I had a cracked screen, so I reached out to my aunt over at The New York Times to see if it was actually an issue—she told me it doesn't matter as long as the background stays white. I suppose she’s dealt with her fair share of dark mode glitches before 🙂.
cosmicskipper9 said:I just picked up a PayPal card. For those of you who already use one, how has your experience been with online shopping? I’m planning to order a few things from Amazon soon. Did you run into any issues?
If we're talking about online security, nothing beats PayPal. Within the app, you can generate a virtual Mastercard that’s strictly single-use; once the transaction clears, that specific card number simply ceases to exist. If you need to buy something else, a completely different one is generated. Even if someone manages to swipe your details, they're left holding a useless number.
With a prepaid card like the one you mentioned, the data stays the same every time—which means if it gets compromised, it’s a real problem, especially since you've already put your own money onto it.$10.
Is it possible to pay Air Canada using a debit card at Walmart 🙂? Basically, can I just show up with my phone and the code and swipe my card? I'm asking because when I tried to buy a pass last month at a News Corp outlet, they wouldn't let me use my card, but Walmart was fine with it—so now I'm a bit confused about whether it's always an option at Walmart.
BTW I’m looking at their website right now, and it doesn't actually list Walmart as a partner for cash-equivalent payments.
Excellent. I managed to settle all my utility bills without paying a single cent in fees—he even scanned the code right off my screen because Visa wouldn't accept it. 🙂.
On another note, does anyone know about the verification process? When I first transferred funds from my Visa, it required authentication, but this second time, it didn't ask for anything at all; the transfer was instantaneous. Is it going to be this seamless every time moving forward, without any further verification steps?
I’m a bit confused here—do I actually need to go out and buy a physical card for $10, or is the app alone enough? I was hoping to keep paying my utility bills without those extra fees for as long as possible. With Pioneer, the virtual one works just fine.
To be honest, my primary concern is the chlorine content in drinking water; I simply picked this up from a Pool Gloria label because they claim it is scientifically proven. I suffer from Crohn's disease, which is essentially an autoimmune response where my body attacks itself. The most frustrating part of the whole ordeal is the sheer uncertainty—science hasn't pinpointed the exact trigger that causes my immune system to turn on my own intestines. Consequently, we are left with millions of theories, probably 99% of which are complete nonsense. When you're lost in that kind of thicket of misinformation, trying to identify the actual catalyst for an autoimmune reaction feels nearly impossible. The most credible research suggests it likely involves the gut microbiome, and personally, my symptoms flared up right after a course of antibiotics... Which brings us back to the water containing chlorine—water that I am required to drink, consuming at least a liter every single day. There is a debate: some argue that this level of chlorine cannot possibly kill off any significant bacteria in the gut, while others maintain there is a distinct possibility that it can. For a healthy individual, this is a triviality; even if the chlorine did wipe out some microbes, the body would replenish them almost instantly. However, my gut is compromised, so even if that water kills a mere 0.001% of my intestinal bacteria, it could be problematic. Ultimately, my doctors tell me the water is fine to drink, yet they remain equally silent on the cause of my condition because they simply don't know. Still, on the other hand, it seems somewhat foolish to act the fool by constantly buying bottled water or expensive filtration systems if there truly is no measurable difference compared to what comes out of the tap.
Tyler Morgan3 said:Look, we basically settled this back on the second post already—the amount of chlorine left over from the disinfection process doesn't have ABSOLUTELY ZERO impact on human health... at least nothing negative, anyway. ☕
Is there any actual possibility that chlorine in the water supply could kill off some of the beneficial bacteria in our gut? I realize we’re talking about trace amounts here, and for most healthy people, it probably isn't an issue at all. However, since I deal with my own ongoing digestive issues, I can't help but wonder if this might actually be something dangerous for me specifically.
I happened to come across this in Gloria, for example. 🙂 So, how are we supposed to distinguish truth from fiction here? We’re talking about swimming pools, sure, but it ultimately comes down to the water, the chlorine levels, and those pesky bacteria living in our gut...
It has come to my attention that the chlorine used in pool maintenance might be doing more than just sanitizing the water. According to research out of the University of Minnesota, there is a possibility that this chemical can wipe out the beneficial bacteria within the digestive system, which could potentially lead to various gastrointestinal issues. It is certainly an interesting, if somewhat unsettling, correlation to consider.
So, there are ten of us at the office, and we just picked up a new Canon printer/copier combo. We’re all connected via the network—it’s got its own static IP and a dedicated port set up—and everything is running smoothly, except for one single workstation out of the ten. On that specific computer, whenever someone tries to print, they get nothing but blank pages, save for a tiny "=" sign sitting in the top corner of the sheet. How on earth is that even possible 😁 ???
We’ve all got hardwired Ethernet connections, and the printer is set to a static IP. Everyone is using the exact same drivers, and the hardware configurations across our machines are virtually identical... it's a complete mystery! Mind you, every computer has its own individual LAN port or whatever the technical term is.
I finally managed to figure it out—I have AdBlock Plus installed in Chrome, and everything started working perfectly once I disabled it specifically for this site 🙂.
I’ve been wanting to sit down and play this game with my daughter because it actually has some educational value and is quite charming, but I can't get it to load on my home computer. It just sits there with a spinning loading icon on a black screen. I've already tried running it through both Chrome and Internet Explorer 11, but no luck—it's the exact same result. I don't even have an antivirus installed to interfere.
Strangely enough, it works perfectly fine when I'm at the office using Chrome, and honestly, my work PC is even older than the one I have at home.
