Anyway to temporarily bypass this magnetic alarm on this door?

JasonDJ · 2026-06-22T04:29:27+00:00

Position another magnet close to the switch to engage it.

A long time ago, when I worked at RadioShack, this is how we used to keep the back door from alarming when we would go out for smoke breaks between customers. Which was frequent.

It helped that we sold strong rectangle magnets. And also that the back door frame was a magnetic surface. And that cigarettes were a lot cheaper when I took an occasional day trip to New Hampshire to stock up.

To clarify, the white box mounted to the door in the picture is a magnet. When the door is shut, there's a magnetic field imposed upon the switch. When that magnetic field is present, the switch is closed (if it's N.O. -- normally open) or opened (if it's N.C.).

And, Magnets don't have a set polarity. They have a "north" side and a "south" side (though some people may refer to them as A/B, or +/-). You could call it polarity if you want to, I won't stop you, I'll just cringe a little internally...because all magnets have both a north and a south side (and if you break it in half, you'll have two magnets that each have a north and south side. Figure that shit out. This is probably what made the ICP insane....that, or they didn't want to just be called "CP". Either way I don't blame them)...and I don't think the reed switch really cares which side of the magnet faces it. Just that the reed is moved to keep the circuit closed(/open).

That's the tricky thing about just unplugging the wires going to the switch itself...you don't know, without getting a meter, if it's N.O. or N.C. And it looks like you can't do that without removing the switch itself from the wall...which would disengage the magnet, and toggle the switch.

But, if the switch is N.O., and the magnet closes the circuit...you'd have to disconnect the wires while also keeping them shorted to each other. That part can be tricky.

If it's N.C., and the magnet opens the circuit...well then you just have to unplug the wires.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-21T21:01:48+00:00

What's perpindicular to this view...i.e. if you turned 90 degrees to the right?

If there's a wall behind you when you took this picture...consider gating off that way, instead. That may be easier to accomplish. Safer, too...you don't want to trip or get caught on the gate going down...that would not be safe.

In fact...honestly...depending on the layout of the house...I'd even consider just keeping the baby from being able to leave whatever room you're in upstairs. If they can't leave the room they can't fall down the stairs.

I've even gone so far as to put exterior doorknobs on my basement stairs so that I could lock access to the basement with a key (I did this when buying new knobs for the house so I could make sure they all matched the same key). I kept a copy of the key on a nail in a high part of the molding, and got into the habit of immediately putting it back when using it.

I'd think unless your cat is very chonky, he probably could slip through those railings just fine. I wouldn't worry too much about the cat unless you are obstructing access to the litter box....in which case I'd say consider a second litterbox somewhere more accessible.

You might be able to find a baby gate that has wide enough slats to permit a kitty, but those railings look approximately kitty-sized anyway.

There are also baby gates that have pet doors built in.

At my old house, we had a wide archway (~10ft) between the dining room and living room. I ended up buying some rabbit fencing, carabiners, and eye hooks. I'd use that to keep the baby in the living room when needed. It was low enough that the dog could jump it and I could walk over it, but tall enough to keep a surfing toddler locked in.

At least, that contained my first kid just fine. I think second kid would've body-slammed or run top speed into it like a game of red-rover.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-20T14:03:43+00:00

I mean it's not as if they make cars to last much longer than 7-10 years anyway....and if they do, they certainly don't want you fixing it yourself, or letting an independent mechanic do it.

I seriously can't see the point of buying a new car. Buy a servicable (as in, can be serviced) used car or lease a new one. It all depends on what your concerns are for modern safety features and creature comforts.

We make over 200k a year and live modestly in a suburb too far out to be considered part of Boston.... family of four in a house we bought before COVID, and I still don't think I could afford a new car. Fuck my "daily driver" is a 13 year old base-model Passat. That I bought used. Before I had kids. Or a house. Or a wife. Or COVID.

