OP here. Your assumptions are correct: both power supplies (laptop & USB power adapter) are 100V-240V compatible. Your suggestion to simply use a 240V-rated surge suppressor even when on 110V is one I hadn't considered, and your reasoning seems sound. If anyone has actually tried this with without problem, please post about it.
OP here: thanks for this, as it's at least an interesting variation on my current solution. I was hoping to find something in a more simple cube/outlet format that plugs right into the wall (ideally with retractable plug) but this may be the next best thing.
OP here. I appreciate your theory, but sorry, this isn't an advertisement in disguise - and if you believe one can arrive in a developing country and just buy a surge protector within the hour, I would guess you haven't been to the kind of countries I'm talking about (or arrived at 3am when local shops are all closed). When my Thinkpad power supply got fried in India (as mentioned in the OP) I literally spent weeks trying to find a replacement: I'd call a local shop, they'd say they ordered it and it would arrive in 2 days and they'd call me. 4 days later I'd call and they'd say it would be there in 2 days and they'd call me. (They never called). I'd change towns and go through a repeat of the same situation. I finally gave up trying.
Keep in mind as well: not wanting to waste time searching for a new surge protector every time I switch to a different region; wanting to use a quality surge protector from a brand I know is reliable, and not a cheap one as you suggest.
Once Uber has driven its competition out of business, anyone will be able to offer a service like Uber.
No, because this type of service is a natural monopoly, especially when operated by a large multi-national. Nobody wants to use a different app for every city. It would be just like trying to compete against eBay in the online auction market.
Not really. eBay has a monopoly in that, if you're a buyer looking for something rare or unique at auction, eBay is where you're going to look first, and thus as a seller, eBay is where you're going to look at selling first. But it's not like a ride is anything unique, it's not like Uber's customers have brand loyalty, and AFAIK it's not like an Uber driver can't also work for a competitor (that's an interesting question actually). Plus, I'm guessing the majority of Uber users are only using Uber in their home city. I'm guessing all it would take for anyone to try a competitor is hearing "they're cheaper than Uber". And a competitor could do that if they're giving a higher percentage to the drivers.
Time will tell, but what may be more telling is what happens once autonomous taxi services enter the picture. If Uber doesn't get on that themselves, I could see that putting them out of business.
I was under the same impression, but it seems you can install a custom BIOS that skips the OS verification/developer mode screen. Of course, if I'm wrong about this, I'd love to hear about it since I bought one of those $100 Acer Chromebooks this past weekend.
If you're ok with a smaller form factor, you could get a YotaPhone. Android phone with a 5" AMOLED screen on one side, 4.7" e-Ink screen on the other.
Given the trend in larger and larger screen sizes on phones (which I'm not a fan of but whatever), I wouldn't be surprised if the next iteration of their devices is 5.5" or higher.
You have two options.
1) Agree with what they do and pay more
2) Say it is a breach of contract and drop out
With 1) the company gets what they want
However with 2) the company gets what they want.
While it makes sense in situation you describe (the company you work for losing money every week) for them to cut their loses, I'm doubting that Verizon is in that desperate a situation -- which means that if you take option 2 and drop out, switching to another carrier, no, Verizon isn't exactly get what it wants. They've lost a customer and whatever their monthly profit was on that customer, plus they'll have to spend money trying to get that customer back (which may not succeed).
Sure there's inflation, but the price per gigabyte over the past several years has definitely gone down, as have the cost of monthly contracts in general (thanks to companies like T-Mobile). This does seem like a brash move by Verizon which will piss off a lot of their long-term customers. It would've been smarter to raise the price $10 now and another $10 in 2 years. Or if this is really a problem of trying to eliminate users who are using way too much bandwidth, just keep the price the same and start throttling after a certain amount.
One has to wonder though: when are we ever going to see data caps that are in line with the speeds that LTE and the already-being-discussed 5G allow? It's kind of ridiculous that many users have broadband speeds on their phones which surpass the speeds of their home internet connection, yet they can only use a few GB before being essentially cut-off.
