due to her denial of being ill.

No matter how we feel about it, we have to behave as if we have or could contract it, and help kill this thing off.

- - -

Why Masks Are Seemingly Not Working

With the new and potentially more dangerous variants coming out of the woodwork, we're being urged to wear our masks and to even double up our masks. And I'm all for this personally!!!

But some people are saying that masks don't work. People are pointing to how all the countermeasures aren't working. But the real issue that confuse this failure point is that people are either not wearing masks, or not wearing them when they need to.

Case in point:

-On the AVTA Commuter bus system in Southern CA. One driver never wears her mask. Riders that get on the bus will take their masks off to talk with each other or eat. SMH. There's very little enforcement onboard. I have to cover my own a** to stay safe.

-People go into businesses that don't allow entry without a mask. But then people pull them down once they're inside or the management does not enforce the signs.

-There are the folks that say they're taking great precautions and then hang out with friends in groups of maskless gatherings. But I have to ask: What are their 'great precautions,' because from what I see sometimes, chin diapering and other flaws to how they wear their masks are not very effective.

If nothing else, because I'm quite worried about my health, I am learning to not trust other people. Period.

---

California Is Opening Back Up... PROTECT YOURSELVES

California is opening back up and allowing businesses to get back to making money, because $$$ is the bottom line to many things. Yet at one point, as the disease started re-surging, a common denominator to the newly sick people were that they ate at a restaurant.

The studies from three different countries weren't seeing outdoor dining, but they were pointing out a fascinating correlation, not blaming outdoor dining and family gatherings. (AKA, "great precautions" that seemed to fail somewhere.)

As far as outdoor dining goes, here's food for thought:

You sit under an outdoor tent, clustered with a bunch of other people. If you are not in the utmost upwind position of everyone, then you are in everyone else's downwind exhale zones.

They've seen where now, 6-foot separation is not enough at times, as they've recorded where people 20 feet apart still contracted the disease. In the early months of this Covid era, it was noted how people in one side of a restaurant could get someone seated at the opposite, far end of the interior, sick. Albeit, it takes an amazing amount of bad luck, but it's possible.

How lucky are you feeling?

---

The Common Coronavirus

You know that incurable malady called the common cold? There are four strains of Coronavirus that feel and act just like the common cold. But where I'm going with this isn't that fun fact, but I reflect back on how when someone you know gets a cold, then shows up at work, declaring, "I am not contagious now," or some other such silliness.

Since when have most of my friends become scientists and medical experts on such things? Let's keep this in mind when people tell you silliness like the above:

Cedars Sinai says:

"You're generally contagious with a cold 1-2 days before your symptoms start, and you could be contagious as long as your symptoms are present—in rare cases, up to 2 weeks."

As with a cold, Covid-19 has it's contagious-factor timing:

Harvard's School of Health says:

"A person with COVID-19 may be contagious 48 to 72 hours before starting to experience symptoms. In fact, people without symptoms may be more likely to spread the illness, because they are unlikely to be isolating and may not adopt behaviors designed to prevent spread."

---

It's Up To You

...To Keep You, Your Friends and Family Safe

How do we catch this thing?

The CDC says:

"It spreads through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes.

These particles can be inhaled into the nose, mouth, airways, and lungs and cause infection. This is thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Droplets can also land on surfaces and objects and be transferred by touch. A person may get COVID-19 by touching the surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. Spread from touching surfaces is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads."

It's all up to you to make smart decisions about keeping safe. Sure, the vaccine is getting out there, but that won't be the end all of this, not quite yet. We have to be vigilant.

Sure... masks can be annoying. Even though right now, during the winter time, they're kind of nice to have. But if I see a business welcoming unmasked people or blatantly not enforcing mask policies, I won't frequent them. Some say we're shaming places when we call them out, but it's information that's good to know. Considering there have been Covid surges in essential worker populations of late, I think it's very good information to know.

Wash Your Hands

Healthline says:

Did you know that people touch their face up to 16 times an hour!

Only Trust Yourself

I've stopped trusting people. I've seen folks come into a building, and cover their mouth with their hand saying, OH, my mask is in my desk! So I wonder then what kind of measures do they take outside of this building?

I don't even trust my own family outside of my home.

I look at it this way...

Who could I potentially kill if I catch this thing...

-I could die. And that looks like a truly ugly experience. Hell, I could even die in an ambulance sitting in a parking lot of a hospital due to overcrowding.

-I could give it to a friend or family member. They could die because of my carelessness.

-What I pass on could end up killing mine or a friend's revered family member like a mother/father, grandmother/father or what not. I may not know about it, it could happen and it would be on me, whether anyone would know it or not.

---

So please, please be safe, take care of yourself and be part of the solution, not the problem.

-----

{ Sources/Links

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - Typhoid Mary

the-scientist.com - common-cold-coronaviruses-tied-to-less-severe-covid-19

cedars-sinai.org - am-i-still-contagious

health.harvard.edu - if-youve-been-exposed-to-the-coronavirus

cdc.gov - coronavirus faq

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-to-not-touch-your-face

}

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SIRIUS XM and Los Angeles Holiday Radio Stations

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 18:52:00 +0000

It's that time of year and this time around, I think having a good resource for some holiday cheer is pretty essential. I've been looking around the LA area for holiday stations and it seems that the options are limited. Be it as it may

The Los Angeles radio stations known for playing Christmas music through the end of December is

103.5 (KOST).

105.1 (KKGO)

---

But if you get Sirius-XM, they have 17 channels, on their app and streaming via the radio units, dedicated to the holiday season.

These channels can be found on the streaming app and their respective channels:

Holly (channel 105): Contemporary, now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m.

Holiday Traditions (on channel 73): Traditional, through Dec. 26 at 3 a.m..

Hallmark Channel (channel 70): Through Dec. 26 at 3 a.m..

Mannheim Steamroller (SiriusXM App): Through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m.

Country Christmas (channel 58): Dec. 3-26 at 3 a.m..

Holiday Pops (channel 76): Dec. 24-26 at 3 a.m..

Navidad (SiriusXM App only): Through Jan. 7 at 3 a.m.

