I'm not selling anything, just give me money - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 09:31:32 pm
content: Maybe should have put this in the crowdfunded area?http://www.ebay.com/itm/Macbook-Pro-Donations-For-College-Student-/200943734738?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2ec92e0fd2QuoteReally, need a $2000 Macbook Pro? $1000 Macbook won't do?QuoteAs someone who has worked at more than one computer repair place let me say "Install a freaking Antivirus!"I used to see people try to return PCs because they got a virus because they refused the $20 copy of Kaspersky AV that we sold and say PCs are crap and say they wanted a Mac instead now.Here's an idea... $599http://www.microcenter.com/product/415126/ProBook_4540s_156_Laptop_Computer_-_AluminumQuoteOr my Mom just bought this laptop a few months ago and she's just as happy as can be and the one she got had a 1 Year warranty. It also had 1400x1050 display. And picked up a full docking station for another $12 which has a PCI slot in it! $219!http://www.microcenter.com/product/411781/D630_14_Laptop_Computer_RefurbishedQuote

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 09:58:24 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on July 20, 2013, 09:31:32 pmAs someone who hasn't touched antivirus software in years and doesn't have virus problems let me say "Install some freaking self control!"Seriously, the days of viruses that jump into your computer through buffer overflow exploits are over. Sure, that shady boobs.jpg.exe might use one for privilege escalation, but you've got to open it first! Anyone who gets viruses today is completely at fault. Disable hiding extensions, don't open files from unknown sources, pay for your goddamn software, and for god's sakeinstall updates!QuoteTrash removal engineering, by any chance?

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 10:31:03 pm
content: MacBook for engineering?You gonna run Windows on that... you know, since there's not much engineering software for Macs?

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 10:37:11 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 20, 2013, 09:58:24 pmProbably art engineering & social engineering. If that lame monkey had anything with actual math in his curriculum he could probably work out a way to get a decent working 2nd hand desktop. At the cost of a new PSU, tops! And by new PSU I mean 2nd hand PSU, to be cobbled together with free spare parts. So he can work or scrounge for parts, just like the rest of us.Donate? pffffrt. what does he think think ebay is, kickstarter or something?Normal people use ebay to snap up goodies on the cheap, not to subsidize lazy twats. O_o

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:03:17 pm
content: I shared this Ebay link with a friend of mine who has a degree in Mechanical and Nuclear engineering. And he engaged the guy with a little Q and A.Quote from: FriendQuote from: Ebay SellerQuote from: FriendQuote from: Ebay Seller

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:11:36 pm
content: WellI'mconvinced! *pulls out wallet*

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:31:24 pm
content: Mail him a slide rule and a TI or HP engineering calculator.

author: 4to20Milliamps
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:35:23 pm
content: New age panhandler.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:41:03 pm
content: I would love to send him one of my $5 turd calculators and a used Kaspersky CD just for the sarcastic touch, but sadly I don't have his address. Do you think if I addressed it to "Panhandling Asshole, Mount Clemens MI" they'd be able to find him?

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2013, 11:46:31 pm
content: Quote from: 4to20Milliamps on July 20, 2013, 11:35:23 pmOn a recent trip to San Antonio, I saw some of these scattered around.

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 12:07:00 am
content: Engineering with a mac. This guy must be some special kind of stupid. I hope he's looking forward to his burger flipping career.

author: 4to20Milliamps
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 12:11:05 am
content: Helping someone that's hungry or down on their luck is one thing, helping people that can't distinguish between being down and out and begging just because they want something is another.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 01:59:49 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 20, 2013, 11:41:03 pmUsed Kaspersky CDs are pretty useful. You can boot off of them into a live linux distro and scan/remove malware.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 02:01:35 am
content: Quote from: 4to20Milliamps on July 21, 2013, 12:11:05 amThere used to be a homeless guy who sat at an intersection near the drag strip in Kennedale, TX that held up a sign that said "Need beer money"

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 03:12:02 am
content: Wish we had that an email address for that 'gimme a Mac, cos dey are invincible' guy.An amusing challenge. 4chan would have fun with him.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 04:07:20 am
content: Quote from: Stonent on July 21, 2013, 01:59:49 amReally?I didn't know that. That's quite useful, actually.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 04:57:23 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 20, 2013, 09:58:24 pmWhilst we're not sure if the so-called student is SRS..Students can more easily wind up with infected computers by the nature of their surroundings. For being sent to explore web pages that can take over unmaintained machines and also pdf's that have malicious software in them. It goes on and on.

author: Phroon
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 05:18:40 am
content: Quote from: Dave on July 21, 2013, 12:07:00 amQuote from: tom66 on July 20, 2013, 10:31:03 pmSerious question, what Engineering software are we talking about? Is there anything that costs less than the $2k he is asking for already?

