You never even tried. I wasn't the only one that asked you either.
WHAT would YOU do?
- Thread starter phillymatt53
- Start date
phillymatt53
Well-known member
TECHNOLOGY - SOME THINGS ARE GOOD!
A few days ago I was working on one of my "projects", and the telephone rang.
I usually don't answer, because I get so many annoying robo calls, I let the answering machine handle that.
But I picked up the phone anyway...
It apparently was a "wrong number" call from a gentleman in Dalhart, Amarillo Texas.
He was on his cellphone and saw MY number, and thinking it was from a friend of his who was traveling, was returning the call.
I told him that I've gotten several calls from people that had my number on their phones.
And I also said that I don't know anyone in Texas that I would call, since I'm in Philadelphia Pa.
Well, this gentleman was nice enough, with a peasent yet heavy "Southern Drawl" and seemed like a friendly down to earth type, and a couple of years older than me.
The next thing I know, we're total strangers, talking like we were old friends!
We must have been on the call for at least an HOUR.
Discussing all sorts of stuff, politics, the local weather, music, our work history (we're both retired), and we both had similar views about the state of affairs in the country and world.
We talked about cars, and yes, even about the crappy products made these days.
He told me that he was a Marine Vet from the Vietnam war, and what it was like.
And that him and his wife kept a small farm down there in Dalhart with horses, cows, chickens, etc.
It was a very pleasent call for sure, and it's so nice to interact with someone nice from a far-away state and share things.
We even shared our names, just being polite, and both of us thanked each other for the amazing "wrong number" call.
Well, I looked him up online and found his address, and I plan on sending him and his wife a Christmas card next month.
Because things like that call are precious and memorable.
A few days ago I was working on one of my "projects", and the telephone rang.
I usually don't answer, because I get so many annoying robo calls, I let the answering machine handle that.
But I picked up the phone anyway...
It apparently was a "wrong number" call from a gentleman in Dalhart, Amarillo Texas.
He was on his cellphone and saw MY number, and thinking it was from a friend of his who was traveling, was returning the call.
I told him that I've gotten several calls from people that had my number on their phones.
And I also said that I don't know anyone in Texas that I would call, since I'm in Philadelphia Pa.
Well, this gentleman was nice enough, with a peasent yet heavy "Southern Drawl" and seemed like a friendly down to earth type, and a couple of years older than me.
The next thing I know, we're total strangers, talking like we were old friends!
We must have been on the call for at least an HOUR.
Discussing all sorts of stuff, politics, the local weather, music, our work history (we're both retired), and we both had similar views about the state of affairs in the country and world.
We talked about cars, and yes, even about the crappy products made these days.
He told me that he was a Marine Vet from the Vietnam war, and what it was like.
And that him and his wife kept a small farm down there in Dalhart with horses, cows, chickens, etc.
It was a very pleasent call for sure, and it's so nice to interact with someone nice from a far-away state and share things.
We even shared our names, just being polite, and both of us thanked each other for the amazing "wrong number" call.
Well, I looked him up online and found his address, and I plan on sending him and his wife a Christmas card next month.
Because things like that call are precious and memorable.
I would be highly skeptical of what these local service and delivery guys tell you.
They sound smart and want to come off as smart, but most often, all they really know is their discreet task.
The only way your gas meter data would be part of a nation-wide network, is if your gas company is owned by a nationwide energy conglomerate.
For most of my life, my local gas company, Nicor, was strictly Illinois-based.
They got bought out by Southern Company not too long ago.
So yes, my gas use data is now known by "the South."
But not "the West!" Yet.
I had a stove delivery man (unsolicited of course) tell me that "GE owns everything!"
GE owns the appliance delivery services.
GE owns the recycling symbol, and is paid royalties anytime it's used on a piece of plastic.
GE owns LG and they use all the same parts!
My new Maytag oven probably has some GE parts in it!
I basically had to just smile and nod to get him out of my house.
Obviously, all these things are easily refutable with a little research.
GE used to own TIP, a trucking company, so that's true, but they were sold off over a decade ago.
GE definitly did NOT invent the recycling symbol, and they don't get royalties. I've been putting that symbol in plastic molds for year, and never needed to pay anyone.