I upgraded my Thinkpad X230 from 8GB to 16GB because it was cheap enough, and because I was occasionally getting slowdowns in Chrome on Linux from so many windows and tabs open.
It fixed the slowdown problem, until recently, when Chrome on Linux decided to simply start crashing after so many (not even that many - maybe 40) were open.
Summary: Latest version of Chrome is total shit on Linux.
- Immediate call if a charge is suspect. I had this happen recently making a big purchase at Home Depot. Card got declined; I was confused. Then my phone rang with the card issuer on the line. Confirmed my identity (smart, phone could've been stolen) and that the charge was legit. Re-ran the transaction and it went through. Catch: For this to work smoothly, the call really needs to come in within 60 seconds, otherwise I would probably try another card for fear of holding up the line.
- Instant notification for ALL charges. Notification by text message and additionally email. If your card is compromised, the thief will often try a small charge as a test to see if the card is still valid. This happened to me recently: I had email notifications setup for charges made, but the bank only sent the notifications for charges over $10, so i didn't see the first fraudulent charge and only found out later when they called me about a $300 charge at nikestore.com in the Netherlands (US-based card). Each text message should be appended with a message like "If you did not make this transaction, reply 'NO' to this message." A reply would freeze the account until you can call in.
- App-based 2-tier authorization - You make a charge and a notification pops up on your phone with the details requiring you to confirm the transaction before it gets approved. I'm wary about this one because it would require having your phone and a working connection at all times, and it could leave you screwed if that isn't the case.
Think how many billionaires would love to have a self-sustaining space station to brag to their friends about visiting, and know they can escape to if Earth ever has an Armageddon-type event?
I agree: mastering a self-sustaining space station makes a lot more sense. We'd learn some things that would help us make the several-month journey to Mars with minimal weight (important because weight is a huge cost of any space mission). We could put another such space station into orbit around Mars as a place for surface expeditions to be launched from and return to. Once you have a self-sustaining space station down, whether in orbit or on a planetary surface, you greatly reduce the possibility of putting humans into the outer reaches of space only to have them die from running out of oxygen or food before we can send help.
I have a dual-SIM phone with one SIM on T-Mobile's network, the other on AT&T's (both are MVNOs). My experience has been that T-Mobile has better overall coverage in the areas they cover -- and by that I mean actually getting 3 or 4 bars on T-Mobile while indoors and getting 0 or 1 bars on AT&T (obviously in the exact same location since it's in the exact same phone).
I think it's pretty well known that T-Mobile is not the carrier of choice if you're looking for extensive rural coverage. If you need that, my impression is that Verizon is the way to go. But if you're in an urban area 99% of the time, T-Mobile is amazing given their prices and their perks, i.e. free unlimited data and text when traveling overseas. (I think most people don't realize just how unprecedented it is to have unlimited data when roaming abroad, and to date I know of no other carrier in the WORLD who offers that.)
Exactly this. Android isn't a fledgling OS anymore where Google has to suck up to carrier demands. It needs to require that Android phones be able to receive critical system updates. It's actually pretty inexcusable that Android has gotten this far without this -- and I say this is a die-hard Android user.
The only aggravation is the start menu still lags on first opening (a "paper cut" issue, but it's been around for a while).
Thanks for mentioning this. I've put Mint on a few old laptops since XP's EOL, and that start menu lag was a dealbreaker for me with Cinnamon. It really leaves a bad first impression, and frankly I hoped it would have been fixed by now.
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OP here. Thanks! I've seen that Belkin one before but didn't know people had used it on 220V despite it only being rated for 110V.
Buying on site isn't an option when you arrive at 3am on an overseas flight.
OP here. Your assumptions are correct: both power supplies (laptop & USB power adapter) are 100V-240V compatible. Your suggestion to simply use a 240V-rated surge suppressor even when on 110V is one I hadn't considered, and your reasoning seems sound. If anyone has actually tried this with without problem, please post about it.
OP here: thanks for this, as it's at least an interesting variation on my current solution. I was hoping to find something in a more simple cube/outlet format that plugs right into the wall (ideally with retractable plug) but this may be the next best thing.
