Mosquito Sound

[Jeff K]

In article <G6xJc.1062$Yx4.845@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com>,
"news" <news@nospam.net> wrote:

I have talked to several friends and clients who didnt have the original
packaging(who does after 1 month) after the products went bad/defective.
These incidents happened after 1 month or so ,and they flat out refused to
even grant a replacement or credit. These were computer components,
Notebook adaptors and stereo equipment. If you must buy from them,
Save the complete packaging in pristine condition for as long as the
warranty is in play.
If you dont, they will refuse you even an exchange. Keep this in mind
before you go there
and know that most larger retailers will promptly issue a credit at least
for defective products
not in original pristine packaging
CR

I've had good luck with small doo-dads at RS. They recently stopped
asking for phone # etc...
I believe they are francises, so don't compare one with another. You may
have a good one in your town and a bad one somewhere else.

Jeff K

 

[Greg Buchner]

In article <a6403f08.0407151750.578a6f65@posting.google.com>,
mymantra@yahoo.com (Mantra) wrote:

Gnarlodious <gnarlodious@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:<BD1C23C4.51B51%gnarlodious@yahoo.com>...
I bought a small item at Radio Shack several months ago, and the clerk
asked
the man in front of me for his social security number. He began reciting it
in public but I interrupted him, telling him she didn't need his SS# and he
should never publicly announce it. A loud argument ensued with the clerk
bringing out the manager. The manager assured me it was official RS policy
to take SS# during a checkout, even for cash. He also told me I had no
right
to tell customers not to publicly announce their SS# while in line. The
argument escalated and the manager called the police.

I got out of there real quick.

If this is true, I wouldn't have left. Naturally the manager's claim
is utter BS. It would have been fun to call his bluff and let the
police come. There's a minor issue of 1st Amendment, and then half a
dozen criminal and civil cases if the police a dumb enough to take the
manager's side. Even with the store theoretically being "private
property" that fact that it's open to the public pretty much trumps
that argument. And them there's the PR value of calling a press
conference in front of the store to utter ridicule the manager and
corporate HQ. Don't be a wimp next time.

Not to mention the fact that technically, they can't legally ask you for
your social security number. But the don't have to sell the product to
you if you don't want to provide it apparently.

from the SSA website:
<http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/>
and click on the Questions about your Social Security number & card link.

When do I have to provide my Social Security number?


Question


Must I provide a Social Security number (SSN) to any business or
government agency that asks?


Answer


The Social Security number (SSN) was originally devised to keep an
accurate record of each individuals earnings, and to subsequently
monitor benefits paid under the Social Security program. However, use
of the SSN as a general identifier has grown to the point where it is
the most commonly used and convenient identifier for all types of
record-keeping systems in the United States.

Specific laws require a person to provide his/her SSN for certain
purposes. While we cannot give you a comprehensive list of all
situations where an SSN might be required or requested, an SSN is
required/requested by:

Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans
Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes
States for the school lunch program
Banks for monetary transactions
Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number
Department of Labor for workers compensation
Department of Education for Student Loans
States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle
or drivers license law within its jurisdiction
States for child support enforcement
States for commercial drivers licenses
States for Food Stamps
States for Medicaid
States for Unemployment Compensation
States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds


The Privacy Act regulates the use of SSNs by government agencies. When a
Federal, State, or local government agency asks an individual to
disclose his or her Social Security number, the Privacy Act requires the
agency to inform the person of the following: the statutory or other
authority for requesting the information; whether disclosure is
mandatory or voluntary; what uses will be made of the information; and
the consequences, if any, of failure to provide the information.

If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can refuse
to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase or
service for which your number was requested. For example, utility
companies and other services ask for a Social Security number, but do
not need it; they can do a credit check or identify the person in their
records by alternative means. Giving your number is voluntary, even when
you are asked for the number directly. If requested, you should ask why
your number is needed, how your number will be used, what law requires
you to give your number and what the consequences are if you refuse. The
answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give your
Social Security number. The decision is yours.

For more detailed information, we recommend the publication at
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10002.html


Greg B.