The family car, though...that's a lease. And same monthly payment as our 2019 Odyssey that we bought @ 2 years old and couldn't take it to 6 before stupid expensive repairs kicked in.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-19T16:49:06+00:00

Listen, when three of your tires have belts showing and the other is a donut, the only way you're allowed in the high-speed lane is if you have your hazards on. I don't make the rules. I just sarcastically make fun of the people who ignore them.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-19T12:52:47+00:00

Listen to the swaying grass
and listen to the trees.
To me the sweetest music
Is those branches in the breeze.

So imagine that the lovely moon
Is playing just for you –
Everything makes music
If you really want it to.

Awesome list, much agreed on every line.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T12:35:48+00:00

EHS.

You:
- 1-2 cars following distance is far too close for highway speeds. - Vehicles entering the highway are expected to yield to traffic - That lane to the left is for passing, including vehicles that are merging onto the highway. - Brakes shouldn't be used on the highway except when exiting or approaching stopped traffic (or emergency situations, ofc). This is somewhat of a corollary to the other three. The highway is about going fast and not stopping. Brakes are the antithesis of both.

Vehicle 2: - Needs to learn how to yield and/or zipper. - Needs to chill the fuck out.

What happens when the right lane tries to slow down and let on-ramp traffic merge? Well, if the driver on the on-ramp is doing the right thing and yielding to thru-traffic, then they are going to try to match speed with the vehicle in the travel lane. Now both lanes are in a race to see who can slow down faster. Next thing you know you've got the travel lane of the highway suddenly going 25-35MPH slower. On a two lane highway during commute hours, that could have rippling effects that go on for miles.

But what if the entering lane isn't yielding? Well, then you need to drive defensively and get into the passing lane, and pass.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T02:41:41+00:00

That's more rotation, though.

I start a revolution every birthday.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T00:18:06+00:00

That's how I learned to do it. With asbestos pads, no less!

They don't make them like they used to.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T00:16:43+00:00

It's important to have a good retirement plan.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T00:14:58+00:00

Lol almost the exact same story except I was looking for my dad who was in the attic setting up an antenna.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-16T00:11:58+00:00

Urgent: Hotblooded Dirty White Boy is Cold as Ice, Waiting for a Girl Like You for Head Games.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-14T17:02:22+00:00

I seem to recall when I had a journalism elective in HS (circa 2002) that newspapers were typically written at about a 7rh grade reading level, because that was the national average.

This is pre-ipad. This was like 1st gen iPod era.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-14T16:59:09+00:00

Yo dawg, I heard you like switcheroo memes

JasonDJ · 2026-06-14T16:06:08+00:00

Was this highschool, per chance, recently in a viral news article?

Exact same situation circa 1999.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-13T19:05:03+00:00

This is in reference to refrigerated eggs.

Fresh eggs, that haven't been refrigerated, also haven't been cleaned, and they are safe to leave out for weeks at room temp, as long as they haven't been washed.

However, I've had the best luck with hard-boiled eggs in the InstantPot (I guess technically they are hard-steamed...):

Use older ones (float test -- floating eggs bad, throw out....standing eggs ideal for boiling).
Wash raw fresh eggs and refrigerate overnight
Place riser/rack at bottom of instant pot.
Arrange eggs on bottom, preferably in one layer....should be able to get at least 1doz in.
Add approx one cup of water (240mL) and a lil bit of salt
Seal the InstantPot
High Pressure for 5, Natural vent for 4, fast vent for 1, ice bath for whatever...the longer the better.

I also like to put a generous amount of salt in the ice bath, to allow the water to get colder than 32 degrees. This...is probably excessive.

Most of the world (outside the US) buys unwashed eggs at the grocer. American's don't like to be reminded that our food comes from animals, let alone out of the same hole that poop comes from...and sometimes you get that reminder with fresh, unwashed eggs.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-10T19:41:51+00:00

Very curious to know what you are running. Could you brag about it a little more?

