i'm very happy this printer type is still being made
Many moons ago, I got exposed to one of the best damned printers ever made, the HP LaserJet 4 Plus. People love this thing so much that they are STILL reconditioned and sold on eBay to this day, STILL have new toner cartridges manufactured for them, and STILL have repair kits and replacement parts made to fix them. That's the staying power of the HP LaserJet 4 Plus. It's that good even though it was made 30 years ago.
What made the HP LJ 4+ so good is that it just worked. Black-and-white printing only, reasonable print speed and rock-solid reliable. They were built for office use and cranked out print after print with no complaints.
But can you get this with a new printer now for the home?
Yes. Thankfully, there is the Brother HL-L2460DW.
The advantage of getting the Brother over an old HP LaserJet is that it's new and wireless is built right in whereas on the HP it obviously isn't.
Like the old HP, this printer does one thing. Print black-and-white. No color. And that's fine because all anybody cares about is black ink and not the color crap. It uses the 830XL toner, and replacement toners start around $50. That's actually pretty darned good considering how insanely priced inkjet carts are.
To note, the L2460DW is not cheapest version. There is also the HL-L2405W. On the higher end is a model with built-in scanner and fax, the MFC-L2820DW. That one costs more, but for people that want a scanner/printer with reliable black-and-white printing, oh yes, that will do just fine.
When you're sick of inkjet crap, you go laser and stay there.
Everybody knows that inkjet printing is a racket, both for the printers and replacement ink carts. Many thousands of people get frustrated with their printers daily, mainly because it's always the COLOR carts that run out first when all you want to do is print in BLACK.
Anybody who prints at home regularly eventually learns that monochrome laser printing is what works best. Yes, you could try your luck with a portable thermal printer. Those do work, but thermal paper is annoying to deal with. You're better off with tried-and-true monochrome laser. The print quality is better, it's a proven reliable way to print, and you don't go into the poorhouse buying ink carts over and over again.
Casio WSB1000 has one fatal flaw
On paper, this thing sounds darned near perfect. But there's one thing about it that's not-so good. Bad, in fact.
I really like that Casio has been introducing a good amount of squared-off digitals lately. There's nothing wrong with round, but LCD digits by their very nature are angular, so a square/rectangle shape totally works with it. The WS1700H is a good example of that, as that model is big, square, and not sorry about it.
But then comes the more reasonably sized WSB1000. 46.2mm lug-to-lug, 41.3mm case, 11.6mm thick. Nice dimensions all around.
The WSB1000 has a trick up its sleeve. You can connect it with Bluetooth to your phone to sync the time. At top, you see STEP TRACKER. This watch will track up to 999,999 steps. That's not a typo. Step goal ranges can be set from 1,000 to 50,000 using 1,000-step increments. It also has a step reminder feature that will show on the display and beep at you if you like. There's even a step count graph on it at top left. When active, it replaces the weekday display.
But even if you don't use the step tracking feature, this is still a good looking digital with nice big buttons on it for easy operation.
What's the flaw?
Two-year battery life from a CR2016.
True, CR2016 batteries are dirt cheap, but I'm totally used to Casio watches with a 10-year battery life.
I did look up to see if there are any more Casio Step Tracker watches that have a longer battery life. The one that stuck out was the WS2100H. That's a bigger watch, but also has the bigger CR2025 battery which Casio claims lasts 3 years instead of 2. The tradeoff is no Bluetooth sync with that model.
As far as I can tell, no Casio watch exists that has the step tracker feature and 10-year battery life. Not even for G-SHOCK models. The GBX100 has a 2-year battery life. If you want a longer battery life, you have to go solar. Two of the few models I know that has step tracker along with everything else and the kitchen sink and is solar powered is the G-SHOCK DWH5600 and G-SHOCK GBDH2000. Those are cool watches, but at that point you're going far beyond just having a basic step tracker.
The WSB1000 is cool and I like it. I don't like the short (for a Casio) battery life. But I do like the step tracking and the very low price point to get a plain digital watch where you can sync the time with Bluetooth. That's just a nice feature to have.
online shopping is required in this modern clown world
Certain events happen in my life that prove to me yes, this modern era is just plain dumb sometimes.
Spiral bound memo pads in 3x5 size, with the spiral being a metal coil. A simple thing. It's been around a very long time. The spiral bound notebook itself has been around since the 1930s. I don't know how long the 3x5 size of this has been around, but it has to be at least 70 years.
My preferred style of this memo pad is with the spiral on top of the page. It's easier to tear off pages and use either side of a page without the spiral getting in the way.
There are several styles of this memo pad available. Top coil, side coil, metal coil, plastic coil, waterproof versions, every cover color you can think of, whatever.
I have a point to saying this. These are common.
But not at Staples!
Earlier this week I went to two Staples stores to buy memo pads like the ones shown above. NONE AVAILABLE. I go to the first store, nothing. I go to another one 10 miles away, NOTHING AGAIN.
Bear in mind Staples is an office supply store. I can understand if Walmart or Target runs out of these things, but Staples?! That store is supposed to have piles of memo pads in stock at any given time. I could even understand one store running out of them. But two in a row on the same day? Yeah, that happened.
After striking out twice, I said screw it and just ordered my pads from Amazon.
Why didn't I just go to Walmart, Target, Walgreen's, CVS or even Dollar General to get my pads? The pads they sell either don't have the top metal coil and/or the paper used sucks and/or it's the chintzy 60-sheet crap (or worse yet, 50-sheet). I WANT GOOD PAPER AND MY 75 SHEETS.
