Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Big Red on June 19, 2023, 07:06:29 PM
-
Thought I'd try a "nothing is off-topic" thread, considering the nonsense we started in the other.
I used to build computers back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Built one for myself last week and it's the first computer I've ever built that had no removable media drive. Also, setting up the bios was trivial. I remember jumper configurations, ridiculous bios combinations, etc. I can't believe how easy it is. Threw all the pieces together and it booted into Windows without issue. So strange to me.
-
I build all my home computers- always have. Ends up costing a bit more and requires more research, but I get the exact things I want and it is typically higher quality than anything I could buy. Plus I can upgrade things and reuse things more easily. Haven't made one yet without any drive bays. Mostly because I still use removable trays for large spinning rust for the slow/big storage, and need a disc reader/writer. M.2 is da bomb, for sure.
Current main desktop system (which is now 4 years old):
ASUS Prime X570-P Ryzen 3 AM4 with PCIe Gen4, Dual M.2, HDMI, SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2 ATX Motherboard
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Prism LED Cooler
Kingston Technology HyperX Fury Black 32GB 3466MHz DDR4 CL19 DIMM (Kit of 2) Memory HX434C19FBK2/32
Corsair Force Series MP600 1TB Gen4 PCIe X4 NVMe M.2 SSD
UCEC 5.25" Front Panel USB, 2xUSB 3.0, 2xUSB 2.0, HD Audio (to supplement rear ports)
ZOTAC Fanless GeForce GT 730 DirectX 12 (feature level 11_0) ZT-71114-20L 1GB 64-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x8 lanes) Video card (I am not a gamer, this is very old now, but hard to find fanless)
Cooler Master Centurion case mid tower with 5 x 5.25" external bays and 1 3.5" external bay and filtered front air flow.
Antec 750W power supply
LG 5.25" sata M-Disc Bluray writer WH16NS40
3 Connectland hotplug 5.25" sata trayless drive bays for 3.5" HDD (had 4, removed one to install USB front port panel)
Connectland hotplug 3.5" sata trayless drive bays for 2.5" HDD
3x 3.5" WD 4TB sata hard drives
1x 2.5" Sandisk 256GB sata SDD
(And ultrawide LG monitor, Brother multifunction laser, Creative speakers, Asus Linux router, Cyberpower UPS, etc)
Even though it is now kinda old, it is plenty fast enough for anything I ever throw at it. Running Linux Mint, of course.
-
The one I just put together, which is set up as my gaming/home theater rig:
Gigabyte Z590i Aorus Ultra, Mini-ITX size, 1 PCIe Gen4 slot, single M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2, HDMI, 6gbps SATA, 2.5Gbps LAN, Wifi 6 built in, 3200MHz ram support native
Intel i5-11400f, 6 core, 12 thread
Thermarite Assasin X120 cooler
Team Group CL16 DDR4 3200MHz 2x16Gb ram
Team Group M.2 1TB NVMe SSD
WD Blue 1TB 5.25" HDD (for large game installs)
Seagate 2TB 3.5" HDD (For my PLEX server)
Front-ish I/O panel, USB 3.0x2 and audio
No-name 600W ATX PSU
MSI GTX 1070 full-size dual fan GPU
Cooler Master Q300L Mini ATX case, with 4x120mm fans. Went with that case because it sits in a hi-fi cabinet and anything less wouldn't have enough airflow.
All hooked up to my 65" TCL TV that was like $300 for Black Friday.
Cost right about $500 to build, other than the HDDs, which I already had.
-
Hahah yeah me too! I worked for about 2 years a local computer renaissance. Remember those?! They were awesome! Our store rocked....it was run by this Chinese lady and she was a ball buster. Other CR stores looked like a semi had just unload a full trailer of machines at any given moment, but our store was pristine. Always clean, always organized. It was something to be proud of.
I was promoted to assistant manager within my first year and I made a killing there. Made some commission on my service work, commission on my sales/builds, and then a pretty nice base hourly...I think it was 14 bucks an hr at the time. I cant tell you how many PCs I built in that period, but we had new and used for every budget. We even had a customer that came in every 6 months or so for a custom build gaming machine to run quake on. I remember this massive voodoo3 card we installed in one of his new machines. I was proud of those, hand built, tested fully, confident that it would last him years without issue. Of course they weren't as flashy as they are nowadays with the glass cases and RGB LEDs and crap. But he would have a powerhouse machine in a plain beige case built by a local shop. Of course, he was back in to get the latest and greatest in no time....not because of a bad machine, just because that's what he wanted.
I miss those times, simple times. Build PCs, go out with friends, hang out with my girl, go home and do it all over again. Growing up sucks.
-
I still think there's a couple Computer Renaissance stores around
-
Loved those stores. I don't think they have too many left.
Now I go to MicroCenter close to me.
-
We don't have either of those. All we had was independent stuff and CompUSA, and when CompUSA went bye-bye, that left only BestBuy, which isn't exactly what I consider a computer store. So pretty much all mail-order for many years now.
But yeah, I worked for a year at an independent service/sales store (prior to that I worked at Radio Shack), but it went out of business and I moved on. Still, freaking fun days. Up to my arms in computers and answering questions, troubleshooting, etc. Everything was always exciting and new.
-
Oh yes. Radio Shack. That was a great store. Last year I needed some capacitors to repair my old TV. Couldn't find them sold anywhere locally. Back in the day I would have simply walked into RS. Kids nowadays don't repair anything.
-
Oh yes. Radio Shack. That was a great store. Last year I needed some capacitors to repair my old TV. Couldn't find them sold anywhere locally.
It was my favorite place, which is why I wanted to work there so badly, but they had a minimum age so I couldn't work there. Applied when "of age" and they took me immediately- I knew almost everything about every item in that store. What ruined it for me was when I moved and the new location had a manager that only cared about high pressure sales, which I simply won't do. I ended up answering all the hard questions and fixing the difficult issues, while other staff stood at the front, jumping on people, and making all the money.
And yes, my first computer was, of course, a TRS-80 CoCo 1, bought long before I could work at Radio Shack.
Back in the day I would have simply walked into RS. Kids nowadays don't repair anything.
Nor would they know how. Too busy deciding which gender flavor/orientation or "identity" gets them the most attention while spending the rest of their time staring at phones. OK, maybe it isn't THAT bad, but, in my day.... well, get off my lawn. Oh wait, there is nobody on my lawn, they are just sitting in their rooms staring at phones.
-
My IT background came from my Dad who was at various points a DataComms specialist (Military secure Teletype systems), and Electrical Engineer, and Electronic Engineer, a Mainframe Engineer, a COBOL Programmer, and then he went into management and eventually Leadership Training. So, we always had IT kit at home ranging from a Wang Word Processor (size of a fridge) to various IBM, Honeywell, and DEC (PDP & VAX) Mini-Computers and eventually the inevitable X86 machines.
In my 20's, whilst working as an Electronics Tech in a college, I got dragged into maintaining the CAD computers (386's running AutoCAD) and learned the WinTel world pretty thoroughly through that. After that I worked as a PIC Programmer working with GPS and GSM systems and then got into doing Software Tech Support due to speaking French and being an accomplished trouble-shooter.
Personally I started my computing journey with a Sinclair ZX81 (Z80- BASIC & Machine Code), then a Sinclair QL (68008- BASIC, FORTRAN, PASCAL and C), then my first introduction to the WinTel world with a 286 running MSDOS 4.11 and later on 6.22 and Win 3.1.
By the time I replaced my home 286 it had 4MB RAM and was running EMM286 to manage the extra RAM and would run Wolfenstein 3D very well indeed and Doom adequately. That 4MB RAM required 102 separate chips to be fitted and took me hours!!
The advent of Quake made me upgrade to a 486 and since then it has been a long stream of upgrades and replacements until the current PCs.
Games PC - 7year old i7-4790, 16GB RAM, GTX960, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, 2x 32" monitors.
Garage PC - 15 year old Q9550 , 8GB RAM, GTX750Ti, 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 26" monitor.
Both run Win10 because it's what I use for the gaming PC and while I have played with Linux quite a bit it is no use for many games.
I also have a couple of old laptops and a few VMs that I use/play with from time to time, but less so these days as I spend all day working on a PC (Software Support for Radio-Oncology treatment systems) so in the evenings I don't really want to play with PCs.
-
I also miss Radio Shack of old. I've had pretty good luck with Chinesium Amazon capacitors. I currently do a little side work repairing Super Nintendos. It really is amazing how far the internet has come as far as sharing knowledge. It's so easy to see what others have done and to reduce the amount of experimentation to see if mods and repairs work.
-
Ahhh. The days when HDD space and RAM were limited, and we had to find ways to make-do with little. I remember using Stacker on my first white box PC because I only had a 20MB hdd and 1 (or maybe 2 mb) of RAM, out of which DOS took up 640kb! I had no math co-processor so playing actions games was crappy as hell; so I had to make the screen small! My first programming language was Quick Basic then Pascal. Learned 8086 (or was it 8088) machine lang in college.
Those were fun days trying to squeeze every ounce out of our limited resources. And miss those heavy "clicky" IBM keyboards that felt satisfying.
Now the kids have too much and no appreciation for the joys of limitation; and crappy touch screen keyboards. Moore's law ruined it for them. I still miss my Blackberry keyboard. Solid.
-
Plenty of mechanical keyboards out there with a plethora of key types. You can buy IBM M-type keyboards but you are gonna pay $100+
Personally I use a Hyper-X Alloy Elite 2 because I don't like "clicky" mechanical keyboards, but the feel is so much better than crappy membrane keyboards.
-
You know why the click is there, right? IBM keyboards came out with that feature as they were transitioning from Selectric typewriters to PCs. People liked the click of the keyboards. It was a comfort sound and a means to know that you actually pressed a key. Yes I know it's probably way past the time for that but truthfully I like a clicky keyboard. I worked for IBM during that transition.
-
I hate those noisy things. Always have :)
They were *quality* though... but that doesn't mean they have to be loud keyboards to be good quality with good feedback. Kinda like vehicles don't have to be LOUD to have good performance. Biggest form of noise pollution where I live are stupid, low-end cars and motorcycles with illegal exhaust modifications that do essentially nothing but annoy everyone many, many, many times every day; and wake me up from my needed sleep nearly every morning. Not that I am bitter or anything....
-
Old manual typewriters are going for BIG money at the flea markets around here. In any shape. I coulda cleaned up with all the ones I tossed.
-
If I don't get tactile feedback with a little sound I don't like it. Somatosensation or bust for me.
I dislike iphones w/o the home button. I hate cars that have an "on" button. My new Samsung washing machine has a touch screen. Sucks ass.
-
If I don't get tactile feedback with a little sound I don't like it. Somatosensation or bust for me.
I dislike iphones w/o the home button. I hate cars that have an "on" button. My new Samsung washing machine has a touch screen. Sucks ass.
I've never heard anyone say they like their Samsung appliances. Usually lure you in with some cool but useless features, and then their longevity is crap.
-
That's what I read online.
We always buy the European style front loader machines and wanted one with a large capacity. This seemed to be well priced (guess b/c people bitch about their quality :) ).
Had good reviews. We'll see...
-
We always buy the European style front loader machines and wanted one with a large capacity. This seemed to be well priced (guess b/c people bitch about their quality :) ).
Had good reviews. We'll see...
I have been very happy with my huge, front-loading Frigidaire FAFW4221LB 4.2 cu.ft. It is 12 years old now. Cleans really well and holds a TON of stuff. Plus has an "allergy" mode which heats the water really hot/long for bedding and such. And it wasn't that expensive either.
-
We just dumped an HE front loader for an old style top load agitator machine. You can actually get enough water in it to clean your clothes.
-
We just dumped an HE front loader for an old style top load agitator machine. You can actually get enough water in it to clean your clothes.
A front loader doesn't need anywhere near as much water to wash clothes. That is by design. If you watch it work, it will add a little water and it will turn to get the limited water (and soap) into the clothes, then it pauses and allows the liquid to run through the clothes on its own. Then it turns the opposite direction and does the same. It senses the water level all the time, and will add more and more until it is the ideal amount to run through the clothing but not so much as to be unnecessary. This not only saves water and electricity and detergent (and fabric softener if you use that), it means the soap is more concentrated (less diluted). So it cleans better. It is also far less wear on the clothes because it is not twisting and agitating them (wet fibers are far more fragile). I have found it really does clean much better than conventional top-loaders and clothes last longer.
It also means there is much more space for clothes because it doesn't need so much water. A top loader will not clean clothes unless there is a ton of water so all the clothes can float and move freely. That is not the case with a front-loader. So you can literally "stuff" a front loader, filling every inch of the tub with clothing, and it will clean them just as effectively. I can wash a king-sized comforter in my home front-loader, which is amazing. I can also wash two large bath towels, two hand towels, two rags, two king-sized pillow cases, a king-sized fitted sheet, AND a king-sized top sheet in one load and still have room for more.
Now there is one caveat to front loaders- although they CLEAN better in the wash cycle, they don't RINSE as effectively through that tactic. So most machines will have a "second rinse" option, and I always use that (mine will remember the setting). But even with that active, it still uses less than half the water and retains all the other positives.
Two other tips with front-loaders: When you go to wash a cloth or rag, get it wet and wipe the seal to keep it clean. Also, ALWAYS leave the door cracked significantly OPEN when you are done with laundry, to prevent mildew. And a tip for drying: never use high heat, use low heat instead. And don't "over dry", this is easy to prevent with any modern dryer that has auto-sensing. Both will stress clothes more, while also wasting power.
Yes, it is apparent that I have spent far too much time analyzing washing machines :)
-
Hahahaha. You have analyzed washers quite a bit. :)
Front loaders clean better, use less water and are gentler on clothes. They can get moldy though. So I keep the door open for a day after wash. Most of us are just not used to these washers. They are great though.
-
Hahahaha. You have analyzed washers quite a bit. :)
I tend to analyze most everything quite a bit. It is pretty exhausting. There is a Consumer's Report enterprise in my brain just waiting for the next thing to come along and consume me.
-
We have a front loader but the dispenser area gets pretty bad after a few months so I detach that and put it in the dishwasher to clean up the areas I can't get to. I also take the top off it and take out the plastic piece that the dispenser fits into and clean that as well. All done then some Afresh in it and we're good for the next couple of months. And we leave the door open too.
-
Shifting gears on the nonsense thread a bit. Can someone recommend some OTC multiuse bottles of dry-eye drops? Currently my research tells me that Blink and Refresh are best due to their use of "vanishing" non-BAK preservatives.
-
Refresh has worked well for us.
-
I installed a new gas cap. Pretty happy with it so far. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PLB9BRR
-
We have a front loader but the dispenser area gets pretty bad after a few months so I detach that and put it in the dishwasher to clean up the areas I can't get to. I also take the top off it and take out the plastic piece that the dispenser fits into and clean that as well.
Yep! I do the exact same thing. That dispenser thing can get nasty. Mold/mildew just love anywhere wet and warm. In think it can live on detergent and fabric softener, and those might hold water in there longer as well.
I don't have any issues with the tub, though. I guess that just has no trouble drying out.
-
Shifting gears on the nonsense thread a bit. Can someone recommend some OTC multiuse bottles of dry-eye drops? Currently my research tells me that Blink and Refresh are best due to their use of "vanishing" non-BAK preservatives.
My Ophthalmologist recommended the PF (preservative free) versions of Refresh and Systane. So I bought both (Costco had a good price on one of them). Because they are PF, they have to be in "individual servings". However, you only need a few drops in each eye, so I just hold onto the rest for later in the day. Not like it will get all THAT contaminated in just several hours. The PF versions will cost more, due to the more packaging and such.
Anyway, I find that Systane seems to work a bit better. There are also "generic" versions of it available from various locations for cheaper. Thankfully, several months after the surgeries, my eyes are no longer insanely dry. So now I don't have to use either but rarely.
-
I installed a new gas cap. Pretty happy with it so far. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PLB9BRR
Yeah, my fight with the stock one has always been annoying. Never-ending corrosion issues to the point I could barely open it until I took it all apart and cleaned and lubed it. Then it would be good for only another year or two. Rinse and repeat, over and over.
Finally ended up replacing it with the same OEM new part (moving the cylinder) in mid 2022. No problems with that one yet, but it hasn't been long enough to know yet.
http://zggtr.org/index.php?topic=20069.0
http://zggtr.org/index.php?topic=25405.0
I was considering something like that simple Amazon one at one point, if I got frustrated enough. But I didn't want black, I wanted to keep the lock, and also keep the "captive" ability of the stock one.
-
Yep! I do the exact same thing. That dispenser thing can get nasty. Mold/mildew just love anywhere wet and warm. In think it can live on detergent and fabric softener, and those might hold water in there longer as well.
I should have mentioned that not only do I leave the door open, I also leave the dispenser tray all the way open for a few days after use that that helps, as well.
-
Never-ending corrosion issues to the point I could barely open it until I took it all apart and cleaned and lubed it.
Second bike with the same issue. Wasn't going to let it happen again. An additional perk; the opening is smaller than the OEM one. It's about the same size as the inside of the actual filler and this allows a lot less splash while filling.
-
Sometimes I like a little hint of mildew smell. Makes it feel farm fresh.
I should have mentioned that not only do I leave the door open, I also leave the dispenser tray all the way open for a few days after use that that helps, as well.
-
Sometimes I like a little hint of mildew smell. Makes it feel farm fresh.
Eeeew
Is that with or without some Eau de Manure?
-
Currently without Eau de Manure.
Speaking of which, while looking for soil conditioners this spring I remember seeing bags of manure for sale at home depot! WTF.
So, if I am hankering for the farm fresh smell to go with my farm fresh eggs in the morning, I know I can augment the mildew smell with some warm manure patties placed right in my little front yard.
-
It's good for roses...
-
Good for fire as well. My mom grew up in a farm, she says it's great for all kinds of plants and can use it for fuel as well!
-
Not chicken though.
-
Anyone out there playing Diablo 4?
-
Haven't been around much due to my other projects. Currently trying to get my drag car ready for the Duct Tape Drags coming up soon. '78 Camaro sh!tbox.
-
Won Powerball again. Not as lucky as the last draw. Won $8 this time. Won $16 the last time.
-
All these weeks. I won nada. Someone in CA won the $1 billion.
I won't start playing the mega millions until it hits $900 Million.
-
Someone won powerball. I'll have to get a mega millions ticket when I'm doing errands.
-
Yup. Some lucky bastard in L.A. won it.
Mega Millions is at $720 million. Good luck.
-
We have no luck in those huge jackpot lotteries. The odds are tremendously against you. We have much better luck playing the smaller lottery games like Keno when at the local restaurant/pub enjoying some food and drink.
-
Same here with the smaller games on line...
-
Picked up an old Canon FTb. Haven't shot on film in 20 years, and even then it was like disposable cameras or a 110 film camera.
-
I'm going to use my Dad's old Voigtlander again. Everything is mechanical circa late 50's early 60's. The slides he took were phenomenal as far as color and sharpness. Can you still get 35mm film?
-
Absolutely, 35mm is still made. Local camera stores, if you have any around, usually still have some. That's a good place to try a couple of rolls to figure out what you like. B&H Photo, Adorama, and Filmphotographystore.com are the ones I use. I like them all for different reasons.
The Canon FTb I picked up is basically one of the last fully mechanical cameras that Canon made. There's a little mercury battery for the meter, but I'm not bothering with that. I've got a halfway decent light meter app on my phone.
After I shoot a few rolls, I'm going to develop them myself. Picked up a little light panel so I can do my own digital "scans" with my DSLR.
-
6 more weekends until the race. Going to be close.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53114418969_9f24a3ee4e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oVxhhi)
-
Reminds me of my old '76 Camaro. My ex-wife nagged me into selling it. But like the car, the ex is long gone. The car gave me a lot less headaches. Wish I'd kept it.
-
LOL...
-
Jim, was this site down for some time yesterday?
-
It was down for a day or 2. Don't know the cause..
-
I saw it was down for a day or 2. I assumed that Rick was doing something with it. Is he hosting ZGGTR.org from his place or is it on a hosting site?
-
In other news I've been to a couple of bike meets recently and thought you might appreciate seeing some of the pics I took.
-
Oh those are some nice bikes. What is a Norley!! Looks like a Norton with a big engine. Never heard of that. I gotta google it now.
-
Those ARE cool bikes. Is a Norley a Norton with a Harley engine?
-
There are 2 Harley engined custom bikes in there. Both by the same custom builder.
The Norley is indeed a Norton Featherbed frame with a Buell engine, and the "HD" (mimic-ing the HRD Logo) is the same with a Sportster engine, but trying to look like an Egli Vincent.
The bottom left pic is an actual Egli Vincent.
-
Went to the Toyota dealer the other day to drop off the Prius for service work. Decided to look at the '23 Tundras. I liked the styling and the interiors, but OMG the price. One was 66k and the other was 71k. My Tacoma looked like a toy compared to them. Both running V6 with Turbo. No V8 anymore. And one was a Hybrid! It was the 71k one. What I found strange was the mpg on both. 19/22 city highway, which is similar to my Taco. I couldn't understand the same mpg on the Hybrid though. What's the point of a Hybrid if the mpg is the same? Well, in doing some research on it, the hybrid generates more HP and torque. Also the mpg figures seem to be inflated according to reviewers. In the end neither of them are in my future. I just can't see buying them. I don't need anything that expensive to drive around in and I don't tow or scream around at high speed like some of those auto commercials show people doing these days.
One other fact I found out from the salesman is that if you see a Toyota emblem that is blue, it's a hybrid! I've been owning hybrids since late 2004 and I never knew that.
-
I have 5 more weekends to get my car ready for the drag races. It's getting damn close. Might have to take a day or two off work to get it done.
-
Hope to fire this guy up next weekend.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53145755737_515bc45c38_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oYiTBp)
-
It runs!
-
Was there any doubt?
:banana :banana :banana :banana
-
Congrats!
Post a video if you can, Red.
-
Click to go to Flickr for the vid
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/53164784262_b4f0a03f2b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oZZq8q)
-
Was there any doubt?
:banana :banana :banana :banana
Unfortunately. The motor hasn't been run for 5 years, and the car hasn't ever had a running motor. I bought it without a motor and trans.
-
That's a nice album you got there Red.
Aren't these supposed to growl? That is how you put fear into pansy city boys like me.
-
Basically running open headers for now. Having an exhaust was an un-needed waste of time. The drag race we're getting ready for is on the 29th, and we still have a fair bit to go.
-
May I ask, ballpark, how much is such an undertaking costing you? These are expensive. And is that your shop or home garage?
-
That's my best friend's home shop. Cars are expensive. Especially race cars. I'd have to guess probably $10k in accumulated parts. I've been getting parts/hand-me-downs/gifts for 15 years. The final stretch to get it going has been probably $3k.
-
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53194844377_1d6ddb3866_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p3DtXg)
-
We got the car done in 17 days. Racing Friday and Saturday!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53211226083_5c5aabb5aa_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p56rEt)
-
Made 5 passes. My best ET was 13.000 and the motor popped. Will find out this weekend what happened. I think we melted a hole in a piston.
-
What! How does one melt a hole in the piston?! Please take pics.
-
150hp shot of nitrous. One intake valve rocker decided to loosen up, and the next cylinder fed from that part of the intake got a double shot at 6k RPM. There will be pics next week.
-
Melting a hole in a piston is easy. All you need is for the mixture to be too lean and Nitrous effectively adds oxygen so leans out the mix massively unless you add a lot of extra fuel. Gas burns SUPER hot very close to the spark plug if leaned out too much, and that hotspot eats into the piston crown until it burns through and you lose compression.
I had N2O on a Yamaha XS250 back in my late teens and we holed a couple of pistons before we got the mixture right. Was fun though as we had the only 250 that could stay with 750s off the line and could get to 115Mph. 8)
-
It's a wet system, so leaning out shouldn't have been a problem, but anything is possible.
-
So cylinder 1 intake valve:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53246298850_993a766bc6_z.jpg) (http://'https://flic.kr/p/2p8cczm')
Meant double shot to cylinder 4, leading to this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53245801821_99c198a1d1_z.jpg) (http://'https://flic.kr/p/2p89DPT')
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53245801976_2719b32b3a_z.jpg) (http://'https://flic.kr/p/2p89DSy')
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53246092143_5d2968c47c_z.jpg) (http://'https://flic.kr/p/2p8b98r')
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53244922097_db76773a6c_z.jpg) (http://'https://flic.kr/p/2p859je')
-
The last non-U.S. car I bought was a '86 Honda because Ford did not have anything close to it I cared for.
Being from a Ford family where all my family and wife's family worked this was difficult.
Since then, all my vehicles were Ford as they made much better stuff for me.
I now will be looking for a new car in the next year or so.
It will not be a Ford, or a GM or a Chrysler. THEY DON'T MAKE CARS ANYMORE, only SUV's. I want a car.
Since making that stupid decision, I have written letters and told the dealer, we won't be buying our next car from Ford.
The current Honda Civic is a beautiful little car that will most likely be my next vehicle.
I know all the reasons U.S. makers are not making cars anymore, well, they make them, they just don't sell them in North America.
History repeats itself.
-
Even the used market bears that out. People want trucks and SUVs. Very few people want cars.
-
THEY DON'T MAKE CARS ANYMORE, only SUV's. I want a car.
Yep, I have noticed that as I start my long search for what might be my next car. But your observation is not limited to just those brands. ALL manufacturers are pushing cars aside for these SUV things that will have much poorer performance (they weigh more, have a higher center of gravity, and worse aerodynamics). Weighing more = slower to accelerate, harder to stop, worse at cornering, and worse gas mileage (or electric range). Higher center of gravity further hurts cornering and stability. Plus more materials so they are more expensive. And won't fit well into small garages. Most people probably don't need or use that extra space, and almost none will ever leave paved roads.
But the market has spoken. So "car" people's choices continue to dwindle. I feel your pain.
As for "American", my first car was an 80's "American" and only now, several decades later, would I even consider an "American" car. It has taken THAT LONG for the quality to become reasonable again. It is worthy to note that many "foreign" cars are now made in the USA with USA labor and mostly USA or NA parts. Not all, of course. But it is funny because some "American" cars are actually less "American" than some non-"American" models (depending on how you measure things) The lines can be very blurred.
-
I'm glad I'm not alone in hating SUVs and the current obsession for the damned things. I used to be able to see through/around the car in front which enabled me to see further down the road and so could gauge the flow of traffic and drive smoother. Now I have to leave such a big gap to the fat-assed opaque SUV in front that the gap inevitably gets filled with yet another fat-assed SUV.
Many of the drivers of SUVs also seem to have no clue about the width of their vehicle so they end up driving across 2 lanes. On Sunday I went for a ride on my C14 and on a narrow single lane I met a fat-assed SUV coming the other way. Since the idiot driver of it had no idea of the width of her behemoth she was too scared to pull over enough for me to pass, so we stood there for 30 secs before she realised that she had a choice of either reversing 200yds to the previous passing point, or else pulling onto the grass verge in her fully 4x4 capable Range Rover. I just stood there and waited. Eventually her passenger (husband?) got out and I thought we were going to have some words, but he just went around and took her place in the drivers seat, and drove onto the grass verge so we could both go on our way.
I drive a big 2004 Lexus LS430 because I am a big guy and am uncomfortable in most smaller cars. Our neighbours have a new e-Mustang SUV and that fat-assed monstrosity has less interior space, yet still manages to block sightlines mostly due to the tinted rear window,....in a country where it isn't sunny that often!.
The last time I was in the USA (Florida in 2016) I rented a Ford Taurus which was a nice car. The engine was a bit bland but it had plenty of space and drove nicely. It's now discontinued due to a lack of demand which is a shame, but we seem to be a minority as the people want fat-assed SUVs.
-
I'm likely in the minority around these parts. I like my SUV. At 6'5", it really helps. Fiance is 6'2", and two teenage boys, there aren't many cars that would fit the four of us. Throw in two dogs and a mess of camping gear, I've actually thought about getting a flat trailer to help... But I'm likely also in the minority that I've been driving larger vehicles my whole life. My first car was a '78 GMC 3/4 ton. Put 320 miles on a 30 foot RV this past weekend.
-
I have no objection to people having these vehicles if they need them.
My sister used to have a huge 7 seater for her + hubby + 4 kids + our Mum.
The problem is all the rest who have no need but WANT to have the biggest car because they feel inadequate otherwise.
If I was 5'10" I would happily drive a Mondeo or Focus sized car for the rest of my life.
At 6'4" I can drive them but they are uncomfortable and unsafe because I have to have the seat so far back that my head is beside the B pillar and it blocks my side view.
I have never owned a new or even nearly new vehicle because of my size. To get something big enough within budget I have to buy 15+ year old top end cars like my current 2004 Lexus LS430 and previous 2001 S-Class Merc, 1998 Acura RL, etc. Even in the SUV market, only the top end models are big enough for people my size (or bigger).
-
The last 4 wheel vehicle I purchased was a new 2005 Chevy Express cargo van. For track days and camping trips and for shopping for large crap like lumber. It has about 135,000 miles on it now and the only repairs it has ever needed was the AC compresser. one of my 4 or 5 bikes (at any given time) has been my primary transportation since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit and gas prices around here doubled. When prices went back down I kept commuting on my bikes because I discovered it made going to work a lot more pleasant.
But the Chevy Van was great for track days as I could just ride my Yamaha R3 right up the ramp into it and be on my way after hooking up a few tie downs. It was also great for camping as I could just throw everything in the back and head out. I quit doing track days when Coivid closed the track and quick camping when my back got bad to bad for sleeping on an air mattress. But The van came in handing when I wrecked the C14 last year 750 miles from home.
-
I was watching Youtube the other day and caught this... Did you know, that with Toyotas you can disable/turn off the key fob so it doesn't communicate with the vehicle? This is for those asshats that steal cars by cloning your key fob. I tried it on my 16 Tacoma and it worked. So here's what you need to do. Hold the lock button down and press the unlock twice. This will disable the fob. To enable, just press the unlock button. I think it's more for the vehicles that have the ability to unlock the doors by grabbing the handle. Not sure if it works for the older ones without that ability or it's for those with remote start. Both of my vehicles are not remote start but it does work with them.
-
Americans are the biggest they've ever been, we've always equated "smaller" cars as things of lesser value too and less safe. The makers follow the money. If I could, I'd buy a Diesel 5-speed Fiesta from Europe or a Ka if they still make that model, Spain?
My '22 C-14 is the first FOB vehicle I've owned, I don't care for it and I hope it's the last but I doubt it.
-
Personally I like fobs and push button starting. I rented a car the other day that used a key. Drove me crazy trying to remember to pull it out to start the car lol as I'd always get in and look for the push button.
-
I was watching Youtube the other day and caught this... Did you know, that with Toyotas you can disable/turn off the key fob so it doesn't communicate with the vehicle? This is for those asshats that steal cars by cloning your key fob. I tried it on my 16 Tacoma and it worked. So here's what you need to do. Hold the lock button down and press the unlock twice. This will disable the fob. To enable, just press the unlock button. I think it's more for the vehicles that have the ability to unlock the doors by grabbing the handle. Not sure if it works for the older ones without that ability or it's for those with remote start. Both of my vehicles are not remote start but it does work with them.
My 2004 Lexus has "Smart" fobs but there is a button in the drivers footwell that switches the "Smart" side of the fob off if you want. The remote still works if you press the Lock/Unlock/Trunk buttons. The "Smart" side of it only works if the fob is within arms length of the car, so keep your fob either more than 6 feet away from the outside of your house, or else in a faraday cage (tin box?)
A colleague had his nearly new Kia stolen via a booster. He has security video of them holding the device next to his front door whilst someone else held the other half of their device next to the car. They had the car open and started in 30 secs and were gone in under 1 minute. Insurance replaced the car and he now has a Faraday cage (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09P9L3VZ6) where they hang all of their keys.
These newer security systems are not perfect, but compared to the "good old days" of keys and hotwiring they are way more secure. I saw a video many years ago of an ex-thief who took a whole 25 secs to pop the door on a car, start it and drive off. No keys and to any bystander it looked like he had dropped his keys in the foot well of the car.
-
Not sure of the rest of the world but here in Ohio we have quite a bit of a problem with people using some sort of app from Chinese tic-toc in that they are able to access the car and steal Kia's and Hyundi's to the point where dealers are offering steering wheel lock bars and law enforcement is at a loss to try to stop joy riders and thiefs.
-
I don't know the details (and don't want to know) but "apparently" the TikTok method of stealing Kia/Hyundai uses a screwdriver and a USB cable.
It is a specific defect in their cars rather than an issue with Smartkeys or such.
-
I don't know the details (and don't want to know) but "apparently" the TikTok method of stealing Kia/Hyundai uses a screwdriver and a USB cable.
It is a specific defect in their cars rather than an issue with Smartkeys or such.
^^^ This
There isn't an inherent problem with push-to-start with proximity fobs. I have been using them for 24 years now. The Kia/Hyundai disaster is a problem that they simply didn't include an basic engine immobilizer, like I have had, built-in, from the factory, for my last THREE cars, covering a span of **34 YEARS**. Something we also have the C14.
The Kia/Hyundai issue isn't high-tech, they are just using electronics to get the weak DOOR electronics to unlock (yes, Kia screwed that up also) so they don't damage anything external. Once inside the car, they get it started with a simple screwdriver because they are mechanically overwhelming the cheap ignition physical lock... the same way cars (PRIOR to engine immobilizers) have been stolen forever.
-
HAs Kia had a recall, or a fix for this yet?
-
Not sure if they have done anything in regards to a recall if they are issuing steering wheel bar locks....maybe a stop gap measure until they can figure out how to fix it without bankrupting the company
-
You have to wonder just how much money was "saved" by not having an engine immobilizer. $25 to $50 per $30,000 to $50,000 vehicle?
The insurance industry must be REALLY angry. It would not surprise me if they immediately doubled or tripled the comprehensive rates on every affected model.
-
I've owned KIAs in the early 2000's....pieces of crap. The engine and drivetrains were good but they don't do much when the rest of the car is falling apart around them.
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1177005881/kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-tiktok
-
I've owned KIAs in the early 2000's....pieces of crap. The engine and drivetrains were good but they don't do much when the rest of the car is falling apart around them.
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1177005881/kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-tiktok
The early 2000s ones were crap, but they have come a LONG way since then.
They are easily a match for most of the Japanese cars now and almost as reliable as Toyota.
They offer 7 year/100k mile warranties so they are pretty confident about their product build quality.
Yes, they screwed up with the recent security issue but otherwise they are pretty decent cars.
I wouldn't buy one but that is because I wouldn't fit in any of their cars, except maybe the £60k EV9.
-
The early 2000s ones were crap, but they have come a LONG way since then.
They are easily a match for most of the Japanese cars now and almost as reliable as Toyota.
That is my understanding, as well. I have no direct or even send-hand experience, however. This tends to hold with a lot of Korean products (LG, Samsung, etc). Remember that Japanese products were also crap at first and evolved quickly to match and then surpass the quality of perhaps other countries until it became, arguably, the best available anywhere. Korea kinda followed the same path Japan did. And I expect as their standard of living accelerates and labor becomes super-expensive, and prices get really high, another country will then also fall the same path.
-
To add, China is where Kia was 20 years ago and where Japan was 50 years ago.........
-
To add, China is where Kia was 20 years ago and where Japan was 50 years ago.........
China is a bit more unpredictable, though. There is no lack of government "interference" in Japan and SKorea, but China takes it to a really high level.
-
Commissioned some art so I could make shirts. Pretty happy with it.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53271902166_b74f8992fd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pasqxQ)
-
Here is my Autocrosser from back in th 80s. Holley, Edelbrock, Competion Cams, Hooker, Summit suspension and a Muncey rock crusher.
(http://www.barrowcreek.com/gallery/79Camaro.jpg)
-
Here is my 1989 Jackson Racing supercharged CRX Si. Only autocrossed it once, though. Great fun, but hard to put power to the ground in a FWD.
-
It was big fun to go around corners in Tlthe CRCsi on 3 wheels!
-
I autocrossed a CRXsi also and actual got third place in a statewide event. Never won a trophy with the Camaro. With the mods I had to run in C Modified which put me against Porce 911s. I Gould out run them but could not corner with them.
-
It was big fun to go around corners in The CRXsi on 3 wheels!
LOL- yeah. The CRX is front heavy and FWD and I was running stock suspension and wheels. Regardless of the power, it wasn't going to do all that well in autocrossing without a lot of additional work.
I am nostalgic about the CRXsi- great transmission and engine, comfortable, nice controls, reliable. Of course my stock G37S is tremendously more everything.... despite being a lot heavier, it is so quiet, powerful, comfortable, handling is good, RWD. If it were a manual transmission, I would be getting myself in trouble.
I keep eying the Q50RS, even test drove it. Price is insane.
-
All cars are race cars if you try hard enough.
-
I have drifted my 2 ton LS430. Does that count? :o :rotflmao:
-
Absolutely that counts. More noise more better.
-
First new car I bought was an '86 CRX-SI, red. Had many more miles on it when I had to sell it because of rust issues at 126,000 miles. Being from a family where everyone worked at Ford, this was not a popular choice, but the U.S. spec '86 Escort GT was just not a car comparable to the Honda. Best car I ever had until the '01 Ford Focus.
-
I'm not sure the year but Think it was an 85cred CRXSi
I bought fir my second wife. When we divorced she got it and I bought an 86 or 87 black one. Sold it a year later when I married my 3rd wife who had two small kids. Bought a used Chevy lumina minivan. The things ya do for love! :shoot: :pukeface:
-
Just dropped some coin for a new rotating assembly for the engine for the Camaro. Roll cage is supposed to be delivered today. Lots more ridiculousness coming for that.
Went to the last day of Death Week for Sick the Magazine. Watched about 3 hours of drag racing. Was a good day. Looked like about 60 cars made it the whole week. 56 cars made the whole 2000 mile trip.
-
My first car was a '70 Nova with a 307 and a 3-speed stick, dark green and dark green interior. Slotted ET aluminum wheels, RWL tires with glass pack dual exhaust. Looked good, sounded good, but was not fast at all. ;D
-
Really excited to start putting the cage together. Need to pull the motor and get the block to the machinist.
Also finally pulled my hot weather windshield and put my regular one back on. 55* this morning in Phoenix. Love this time of year.
-
Well, that's the problem.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53314101321_bc9d8930c8_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pebGTt)
-
Damn. You guys keep on overpowering this poor car and then having to tear her down. How often do you really get to drive the car?
-
Just the 5 passes. This was actually pulling the motor for full carnage. Didn’t know there was a window in. There.
-
Dayum, were the compression ring gaps at 180° from each other when it was assembled or has the NOS heat burned through the rings as well?
I've never seen blow-by like that but then leaning out with NOS is pretty destructive. I'm amazed that there isn't more damage to the bore.
-
The gaps moved around, I'm sure. That motor had been running for a long time before we threw nitrous at it. We didn't expect it to hold together forever, just longer than it did. Motor was just an "extra" that was replaced by a performance motor and wasn't built for nitrous.
-
Cashews aren't nuts.
Color is added to tires to make them black
My sister in law is crazy
The beast molts, the fluff gets up your nose
-
Cashews aren't nuts.
Peanuts aren't nuts either and they even have the word "nut" in them!
-
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.
-
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.
Anaphylaxis.... I *never* feel like having a nut. Although I can be nutty.
-
I concur...
-
Just what in the heck is Nutella anyhow?
Who would name a nut Filbert?
Peter Paul Almond Joy has nuts, Mounds don't.
Any way you stack it, my sister-in-law is a nut.
Sorry about your diverticulitis which is secondary to diverticulosis which is exacerbated by nuts.
-
Peanuts aren't nuts either and they even have the word "nut" in them!
But they are Peas of a sort (legume). 8)
I like nuts of almost all kinds, but I have never understood why people eat Sweet Chestnuts. They are just nasty, toasted or not.
Now a Brazil, Pecan, Cashew, Pistachio or a Macadamia will have me drooling, but of those ONLY the Brazil is actually a nut and is mildly radioactive.
The rest are dry drupes, but we call them nuts.
As for Nutella, it is mostly Hazelnuts/Filberts/Cobnuts which are of course not a nut (dry drupe) and are bland when eaten raw.
Nuts huh? :loco: :nuts: :deadhorse: :popcorn:
-
You would have to be silly to eat a radioactive nut..
-
The old brightly colored plates we loved in the 50's and 60's called "Fiestaware" are all radioactive. They have since changed the glaze and are now safer.
-
Radioactivity adds flavor.
-
I'm not a facebook user, but the way I understand it, everybody just posts to what is effectively a single thread, and all topics are sort of merged into a single hodge-podge. I sure am glad we're not like that.
-
Most people would freak if they knew how much radioactivity is used in the medical field and how much is travelling around on the roads at any one time. It's very low doses, which is a term we like to hear and use to keep people from freaking, nonetheless, it's out there and it's not like you can wash it off. I was told recently this could be termed an unintended consequence of progress. I have a feeling where we are progressing to and it would also freak a lot of people. So, ask me about how the Browns are doing.
-
How are the Browns doing?
-
What is a Browns?
-
Wrong thread... Football team you nitwit..
-
Wrong thread... Football team you nitwit..
Oh..football. I was gonna say I took the Browns to the Superbowl last night.
-
Wrong thread... Football team you nitwit..
Oh, that tackleball thing I have heard of before.
-
My friend in Australia was dumbfounded when I told him about the Browns, he said, why on earth would you name a team after diarrhea? ;D Even when I told him it was named after Paul Brown, virtually the inventor of modern day NFL American football, he was perplexed.
Hey now, they have won more games this season so far than in the previous few years. ::)
America's favorite virgin Doris Day was briefly considered for the "Mrs. Robinson" part on the "Graduate" film. It was felt that may not be a good idea as it would not fit with her "virtuous" image she cultivated on and off screen.
-
I really liked her..
-
Was she a Browns fan?
-
I think everyone at some time is some type of Browns fan.
Julie London, who many here may remember most as playing Dixie McCall on the old Emergency series, was actually married to Bobby Troupe who played Dr. Early on the show too, and, they both were in big bands back in the 40's and 50's.
-
Hmm, didn't know that.
-
I actually know someone who's a Browns fan. It is a subject of much shame for him.
-
Not to ramble on too much about Cleveland, but the Browns have one of if not the largest number of out of town and out of country fan club numbers, it's huge, especially for a market size like Cleveland. Unfortunately, because of that and a few other things, you can safely say that everyone reading this now can tell their children and grandchildren that their great-grandchidren will never see a Cleveland team much less the Browns in an NFL Superbowl game. The ghost of Art Modell hangs heavy over Cleveland, much like Boston's curse of a World Series win, which if I'm correct was broke in 2004 by the team coached by Tito Francona who just recently left as coach of the Indians, whose tenure here did not include a Series game. stow the Ghoulardians comments.
-
On some shows of the 60's and 70's, right after the closing credits there is a final production company credit that shows a pair of sweaty arms and hands holding a hammer and chisel that stamps the Roman numerals "VII" along with "Mark seven Enterprises" or something like it. Anyhow, those limbs are Jack Webb's, AKA "Joe Friday" of Dragnet fame who created the show and produced many others such as "Emergency" and "Adam-12".
-
Rode up Mount Lemmon and back last week with a group, and Tortilla Flat Saturday with the ol'lady two up. Did some stuff on the Camaro Sunday.
-
I'm finding lately that Woolybear caterpillars are not really accurate for predicting the winter forecast.
Most of our books these days are made from paper using wood which will essentially disintegrate over time.
Humans are not really set up to digest corn.
A Sparrow cannot carry a coconut in flight.
-
A Sparrow cannot carry a coconut in flight.
European or Arican? ;)
Ski season has begun in NH. The bike is plugged in and hibernating.
-
Never heard of Arican and I'm pretty good with geography. But can a sparrow carry a coconut... Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.
-
Some more random nonsense...been fighting a bad right hip. Will get it replaced in the next few weeks.
-
Best of luck. Doctors have gotten good at those. A friend got his replaced 6 weeks ago and already back riding his bicycle.
-
I'm hip to all that. ;D
Humans are the only mammals that drink milk after infancy.
-
Humans are also the only mammals that make rockets. It's good to be us.
-
Make sure you show this to your butcher ah... orthopedic doc and tell him they better not do this sh!t to you.
https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr/video/7111030705643080965?lang=en
Some more random nonsense...been fighting a bad right hip. Will get it replaced in the next few weeks.
-
I think I'm going to ban you for that... I've been irreparably psychotically damaged by that vid. Shudder.
-
Best of luck. Doctors have gotten good at those. A friend got his replaced 6 weeks ago and already back riding his bicycle.
Thanks, Lather.
-
:o
They are not called butchers for nothing. They are the bloodiest docs of them all. Next time ask their surgery nurses. It's a blood bath in there. Neanderthals of doctors.
-
From what I can see online of the actual procedure using the Mako Stryker (I like that name) there's very little blood loss and no muscle cutting....I hope. The Stryker is a robot assist device that preps the socket. You get a CT scan. This information is fed into the Stryker to map out the socket for the surgeon. And if everything goes well I'm out of the hospital in less than 24 hours. Doc told me it will be an overnite stay. I haven't heard yet when I'll be scheduled on the day of.
-
Hope it goes well Jim ;D
-
Turn off the TV, don't read the paper, don't watch videos about anything pertaining to medical procedures especially one that you will experience soon. If most people saw what goes on medically either in the ER, OR, or in the field to accomplish procedures, we would pass, we would also most likely die. Because most people are not familiar with many aspects of procedures, they equate what they see as brutal abuse or assault. I know this firsthand.
My dad has had both hips replaced, the last in 2019 when he was 91, he was in and out in 24hrs and was walking around in 48hrs with no pain. You can say they have it down very well now.
Good luck and stay compliant with all rehab procedures and stay active afterwards
-
It'll go well for you. Propofol and pain meds. You'll not feel a thing. Before long you'll be doing the tango with your sexy new hips.
-
Thanks all, I'll keep you guys informed of the progress..
-
I got a new right hip last year. They kept me in the hospital for 5 days followed by 6 weeks in a rehab center. I have been fully functional since. Occasional minor discomfort if doing heavy work. No regrets, I could hardly walk 20 yards before. Good luck and do the rehab.
-
I really hope I'm not in the hospital that long but I guess it depends on how you do after the surgery and your general condition. I'm in the not able to walk that far category now. It used to be I could ride the bike without pain but getting in and out of vehicles hurt like heck. Now I can't throw the leg over the bike. It's killing me not being able to ride. We went to Virginia Beach about a month ago but had to leave after the first night. Pain was too much.
On the plus side, I'm using my father in law's antique wood cane that he got from his father... I think of him every time I use it which is every day now.
Glad you are up and about now..
-
Good luck, Jim. Glad that sort of stuff is getting better all the time.
-
If you don’t mind me asking Jim, what happened that caused you to need a new hip joint? Osteoporosis, osteoarthritis too much lovemaking in your younger years? What was it?
-
DHAC, don't have a clue. It started hurting about a year and a half ago in Hawaii. I thought it was a groin pull but it kept coming back. According to the doc it was due to extreme arthritis. Hurts like a mother at times. I can't wait to get it replaced.
-
My left knee is starting to hurt too. Especially in the winter. I think I have some arthritis there. I need to get an xray soon. Sucks.
-
For me, it is my foot. Out of the clear blue sky with no obvious cause, pain and nerve stuff in the ball of my right foot. After months of little improvement regardless of what I did (different shoes, pads, orthotics, ibuprofen regiment, etc), I finally went to a podiatrist for the first time in my life. He called it "metatarsalgia" which isn't very descriptive. In latin, it just means "foot bone pain"! Anyway, he helped me discover diclofenac, and that is some great stuff (easy, cheap, safe, no prescription). Did nothing for several days and then suddenly- wow. He said it could take 10 weeks to heal. Unfortunately, 16 weeks later, if I stop the diclofenac, the pain returns to being exactly the same. Sigh.
Then my right shoulder started with constant pain for months. And I developed eczema on my face for the first time in my life. Getting older sucks in so many ways! I guess the alternative isn't that attractive, though.
Anyway, no problems with hips or knees yet (knock on wood), but they really have made a lot of improvements over the years in the procedure. For many people, it is just amazing how quickly they can heal from the surgery and be almost normal again. Jim will do great!!!!
-
Maxtog, Voltaren is the trade name, side effects may be bleeding.
-
Don't take voltren for such an extended period. It can put holes in your stomach. My mom used it for disk pain and the doc warned her and only prescribed a limited amount.
-
[diclofenac] Well, it is only twice a day on about a 2 square inch area on bottom of one foot. Hopefully it will be OK. But will check with Dr.
-
I'm on that as well (twice a day) and hope to be off of it by the end of next week. I was also slathering my hip with Voltaren and bought stock in the company it seems.
DC, when you are in enough pain to grasp at straws for pain relief (I know, I was there) you'll try anything to relieve it. I was prescribed Tramadol as well which was a bit** to get filled at CVS. Kept on getting from CVS that it was in the Ins Co hands. I finally said bullshi* to that and pulled a GoodRx and took it in. Told them in no uncertain terms that I'm paying for this, fill the dam* prescription. They filled it and warned me that this info was being sent to the state. Told them to fu** off and the state as well. With all that rant being said it really didn't help that much with the pain. I don't see how anyone could get addicted to it as it did little for the pain after all was said and done. I grew up in the 70s and I know what drugs can do and their effects.
diclofenac twice a day
2 tylenol in the morning and at night
and at night I supplement with Gabapentin and CBD
Even with all that it's very rare for me to have a full night's sleep and what helps the most with that is stopping drinking unfortunately, as I do likes my toddy at night. No effects from stopping drinking but sleeping better.
The only real relief I have for the hip is sitting and not moving. I've gained over 15 pounds from that and look forward to getting out and moving starting week after next. Now the leg is starting to give way at times and I have pains in the whole leg (shins and knee). Not sure if that's from me walking funnier than I normally do or the swelling in the hip is somehow affecting the sciatic nerve. And I have been living with this for the last several months.
Funny enough I had a colonoscopy mid November and the anesthesia for that gave me the best sleep I had in a few months lol.
-
It's a sad state and very telling when the Gov't "bans" or restricts something, drugs, guns, medical info via Hippa, etc...that only makes it very much harder or prohibitively expensive for law abiding people to get the things they need while the people the ban was aimed at have no problem at all getting it.
OH just passed a law concerning recreational marijuana, we've had medical marijuana for a few years now but it's extremely hard to get a marijuana RX. Mainstream U.S. medicine has pooh-poohed marijuana in any capacity for years for a variety of reasons, its changing but very slowly. DO's are much more open to things out of the regular realm of what we think and know of mainstream medicine here. It looks as though now if you want to use it here to relieve pain, it will be much easier and lawful and you won't have to jump through ridiculous hoops and laws or restrictions to simply have some aspect of a normal life.
Thinking of getting some gummy bears for my dad, I won't have to drive to MI and break the law to relieve his anxiety.
-
Sorry you are in such pain, Jim. A couple of years ago I started having plantar fasciitis and tried a lot of things to cure it. It got better but never did heal completely. There were times the pain was unbearable. Like having a nail hammered into the arch of my foot then next day letting your foot go through frostbite radiate from the arch out. Rinse and Repeat. Terrible.
The problem with foot issues especially if it is tendon inflammation-- is that they are hard to cure. Very little blood goes to your tendons and so pain meds cannot get there to de-inflame it. Same with topical creams. Perhaps consider cortisone injections. There are pros and cons to that such as steroid induced weakness/damage to tendons. As a runner I opted not to do that since I risked tearing it altogether later. And as we get older or have diabetes blood supply problems happens in the feet first so don't add further injury when possible.
Maxtog, sorry I misunderstood. I wasn't speaking of diclofenac creams. I thought you were taking the rx pills/cream. Pills can cause holes in the stomach. The cream will thin out your skin though. My doc had me take both with restrictions. The cream (useless) 2 weeks on and 1 week off. If the cream worked for you it may not be tendinitis, just soft tissue injury. Good news.