Holiday Soul (channel 49): Dec. 3-36 at 3 a.m..

Radio Hanukkah (SiriusXM App): Available Dec. 10-19 at 3 a.m.

Acoustic Christmas (channel 14): On the App now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m. and Dec. 24-26 at 3 a.m. on channel 14.

Christmas Spirit (channel 63): App now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m. and Dec. 21-26 at 3 a.m. on channel 63.

Jolly Christmas (SiriusXM App): now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m.

Jazz Holidays (SiriusXM App): Now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m.

70s/80s Holidays (SiriusXM App): Now through Dec. 29 at 3a.m.

Rockin’ Xmas (SiriusXM App): Now through Dec. 29 at 3a.m.

Holiday Chill-Out (SiriusXM App): Now through Dec. 29 at 3 a.m.

New Year’s Nation (channel 105): Available Dec. 29 to Jan. 7, 2021, at 3 a.m.

-------------------------------

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fixing SAMSUNG Image Clumping (2020) Clean View

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 17:35:00 +0000

Recently my Samsung phone updated itself and along with the update, my spell check and word suggestions seem to regress, but along with those and a few other options I didn't want, my image gallery started clumping images together as if I took a burst shot, BUT I DID NOT.

I don't appreciate the settings being changed between updates but this image clumping was real annoying.

Samsung calls it... "Clean View.

According to Samsung,

"Having similar images in your gallery can make everything seem cluttered and make it difficult to find the picture you are after. With Clean View, you can save time and effort by grouping together similar images to provide a cleaner and easier viewing experience."

It's annoying but real easy to fix once you know how!!!

-Open your image gallery,

-Located at the upper-middle section of your screen are 4 icons. Tap the Small square box icon group images icon on the left. (See the article image.)

There are two settings, and when you cycle through the settings, you'll see the images go back to normal.

Enjoy!

https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/using-clean-view/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Google Maps Is Screwing Up Big (Oct 2020)

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 16:26:00 +0000

I have come to find that I cannot depend on Google Maps right now, and I don't know why. At this point, I thought I should put this out there just in case you're thinking it's you.

-A few weeks ago, coming home, Google Maps directed me to a road that's been closed for a few months due to construction. I thought, yay, it's open now. NOPE... Maps sent me to a point where I had to make a U-turn and find another way home.

-My wife was directed to a road to go home on, even though it's been closed for a few weeks due to the Bobcat fire.

-Recently, my neighborhood streets were locked down due to the Bobcat wild fire. But that was a few weeks ago and everything is back to normal. Last Friday night Maps still showed my town's streets as being closed and is redirecting me via an extra 5-10 minute loop to get home.

-Today... I did a quick check on what traffic would be like getting home. Maps said 1 hour, 15 minutes. I closed Maps and sent a message to someone. I reopened Maps a minute later and now, for the same drive, it said 58 minutes. I closed it and a minute later, it said 1 hour, 15 minutes again. I closed and reopened the wayward app, and it reverted to the shorter commute time. Me and a few other commuters that were with me, I had check, all had the same issue. None of us were trusting Maps at this stage.

I don't know what's going on with Google's (Alphabet Inc, if you must) Maps AI, but it's effing up pretty good these days, to the point that I don't even feel I can depend on it like I used to. Sure, in rural regions, Maps has its head up its ass as it keeps trying to take me down dirt roads that end on private properties and what not. I'm almost OK with that. It just means they haven't been that thorough with less critical, or rural areas. I get it.

I'm hoping it's a fluke of some kind, but this has been going on for a few weeks now and I have to reconsider a non-maps alternative. Waze, even though it's a Google product, is more crowd sourced and seems to be closer to accurate, so there's that. I haven't used MapQuest in forever, so who knows there.

But any way, thought you should know.

------------

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Why Does Google Fail During Brush Fires?

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 16:40:00 +0000

Dear Google, What's Your Fail About Pressing Emergencies?

On July 5th, 2020, there was a fire in my region called The Soledad Fire. It originated out in Aqua Dulce CA and grew quickly, promising or threatening to shut down the major traffic artery from Palmdale to Los Angeles, Interstate 14.

After watching the fire for most of that afternoon, I knew there was going to a press conference at 5pm, so I ran a Google search, looking for where I could watch this press conference.

And therein, lies the problem.

When I executed a search for news on the Soledad fire, I got nothing but nonsense search results. I tried 'press conference Soledad fire 2020' and received more nonsense results. I tried ixnaying different years' results by putting a dash in front of that year, but to no avail.

For example --

In one search, "2020 Soledad fire press conference," returned results such as

'Your guide to Fourth of July weekend...' &

'Two fires in Contra Costa fire (from 2019)' &

'Black music month remembering soul...'

Under Videos I got...

A five day old Santa Clarita Govt video &

A six day old Santa Clarita Valley video, &

Something from Mar 2019 about Stopping the Mega Mining Project.

I then reformulated my search to 'Soledad fire press conference' and got an extra result about Mop Up fro the Tick Fire in Oct of 2019.

For a company that is an amazing accumulator of web surfers personal information and various other info related to their multi-billion dollar business of advertising, I always find that their ability to keep up with freshly emerging hazards has much to be desired.

In those first few hours of a major tragedy, Google seems to be the most useless tool available. This has been the third time over a few years period that I've run into this useless mode that Google search can't seem to deal with.

I don't understand it, but there seems to be a fascinating weakness in the Google AI that can't deal with immediately evolving situations like fires.

Actually, it almost makes sense. Entities like Google and Facebook collects data on us over time and figures things out about us via our behavioral patterns on the web and with our phones.

Something like a fire doesn't have an internet pattern. And when the fire departments start communicating about the event, it's fresh data, there's no pattern of behavior. Sure, we can predict what our fire departments will do for us, but Google can't. They don't have enough behavioral information in those first few hours to make any kind of sense.

Which is weird considering how much we come to depend on it Google.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I Bought TREK When I Should Have Bought SPECIALIZED

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 16:24:00 +0000

The other weekend I was riding my newer bicycle, a Trek Marlin 4 Silver Mountain Bike with the 19.5 inch frame, that I purchased directly from Trek's website in December of 2018.

