Search results

  1. M

    Paying off vs trading-in car

    So I have a 2015 Volvo S60 that I'm not really digging anymore. I owe around 14k on it and I think it has depreciated to around 20K (trade-in) or so. I bought it for 26k so it's lame that this European car has depreciated so much within 8 months. (I'm used to Hondas and Toyotas which kept their...
  2. M

    Acura TSX or A3?

    So I've almost always stuck with you're average Honda/Toyota/Subaru brands and have gotten used to the low maintenance and reliability. Fast forward to today where I want something better and nicer now that I'm getting closer to my 40s. I've gotten down to 2 cars and would like any feedback...
  3. M

    GFCI Outlet

    So I noticed today that all 3 of my bathroom GFCI power outlets aren't working but all outside ones, garage, and kitchen ones are A-OK. I already went out to the breaker box and reset everything...none of them were tripped. Anything else I can try before calling out an electrician?
  4. M

    Jumping from technical path to management path

    In my experience I have mainly seen technical people get into management positions when there either have been specialized openings in a different department or through attrition (boss leaves and the next competent IT worker is assigned to take over vs. going through HR to fill the void). In...
  5. M

    Do CC scammers get prosecuted?

    So I just got an email from my CC company following up on a denied charge at a ToysRUs a few states away. Good thing they caught it, but it got me thinking. Do authorities ever get sent after these peeps? I mean if it was someone who somehow got the strip data off my card then copied it into a...
  6. M

    AT&T Porting out number

    Not sure if anybody has dealt with this scenario... So my phone number is the primary on the account while my wife's number is the secondary add-on. She just upgraded phones so her number is stuck on contract for another 2 years. My number is free and clear. If I were to port my number out...
  7. M

    Buying a used Nissan Leaf - logic

    So let me know if I'm missing anything there. Used leafs are going for around 13.5-14.5k in my area. Many of them have under 30k and still have 12 bars. I commute only 20 miles or so it seems ideal for an "around town" type of car. The only things that sometimes need maintenance are brakes...
  8. M

    What 3DS game should I get?

    So after selling my PS4 because of the lack of games and then randomly playing around on a friend's 3DS XL...I decided to get one. It's arriving in a few days and am wondering what game I should get first. Zelda: Two Worlds Zelda: OOT Fire Emblem: Awakening Bravely Default Which one is...
  9. M

    Where to find these integrated bolts?

    So while disassembling a part of my oil cooler, I ran into this bolt. Now from the looks of it, it seems quite normal. A bolt, a washer, and a lock washer. But when I tried to recreate it by buying parts from Home Depot, I discovered that I can't remove the washer because the...
  10. M

    Turbo Rebuild - Outsource or Use a Kit?

    So I managed to get my hands on a project car being that of a MR2 Turbo. Good thing is that it has super low miles but bad thing is that it is leaking oil from multiple areas; one being the intake side of the turbocharger. I still got a few tests to do to see if the cause is actually the...
  11. M

    Floor Jack Handle keeps on moving up

    So after using a friend's floor jack, I noticed that mine behaved in a different way. On his, you can pump the jack up and wherever you leave the handle, it will stay in place and will not move when weight is applied. I have a 3 Ton Craftsman jack that I got from Sears as a Jack/Stand/Creeper...
  12. M

    Which project car to select?

    So after changing jobs, my wife and I now carpool in a Prius most of the time so that is now our primary car. I sold off my Infiniti G since it just sat there in the garage depreciating. Now I may be taking some evening Auto Mechanic classes at a local Community college for fun and would like a...
  13. M

    Name of Old NES Game

    So I had a weird memory sprout up. It was back in 1988 or so and I was at a friends house watching him play some Nintendo game where either you were a banker or stock broker and pretty much tried to get more money. No action, just menu screens mainly. All I remember was being bored out of my...
  14. M

    AT&T not letting me cancel 5s order

    So just as an FYI for anyone wanting to make a late order for the 5s through AT&T, about 2 weeks ago I put in an order thinking that my employer's discount would bypass the upgrade fee as well as the website saying it would ship in 1 week. After completing the order I didn't get an exemption...
  15. M

    Snow tires + Les Schwab

    So if I bought snow tires (without rims) from one of the larger dealers like Les Schwab or Discount Tires and paid for them to have my regular tires swapped out and rebalanced/mounted, come spring time do I have to pay them again to do the swapping?
  16. M

    Driver's side wheel clicking noise.

