Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with poor

poor man's paper shredder

Eiwalker — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:25:10 -0800

I need a poor man paper shredder alternative. Supposing I'm too cheap to buy a paper shredder, what's my best alternative? If it helps, I have a grill in the backyard, but I don't want to burn sensitive documents using a fire starter solution that might fizzle out.

Help me justify putting off a visit to the doctor because I am poor.

Gonestarfishing — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:01:45 -0800

Another thyroid question... So me-fites...help me figure out if I should go to the doctor or not. Typically I would just go anyway, but I just got my very own brand new shiny health insurance and I haven't yet met my $400 bubble where insurance starts paying for stuff. I have been experiencing some symptoms that would indicate hypothyroidism. They include:

- I feel like my hair is falling out at a more rapid rate than it used to. In sunlight I can see through to my scalp, which has never been the case in the past. I am also getting split ends and my hair breaks really easily. I never. Ever. EVER had split ends in the past, even when I was heat styling my hair almost every day and getting my hair cut once a year. Now I always let my hair air dry, and get a trim every 3 months and still, split ends galore.
- My nails (which were also super duper strong and unbreakable once upon a time) now break much more easily, and start peeling as well from time to time.
- I have had eczema since a child, but for the first time in my life I am getting patches of eczema on my face in the summertime.
- Extreme daytime fatigue, even after changing my diet to include more healthy foods, upping (and lowering) my food intake, going to bed earlier, etc. I pretty much can't help but pass out after I get home from work.
- I was sleeping pretty well every night up until a couple of months ago when I started having more and more frequent bouts of insomnia. The fatigue has been present a lot longer than the insomnia, by a couple of years at least, though now I'm sure it's attributable to the insomnia.
- Unending low grade depression
- Unexplained joint pain. I have flat feet, so if I'm on my feet for a significant amount of time, my ankles/knees/hips/lower back will ache, but often I'll have had a low key day and I still end up feeling arthritic (I'm only 23).
- Constipation
- A once laid back person, I am now more prone to snap at my loved ones in anger when they don't deserve it. I would now classify myself as having a hot temper.
- I had blood work done 2 years ago to test TSH, and mine was at 4.3. My doc said it was on the high side of normal but still within normal range. I got tested again a month after that, and all was back to well within normal ranges.
- Perhaps the most frightening symptom of all is the memory loss/brain fog. I have trouble recalling simple words when speaking and my ability to compose sentences has gone down the shitter. I find myself being grammatically incorrect a lot, but can't think of the proper way of how to phrase things. I was once a star english student and used to pride myself on my vocabulary. I feel like I've been dumbed down by 30 IQ points. I have so much trouble trying to focus my brain at work, but can't remember all the tasks I need to complete.

I know there are other symptoms that I am simply not recalling at this moment in time.

Now I know you're saying, get thee to a doctor, stupid! What perplexes me, and the reason why I am asking this question, is that I am not overweight. I gained weight (15 lbs) when I started college 5 years ago that I didn't lose (lack of exercise, horrible diet) until this past year, when other health issues caused me to be unable to eat my typical diet, or much of anything at all. I now have a healthier appetite (and am making much wiser food choices) and have gained a couple of lbs back, but nothing major.

I have a family history of my paternal grandmother and an aunt (her daughter) having hypothyroidism. It should be noted that they have always been pin-thin before and during their hypothyroidism (but perhaps may be due to their penchant for eating disorders). I am not close with them, nor do I wish to be, so talking to them about this is not an option.

So. Given the symptoms above, and seeing as how some of them may be explained away by other things, and also seeing as how my weight is under control, do I need to see a doctor immediately or soon? I will go if it seems like I need to, or eventually, but money is tight and like I said, insurance bubble (whatever the fuck it's called, I can't remember) hasn't been reached yet so any visit I make will be paid for out of pocket. Have any of you ever experienced or heard of hypothyroidism sans weight gain? If I do have hypothyroidism, will delaying a doctor visit by 3-6 months make a difference?

Also, I noticed today while touching my neck that my thyroid may be swollen? I don't really know what my baseline is, so I'm not sure if it is swollen, or how to judge. I tried googling "how to identify swollen thyroid" and found one video that wasn't particularly helpful. If I tilt my head back, I can see it sticking out from my neck. While I was thinking about it, I also started remembering that for the past couple of months or so, things have taken a couple or a few swallows to get completely down. Maybe it's in my head, I don't know...but do you have any tips for feeling up your thyroid? What should I be looking for?

