[Newfie]

Made some progress moving out of the house this AM.

I have a spare marine diesel for my small boat I picked up for a song. It was stored in the basement but needed to come out to be moved to the storage trailer. At 550 pounds, with transmission, it is not the easiest thing to move around. But we tor it out. Tuesday I get an open UHaul trailer and we take it to the storage trailer. Not bad foe a couple of old codgers.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Sounds great. But would a nice garter snake or python be THAT different re enjoying the pet? And without the potential big downside?

Certain species of rattlers are among the few snake species that actually seek out companionship and display some rudimentary simulacrum of empathy.

Interesting. And thanks for the links. I had no idea that was a thing.

Thanks for sharing. I'm always happy to learn new things from folks with actual credible links and data points, vs. ranting and raving.

This reminds me of the intelligence of crows, especially Caledonian crows, vs. the usual assumption of the term "bird brain". Intelligence comes from surprising sources.

And I suppose I'm a traitor, but given the raw material they have to work with vs. the results, I'm MUCH more impressed with Caledonian crows than I am with the typical science denying human, FWIW.

[Newfie]

We had an African Grey parrot.
Smart enough to get me in regular trouble.

[careinke]

I retired my old Samsung S8 phone and replaced it with a Galaxy Fold Z3 5G and the optional S Pen. Actually, to call it a "Phone" is a gross understatement. This thing is amazing.

We went in to our local Verizon store to replace my wife's Samsung tablet and while we were there I checked out upgrading my phone to the the Z3. The deal was great (still a little pricy), but I have been coveting the note taking functions for a few years with the previous Fold Z versions, plus I planned on a "major" winter project cleaning up and linking my calendars, budgets, social contacts, etc, and I figured it might be easier with the Z3.

Well after several attempts guessing what I was doing, I fell back to my trusted information source, You Tube. This was the very best source I found. It covers everything from initial setup to the use of almost all options on the phone.

150+ Samsung Galaxy Z FOLD 3 Tips, Tricks and Hidden Features!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8FB6C4BBPg

I have got to say this technology is orders of magnitude better than my 5 year old S8. It is very customable, and has a lot of AI built in.

Hey Newfie, As I have been working on this project for the last couple of days, I keep thinking of you. I know the problems you have communicating when you sail south, so you may want to check this out. The main screen is so spacious and easy to use, I may not have to drag my laptop when we go visiting by car.

Well, back to my winter project, Office 365 is next.....

Peace

[Doly]

I've always been surprised at how smart are budgies, considering that their brain is the size of a bean or thereabouts.

[Newfie]

Carinke;

I have been stuck on Apple phones for years using a 6plus until recently.

I got a used 11plus as my main phone but also got a used Galaxy Note 10 because some charting software I needed was only a available on Android. At the moment I am pretty set.

The I phone will remain connected to Verizon. My intent is to get a digicell card for the Android so I have Caribbean coverage.

The new phones are better than the old 6, and both are water proof.

But also I also have an onboard network that connects my phones to the boats instruments and AIS (boat IFF). All very cool and useful and less expensive than “marine” solutions.

These phones truly are amazing.

[The_Toecutter]

I still use an old flip phone I bought for $10. It only costs $20/month to keep service active. The 3G network is being phased out though.

In the coming months I'm about to get a prototype digital CB radio with internet capability and a built-in Linux terminal to install on my custom electric velomobile, to be run off the 12V auxiliary battery fed from the traction pack via DC-DC converter. It will use about 2-3W, and for free, will be able to send a 500 character tweet in 5 minutes. The designer plans to upgrade it as time goes on, with potential for perhaps 56k dialup speeds in 1-2 years, but with no monthly internet bill, and able to operate anywhere. The radio is being built as we speak.

[evilgenius]

I had problems getting my old 4g phone to charge. When I went to the store I got a 5g phone. It cost me about three times what I would have paid to replace my 4g with a new 4g. But I have the peace of mind that it won't quit working because of obsolescence. It has a new better cable connector. It's "meaty" in a way that the old connector wasn't. Man, does it want to spy on me, though.

I suppose I went to the actual store because it meant I knew I would talk to a person. I reckoned that person would know a thing or two. It helps. She transferred everything from my old phone to my new phone for me. I thought I was going to be able to buy the same brand, and use their easy to use software to do that myself. When I didn't buy the same brand, I said something. She stepped right in.

It also helps to get a case from the store when you buy a phone that isn't a Samsung or an Apple. You can find endless cases for phones that are Samsungs or Apples at places like Big Lots, but nothing for what I have. Then, when you look on Amazon, they all cost five times what they did in the store. Well, maybe not five times, I'm exaggerating.