It's been a "few" months (19 months to be exact) and I am experiencing an ongoing state of buyers remorse from having purchased this bicycle from Trek. My big take-away from the experience is that Trek should support all bikes and components on the bike they sell. The should support the lower end budge bikes like they do their top-of-line models, but I don't feel like that's the case.

The internet experience of buying the bike was great. I found what I wanted and waited for a holiday sale. Boom... done. I had no clue what I was in for.

The bike seller I was had it shipped to, Palo Alto Bicycles (so they could construct it for me), was staffed with nice and then not so nice folks. The mechanic acted like an arrogant ass.

I got the bike and it was exciting to have a nice, new bicycle.

First thing that happened on my very first ride was that the bike would not stay in the top gear. When I contacted Trek, even though the bike was under warranty (Whatever that might mean) they outright stated that the derailleur is a third-party component and it is not covered in their warranty. So I was SOL there. (It still doesn't stay in top gear.)

A few weeks later, the basic little reflectors that came attached to the bike wheels more or less disintegrated on their own and fell off. No, there was no hard riding on my part. All street, very few miles.

The disc brakes on the bike started to act out a few months after receiving the bike. The rear brakes started to sound like marbles in a blender. Then the front brake started to sound like an earthquake whistle on caffeine. I didn't bother contacting Trek... I have the presumption someone else made the brakes so I didn't bother reaching out.

[July 2020]

--Today, my seat height won't stay put. No matter how TIGHT I make the quick release lever, the seat ever so slowly inches its way down. I had a mechanic use a tool to CRANK down on the quick-release lever.

--The rear tire tube failed. No punctures, no nothing, just failed and went flat.

--The plastic on the base of the seat has just started snapping and falling off. Eroding, if you will.

--I had a bike shop recently adjust the derailleur so I can get in to that last high speed gear, and now I can't gt it into the front-ring low gear, without having to turn the bike over and shift it by hand.

Despite being the kind of guy that puts up to 500 miles a month on a bike, after 19 months, I barely have 350 miles on the thing. I really don't have my usual eagerness to ride a bike any more because of this bike.

I had just kept the bike as a 'ride around work' neighborhood bike and I'm not even sure I could sell this bicycle to anyone, in good faith.

At this point, I'm honestly thinking I should have gone with Specialized. No joke. Sure, I could have a more terrible consumer experience, but this is just frustrating.

---

I bought this bike because I have an old Gary Fischer bike that has held up to everything I've ever done to it. It has around 7,000 miles on it and I'm on my second, my third set of tubes. I decided to buy from Trek because they bought out Gary Fischer and I was trying to stay loyal to the original brand. When a brand is bought out, I don't believe brand loyalty applies after that. Looking back, I guess that was not the best reason to buy from Trek.

Sadly, when I bought this bike there were more Specialized bike sellers around me where I lived and I guess I should have gone that route because back then it would have been easier to get to a Specialized dealer.

We live and learn, right? And my lesson here is that even though I know riders who swear by their high-end Trek models, some of us budget folks may not see the same consumer support treatment.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to afford a new bicycle again, but when I can, you know where I'm not going! Maybe this time, I'll make the right call.

This was consumer's food for thought gang.

-----> UPDATE/FOOTNOTE July 25, 2020

I had sent this post in a letter to customer support and all they said was 'it looks like your mind is made up."

I sent the letter to see what they would do, but all they did was ask if I reached out to Shimano via my Trek distributor... (No one from Trek told me I could do that) and then they said that it looks like your mind is made up.

To be honest, it wasn't, until they said that. that my mind really wasn't made up.

Bummer. Now my bike is in the shop because the derailleur stopped shifting into the lowest (smaller) front gear wheel. The bike only has 349 miles on it. Sigh.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FLICKR: "Pinning" Albums To The Top Of The Album List

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 15:44:00 +0000

It's always annoyed me that on Flickr my favorite albums continue to slide down the list of albums as I create new ones each day.

Despite this day and age, Flickr has it's short comings, and even their own tech or options has limitations, but as long as it's in existence, it's not a bad option for stashing images and making albums.

Though, I'm rethinking the Amazon Prime option for unlimited image storage, because between the two of these orgs, I think Amazon will last longer. But that's just me.

I just discovered how to "pin" an album to the top of my albums list.

The function, being Flickr, is a bit limited, but here's how I've moved some of my more favorite albums to the top of my list...

-Sign into Flickr (If you aren't already... just being thorough here!) THIS IS ON MY PC/LAPTOP, not phone. The phone is a different beast altogether at times too.
-On the top ribbon, click on 'You'
-Choose 'Organize' (It's the bottom option)
-Choose 'Albums & Collections' in the top set of options.

It's here that you can grab an album and drag it's location around to rearrange the album viewing order.

--Just grab and drag.

The changes you make will be visible to you and visitors, even those not signed in to Flickr... so don't move that risky set of images album too far up! LOL.

BUT... there are limitations on how easy this function is to use.

First, any new album you create after this action, will not respect your album positioning, and will jockey to the front of the crowd of albums. (You'd think in this day and age... but then again, I say that more often than I'd like about Flickr)

Second, you can ONLY drag the album up to the top of a screen, so situate the album you want at the bottom of the screen and then drag it to the first visible top row. The collection page does not automatically scroll down for you. So repeat this 'drag up the page' sequence... until happy.

My other problem, which is MY OWN issue, is that I run the browser add-on, 'NoScript,' which blocks various functions on websites, so I was only able to drag one album, once per sesion or at a time up the page, before needing to get out of the customization page and repeat. But once I sorted out which function I was blocking, I was able to move multiple albums.

But that's how you sort of pin an album to the top of albums in Flickr. (You'd think in this day and ... never mind.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19/SARS CoV-2 Fears And Latest Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 17:49:00 +0000

(I've inserted some of the latest facts and stats after my opinion/tirade...)

I am a little scared of the Coronavirus (AKA, Covid-19 AKA SARS-CoV-2), as it spreads the world over. I'm also feeling sad for the elderly and those who can't afford to take every single recommended precaution.