LOL! GE does not own LG. It's possible they might share some suppliers, since everything's made in China now.
Same here, there's a non-zero chance that a Maytag oven might share a part with a GE oven, from a common supplier.
We had a 1963 Westinghouse dryer. The pushbutton temperature selector switch was made by GE.
Most GE appliances are NOT made in China. Many are manufactured at Appliance Park in Louisville KY. Some of the components are from China, of course.
phillymatt53
Well-known member
All three of my GE window air conditioners contain internals (motors, compressors, coils, etc) with labels on these parts with LG on them, and have LG part numbers. - as well as the "made in china" on their labels.
Now, regardless of where these components are actually made, I have to assume they're products of LG, with the "GE" badge slapped on the front of the air conditioners.
sel8207
Well-known member
There is a fee at my house (think it's about 13 to 16 dollars) to have the old manually read
meter.
phillymatt53
Well-known member
I actually don't mind having those new meters installed.
My bills are still accurate.
And it hasn't affected, as far as I know, with my life.
And it better not.
I remember those meter readers making the rounds for your electricity and gas, though somehow I don't think water...
And you had to let those guys into your house if any of the meters were inside... Though there was a campaign to get them put out, and I remember our house needing this massive drilling underground to move our gas meter outside from what used to be against a wall in a closet in the basement, and I remember friends of ours having a gs meter behind a small cupboard which we pretended was a scary monster!
Our electric and most every one else's electric meters were outside, though I recall seeing some inside electric meters, whereas all water meters are inside to this day...
So obviously the off-sight meter reading was just a necessity ahead of its time, though some development, similar to today, was along the way, being designed...
And you had to let those guys into your house if any of the meters were inside... Though there was a campaign to get them put out, and I remember our house needing this massive drilling underground to move our gas meter outside from what used to be against a wall in a closet in the basement, and I remember friends of ours having a gs meter behind a small cupboard which we pretended was a scary monster!
Our electric and most every one else's electric meters were outside, though I recall seeing some inside electric meters, whereas all water meters are inside to this day...
So obviously the off-sight meter reading was just a necessity ahead of its time, though some development, similar to today, was along the way, being designed...
vacerator
Well-known member
GE sources microwaves from LG. Has since they were still made in Korea.
Living in a one bedroom, 1 bath condo, to me there is no huge benefit to a "smart house" - I don't need WIFI connected to things, and very often simpler is better. As someone who is starting a new career at age 63 as an AFLAC agent, I have enough struggles with technology. What a lot of people seem to be missing on these posts is also the health aspect - like many, in our condo complex, they have panels at the ends of the building with maybe 30 smart meters in a box - some unlucky person is on the OTHER side of that wall, probably 2 condos next to each panel. They were allowed to install their "smart meters" - (and I was harassed daily by the "engineer" that was in charge to accept the damn thing) they did NOTHING to stop the constant transmission by these crappy things when retrofitting - should have been easy at this point to put something to block the transmission from these between the walls of the adjacent condos and the meters - so for many, the health effect isn't ONE smart meter, but a whole PANEL of them - Now I try to be a "good boy" and participate in OLM Hours, or whatever the call it, when we do our best to greatly reduce our energy consumption at a planned time, for 1 to 3 hours - but hooking up devices to automation can be disastrous - we have had ovens that turned on by themselves in the past, garage doors that opened and closed, etc - I can save a bit more on "OLMS HOURS" by having my refrigerator, AC, whatever controlled by THEM - but is that really worth it? What if it malfunctions, turns off my fridge while away? If I have pets at home and they turn off the A/C - these things do malfunction, and often because they didn't think it through well with the technology - often, simpler is best. I keep my a/c's set on 90 degrees when gone during the summer - in an extremely hot part of SD county - enough to keep the back up power supplies for the computer and stuff from exploding (it happened, battery expanded and destroyed the UPS) - I use the timer feature on the A/C units some - and I campaign on the rights for HOA victims to be able to have proper heating and cooling - in my case, to have 2 a/c units, 1 for bedroom, 1 for living room - making me not dependent on ONE, and making things much more efficient - but this is using simpler technology that just works well for years and years -
phillymatt53
Well-known member
Indeed, some things done or mandated by companies and installers are not thought out fully, and can have adverse effects on a person's life/living.
