Norbert's blog

I installed a waterfall faucet as part of renovating the bathroom.  A plumber recommended that I apply car wax to the spout to reduce limescale buildup.  Unfortunately, the design of the faucet not only contributed to limescale but also made waxing difficult.

• Read more about Hacks: Spout Faucet Limescale

It is easy to lose your smartphone.  On a trip to Montreal, I left the hotel to visit the sights and only realised I did not have my phone after walking about twenty minutes.  No worries. I could use my wife's phone, start an incognito mode session, login to my account, and launch https://google.com/android/find.

• Read more about Google: "Find My Device" Improvements

I have been using an Ecobee3 Lite thermostat since 2019.  Aside from the issue described in Hydro One's myEnergyRewards in Action, it has met my needs.  I can create schedules that minimise furnace and A/C operation without impacting comfort levels.

• Read more about Ecobee: Things Are Not Always What They Seem

In 2017, I was given a SodaStream (https://sodastream.ca/) device that injects CO2 from a rechargeable cylinder into water.  The injection rate dropped noticeably in the last few weeks, even with a full CO2 cylinder.

• Read more about Ability to Repair: SodaStream "Low Flow"

I recently attended a Consumer Reports (CR) Community webinar that presented the results of a CR "study ... designed to help researchers better understand the state of the surveillance economy in 2023 and real-world surveillance practices, including hard-to-measure server-to-server data transfers.

• Read more about Security: Consumer Reports' "Sampling the Surveillance Economy"

I have been using Logitech computer mice for ages: good price, good quality, and they meet my needs.  Around 2017, I noticed recurring issues where my computer would record a single mouse clicks as two clicks.

• Read more about Ability to Repair: Chattering Logitech Mice

On December 13th, I received an email from PayPal that I had a "shopping notification for JD Sports".  I have never bought anything from JD Sports.  The email looked like spam, but checking the headers showed that it was sent by PayPal.  I ignored it but receved a "reminder" on the 15th and decided to investigate.

• Read more about PayPal "Shopping notification"

I subscribe to WIRED for its wide ranging articles of which Rhett Allain's are a favourite.

• Read more about Rhett Allain: Making Physics Accessible

Following dynamic websites can be challenging.  Some provide email updates which requires registration and can be overwhelming for active websites.  In many cases, the only option is periodically checking the website.  One online periodical that I follow provides a list of articles but not in date sequence and does not 'remember' that I have read an article.

• Read more about Following Websites with Feedly

Photo by CardMapr.nl

• Read more about Credit Cards: Why Is My Available Balance Zero?