What's frustrating is watching the blind panic of ignorance sparking irrational fears that lead to the panic of the blind purchasing of things like masks, hand sanitizers and anything else related to protecting oneself from Covid-19.

While ignorance sparks this crazy selfishness, people at the front lines of this battle, in hospitals and urgent care clinics will suffer the most when they themselves can't arm themselves with the proper gear. Meanwhile, we see people in airports, malls, and coffee shops, perpetuating more irrational fear and suspicion of others.

I keep hoping the people in masks in public are donning them to protect others from themselves, but who am I kidding?

Another concern is also an overwhelmed medical system where folks who truly need the help may not get it in time. And I'm about those who have critical conditions from other medical maladies that we've already become accustomed to like the flu, pneumonia and other things we seem to take for granted.

You see, Covid-19 is nowhere near as fatal (17 in the U.S.) as the flu (36k annually in the U.S.) and yet the fear and panic sets in as the media pushes its coverage of this world event.

No, I'm not blaming the media for anything. They have to cover this to keep the masses informed. They have to do what they do (or lose the chance at these ratings!)

I'm watching huge public venues getting cancelled and entire countries taking precautionary actions as a precaution while other events like the Los Angeles Marathon continues to hold its event almost as if there's nothing to be concerned about.

But how much can you let this biological viral terrorist control your life? We keep seeing reports of so many businesses being impacted by actions we're taking to stop the spread of this thing, while there's a potentially serious threat of a global recession.

Right now, while our peers are out spreading unsubstantiated wives tales and horrors*, and buying medical supplies off every store shelf, both physical and digital, the message seems clear... look out for yourself. When in reality, we should be taking the appropriate measures to help each other.

*(The other day I stood in a line at Walgreen's and pretty much EVERYTHING I overheard was stupid and wrong. And from some highly respected member of this community.)

The thing is, it's coming, and will be everywhere, much like our "cold and flu" season, which is marked more by the 'usual' slew of TV ads for our preferred brand of OTC meds.

When it hits close to home, there's a good chance nothing will come of it, it won't do much harm. Unless we have underlying health issues or over 50 or both.

In the end, what we've learned from Covid-19 and reflecting upon our own personal health hygiene could help reduce the ridiculously high flu fatality rate we see every year.

Yet we need to calm down and get the facts straight before we repeat what we've heard. And that's the problem. Humans spend less time and effort verifying versus blindly reacting and trusting.

We need to learn to find excellent resources and find the facts about things instead of spreading baseless conjecture and speculation. Even if that means weakening the tall tales of advertisers, politicians and digital internet tracking.

I work within the science community and over the years, the amount of knowledge I've been exposed to has smashed lifelong beliefs in many a wives tale that I always FELT were true, yet not once did I ever try to verify the validity of these lifelong beliefs or their validity because of my misguided faith in what I've heard and carried with me thru the years.

Now is the time to let facts, not fear, dictate how you respond to this new wrinkle in our lives. Be prudent, be proactive and think of others if you get sick and wear your mask.

---

Some Facts About The Coronavirus, AKA COVID-19 AKA SARS-CoV-2

What are coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that are common in both humans and animals that usually cause mild-to-moderate respiratory illnesses. The source of COVID-19 is suspected to be animals in an open air market and is possibly a previously unrecognized bat coronavirus. It appears to cause a more severe illness progressing to pneumonia.

What are the symptoms of this coronavirus infection?

Patients with confirmed COVID-19 have had mild-to-severe respiratory illness. Symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

---
Similarities: COVID-19 and the Flu

Both cause fever, cough, body aches, fatigue; sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
Can be mild or severe, even fatal in rare cases.
Can result in pneumonia.

---
Transmission

Both can be spread from person to person through droplets in the air from an infected person coughing, sneezing or talking.
A possible difference: COVID-19 might be spread through the airborne route (see details below under Differences).
Flu can be spread by an infected person for several days before their symptoms appear, and COVID-19 is believed to be spread in the same manner

---
Prevention

Both may be prevented by frequent, thorough hand washing, coughing into the crook of your elbow, staying home when sick and limiting contact with people who are infected.

---
Infections (AS OF 3/8/20)

COVID-19: Approximately 107,644 cases worldwide; 437 cases in the U.S. as of Mar. 8, 2020.
Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

---
Deaths

COVID-19: Approximately 3,653 deaths reported worldwide; 17 deaths in the U.S., as of Mar. 8, 2020.
Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

--- Doing the math..

COVID-19 Fatalities account for 3.4% of the cases worldwide, 3.9% in the U.S.
FLU accounts for less than 1% of all cases, but we have to take into account we have flupshots that prevent or potentially minimize effects, while humans have yet to develop any kind of resistance or immunity to COVID-19.
It's also higher due to events at the Life Care Center nursing home in suburban Seattle, where at least 14 people have died.

---

[ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu ]

[ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html ]

[ https://www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/urgent-care/flu-or-coronavirus ]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THE GREAT HACK And Your Personal Data

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:00:00 +0000

"The documentary, THE GREAT HACK, can really scare you, if you care about your data and how you're manipulated in your day-to-day life by marketing and other parties."

I watched 'The Great Hack' on Netflix and was going to do a TV review of the documentary, but it was so eye-opening that I decided to put it here under my Consumer site!

"Exploring how a data company named Cambridge Analytica came to symbolize the dark side of social media in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as uncovered by journalist Carole Cadwalladr."

Below are tidbits or my take-aways from the documentary:

-Trump spent about $1M a day on Facebook/Google ads. The company that helped him win is called Cambridge Analytica (referred to as C.A.), and they targeted one state at a time, state after state.

(Have you looked at the permissions you've given your phone apps?)

-C.A. had roughly 5k data points on every single American Voter.

-It's crazy to see some of the correspondence between the Trump team and Cambridge Analytica. Crazy.

Tidbit:

People and their entire friend's networks are scoured by various data mining apps. So even if YOU are protective on the internet, if you have any connections, friends, out there who don't take any digital precautions, they're giving up your info on/for you.

-Yes, it's personal data, and when we interact with ANY application or website, we're giving it away.

-C.A. "says" they don't use FB data, but advertise on it.

