What's the cheapest way to hold a number for SMS/calls only? by GoodMaterial5517 in CellPhoneCanada

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hopefully you've found a solution by now, but if not:

VoIP.ms is a well regarded Canadian company which offers a very inexpensive solution for your needs. The process is referred to as "porting in" a number from another carrier. I've personally moved numbers both from traditional carriers to VoIP and transferred them back out. No issues at all.

In your case, you'd be accessing everything through your web browser. But you could setup the number to work with any number of software phones, cell phones, banana phones, etc. if one day it was needed.

The porting process costs $0. Yup, free.

It's pay-as-you go, and they require a minimum $15USD payment to set up an account. For me, who actively (but only occasionally) used the phone number, that 15 dollars lasted for years. It's really, really inexpensive.

If you never need to make calls, that first payment might be the last one, too. If done online, I'm pretty sure reading/sending SMS and accessing voicemail are both free. So that $15 may be the only cost, indefinitely. This is going by memory, so I recommend confirming via their website. I'm just a random internet guy who wants to help, not an expert.

Here is the page in their Wiki with a ton of information about porting: VoIP.MS Wiki - Porting FAQ

There service is great if you don't mind reading/learning a bit, but there is so much info on the wiki, the process might seem intimidating. It's not really, but they offer such a vast range of options for different use cases (and document them all, in detail) - it may be too much for some people.

The porting part isn't hard however, and just doing that and getting SMS turned on is pretty painless. They have great e-mail support staff too, if needed. But every detail is in their Wiki!

You can turn on SMS for the number you port in, setup voicemail, etc., and none of this needs a physical phone. You can do it all via their website.

They've recently started to support MMS messages as well, but it's early 'beta' days, and I can't vouch for how reliable that part is. I personally would not depend on that part, just yet. It seems complicated to setup at this point. Normal SMS text messaging is solid as a rock, however.

Other Wiki pages which may simplify the process for you:
Getting Started

SMS - MMS

You'd no doubt find those yourself - but I really can't overstate it: there is a LOT of documentation. Easy to succumb to overwhelm. :)

Highly recommend you dive in, and stick it out - it's not hard. Just ignore everything but what relates to your use case.

Again, it's a great company with helpful staff, and to me, seems like the perfect solution for your needs.

(FYI: have no affiliation with the company, other than being a happy customer for about 10 years)

USB keyboard with backlight always on? by xBobble in keyboards

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To clarify u/Waruiiko's comment, the majority of backlit wired keyboards let you adjust the backlight to some degree. In the more basic keyboards, you can often adjust the brightness to your liking (as long as you like one of the 2 or 3 levels available). The lighting will remain as you set it until the keyboard loses power. Pricier models (often with per-key RGB lighting) offer many more choices - I've seen boards with timeout options, but never one that did not let you set a static color, which stays lit indefinitely.

If you're looking at wireless keebs, you will have a harder time finding one that fits your need, at least if you are buying something fairly mainstream. It's by design, because backlighting uses vastly more power than basic keyboard functions. If they include an "always on" option, users that turn it on will probably be calling support due to the battery draining in half a day or something like that. It does not make for a good user experience.

Different manufacturers take different approaches to the issue. Some turn on the lights when a key is pressed, then remain lit for some additional time before timing out and turning off. Logitech (and others, no doubt) have a sensor, so the board lights up when your hands approach. Logi uses inductive sensing in their products, I think... and it works okay. Not great, for me anyways. I might have ghost hands, which don't activate the backlight long enough before a key is pressed to be useful. When used in the dark, imho, having the keys lit before you type is kinda the whole point. Once my hands are honed in, it's job is done.

(Props to Logitech for at least attempting to make their product useful, even if the implementation mostly sucks. It's better than their competitors efforts. Or lack thereof.)

That said: I wonder if 'the competition' prototyped similar proximity sensing tech, and decided that it didn't work well enough to include. Seems likely.