--
Actual e-mail address is gbuchner and I'm located at mn.rr.com

 

[Rich Grise]

on Thursday 15 July 2004 06:09 am, Keith Williams wrote:

kensmith@violet.rahul.net says...
Clifford Heath <no@spam.please.com> wrote:

HCF: Halt and Catch Fire (caused such a tight loop in microcode that
part of the ucode ROM would melt, think this one was at Intel).

The Z80 had / has several that are sort of "load and ignore value". They
cause a ram read but nothing happens to the value.

Some current processors have such instructions. For
example, the PowerPC's DCBT (Data Cache Block Touch) is
used for data cache prefetching (and streaming) and to
load the TLB.

I believe the 8008 (I know it was one of them where the
instructions are almost microcode themselves) had a "store
immediate", kinda the converse of load immediate, i.e., it
would write the contents of A to [PC+1].
--
Cheers!
Rich

 

[Steve J. Noll]

On 15 Jul 2004 06:31:57 -0700, qu1nn@buffalo.com (qu1nn) wrote:

Hello.
I am using a Agilent 34401A & 34902A instrument (6.5 digit multimeter)
and I am trying to get the best possible connection for precision uV
measurements.

I was going to go for shielded, twisted pair (for example Alpha Wire
#86701CY)
however I was advised by a wiser engineer that we should use coax.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
In Particular I am looking for small diameter wire (Agilent Suggests
AWG20) the problem lies in the fact that the Agilent 34902A only has a
opening of 0.8"x0.5" and for 16 channels of possible connecitons, it
kinda makes life difficult.

Thanks for your suggestions
qu1nn

I use Thermax RGU-404 low noise cable.
0.075" OD. Teflon inner & outer insulation.
Dielectric is coated with a black semiconductive coating.
Used a lot in military applications.
You'd be able to fit about 70 cables through that hole.
It's probably hard to find, though.


Steve J. Noll | Ventura California |
| The Used High-Tech Equipment Dealer Directory
| http://www.big-list.com
| The Peltier Device Information Site:
| http://www.peltier-info.com

 

[Daniel Rudy]

And somewhere around the time of 07/14/2004 13:12, the world stopped and
listened as John Larkin contributed the following to humanity:

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 12:10:58 -0700, DaveC <me@privacy.net> wrote:


On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 08:43:21 -0700, John Larkin wrote
(in article <t0laf0poeo56jdqvqocf4hp08jb59rvgek@4ax.com&gt:


If it's a ram-based FPGA, it could be a weird configuration file. It's
possible to program some of these parts to self-destruct.

Recollection of Motorola's "CFBU" (catch fire and burn up opcode. That
was that in the first 6502's, wasn't it?



S/360 had a bunch of reserved opcodes...

http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0406&L=vmesa-l&F=&S=&P=62319

My favorite is BKO Branch and kill operator


The PDP-11 had the (real) LandMine instruction,

MOV -(PC), -(PC)

which copied itself into all of memory.

John

Let's not forget the infamous Pentium F00F bug that would lock up the
CPU so hard that a reset was need to recover.

--
Daniel Rudy

Email address has been encoded to reduce spam.
Remove all numbers, then remove invalid, email, no, and spam to reply.

 

[JW]

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 14:45:42 -0500 Rod Smith <old_sac_gunner@net.com>
wrote in Message id:
<old_sac_gunner-977130.14454215072004@news.east.cox.net>:

This is probably good advice, but many packaged items these days require
repeated assault with a very large, sharp machete to remove from a
plastic shield that rivals steel in strength and durability.

Just this morning I installed a new ink cartridge in my Epson printer,
and I marveled how tough the packaging was -- absolutely impenetrable
without sharp tools!

Ahh yes. Packaging so sturdy that you have a 50% chance of destroying the
enclosed merchandise before getting the package open.
Ya just gotta love it!

 

[Cindy Murray]

Wes Groleau wrote:

news wrote:

I have talked to several friends and clients who didnt have the original
packaging(who does after 1 month) after the products went bad/defective.


I do. Anything high-value or fragile, I keep the original packing
long after warranty--in case I ever want to change addresses.

But I agree about Radio Shack in general. Not a great place to buy.

I do, too. I have speakers that are 15 years old and we still have the

original packaging for them. Comes in very handy when we move, since we
usually trek long distances. Still have the boxes my computers came in,
too.