-A great example of how FB mines YOUR data is when you get the following:

"When your uncle's friend's sisters dog's birthday, you get a notification."

-Barrack Obama's campaign was the first to ever employ user data from the internet.

-Politics is so polarized that no one takes the time to try to even understand each other's points, hence, they get nothing done.

-Facebook is the best place to test social media experiments. (think personality quizzes/tests and those dumb ass, what am I tests)

-Voters who C.A. felt their minds could be changed, were the primary targets of their campaigns, called the persuadables.*

-Personalized content nobody else saw, was aimed directly at the persuadables, as it was created to trigger this demographic into responding as they (C.A.) wanted. (One thing I learned was that many folk in the internet only react to headlines and NEVER verify anything.

One example of this persuasion and duplicity is how people blindly believe their favorite movie star or other personality, putting them on a pedestal, no really knowing who they are, just the image they've portrayed.

Here's another example of blind faith: When Trump supporters are interviewed about the impeachment, his fans tout the idea that people should read the transcript of the supposed phone call. That people need to know the truth, they should read it. But when asked if they did... they all to a tee said, "No. I don't have to." They say to "...think for yourself." But they didn't read the transcript.

-When asked if FB employees were involved in the Trump campaign, he (Mark Zuckerberg) says no, but according to the folks that were part of the digital campaign effort, they were stunned by the statement because they said they were working alongside a number of FB staff.

-Cambridge Analytica says that people like David Carrol (a digital rights advocate) has no rights to submit a request for their (C.A.) data on himself.

-All this data about us is also viewed as a potential sort or form of a weapon, called psycho-graphics. Know the enemy to influence them.

-All in all, About 70k voters in three states helped decide the 2016 election in the United States.

-Facebook is designed to monopolize attention, taking all the basic tricks of propaganda and playing on user instincts like fear and anger. They've created a set of tools, allowing advertisers to exploit that emotional audience with "individual level" targeting, creating over two billion users with their 'own reality' inside their app. (This sounds like a bad sci-fi movie!)

-As long as tech giants are completely unaccountable, elections will always be at risk, as they use hate and fear to monopolize users. (Much like those stupid ass hostile TV ads)

So the question put to the viewers, did Facebook and candidates actually use fake news to manipulate elections? (We saw Trump spout the premise of opponents and networks using fake news, but apparently it was also his own tool and it was brilliant how he used both sides of the coin to do what was needed. I've seen him say in video clips that he targeted exactly who he wanted to target to win the election.)

-

The entire premise of these practices fall under the 'divide and conquer' war tactic premise, where a divided people become easier to manipulate.

As long as we have crippling divisions, we are always at risk. It starts with one and goes from there.

(I've seen this in action in sports too many times. Some years back I had rallied my team to use a specific tactic which helped us gain huge strides and points in the game. But then one or more players trying to assert themselves, started doing their own thing, and suddenly, we were losing. Divided with different ideas of tactics, we lost.)

-

A micro Consumer Bits rant:

Can you be manipulated? You would be surprised.

You would be surprised how many people fervently repost things on Facebook with exciting or polarizing titles, but when you actually click on the link, the article is fuzzy at best about the issue, if not even correct at times. I'm sitting here right now in the coffee shop, listening to some younger folks just reading headlines, making suppositions, and moving to the next titles, without nary a confirming click on that headline link. SMH!

I've seen anti-climate change advocates push their favorite sources, but when you dig into their source, you see that they pull tiny bits of charts that support what they're saying, but these tiny clips come out of bigger charts. The bigger chart they've clipped from are saying exactly the opposite of what they're pro-porting to contend. It's idiotic to blindly put faith in one source without verifying.

I've seen friends spout how vegetarian practices are destroying the environment. Which truly confuses me, considering how a vegetarian lifestyle diet uses so much fewer resources versus the resources that are used to produce meat-based diets. (I'm not knocking either lifestyle, I'm just making a point about blindly following headlines or fervent support for one point, to the point of blindly professing another point.)

Let me put it to you another way about manipulation... advertisers spend around TWENTY BILLION DOLLARS a season on television advertising. BOTTOM LINE: If that kind of persuasion didn't work, they would not spend that kind of money on it.

I rarely pay attention to what advertisers pitch at me or pop up on my phone. I do my own research and go from there. I don't care what Ford or Chevy or whoever says about their own vehicle or product. I mean really... Chevy spouting on and on about their own product? Paid actors who spout about something they've never cared about, until they were paid to care. Statistics can be spun in many ways to look the way the client wants. If you believed them, you'd run right down the street and buy their product. But I dig through consumer review sites and make my own choice. Period.

When you vote, who do you believe? The opponents? The proponents? Do you read the overly complicated text? Or do you do research on the items and people you vote on instead of taking the bait on their sales pitches?

-

A premise touted near the end of the film is that data rights equates to human rights. David Carol said that by the time his daughter turns 18, she'll have 70,000 data points on her in various marketing databases.

"You have to understand how your data is affecting your life."

For some of us, we don't pay attention to ads or crap shoved in our faces with online videos. We move forward. But so so many people allow themselves to be swayed by outside influences without convincing themselves that they're right.

And therein lies the problem. Once someone believes their right, whether they are or not, it's hard to change their mind. Humans are a scary lot, we are.

---

Various Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-ZFoco_1gQ

Whistleblower: We tested messaging on Putin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFM6b1QB3EU

an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, former Cambridge Analytica employee turned whistle blower Christopher Wylie

---------------------

One of the leading lines in this trailer asks if you think your microphone has listened to you, but rather than it being the source of your ads, all the data collected about you is to blame. BUT I SAY HOGWASH. When I've spoken about things I've never ever surfed online or bought or what have you, but just talked about near my phone/Alexa/Google Asst., well, I have to wonder. And it's happened a number of times to me. I don't discount the statement about all the data points collected about each of us, but when I speak about something and see an ad for it within the half-hour, well...

----------------------

Here's a bit more if you're interested...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

COVID-19; The CORONAVIRUS, Facts, Fears, And Other Scary Chit

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

WHEN the Crononavirus (COVID-19) started up, it was shameful that China did what it always does, and that's censor negative information and the people trying to pass on this information. But I don't think even without censorship, this world infection would still have happened.

