Author: doug

As if Hotmail isn’t bad enough

I ordered a chivito for delivery from Restaurante Don Vito, and it came with the thermal-ink printout inside the box with the food. Since thermal ink is toxic, and Argentine thermal ink (presumably this) is 90 times more toxic than what is allowed in Europe, I reported this to the email address on their web site. Which bounced.

So I went by and explained both issues, received an apology, and was given the correct email address, which fortunately the lady read aloud to me. Because…

…seriously?

I mean really, SERIOUSLY?

Quite the flight path

On the dog walk, a small twin engine jet went over quite low, headed northeast, which would mean maybe Porto Alegre as its destination. I thought I might look at FlightRadar24 when I got back, but forgot all about it until the same plane flew overhead, equally low, heading southeast out over the water.

But it’s a Brazilian Air Force plane, so I’m sure everything is completely normal.

ABC…

I pulled into the supermarket parking lot just after this car. A guy got out with his young daughter, and I complimented him on his perfect license plate ID.

He was delighted, and laughed loudly.

“33” is a big thing in Uruguay, as it is in Masonry. I’m sure there’s no connection…suuuure.

A few blocks from home, waiting to cross the street, I had to wait for a passing car with the license plate ABC 2133. Glitch in the Matrix? On the other hand, it’s not the first license plate strangeness I’ve had here.

The scanner

I almost never discard anything complex without trying to take it apart and learn something from it. Non-destructively, if possible.

When my 13-year-old scanner abruptly stopped working, I quickly discovered it would not be coming apart without a fight. There’s essentially nothing you couldn’t see just by looking through the glass, so no real surprises, other than the motor being remarkably small – barely wider than a pencil.

The main thing I learned, though, was that this was designed to NEVER be taken apart – the way the glass was sealed … and then it struck me: of course not. It was assembled in a dust-free environment and it was essential that no dust ever had a chance to get inside!