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 05:55:28 am
content: Students get heacily discounted versions of software...On the homeless subject. A while ago i was walking out of the local grocery store and there was a homeless guy sitting at the exit . He had a dog and a cat with him. He had a few soda's a bottle of water and some snackpacks that people had obviously been giving him. As a matter of fact, a person in front of me tossed him a bag of chips. Without saying a word.The guy was feeding a bit of mystery meat to the dog. The dog had a harness like it was a guide dog.I stopped and said, ' i see you are stocked well in the food and drink department... Is there anything you really need.He looked at me and answered ' a pair of socks. Mine are worn out completely' . So i walked back in the store, bought a three pack of fresh socks, and a small bag of dogfood and a chew for the dog.The guy almost cried. He was just out on his luck , living of what people handed to him. He didnt't ask for anything , didn't bother people, didn't have a cardboard plaque with 'please give money'. He just sat there. People passing by sometimes gave him some food they just bought but quickly moved on without talking or finding out how they can help. He was a transient. Came from idaho i believe and was just wandering around.Society has evolved to the point that we feel it is wrong not to do something, but at the same time we don't really wanna be bothered or involved, so we just toss some scraps and walk away. That settles our conscience...Nobody had said a word to him all day.I was intrigued, because even though this guys was flatout broke he still shared whatever he had with his dog and a stray cat he had picked up along the way. He clearly wasn't after money for drinks or drugs. Just down on his luck , not knowing what to do , but still human enough to care for his animals.On the other hand, i will not give any money to the guys at the traffic lights. Those are the regulars... Every day they are there . And its always the same guys in the last 7 years. They even alternate days... It's like they work in shifts. Monday i do this intersection, tuesday that one.. And we rotate...I've even seen a lady being dropped off by a BMW 7 series. She got out , took off her jacket , opened the trunk , put the nice jacket in the trunk , donned a scruffy one , messed up her hair, and got the cardboard out... Bunch of 'too lazy to flip burgers' freeloaders. Parasites of society.

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 07:26:44 am
content: Our ancient forefathers, the Hellenes, those who invented and introduced our current civilization form as we experience it by living in it today, used to say a few thousands years ago that "beggary promotes sloth." Period!Then cameChristianity(or whatever similar dogma) promotingcharityfor those who expected to gain a better life after their death...It is a humane thing to do to help a fellowman of ours out that seems to be helpless. But, since beggary became aprotectedfull time job I refuse to help the professional beggars and, through them, their loiterer patrons behind them."I am a poor student and I am in a absolute need of a car; but, please, do not send me any car inferior to a Lamborghini Countach LP-500S. Thank you and god bless you."-George

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 07:40:40 am
content: Other than malware/spyware/viruses, the most common thing i see (where people have slow/crashing laptops) is when they have re-installed windows but haven't updated all the drivers.They're usually smart enough to install a few drivers for things that don't work at all and to get rid of any exclamation point icons in device manager but they fail to install any hardware/chipset drivers and instead rely on the generic windows ones.The majority of the windows generic drivers are super slow and many years old.I've seen 5x boosts in sata read speed by using the proper driver vs whatever generic one windows uses after a reinstall on some laptops.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 10:54:04 am
content: He might be one of those who treats laptops like they're blocks of wood, and in that case he won't be any better off with a Mac (unless it has an SSD). I knew someone who had this problem - went through a laptop every 5-8 months(!) She'd just throw them away and buy a new one every time. I advised her to bring the next one that "broke" to me, because I was really curious what was going on. The next one she got was a MacBook, and 2 months later she came to me complaining that it was "running slow and doing weird things". 15k+ reallocated sectors...It turned out she would drop her laptops all the time (and the MacBook was "more slippery than the others"), and kept them on continuously "so I don't have to wait for it to start". She did put it in a thick rubbery case which kept it from looking battered, but HDDs still do not like shock, especially when spinning...

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 12:15:19 pm
content: He cant be that broke, look at his history buying ans selling on ebay. He is a bussy man...