IF the media would actually cover how the flu or common cold spreads around the world, the headlines would be much more scary.

Let's put this in perspective:

Right now the media is pushing hard (click or link bait) about the infection rate and the nearly 3k deaths from COVID-19. This infection pattern or rate seems no different than the cold or flu. BUT as we see the death numbers being reported from COVID-19, IN THE UNITED STATES, it's estimated that the flu was responsible for over 34k deaths in 2018-19!
( https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html )

But that's old news and not headline worthy. It's the new and fresh content that media grabs a hold of and drives the attention spans of media digesting web surfers. It's much like when an earthquake hits a third-world location, killing hundreds. But two weeks later, the victim country doesn't rate a mention after that initial set of headlines.

-

BE it as it may, what has happened next is the latest human pandemic to spread across the globe. Despite the media attention, COVID-19, has yet to catch up to the flu and other diseases. And despite today's technology and ability to fly around the world in a day, this spread is no different than the the great flu of 1918. The Spanish Flu. Though, sadly, because various political powers sought to silence negative impressions, the 1918 flu should have been called the 'Haskell County, Kansas' flu!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journal-plague-year-180965222/

-

HERE in the United States, we're watching the rest of the world report COVID-19 infections, and CNN is reporting that domestically, it's not a matter of if, but when. Right now, the only country it has not been reported in yet, is Antarctica.

https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-29-20-intl-hnk/index.html

-

IN my locale, I take public transit (Caltrain).

A few weeks ago, there was nary a sniffle on-board, but this last week, pretty much everyone is sniffling, coughing and sneezing. To me, this is a scary example of how we can all become infected with a cold or sneeze or what have you because many don't have decent sick leave or the ability to take time off.

Some are getting ahead of the battle and wearing masks, but as it's been reported, wearing surgical type masks won't help unless they're the top-of-the-line surgical masks. The only way a mask could help, is if sick people wore then, to help contain their exhalations.

"Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water."

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wearing-mask-traveling-ward-off-illness-experts/story?id=68502930

-

I've been following medically-based websites to stay ahead of this game, or at least, to be informed.

According to WHO,

"Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others. " But then they recommend what you can do to protect others...

Wash your hands often.**

Stay at least 3 feet away from people.

Don't touch your own nose, eyes or mouth. If you have happened to come in contact with 'it,' with your fingers, you'd be easily giving it to yourself.

Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or Kleenex when you sneeze.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

-

Let's get real for a moment. COVID-19 has killed 2,941 people to date. Of those, the probabilities break down to...

80+ years old 14.8%
70-79 years old 8.0%
60-69 years old 3.6%
50-59 years old 1.3%
40-49 years old 0.4%
30-39 years old 0.2%
20-29 years old 0.2%
10-19 years old 0.2%
0-9 years old no fatalities

*This percentage is (number of deaths / number of cases) = probability of dying if infected by the virus (%).

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/

OF the deaths, the percentage of pre-existing conditions involve

Cardiovascular disease 13.2%
Diabetes 9.2%
Chronic respiratory disease 8.0%
Hypertension 8.4%
Cancer 7.6%
no pre-existing conditions 0.9%

-

But before we finish this off to say, that's not so bad, comparatively speaking. OR the famous one... that it won't impact me!... let's take a look at some worse case scenarios, not just for the fatality rates, but what happens to the medical system as it tries to cope, because to be honest, like a bad sci-fi movie, events are happening.

Many people will spread it for up to two weeks not even knowing they have it (Not showing symptoms).
It's twice as infectious as the flu.
Within the year, up to 70% of all people around the world will be infected with it.
Remember, 'confirmed' cases is the lower boundary of any estimate. We have no clue who has it and not reported it to any medical resource.
For the number of cases developing, there are nowhere near enough hospital beds for them.
"Trump told people not to worry because 60,000 people a year die of the flu. If just 25% of the US over 80’s cohort get infected, given current mortality rates that’s 466,200 deaths in that age group alone with the assumption that the healthcare system has the capacity to handle all of the infected."

Using the UK as an example of our health care system not being ready...

Best case scenario, only 8% of the UK population gets infected.
That's 5.4 of the 67 million people infected.
If 20% of those people require hospitalization, that amounts to 1,086,176 people.
The UK health care system only has 140k beds.

There is an extremely pragmatic and GOOD read these last tidbits came from, over at...

https://medium.com/@amwren/forget-about-the-death-rate-this-is-why-you-should-be-worried-about-the-coronavirus-890fbf9c4de6

--

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-29-20-intl-hnk/index.html

** TAKE this with a grain of salt if you wish... Some years back I read an article in a scientific journal (an actual magazine geared towards the scientific community) that pointed out that the reason the CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds is that the friction of the rubbing is what does the trick and that the soaps they used and tested only served to provide a 'lubricant' of sorts.

Since then, I've always been rubbing my hands under running water, or on my pants after touching questionable surfaces or the like when I can't get to water. Yet for the life of me, I can't find this information replicated anywhere on the web. I've been looking for a few years now.

My bottom line in saying this is that even if you don't have access to soap, just rubbing your hands together or on your pants or what not, may be a better-than-nothing form of self-contamination than nothing at all.

My parting 'gift,'

Remember that mid-credit scene from the Matt Reeves directed reboot of Planet of the Apes, where the one infected pilot gets on his flight?

---

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Starbucks - How To Reconnect To A Stubborn Wi-Fi Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 22:00:00 +0000

Have you ever had the problem where even though your phone or laptop PRETENDS to connect back to a Starbucks Wi-Fi connection, you really aren't?

Yea, I have that problem these days. Here's how I have and do deal with this:

At first, I would reconnect to Starbucks' Wi-Fi the standard way... turn on my wi-fi, then tap the pop-up and said you need to sign in. But after a while, this wasn't working for me, on any system, phone or computer that I take with me.

The second method that Starbucks suggests is after turning on your wi-fi, just open an browser and go to a web address. Then the process kicks in and you should get connected to their wi-fi.

Of course, that stopped working for me too. I found an obscure but time-tested (by me) method that works every time for me, since the other two never work for me any more.

