The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[RebeccainGA]

I have found that sharing my library helps defray costs - my mom, grandfather, partner and I all share one library, so we only buy once. I'm sort of the default 'curator' and buyer of most things, but mom has bought one or two, and grandfather has, too. Nook (like most e-book providers) has lots of free content available, and she can also use Project Gutenberg for public domain stuff.

I wish my MIL would let us buy her one - she's mostly blind, but if she has it on the largest text size, she can read. My grandfather (in his 70s, but really healthy) has said the small size of the nook simple touch he got has made it possible for him to read for long periods again - he used to get arm pain from holding the large hardbacks he likes to read, since they are large enough print to be easy to read.

[Dindrane]

I've never borrowed from our library with OverDrive because I don't want to be limited to two weeks. Some days I can read a book of 300 pages, and then it may take me 3 weeks to read an 200 page book.

If you haven't looked into the specifics of your library's rules, my local library also uses OverDrive. I can check books out for 7, 14, or 21 days. It isn't really possible to check things out again in quick succession (like renewing regular books), but I can usually finish what I've checked out in the timeframe I'm given unless I've just lost all interest in reading it. And in that case, I'm usually happy to just return it and check it out some other time when I'm more in the mood to read it.

[Mental Magpie]

We recently called to have Internet turned on at our house. We chose self installation because we have a modem and router. When we went to hook up them, we realized all we have is a phone jack. We called the provider and tried to explain the problem and could we please have a technician out. The technician came out and "repaired the line" but never came in the house (we thought he never even showed up, called today, and that's what the told us). I was frustrated and knew I might lose it a little, so I thanked the lady an hung up.

I just want Internet hooked up and I feel like I'm up against a brick wall. How can I set up Internet with just a single phone jack? If it helps, we have a Motorola Surfboarf 6020 modem.

[Elfmama]

It can vary according to the library. My library uses adobe digital editions.(epub). it's good as there are lots of e-books in that format out there for free too.

p.s here's a strange thing about my library is that it's downloadable collection is shared by a library system 2 states away.

Does anybody else have trouble with free downloadable books?  I had a lot of them, but they all develop the same problem.  In the early part of the book, you push the next page button or swipe the screen and the next page comes up immediately, as it should.  About halfway through it starts taking a couple of seconds to bring up the next page.  This delay time increases with every page, so that by the time you're three-quarters of the way through, it takes a full 20 seconds before the next page shows.  I just quit on one that was not only taking a long time, but the warnings that it wasn't responding kept cropping up.  I finally went to our shelves and pulled out the hardcopy just so that I could finish it!     Yes, the resizable text in the Nook is nice, but when I can read a page 4 times over before it comes to the next one, that's really annoying!

[Diane AKA Traska]

We recently called to have Internet turned on at our house. We chose self installation because we have a modem and router. When we went to hook up them, we realized all we have is a phone jack. We called the provider and tried to explain the problem and could we please have a technician out. The technician came out and "repaired the line" but never came in the house (we thought he never even showed up, called today, and that's what the told us). I was frustrated and knew I might lose it a little, so I thanked the lady an hung up.

I just want Internet hooked up and I feel like I'm up against a brick wall. How can I set up Internet with just a single phone jack? If it helps, we have a Motorola Surfboarf 6020 modem.

It would be one thing if it were a DSL modem, but this sounds like a cable modem.  Am I right in assuming you don't have cable TV?

[Mental Magpie]

We recently called to have Internet turned on at our house. We chose self installation because we have a modem and router. When we went to hook up them, we realized all we have is a phone jack. We called the provider and tried to explain the problem and could we please have a technician out. The technician came out and "repaired the line" but never came in the house (we thought he never even showed up, called today, and that's what the told us). I was frustrated and knew I might lose it a little, so I thanked the lady an hung up.

I just want Internet hooked up and I feel like I'm up against a brick wall. How can I set up Internet with just a single phone jack? If it helps, we have a Motorola Surfboarf 6020 modem.

It would be one thing if it were a DSL modem, but this sounds like a cable modem.  Am I right in assuming you don't have cable TV?

We have DirectTv. Can we get an adapter to split the co-ax cable?

[RebeccainGA]

It can vary according to the library. My library uses adobe digital editions.(epub). it's good as there are lots of e-books in that format out there for free too.

p.s here's a strange thing about my library is that it's downloadable collection is shared by a library system 2 states away.

Does anybody else have trouble with free downloadable books?  I had a lot of them, but they all develop the same problem.  In the early part of the book, you push the next page button or swipe the screen and the next page comes up immediately, as it should.  About halfway through it starts taking a couple of seconds to bring up the next page.  This delay time increases with every page, so that by the time you're three-quarters of the way through, it takes a full 20 seconds before the next page shows.  I just quit on one that was not only taking a long time, but the warnings that it wasn't responding kept cropping up.  I finally went to our shelves and pulled out the hardcopy just so that I could finish it!     Yes, the resizable text in the Nook is nice, but when I can read a page 4 times over before it comes to the next one, that's really annoying!