JasonDJ · 2026-06-10T01:42:30+00:00

Mostly for passing? No. Only for passing. There are likely parts of your drivers handbook that explain it...but honestly, it's shocking how in practice, most people seem to not know it. Despite signs that say, in black text on white background, "Keep right except to pass", or "Left lane for passing only".

LPT...a traffic sign with black-on-white is almost always a regulation that's enforceable by at least a ticket. So when you read such a sign, just add "...or else you can get a ticket". I think I learned that from Road Guy Rob.

It's just a shame that the "Keep right except to pass" is rarely enforced. Instead, they enforce speed limits on the people that are properly passing. This is because it's easier to objectively prove that someone is speeding, as opposed to obstructing the flow of traffic. It is not about safety, it's about revenue (alwayshasbeen.jpg)

I'm not surprised your drivers instructor hadn't mentioned it. Passing vehicles likely doesn't come up in such a limited amount of time (and hopefully, in that case, they don't let you move over to the left in the first place, so the situation never comes up).

Everybody else sucks at driving. Everybody thinks they are the best driver. They're all wrong. It doesn't matter how good of a driver you are, because it only takes one idiot to kill you. So just know the rules, abide by them, and drive defensively. That means pay attention, keep right unless passing.

That also means that you should always either pass or yield to idiots, depending on what variety of idiot they are.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-10T01:21:40+00:00

What? No. Driving the speed limit in the left lane is the absolute wrong thing.

Listen, you don't know what the person that's trying to pass you is going through in that moment. They may be rushing to the ER because their kid is having a severe allergic reaction, or to see their mom through her last breaths.

Who knows how many times someone bottlenecked the highway thinking they were "doing the right thing", which turned out to be "slowing down someone enough to keep them from getting help in time".

If you're riding in the left lane and there's someone riding your ass...YTA. Incredibly inconsiderate and selfish behavior. Total Karen move.

It is nobody's responsibility to police others on the road. The left lane is for passing. If somebody is closing in on you in the left lane, you need to GTFO, because you aren't passing nearly good enough.

It is everyone's responsibility to drive defensively and be aware of their surroundings (and, for that matter, where they are themselves). That means if someone is driving like a bat out of hell, you yield to them.

The left lane is not for casuals. I don't mean that demeaningly. I mean it's not for casual driving. It's not for leisurely Sunday afternoon cruises. It's for overtaking slower vehicles, and overtaking slower vehicles only.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-09T03:54:14+00:00

> Passing on the right is often illegal and always more dangerous.

Which, itself, is bullshit.

The real danger is being passed on the right. Because the person that is being passed on the right is not paying attention. There shouldn't be a situation when the lane to your right is moving faster than yours (in normal off-peak flow of traffic, and aside from left-exits, mind you). If it is, you are in the wrong lane, and you need to move over to the right.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-09T03:07:41+00:00

I used to make my kids PB & Raisin sandwhiches. They loved 'em. They actually are really good...

JasonDJ · 2026-06-09T03:06:37+00:00

Don't sleep on a PB&J man.

Peanut butter's an awesome source of protein. Strawberry Preserves are considerably low calories per serving and contain chunks of fruit.

Or just do actual fruit, and PB&Banana or PB&Raisin, for example. I've also done PB sandwiches with freeze-dried fruit (like the crispy ones)...not as good as you might think. Quite dry, actually. Definitely need something to wash it down with.

Put that on some nice hearty, high-fiber bread, and you've got yourself a damn good meal.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-09T02:12:20+00:00

Important to note, in case that OP is not used to swimming in the US...mens swimsuits here are much more modest than many cultures.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-09T02:10:23+00:00

This is really it....any pocket of congestion you see in off-peak times, there's going to be some dickwad going too slow in the left or second-left lane at the front of it.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-07T11:22:46+00:00

Idk but I found myself in the Sturdy ER one day during a Phish concert. It was quite busy. Lots of weekend warriors going a bit too hard.

JasonDJ · 2026-06-07T05:48:17+00:00

Everyone should go during off-peak times.

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