I turn on my wi-fi (if it's not already on) then open a browser and start to type in "repeat login." This starts to populate the web address window with the authentication link from when I was last there and connects me every time. (If I haven't cleared it from my history that is! Don't ask!)

There ya have it.

PS: I'm in the Starbucks in Gilroy CA (Camino Arroyo & Renz) and their wi-fi speed SUCKS! This is the third time I've been here and had the same problem each time. Merely loading Facebook takes a few minutes. This is weird, considering how bullet-proof their connections have been for me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Securing Your CHROMEBOOK When You Flip It Open

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 15:15:00 +0000

Make Your CHROMEBOOK Ask For Password When You Flip It Open

One of the nice things about our Chromebook experience is that when you pick it up and flip it open, the default setting is that it's ready to go within seconds, no password required. And to be honest, that's nice to have.

But sometimes you find yourself in an environment where it might be best if your Chromebook did not divulge everything to whoever might happen to open it. With that in mind, I started digging around and doing an internet investigation on what I can do to secure my awesome Chromebook.

Here's How to Lock Your Chromebook and have it ask for a Password When you Open it:

Of course, you can skip setting this up and manually lock your Chromebook with the option in your status tray.

Just click in the tray in the lower right corner of the screen where your time is displayed, then click on the padlock icon.

OR

Use the Chrome Keyboard Shortcut, CTRL/Shift/L OR Search L. (The search button is the one with a grey circle on it. On my keyboard, it's just above the left shift key,)

OR

You could manually lock your Chromebook by holding the power button until your login screen pops up, thus locking the computer.

OR

You can activate the feature so that you don't have to do anything, just close your laptop. Then when you open it again, it will prompt you for your password rather than just popping up right where you left off.

In your Chrome browser

-Click in the system tray in the lower right of your screen

-Click Settings (The gear wheel

-Click on People

-Click on Screen Lock (For me, it was right near the top)

You will be prompted for your password (To make sure it's you mucking with the security settings.)

-It's here that you can set/toggle the option,
‘Show lock screen when waking from sleep‘ to ‘on’

Aaand Boom. Now after you open the lid to your computer, it will prompt you for your pasword.

- - -

There is one other way you can secure your Google-based Chromebook. You could find the option 'Smart Lock.' This feature will let you use your Android-based phone to unlock your computer.

Go to Settings;
Click on Connected Devices;
I already have my phone connected to my laptop, so just click there, under your phone,
Click on 'Smart Lock' and follow the setup steps.

{https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/9094445}

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Product Recalls for coffee mugs, INFANT BIBS, Dressers And More

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Today's recalls include coffee mugs, INFANT BIBS from IKEA, keychains that can possibly burst into flames, dressers from KMART that could topple over on ya and more.

---

Hit Promotional Products Recalls Ceramic Mugs Due to Burn and Laceration Hazards:

The mugs can crack or break when used with or exposed to hot liquids, posing burn and laceration hazards.
(Given to consumers as free promotional products at meetings or events nationwide from October 2018 through September 2019.)

Contact:

Hit Promotional Products at 800-237-6305, Extension 2691, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at lthibado@hitpromo.net or visit www.hitpromo.net and click on product recalls under the Support menu near the bottom of the page.

---

Humanscale Recalls QuickStand Lite Workstations Due to Injury Hazard:

The recalled workstation’s arm can break and cause the workstation to fall, posing a risk of injury.

Incidents/Injuries:
The firm has received 52 reports of the arm breaking, including 12 reports of minor injuries from the arm breaking and falling on consumers.

Contact:
Humanscale toll-free at 855-319-0315 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday to Friday, email at QSLinquiry@humanscale.com or online at www.humanscale.com and click on Recall Information at the top of the page for more information.

---

IKEA Recalls MATVRÅ Infant Bibs Due to Choking Hazard:

The snap on the bibs can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Contact:
IKEA toll-free at 888-966-4532 anytime or online at www.ikea-usa.com and click on Product Recalls at the bottom of the page for more information.

---

Michaels Recalls Tassel Keychain Mobile Power Banks Due to Fire and Burn Hazards:

The lithium ion battery in the keychain’s mobile power bank can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.

Contact:

Michaels at 800-642-4235 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.michaels.com and click on “Product Recalls” at the bottom of the page for more information.

---

Ridgewood Recalls Four-Drawer Dressers Due to Tip-Over and Entrapment Hazards; Sold Exclusively at Kmart:

The recalled dressers are unstable and can tip over if not anchored to the wall, posing serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children. Additionally, those models of dressers over 30 inches tall do not comply with the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard (ASTM F2057-14).

Contact:

Ridgewood toll-free at 888-222-7460 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, or visit www.ameriwood.com and click on “Support” for more information.

---

Ronson Brand Tech Torch Recalled by Zippo Due to Fire Hazard:

The Ronson Tech Torch can continue to produce a flame after the activation trigger is released into the off position, posing a fire hazard.

Sold At:
Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware and other stores nationwide and online at Zippo.com and Amazon.com from February 2010 through July 2019

Incidents/Injuries:
Zippo has identified 36 reports in the United States of the Ronson Tech Torch continuing to operate after being turned off, including one report of minor property damage.

Contact:
Ronson Tech Torch recall hotline toll-free at 800-407-0377 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email at CR@RonsonRecall.com or online at www.RonsonRecall.com or www.zippo.com and click on Support at the bottom of the page for more information.

---

STIHL PolyCut Mowing Heads Recalled Due to Injury Hazard:

The bolts connecting the plastic blades and holding the mowing head together can come loose and the mowing head can come apart, posing a risk of injury to the user or bystanders.

Incidents/Injuries:

STIHL Inc. has received 28 reports of loose bolts or mowing heads coming apart, including two reports of injuries.

Contact:

STIHL Inc. at 800-610-6677 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, e-mail stihlrecall@stihl.us or online at www.stihlusa.com and click on “Product Recalls” for more information.

---

source cspc.gov

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Recalls: Essential Oils, Hammers, Ski Boots and More

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Today's recalls include essential oils that can poison your child, speakers that can overcharge and explode, hoodies with dangerous drawstrings, emergency burn pads that could be poisonous to children, ski boots, and hammers that can come apart on you.