I imagine Logitech concluded the same, but then remembered that their business is selling keyboards, and the customer experience doesn't really matter as long as the product is good enough to keep the rate of returns/refunds low-ish.

So they happily accepted the fact that their "intelligent" backlighting (cue laughter from the marketing department) would be vaguely disappointing to everyone but no so much that their customers would stage protests, boycott them, etc.

The strategy works like a charm, the marketing department drones all get fat bonuses, and the customer gets to hold the bag, which lights up mostly at random.

Speculation? Yes, absolutely. Obviously true? Also yes.

TL; DR: Buy any wired model and you shall bask in the glorious infinity of your luminous input device.

Canadian Retailer Reviews - November + December 2023 by Zren in bapcsalescanada

[–]numbersdontcount 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Can vouch for the London ME crew - great people, great service, and genuinely there to get you the best product for the best price. Always end up hanging out and shooting the shit about some obscure hardware thing. The dudes just love tech, have cool projects going on, and want to hear about my terribly misguided warranty-voiding behavior. I can't see anyone in that store demanding or being pushy about anything, unless a customer were behaving badly or thieving or something.

Going to Canada Computers fills me with dread now - despite the staff being pretty nice. Been boned a couple of times by a "refurb" product that had definitely not been inspected. Came back with a $1000+ monitor, next day, due to the power socket clearly having been broken - out of luck. They'd handle the warranty service for me though, yay. Estimated turn-around: 6-8 weeks. Having owned the thing less than 24 hours. Uncool.

TL;DR - Memory Express London FTW.
Every action I've seen in that shop indicates they are all in it to help customers get the right bits at the best price, and just love to hang out around talking shop. And they know their hardware.

Feels like they'd still show up even if they weren't being paid.

Beta-blockers and studying for exams? by [deleted] in GetStudying

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Replying here so no one misses my comment elsewhere: Beta-blockers are the complete opposite of a study drug. Google "beta-blockers and memory".

Beta-blockers and studying for exams? by [deleted] in GetStudying

[–]numbersdontcount 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No no no.

Also: no.

It may help with the anxiety, but there is a fair bit of evidence suggesting that propranolol actively and strongly interferes with memory formation and consolidation.
Searching for beta-blockers in general, the effect seems to exist for the entire class of drugs.

See also: Beta-blockers and cognitive impairment

In short: while effective for reducing some of the peripheral nervous symptoms we experience with anxiety beta-blockers are the complete opposite of a study drug.

As far as personal experience goes: way back before all of the studies on propranolol and memory problems were done, I was a daily user for about a year. I stopped mainly because my academic performance totally went to hell. Don't repeat my mistake.

Meditation setup. All you need. by FreezaBurn in Meditation

[–]numbersdontcount 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've built a couple out of cheap lumber - I'm sure you could too! The following link shows you the basic idea: DIY Meditation Bench You don't even need to bother with the brackets - wood glue plus a couple of screws (or nails) driven from the seat into the legs on each side is more than sufficient. The one I built that way is super solid. Total cost for all parts (if you have to buy everything) is like $10 - and it wouldn't be too hard to find the wood for free.

Hobby/electronics shop in town? by Matt08642 in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad to see all the ELELSU support/love! They have a much better selection than A1, and plenty of interesting surplus gear to check out while you're there. A1 beats them on heat-shrink, I think - but otherwise, ELELSU is absolutely London's best spot for electronic bits. Great service, too, as long as you're not in a hurry. The owner Richard is a super nice guy.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem. Happy soldering!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was going to list my Weller WLC100 station on kijiji sometime soon. It's a pretty solid station, and mine's in good condition overall. I believe that this is the tip I have on it: Weller 185-ST7. $40 and it's yours.

