Annoying Questions I'd Like Answered...

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:25 pm

My wife's new cell phone tells you to unplug the charger from the phone and the wall when the phone's battery has been completely charged. Apparently this is to save electricity. I was under the impression that a cable plugged into a socket and not into anything else is essentially an open circuit and there isn't any electric flow.

The wife says that she's seen similar messages on other devices and some state it's to conserve energy. How the fuck does that work?

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:41 pm

You've heard of devices being in standby mode. Televisions and computers commonly do this, being slightly more 'on' so that they can be fully turned on faster. Anything involving remote controls have this, as they need to have an IR connection for it to fully activate; and keeping that running is surprisingly energy consuming.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:04 pm

No I'm asking about how electricity is wasted when the circuit is open. I'm not talking about standby mode.

Agent_0042 · Post by **Agent_0042** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:59 pm

Crazy unknown here. Your phone charger (and any other AC adapter, laptops etc.) contains a transformer, meaning its really two circuits. One runs wall-rectifier (converts the AC to DC)-transformer-wall; the second is transformer-phone-transformer. Unplug your phone while leaving the charger in the wall, and the second circuit is broken, but the first is still closed and sucking power. IANAEE, so maybe phones are built to do otherwise, but you're probably also draining your phone's battery when you do the opposite.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:53 pm

So how much would this thing pull over say a month? Is it anything significant to consider when thinking about your electric bill?

Agent_0042 · Post by **Agent_0042** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:52 pm

By itself, negligible. It's only a quarter-ish of a watt without the phone, adding up to .18 kWh/month. Multiple chargers and dongles start to add up, but it'll take a fuckton of them before you catch the difference.

Note that if you leave the phone plugged in while fully charged (say, charging overnight), it increases the power draw by an order of magnitude, which you could notice if you make a habit of it with multiple devices. So don't do that.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:41 pm

Agent_0042 wrote:Note that if you leave the phone plugged in while fully charged (say, charging overnight), it increases the power draw by an order of magnitude, which you could notice if you make a habit of it with multiple devices. So don't do that.

Why does it draw more if it's fully charged?

Hmmm... I may have to re-think when I charge my phone.

sabs · Post by **sabs** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:58 pm

Over charging also damages certain kinds of batteries.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:39 pm

ishy wrote:Why wouldn't you be able to return it if it doesn't work?

It's an anti-piracy thing, I think. Like "Well, all we have is your word that it didn't work!" Fortunately the problem, what ever it had been, rectified itself while I slept.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:53 am

Thanks to everyone that chimed in with the Kerala info. I think I understand the situation better now.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:07 pm

So, the last two days, I've slept for roughly 11 hours, only interrupted by a cat wanting food and to go out. I commented on this on my facebook, and JigokuBosetsu replied implying it could be a thyroid thing.

Looking into thyroid conditions, I found that I do present symptoms that would fit, but not conclusively. The drowsiness, and long sleep could be caused by hypothyroidism, as could my weight (wishful thinking, I know).
My large appetite at times could be caused by hyperthyroidism, except that it would also cause weight loss.
I tend to be more sensitive to heat than cold, in fact I've always been that way, getting overheated when others are comfortable, being comfortable when others are cold. Problem is, sensitivity to heat again fits hyperthyroidism rather than hypothyroidism.

I don't suppose it's at all possible to have both conditions at once, is it? And what could I be looking at in terms of cost to have a doctor check for a thyroid condition, keeping in mind that I'm uninsured? Hell, what would that even entail?

edit: oh, I should also note that I have a natural tendency to nocturnal activity. I don't know if that fits in anywhere, but it's currently 5 am, I don't feel tired at all, and the last caffeine I had was some coffee ice cream three hours ago. Granted, I've only been up 15 hours by this point...

...and isn't time we just make an "Annoying medical questions we want Frank to answer" thread?

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:24 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:My large appetite at times could be caused by hyperthyroidism, except that it would also cause weight loss.
I tend to be more sensitive to heat than cold, in fact I've always been that way, getting overheated when others are comfortable, being comfortable when others are cold. Problem is, sensitivity to heat again fits hyperthyroidism rather than hypothyroidism.

Not to be a dick, but these are also symptoms of being a fat bastard. The extra layer of fat insulates you from the cold and can make you overheat quicker.

sabs · Post by **sabs** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:59 pm

and your large appetite could be caused from years of eating a lot of food. Your stomach is large, and needs more to fill up. It takes a long time to shrink your stomach back down.

I'm pretty sure it's nigh impossible to be hyperthyroid and.. large.
Thyroid tests only require a pretty simple blood draw. No clue how much a set of blood tests run without insurance.

On Hypothyroid:
Are you irritable
Lethargic
tend towards depression?
Do you heal slowly?
DO you feel tired all the time?
Do you put on weight just by thinking about food?

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:26 pm

sabs wrote: Are you irritable
Lethargic
tend towards depression?
Do you heal slowly?
DO you feel tired all the time?
Do you put on weight just by thinking about food?

These can all also happen if you aren't practicing good sleeping habits. It may be worth your while to attempt setting yourself on a rigid sleep schedule. Start getting up early, say 6am, no matter what, and laying down to go to sleep at 10pm. Make certain not to eat, smoke, watch TV or do crap online for an hour before laying down to sleep.

Since I got off night shift and have started sleeping somewhat normally (I still stay up a bit late, down around 1-2 AM, up around 7-9 AM) I have lost and kept off about 20lbs, dropping me from overweight BMI to just barely normal. My joints are stronger, my appetite has diminished, and I just feel so much better.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 12:59 am

So, I'd like to try out something along the lines of this thread sometime soon. Problem is, I can't really leave my Settlers of Catan set up all the time. I don't have nearly enough space right now, and Settlers takes up a fair amount. How can I save a Settlers game to my computer? Preferably in such a way that I can edit it without setting it up again every time, and post the current status for my (online) game? It'd also be handy if I could edit the hexes and tokens to be whatever I want them to be, that way I don't have to worry about running out of 8s and 6s once my players start stabilizing things.

Related question: Does anyone know of any board games that involve struggling over control of a single city or other smaller area?

Ted the Flayer · Post by **Ted the Flayer** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:14 am

I've got really bad back spasms. What is the best way to get rid of them that doesn't involve buying anything or another person?

erik · Post by **erik** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:29 am

Chamomile wrote:So, I'd like to try out something along the lines of this thread sometime soon. Problem is, I can't really leave my Settlers of Catan set up all the time. I don't have nearly enough space right now, and Settlers takes up a fair amount. How can I save a Settlers game to my computer? Preferably in such a way that I can edit it without setting it up again every time, and post the current status for my (online) game? It'd also be handy if I could edit the hexes and tokens to be whatever I want them to be, that way I don't have to worry about running out of 8s and 6s once my players start stabilizing things.

Take a picture? Photoshop changes in tiles/numbers whateva. Even crude alterations would be usable.

Or if you were willing to input images from google images of settlers of catan pieces and modify them as the game progresses. Or for on the cheap just print a copy sheet of the base tiles as you want them set up and put the sheet in a plastic sleeve that you can draw on with a dry erase marker.

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:14 pm

Ted the Flayer wrote:I've got really bad back spasms. What is the best way to get rid of them that doesn't involve buying anything or another person?

Unfortunately, without spending money, getting rid of back spasms requires work:

[*]Download a guided relaxation meditation recording, hit play, lie down, and follow the instructions.
[*]Once you're feeling good enough, start (carefully!) doing Sun Salutation.

This has worked very well for a number of people, including co-workers, a friend, an in-law, my wife, and even Hank Hill.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:53 am

sabs wrote:I'm pretty sure it's nigh impossible to be hyperthyroid and.. large.

Well, there's hyperthyroid and hypothyroid. And I display symptoms of both, but yes, one is vastly more likely than the other, with the other symptoms being incidental.

sabs wrote: Are you irritable
Lethargic
tend towards depression?
Do you heal slowly?
DO you feel tired all the time?
Do you put on weight just by thinking about food?

Yes, usually, sometimes, dunno, pretty much, I can keep weight off if I watch what I eat, but I always get out of practice.

erik wrote:These can all also happen if you aren't practicing good sleeping habits. It may be worth your while to attempt setting yourself on a rigid sleep schedule. Start getting up early, say 6am, no matter what, and laying down to go to sleep at 10pm. Make certain not to eat, smoke, watch TV or do crap online for an hour before laying down to sleep.