I would still recommend you seeking 2nd opinion from a (sport med) orthopedic doc. They have in-depth knowledge of the musculoskeletal system. Just don't have them butcher you like in that vid :)
-
In my case, the diclofenac cream seems to work well, masking about 80% of the problem (at two times a day, was more like 85+% at 3 times a day). But the Dr. said as an anti-inflammatory, it would also aid/speed the healing process. Well, that part it seems not so much. I have to wear "Dr. Sholl's" sneakers, all the time, and at work, and with extra padding, and I try not to walk as much. So it is easily bearable and hasn't ever gotten any worse. But, like Jim, I gained some considerable weight due to lack of activity and the associated lowering of my metabolism. So I do need to do some caloric restriction soon.
I will probably give it a couple more months and if there is no improvement, I will go back and do the "now what" type thing. They might need some better imaging or something to see what is actually going on. The idea of surgery would be last on my list. Heard lots of horror stories about foot and hand surgeries... I would have to be pretty desperate for that route. Thankfully, nowhere near that amount of issue.
-
The cream seemed to lose effectiveness for me.. I'm not using it now. I had plantar fascitis. Went to the doc (waste of time). Even tried the good feet store. All useless. It healed by itself after about 2 years.
-
2 YEARS?? OMG. Sigh.
-
There are exercises you can do to help the healing process but I was too lazy for that lol. You have a good feet store down your way. That's an alternative but it can be expensive. They don't tell you that in the commercials. My visit with them cost me close to a grand, but I bought tennis shoes with them too. The biggest thing is the inserts. You have to have them so it might be a bit cheaper. Doesn't hurt to visit them.
-
It's been several years for me. It certainly has gotten much better but it’s not healed. The flareups do happen... almost weekly, but minor. I heard about the good feet store. Never went in there because the doctors had given me certain inserts to use, and those helped, the next thing to try is ultrasound therapy. The doctor himself thinks they’re not very helpful in my case because I have thicker scar tissue on the fascia. He told me that he can go in there and release the fascia completely. But that comes with its own problems to.
My problem is running. That’s the root cause. I Love my planter fascia. But he is old and tired now. I feel for him...he has given me thousands and thousands of miles of enjoyment and runner's high. My quiet companion throughout the years, my quiet companion through all the solo runs. I love him. I try to take it easy for him now.
-
I've been a lifelong runner also. In early years had plantar fasciatis and shin splints often. But when I retired in 2010 I got serious with strength training 3 times a week at the gym. Feet and ankles not giving trouble anymore. Knees and hips not giving me problems except a little bursitis. My problem is mostly osteoarthritis of the spine and degenerative disc disease L4 and L5. Wake up with pain in the back and right leg and numb toes. Running actually helps that.
-
My problem is mostly osteoarthritis of the spine
My mom has that issue, and, just like my grandmother had, she is hunching over some now and also has lower spine issue with pain.
I had been taking Vitamin D3 for many, many years, and in 2020 upped it to twice a day at doctor's orders when bloodwork showed it was still kinda low. It seems to be evolving that few people are getting enough D3. So I am getting about 5000 IU per day. I never got COVID-19 at all, so I wonder if that helped? Anyway, the latest and greatest now is vitamin K2, which I JUST started tonight. It helps with proper calcium depositing where it belongs, which is good for bones/teeth, but it PREVENTS depositing calcium where it does NOT belong, like in the arteries and joints. I don't take calcium, but get enough in my diet. K2 seems like a good precaution, so it might be worth researching. Not that expensive, either, about $0.09 for 100mcg/day
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G3BM83Z
Take daily with meal that contains fat and D3.
-
My wife and I both take the D3 for just the reason you stated. It worked most of the time and I say that because we got all the vax but I got Covid this past winter as did my wife. I'm going to look into that K2. D3 works in keeping pink elephants away as I certainly haven't seen any of them.
-
Not to start anything but I just like to say that the covid vaccine or any booster does not prevent you from contracting the disease, it merely lessens the severity of the symptoms. And, each time you get the disease, whether or not you have had any vaccinations, it will be a lesser impact to you. You cannot vaccinate against a virus, it is misnamed.
BTW, I'm going to look into the K2, that sounds interesting.
-
Not to start anything
Oh no, but you did! :) And it really is possible to have rational, good conversations about such things.
but I just like to say that the covid vaccine or any booster does not prevent you from contracting the disease, it merely lessens the severity of the symptoms.
Ideally, yes. Assuming it actually triggers an immune response that is useful to what is actual circulating at the time. But if you have strong protection, you won't know you were infected because the virus is unable to replicate to the point of making you sick. Or the symptoms are so small, they are just dismissed (like in my cases, constant allergies).
And, each time you get the disease, whether or not you have had any vaccinations, it will be a lesser impact to you.
Also assuming the immunity you gather is effective against later variants, yes. Sometimes it can be very relevant. Other times not so much.
You cannot vaccinate against a virus, it is misnamed.
Well, just depends on one's definition and perception of vaccination. Most people believe that a vaccination will protect from getting sick. And often it can. But it depends on a lot of factors. I am not a virologist but have picked up a lot of info. For example, the immune system has short term reaction (antibodies, which are produced and circulating) and long term memory (t-cells and such). The greatest protection is short-term, since antibodies will presumably be present and immediately attack the targeted virus when it is seen. But antibodies fade pretty quickly (months). Long-term memory (years) allows the immune system to remember and produce antibodies that are no longer present in the body, fairly fast, once the virus is identified again. Being sick with a virus or having an effective vaccination- either will illicit protection both now and in the future. That is, assuming your immune system is "normal".
The problem is that most viruses mutate. That can made the antibodies less effective or ineffective. And/or the t-cells unable to identify the mutated virus later. The issue with the first c19 vaccine is that although it was quite effective initially, c19 mutated pretty quickly, and the next incarnation rendered the vaccine much less useful. And the mutation after that left it pretty much completely ineffective. And it stayed that way. And the first update of the vaccine, when it finally came out, was too late- what it targeted was already passing, so it wasn't that effective. The third update (mid this year) is wait and see....
Personally, I got the first vaccine in early 2020 and the booster in late 2020. The late booster was already of little value, and I probably could have skipped it. I didn't bother with any other vaccinations. Why? Just personal choice and risk calculation- I never "got" C19 (even after it mutated a lot), the vaccines were proving not to be that effective anymore, the next one was bivalent and I don't really didn't want to challenge my immune system with something already not useful. This last one- well, C19 is so much weaker now, I just don't feel the need, especially since there is credible evidence of dangerous complications (although the risk is small, and perhaps less risky than C19 itself). But I did get an annual flu vaccine- have done that every year forever.
C19 was never really going to go away, but fade into the background. At this point, it is probably no more dangerous than what we see as the "seasonal flu." That doesn't make it any fun to have, nor not dangerous for some people (flus tend to be more dangerous for the young, C19 overwhelming for the old). Each person should make their own risk/reward assessment based on the best info they can find and/or at the advice of their own physician. Nothing is without risk. But people who repeatedly exposed themselves over and over and over and over again to the exact same vaccination, well, I don't think that was a good idea (and the prime reason I rejected the bivalent one), especially people like me with a pretty hyperactive immune system.
BTW, I'm going to look into the K2, that sounds interesting.
It shows promise, but not with anything to do regarding the immune system, mostly about heart/circulatory disease. And that is a major killer. As for D3, that is well-known to be very important for bone health and also immune system strength. The former is well understood. The latter, not so much.
-
Not to start anything but I just like to say that the covid vaccine or any booster does not prevent you from contracting the disease, it merely lessens the severity of the symptoms. And, each time you get the disease, whether or not you have had any vaccinations, it will be a lesser impact to you. You cannot vaccinate against a virus, it is misnamed.
BTW, I'm going to look into the K2, that sounds interesting.
I certainly think that's true as I got it anyway with all the vaccines I've taken. While I wouldn't say my symptoms were mild, they weren't terrible either. Sense of taste got screwed up and still are.
-
I believe I had C19 in early 2020. We weren't even rapid testing for it yet. I was icky for a week. Got the shot and the first booster, got C19 twice (verified) more. Followed all mask mandates before and after. Had a not great reaction to the shots. Basically felt like I had a cold for 3 days. Funny though that when I got C19 after the vaccination, that was the worst I had it. Was basically bedridden for 4 days, and not good for another week. I have no opinions of C19 vaccinations for anyone else. I'm someone who believes in personal liberties. You should be able to make your own choices.
-
Followed all mask mandates before and after.
Well, we knew before C19 mask mandates that they don't work. Many studies about them and the flu, which is also an airborne virus, are well-known for many years. The big recent study released earlier this year, just reinforced that mask mandates did nothing for C19. Individually, if used absolutely correctly, masks can offer users a slight protection from infection or transmission, but hardly worth bothering with. The primary purpose of masking is to prevent transmission of bacteria (not airborne viruses). Ironically, hand-washing, on the other hand (pun intended), turned out to be significantly effective at preventing transmission of C19.
Had a not great reaction to the shots. Basically felt like I had a cold for 3 days.
Same here. I had no reaction to the very first, but the 30 day booster had same thing- fever and sick, but only for one day. And same thing 11 months later with that booster. Ironically, getting sick after a booster does prove that your body did identify a pathogen and started to fight. So that is kinda "good."
Funny though that when I got C19 after the vaccination, that was the worst I had it. Was basically bedridden for 4 days, and not good for another week.
The immune system is a fantastically complex thing. So many factors can complicate how you will react, how badly, for how long, etc. For example, yours could have been weak or distracted at the time from fighting something else. Plus with the mutations, it might be different enough to cause major illness and evade your protection but the same time similar enough that the immune system was tricked initially into the wrong reaction.
I have no opinions of C19 vaccinations for anyone else. I'm someone who believes in personal liberties. You should be able to make your own choices.
ABSOLUTELY
I believe strongly in research, offering ACCURATE information to the public, and even encouragement (BASED ON ACTUAL SCIENCE NOT POLITICS). I also think vaccines are a fantastically wonderful tool/option. But never mandates. Mandates (of all sorts), inaccurate information (including mistakes, unsubstantiated speculation, misleading info, exaggerations, and even outright LIES) that were fed to the public have now severely damaged the public trust and created huge polarization.
-
Strawboss, look what your started.
-
Who am I to tell anyone who wants to think they can get vaccinated against a virus? If it makes you feel better, do it, you'll still get it.
-
Strawboss, look what your started.
:)
-
I wish we all had medical degrees.
-
I wish we all had medical degrees.
It would be helpful in this area, since there seems to be a great shortage. But, seriously, I just wish schools would trade some of their endless indoctrination to focus on critical/rational thinking, logic, and statistics. That would probably be good enough.