What steps can I take to obtain a medication that several specialists have prescribed, but my primary care physician refuses to write a prescription for? Does a GP actually have the authority to deny a treatment recommended by a specialist?
I am managing a chronic condition, and my specialists have included this specific preparation as part of my regular therapy because it has a direct therapeutic effect on my illness.
My primary doctor had been prescribing this without any issues until recently, but suddenly, he’s refusing. I get the impression he’s actually annoyed with me; since I have a chronic condition, I didn't bother with the medication when my symptoms were dormant, so now I feel like I'm being blamed for the recent flare-up (though, frankly, this condition tends to resurface regardless of medication—that’s why it’s classified as chronic). That is just my intuition based on his tone and behavior, though I could be misreading the situation. He is now claiming the medication isn't indicated for my condition, even though that was never an issue when he used to approve it. We are dealing with the same category of illness, just not the exact same diagnosis.
To reiterate, multiple specialists consistently prescribe this exact preparation to me. I have even sought out specialists to find alternatives, but none of them work for me.
So, what should I do? Switching doctors is an option, but for someone managing a chronic illness, proximity is vital—and most other providers aren't conveniently located nearby.
darktinker4 said:So what?☕ What’s even THAT noisy? If it bothers you, just shut your window while you sleep, use earplugs... or just move to the countryside. You Chicago folks are a little spoiled... I live right above a Walmart, and every single morning at 5:00 AM they have bread deliveries and the same old routine—banging, clattering, dragging those massive heavy carts around inside the Walmart downstairs. Plus, I get cafe deliveries too, where they're tossing crates everywhere. And don't even get me started on the wild Saturday nights when people are partying right under my window until late. So what, people shouldn't work? You're probably way up high, though. I'm on the first floor and I am extremely sensitive to noise when I'm trying to sleep. What am I supposed to do, 🤷 vent about it on the internet?
What is the point of laws and regulations, then? Is Walmart or Walgreens somehow more valuable than I am, such that I'm expected to adapt to them rather than them adapting to me and everyone else? Do these businesses exist for my sake, or do I exist for theirs? Who is serving whom here? I have lived in this neighborhood for 30 years! Seriously, what kind of world are we living in, and what kind of values are we actually trying to uphold?
I can somewhat understand Walmart—they deal with perishables, so early deliveries make sense. But Walgreens? Why are they in such a rush to restock their shelves just so their shampoos and soaps can be "available" to customers sooner?
Honestly, give me a break; it's not like I just dropped in from Mars!
What’s actually quite interesting is that there used to be a 7-Eleven in that exact spot, and before them, a CVS. In all those twenty years, I don't recall ever hearing a single word about any sort of delivery service from any of them, and honestly, their product selection is virtually identical anyway.
Take a look at how Walgreens handles their deliveries—twice a week (about 100 times a year) right at 5:50 AM in the middle of a densely populated neighborhood:
Walgreens hasn't responded to our warnings, so it seems an inspection is the only logical next step.
Have any of you dealt with something similar? And in your experience, does the situation actually improve once the inspectors finish their measurements?
I've noticed some casual mentions of fecal calprotectin popping up in various threads lately...
The real question is, how much weight can we actually put on this test when it comes to proving intestinal inflammation? Standard levels usually sit under 50—but I was sitting at a staggering 1,900. My doctor didn't even need to blink before telling me it was clearly inflammation and pointing toward Ulcerative Colitis. (To be fair, I had plenty of other symptoms, so it wasn't exactly a difficult diagnosis to make.) This is important to me because I’m hoping to use this specific test to monitor my condition a few times a year. Ideally, it would save me from having to undergo those rather unpleasant colonoscopies all the time. If my numbers fall within the normal range—and assuming my bowel movements have returned to normal without any diarrhea or other obvious red flags—can I safely conclude that the inflammation has subsided or is at least in remission? So, there you have it. I have Ulcerative Colitis.
To put it simply—I am looking for a PC capable of streaming high-definition video online without any stuttering or lag, while simultaneously recording that feed directly to an HDD.
So, what kind of baseline specs should I be aiming for? Is a 2-core CPU sufficient, or should I insist on at least 4 cores? As for memory, would 3GB or 4GB of DDR3 suffice? And regarding the GPU, is 512MB enough, or do I really need 1GB?
My budget for a used machine is roughly $500. Do you think my goal is actually 🙂?
Is it actually possible to use those headphones you pick up at a convenience store for $6.75 phone calls—assuming the jack matches, of course? I’m using an Apple iPhone and I just need something to keep my ears from getting cold. Basically, I'm looking for the cheapest option available where I can hear the person on the other end clearly, but I'll be talking directly into the phone itself—I don't want any microphones attached to the headphones... I've never really dealt with them before, so I'm a bit out of my element here. 🤦
I applied the thermal paste, and now I'm just browsing the web, and the temperature peaked at only 52°C—yesterday, before the cleaning, it was hitting nearly 70°C. The noise is almost non-existent; it's such a massive relief ☕.
On another note, I wanted to ask if there are any real pros or cons to running the case with the side panel off? It’s positioned to the side, so it isn't really visible. Would leaving it open help drop the temperatures even further? To be clear, this 52°C reading is with the case open.
The cooler is performing beautifully—it’s quiet, and the RPM readings look perfectly normal. Does this mean there could still be an issue if the cooler isn't seated quite perfectly? To be honest, I had a bit of a struggle during installation; I just couldn't get the holes to line up properly, and I actually ended up bending one of those plastic tabs meant to mimic a screw. I eventually managed to get everything to sit flush, but I can't say for certain if it's aligned down to the millimeter 😕.