Depends where you're getting the freebies, and what the size of the files it. Sometimes huge books (I read Robert Jordan. His books are all 850+ pages) start getting laggy at the end. Something to do with the amount of data it has to skip past to get the next chunk.

[sevenday]

I have a friend who I want to give two items to: a gift card and a fridge magnet.  I want to send them as cheaply as possible, so thought of just putting both in a plain envelope with the Christmas card, sending that first class.  But then I thought to myself, would the magnet screw things up along the way?  The USPS scanners and sorters, would it demagnetize the gift card along the way?  So I ask you: CAN I do this without screwing something up?  If yes, alternate ideas?

[RebeccainGA]

I have a friend who I want to give two items to: a gift card and a fridge magnet.  I want to send them as cheaply as possible, so thought of just putting both in a plain envelope with the Christmas card, sending that first class.  But then I thought to myself, would the magnet screw things up along the way?  The USPS scanners and sorters, would it demagnetize the gift card along the way?  So I ask you: CAN I do this without screwing something up?  If yes, alternate ideas?

If you tape them side by side you should be fine - and most gift cards have a number that's crucial, not a magnetic strip, so it may not even be an issue at all. Call the card issuing company and ask them about the policy on demagnetized cards (most will replace for free) just to be sure.

[MerryCat]

Why do I get a roaring noise in my ears when something painful is in my eye or I hurt my nose?

I have sort of a spin-off question about weird body noises. Does anyone else hear a weird hissing sort of noise in the back of their neck when they're really hungry? It kind of sounds like water tricking through a very tiny hose. Is this normal? What causes it?

[WillyNilly]

All these weird sounds in people's heads probably have to do with sinus'.  Often people only think if nasal sinus' when they hear the word, but really a sinus is just a canal through bone.  There are tons of them in the head, because if there weren't and our skulls were solid bone, they'd be too heavy to hold up. So each of you probably has some sort of fluid or gases running through your various cranial sinus' that are either being exacerbated due to something (hunger, pain, inflammation, etc) or becoming more noticeable due to something.

[artk2002]

We recently called to have Internet turned on at our house. We chose self installation because we have a modem and router. When we went to hook up them, we realized all we have is a phone jack. We called the provider and tried to explain the problem and could we please have a technician out. The technician came out and "repaired the line" but never came in the house (we thought he never even showed up, called today, and that's what the told us). I was frustrated and knew I might lose it a little, so I thanked the lady an hung up.

I just want Internet hooked up and I feel like I'm up against a brick wall. How can I set up Internet with just a single phone jack? If it helps, we have a Motorola Surfboarf 6020 modem.

It would be one thing if it were a DSL modem, but this sounds like a cable modem.  Am I right in assuming you don't have cable TV?

We have DirectTv. Can we get an adapter to split the co-ax cable?

That's a cable modem. It probably won't work with anything but cable, and then only downloading -- you need a land line for uploading -- DirecTV is just a receiver. Who did you call to get the "Internet turned on"? Direct-TV? Your local phone provider? Since you have a phone jack, it sounds like you called the phone provider who put in a DSL line. You need a different modem for that.

[Diane AKA Traska]

We recently called to have Internet turned on at our house. We chose self installation because we have a modem and router. When we went to hook up them, we realized all we have is a phone jack. We called the provider and tried to explain the problem and could we please have a technician out. The technician came out and "repaired the line" but never came in the house (we thought he never even showed up, called today, and that's what the told us). I was frustrated and knew I might lose it a little, so I thanked the lady an hung up.

I just want Internet hooked up and I feel like I'm up against a brick wall. How can I set up Internet with just a single phone jack? If it helps, we have a Motorola Surfboarf 6020 modem.

It would be one thing if it were a DSL modem, but this sounds like a cable modem.  Am I right in assuming you don't have cable TV?

We have DirectTv. Can we get an adapter to split the co-ax cable?

That's a cable modem. It probably won't work with anything but cable, and then only downloading -- you need a land line for uploading -- DirecTV is just a receiver. Who did you call to get the "Internet turned on"? Direct-TV? Your local phone provider? Since you have a phone jack, it sounds like you called the phone provider who put in a DSL line. You need a different modem for that.

However, the DSL modem *does* work over a standard phone line.  So your single phone jack would be enough (although they used to require filters... I'm not sure about currently.)

[artk2002]

However, the DSL modem *does* work over a standard phone line.  So your single phone jack would be enough (although they used to require filters... I'm not sure about currently.)

I think you still need to add filters for every jack that has a conventional phone plugged in. Or, have the filter put in at the MPE and run a specific unfiltered line to where the DSL modem is plugged in.

[Optimoose Prime]

My library also uses Overdrive and Adobe Digital Editions.  I have a Nook Tablet.  Once you get the hang of it, downloading digital library books is easy.  I can also choose to check out for 7, 14 or 21 days.