OP here. I appreciate your theory, but sorry, this isn't an advertisement in disguise - and if you believe one can arrive in a developing country and just buy a surge protector within the hour, I would guess you haven't been to the kind of countries I'm talking about (or arrived at 3am when local shops are all closed). When my Thinkpad power supply got fried in India (as mentioned in the OP) I literally spent weeks trying to find a replacement: I'd call a local shop, they'd say they ordered it and it would arrive in 2 days and they'd call me. 4 days later I'd call and they'd say it would be there in 2 days and they'd call me. (They never called). I'd change towns and go through a repeat of the same situation. I finally gave up trying.
Keep in mind as well: not wanting to waste time searching for a new surge protector every time I switch to a different region; wanting to use a quality surge protector from a brand I know is reliable, and not a cheap one as you suggest.
OP here. If surge protectors must be voltage specific, that doesn't explain how the laptop-specific surge protectors can be 100V-240V compatible.
As for carrying a spare laptop power supply, that would be just as much weight/bulk as a 2nd surge protector, so kind of defeats the point.
Once Uber has driven its competition out of business, anyone will be able to offer a service like Uber.
No, because this type of service is a natural monopoly, especially when operated by a large multi-national. Nobody wants to use a different app for every city. It would be just like trying to compete against eBay in the online auction market.
Not really. eBay has a monopoly in that, if you're a buyer looking for something rare or unique at auction, eBay is where you're going to look first, and thus as a seller, eBay is where you're going to look at selling first. But it's not like a ride is anything unique, it's not like Uber's customers have brand loyalty, and AFAIK it's not like an Uber driver can't also work for a competitor (that's an interesting question actually). Plus, I'm guessing the majority of Uber users are only using Uber in their home city. I'm guessing all it would take for anyone to try a competitor is hearing "they're cheaper than Uber". And a competitor could do that if they're giving a higher percentage to the drivers.
Time will tell, but what may be more telling is what happens once autonomous taxi services enter the picture. If Uber doesn't get on that themselves, I could see that putting them out of business.
Please forgive us for our transgressions.
No, 15C is NOT 60F. More like 27F.
It seems you're both pretty terrible at communicating this clearly.
15C is 59F.
0C is 32F.
A change (+/-) of 15C equates to a change (+/-) of 27F.
I was under the same impression, but it seems you can install a custom BIOS that skips the OS verification/developer mode screen. Of course, if I'm wrong about this, I'd love to hear about it since I bought one of those $100 Acer Chromebooks this past weekend.
Right, because all phones consume power at exactly the same rate.
If you're ok with a smaller form factor, you could get a YotaPhone. Android phone with a 5" AMOLED screen on one side, 4.7" e-Ink screen on the other.
Given the trend in larger and larger screen sizes on phones (which I'm not a fan of but whatever), I wouldn't be surprised if the next iteration of their devices is 5.5" or higher.
You have two options. 1) Agree with what they do and pay more 2) Say it is a breach of contract and drop out
With 1) the company gets what they want However with 2) the company gets what they want.
While it makes sense in situation you describe (the company you work for losing money every week) for them to cut their loses, I'm doubting that Verizon is in that desperate a situation -- which means that if you take option 2 and drop out, switching to another carrier, no, Verizon isn't exactly get what it wants. They've lost a customer and whatever their monthly profit was on that customer, plus they'll have to spend money trying to get that customer back (which may not succeed).
Sure there's inflation, but the price per gigabyte over the past several years has definitely gone down, as have the cost of monthly contracts in general (thanks to companies like T-Mobile). This does seem like a brash move by Verizon which will piss off a lot of their long-term customers. It would've been smarter to raise the price $10 now and another $10 in 2 years. Or if this is really a problem of trying to eliminate users who are using way too much bandwidth, just keep the price the same and start throttling after a certain amount.