Car fuse poor man rig up

Eiwalker — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:29:26 -0800

How to turn my car's dome light off w/out pulling out the fuse. I've got a car -- a van, actually -- whose interior lights won't turn off unless I pull the fuse out. If I pull the fuse out, my power windows don't work either. But it's a hassle to keep putting the fuse in and out. Furthermore, I cant afford to fix it right!

For under $5 or so, I'd like to rig something up where I can have a switch -- say, in the ashtray compartment -- such that flipping the switch on is equivalent to putting the fuse in, and flipping the switch off is equivalent to pulling the fuse out.

I need five things:

1. switch
2. wire
3. fuse (to hook up SOMEWHERE along the wiring)
4. MYSTERY DEVICE to hook the fuse up with the wiring
5. MYSTERY DEVICE that plugs in where the fuse used to plug in

I'd like help with (5) and (4) for sure, and possibly (3) if you think a different kind of fuse would be easier to install.

Thank you!!

My think-meats hurt. Help me find a shrink.

lekvar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:20:21 -0800

Short Version: I'm poor and I need therapy in the SF Bay Area. Long Version: My job provides no benefits. I'm too poor to afford much out-of pocket, but I make too much to get county or state assistance, as near as I can tell. I just lost 15 hours a week, so, YAY! I have free time for some much needed therapy, but I'm also even less able to afford it than I was before.

I've tried finding info online, but my info-finding skills are weak.

So, MetaFilter, have you had any success finding low-cost therapy in the Bay Area? Have you found financial assistance in paying for therapy? Any hints, trick, pointers, advice, or recommendations?

Poor workman blaming his tools

ihunui — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:36:19 -0800

How thin can floorboards go before needing replacing? We used a belt sander to sand the edges of our Cypress Pine floorboards back to bare timber. It looked fine initially, but now that a couple of coats of polish are down it looks rubbish. We sanded back the main floor areas with a hired drum sander (which is made for the job), and they came up great. We then used a belt sander (rather than the recommended edge sander) which left an uneven finish on the edges. While there are definite differences in depth of the sanding, it wouldn't be any more than 1 millimetre at the very most. This is also the case where we sanded out scratches in the main floor area that the drum sander didn't get. With the polish down and the light reflecting off the areas in question it looks terrible.

If we suck it up and get a tradesman in to redo the floors, what are the chances that he/she can get the marks/gouges/waves/etc out without completely stuffing the floorboards?

How do I find a job with my college resume?

Team of Scientists — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:21:28 -0800

I'm about to graduate with a BS in electrical engineering. I never had an internship, co-op, etc., and I have a kinda crappy GPA. Where do I begin my job search? OK, lemme try to sum up my undergrad experience as concisely as I can:

I enrolled at the University of Michigan back in 2002. My first few years went well; my GPA through five semesters was just under a 3.5. Right about then (Winter 2005), everything kinda came off the rails.

It's hard to describe what was going on in my head at that time. The best I can offer is immaturity and habitual procrastination snowballed into a period of extreme anxiety. I came out 4 semesters later with a D and three E's scattered amongst B's and C's. My GPA plunged.

After failing to climb out of academic probation for three straight semesters, the college of engineering said I had to take a semester off. So I did. Then all my friends graduated. And then I took another semester off. And another. I awoke in 2008, twenty credits away from graduating and with $30,000 of student loans (out-of-state tuition at U of M is steep, especially after 3 junior years).

Anyway, I took a summer course and some more engineering coursework this fall, and now I'm on the verge of graduation. I'm working much harder now, but my GPA will probably be somewhere between a 2.7 and 2.8 when I'm done.

I admit that I've never really put any effort into finding any kind of EE-related work. I've always felt a little detached from the field. My peers have always seemed more immersed in the subject matter than me, so I fear that I'll be overshadowed by the really passionate kids at job fairs/in interviews. Now I realize that I just gotta get over that fear and apply for these jobs anyway. The problem is that I feel a little late to the party now that I'm about to graduate in the spring with no work experience.

My coursework is kind of a grab-bag assortment of EE classes (a little communications, some DSP, some control systems). I don't have time to tailor it to any particular EE subfield. This seems like it will probably limit my prospects.

It seems that every internship posted online says something to the effect of "Must be graduating later than May 2009 for consideration." Meanwhile, entry-level positions often list GPA requirements of 3.0+.