I find a substantial lack of consideration not just to companies, but even to the general public as well.
For instance - neighbors putting out their trash on a national holiday.
Or putting out their trash on a windy day in loose open bags.
People are so self-centered on themselves that they just don't see their errors.
In my terms of speaking, they're brainless dumb-assed MF's.
Where I live, the trash collection day doesn't change for any holiday except Christmas. So you have to put it out if you want it to be picked up.
phillymatt53
Well-known member
Here in Philly, trash collection is strict, and has rules.
Federal holidays - no trash pickups. - you put it out for the day after.
Exceptions are if a local parade or event is planned, trash will be picked up after event cleanup first - if event falls on your trash day, it's delayed one day more.
In 2009, I made a trip to visit friends in Wellsboro Pa, a 4 hour drive.
Well, my trashday is Thursday, and I left on Wednesday in order to be back on Sunday.
So I put my trash out Wednesday morning in my back driveway since I wasn't going to be there to put it out that evening (the city rule is to wait until late afternoon 5PM/evening)
But the back driveway isn't on the street, it's a private common driveway for the whole block.
A few weeks later I get a letter from City Hall trash police with a citation saying that I owe them $50 for putting out my trash too early, and they even had a photograph of my trash with a timestamp.
And if I didn't pay within 10 days of the letter date, they would tack on another $25 late fee to total $75.
Now get this!.......
The photo was dated July 1st, the day I left.
The letter was dated July 13th.
The ENVELOPE was postmarked July 27th.
I got it on July 29th! - 16 days AFTER their damn letter date!
So they tried to milk me for that extra $25, the bastards!
I called, explained the late mailing, they insisted that I still owe the late fee!
Even though it wasn't my fault!
I called my local committee person, and told them this ugly story.
How I have the envelope, postmarked, etc.
They told me to send JUST them a check for the $50, and a photo copy of the citation and envelope with the clear postmark. - and they'd take care of it.
Ain't that some shit?
Problem solved!
City hall has tried several things threatening and trying to force me to give them money, and I caught them all in the act of this fraudulent bullcrap.
So, I was lucky to "beat city hall" and it's scams.
Talk about government corruption!
Last edited:
vacerator
Well-known member
Our city switched refuse companies 18 months ago to save money. One council woman was tired of seeing trash all over because of residents who overfilled their cans or set garbage out loose. The new company doesn't take things left loose, only big heavy items. The service isn't as prompt, and now trash and paper flies from the bins as the automatic hoist dumps them into the trucks. We're not supposed to set trash out until 12 hours before collection. Do DPW inspectors enforce it? No.
A private company picks up the trash here, so they set the schedule. I set mine out last night, after I got home about 7:30. It's probably been picked up by now, as the truck usually comes sometime between 5:00 and 8:00 in the morning. Neighbors might complain if someone sets it out more than a day before, especially if raccoons or cats get into it and make a mess. However, they will usually say something directly to the one responsible, rather than whining to the mayor or someone else about it. I can see the city not wanting it set out too soon if there's a problem with rats or other animals in the area.
phillymatt53
Well-known member
I think a lot of legislation is nothing but bullcrap designed to make city and government officials look like they're doing something good for the people.
Kind of like "smoke and mirrors", and maybe initially it's enacted, only to be shelved and forgotten.
And when these laws are in force, they target homeowners, specifically new owners like I was, hoping that I'll be dumb enough to believe their complaints and hand them some revenue money.
Here's another interesting City Hall story that I caught them in the act of trying to milk money from me.... and I'm sure it's been done to others.
This one concerns the Water Department.....
A year after I moved in, in 2005, I started getting "Rat" notices, stating that my sewage "lateral" pipe was broken and allowed rats to surface and cause issues.
And that the pipe needed to be replaced, which would cost me a couple thousand dollars to dig up.
And if I didn't comply, the city would turn off my water supply until the "issue" was corrected.
Naturally, this would put "fear" into the new homeowner, right?
Well guess what?
The next door neighbor told me that this SCAM has been going on for Decades, and handed me a stack of papers as proof.
This neighbor, along with a previous owner of my home, got these "Rat" notices, going back to 1985 shortly after "they" purchased their homes.
And back then, they both complied, having a new cast iron lateral pipe put in to satisfy the City.
I have all the paperwork with all the communication involved, including the contractor's bill for the new pipe... and the city's inspector approval of the job.
Now, cast iron pipe doesn't "go bad" in just a few decades, so that's bullshit.
The city even came out and used a dye in the sewer line trying to convince me that my pipe was damaged, which I knew was just for show.
What they didn't know was that I contacted a friend of mine who was a plumber, and who ran a camera down the line for free, and concluded that there was no issues and the pipe was solid right out to the city's main.
Also, in those 1985 documents was a note from a city water dept worker who went down the manhole 30 feet away, and stated that the City's main was compromised due to loose and missing bricks, which allowed passage of rats to surface.
The City's Main is "their responsibility", not mine!
Hey City, go fix your OWN damn pipe!
I contacted my counsil rep, and told them that I had the paperwork and proof for that 1980's scam, and that there was no way I was going to allow this harrassment to continue, if I had to retain a lawyer to sue the City.
Apparently, the City got the message, and knew I was onto their scam.
No more "rat" notices since then..... They tried their scam, didn't know I had previous paperwork, and it failed.
Again, this just proves the disease of Corruption and Greed in our country, which has been going on for decades to milk taxpayers and homeowners.
phillymatt53
Well-known member
I think that a Warning Notice would be in order to the homeowner, not some revenue-gathering citation.
You should run for office then and be the change you seek.
I did. I joined my HOA and then was the president for 3yrs.
It’s an eye opening experience when YOU have to run the place.
The only time I set out anything loose or in an open can is if it's something animals won't be interested in, such as building materials, magazines, papers, etc. Any food or anything with food residue is likely to attract a raccoon or cat, and they will tear open plastic bags to get to it. I even saw a deer get into a neighbors trash one day. If we put out mattresses or upholstered furniture, the company requires it to be wrapped in plastic, or they won't take it. Guess their workers don't want bedbugs.
Where I live, the main problem is crows that will rip open every big green trash bag left out. So in this town, all trash must be in covered trash cans. A few years ago I left out a green bag with just cardboard in it and the day of pickup it was ripped open and scattered. Crows around here are considered flying rats.
It would be highly unlikely to get that far, unless someone repeatedly caused a problem. A couple years ago, a neighbor down the street had an animal knock theirs over, strewing trash into their and another neighbor's yard. I saw her out picking it up in both that morning, as soon as she noticed it. It's really the only neighborly thing to do. Most people in this block have lived here at least 10 years, and some over 70. I've been in my house since August, 1957.
I bought a semi load of Sears returned window A/Cs years ago. About half were high-end models built in the old Fedders plant in the US, with variable speed blowers, all the buttons. Pieces of utter trash that required every screw to be in the cabinet so the bottom wouldn't flex and make the fan blade scrape... The sheet metal was razor-blade thin throughout, and they had styrofoam ducts. Several others were made by LG, totally different design, simpler controls, but far better built. Much heavier plastics internally, heavier bottom plate that supported the chassis on it's own. I can't tell you if GE is owned by LG, or LG is owned by GE, but they seem to at least try to build good products. GE gave up on that 15 years ago...
phillymatt53
Well-known member
Sounds like something Tippi Hedren would have to deal with in - The Birds".
phillymatt53
Well-known member
My 2005 GE (LG) 18,000 BTU AC had cheap, weak, spade lugs on the compressor lugs.
Caused the compressor to not start.
The spade lug for the motor start capacitor was corroded, melted, and toast.
I re-did the harness connectors with heavy duty spade lugs, sealed the weather cap and good to go!
How is the problem solved? In my humble opinion, the city has no jurisdiction over your private drive...
Phoenix just went from a quarterly bulk trash pickup to on-call. One must use the city website to request pickup for bulk trash, elegibility is once a month. So now, rather than have a mess 4 times a year, we get to look at piles all year around. Many people put the stuff out, and either don't request pickup, or the city lets it sit for weeks before they do. I'm sure it saved them some money, but still...
Similar threads