    So I went out driving in this fine May weather with the windows down and I noticed that there was an odd clicking sound coming from my front driver's side wheel. I did some testing and here is what I found out. 1) Clicks x times per rotation of the tire so if I'm going slower there are fewer...
  17. M

    Nissan Leaf Depreciating Fast

    So I just found out via searching that used Nissan Leafs are totally going for under 20k. As long as you check to verify that there aren't too many bars missing (sitting out in the sun in CA, AZ, TX seems to have sped up the degradation of the battery), you could totally get into a pure electric...
  18. M

    Honda Insight Hybrid Question

    So I've been looking at prices of random hybrid cars and I noticed a pattern with Honda Insights...there is a huge used market with low prices meaning that a lot of users didn't want 'em and got rid of the cars without driving them much. I'm talking a bunch of 17k-30k miles selling for around...
  19. M

    OEM Laptop w/ Win8 downgrade to Win7

    So does anyone know if there is a process for this yet? I recall reading that MS would allow a downgrade much like there was with Vista/XP but I can't find anyone who has posted a process.
  20. M

    2 Easy questions with pics

    1) So here are the pics of the underside of a 2008 Subaru Impreza. I'm trying to verify the center jacking point in the front. The service manual shows a block then what is supposed to be the crossmember. Essentially #2 looks like what is in the pic but it is hard to describe because it does...
  21. M

    What do you know about Audi TT Quattros?

    So the wife is looking for a new ride and has her eyes set on a TT. I've only owned Japanese cars so I've never experienced maintaining a VW, Audi, or BMW. I've heard that after the warranty period it is hell to keep up with everything but I'd like to hear more details if anyone has any. 1)...
  22. M

    Buying a car sight unseen?

    So I once purchased a car on Ebay. The price was excellent and thankfully it still had a few months of warranty left. After it got shipped over there were things were and there (mainly cosmetic) that needed to be dealt with. The only mechanical thing was that the windshield wiper fluid reservoir...
  23. M

    First time cruising, what to expect?

    So I’m planning on going a Caribbean cruise with the wife. Never done the whole cruise thing so I’m looking for some advice as to how it all works. The only thing I've heard is that alcohol is expensive but we don't drink so no loss there. 1) We are not into snorkeling or swimming with turtles...
  24. M

    Cost Basis/Dividends/Taxes

    So how does reinvestment of dividends and/or having dividends go into a cash account then manually reinvesting work when tax time comes around? Do you pay for the "profit" made from the dividends in the current tax year? And would this count as regular interest income? I'm also wondering if...
  25. M

    UFB Direct vs ING Direct

    So my main saving pot is in ING Direct. I got it way back in the early 2000s when interest rates were good. Now I'm getting 1% to 1.1% depending on how much I keep in the account. UFB is giving out 1.3%...is it worth it to switch out for a few more decimal points in interest? Has anyone even...
  26. M

    Does a cheap, non-portable jumpstarter exist?