 

[Jon Danniken]

"yak" wrote:

Heh, the ONLY things I buy at radio shack are little electronics
components (fuses, diodes, transistors, switches, etc.). That's all the
store is good for.

Yep, same here, although the selection of discrete components has vastly diminished over the last twenty
or so odd years.

Jon

 

[Jon Danniken]

"DevilsPGD" wrote:

They usually have business cards on the desk (the ones around here do,
anyway) -- Just read off the name, phone number and address from there.

I used to get a kick out of telling them my name, "Jon", and then when they asked for the last name I
would say, "Doe". Most of the time they would write down the last name before they figured it out.

Jon

 

[Fuzzie Dice]

Wes Groleau wrote:

But I agree about Radio Shack in general. Not a great place to buy.

They *used* to be. Back in the 80s I had a Tandy Color Computer 3 and also
bought stereo equipment from them and other computer stuff (including a PC
once). They used to make good on things, packaging or not. I have noticed
recently that they have went downhill over the years though. Such a shame.
My problems were that the staff weren't as well informed about their
products as the staff they used to have in the 80s.

 

[Obfus Kataa]

Thu, 15 Jul 2004 (18:28 -0500 UTC) Wes Groleau wrote:

Gnarlodious wrote:
I bought a small item at Radio Shack several months ago, and the clerk
asked
the man in front of me for his social security number. He began reciting
it
in public but I interrupted him, telling him she didn't need his SS# and
he
should never publicly announce it. A loud argument ensued with the clerk
bringing out the manager. The manager assured me it was official RS
policy

Every time I try to buy something there, even if I pay cash,
they try to get my address and phone number. I always have
to argue with them. "You don't need my phone number to send
your stupid catalog, and I don't want the catalog anyway."

But they still argue they need it. Eventually I win or
I walk out with my money and no product.

RS or Tandy is an arm of the secret government. If you use RS parts in your
next explosive device, the parts can be traced to your address. Tandy also
used to ask some very invasive questions in their job interviews which took
place while the interviewee was attached to a polygraph.

--
oK+++
If art has died, or the audience has withered away, then we find ourselves
free of two dead weights.
-Hakim Bey
15:02 up 37 days, 16:46, 1 user, load averages: 0.10 0.11 0.16

 

[exxos]

"Mark (UK)" <jumbos.bazzar@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:cd7020$6as$1@sparta.btinternet.com...

Silicon Titties eh?

So.....hown many PN junctions do you have per nipple?



yours, Mark.

lol

Chris

 

[gothika]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 22:43:13 -0700, EdC <kc7mwp@cybertrails.com>
wrote:

Gnarlodious wrote:
I bought a small item at Radio Shack several months ago, and the clerk asked
the man in front of me for his social security number. He began reciting it
in public but I interrupted him, telling him she didn't need his SS# and he
should never publicly announce it. A loud argument ensued with the clerk
bringing out the manager. The manager assured me it was official RS policy
to take SS# during a checkout, even for cash. He also told me I had no right
to tell customers not to publicly announce their SS# while in line. The
argument escalated and the manager called the police.
I have worked at a RS for over 5 years and it has NEVER been RS policy
to ask for a
SSN on a sale. If it is for a credit application, that is different.
What The database
doesn't even have a space for that info. It has a place for your phone
number and yr name.
And yr email if you want to give it. For the past 6-8 mionth it has also
been RS policy not to ask for and info unless it is for a warranty type
item. (phone, stereo, TV, scanner) This way it is easier to find the
receipt. We have had many customers come in with a unit that they claim
was under warranty, but didn't have a receipt. And they refused to give
their name when it was purchased. So did they buy it last month, or 6
months ago or 13 months ago. No way to prove anything. They are out of
luck unless the associate remembers selling it to them.
I got out of there real quick.
Why did you leave 'real quick'? Nothing you had done was against the law.
I then wrote a series of emails to Radio Shack corporate management
complaining about this "Official Policy" and the treatment this manager had
given me. The Customer Relations executive apologized and promised to clean
up the mess. I went back to the store 3 months later and that manager was
gone and the policy had been changed.

