Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Digest for misc.consumers.frugal-living@googlegroups.com - 5 updates in 1 topic

Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com>: Sep 15 09:54AM -0700

On 9/14/2020 4:40 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
> cartridges (under $20 each on line) and am still happy with it.  It's so
> light it feels like a toy, but it just keeps working.  I don't use it
> much, but it does what I ask.
 
The last new printer I bought was a fanfold dot matrix printer. There
are too many used laserjet printers available free to waste money on new
printers and cartridges.
JohnDoe@BadISP.org: Sep 15 06:49PM -0400

>cartridges (under $20 each on line) and am still happy with it. It's so
>light it feels like a toy, but it just keeps working. I don't use it
>much, but it does what I ask.
 
I'm looking for a new printer...well, maybe not a printer alone.
 
I'm trying to solve a problem: I suffer from Essential Tremor which
means that I can't print/write legibly. Even I can't read what I've
written; I can type though.
 
The problem usually occurs when I'm sitting at the computer looking up
something like a tiny printer and need to write down a supplier adding
things such as vendor's name, model #, price and preferably write this
down on a card -- well, let's go for the gold -- on the back of a 80
column Hollerith card (remember those?). Other uses would be writing a
grocery shopping list, a list of Home Depot items such as paint type
and color or list of screws to buy, or the address of a place I intent
to visit, or details of something I'm repairing. Many of these are in
different places: the grocery in the kitchen (1st floor), the items to
buy at HD at the PC (2nd floor), the repair item in the cellar or the
4th floor, etc. I'm certainly not going to carry my PC up and
downstairs.
 
I could borrow my wife's IPad, enter the information on it and then
send myself an e-mail and then print it on my PC. The problems with
this approach are:
 
- I hate the imitation key pad
- she's often using it herself or it's out of battery or on charge
- formatting the page is a nightmare
- I have no idea where the information is stored raising the specter
of massive spam
- buying another similar device (I hate Apple too) but that'd be a
very expensive solution.
 
So, any suggestions?
 

 
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Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com>: Sep 15 04:47PM -0700

> - buying another similar device (I hate Apple too) but that'd be a
> very expensive solution.
 
> So, any suggestions?
 
Find a freebie or cheap obsolete smart phone or pad. Friend, Craigslist,
freecycle or whatever. Then you can use it with WiFi to communicate with
your other equipment. Phones without at least 4G HD audio are being
obsoleted by the cell companies like Verizon. I recently updated my
phone to a Galaxy S5, which is the oldest one that now meets their
standard. Phones earlier than that should not cost much.
 
Good voice recognition might be useful for you.
The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com>: Sep 15 06:01PM -0700

On 09/15/2020 09:54 AM, Bob F wrote:
 
> The last new printer I bought was a fanfold dot matrix printer. There
> are too many used laserjet printers available free to waste money on new
> printers and cartridges.
 
We bought a Centronics 101 new. Worked OK until the smoke leaked out.
 
--
Cheers, Bev
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can
only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote
themselves largess out of the public treasury."
-- Alexander Tyler (Unverified)
The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com>: Sep 15 06:21PM -0700

On 09/15/2020 04:47 PM, Bob F wrote:
>> things such as vendor's name, model #, price and preferably write this
>> down on a card -- well, let's go for the gold -- on the back of a 80
>> column Hollerith card (remember those?).
 
Of course. Punch column 80 (or maybe 72, it's been a while) and turn
the card over to make a 'comment' when testing your program. They also
made cute helicopters and Xmas wreaths.
 
> phone to a Galaxy S5, which is the oldest one that now meets their
> standard. Phones earlier than that should not cost much.
 
> Good voice recognition might be useful for you.
 
I just tested the voice recognition on my Pixel 2. I asked it for one
dozen quarter twenty screws. It showed me pictures of a number of
candidates, including fillister heads. I should have specified length...
 
Using a voice recorder until you're ready to type stuff into a list
sounds good unless you've actually had to transcribe voice notes -- you
NEED a foot-operated stop/rewind/play control. Maybe play the whole
recording into an opened file and print that...
 
You can get small USB/bluetooth keyboard that work with a phone or
tablet, but the keys are AWFULLY small and close together. You can also
get normal size roll-up keyboards...
 
That's all I got :-(
 
--
Cheers, Bev
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can
only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote
themselves largess out of the public treasury."
-- Alexander Tyler (Unverified)
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