Since I got off night shift and have started sleeping somewhat normally (I still stay up a bit late, down around 1-2 AM, up around 7-9 AM) I have lost and kept off about 20lbs, dropping me from overweight BMI to just barely normal. My joints are stronger, my appetite has diminished, and I just feel so much better.

Ok, so I'll try this, but the question is "What can I do an hour before bed?" Read? Listen to music? Is reading a physical book ok, but an ebook not? also, "goddamn, I should get some otc sleepmeds just so I can start off..."

erik · Post by **erik** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:24 pm

To answer sleep stuff in reverse order. I would not start with sleep meds. Try non-pharmacological methods first. If that doesn't work then a doctor's consult is the thing to do to figure out what kind of sleep meds you may need.

I would not recommend ebooks simply because there may be temptation to do something else on your reader.

I'll just link a couple google hits on "what to do to fall asleep". I scanned through em and they seem to about cover it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fall-Asleep
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yourself-Ti ... all-Asleep

I have been proscribed Ambien once upon a time, but I think it mostly the real trick when I was on it was just getting myself in bed early (8pm I think?) each night and not giving in to temptation to do computer stuff.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:24 pm

The sleep meds was more of a "fuck this" joke thing. I'm too broke anyway. I'll look through those, thanks.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:46 pm

One of the biggest reasons you should avoid the TV or computer is that the light is disruptive. The easiest way for me to get my three year old to stay up past his bed time is hand him my iPod.

I have had problems sleeping for most of my life. Things that have helped me considerably:

Killing caffeine and quick carbs.
Making my room dark.
Downloading and putting on repeat a white noise (rain) mp3.
Turning off the electronics at least an hour before sleep.
Opening my blinds during the day to let the light in (oddly, this is what helps me wake up, but waking up earlier in the morning helps me fall asleep earlier at night). It's even better if I can - at least - just go sit in the sun.

If I've had a stressful/fretful day, and I know I'm set up to sleep badly, I take 1-2 capsules of 5-HTP (like tryptophan) an hour or so before sleeping. People also use melatonin to help them sleep, but it gives me terrible nightmares so I don't take it.

Ted the Flayer · Post by **Ted the Flayer** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:08 am

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/prod ... h.html#faq

Anyone know anything about this thing?

I came across it recently, and Fox News seems to think it works alright. I was just wondering because if it did in fact wash clothes that easily, I would scrounge up enough money to get one next paycheck, this week I don't have enough money to do laundry and am having to hand-wash shirt for work...

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:46 am

As an apartment resident who hated paying for laundry, I can tell you we looked for a lot of alternate solutions. Most of them sucked.

With the Wonderwash, the only mechanism for creating the "patented pressure system" is the expansion of contents when hot water is added. For me, this is a problem because it tends to set some stains and fade colors. Most people probably don't care.

Additionally, small washers might help you agitate your clothes - but that's about all they do. You have to change the water to rinse the clothes. You have to wring them dry. And really - at that point - it's a space-hogging, glorified sink.

Based on my experience, there's no real reason I would ever buy this.

If I'm just doing the occasional load of hand laundry, then pre-treating any stains on the clothes, soaking them for a few hours, and agitating them by hand works fine. If you need a special container for it because your sink is busy (or not good enough), I recommend a bucket or a large stock pot.

If I need an alternative way of doing my laundry on a regular basis, then paying the laundromat to do all the work of agitating, rinsing, and wringing my clothes is going to be the result after the first week or so. Chances are also pretty good that you'll stop wanting to have to hang dry your clothes and sheets, too (unless you have an outdoor clothesline, which we don't - and can't have by apartment rules).

Unfortunately, the good alternatives for the laundromat are expensive (but they do exist!).

Ted the Flayer · Post by **Ted the Flayer** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:59 am

Ah, the expensive part is the hard part right now. I had $10 after I paid bills this week, my choices were groceries or laundry, I picked groceries. Although now that's running out, I'm down to oatmeal. It'll keep me going, but I'm going to be fucking sick of oatmeal come payday, that's for true.