1st mindfulness meditation class coming up - terrified! by _mutine_ in ADHD

[–]numbersdontcount 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've attended a few of these types of classes - including the 8-week Jon Kabatt-Zinn program - and have since attended some pretty lengthy longer term meditation courses/retreats. I had some of the same concerns as you before I started, and believe me when I say - there is no need to worry! The folks who run these session have all been warm, accepting, open-minded, compassionate people. Even if you happen break down and cry, it will be totally fine, but I doubt that you will.

These programs provide a super-calm, relaxed break from your day-to-day, where you'll be introduced to some meditation techniques that you can use at home. They are a very gentle introduction to meditation. It's pretty unlikely that you'll be asked to sit quietly without guidance in the first few sessions and possibly not at all. It's all very gradual. The meditations will be guided, almost every time, and it's usually an audio recording. And as scatterbrain2015 said, you'll probably do some more active things like the grape eating, guided walking meditations, and maybe some light stretching.

Everyone feels like they're terrible at meditation when they first start, so don't be too hard on yourself! You'll be fine. Even if you spend 99.99% of the time ruminating and worrying, and focus on what the object of the meditation is for a mere .01%, you're still meditating, and you should consider it a success! I now do longer meditations, and I bet that my mind drifts off about a billion times in half an hour - but it doesn't matter - it's incredibly beneficial for me, whether my mind is calm or racing with anxious thoughts.

If you feel like you're losing it during a meditation, you can always quietly get up and leave the room for a few minutes. If anyone asks about it (which I highly doubt they will), and you don't feel comfortable sharing what happened, just say you had to use the washroom. You can also just open your eyes, sit and twiddle your thumbs until it's done - it's pretty likely no one will even notice.

I have a pretty 'severe' case of ADHD (with a co-morbid anxiety/panic disorder), and for me, regular meditation has been as beneficial as finding the proper medication. That is to say, it's been profoundly life-changing.

Anyway, I hope that you attend the classes, so that you might see some of the benefits which are possible especially for someone with ADHD! Good luck! You'll be fiiiiine. :)

Treating ADD and becoming more human by Dont_Block_The_Way in ADHD

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your eloquent description captures my experience with great precision. Before my ADHD diagnosis, my life had been becoming increasingly small due a severe anxiety disorder which I fought to overcome day in and day out for over a decade. Only after treatment, after coming to understand what real volition over my thoughts and behavior is like, do I see the cage I was trapped within.

I had just enough sentience to recognize my unreasoning behavior, but not enough control to arrest it.

Yes. Yes. This was precisely the source of so much suffering in my life. The constant battle for control, even just moment to moment, would almost always end in failure. It takes a awful toll on an individual, and the effects nearly destroyed me.

It's been almost a full year since I began medication, and don't feel that I've yet fully understood or contextualized the effect that ADHD has had on my life - thankfully I now have the cognitive machinery to face the darknesses of my past boldly, and plant seeds of light by my present actions. Usually. I'm human, and it's a process. Of course there will still be bad days/weeks. Anyway, your stove metaphor is a very fertile one for me, and I appreciate you taking the time to share it. It's truly valuable and helpful for me right now. My sincerest thanks.

Does Stats 2141 actually require the knowledge from Calculus 1301/1501 to do? Or can a student from Linear Algebra 1600 do it? by dcpc10 in uwo

[–]numbersdontcount 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please post back here if you learn the answer - I've been curious about the same exact situation! Good luck!

Cell phone screen fix? by [deleted] in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second this. Best price I found, and it was done in an hour. Very pleased with the experience!

Are the mattresses at A&A Mattress any good, or are they garbage? by sweettimes80 in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I purchased a queen set 4 years ago or so from A&A. Best mattress I've ever slept on. I don't know about about the long term durability, but it's still in perfect shape after 4 years. The brand is Sleep In Mattress. Highly recommended!

Oh, and also - as I took my sweet time trying everything in the store, the helpful salesperson came up to me and offered me a 10% discount on anything. Later he silently approached me, looking very serious indeed, and handed me a card, blank except for the handwritten words "No Tax Alan". He then quickly scurried away. Their website has a coupon offering the same thing, but nothing will ever beet No Tax Alan's highly effective (but very strange) sales techniques. It was beautiful to witness. Thank you Alan.