-
It would be helpful in this area, since there seems to be a great shortage. But, seriously, I just wish schools would trade some of their endless indoctrination to focus on critical/rational thinking, logic, and statistics. That would probably be good enough.
They can't do that. If they did, then nobody would believe their lies. :deadhorse:
I had a discussion recently with a former friend who was adamant that what he had seen on YouTube proved that experts in a particular field were lying for personal gain.
It was so funny that I laughed out loud and told him he was a "gullible moron", which is probably why he has now cut me out of his life.
He just couldn't concede that his personal opinion, backed by some YouTube videos (that the creators get paid lots for) was no substitute for critically reviewed research done by people who have made that subject their life's work. Work reviewed by other people in the same field, and others in related fields.
Science is not some boogeyman that's coming to get you. It's a method of investigating and checking how/why things work/happen. It has checks and balances and if the current set of theories are proven to be wrong, then they are discarded and new ones that fit all the data are developed. If there is insufficient data then any theory is worthless. If the theory doesn't fit ALL the data, then it is mostly worthless. Yes, some scientists are loathe to discard their pet theories but in the face of better theories most eventually capitulate.
The definition of a Vaccine is "A substance used to stimulate immunity to a particular infectious disease or pathogen, typically prepared from an inactivated or weakened form of the causative agent or from its constituents or products." In the case of the virus vaccines the second half doesn't hold, but the first half very much does.
The vaccines stimulate immunity which leads to the body handling the virus better when it gets exposed to it. How much better depends on the individual but typically means that you either never knew you were infected or only suffered minor symptoms. Catching the virus and surviving it does a similar thing, but the risk is seriously high, whereas the risk from the vaccine is extremely low.
Life is a risk and there are no guarantees, but I'll take a tried and tested vaccine every time rather than suffer the consequences.
-
It's amazing how, in just the last few years we have had so many brilliant medical doctors and constitutional lawyers appear on forums and YouTube. Interestingly though, I learned most work from their mom's basements and have never use deodorant.
-
They can't do that. If they did, then nobody would believe their lies. :deadhorse:
Really.
It is so much more important to learn HOW to think than WHAT to think (plus the simple ability to say "sorry, I was mistaken"). But it seems that critical thinking has just been evaporating the educational area... even at college level, replaced with "my truths" and "safe spaces". Emotion has replaced reason, tribalism has replaced listening, and speculation has become religion. I thank the powers that be that somehow I got it earlier in life and then the science classes in my high school system were really quite good. Ironically, it was much weaker in college, at least in the core curriculum.
Well, I did my small part when I was teaching for a few years as an adjunct back in the day (computer-related field). Perhaps if I ever retire, I could volunteer in some capacity to teach logic/reason/debate, but I doubt I would even find a venue that would be interested.
Ug, I sound like some grumpy, old "get off my lawn" guy again.
-
Got the hip done on Thursday. I'm actually walking around a bit at home without a walker but I'm taking it easy. Pain was a bit' after the spinal block wore off (about 8 hours) after surgery. Pills didn't work so much but helped a little though. They actually had to use some IV pain meds which did work for about an hour or so, but I think that was by design. Slept all night on the lazy boy last night. I sleep on my side but they said oh no, don't do that. It was all I could do not to. Did a little bit of walking in the house with the walker and then decided not to use it. Even went up and down the stairs. So far so good but I have to not push so much as I don't want to injure anything over.
What surprised me was the spinal block. Didn't hurt like I thought it would. Kept on asking for whiskey but they wouldn't give it to me lol. I was very impressed with the care I got at the hospital. Nothing negative about that at all.
-
I hope you heal fast. Don't overdo it!
-
It is good to hear. Hope you heal fast.
-
Rest and heal Jim. Glad yer through it and recovering. You'll be doing a trackday on an H2 in no time :rotflmao:
-
Get well soon, Jim. And don’t sleep on the lazyboy. I think your bed would be better.
Did they tell you the condition of your old hips once in there?
-
Glad you’re doing well Jim. Incidentally, my son preps the prosthetics (parts) for hips, shoulders and knee surgeries. He stands in the O.R. and uses a laser pointer to light up the parts that the surgeon calls out for the techs to retrieve. He’s told me about how rough they are on the patients (as a matter of necessity). Sledge hammers, slide hammers, big ‘ol drill bits, serious power tools... It’s like carpentry on humans. It’s no wonder patients come out of those surgeries feeling like they’ve been in a car wreck. Be sure to follow the Doc’s instructions and not to overdo it.
Godspeed.
-
Good luck, Jim. I'm glad everything is going well so far. Take it slow and you'll be back in no time.
-
Glad you’re doing well Jim. Incidentally, my son preps the prosthetics (parts) for hips, shoulders and knee surgeries. He stands in the O.R. and uses a laser pointer to light up the parts that the surgeon calls out for the techs to retrieve. He’s told me about how rough they are on the patients (as a matter of necessity). Sledge hammers, slide hammers, big ‘ol drill bits, serious power tools... It’s like carpentry on humans. It’s no wonder patients come out of those surgeries feeling like they’ve been in a car wreck. Be sure to follow the Doc’s instructions and not to overdo it.
Godspeed.
I sure do have the bruising. Heading to the doc tomorrow ahead of schedule as I have a very large water blister that's formed lower than the main incision. Slightly yellowish but I'm think that's the stuff they wipe over the skin mixing with the fluid. No pain or nothing like that. The doc did call in some more antibiotic which I'll pick up tomorrow.
It's still feeling the pain and actually walking around without assistance with a cane. Dumped the walker after the first day. My wife has taken off this week to help assist with everything. Couldn't have done it without her.
-
Thank God for the charity of women.
-
Yes as I'm not as nice as she is.. The blister had popped by the time we got to the doc today. He wasn't too concerned over it. Called it a fracture blister. I'm more concerned over the 'open' wound and getting it infected. Again, my wife is taking care of keeping that cleaned up. They removed the stitches from the upper incision which involved a parallel piece of tape. I think that they are called zipper stitches. Took an x-ray of my hip and said everything looked perfect which is fine by me.
I'm a passenger right now and I have trouble getting into our low slung Prius. Having trouble getting my right leg in. Have to have my wife lift it up to get it into the car. I've got to work on that. The truck is totally out of the question at the moment.
Anyway, things are progressing positively.
-
Is there no way to cover the open blister wound?
-
Doc said clean it several times a day with half hydrogen Peroxide and water. I've found over the years that covering something like this keeps it 'wetter'. I want it to scab over or dry up. I'm going to attempt to walk out of the house and go down to the end of the block and come back today. Fairly flat. One of the unintended consequences of this hip issue is that I've gained over 10 pounds from lack of activity. If you don't hear from me in awhile I've fallen into the ditch and yelling 'I've fallen and can't get up!' LOL I am taking my cane along for support and most likely my wife will be with me in all seriousness.
-
Hi Jim...
I think you should seek the advice of a wound healing clinic. INOVA Wound Care clinics if needed.
Cleaning your wound several!!! times a day with peroxide is not a good idea. It prevents proper healing as it indiscriminately kills regenerative and immune cells plus good skin bacteria. You should only do that initially when the wound is dirty (or gets soiled again). Thereafter, use plain water (and soap). Or sterile normal saline solution (NSS) (and baby soap if needed).
You should initially use antimicrobial ointment and an absorbent, breathing gauze to cover the wound, then move to Vaseline + gauze then to medical grade silicone tape. Silicone tape does wonders for wound healing! Most people do not know this. Even some docs don't. Consult a proper doctor for timing of the silicone tapes. Can't be applied whenever.
My advice is worth the price you paid for it. $0.00. Or zero silver coins for the preppers amongst us who listens to the financial savant William Devane.
I believe you would get better advice from a post-op wound care clinic. Granted, I just became a so called doctor during Covid by listening to the other so called doctors giving advice on podcasts from their mother's basements. But having an elderly mom who has had diabetes since she was a teenager, I am very cognizant of any wounds on her and wound healing protocols. Diabetes and wounds are two dangerous combo.
And no drinking alcohol until everything heals down tight.
-
Your last sentence stopped me in my tracks...I can do all of the above but that..lol
-
I know. That's why I said it. Plus it is true! Last time I mentioned it, you were about to ban me. :)
But try just for a month. then get back to it!
Anyway, you are in good spirits! That is truly half the battle. Strong mind, strong body. I am happy to see you like this.
-
Overdid it a bit today on a walk outside with my wife. Paying for it now.
-
I was told (by a practitioner) that wounds heal faster when they remain clean but moist/damp. It still has to breathe, though, but that the tissue generation is faster when damp. It also leaves less scarring. Of course, I imagine it probably depends on the type and size of wound. At my work, they spend a lot of time examining and treating and assessing lots of types of wounds. Determining right amount of moisture is one of the challenges. Also a lot of work is done with "wound vacs", keeping a slight negative pressure on certain types of deep wounds to speed healing. Also, silver-infused dressings (silver is like a magic anti-bacterial).
I agree that using hydrogen peroxide/iodine/etc repeatedly will actually damage skin repair.
https://www.woundsource.com/blog/clearing-air-about-moist-vs-dry-wound-healing
https://woundeducators.com/wound-moisture-balance/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8568799/
As I usually say, consult with your practitioner :)
-
Maxtog, your work is interesting, indeed. I'm always wanting to learn about wound healing for my mom.
Do you guys do any research on diabetic clotting disorders?
-
Maxtog, your work is interesting, indeed. I'm always wanting to learn about wound healing for my mom.
Do you guys do any research on diabetic clotting disorders?
Not really. It is more about treatment by the wound care team, and also rehab. We take in a lot of post-surgical patients. A lot of them are knee/hip replacements. Others include bedsores, back surgery, etc.
I am not clinical, myself, but working in healthcare for many decades, one picks up a LOT of information. For example, nutrition is also very important for wound healing.
As for diabetes, I have seen the ravages of those who don't properly treat that disease. It affects the whole body, and people not following proper treatment can end up with severe nerve damage, hearing loss, heart problems, and all kinds of amputations from poor circulation and lack of pain perception causing injury and poor healing.
As for infection control, I think I said it once before in a thread around here somewhere- I think the best thing going would be to put in HEPA filters and UV sterilizers in the HVAC systems of public buildings (not just healthcare settings). Unlike the whole insane "face mask theater", which is not effective, HVAC system modifications could really make a very significant dent in transmission of viral and bacterial infections while also reducing allergens, odors, mold/mildew, and dust. Plus they are completely passive, non-intrusive, and do not use much energy. But there is expense to install and maintain.