    So what I'm looking for is a jumpstarter device that I can plug into the AC plug in my garage, then the other end will either go onto the car battery or the 12V DC plug in the car to jump it. Does such a device exist? I know there are tons of portable ones but I don't really need the portability.
  27. M

    1440x900 on a 19" what Vid card

    So I found the perfect resolution/LCD size. I've tried much larger 32" ones or others with a hella high res but I always go back to the good ol' 19" widescreen. Because of this, what video card could I max everything out and get away with? I'm building a new machine soon and I'm sure a $130 HD...
  28. M

    Project Viewer for Businesses

    So we got a lot of users in my company who need to view Microsoft Project files but don't need to edit them. What options are out there? I found LiveProject from Kadonk but am looking for other options as well to do a price/feature comparison. Anything would be better than buying a whole MS...
  29. M

    New employer asking about past salaries

    I know that there was another post pertaining to potential employers asking about old salaries from old positions, but i don't think it was addressed as to what people would say if asked the question: how much are you currently making? Has anyone actually been asked to bring in a pay slip?
  30. M

    Trustworthy source for Windows 7 Retail?

    So I'm going to build a system in a bit here and am ready to go with Windows 7 Pro. I've looked around and Amazon and Newegg have their fixed prices. There are a bunch of postings on Ebay from shady and reputable sellers. Is there a good way of knowing for sure if their auction is good to go...
  31. M

    Full Disk Encryption Options

    So we're researching to see what good options are out there in terms of Centrally-controlled full disk encryption. I'm seeing Pointsec, McAfee Endpoint, and Symantec PGP. Does anyone use any of these products? If so could you answer the following questions? 1) How are you liking it? 2)...
  32. M

    Which Tablet to read PDFs Only

    So I'm looking for a tablet/e-reader device that can read PDFs well. The wife has a Kindle 3 but it's way too small and you have to do a lot of scrolling. I've seen PDFs on the iPad and they seem to fit the bill but I'm wondering if anything else is out there? The Xoom and other Android...
  33. M

    Canon Digital Camera Problem

    So I've been using my Canon SD700 IS for many years now and it has always worked with zero problems. Today I go and try to use it, take a few pics, then pull out the SD card and put it into my laptop. No pictures show up. I do it again, take pics, view them on my camera, see that they are there...
  34. M

    Career Advice Needed

    So yeah to make it short I'm not sure where to go with my IT career. I got a BS and master's degree in MIS and have been working it general IT support for 11 sum years. I started off working for a dept within my University doing tech support with Win95/NT4. Worked this job throughout my...
  35. M

    Anyone work in HR for the Feds or Private Sector?

    To give an overview, for most companies I've worked for, rank goes like this: 1) Entry level (Out of college, some experience) 2) Lead/Senior (worked for the company for over 2+ years but still has no direct reports) 3) Management (Has direct reports) 4) Director level (Has management...
  36. M

    Computer-related crimes

    So I was wondering, how would one enter the field of law enforcement + computer-related crimes. I'm guessing an average cop would not have extensive IT experience as most ATOT members would have or be interested in. Is there a specific position inside a dept that would handle things like going...
  37. M

    e-book + Language translation Idea

    I just got a Eureka yesterday, but like most ideas, they've already been thought of but I'm just not aware. Does such a thing hardware/software exist? So I was thinking about my old school Amazon Kindle and how I thought it was great that it could give you the definition of a word if you...
  38. M

    Opinions on 2009 Subaru Legacy GT

    So I'm looking to upgrade my Honda Fit since it has been snowing more-so AND I am tired of taking the wife's Impreza to go out to the desert to go shooting. Requirements: AWD Turbo 5AT or CVT I know that there was a WRX auto but only 4AT so that's a no-go. The current year Legacy GT is...
  39. M

    Veritas + Tape Backups

    So at work there is this issue. Prior to my arrival a few years back the company used to use Veritas with a Dell LTO tape drive system for backups. From what I've heard the story goes like this: Backups start failing here and there, so 1 out of 4 tapes would fail. This increased to 2 tapes...
  40. M

    New to 360, what are the must-have games?

    So I just bought my wife a Slim 4GB w/ Kinetic for Christmas. While she is not exercising I want to be playing some sort of game on it. I've already played anything that can be played on a PC so that's Dragon Age, ME2, Fallout, etc. So what games have I missed out on? FF13 is on its way (Yes...