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 12:58:27 pm
content: The asshole opened a second auctionhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Macbook-Pro-Donations-For-College-Student-/200945147664This time with a minimum bid of $50Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on July 21, 2013, 12:15:19 pmLooks like he is selling handbags. And recently got into the habit of buying iphone cases and screen protectors.

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 01:12:56 pm
content: Report Item -> Listing Practices -> Other Listing Practices -> Charity and FundraisingViolates ebay's policies on donationsI used a macbook pro throughout uni. I did a double degree in Engineering/Commerce. I paid for it myself. Being an engineer without basic computer skills is hilarious, a macbook isn't going to help him. Also, VMware or Parallels for running windows software. Things like MatLab are available for Linux/OSX.

author: 807
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 01:46:46 pm
content: I had to Google "Panhandler". I have never heard this term before in the UK. LOL.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 01:52:13 pm
content: I've a mac, work good!

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 02:51:02 pm
content: Quote from: Phroon on July 21, 2013, 05:18:40 amAltium Designer for electronics engineering, for example. The yearly license costs a couple of grand, but I can get an educational license for free at my faculty.The same goes for Siemens NX or Solidworks for mechanical engineering. A couple of my friends are studying mechanical engineering, and their faculty has provided them with free educational licenses for these programs.I just listed a couple I'm familiar with. I'm sure there is more software, for different branches of engineering, which supports educational licenses.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 06:11:15 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 21, 2013, 04:07:20 amAlso... You can download the ISO of that portion for free from Kaspersky.http://support.kaspersky.com/4134

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 06:14:17 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on July 21, 2013, 07:40:40 amWhen Microsoft enabled the generic driver support for the video cards, I see so many computers in that condition and people wonder why youtube looks like a slideshow.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 06:38:48 pm
content: He seems pretty clueless.Quote

author: Vernon
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 07:00:09 pm
content: QuoteI use numerous Engineering apps that cost less than $2K. Some of the apps I use most lately...Oracle VirtualBox $0MPLAB IDE $0MPLAB C32 (won it in a contest, but it's < $2K).Realterm $0Wireshark $0BackTrack Linux $0PCB Artist $0 (and worth every penny)Several other often used resources are in the $300 to $1500 range, some for annual subscriptions. It's just part of the cost of doing business.FYI: my goto laptop lately is a macbook pro 17" with a 500GB SSD. Simply because it has the best battery endurance (and a really nice screen). It is rarely booted into OS X, runs W7x64 99% of the time. My biggest gripe is the trackpad in Windows, but then I never liked trackpads.But yeah, I can't really compare my current experiences to this kid, having a good budget for expensive gear is not a given. This kid needs some more fundamental education than the ME BioE stuff that is planned... And it's happening here!

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2013, 07:33:25 pm
content: I should do a video on buying a used laptop.I'm biased towards Dell Latitudes but that's because I've had about 16 years experience with them. Also Latitudes far outsell the Inspirons which means there's a ton of parts out in the wild for them. Each Inspiron model may only be on the market for 3 to 6 months, the Latitudes are usually about a year plus.Here's what I'd sayD series: D620/D630 (Don't go any older)D620: (Don't pay more than 200)If you can get it really cheap, but some CPUs in this laptop are not 64bit capable. There's Core and Core 2. Intel and Nvidia Quadro graphics. Go for the Nvidia if you can. DDR2 MemoryD630:This one just has the Core 2 CPU, the IRDA port is replaced with firewire and slightly updated graphics. If it has the Nvidia chipset make sure the bios is updated because they can overheat and crack the BGA joints. DDR2 Memory. Can be upgraded to 8GB of ram but since DDR2, modules will be more pricey.E Series: New series with sharp lines.E6400:New E-Series platform, Core 2 Duo and DDR2, better graphics again. Some older laptops had the CCFL backlight, newer had the LED. Serials ending in H1 are the oldest, K1 serials are newer. Common issues, they also have the Nvidia overheat issue but can be corrected by the latest bios if caught before the graphics start cutting out or changing color. Dead screen issues are usually caused by the cable in the screen coming loose (tape it in place). Sometimes the LED board has an issue where every other light goes out. Screen will be dimmer and have a "stage light" look to it with triangular lighting patterns.E6410: Core i5 and DDR3, better graphics and was available in more colors. No video problems and most other issues corrected. I'd consider this one my top choice.