Month: July 2015

Categories Nothing Much

eeeewwww

by

A couple months ago Husband and I got new cell phones.  Both of our previous phones were pushing 4yrs old, and both were well past the point of showing their age.

I was disappointed to find out that the slide out keyboard were no  longer available on pretty much any smart phone model.

However in browsing cell phones I found the Kyocera Brigadier. 

Reviewers were reasonably positive, the only consistent gripe was the camera, and since a cell phone isn’t my primary camera anyway that didn’t bother me.

The pluses were huge.  Its engineered to meet Military Spec 810G.  It’ll survive total immersion (up to 6ft of water) for 30 minutes.  Temperatures between -4 and 140F.  Repeated shocks, drops, high dust, high humidity, extreme low pressure……

I figured if I could make my old Droid 2 last for 4yrs without any of that I ought to be able to get at least 4ys out of this one, and it didn’t cost any more than my old Droid did.

Today I found a new plus about those features.  High temps were mid-80’s with insane humidity.  And of course I ended up working outside most of the day at work today.  My shorts were soaked with sweat when I got home, and no, thats not a good thing.  My phone was in my back pocket, and is cruddy with sweat and dried dirt.

It works fine.

Works for me!

 

(btw, if anyone else gets this phone via Verizon….be aware that the default voice mail handler is the “Visual Voicemail App”.  This is a PAID SUBSCRIPTION app, and it USES DATA, never mind the security hole that it is.  You’ll have to call Verizon tech support and have them turn it off and switch you back to regular voice mail.  Which is a PIA.  Just to warn you.)

Categories Rants

Rain…..

4 Comments by

You know, when you talk about moving to central/upstate NY, everyone warns you about the snow.  Not only does the area get large total amounts of snow, but it gets lake effect snow, which is a special torture all of its own.

And a little research will tell you that the Syracuse area is one of the least sunny areas of the country.

Nobody tells you about the rain.  I suppose it ought to follow along with the previous two bits of trivia, but somehow it never does.

Its not till you move to the area that you learn that almost half of Syracuse is a flood zone.  They’re currently arguing with the Feds about whether those folks have to buy flood insurance or not.

That I81 itself floods to the point if not being drive-able, and if the rain is hard enough it’ll happen so fast you’ll end up stranded in the middle of it.  Seriously, go look at that picture.  Those cars didn’t drive into a “flooded road”, they were ON the road when it flooded.  To top it off various morons in charge want to turn I81 into a tunnel under the city.

We’re not quite breaking records for rainfall this month.  But we’re in the top 10.  There’s a reason my garden is all in raised beds.  My yard is a swamp.

I don’t want the drought conditions the west has, but I’d be happy if we could just have an average rainfall…..please!