epmes
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Projector and IR audio?
I was lucky enough to get a free projector recently, and would love to use it camping. But of course I don’t want to be “that guy” who annoys everybody else with noise after dark, so last night I started to research better audio solutions. I looked into Bluetooth and “silent disco” transmitters—both really expensive—before coming across infrared headsets, designed for minivans. Supposedly the range is about 30’, and a transmitter is $25. I can get five headsets for about $100. So what am I missing? Has anyone tried this? Or do you have IR headsets for your minivan and have some suggestions? Love to get your feedback before I go spend $125 or so, but it seems like a great idea. (I’m back on the forums as I just got an R-Pod 182G two months ago. We sold our Thor Chateau 28Z motorhome in 2017 but the kids and I really missed it.)2.7KViews0likes11CommentsRe: IE Security Update - updated
Gdetrailer, there's good news on AdBlock Plus. See https://adblockplus.org/en/internet-explorer. Most browsers are increasingly against plug-ins. As you probably know, most exploits use Java or Flash or similar plug-ins. The analogy I use is that it's like building a castle, then knocking a wall down to let the lowest-bidder contractor add an extension. It's not just IE; even Mozilla said "To provide a better and safer experience on the Web, we have been working to move Firefox away from plugins." Security is always a balance between functionality and risk. There are lots of really useful plug-ins, but the functionality comes at the increase of potential risk. I do think people should be able to make informed choices, as you've done. Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft. Maybe I should just add this to my .sig. :-)380Views0likes0CommentsRe: New IE Vulnerability: XP Users Take Note
sue.t wrote: Now I will be a long-time holdout with Win7. I'm too old to want to work my desktop via a monitor; my shoulders, arms and neck wouldn't appreciate the exercise. As well, makes it hard to eat fried chicken while working. I'm honestly curious about this. You say you held out against Windows 7 for a long time, but after you upgraded from XP it was a lot easier than you thought. Now you're holding out against Windows 8.1--so moving to Windows 7 didn't really establish any precedence in terms of ease-of-migration? Does part of you wonder if upgrading to Windows 8.1 might be easier than you think, but a larger part is concerned about people who nay-say it? I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything negative, just trying to understand your point of view. I talk to enterprise customers every week, and have a very good understanding of how they approach upgrades. I'm less sure how consumers think about this, as that's not my area of expertise. For me, moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8/8.1 was a non-issue. On Windows 7, I would click on an app that I had pinned to the task bar, or tap the "Start" key and then start typing the first few letters of the program name ("wo" for Word, "no" for notepad, etc.). I do the exact same thing on Windows 8/8.1. My main machines are all mouse/keyboard, and it seems to work pretty well for me without touch. Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft. (Yes, I feel obligated to say that in any MS-related thread.) But I'm not one of *those* guys. :-)452Views0likes0CommentsRe: IE Security Update - updated
ChopperBill wrote: My dad belongs to a computer club. Here is an part of an email he got from one member. "Microsoft will issue a patch for IE on Tuesday which will fix the program code exploit for all versions of IE and for all versions of Windows. My advice is to be sure to install the patch (Windows Update) on Tuesday or Wednesday. Then quit using IE forever and switch to Chrome or Firefox. Hackers will continue to find weaknesses in IE in the future exposing users to exploits." Sorry, this is technically inaccurate on a few fronts. First, the patch was issued yesterday (Thursday) and pushed out through Automatic Updates. It does have prerequisites, though, and assumes that you've been updating your system with other security updates. If you haven't, AU will install those updates first. Second, we haven't announced what will be in the Patch Tuesday update yet. That's the second Tuesday of the month, not this coming Tuesday, so it's still 11 days away. Third, of course IE has vulnerabilities. All large software packages have vulnerabilities. What's ironic about some guidance is that people seem to think that Chrome and Firefox are without problems, when in fact they have significantly MORE vulnerabilities than IE. Check Secunia Vulnerability Review or the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report or go straight to the US National Vulnerability Database and do your own searches if you don't believe me. The truth is that if someone wants to target your company, they'll target exploits against whatever browser, OS, and other software you're using. IE consistently comes up as more secure than other browsers in security tests--which is why nearly all governments, financial institutions, etc. use IE in the first place--but it's hard to stack up empirical evidence against some guy in a relative's computer club. Much better advice would be to not click on email links that take you to sites you don't know or trust, and update your systems. This is always good advice, and would prevent this kind of attack in the first place. Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft, and it's been a long week.381Views0likes0CommentsRe: New IE Vulnerability: XP Users Take Note
The ironic thing about this is that there were only limited, targeted attacks. It was one known malicious group with specific targets--not really a consumer play at all, and not relevant for most business customers either. "Concerns were, frankly, overblown" according to one Microsoft blog. It hit mainstream media primarily because it was the first public exploit to hit after XP's end of service, and there wasn't an easy, consumer-friendly workaround. Microsoft chose to issue the patch to all affected versions of IE, but if you're still using a 12+ year old OS like XP, please consider upgrading. Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft and didn't get much sleep this week. I'm also an avid RVer. :-)452Views0likes0CommentsRe: Down shifting the transmission for braking assist
We drove down from a mountain pass about a week ago behind two motor homes. One of them rode their brakes the whole way, and we could all smell the brakes overheating. They finally pulled over to let them cool down--probably the brake light came on, or they smelled smoke, or both. Whoever told you that doesn't know what he or she is talking about; riding your brakes is a good way to get yourself killed.233Views0likes0CommentsSealing bathroom flooring
On our 2012 Thor Chateau 28Z, the bathroom seems to use vinyl or linoleum flooring, but it was never sealed around the edges and is now curling upwards slightly. It doesn't look like there were any major water leaks, and I'd like to avoid having to replace the flooring completely. (There's just a 0.25"-0.75" curl at the edges, but it will lay flat easily if I push it down with a finger.) What should I use to glue the floor down and then caulk around the edges? I was planning to use vinyl floor adhesive then white silicone caulk, but everybody around here seems to hate silicone on RVs. Or is that only the outside? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!795Views0likes1CommentRe: tablet with flash player?
You can run the full Flash player on Windows 8, or use Windows 8 with IE10 that has Flash built-in. You can also use Windows RT tablets like the Microsoft Surface that have IE10 with Flash. My wife and I both have Surfaces and they work fine for nearly all content, vs. the iPad or Android tablets where the browsing experience seems more variable across different sites and devices. (That is, some sites work, some don't.) Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft.438Views0likes0Comments
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