OT - Simplicity not standard for new gadgets

[Paddy]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040125/.../D809VGV80.html

Interesting article....reminds me that the Palm Zire I bought back in the summer is still sitting there forlornly waiting for me to learn how to actually use it....

More...

Ah yes, but does it make tea?

[Gregg]

Not anything new, but my latest is a basic electric light. Didn't think to check the bulb, a 24" fluorescent tube. Come to find out, there are three sizes. I knew there were two: small and large (cross sectional diameter). Seems the three I found out about this weekend are T8 T10 and T12. The light I bought had a T10. Can you find a replacement for it easily in Milwaukee? Of course not. I was told it is a foreign standard.

[Highmac]

Gregg Is Hampton VA anywhere near you.
(I once found an American website that told people Hadrian's Wall was near London, England. I suppose 300 miles is nothing  compared to the distances you have to cover)

[Highmac]

Having now read the article, I couldn't agree more. In our living room we have a stereo with a remote for the amp, a TV with a remote, two VCRs with a remote each, a satellite receiver with a remote. At times we felt like sharpshooters drawing a six-gun as we reached for remote after remote. Then we found the Philips Pronto, so we now have one programmable remote with its own editing program so we have a fairly standard interface for each unit.

The only snag was that the editing program was Windows only. So we bought VPC and a serial-to-USB connector so we could run it on the iMac. Caroline is the one with the patience to learn to program it and she's done a great job.

But do you also remember when you just walked across the room to change channels or adjust the volume?  

[Paddy]

Highmac - Hampton, VA is about 900+ miles from Milwaukee, WI...

I think Gregg's looking for T10 fluorescent bulbs, not halogen ones. Confusing that they have the same name...

Like  this.
Lot cheaper than the halogen ones too! (and there may be cheaper alternatives out there - that was just the first site that popped up when I googled it.)

[jepinto]

And I got "the most unusual thread of the year"  

[Gregg]

Highmac, I hear ya about the remotes. I once tried to mix a Sony VCR with the Phillips TV, but the Phillips "universal" TV remote could not be programmed to operate it, so back it went.

Paddy's right. I was looking for fluorescent T10s. It's one thing to put a T10 into a fixture designed for a T12, but the reverse is not advisable. The T12 is bigger (around) and makes for a tight fit, potentially discoloring the reflective background of the fixture.

Last night, I found another store that sells a fixture with a T10 bulb, but does not sell replacement T10 bulbs! What sense does that make?

Jennie, your bathroom thread was enlightening too, and it was more unusual! Now, about my electric toaster...