Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog

Well, it is that day of the year where I need to remember what all gadgets I have...so I can check that the clock has automatically moved back an hour, or move the clock back an hour. And, some its a matter of remembering what button or switch to move to make the correction.

I'm sure I've missed a few devices, in fact I've intentionally skipped two....gadgets that exist for other reasons, and the time display on it doesn't matter nor will it bother me (since I don't look at these gadgets much)

I can't remember what I set the outdoor min-max thermometer to....but I think I can live with the min/max reset time being an hour off one way or the other.

The only annoyance so far, is my atomic clock (in the bedroom) didn't adjust itself. In previous time transitions it had worked fine, but this time around it didn't.

This is also the time of year that I check the lamp timer on my TV. 1040 hours It has been about 11 months since I replaced it. So, I suppose that means I'll have another 3-4 years of life before it is time to replace the bulb. Though I don't know if I'll hold out that long before I get a new TV. I suspect I will, since there are all kinds of other things to upgrade/replace first. But, LED engine and 50" is kind of something I'd like to have. And, more digital inputs is another.

Finally, I went around replacing batteries in and testing the four smoke detectors in my condo. Wonder if I'll hear anybody else testing their smoke detectors

Some time ago, I noticed that I wasn't getting weather alerts from my weather radio in the living room. It was annoying, but I could still hear the one by the bedroom. But, that one was getting touchy/scratchy as well.

But, then with the recent bad weather, especially the tornado...which fortunately hit while I was out of town and missed me. 'cause I'm not sure what I would do if I were home. I should try to remember to ask if there's some place near by that I can go seek shelter for tornadoes.

Since all the weather radios that I've had have been all the same brand.... Oregon Scientific. And, I've had a few over the years stop working....I've contacted them on it, but they said because I've had it over a year and they had discontinued it...I was SOL.

So, I been meaning to replace them with ones made by another manufacturer...but as long as they are still working....

Well, last night another killer thunderstorm...and neither weather radio made any noise. I decided that maybe it was time to see what's up. Though just as I was about to order....the living room one started to do a Flash Flood alert but cut out mid-alert.

I knew that ambient RF noise in my living room was pretty high, I haven't determined if its the stuff in the room or something external....I suspect its both. Since some of the noisier parts aren't near any of my electronics. Though it there's enough stuff that there might just be lobes and stuff.

I decided to try find another place in the living room for my weather radio to see if that would make a difference. I couldn't find any spot that was near an outlet and a flat surface to set it down on that would work. As I was about to conclude that it just wasn't as sensitive at it used to be, etc. I remembered reading somewhere that the area is covered by 3 different overlapping NOAA stations....and no one station specifically associated with the area.

So, I tried checking the other channels....because maybe the coverage pattern off the stations has changed.

Well, I found that one of the other channels was stronger....enough that I got a full flash-flood alert (though those are the ones I don't really care for....I'm not in a flash flood area, and waking me up through the night just annoys me even more. Wish there was some further selectivity. I seem to think that newer units do have this capability...so perhaps I'll check some other day).

It is still kind of scratchy....and other receivers don't get the channel at all (or not any better than the other.) So, maybe there's just no good weather alert radio coverage for here.

Meanwhile...I just got an email from Ginger People that bulk sizes are available [again] finally. But, no email from Thinkgeek on the [new] item that I've been waiting for, but want to use my coupon that expires on June 30th.....

Link: http://www.kiddewireless.com/

As I was doing my annual battery replacement in my smoke detectors and testing them, the thought struck me of what I might have to do if I needed to replace them.

The condo just as stand alone battery powered smoke alarms, while my previous apartments had AC powered with battery backup interconnected smoke alarms. While kind of annoying having all the alarms go off when one goes off, it isn't a bad thing. Except when trying to figure out which one set off the others.

I didn't know they had battery backup, until one of the batteries ran down and it had the most obnoxious chirp...and random. Meaning it would chirp once for seemingly no reason and I'd have no idea where it came from when I got to the location. It wasn't until it got worse, that it would chirp frequently enough for me to figure out that it was coming from the smoke alarm. Then came figuring out how to get at the battery compartment and finding a battery for it. Didn't occur to me that I should probably have called the landlord to fix it....

The only problem with interconnected smoke alarms, was in my previous apartment, there was smoke detector by the kitchen area and a smoke detector by the living room...but if I burned something (or just made something that was smokey....the apartment has a recirc range hood, which blows out towards the smoke detectors), it was more often that it was the smoke detector by the living room that detected it. Perhaps because the A/C register blows across the detector by the kitchen.

The condo also has a recirc range hood, of course, though it doesn't blow straight to the smoke detector and the filter new enough that it is effective. I should make a note to see where to get replacement carbon filters for it....

Anyways, I wondered to myself if there were such things as wireless interconnected smoke detectors, so I wouldn't have to deal with running wires. And, a quick Google search yielded the answer

Not sure I'll take the plunge right away, while the current ones work....plus I haven't had a (nuisance) trip in the almost 1.5 years that I've been here. Of course, maybe that's a reason why I shouldn't not consider interconnected smoke alarms. Plus according to the site, it has alarm has a light to indicate that its the unit that tripped.

Guess I'll add it to the list....

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Today, was kind of a day that I got a lot of deliveries...

First was when UPS was going to delivery a CD rack that I had purchased, I wasn't home...but as it turned out my Wednesday morning meeting was canceled...so I could've been home to wait for it. But, either they would leave the ~101lb package on my doorstep or they would leave a notice and try again later. They went for the latter, so I went online and directed them to defer redelivery until Monday when I'm taking my discretionary holiday from work. (Since the suggested time tomorrow doesn't work with all the other stuff going on, and I just haven't had time to read about the new health insurance stuff at work...so I intend to go to the information sessions. And, Friday is also a bad day to be juggling time around....)

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