One has to wonder though: when are we ever going to see data caps that are in line with the speeds that LTE and the already-being-discussed 5G allow? It's kind of ridiculous that many users have broadband speeds on their phones which surpass the speeds of their home internet connection, yet they can only use a few GB before being essentially cut-off.
The CPU hit is causing the browser to crash? This happens without any video playing, though maybe a YouTube page loaded, not running.
I've just disabled non-essential browser plugins thinking maybe that's a part of it.
I upgraded my Thinkpad X230 from 8GB to 16GB because it was cheap enough, and because I was occasionally getting slowdowns in Chrome on Linux from so many windows and tabs open.
It fixed the slowdown problem, until recently, when Chrome on Linux decided to simply start crashing after so many (not even that many - maybe 40) were open.
Summary: Latest version of Chrome is total shit on Linux.
Warp biking is much greener anyway.
- Immediate call if a charge is suspect. I had this happen recently making a big purchase at Home Depot. Card got declined; I was confused. Then my phone rang with the card issuer on the line. Confirmed my identity (smart, phone could've been stolen) and that the charge was legit. Re-ran the transaction and it went through. Catch: For this to work smoothly, the call really needs to come in within 60 seconds, otherwise I would probably try another card for fear of holding up the line.
- Instant notification for ALL charges. Notification by text message and additionally email. If your card is compromised, the thief will often try a small charge as a test to see if the card is still valid. This happened to me recently: I had email notifications setup for charges made, but the bank only sent the notifications for charges over $10, so i didn't see the first fraudulent charge and only found out later when they called me about a $300 charge at nikestore.com in the Netherlands (US-based card). Each text message should be appended with a message like "If you did not make this transaction, reply 'NO' to this message." A reply would freeze the account until you can call in.
- App-based 2-tier authorization - You make a charge and a notification pops up on your phone with the details requiring you to confirm the transaction before it gets approved. I'm wary about this one because it would require having your phone and a working connection at all times, and it could leave you screwed if that isn't the case.
If you're saying a DIY install with microinverters is relatively easy (for the technically inclined), I'd love to see a link or two.
Think how many billionaires would love to have a self-sustaining space station to brag to their friends about visiting, and know they can escape to if Earth ever has an Armageddon-type event?
I agree: mastering a self-sustaining space station makes a lot more sense. We'd learn some things that would help us make the several-month journey to Mars with minimal weight (important because weight is a huge cost of any space mission). We could put another such space station into orbit around Mars as a place for surface expeditions to be launched from and return to. Once you have a self-sustaining space station down, whether in orbit or on a planetary surface, you greatly reduce the possibility of putting humans into the outer reaches of space only to have them die from running out of oxygen or food before we can send help.
I have a dual-SIM phone with one SIM on T-Mobile's network, the other on AT&T's (both are MVNOs). My experience has been that T-Mobile has better overall coverage in the areas they cover -- and by that I mean actually getting 3 or 4 bars on T-Mobile while indoors and getting 0 or 1 bars on AT&T (obviously in the exact same location since it's in the exact same phone).
I think it's pretty well known that T-Mobile is not the carrier of choice if you're looking for extensive rural coverage. If you need that, my impression is that Verizon is the way to go. But if you're in an urban area 99% of the time, T-Mobile is amazing given their prices and their perks, i.e. free unlimited data and text when traveling overseas. (I think most people don't realize just how unprecedented it is to have unlimited data when roaming abroad, and to date I know of no other carrier in the WORLD who offers that.)
Exactly this. Android isn't a fledgling OS anymore where Google has to suck up to carrier demands. It needs to require that Android phones be able to receive critical system updates. It's actually pretty inexcusable that Android has gotten this far without this -- and I say this is a die-hard Android user.
The only aggravation is the start menu still lags on first opening (a "paper cut" issue, but it's been around for a while).
Thanks for mentioning this. I've put Mint on a few old laptops since XP's EOL, and that start menu lag was a dealbreaker for me with Cinnamon. It really leaves a bad first impression, and frankly I hoped it would have been fixed by now.
Now let's hope the rumors that Nokia will begin producing Android smartphones in 2016 are true.