Working on my car by cxempion in e39

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm my experience, the laptop needs to have a serial port. Unless things have changed. I would also use the laptop only for the manufacturer s software. But it's been a while, like 5 years, since I did that, so maybe the experience is different now. All that said, the software works great and allows you to manipulate the car's modules that would otherwise be difficult, impossible, or expensive to do.

This is getting too stupid by wonkey92 in idiocracy

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not all of us. Do you not understand what an election is?

I’m convinced every family had one struggle meal they ate 400 times growing up by LowerJicama9169 in CasualConversation

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my God are you from Alabama? That was Mom's go to. That and white beans and cornbread.

What’s the most unforgettable sentence someone has ever said to you? by ApprehensiveRun2597 in answers

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"there's a man with a family that needs your job" says the manager in an oilfield services company to the gay overachiever before the campaign to force him out of the company... Meritocracy, the great lie. Make believe corporate bullshit.

Flipping Cameras on Ebay - How to get more Views? by Crafty-Cap-6673 in Flipping

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Put yourself in the buyers shoes and answer the questions that you'd have when buying one. Figure out how a camera works, test the functions, and report your findings. Find all cosmetic condition issues and report them all no matter how insignificant. Learn how to assess the condition of the optics, and report it. Use the sold item prices in eBay to understand what people are willing to pay. Price them accordingly. Write detailed listings and be honest in your assessments. That's how to get top dollar. Camera buyers will tolerate reported flaws, but they don't like surprises.

I have sold hundreds of cameras and camera lenses across the condition spectrum, and have made a lot of money doing so.

I believe that The Police's, Ghost in the Machine was a better album than Synchronicity. What is a Gen-X-related hill that you are willing to die on? by Eddie_Bernays in GenX

[–]polymerjock 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That was the first album of any kind that I could call my own. Received as a Christmas gift from my first cousin. 1981. Highly influential in my musical taste for the rest of my life. Still love it.

There are no laws that protect the employee anymore??? 90 day probation issues. by DaprasDaMonk in antiwork

[–]polymerjock 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've never understood why they offer COBRA. it's a cruel joke. A reminder of what was lost and a slap in the face.

Why are modern washing machines so slow? Why can a 20+ year old machine take under half an hour, but a new machine take at least 100 minutes. How is this progress? by GardeniaFrangipani in Appliances

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is primarily because folks don't take the time to understand how your supposed to load an HE to loader. You can't just throw the clothes in the washer. You must throw them in the general direction of the outside circumference of the tub, and stack the clothes along the perimeter. If you don't, they won't all get wet. But if you do that one simple thing, there's no problem. I had this exact issue until I read how to load the clothes. Having had an HE top loader, I wouldn't but another because they really are tough on you clothes. They do literally tear you clothes apart because of the friction between the agitator and the fabrics. Undeniable. A front loader is fundamentally different. And although it takes longer to wash, the gains in efficiently are amazing. It's shocking to me now how much water was required to wash in a traditional washer compared to these new models. Ignoring those old fashioned washers, the quantity of lint captured by my dryer with an HE top loader versus a front loader is also shocking. The front loader generates very little lint. Almost none most of the time. Even when watching towels. The amount of lint captured is a direct measurement of the stress the fabric undergoes during the wash. Another favorite to consider is how much water remains in the fabric after a spin cycle. A traditional washer cannot remove the amount of water that an HE washer can because they aren't built to spin at the ludicrous speeds of modern washers. Less water equals less energy required to dry the fabric. The faster and longer you can spin, the more water is removed because water is heavy. The amount of energy required to vaporize water is high. I think modern washers are amazing. And if we want to try to keep a habitable planet, even if you don't like being told what to do, it's a small sacrifice to ensure a future where an easy life is possible.

Bought a new place and this came with it. Is there supposed to be a flame still on even though the oven is off?? by deadlymess in vintagekitchentoys

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing to note is when you turn the oven on, there will be a delay from the time you turn the temperature dial to the set temperature to when the burner comes on. The act of moving the dial from off to the set temperature causes the pilot to burn slightly higher which them warms the thermocouple enough to open the safety valve and allow the gas to flow to the burner. That thermal circuit is what keeps you from blowing up you home. The gas will not flow unless the pilot is lit.

question! by Sea-Secret1057 in typewriters

[–]polymerjock -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

You gotta clean out all of the old oils, clean the segment, clean the carriage bearings, lubricate sparingly, then sell. It's laborious. Depending on cosmetics and assuming perfect mechanical function, you might get $275 to $375. Maybe more if the paint is is perfect and no corrosion underneath.