-----

B&B Acquisition Recalls Wintergreen Essential Oils Due to Failure to Meet Child Resistant Packaging Requirements; Risk of Poisoning:

Airome Wintergreen Essential Oil and Deep Soothe Essential Oil 100 percent Pure & Natural Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.

-The product contains the substance methyl salicylate, which must be in child resistant packaging as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA). The packaging of the product is not child resistant, posing a poisoning risk if the contents are swallowed by young children.

Contact:
B&B Acquisition at 800-262-2305 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, email at info@airome.com, or online at www.airome.com and click on “Recall Information” for more information.

---

Grace Digital Recalls EcoBoulder Speakers That Can Overcharge and Burst; Impact Hazard:

The speaker’s battery can become overcharged and burst, posing an impact hazard.

Contact:
ECOXGEAR at 800-903-9664 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or email at safety@ecoxgear.com, or online at www.ecoxgear.com and click on “Safety” in the top header or at www.ecoxgear.com/safetynotice for more information.

---

Hooey Recalls Children’s Sweatshirts with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard:

A drawstring in the sweatshirt hood poses a strangulation hazard to children. Drawstrings can become entangled or caught on playground slides, hand rails, school bus doors or other moving objects, posing a significant strangulation hazard to children.

Contact:
Hooey toll-free at 833-847-0829 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday to Friday, email at info@getyourhooey.com, or online at https://getyourhooey.com/ and click on Product Safety for more information

---

New Port Sales Recalls All-Gloo Craft Glue Due to Failure to Meet Child Resistant Closure Requirements; Poison Hazard to Children:

The glue contains methanol and poses a poisoning hazard to young children if ingested. The packaging is not child-resistant as required by the Poisoning Prevention Packaging Act.

Contact:
New Port Sales collect at 787-793-6201 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, e-mail info@newportsales.com or online at www.newportsales.com and click on “Recall” for more information.

---

Quest Products Recalls ALOCANE Emergency Burn Pads Due to Failure to Meet Child Resistant Closure Requirement; Risk of Poisoning:

The packaging is not child resistant as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The pads contain lidocaine, posing a risk of poisoning to young children if they were to place the pad in their mouth.

Contact:
Quest Products at 800-650-0113 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or online at www.alocane.com and click on “Contact Us” for more information.

---

SCARPA North America Recalls Ski Boots Due to Fall Hazard:

Maestrale RS and Maestrale Men’s Ski Boots
The ski boot shell can crack, posing a fall hazard and risk of injury to the consumer.

Contact:
SCARPA toll-free at 866-998-2895 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, by email at recall@scarpa.com, or online at www.scarpa.com and click on “Fall 2017 Maestrale RS and Maestrale Ski Boot Recall” for more information.

---

Stanley Black & Decker Recalls Wooden Handle Nailing Hammer Due to Injury Hazard:

STANLEY® brand 16 oz. wooden handle nailing hammer
The molded grip on the hammer can come loose, posing an injury hazard to consumers.

Contact:
Stanley toll-free at 866-215-1132 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email recall@sbdinc.com or online at www.stanleytools.com click on Support then Safety Notices and Recalls for more information.

---

Source: cpsc.gov

Brought to you by Consumer Bits, here looking out for you, the consumers!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saugus High - After The Shooting

noreply@blogger.com (Bruce E Simmons) — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 21:58:00 +0000

As Don Henley put it in the 1982 song, 'Dirty Laundry,' "We got the bubble headed Bleached blonde; Comes on at five; She can tell you 'bout the plane crash; With a gleam in her eye; It's interesting when people die; Give us dirty laundry" And that defines the ratings-driven news media to a tee.

-

El Paso, Pittsburgh, Thousand Oaks, Santa Fe, Dayton, Parkland, Las Vegas, Springfield Mall, and now, Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA. All names of towns that no one outside the surrounding neighborhoods, would ever think of, are now media markers for terrible shooting tragedies.

Now that the media has left the scene, the community around Saugus High is left reeling, trying to deal with the aftermath of the shooting. It's not just the victims, the families, friends or peers of, but an entire community that has to wonder 'why them,' 'why here' or even worse, 'could it happen again?'

And there is no one good answer, since the ideas that could help prevent or minimize events like this, are many and varied.

First, while the rest of the world has moved on from this grievous act of violence, let's remember the victims of the Saugus tragedy:

15-year-old Gracie Anne Muehlberger and
14-year-old Dominic Blackwell,

Both young adults who had bright futures ahead of them, whose normal morning routines with their families were their last. They are now the latest of the 100's of shooting victims this year (2019) alone.

But once the headlines fade, the national attention drifts away, and news cameras run away to chase the next tragedy, a community still stands in shock and many still grieve in confusion, all still dealing with PTSD-related symptoms from this event.

PTSD, where the different stages include trying to avoid thinking about the tragedy, having flashbacks, broken concentration, not sleeping, feelings of guilt or shame, becoming always on guard, loss of interest or bad dreams plague this 'victim community.'

But as the days roll on, as life does, the community is doing everything it can to support the families of our lost peers, while supporting each other to get through this... together.

Support 'totems' in the color blue are popping up everywhere, from blue porch lights to blue banners to shirts to even blue hair extensions.

Local businesses are doing their part to raise funds for the families or just putting on free events for the community to take part in. We've had a nighttime vigil where an estimated 10,000 attendees sang, talked and remembered the young adults lost.

The visuals of the aftermath are sobering and sad, ranging from all the memorials in whatever form, to that of a lone young boy, sitting cross-legged at the entrance to the school at night, in the glow of a lone street light, paying homage or trying to understand what happened around him. Possibly trying to understand why his friends are gone.

But when all is said and done, the school sits in an eerie silence of tribute, decorated by support banners from the various schools around the region, signed by students. The entrance to the school stands adorned with memorial mementos, many sending their thoughts to all involved.

This is the aftermath of the Saugus shooting. Once it fades from the national headlines a community is left reeling, confounded, dealing with this event in each of their own ways, trying to figure their way out through the murky cloud of a new awareness of what our society has become.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -