Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

at one point I had imported a ton of my CDs into iTunes. I also had some purchased music, but not much. Through various computer replacements and crashes I had trouble with those files, but managed to recover a couple off some backup.

I did figure out a way to get all of the music (well, majority of the files!) consolidated into one database using a program I found that happily exports to a USB drive from my laptop. And more importantly, will imported CDs when I want to start loading more. iTunes had gotten bad and I was not willing to load more of my music stash into that.

the biggest issue with iTunes was that you could log into it and your purchases followed you, but anything you imported only lived on that device.

jmonroe1

@Michaell said:
"Lucy, you've got some 'splainin' to do!"

————————————————
I didn’t know his name is Lucy. I guess we can be on a first name basis now. Won’t call him doc anymore.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@driver100 said:
I didn't know he designed car seats;

————————————————
Don’t take this the wrong way but there are a LOT of things you don’t know.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

@jmonroe1 said:

@Michaell said:
"Lucy, you've got some 'splainin' to do!"

————————————————
I didn’t know his name is Lucy. I guess we can be on a first name basis now. Won’t call him doc anymore.

jmonroe

It sounded more like “Rucy” if I recall correctly??

imidazol97

While we're talking about mp3's and music, I have some long albums that I would like to split up into individual songs using a program that can do it automatically. That'd be much easier than trying to use an audio editor to split the songs I want into separate mp3's. One continuous group is 2:48:xx in length. Lots of Soul from the 70s, LOL.

Have you used any Win10 programs that will do that? When I did a search, the first one up was Microsoft's CUE, but I usually find Msft's ancillary programs to be lacking or difficult to use.

henryn

imidazol97 said:

While we're talking about mp3's and music, I have some long albums that I would like to split up into individual songs using a program that can do it automatically. That'd be much easier than trying to use an audio editor to split the songs I want into separate mp3's. One continuous group is 2:48:xx in length. Lots of Soul from the 70s, LOL.

Have you used any Win10 programs that will do that? When I did a search, the first one up was Microsoft's CUE, but I usually find Msft's ancillary programs to be lacking or difficult to use.

This is the one I use. Quick, clean, easy, and free. But take note: you must have a cue file for it to work.

http://www.medieval.it/cuesplitter-pc/menu-id-71.html

CUE Splitter is a freeware tool that splits a single big audio file, mostly an album or a compilation, into the relative independent audio tracks, using the informations stored in its associated .CUE file; without decoding/re-encoding the data stream!!!

Sandman6472

Definitely need a set-up like Mike has as I'd love to just keep my laptop closed and use a bigger monitor and a keyboard/mouse in front. I have my new iPad for when I want to go somewhere else in the house and surf.
On another matter today, found a nice queen headboard on a neighborhood website, called OfferUp, and checked it out. Nice enough for my office/spare bedroom but it was a tad too big to fit in my hatchback. Bummer as it was a decent price as the folks are getting ready to move. Have no access to a truck so guess it ain't going to happen. Strange thing was she had a SUV outside, a Kia Sportage I think, but never offered to follow me home with it. Guess it wasn't meant to be. It's just the last piece for completing my office space/spare bedroom. I'm in here a lot when home, as since my wife works the majority of time at home, in her office right across the hall from mine, I need to be somewhat quiet so she can work. Ah...so be it!

bwia

toyota crown

Michaell

Sandman6472 said:

Definitely need a set-up like Mike has as I'd love to just keep my laptop closed and use a bigger monitor and a keyboard/mouse in front. I have my new iPad for when I want to go somewhere else in the house and surf.
On another matter today, found a nice queen headboard on a neighborhood website, called OfferUp, and checked it out. Nice enough for my office/spare bedroom but it was a tad too big to fit in my hatchback. Bummer as it was a decent price as the folks are getting ready to move. Have no access to a truck so guess it ain't going to happen. Strange thing was she had a SUV outside, a Kia Sportage I think, but never offered to follow me home with it. Guess it wasn't meant to be. It's just the last piece for completing my office space/spare bedroom. I'm in here a lot when home, as since my wife works the majority of time at home, in her office right across the hall from mine, I need to be somewhat quiet so she can work. Ah...so be it!

Sandy, the most important part of my setup is the wooden stand the monitor sits on. This keeps the monitor at eye level, instead of looking down to it.

Also, I wear progressive lenses on my glasses, and it forced me to tilt my head up, so that I could use the magnifying part of them to see the screen in focus. My neck was hurting from that, so I got my eye doctor to write up a prescription for single vision lenses with a focal point of about 18 inches. I wear this exclusively when I'm on my computer, and they have helped immensely.

qbrozen

Might as well throw a new topic out here. 3D printing. I toy with the idea every once in a while when I’m in need of unobtanium. A friend of mine with one made a new hood bumpstop for the ML for me, for example. When I saw one of the Pajeros is missing its glovebox latch, I thought “that would be a good job for a 3d printer.” The final straw was, when searching for new shifter bushings for the Alto, I came upon a 3D file for them.

After learning a LITTLE, I decided I need something easy. Auto bed leveling? Yes, please. A hotter nozzle to work with flexible materials? Yup, definitely need that. Large format? Might as well.

I settled on the Sovol SV05. Supposed to be the 2nd coming, if these reviews are to be believed. And still cheap.

Takes some time to assemble. I then handed it to my kid and said “hey, you have free time. Figure this out.” That didn’t go well. He gave up fast. Damned lazy kids. I’m sitting here now hoping I am doing the right things. It is making noises and acting like it is doing something, so we’ll see what comes out the other end.

stickguy

It is making noises and acting like it is doing something, so we’ll see what comes out the other end.

The printer, or the kid?

driver100

This HP laptop seems pretty good....and, it is a nice RED color!


HP 15.6” Laptop (Latest Model), Intel Pentium Quad-Core Processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Micro-Edge Display, Intel UHD Graphics, RJ-45 Ethernet Port, USB Type-C, HDMI, Long Battery Life, Windows OS

mjfloyd1

driver100 said:

This HP laptop seems pretty good....and, it is a nice RED color!


HP 15.6” Laptop (Latest Model), Intel Pentium Quad-Core Processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Micro-Edge Display, Intel UHD Graphics, RJ-45 Ethernet Port, USB Type-C, HDMI, Long Battery Life, Windows OS

Wireless?

laurasdada

driver100 said:

This HP laptop seems pretty good....and, it is a nice RED color!


HP 15.6” Laptop (Latest Model), Intel Pentium Quad-Core Processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Micro-Edge Display, Intel UHD Graphics, RJ-45 Ethernet Port, USB Type-C, HDMI, Long Battery Life, Windows OS

Backup camera?

kyfdx

I thought Pentium was a really old chip?
Aren’t the current Intel chips i3, i5, i7, etc?

stickguy

that one is very skimpy on hard drive capacity.

roadburner

stickguy said:

that one is very skimpy on hard drive capacity.

Who cares how it performs? It looks nice.

henryn

kyfdx said:

I thought Pentium was a really old chip?
Aren’t the current Intel chips i3, i5, i7, etc?

You are correct, Pentium is really old. There's something fishy about that description, I can't believe anyone legitimate would actually advertise in that fashion. They would not say "Pentium", they would instead say something like I3 or I5. They would not say "Windows OS", they would say "Windows 10" or "Windows 11" or "Windows 11 ready". Like I said, fishy.

driver100

stickguy said:

that one is very skimpy on hard drive capacity.

That can be added when ordering (if this is what you mean).

16GB RAM | 1TB SSD
16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
16GB RAM | 2TB SSD
16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
32GB RAM | 1TB SSD
32GB RAM | 2TB SSD

AND IT IS RED (would go nice with the C250!)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B48N5RMK/ref=pe_27562780_697489580_em_1p_2_lm

mlevine

A must is i5 or i7 chip, windows 11, 16 GB memory, and SSD 1TB. I saw costco add that had laptops with above requirement from $750 to $900. I think they may have integrated graphics card. I prefer separate graphics card.

explorerx4

@driver100,
What charity are you supporting through Amazon?

explorerx4

Kind of fun old Top Gear old vs new comparison.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAXRVa_jHGM

imidazol97

Intel Pentium N5000 1.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.7GHz)

Doing quick look 'cause I have a haircut (of what's left) in 20 minutes.
"Is a N5000 processor good?
As a verdict, we will say that the Pentium Silver N5000 is a good entry-level CPU and it's fast enough for most users that will use it for casual and light tasks. If you need more power, the Core i3-1005G1 is too expensive for its performance – the i5-1035G4 (or i5-1035G1) is a much better buy than it.Feb 4, 2020"

Note the processor is "good" in 2020...

There's a computer that shows in the comparison of 4 items below the description that's $429 that is better configured if you wish to suffer the lowest end processor.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-6-Laptop-Quad-Core-Micro-Edge/dp/B0B48N5RMK

It has sufficient SSD at 512 GB. But lacks memory at 8 GB instead of 12 or 16.

These do have wireless per the descriptions?

imidazol97

https://www.notebookcheck.net/7100U-vs-N5000-vs-7130U_8153_9420_9178.247596.0.html

ab348

I see in the news of the day that Ford is re-entering F1 racing as an engine supplier to Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. I wonder if this means that they will learn how to design and build heads and head gaskets that do not fail when under turbocharged pressures?

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

I see in the news of the day that Ford is re-entering F1 racing as an engine supplier to Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. I wonder if this means that they will learn how to design and build heads and head gaskets that do not fail when under turbocharged pressures?

Maybe that’s what they’re researching.

henryn

imidazol97 said:

Intel Pentium N5000 1.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.7GHz)

Doing quick look 'cause I have a haircut (of what's left) in 20 minutes.
"Is a N5000 processor good?
As a verdict, we will say that the Pentium Silver N5000 is a good entry-level CPU and it's fast enough for most users that will use it for casual and light tasks. If you need more power, the Core i3-1005G1 is too expensive for its performance – the i5-1035G4 (or i5-1035G1) is a much better buy than it.Feb 4, 2020"

Note the processor is "good" in 2020...

There's a computer that shows in the comparison of 4 items below the description that's $429 that is better configured if you wish to suffer the lowest end processor.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-6-Laptop-Quad-Core-Micro-Edge/dp/B0B48N5RMK

It has sufficient SSD at 512 GB. But lacks memory at 8 GB instead of 12 or 16.

These do have wireless per the descriptions?

The N5000 sucks, plain and simple. It is one step above a Celeron, and should be avoided. The difference in price stepping up to an i3 or i5 is really minimal, and well worth the cost. Whoever wrote that "fast enough for most users" is either a fool, a liar, or a shill for a company selling that underpowered cpu.

henryn

Another day, another fraudulent charge. I woke up this morning to a charge of $1,117.39 on my Amex card. Investigation shows someone ordered a new phone for $999 (plus tax) from the Google store. I can’t see the address used, but I can see the item ordered and the tax charged (which is entirely wrong for Texas). So obviously the ship to address was not in my state, which normally Amex won’t allow you to buy something online to be shipped to a wrong address. Apparently that requirement was circumvented by the Google Store.

I have disputed the charge with Amex, and with the Google store. The whole thing rather p___ me off though.

venture

henryn said:

Another day, another fraudulent charge. I woke up this morning to a charge of $1,117.39 on my Amex card. Investigation shows someone ordered a new phone for $999 (plus tax) from the Google store. I can’t see the address used, but I can see the item ordered and the tax charged (which is entirely wrong for Texas). So obviously the ship to address was not in my state, which normally Amex won’t allow you to buy something online to be shipped to a wrong address. Apparently that requirement was circumvented by the Google Store.

I have disputed the charge with Amex, and with the Google store. The whole thing rather p___ me off though.

Bummer!

I don't know about American Express (I rarely use mine), but my VISA cards can be locked so they can't be used. Just by going to the web site holding the card; in my case my credit union. To use it I just go in and unlock it. It only takes a minute.

Maybe it's bank specific. I don't know.

roadburner

explorerx4 said:

Kind of fun old Top Gear old vs new comparison.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAXRVa_jHGM

Back in 1986 the AMG Hammer was-according to Car and Driver-"the hottest passenger sedan in history." My car, which according to many people is not a "real" AMG, is almost a second faster 0-60 and in the 1/4 mile while returning much better fuel economy. The Hammer does prevail in top speed- 178 mph vs. 155 mph. And the cost of the Hammer in 2023 dollars? $340,396(!)

Meanwhile, my wife's four cylinder turbo X1 posts the same acceleration numbers as my 1988 M6 did(at least when it was stock).

andres3

Someone raced a tuned B9 S4 vs. the old equally tuned B8 S4 and it was .01 seconds apart in the quarter mile.

As I suspected, over 13 years since the B8 was introduced, but no real advancement. (or the advancements are equally weighed down by going the wrong direction in some areas).

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
What charity are you supporting through Amazon?

SMILE....some money does go to charity.

andres3

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
What charity are you supporting through Amazon?

SMILE....some money does go to charity.

I read on the internet Amazon was discontinuing that service.

The internet couldn't be wrong could it?

driver100

imidazol97 said:

Intel Pentium N5000 1.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.7GHz)

Doing quick look 'cause I have a haircut (of what's left) in 20 minutes.
"Is a N5000 processor good?
As a verdict, we will say that the Pentium Silver N5000 is a good entry-level CPU and it's fast enough for most users that will use it for casual and light tasks. If you need more power, the Core i3-1005G1 is too expensive for its performance – the i5-1035G4 (or i5-1035G1) is a much better buy than it.Feb 4, 2020"

Note the processor is "good" in 2020...

There's a computer that shows in the comparison of 4 items below the description that's $429 that is better configured if you wish to suffer the lowest end processor.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-6-Laptop-Quad-Core-Micro-Edge/dp/B0B48N5RMK

It has sufficient SSD at 512 GB. But lacks memory at 8 GB instead of 12 or 16.

These do have wireless per the descriptions?

I saw that one too....and it looks good in red as well. Since they come from the HP Store I think they can be upgraded when you order them...if you want more memory.
I only use my computer for emails....so I can get by without the latest and fastest. Also, it is basically only used for 5 months of the year while we are in Florida.
I needed mine at the time, 2 months ago....but I wish I waited for that red one!

fintail

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

Intel Pentium N5000 1.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (4MB Cache, Up to 2.7GHz)

Doing quick look 'cause I have a haircut (of what's left) in 20 minutes.
"Is a N5000 processor good?
As a verdict, we will say that the Pentium Silver N5000 is a good entry-level CPU and it's fast enough for most users that will use it for casual and light tasks. If you need more power, the Core i3-1005G1 is too expensive for its performance – the i5-1035G4 (or i5-1035G1) is a much better buy than it.Feb 4, 2020"

Note the processor is "good" in 2020...

There's a computer that shows in the comparison of 4 items below the description that's $429 that is better configured if you wish to suffer the lowest end processor.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-6-Laptop-Quad-Core-Micro-Edge/dp/B0B48N5RMK

It has sufficient SSD at 512 GB. But lacks memory at 8 GB instead of 12 or 16.

These do have wireless per the descriptions?

I saw that one too....and it looks good in red as well. Since they come from the HP Store I think they can be upgraded when you order them...if you want more memory.
I only use my computer for emails....so I can get by without the latest and fastest. Also, it is basically only used for 5 months of the year while we are in Florida.
I needed mine at the time, 2 months ago....but I wish I waited for that red one!

