Notes_Norton Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 I don't mind buying the batteries for my Ear Plugs, and since they are not for a hearing problem, but to prevent one, I don't think the NHS would pay for them anyway. The active ear plugs work by increasing the attenuation as the external volume increases. The only faults I can find with them are (1) they don't have the greatest bass response (2) if the ambient volume gets over 100dba the output to my ears will climb over the safe 85dba. But I am in a duo playing for an adult audience, so stage volumes are never higher than 100dba, they usually peak in the mid 90s. If I go out where the music will be loud, I bring my regular passive Westone ear plugs (15 and 25 db attenuation). But I do envy countries with nationalized medicine. UK and Canada use the beveridge system, others like France, Germany and Japan use bismarck model. I think I like bismarck a bit better. I believe both systems are better than what we have in the US because we pay way more and are about the 65th healthy nation. Every nationalized medicine country has better health care than the US at less cost. It seems to me better care at a lower cost is a no-brainer. But that's our US politics and right now there doesn't seem to be enough voters who agree with me. But the post wasn't about healthcare, but computers so I apologize for getting it off thread. Also I won't turn this into a political debate and continue with the health care tangent. The batteries were about being tracked and mis-targeted on-line. So let's get back on topic... People tracking you on-line can make false assumptions about you. The ear plug battery issue is minor, but what if you were curious about something illegal? Not because you wanted to break the law, but perhaps to avoid being a victim. Would the key words in your post, or your search habits, put you on a watch list? And if you are being targeted by your browsing habits, will they know your bank name and other things that help them phish for the money in your bank account? The thing about being on-line is you have to adopt a slightly paranoid "everyone is out to get me" philosophy. And of course, everybody isn't out to get you, but if you let your guard down, you could be in a heap of trouble. A couple of days ago I had an e-mail that looked like it was from my bank, that told me there was a security problem and to contact them immediately. Of course, I didn't click that link or call the number in the e-mail but called the bank directly with their normal number. There was no security problem, the e-mail was simply phishing for my money. I've received a couple for other banks, PayPal, and the other big presence institutions. You have to keep your software up-to-date and you have to keep your guard up. It's the best way to minimize your risk. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Jarvis Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 An operating system that changes your settings, deletes drivers, changes your Machine ID, etc. seems close to my definition of a virus I'm running Win7 Ultimate on my DAW and Win10 Pro on a laptop...my Win7 is definitely more stable. At some point(maybe next year) I want to build a new Daw...I'll go with Win10 Pro but I hope Microsoft fixes things first. As far as I'm concerned it's Microsoft's OS but my hardware and software! Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, Cookie Jarvis said: An operating system that changes your settings, deletes drivers, changes your Machine ID, etc. seems close to my definition of a virus I'm running Win7 Ultimate on my DAW and Win10 Pro on a laptop...my Win7 is definitely more stable. At some point(maybe next year) I want to build a new Daw...I'll go with Win10 Pro but I hope Microsoft fixes things first. As far as I'm concerned it's Microsoft's OS but my hardware and software! Bill Exactly my sentiments. I won't let Win 10 anywhere near any PCs of mine until all these BUGS are removed. I accept that probably means "not in my lifetime" but that's fine with me. Win7pro(x64) user. Plus AusLogics defragger, CCleaner, and uBlock Origin on Firefox. JohnG. P.S. Even on this forum GoogleTagManager is trying to track me, efectively blocked by uBlock. Edited March 12, 2019 by JohnG Extra P.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Depends on use for me. On stage I have a XP and a Win7 machine. I no longer connect them to the Internet so they haven't changed for decades. The XP is an IBM ThinkPad purchased in 2002 that even though I do one-nighers, and it sits on a bouncing keyboard stand every night, performs flawlessly again and again. In all these years I replaced the CMOS battery ($5.00 'watch' battery) because it died and the time and date settings needed to be reset when I turned the computer on. The Lenovo ThinkPad Win7 machine I bought when the other 2002 ThinkPad developed a hinge problem and it was so old it would have cost more to fix it than to replace it. I can get by with one on stage, but both are up and running. If a problem occurs, I can move the USB cable from the one I'm using to the up and running spare and the show goes on. Cheap gig insurance. But for any computer that lives on the Internet, I want all the upgrades possible because many of those upgrades fix security holes. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Yeah! Thinkpads are great, IMHO. I've just finished upgrading a T430. You might have found a pair hinges on eBay. I saw some a week or so back when component hunting. Mark you it's quite a bit of work to dismantle it all and reassemble it. But well within the bounds of a moderately skilled screwdriver twiddler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 8 hours ago, JohnG said: Mark you it's quite a bit of work to dismantle it all and reassemble it. But well within the bounds of a moderately skilled screwdriver twiddler. Ohhh, yeah! You've gotta love having to pull rubber feet and sometimes stickers off to get to hidden screws! I find it best to have a YouTube video going that shows all the many places you have to look while I'm working. It cuts down on the damage! 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 On 3/10/2019 at 12:28 PM, JohnG said: Now, here in the UK I get my hearing aid batteries for free. I'm not suggesting you move here, that might cost a decade's worth of batteries or significantly more. And then there's Brexit. But there are certain advantages to the NHS system. Not many, I grant you, but free hearing aid batteries is one. Nothing is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 5 minutes ago, Byron Dickens said: Nothing is free. I started out with nothing and still have most of it left... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 10 hours ago, craigb said: Ohhh, yeah! You've gotta love having to pull rubber feet and sometimes stickers off to get to hidden screws! I find it best to have a YouTube video going that shows all the many places you have to look while I'm working. It cuts down on the damage! 😆 Not with a ThinkPad. All set screws (N.B. not self tapping rubbish) are accesible, and the whole thing comes apart with relative ease. It is still a laptop! Cleaned the CPU fan, new RAM, mSATA drive, HDD, new backlit keyboard, replaced the LCD screen with higher res one. All done in a few hours (I didn't count how long). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 It's not worth my time to find the parts and repair the hinge on a 2002 ThinkPad. The other 2002 is still working and the Win7 machine I bought to replace the one with the damaged hinge is going strong. I might take the hard drive out and find a place that can use it for parts. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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