Column: Everyday Tech Myths

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]kittle[/nom]ditto on > 1 pp per page.right now its:read for 15seconds, click.... wait.... read for 15-30 sec, click.. wait...as opposed to click one.read top of page while the rest of it loads.read and scroll down at will.Less traffic on your website too, especially if i want to back and look at something.[/citation]
Kittle, I have notified the proper authorities about your concerns.
Thanks again,
Rachel Rosmarin
Editor, Tom's Guide

 

[michaelahess]

[citation][nom]williamvw[/nom]LOL! Yes, I was aiming the parabolas out the window and down the street for my testing -- the direction in which the test notebook would be running and taking measurements. Obviously, you'd point them in the direction of your target wireless device(s) for improved performance. They were not on "backwards."[/citation]

Good, I was worried for a minute

 

[Guest]

|ajt :
|21 pages of single paragraphs for what could have been a simple 2-3 |page article? Bad web editing.
|
|
|Hi Ajt,
|
|I'm sorry you don't like our format. However, I for one prefer one |or two pictures per page, and especially in a how-to/DIY article |like this one, I like to see each step illustrated one at a time.
|
|I appreciate you taking the time to give us feedback, however.
|
|Rachel Rosmarin
|Editor, Tom's Guide

Rachael,

If the 1-paragraph-per-page is somewhat required (web-ads and whatnot), how about adding a 'view on 1 page link' or something similar. That way, those who like the multi-page format can continue reading as normal, and those that prefer a 1-page format can read that way, to. The layout would be the same, but the article portion would then be longer.

Cheers
AJT

 

[igorcm]

The CD and toothpaste idea is about the later being abrasive, and that you need to rub it on the CD until the scratchs are gone. Thats why its a good idea to use a more rougher/grittier toothpaste first and then a smoother one to finish.

 

[igorcm]

The CD and toothpaste idea is about the later being abrasive, and that you need to rub it on the CD until the scratchs are gone. Thats why its a good idea to use a more rougher/grittier toothpaste first and then a smoother one to finish.

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]AJT_Leo[/nom]|ajt :|21 pages of single paragraphs for what could have been a simple 2-3 |page article? Bad web editing.|||Hi Ajt,||I'm sorry you don't like our format. However, I for one prefer one |or two pictures per page, and especially in a how-to/DIY article |like this one, I like to see each step illustrated one at a time.||I appreciate you taking the time to give us feedback, however.||Rachel Rosmarin|Editor, Tom's Guide Rachael, If the 1-paragraph-per-page is somewhat required (web-ads and whatnot), how about adding a 'view on 1 page link' or something similar. That way, those who like the multi-page format can continue reading as normal, and those that prefer a 1-page format can read that way, to. The layout would be the same, but the article portion would then be longer. CheersAJT[/citation]
That's a smart idea, and I'll suggest it to the team.

Rachel

 

[Guest]

Your assumption that by shortening your reflector area will make the antenna less directional is wrong. You are actually just narrowing your signal beam. Your high school cousin should know that an omnidirectional source situated at the focus of a parabola will reflect the radio waves so that they will be parallel to the focal radius. The shape of the parabola determines this, not the length of the directrix.

 

[ceomrman2]

Toothpaste certainly works - I've done it lots of times in a pinch. I suppose it clouds the surface of the plastic a bit, but not enough to be visible and apparently not enough to prevent the laser from working fine. I'd guess that the detergent in toothpaste helps simply by cleaning the plastic, and the abrasive helps by grinding away at the jagged light reflecting edges of the scratches. If you rub the paste in small circles for a very long time, you can make smaller scratches dissappear by wearing down the thicker plastic to the level of the bottom of the scratch.
In any case, it's worked for me many times!

 

[TheDraac]

igorcm beat me to it.... What your trying to do is POLISH the scratches out, or reduce how bad they are. Also, scratches that go from center to edge are LESS prone to causing a read error since the data is recorded in a spiral. Kinda like old vinyl records, a scratch across the grooves will cause a pop, but it'll keep playing. Like wise, a scratch that is along the rotational axis of the disc WILL cause read errors by virtue of the fact that the data on the disc is unreadable in consecutive sequence.

Washing the disc with soap and water is a good idea after polishing.

 

[7amood]

even after the 2nd tech myths... i still like it