So, where do I begin? Should I go for an internship or full-time, entry level job? How hire-able am I? Is my case hopeless? Will I be ok provided I put in the necessary leg-work? Are there any alternative options that I've overlooked?

I hope they choke on the fumes...

ZaneJ. — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:48:45 -0800

Should I get a new catalytic converter for my truck? A few days ago, after having my Toyota Tacoma sitting for a few days, I started my truck. It sounded as if someone had ripped of my exhaust system. Undaunted and drunk, I got myself home. The next day I examined my exhaust system to, lo and behold, discovered someone had sawsall'd my catalytic converter out of my trucks exhaust system. My community has a lot of tweekers in it and a copious amount of metal theft, so I have a feeling someone is smoking the shit out of the $100 dollars they got out of it.

I'm poor, and really don't give a fuck about replacing the converter itself. All I want is my truck to not be as goddamned loud as it is now with a short exhaust system. I live in rural Washington state, Centralia specifically. Should I actually worry about replacing the converter itself, for the sake of my truck and my legality, or could I do with just welding in a piece of pipe to vent my exhaust and make my truck quite(er) again?

Again, I don't care about legality, I just want a quieter truck and a repair job where I don't have to worry about harming my engine.

What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area?

Item — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:01 -0800

What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area? I recently received a promotion at my much-loved job that requires me to do some basic (i.e. Excel, email, internet browsing) work from home. Trouble is, my ancient Thinkpad finally coughed out its dying breath a couple of days ago and I don't think it'll be revived in any easy manner.

I've got various peripherals lying around and I don't need anything other than the computer itself - I don't need a laptop, either. I'm not the world's most tech-savvy fellow, otherwise I'd just pick up something off of Craigslist. I can't afford to buy something that'll conk out on me in a month. I'm broke, dead dead broke for at least the next few months, so I can't really spend more that a few hundred bucks - even $300 will be stretching my budget in an uncomfortable fashion.

Any suggestions as to my best means of computering myself as cheaply, semi-reliably, and quickly as possible will be greatly appreciated.

Income tax versus Fair tax....help

madmamasmith — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:32:48 -0800

I need to better understand the proposed tax systems. Mainly the fair tax or sales tax versus an income tax. I am writing a paper for school on the viewpoints of TTARA (The Texas Taxpayers and Research Ass.) and CTJ (citizens for tax justice) but cannot gain a clear idea of what each side is proposing. Obviously the republicans want the fair tax, and since TTARA is business minded, I assume they too seek the fair tax, or at least support it. But what is the Dem idea of fair taxation? Do they want an income tax? What is all this talk on CTJ about income tax cuts? I don’t have the patience to sift through all the material so I'm hoping someone can give me a basic idea of the differing positions on the matter. Mainly answer the question of who wants what and why, and who benefits most from each plan.... Also what about the working poor, do they benefit most from an income tax? Etc. Etc.

Environmentally friendly, people unfriendly?

soma lkzx — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:13:30 -0800

Is the organic movement (and its related environmentally-friendly pals) putting pressure on low-income consumers? Examples of what I'm interested in, suffixed with question marks because I Have No Idea:

*Increased demand for organics decreases demand for non-organics, upping the price, bad news for the poor?
*Increased acreage dedicated to organics decreases acreage going to non-organics, reducing supply and upping prices?
*Biofuel production eats up crops that could be going into peoples' mouths? (the blue)

I can only think of things involving food, if there are other basic costs being affected that's great, too.

I'm looking for articles one way or the other, or things like a lot of the acreage was never for normal crops in the first place, so the two aren't in competition, or biofuels only affect corn so processed food is more expensive but not produce, or the industry sells enough non-organics that the increase is negligible. Supporting your claim is great, but even if you don't it could still be a jumping-off point.

Secondary costs/benefits (Less cancer risk so it costs less in the long run) are cool, but I'm mostly interested in the direct paycheck-to-dinner-table costs.

Nothing italicized is a belief of mine or anything researched; they're just in the vein of ideas I'm looking for

Seven years of bad luck?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:59:26 -0800

I have managed to run my once-great credit into the ground. What now? How screwed am I, and for how long? It’s an embarrassing story, an epic tale of my own sheer foolishness. The short version is that I treated my two credit cards as magical goodies creators, and ran them each up several thousand dollars. I lost my job, fell behind on payments, and just freaked out because I couldn’t keep up with them. Calls started coming; I panicked and did nothing. One of my accounts was transferred to a collection agency; still I panicked and did nothing. For months. Believe me, I’m fully aware that this was exactly the wrong thing to do, and I’ll be learning from my gargantuan mistake for a long time.

The good news is I’m getting back on track. I was able to settle with the collection agency and loan money from my family; in another month that account will be settled for good. I will be spending the next few years paying my family back. I am paying my other credit card off slowly but steadily, which will also take a few years. The interest rate on the card is pretty low. I have a budget, and I’m getting in the habit of keeping track of every purchase I make. I don’t make a lot of money; things are going to be very tight for me for a while.

I think – I hope – I have a handle on the budget. However, I have almost complete ignorance of how my wretched credit will affect me. I’m scared to check my credit report because I know it’s going to be ugly. I know it’s going to be hard to do things like move or buy a car or, well, just about everything that I need to do in the next few years. But I don’t know how hard, whether they’ll be impossible or just a pain in the ass. I don’t know the ways in which they will be hard. I don’t know how to deal with them when they come up. I don’t know how long this shadow will follow me. My friends have good credit and can’t really offer any advice, and Google has turned up a bunch of sketchy looking websites I’m hesitant to trust.

Any advice or resources you have for me would be greatly appreciated. If you need it: omgpoor@gmail.com

these boots are made for walking?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:08:48 -0800

Where can I find affordable and cool looking shoes that I can walk in? I need either tall boots or shoes! With the following criteria:

1. No heel, low heel, or really comfortable heel. I can't really walk long distances in heels (especially pointy or tall heels) and am already tall.
2. Comfortable for walking. I walk everywhere. Including up steep hills.
3. Cool or cute looking. I think thatBobbi Blu and Irregular Choice shoes are adorable but not the most comfortable.
4. Affordable. I don't want to pay more than 70 dollars or so and even that is pushing my budget.

What suggestions do you have that would fit? Being able to walk in them in any sort of weather is probably the most important. My shoe size is usually 9.5. I have comfortable tennis shoes already but they look silly with skirts.

Choke daddy?

seanmpuckett — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:04:26 -0800

In a poor Dade county Florida elementary school in the late 70s, on some days they would serve us "Choke Daddy" sandwiches instead of hot food. What was that stuff? I think it was 1977, and the school was Goulds Elementary. Choke daddy sandwiches (I don't think that was their official name) were a blob of sweet, sticky brownish goo between two slices of cheap white bread. I'm guessing they had to stretch their budget by serving these things occasionally. I don't remember the flavor much except that it was sweet, and fairly smooth textured. I think if I tried to recreate it today, I'd try combinations of peanut butter, corn syrup, white sugar and/or molasses. Yeah, seriously. They had to feed us something.

Anyone remember anything similar, and if so, any real information on what it was?

Help me find free/cheap dental care in NYC

cmgonzalez — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:01:03 -0800

I'm having an issue with my tooth. The root canal I had on my broken tooth in 2005 was supposed to get crowned eventually, but that was $800 that I didn't have. Anyway, the filling that was put in was temporary, and it's been wearing down over the last 2 years... Last night, I ate, and in the process of fishing food out of the crater, I started feeling some gauzy stuff in my tooth, which was placed in there right under the filling material. Uh oh. My insurance (Medicaid with HMO) doesn't cover dental crowns or care except check-ups and emergencies (which they often solve with a cheap extraction) for anyone over 21.

Are there any places in NYC that could give me a crown or at least a new temporary filling for free or at extremely low cost? Programs for the poor, under insured, sliding scale, charities, etc? I'm currently unemployed and the procedure, at cost, would be more money than I currently have in total at the moment. Since my financial outlook is iffy for the time being, I can't commit to any payment plans. I cannot put this on credit right now for similar reasons.

Firsthand recommendations are especially appreciated, but I'll take any suggestions. Any borough except Staten Island works well enough for me, though Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens preferred.

I'm over 21, so my Medicaid isn't an option. City dental clinics also apparently only treat those under 21.

I'm going to put some Dentemp type stuff in there later today, but I'd like to get this resolved on a more permanent basis, as sometimes it hurts slightly of late.

Do i have to return the slingbox?

keep it tight — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:28:01 -0800

Any tips on troubleshooting my new slingbox connection? I just bought the slingbox and put it in my parents home outside of Boston (dsl connection).

Whe I try to watch the sox games in NC (roadrunner), the stream is VERY choppy and freezez about every 20 seconds...

Any idea what may be wrong?

Wedding ring - $500; Wedding - $2000; Honeymoon: $600; Spending the rest of your life with your soulmate - Priceless

tdreyer1 — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:13:17 -0800

Poor college student filter: I'm getting married, and have very little money. I'm in my second year of college, and I am getting married this summer. I need tips on how to have an affordable wedding & honeymoon. I appreciate you advice.

Food Bank Feast

arcticwoman — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 09:57:54 -0800

What interesting and nutritious meals can I make out of items regularly given out from the food bank? It's been a tough year-end for my family and we have found ourselves relying on the food bank more than we would like. We are running out of ideas on what to do with what we get. A couple of notes: I love to cook and am pretty good at it, we have a good collection of spices, and we can occasionally supplement the below items with fresh food (milk, eggs, meat, cheese) although this is limited.

The food bank generally gives me:
Canned vegetables (corn, green beans)
Canned fruit (peaches, pears, mandarins)
Canned soup (all kinds, usually cream of mushroom, tomato)
Tomato products (sauce, paste, diced)
Pasta products (all kinds of noodles, SideKicks)
Canned meat (tuna, ham, salmon)
Canned and dry beans (all kinds)
General (peanut butter, crackers, jam, oatmeal, granola bars)
Fresh (bread, sometimes ground beef, rotten potatoes)

Should I get married for tax purposes?

Dance Commander — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:02:57 -0800

Should I get married for tax purposes? Posting for a friend:
I am going to start working as a teacher in Philadelphia. I will be making $39,000 a year. I am a single, 23 year woman. Would marrying my boyfriend be a wise financial choice in terms of tax breaks?
My only concern is that the bf is still in college, and I am worried that this might lessen his chances of getting financial aid. Currently, he makes about 2k a year from work.
We're planning on getting married anyway, but if this could save us any money, we'd be more than happy to have a small ceremony now.
If anyone who's done this before has any advice or just general knowledge on the subject, it would be greatly appreciated.

How to find more money for school and living?

bash — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:03:15 -0800

There aren't enough days in the week for me to make enough money to live. Hm. My husband and I (we're in our mid 20's) both work part time and go to school full time. He's a grad student, I'm an undergrad. We both have jobs that will be beneficial to our desired employment outcome when we're done with school, so we don't want to quit these jobs (we would also be hard pressed to find jobs that pay better). However, we don't make enough money to exist. We don't have cable, I cut our hair, we don't eat out, we don't go out, we don't do anything fun that costs money. We don't have a car payment, we don't drive around (we ride our bikes everywhere). We both go to private schools in the Chicago area, and don't plan on transferring. I have no more time in the week to get another job. He's looking for a second job. Our total budget income per month is 1300, and our expenses are 1000. I'm an artist and a writer (don't tell me to quit, please), and he's a librarian.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make ends meet? I refuse to take out any of those private school loans. We already have one in this house, and that's plenty. Our lives are miserable because of money. This is truly no fun, and if one more person says, "oh we were poor when we first started out too," I'm going to stuff them in my crock pot and save a couple bucks on a meal.

We're going to go interview for welfare and food stamps next week, but I don't think we're eligible for welfare. We're eligible for about 100 bucks in food stamps. Thanks for any and all suggestions or resources.

Help me! Something feels wrong with my brain!

herbiehancock00 — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:39:30 -0800

I don't think correctly. I just recently graduated from college and is moving into the real world. I guess it was college and I had the freedom to choose how I want to live my life so I never saw it as a big problem. But now that I graduated and needs to move into the real world I'm beginning to be worried about this problem. The problem is that I cannot control my brain. My mind always seems to operate in a wacky out of control mode. I can never focus my mind to process in a step by step manner. I can't even follow driving directions inside my head. By the third turn I would lose orientation. I have hard time remember what I did two days ago and rememberingthings in general is just difficult sometimes. Alot of times my brain would freeze when I try to comprehend something. It's like my mind can only operate when its let loose. My communication skill is poor because my mind doesnt operate in a way that allows me to clearly express myself.

I managed to cruise through college at a pretty prestigious school because I am able to accomodate my studying style and schedule according to how my brain works. And I know that if given enough personal space and time I can excel.
I've had internships before and I know corporations do not accomodate well with people like me. I feel that there is no way I can be successful and am becoming less and less confident in myself and beginning to alienate people around me.

I just graduated from college and is looking for a job now. I know I can handle the work part but I don't think I can handle the constant communication that is required of me in a corporation. I feel that I will hate my job because I like to work independently and no one will like a guy that doesn't talk much. I don't understand how some people can talk and talk about anything they want and words just flow out of the mouth while I can't even express the thoughts in my head and finding the right words to say. I'm beginning to regret studying business in college because it is such a communication and people oriented field.

Any advice would help. I know this is a common problem but I'm feeling really isolated and don't know what to do.

What does a trust fund baby need to learn to take care of themselves?

the giant pill — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:13:25 -0800

A trust fund baby messed up and doesn't have any money and/or access to family that took care of them. So now they are working at an average 20something wage. What common lifeskills do they need to learn to take care of themselves? This person was brought up with everything taken care of for them. All they learned to do was be a passable student at an exclusive school. So I am thinking things like - learn to change a tire, how to wash dishes, laundry, ... etc. They need to learn how to take care of themselves now. I would like to give a friend some resources that would help them to make help with self-reliance. Things just keep coming up that boggle me, and I would like to preempt situations that are going to come up in the future.

Cheap blues harmonica lessons in chicago

allthewhile — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:26:17 -0800

Blues Harmonica lessons in Chicago? I live in Old Irving Park. School teacher salary. I obviously want something good, cheap, and close. Thanks for any help.

Since when were there still massive ghettos in north america?

public — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:20:49 -0800

SociopoliticalChatFilter: Why are the destitute down and outs in Vancouver so different to the usual class of beggar/street person I am used to in London? I've spent the past week in Vancouver and went for a walk around Main St and Hastings the other day and was shocked by just how bad things seem to be around there. It's like walking through a movie. Literally in line of site of the basically the only police station I've seen there is a massive group of tramps smoking crack outside the Carnegie centre and nobody bats an eye lid.

I know a lot of people who work in social services both in the UK and in Canada and nobody really seems to have an answer to what makes things so much more obvious in Vancouver. The difference between rich and poor is really quite incredible and could probably be reasonably compared to places in South America.

I just want to hear people's opinions on this and any background I might be missing. I know there are systems in place to help clean these people up but they don't seem to do anything that effective from what I've heard. It's not like there isn't a huge amount of money floating around for anyone that wants to go out and get a job.

Strange problem with half of my cable TV connections

flyby22 — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 07:00:51 -0800

Some strange problem with my cable TV. I was connecting a new Sylvania DVR/VCR unit in my bedroom. I used to have a Sony DVD/VCR in that same place and the cable reception used to be just fine. First thing I noticed after attaching the new unit is that the signal quality is very poor. But anyway then I come down to living room which has the Comcast's digital set top box connected to the wall outlet. I noticed there was no signal on TV and box was displaying a 'this channel would be available soon' message. Usually that means some kind of bad or no connection. Before I went up to the bedroom everything was running fine. Did plugging in the DVR/VCR unit blow the cable circuit ?
The way my place is set up is I have a splitter in attic which breaks up the incoming line into two circuits - one going down the front part of the house and other going down the back part. The back part also has a Comcast installed signal amplifier right after the splitter. The back line is further split to connect to the above mentioned DVD(R)/VCR setup in the bedroom and the digital settop box in living room.

After this blip last night the small TVs connected to the front side cable circuit seems to work just fine. I went up into the attic to take the amplifier out of the path and the signal was almost zero at that point in the bedroom DVR/VCR unit. I am now wondering if one side of the attic splitter blew up. Can that happen ? and just from plugging in a new VCR unit in the wall? strange.

I was planning on taking my small LCD TV into the attic and connecting it directly to the splitter output to see if the problem was there.

Have you guys seen such things before ?

Post-Christmas self-respect assistance needed

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 18:40:01 -0800

Money was tight for Christmas this year, and thus I asked Family and Friends to not get me any gifts, as I wasn't able to reciprocate. Inevitably, some did, and now I feel awful (as I knew I would) that I wasn't able to get them anything in return. So, I'm wondering if anyone can help me work out posthumous gifts I can make on a very tight budget. I'm not a particularly craft-oriented person, but I have a lot of patience, and as long as whatever supplies are involved aren't too expensive, allowing for trial and error, I don't mind making several failed attempts at a project as a way of learning how to do it right. I have 4 people I would like to be able to give gifts to, and a budget for materials of about $50 Australian.

Extra points for:

- cheap materials
- "even you could do this"-ness
- "hey, that's actually a pretty cool gift!"-ness

Please help me salvage some self-respect, as being broke and not being able to buy gifts for the people I care about are both new experiences to me.