Garage Hangout

Been watching alot of Utube vids on HVAC topics. The amount of new electronic/digital tools blows me away! As does the price tags!
Do you guys think this is just a fad, like streaming services were supposed to obsolete physical media but it seems to have hit a wall? The cost and reliability of these digital A/C tools I think might just make techs migrate back to the older analog stuff. Perhaps meters and thermometers will stick around, but the gauges and wi-fi probes and all will just prove to be not durable and affordable enough.
Though, my digital weight scale is nice, though.

What do you guys think that use stuff like this?

Since S-K got bought out by the Chinese I started trying to assemble a second set of all the sockets and drive tools I already have. Just to have a spare set of everything. Within a year and a half all my local sources ran dry. Even my faithful pawn shop in Phoenix came up fairly empty (though I did find a good used 45170 3/8" drive ratchet).

Haven't looked at all for about a year, but I don't expect much of anything. Though we may visit up there this fall and I'll give that pawnie a whirl. Who knows? Maybe I'll find a complete deep metric socket set for $10. lol

Are you guys finding any such stuff in your area?

the 6AL should solve that little problem.You cannot view this attachment.

Miss Muddy and I are in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area for the week for out anniversary.

When in Gatlinburg we went to the Mountain Mall and I stopped in the gatlin-burlier tobacconist.

Nice little shop with a selection of cigars and pipe tobacco. Nice knowledgeable staff. Much better atmosphere then the big box store Cigars International.

Tonight I'm smoking the Macanudo 1968. It's a medium-full body cigar which is a bit different from their usual.

A nice cigar that pick out some cocoa and spice.

The amount of theft the Lowe's  here has I can understand them wanting more cameras.

Quote from: OldCarGuy on Jul 23, 2026, 09:50 AM

Quote from: bonneyman on Jul 22, 2026, 07:10 AMSeems like over the past 3 months Flock cameras have been popping up all over town. Nobody I talk to knows (or cares) anything about them, and they seem like another blanket surveillance thing. Sort of like the photo-radar and speed cameras from a decade ago. Legislation was passed at the state level banning those - and now these new cameras are appearing all over the place.
Are you guys experiencing these things in your locale?

I say, Bring them on!

So what's the big deal about Flock cameras? The benefits far outweigh any downsides that can be conjured up. Unless you plan on robbing a bank, shop lifting, steal a car, kidnap a child, or possibly cheat on your partner.

It's lame when it's claimed to be incorrect 30% of the time. What about the 70% it's spot on? And over time accuracy will improve. Overall the same folks that want to eliminate Flock,, Want to eliminate police. Imagine that?

If a company like Home Depot or Lowes wants to install cameras in their parking lots, that's fine. It's on them. They pay for the cameras, it's their property, and if you choose to shop there, you consent to being filmed. Fine.
But Flock cameras are paid for with tax payer dollars, operating on public streets, and the footage gets sent wirelessly to some server that are fed to police with "alerts". One of the cameras picks up a plate number, and it gets flagged with a crime, cops can then track it. But blanket surveillance paid for with my taxes to watch everybody 24/7 on public roads we paid for by some for-profit company is wrong. I don't have any choice in the matter - I can't avoid travelling on public roads.

 

Quote from: Muddy on Jul 26, 2026, 05:45 PMI actually haven't been paying attention but the Lowe's near us is supposed to have a bunch.

And home depot.

I am opposed to these. We all saw how crazy some local governments went during covid.....What's to say the next time there is a fake lockdown they wouldn't use these cameras to throw your ass in jail for driving somewhere because the city council "says so". We are already tracked enough via cell phones.   

Saturday I replaced the VFS (variable force solenoid) in the van. It's not shifting funny and hunting for torque converter lockup.

Well see if it helps. Just trying to prolong the inevitable.