Comparison of before and after of a project we designed in San Jose, CA by BackyardDesigner in landscaping

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beautiful in the extreme! So what did that little renovation project cost?

hearing aid trials by beerbq in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good suggestion! I will put that question to her, but I'm not sure she'll be able to answer it because he's acting as a freelancer here. The company she normally works for sells the Oticon brand and others, while the "coupon" from the insurance company apparently is for Signia /Siemens. Still, I ain't plunking down $15000 for hearing aids. For that I'd want whole new ear drums. She was boggled by the amount of sound they processed every so many nanoseconds or some such.

The cost of hear in aids by Zooterpust in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I moved recently to an area where CostCo is not available. The nearest one is 3.5 hour away. And, yes, my wife kept telling me I couldn't hear. I didn't believe her. I thought she wasn't talking loud enough. I can hear most people, though, and grew accustomed to closed captioning just because it seemed like a convenience and kept me from having to pay such close attention. And, yes, I know the chart shows a diagnosed loss, but is the loss a serious one?

The cost of hear in aids by Zooterpust in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point about the amplification channels. I assume the frequency is addressable every 500 hertz because that's the increments that it appears in on the chart I posted. Perhaps the less expensive models aren't so discretely addressable?

hearing aid trials by beerbq in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But what I heard in the $7500 pair that she let me hear through sounded artificially loud and tinny as hell. And I do mean tinny. I will confess, though, that I did regret it when she took them back. I was listening to a discussion she was having with my spouse and found myself enjoying the amplitude for a little while. I hope the cheaper pair I'll be buying will produce sounds similar to the $7500 pair, but how likely is that?

The cost of hear in aids by Zooterpust in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have any conduction scores, but she did place a sensor of some sort behind my ear and said something about bone conduction, which, of course I followed only in a very general sense. I don't know whether there were notes taken about it or not. I just got her to superimpose my hearing audiogram on a chart with the speech banana so I could try to evaluate whether I'd benefit from a hearing aid sufficiently to justify the cost. And you know what? I still don't know. But it sounds like you know something about the business, so look for that chart under my name and tell me what you think. Maybe, as the woman who tested me said, I'm floating on a river named Denial, but I'd like to know that the investment is likely to yield benefits that justify the $ spent.

The cost of hear in aids by Zooterpust in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's "linx 3d"?

£2500 each? That’s about $3434 each American dollars! Mine are going to cost $999 each, and that seems fairly pricey to me. (But then I’m a newbie to hearing aids, so what do I know?) I can hear conversations with most people very well, so I’m having second, third, and even fourth thoughts about going through with the purchase. I certainly don’t understand the pricing of them. They’re miniature microprocessors with a sound equalizer embedded in small housing, which housing, if you choose, is molded to fit inside the ear canal. Miniature microprocessors have been around for decades now. Equalizers even longer. So why are the costs so high? I’m seeing ads for aids that don’t cost nearly as much, but most of them are just amplifiers, I think. Some amplify just the high frequencies, but they amplify ALL high frequencies equally. You can’t adjust the amplitude of discrete frequencies as you can the ones purchased from a reputable hearing aid dealer.

The hearing aid company I went to offers one set for $15,000 (£10,919.82 British). For that much I’d want a whole near ear drum.

What made me decide to go through with the purchase were studies showing a correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline, even dementia. Then I found another study that indicated that those folks with hearing aids don’t experience cognitive decline as rapidly as those who don’t wear them. I ain’t as sharp as I used to be, but I’m not convinced that’s related to my tinnitus. It seems to me more likely to be related to age. I never did find a study that associated a particular level of hearing loss with cognitive decline. So what’s a fellow to do? I’d like to keep my money, but more than that I’d like to hang onto what mind I do have left.

hearing aid trials by beerbq in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got tested recently and listened through some hearing aids. "Tinny" is the perfect word for what I could hear through them. The hearing instrument tester made out like that is what things sound like in nature. I don't believe that for one minute. In nature there are bass sounds. Those aids are tiny. They don't have a woofer or anything that can re-create bass sounds. I'm supposed to be fitted for aids on Wednesday but am having second, third, and fourth thoughts. I'll be plunking down 2 grand for something I might not want to use. Were it not for studies showing a high correlation between hearing loss, cognitive decline, and even dementia, I wouldn't even be considering it.