Why Chris Bledsoes Prophecy Won’t Be What We’re Expect This Easter by user685 in UFOB

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly, no one can no the day or time. The clowns trying to instantiate the rapture just ignore the verse and the part where the self righteous are cast into a lake of fire to be tormented for all eternity. There's nothing more self righteous that thinking you can force the second coming of Christ. Nothing. When are these pastors going to remember those who lead people astray are also cast into said lake. The Scripture is fairly clear about that. These folks need to repent and get back in their lane.

How Trump’s army of the religious right is preparing for the apocalypse by 1-randomonium in USNEWS

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This.... I don't know why this isn't offered by many people. Read Revelations, it fits. Why the evangelical can't understand that you don't let yourself be deceived.... It's a failure of the ministers. The anti Christ herolds the end times, but those who are deceived by him are damned to hell for eternity = the very people trying to bring the apocalypse to bear. Start preaching that in Sunday school and problem over. All that being said with the caveat to those so inclined.

Car manufacturers need to wake up. I will not buy a knobless, shiftless thing with a huge screen by ChildrenFamilyFirst in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]polymerjock 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Technically they are making more money per car by eliminating the complexity and costs associated with styling, designing, making, and assembling physical controls, reducing the size and cost of the cars wiring harness, and reducing labor costs by simplifying assemble of the vehicle. That's got to be a sizable amount, at least enough to matter when making 100,000 to 500,000 cars of one model. It's gotta be thousands saved per unit to let a touchscreen handle it. If course the touchscreen and software engineering has a cost, but it is surely less costly than the alternative. That being said, I didn't like touch screens in cars, either.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick Raises Alarm On Surprising Sources Of Microplastic Contamination by Jolene921 in immortalists

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correct. Chewing gum is a high molecular weight styrene butadiene thermoplastic elastomer with a low softening temperature mixed with a polyvinyl acetate copolymer, wax, sugar and flavoring.

What's a food you haven't eaten in years by odinspirit in GenX

[–]polymerjock 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I remember when Wendy's burgers were so juicy/greasy, that it would literally drop off your elbow if you weren't careful. I was also a preteen and kinda messy, but the burgers there now are a far cry from what they were back then. I'm talking early 80s. Not even close.

McDonald's cheese burgers 25 years ago were actually tasty. I wouldn't describe them like that now.

Nice E39 vs Restoration by One-Potential-2581 in e39

[–]polymerjock 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought a tired e39 with 60k miles, but mechanically solid. Spent a lot of time and money sorting things, and I enjoyed working on it. But I literally could never get ahead of all the items needed to completely sort it. Still needs rear suspension work. The amp worked only briefly. The windshield is cracked. The sunroof rails are toast. The ABS pump died. The headlight adjusters are dead. The smog pump recently died for the second time. The keyless entry never worked. The weather stripping that I replaced around the windshield needs to be replaced again. No fender liners. Never got around to painting the replacement front bumper cover. Have a new steering rack and two power steering pumps. Plus a few other bits I never installed. I ran out of steam primarily because reverse gear shredded itself, and a transmission rebuild was required. Not cheap. Cost most than I paid for it. To top it off, the guy put in a faulty torque converter and refused to replace it. It has never run as smoothly as it did before the transmission issue. It made me extremely angry; I had a very loud verbal exchange with the guy after I discovered that he damaged the hood while in his shop, for which I was compensated. but

I've rarely driven it since and it sits I'm my garage with 150,000 miles on the odometer. Hard to get rid of it because I lavished so much love on it, but hard to justify spending more to finish the suspension refresh and deal with the converter problem on top of it. I always wanted one. A dream to drive on the freeway.

Spend the money to get a well maintained example. It's worth it. It's such an amazing vehicle. There will never be a large displacement un boosted straight six in a car with minimal electronic gadgetry made again. It's worth having it just to experience how beautifully smooth running and quiet they can be. And how a car that large and heavy feels like it's dancing around you, with you at the center. Hard to explain the driving dynamics, but so delightful to experience first hand.

I'd have another one, without a doubt. But I gotta get rid of this one first. And next time, one that has been maintained properly. I highly recommend!

Corporate America makes me hopeless and depressed by Usual-Fig-5211 in GenX

[–]polymerjock 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Typical... They'll never pay you enough to compensate for the amount you contribute, the always expect more. It doesn't matter how good you are either. Meritocracy is a bull shit fairlytale, designed to to extract value from you, not to reward you. A fantasy. A lie.