Confused by what I mean by "good paper"? I'll explain by describing bad paper. Really bad memo pads have paper so thin and terrible that a regular ballpoint ink pen will bleed right through it. You can't even use the other side of the paper. One side only. On top of that, the ink has a hard time getting into the paper, so you press harder, literally dent the paper you're writing on and the next page. Then when you go to write on the next page, the point of your pen encounters little divots and valleys, and day ruined. Yes, the whole day. You should have bought the better pads...
...which I did. Staples USED to have these pads, but evidently those are up and gone like a fart in the wind. I had to buy mine online.
Let me spell out how ridiculous this is. I had to use a computer.. to connect to the largest computer network in the world.. to electronically make a purchase.. just to get decent paper in a small 3x5 size to WRITE SOMETHING DOWN ON.
Total clown world.
the sad state of address search in maps
Something I started doing about 16 years ago in the late-2000s is using direct GPS coordinates to get to places. Why? Address search sucked. It's not that the address couldn't be located, but rather the place I was directed to was incorrect.
Sometimes the destination was a little incorrect by putting me on the wrong side of the street. Other times it was really wrong by putting me over a block away from where I wanted to be. For example, in large shopping mall areas that take up acres of space, I don't want to be directed to the mall entrance. Rather, I want to be sent directly to the store entrance. Big difference.
I learned early on that the only thing that really works 100% of the time is using coordinates, so that's what I've been using for over 15 years. However, the way I do it these days has changed slightly.
Punching in GPS coordinates to my Garmin DriveSmart 66 isn't all that different from how it used to be done years ago.
Old school way from the late 2000s: Go to Google Maps, bring up satellite view, search for where I want to go, right-click the map, get coordinates, punch that into the Garmin, go. This old school way can still be used.
Modern way: Use the phone, load up Google Maps, bring up satellite view, search for where I want to go, long press to get coordinates, punch that into the Garmin, go.
I do not use my phone to navigate with because I don't want to deal with "GPS signal lost" with a phone - which happens a lot.
What's the sad part?
You would think that all these years later that address search would be totally fixed and perfected. I'm not talking about the Garmin but rather online address searching. There should be no such thing as incorrect address listings with online maps.
Well, that's not the case.
I am still using GPS coordinates to get exactly where I want to go because online address search is still bad.
If there's a brand new apartment building that was just opened fewer than 90 days ago, sure, I can understand that not being listed in the maps yet. But if it's existed longer than 90 days, units have been rented out and there are people living there, there's no excuse for that building not to be listed in the online address database. None whatsoever.
For business listings (and those usually take priority over residential listings), yeah I've encountered some from online address search where the entrance is in the completely wrong spot. I have to check, double check, use satellite view, use Street Views, use alternate map sites and so on just to get the right place so I can get those coordinates.
Why do coordinates always work?
Coordinates are an absolute, and that's why they work. A set of coordinates is an exact position. I can use coordinates so precise that it could lead me directly to a parking space. Yes, it's that accurate.
If you're sick of online address search getting it wrong, use GPS coordinates and it will be right. It takes extra effort, but it's totally worth it. Better to put in the effort instead of being led around in circles trying to find a location.
how to cool down a car without air conditioning
I thought this was common knowledge, but I guess it isn't, so I'm stepping up to the plate to tell you how it's done.
Like many other people, I drive a car with four doors and power windows. But even if you don't have power windows, this can still be done.
A bit of advice before giving these instructions. You should be spraying your window tracks with WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant twice a year. NOT regular WD-40. NOT white lithium grease. The silicone lubricant specifically. Roll down the window, spray inside the window track on both sides, then roll up and down the window 10 times and you're done.
There is not a single car made that doesn't need its window tracks lubricated periodically. Over time, dirt gets in the tracks, that creates more friction, and the electric motor has to work harder to roll up/down the windows. Worst case scenario is you end up with a window that won't roll or a dead electric window motor. LUBRICATE THOSE TRACKS.
Moving on...
"Free A/C" is achieved with a four-door car by rolling down the driver's side window halfway and the passenger side rear window down 1/4 to 1/2 way. What this does is make a directed tunnel of air through the car while it's moving. Air comes in the driver's side window, over you, then out the passenger side rear window.
This can be combined with running the fans pointed at you. The air from there will go where the air tunnel goes (more or less) since the tunnel has higher velocity.
Why not roll the driver's side and rear passenger side window all the way down? That works, but makes the tunnel "dirty". The goal is to make a smooth stream of air. Also, having the windows rolled all the way down can create what's known as buffeting, as in loud air noises from the stream breaking up.
Does the passenger benefit from this stream of air? No. Just you for the most part. And screw the passenger, because it's your car anyway.
Does this negatively affect mileage range? Not all that much. Whether you're in a gas-powered car or EV, if the air stream is smooth and not buffeting all over the place, the knock against mileage range is negligible. Yes, there will be increased wind resistance. If you're watching your range, you'll have to do some math and compare driving with A/C vs. driving with a tunnel of air going through the car.
Does this work on two-door pickup trucks? Only the kind that have rear glass that opens, and only somewhat. You roll down the driver's window by 1/4 or 1/2, then take your best guess how much to open the rear glass. I would start with 1/2 and see if that works.
And now The Big Question: Does this really work?
Yes.
For a long time now, whenever summer comes I only turn on the A/C when I absolutely have to while driving. Even on the hottest summer days, as long as the car is moving, I've got the driver and rear passenger side windows rolled down a certain amount to get that air streaming through the car.
Yes, this does mean I turn the A/C on when I come to a stop at a traffic light since that's when the natural air stops. But when I start moving again, the A/C is turned off.
Otherwise, the only time the A/C comes on while driving is during oppressively hot days. And by that I mean days hot enough for local weather services to post warnings saying to stay out of the sun for extended periods.