The point is, if you have a gripe get active! Radio Shack was responsive in
my case and they certainly can be in your case too.
Sorry but I am having a hard time believing this letter.

Please! Radio Shack is guilty as sin about collecting as much personal
info on their customers as they can get away with.
Has everyone forgotten the cuecat fiasco?
I hooked one of these invasive pieces of crap up to my computer years
back just to see what it'd do.
Had my firewall software set to it's highest settings.
The minute I connected to the net the cuecat started trying to send
all the data it could harvest off my HD to the cuecat's manufacturer's
website.
After I opened it up and applied the hardware hack to kill this
function it did work as a passable barcode reader.
Just do a google or dogpile search of "Cuecat" to read all the legal
crap that fell on the heads at Radio Shack over that one.

 

[gothika]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 14:05:30 -0400, MCheu <mpcheu@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 03:05:49 GMT, kony <spam@spam.com> wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 18:28:27 -0500, Wes Groleau
groleau+news@freeshell.org> wrote:

Gnarlodious wrote:
I bought a small item at Radio Shack several months ago, and the clerk asked
the man in front of me for his social security number. He began reciting it
in public but I interrupted him, telling him she didn't need his SS# and he
should never publicly announce it. A loud argument ensued with the clerk
bringing out the manager. The manager assured me it was official RS policy

Every time I try to buy something there, even if I pay cash,
they try to get my address and phone number. I always have
to argue with them. "You don't need my phone number to send
your stupid catalog, and I don't want the catalog anyway."

But they still argue they need it. Eventually I win or
I walk out with my money and no product.

How long since your last visit?

I recall they often asked me, but heard that their official
policy had changed, that all stores specifically do _NOT_ require
any info whatsoever for cash purchases.

It varies by the store, but according to one store manager at a local
store a month ago, it's official policy and their point of sale system
requires the clerk to enter a customer's personal information (no
matter how payment is done, or what is bought). The excuse given to
me is that it's for warrranty purposes, though that's BS, because they
don't warranty batteries or electronic components.

However, at other stores where the staff seems to have gotten an IQ,
they've figured out that while the information needs to be entered, it
doesn't need to be accurate. RS Corporate HQ's database probably
shows that Anne Nonymous, Jean Cretien, and Paul Martin buy an
inordinate amount of RS crap from stores all over Canada.


---------------------------------------------

MCheu

The laws in the US are such that the customer Doesn't have to give any
info that could be used in an invasive manner.
Any store clerk or manager that says otherwise is full of crap.
All you have to do is stand your ground.
The clerk will then usually enter the stores address and number into
the register.

I've pretty much quit using their crap products anyhow.(Just bought
little things like connectors and jacks etc...)
In the past few months they've changed their inventory scheme where
you have to purchase 2-3 of the same item just to get one and their
unit prices have gone through the roof to boot.
It wouldn't be so bad if their products were of any measure of
quality, mostly very poor crap.(The last sub-mini stereo headphone
jack I purchased their lasted about 2 months then came apart at the
seams. A bad deal when you consider it cost me nearly 4 bucks US.)
Purchased a replacement jack at a local parts supply house for 1.49
and got a quality Switchcraft all metal crome and stainless jack
that'll probably outlast the cord it's soldered to.

 

[gothika]

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:39:10 -0500, Wes Groleau
<groleau+news@freeshell.org> wrote:

Fuzzie Dice wrote:

Wes Groleau wrote:
But I agree about Radio Shack in general. Not a great place to buy.

They *used* to be. Back in the 80s I had a Tandy Color Computer 3 and also

!?! Back in the 80's, I bought TRS-80 model I
I also bought the schematics and dumped it
as soon as I discovered how incompetent the designers were.

Back in the 1980s was also the time when I asked for
a BNC connector, and the guy pointed at a wall that
I had already been looking at for a while. After
a little discussion, he finally pulled something
else off the hook, handed it to me, and said
"THIS is a CB connector!"

CoCo was later--and I have no clue whether it was
any good, because by then I was thoroughly prejudiced
against RS.

Radio Shack started going down hill back in the early 70's when they
finally dumped all of the Archer line(British) of electronic
components.
Used to be able to get just about any Cap/Transistor/SCR or any other
electronic component there.
Hasen't been that way for nearly 3 decades.

 

[Peter A Forbes]

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 02:30:23 -0500, gothika <Vampyres@nettaxi.com> wrote:

Please! Radio Shack is guilty as sin about collecting as much personal
info on their customers as they can get away with.
Has everyone forgotten the cuecat fiasco?
I hooked one of these invasive pieces of crap up to my computer years
back just to see what it'd do.
Had my firewall software set to it's highest settings.
The minute I connected to the net the cuecat started trying to send
all the data it could harvest off my HD to the cuecat's manufacturer's
website.
After I opened it up and applied the hardware hack to kill this
function it did work as a passable barcode reader.
Just do a google or dogpile search of "Cuecat" to read all the legal
crap that fell on the heads at Radio Shack over that one.

I am not a Radio Shack user so cannot comment on the ongoing discussion about
Social Security numbers etc etc., but the CueCat saga was very interesting, and
I found the following page in particular to be very revealing:

http://airsoldier.com/~cuecat/

Peter

--
Peter & Rita Forbes
diesel@easynet.co.uk
Engine pages for preservation info:
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel

 

[Peter A Forbes]

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 02:45:08 -0500, gothika <Vampyres@nettaxi.com> wrote:

Radio Shack started going down hill back in the early 70's when they
finally dumped all of the Archer line(British) of electronic
components.
Used to be able to get just about any Cap/Transistor/SCR or any other
electronic component there.
Hasen't been that way for nearly 3 decades.

Seems strange that they should have depended on a UK sourced range, but we do
still have that kind of product range over here at other retailers (Maplins for
example) and the amateur constructor still lives here too.

Peter

--
Peter & Rita Forbes
diesel@easynet.co.uk
Engine pages for preservation info:
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <gelhf092e5rbf9bo9hc7g1pg5o72c74amc@4ax.com> gothika
<Vampyres@nettaxi.com> wrote:

The laws in the US are such that the customer Doesn't have to give any
info that could be used in an invasive manner.

Sure, but the company isn't forced to do business with you either. You
both have a choice.


--
Just sit through this NRA meeting Marge, and if you still
don't think guns are great then we'll argue some more.

 

[Nico Coesel]

Daniel Rudy
<i0n1v2a3l4i5d6d7c8r9u0d1y2e3m4a5i6l7@n0o1p2a3c4b5e6l7l8s9p0a1m2.3n4e5t6>
wrote:

And somewhere around the time of 07/14/2004 08:43, the world stopped and
listened as John Larkin contributed the following to humanity:


If it's a ram-based FPGA, it could be a weird configuration file. It's
possible to program some of these parts to self-destruct.


That can happen!?

With Xilinx Spartan devices: Definitely YES.

*goes and triple checks RAM-FPGA config files*

Hmm, a 0.5 amp fuse will do fine to protect your FPGA, just don't (be
stupid like me and...) shunt it with a wire when it blows, but replace
it. Or get a polyswitch / polyfuse.

--
Reply to nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
Bedrijven en winkels vindt U op www.adresboekje.nl

 

[jim]

In article <%tfKc.19882710$Id.3289269@news.easynews.com>,
DevilsPGD <UseTheReplyToField@crazyhat.net> wrote:

The laws in the US are such that the customer Doesn't have to give any
info that could be used in an invasive manner.

Sure, but the company isn't forced to do business with you either. You
both have a choice.

Yes they both have a choice but a customer does not have to give ANY
information if the transaction is a cash transaction. RS has asked me
for the usual and I simply tell them no, nothing else other than no. If
the cashier strats to question it i simply tell him no once more a
little louder and that usually takes care of the matter. When they bring
up the warranty spiel I tell them simply thats what the receipt is and
they don;t need anyting else from me.

As for SS#, a customer never has to give out their social security
number on anything other than a government situation, banking, credit.
anyone else that asks for it you can refuse. If it is used for an
identification # like a local supermarket was doing for their frequent
shoppers club, that is simply illegal as the SS# can not be used for
identification numbers for anyone othert than the government. I simply
refuse to give it to anyone.

I know they can get it by a simple credit report but I like giving them
a hard time when they have no business asking for the information.