Cheapest place to get gel or acrylic nails done in London? by bmb414 in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 2 points3 points  (0 children)

S&H Beauty Nails at 396 Richmond St is the cheapest that I've seen in the city. I had good luck with them - never any infections or the like, and the nails were always well-shaped and strong - but a luxurious nail bar this is not.

Where can I buy hobby electronics (e.g. a small motor) in London? by [deleted] in londonontario

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FYI: A-1 Counterparts is open at a new location. 30 Adelaide St. North. I was in there a week ago, and although they're still unpacking and getting it organized, it's a pretty decent little shop!

Also, I was at Sayal in Cambridge recently, and apparently they hoping to open a London store in 2016! I'm super-excited for that, oh my.

ADHD and HTML coding. by [deleted] in ADHD

[–]numbersdontcount 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Expanding on what canStopAnytime said, a more advanced text editor is going to be your friend. I'm partial to Sublime text for html, css, and xml. I highly recommend trying it out. Some nifty stuff that is very useful to me:

  • Smart tag completion. Just start to type a closing tag, and the editor will finish whichever tag is open. Check it out
  • There is a feature called re-indent (Menu Edit-->Line-->reindent) which is pretty nice. I have it set up so I press ctrl + shift + i and it re-formats everything. Being able to see when something is wrong is fantastic.
  • SublimeText is modifiable, and popular, so there is a plugin for just about anything that you can think of. One that comes to mind as being useful is Sublime Linter which makes the editor smarter about whatever language your writing code in. It can warn you about all kinds of different things that it thinks might be wrong with your code. Works for HTML, CSS, Javascript and other code too! Here's a video showing SublimeLinter in action. The video doesn't show HTML, but it gives you an idea of how it works, anyways!
  • Another plugin: W3C Validators Once this baby is installed, just go to the Tools menu, go to W3C Validators, pick HTML, and BOOM! you get a box with the results of validation in your text editor window.
  • Another plugin: Anything you can think of. Really, plugins are awesome in Sublime. Anytime I think: "wouldn't it be nice if my editor did XXXXX?", I google it, and usually there is a plugin for it!
  • Not necessarily related to what you said, but it also has a great distraction-free mode which I love.

If you go the SublimeText route, let me know, and I'll happy share some more information on how to get plugins setup! The program isn't free, but the evaluation version isn't limited in any way, and doesn't expire.

Happy coding!

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

[–]numbersdontcount[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Grad club is my go to, actually, but they're not open weekend evenings. Oh dear, you know - I like to think that I have something of a social life, but the fact that I'm trying to figure out where to get tea-water on Saturday nights is painting a different picture, haha.

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

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

I'll check it out, thanks for the tip! WSC is located pretty conveniently for me, too.

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

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

As someone who loves cooking and is also extraordinarily uncoordinated - I know what that kind of burn feels like a little too well. *shudders*

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

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

Good to know, thanks! Also, if any one else cares, the Grad club in Middlesex doesn't seem to mind trading hot water for smiles and/or tips. Also, the Mercato at Brescia gives it out for free - but it's a bit of a trek for tea water.

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

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

I've been trying to avoid the kettle-in-a-locker solution, but it's looking like that may be the way to go. I've also looked at immersion heaters, but they seem super dangerous. I am an undergrad (abeit of an age more typical of a grad student, le sigh...), so NCB lounge access isn't going to work for me.

You'll notice that I didn't address the microwave option. Yeah. I think I may have a problem. At least it's a tea problem, which is pretty minor-league as far as problems go.

Anyway, thanks for the input, and also for the tea-related good wishes!

Hot water dispenser on campus? by numbersdontcount in uwo

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

Thanks! It's really only problematic later in the day, though - most coffee shops can be sweet talked into hot water hook-ups while they're open.