-
Despite some medical info here, my wounds are healing quite nicely. Did put some Neosporin on them this morning but I think it's a waste of time. As far as leaving a wound moist that makes no sense to me at all. With the blister I had and wounds similar to that I've found that putting something on it to 'crust' it up helps heal it faster. In the past (I'm dating myself here) I've used Mercurochrome on the them to help seal them. They healed much better. I can't find the Mercurochrome I've used in the past, though. The new stuff isn't as good. My wife uses New Skin. Her skin is 'delicate' in that it tears more easily compared to mine. Her Dad had skin like that. If she doesn't use it and just puts a bandaid over it they get infected. This does not happen with New Skin.
-
Again Jim, best of luck. I was grateful to see Maxtog's links about wound healing. I had surgery on my ear a week ago for skin cancer. The doc took a 50 cent piece junk out of my ear and its going to have to heal from inside out as no way to stitch it. It's making me crazy not to be able to put a helmet on!
-
If you are healing well then keep doing what is working for you. Neosporin or bacitracin is good idea.
They say never to pop blisters. The light yellow blister "fluid" serum has a lot of healing cells floating around.
I have to concur with Maxtog, keeping it moist does help in healing faster than simply keeping it dry. Unless you have diabetes or a bleeding disorder. New cell growth in wounds happen from bottom up and edges inwards. Moisture helps the cells "crawl" faster.
Hydrophilic polymer and potassium ferrite used for drying wounds is available but not for everyone. I keep medical grade of that for my mom for emergencies not for would healing purposes.
-
Might be because it doesn't have mercury in it anymore! :)
Like my old mercury fillings. They are the best. One is almost 30 years old. The white ones are crap.
I can't find the Mercurochrome I've used in the past, though. The new stuff isn't as good.
-
Looks like it did contain mercury and was banned in 1998 sadly. It worked for me and the whole family.
-
Looks like it did contain mercury and was banned in 1998 sadly. It worked for me and the whole family.
Yeah, well, mercury is really not a good thing when it gets into the body. Surprised it was on the market even that long. There are different forms and some can be absorbed through the skin...
And yes, as a kid, I did play with mercury in my bare hands (as I am sure many of you did). Pure (elemental) mercury won't penetrate in-tact skin. So there is that. But I probably wouldn't do it again... why push luck? It is a fascinating material, holding a liquid metal which is cold and heavy.
-
Mercury was used for all sorts of things. Jim's wound care solution, thermometers, eyedrops, fillings, vaccines. Then came the anti-vaxers and ruined it for all of us.
-
I was actually able to lift my right foot to get into the passenger side of the Prius. Getting better.
-
Awesome news, Jim!
-
I was actually able to lift my right foot to get into the passenger side of the Prius. Getting better.
:banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana
Jim, you had to know it was only a matter of time.
-
Haven't dared trying the truck yet...
-
Did you get this? Just read this on google news.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/do-not-use-synovo-total-hip-resurfacing-system-fda-safety-communication
-
I'd imagine Jim didn't get one of those, as the manufacturers were admonished already in 2022. Hope you're continuing to improve at pace, Jim.
-
I am indeed improving day by day. Actually drove the truck the past few days on some short hops. At least my right leg doesn't bother me anymore using the accelerator pedal and brake.
-
Did you get this? Just read this on google news.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/do-not-use-synovo-total-hip-resurfacing-system-fda-safety-communication (https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/do-not-use-synovo-total-hip-resurfacing-system-fda-safety-communication)
Well, I'm hoping all the right things were done. The surgeon seemed very competent as is his office staff. I guess we'll see in the long run.. Now I need to get better and start riding the bike again. Planning on doing way more traveling this year with the wife on the bike and vehicles.
-
I'm sure all the right things were done. I just wanted to bring this up to your attention just because it came onto my newsfeed and we were discussing hip replacement here. For personal interest, I'm subscribed to medical news so I often get recalls and warnings showing up in my news panel.
-
I appreciate the heads up...
-
Good to hear you're continuing to do better. I totally understand wanting to do more with the wife. Looking to do more traveling with my family this year, too.
-
How are those blisters? They dry up?
Have you resumed your alcohol consumption or are you waiting till you are completely healed? :)
-
The blister broke before I got to the doc to look at it. Completely healed now. I've stopped drinking temporarily (aaaargh!) :yikes: as it's affecting my sleeping (stopped a day ago).
-
We went dry for a few months before Thanksgiving. After that, we stayed off everything but bourbon. Much lower calories than the beer we were drinking. Trying to be better about my own health.
-
I'm more of a whisky drinker myself as well. Only time I do beer is when I'm grilling. One beer, to set up the grill. Another to actually grill. A final one for the serving after the cooking is done.
-
Getting married in 6 weeks and we're going on a motorcycle camping tour of part of the state and Route 66 from one side of AZ to the other. Two people, two bikes, four days. Done plenty of camping, plenty of long riding, but motorcycle camping is new to both of us. Any suggestions?
-
Go to a back packing store. Camping gear for back packers is what you need for motorcycle camping.
-
I should've been more specific. Got plenty of gear. Backpacking included. Done plenty of pack in camp trips and hunts. Used to carrying a lot of gear. Didn't know if people had any specific tips. Like I think I'm going to pack my sleeping bag right behind the front seat so I can have a bit of a back rest.
-
I should've been more specific. Got plenty of gear. Backpacking included. Done plenty of pack in camp trips and hunts. Used to carrying a lot of gear. Didn't know if people had any specific tips. Like I think I'm going to pack my sleeping bag right behind the front seat so I can have a bit of a back rest.
Since you will be carrying most of the gear (unless your better-half also rides a C14), don't forget to refer to your bike as "Luggage" at every opportunity. :rotflmao:
When I used to camp I always put the tent on the back seat as that was the heaviest single item.
The sleeping bag(s) can go on top of the trunk or even on top of the side-bags as they are light.
The ideal is to keep the weight as low as possible as that improves handling and control.
-
I think my cot is going to be the heaviest thing. I'm getting old and don't want to sleep on the ground. I'm probably just overthinking everything because I want it to go really well. Our campsites aren't more than an hour from a city anyway, should I need something.
-
Not much progress on the race car. Got a new seat from Deathwish. Top Sellier. It's even taller than the custom tall seat I had made. Pretty decent seat. Finalizing the planning for my after wedding party next month... I hate organizing events.
How are you holding up, Jim?
-
Getting better every week, Red. I actually walked around our block yesterday (75 degrees outside). I had to stop a few times as I was getting tired but I made it home. Carried a cane just in case and I actually started using it as an assist the last 100 yards or so. Now I'm getting severe indigestion which I never had before the op. I think I've figured it out though. I've continued taking diclofenec twice a day after I stopped the pantoprozole. Didn't put those two together when I was taking it and the antacid. So now I've stopped the diclofenec to see if any pain gets worse, but so far so good although this is the first day lol.
Now for something completely different. Saw a show that highlighted Hillbilly Hotdogs in WV. Told the wife, sounds like a road trip. 6 to 7 hours from me but might piggy back on a visit to the AF Museum in Dayton, OH. I'm keenly interested in the Homewrecker dog.
-
I love specialty hotdogs. Being in Phoenix, I’m spoiled for choice on Sonoran dogs. I love a good Chicago dog, too.
Got more than half the roll cage welded into my car. Not my greatest welding, but it is coming along.
-
Welded in some more floor plates for the cage in my drag car this weekend. Also finally installed all my switchback stuff and tail tidy on my 2010. I forgot how much I liked the extra lighting.
-
60mph crosswind on I-40 blew my magnetic tank bag clear off my bike. Riding in it wasn't much fun, either. Had to knock 300 miles off of our camping/touring trip, but it was the far safer option.
-
Damn. Those are dangerous winds. You could get blown to the side as well. I'm a little girl. I can't handle winds over 25mph
-
Did you lose any valuables?
-
The Marsee magnetic bag was very secure and I've rode with it on without issue cross country to Reno and back. Winds were heck but it stayed on.
Red, I hope you were able to retrieve it.
-
Many many moons ago I was riding my old C10 "Sanji" to my sisters in 80mph gusting winds. It was hard work (mostly a headwind) and guzzled fuel, but about 50 miles from getting there I crossed a bridge and the winds chose that moment to become a sidewind. Luckily there were no other vehicles around me as I used both lanes getting across the bridge dragging the left footpeg the entire way across in a mostly straight line. About 3 miles further on I found a Motel, chained my bike to a heavy steel post that was well concreted in and checked in for the night.
-
I did get my bag back, miraculously virtually undamaged. I had my spare Packtalk Bold and my 35mm Canon FTb in there. The video of the ride doesn't do it justice. Which is just as good, as family is the intended audience for the video and I'd rather not hear about how dumb it was. The bag is a Chase Harper 650. It's super secure and I never had any issues before. Just the right gust.
-
Just bought a 5" waterproof carplay screen from AliExpress. When it gets here, I'm going to do a little review. I'm excited to mount it and keep my phone out of the Phoenix summer sun.
-
Just bought a 5" waterproof carplay screen from AliExpress. When it gets here, I'm going to do a little review. I'm excited to mount it and keep my phone out of the Phoenix summer sun.
Very interesting. I am looking forward to it. Presently, I have an iPhone that I use a quadlock charger to mount to my bike. I do not like how hot it gets. In fact, I’ve had the phone shut down as a result.
-
Very interesting. I am looking forward to it. Presently, I have an iPhone that I use a quadlock charger to mount to my bike. I do not like how hot it gets. In fact, I’ve had the phone shut down as a result.
I don't even use the quadlock charger. Just sitting on the mount, my phone has gotten hot enough to shut down.
-
I've never ordered from AliExpress. I would like a review on that :)
Just bought a 5" waterproof carplay screen from AliExpress. When it gets here, I'm going to do a little review. I'm excited to mount it and keep my phone out of the Phoenix summer sun.
-
I've never ordered from AliExpress. I would like a review on that :)
I have. I bought a stainless steel watch band for my Galaxy Watch 4 Classic because I simply couldn't find one I liked anywhere else. It actually turned out fine. Took a while to get here, but no problems at all. Was actually exactly as described, fit perfectly, good quality, low price, and has lasted for years. I think it was the only time I have used them. Of course, experiences are likely to vary a lot.
-
Thank you for that review, Max. Between aliExpress and the new temu site, I think our choices for buying international has widened. I only know eBay and Amazon. I am looking to try other venues because The variety seems wider and prices better.
-
I've never not received something I ordered from AliExpress. There has been stuff that is not quite as advertised, but close. I've had no issues with Temu, either.