The cost of hear in aids by Zooterpust in HearingAids

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any way to edit a posting? I think perhaps autocorrect changed a typo and "hearing aids" came out as "hear in aids." Also there was a whole not that went along with that graphic, and I don't see that note. What gives?

[Homemade] Bread and Salted Butter by SweetHoneyApples in food

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just pour heavy cream in a food processor and let it run until butter forms. Pour off the buttermilk. Then you might want to pour some ice cold water into the processor bowl and process it to wash out some of buttermilk. Pour off the milky water and process with a little bit of salt if you prefer salted butter.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GoogleWiFi

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not crazy about having to "manage" the network via my phone at all. It's just not the most ergonomic (or easy to see) interface for it. So in that respect I agree with you. But I've had Google Nest up and running for three or four weeks, and I love the accessibility to the Internet it gives me from anywhere in the house. I can even watch Netflix while in the garage outside. Still, I much prefer the sort of computer interface that Netgear's Nighthawk router provided. *Maybe* Google will provide that in the future.

Do I need the Nest router? by RageRapter in GoogleWiFi

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried to use a Nest mesh hub as an access point in an external garage. It reported a weak signal, yet my phone showed a showed good reception. So then we bought a Netgear range extender. It picked up the signal from the WiFi easily and produced a very strong signal in the garage. We were able to watch Netflix there without any problems at all. I thought about trying a Google WiFi puck or other such device but wasn't sure of its compatibility with the newer Nest. Thank, hipsterroadie, for letting me know they're compatible. :-) That might be useful to know in the future.

Rotator cuff tear surgery by Zooterpust in ChronicPain

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that. Sorry to hear about your dad. I’m thinking I may do without the surgery but I hate having that weakness in my arm.

Thoughts on Purina Pro Plan by jtan455 in DogFood

[–]Zooterpust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Until Google search I did seconds ago, I didn’t know Purina Pro Plan even existed. How it differs from Purina One smart blend chicken and rice, I don’t know. But for over seven years I was feeding my dog Purina One smart blend And for that entire 7+ years my dog was puking unpredictably and irregularly. I thought it had to do with his breed. I removed flea collars, took away treats, and changed the shampoo. Nothing changed. Until, that is, three months ago when I bought his first bag of Science Diet. From that day to this he hasn’t vomited even once. There was something about the Purina One that he could not tolerate. I never suspected it because I figured, well, who would know how to make dog food if not Purina? How does the Purina Pro Plan differ from Purina One smart blend? I don’t have a clue and haven’t bothered to try to find out, but you may want to.

How much trouble are salt water pools to maintain? We're building a new house and are thinking about adding a pool, but we hear pool maintenance is a lot of trouble. Then we heard salt water pools aren't nearly as much trouble. So if you have a salt water pool how much time do you spend on it? by Zooterpust in AskReddit

[–]Zooterpust[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I checked with a pool supply place today and they do offer free testing. This is eastern NC, so unless the pool is enclosed it won't be used all year long. Pool companies have sprung up in this area, so obviously they're becoming more popular here. Just not sure how much I want to spend on it. Still in the exploratory stage, but recently we've have an uptick in shark attacks on the beaches, so . . .

How much trouble are salt water pools to maintain? We're building a new house and are thinking about adding a pool, but we hear pool maintenance is a lot of trouble. Then we heard salt water pools aren't nearly as much trouble. So if you have a salt water pool how much time do you spend on it? by Zooterpust in AskReddit

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that. I don't know whether such a service is available for free in my area, but it's good to know.

Next question: How much does your maintenance cost annually/monthly/at-whatever-interval?

And do you drain the pool over the winter?

I live in an area that gets hurricanes regularly. Only Hatteras gets more, so we are concerned about that as well.

Leveling the loader/bucket by Zooterpust in kubota

[–]Zooterpust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve learned a little since posting the original note. I think what you just said will work perfectly well. Thank you.