I am leery of machines sold by indy sellers on Amazon (look at the ad - there's a listing for the HP Store, but this unit isn't being sold by HP). I bet the "latest model" claim isn't true anymore. Still could be a fair deal.

fintail

roadburner said:

explorerx4 said:

Kind of fun old Top Gear old vs new comparison.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAXRVa_jHGM

Back in 1986 the AMG Hammer was-according to Car and Driver-"the hottest passenger sedan in history." My car, which according to many people is not a "real" AMG, is almost a second faster 0-60 and in the 1/4 mile while returning much better fuel economy. The Hammer does prevail in top speed- 178 mph vs. 155 mph. And the cost of the Hammer in 2023 dollars? $340,396(!)

Meanwhile, my wife's four cylinder turbo X1 posts the same acceleration numbers as my 1988 M6 did(at least when it was stock).

My non-tuned wagon will probably keep up with an early Hammer at least in 0-60 and maybe quarter mile. I am pretty sure the wagon is actually faster in those metrics than my old 2002 E55 AMG, a car I regret selling.

The Hammers are now quite collectible too - maybe not to an inflation adjusted MSRP, but easily into 6 figures anyway.

houdini1

abacomike said:

@roadburner said:

I much prefer surround view over a backup camera.

BMW:

M-B:

My Genesis G90 has both - surround (Birds Eye view) and back-up images. I use front view when pulling into parking spot to make sure car is straight and equidistant to the vehicles on each side.

These nanny features are great for an old fart like me. But I also use my head to make sure the camera views are giving me correct info.

You get a lot more room between cars if everyone would park on the extreme left of the space, if not right on the line. The catch is, everyone has to follow this rule, so would never work here, but I am told that this is the default parking mode in Japan.

stickguy

cameras just give additional info for you to use if you want. They are no more of a "nanny" than your rear view mirror! Same with blind spot monitoring. I just consider that to be an evolutionary upgrade to the side mirrors.

driver100

stickguy said:

cameras just give additional info for you to use if you want.

Tell me about it!

mjfloyd1

@stickguy said:
cameras just give additional info for you to use if you want. They are no more of a "nanny" than your rear view mirror! Same with blind spot monitoring. I just consider that to be an evolutionary upgrade to the side mirrors.

Only the wireless ones? Or are the wired ones good too?😂

andres3

Was it here that someone suggested the reason cars don't have standard dash cams in 2023 is because the "Authorities" might want to use your own camera footage as evidence against you?

And then bad drivers intuitively know they don't want that kind of evidence around?

Or is it manufacturers don't want to get sued for providing that evidence?

Or will it be a 5th Amendment legal challenge on who owns the evidence like black boxes.

stickguy

take off the tin hat. The answer is much simpler. Very few buyers actually care about or want the feature, so the manufacturers see no reason to spend money on adding it.

I think there are some (maybe Mercedes?) that might offer a version as an option, but don't hold me to that.

explorerx4

Twsla's have video recording built in. Not sure if all models.

Michaell

I thought folks here might appreciate this picture. The black and white plates are new for Colorado

explorerx4

@michaell,
I like the old ones with the mountains better.
Ohio seems to change their plate style pretty often.

tjc78

I hate NJ’s license plates. Delaware has the black and white now too

explorerx4

I have the corrected version of Ohio's current plate design.
Corrected you say?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ohio+license+plate&docid=603531621953133975&mid=072571F33BB06B8F7682072571F33BB06B8F7682&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

ab348

explorerx4 said:

Twsla's have video recording built in. Not sure if all models.

Elon must like to spy on his customers. I wonder if they record all conversations within the vehicle too?

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

I hate NJ’s license plates. Delaware has the black and white now too

Delaware plates used to look like they were made out of construction paper..

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

@michaell,
I like the old ones with the mountains better.
Ohio seems to change their plate style pretty often.

These are special order plates, like the black and gold ones in CA.

The default plates still include the mountain outline, except they are white with green lettering, rather than the original green with white lettering.