Bargains - not CDs!

[Dave2002]

I found this Kindle book today (daily deal 99p), and was intrigued by the observations re type 2 diabetes (which as far as I know I don’t have) and breakfast, so bought it.

However Chapter 2 is worth it - had us in fits of laughter. Seems generally well written.

The author seems to be a scientist, but one with a good writing style, and perhaps a sense of humour.

So overall a good 99p’s worth. You have to read Chapter 2 to find out why it’s so funny, but Chapter 3 is serious and worth reading too. I look forward to getting through the rest of this one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breakfast-Dangerous-Meal-Morning-Wellbeing-ebook/dp/B01D4WO272

Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal: Why You Should Ditch Your Morning Meal For Health and Wellbeing eBook: Terence Kealey: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

[Dave2002]

Chromecast Audio

Google is stopping manufacture and supply of the Chromecast Audio device. This is quite a neat device, and seems to offer rather high quality audio.

My Memory - https://www.mymemory.co.uk are selling these off at £24.99 or 2 for £42 today.

I thought I'd have one spare - but balked at getting two more.

I don't know how long it'll be possible to continue driving these - whether the software support will eventually die too, but for the moment these seem like a reasonable thing to have. How you view these will depend on how technically minded you are, whether you use mobile devices and stream etc. but my own experience is that they do work quite well and the audio output is good fed into a DAC.

However, many people buy them, and then let them languish in cupboards!

[Mal]

The Luzhin Defense (Penguin Modern Classics) by Vladimir Nabokov £2.99 Kindle - Penguin classics seem, in general, to have a sensible knock down for Kindle. Usually a good free sample as well so you can suss out it's a classic you actually really want to read. This was a good one, very funny and (in places) quite deep, with masterly use of language from Nabokov, as you'd expect.

I tried one of those Chromecast Audio devices a few years ago, at a knock down price, and it kept on cutting out. It was my last streaming experiment... the failure that caused me to kick streaming into touch and stick to good old CDs... so it's cost me a lot of money :)!

[Mal]

I found this Kindle book today (daily deal 99p), ...

I obtained The Jeeves Omnibus 1 & 2 at this price in 99p monthly deals... now back up to £9.99, though. Not seeing anything that grabs my attention at the moment...

[Dave2002]

I obtained The Jeeves Omnibus 1 & 2 at this price in 99p monthly deals... now back up to £9.99, though. Not seeing anything that grabs my attention at the moment...

Sounds good - I missed that one, I think.
I had the Gravity book today, plus the President’s Men and the Ambered eyed hare - which I’m told is good.

Sorry you didn’t get on with the Chromecast audio, though surely it didn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Sorry if it did.

I still tend to find CDs preferable, but I think the Chromecast works OK with BBC Radio 3. What were you using to do the “casting”? Perhaps your internet link wasn’t reliable/fast enough. We still have problems sometimes. If you don’t want your Chromecast someone might buy it off you once the cheap/clearance offers have passed - though I won’t be in the market for any more.

[Bryn]

I have avoided battery powered small DAB portable radios since the early days, due to their very high power consumption. However, today I caved in when I saw the Sony XRC-S41D reduced in price to £35.00 in the local Sainsbury. Before buying it I had to leave the store in order to get a signal on my phone and check the specification to make sure the headphome output offered stereo. Having had it confirmed that it did, I reutrned and made my purchase. It comes with a mains power adapter for home use. I have loaded it up with 4 2.5AH NiMH AA cells for travel use. A pity that it only had small coaxial input socket for external power (5V), rather than a mini-USB type, but I sould be able to lashup a suitalble power lead to use on suitable equiped public transport. £35 does seem to be a bargain price for this item.

[Dave2002]

I could be interested to know how you find that radio. However, maybe I won't be able to track down any of those anyway, probably not going near a Sainsburys for a week or more, and another snag might be that radios and I don't get on with public transport. The one really neat radio I had for use on buses etc was useless as it couldn't play over the background noise, so I took it back. That was many years ago.

Could be nice for short breaks in the UK however.

[Bryn]

I could be interested to know how you find that radio. However, maybe I won't be able to track down any of those anyway, probably not going near a Sainsburys for a week or more, and another snag might be that radios and I don't get on with public transport. The one really neat radio I had for use on buses etc was useless as it couldn't play over the background noise, so I took it back. That was many years ago.

Could be nice for short breaks in the UK however.

Sony do not offer the dimensions of the barrel power plug in their specification, but my best estimate is that it's 4.0mm external, 1.7mm internal, positive centre pin. I have found one such USB-to-barrel on amazon.co.uk for £2.99 and have taken a chance on it. I would use Bose noise cancelling headphones on relevant journeys, so it's only signal problem which would concern me. On Devon beach breaks I would take portable bar battery booster with me to power the radio, as I now do to charge my phone.

[cloughie]

In ASDA yesterday and came across some clear plastic CD sleeves, packs of 25 for 30p per pack - I’ve always looked for the paper sleeves previously but these have advantage of holding the booklet as well as the CD provided that the books are not too thick. Great space savers!

[Bryn]

I have avoided battery powered small DAB portable radios since the early days, due to their very high power consumption. However, today I caved in when I saw the Sony XRC-S41D reduced in price to £35.00 in the local Sainsbury. Before buying it I had to leave the store in order to get a signal on my phone and check the specification to make sure the headphone output offered stereo. Having had it confirmed that it did, I returned and made my purchase. It comes with a mains power adapter for home use. I have loaded it up with 4 2.5AH NiMH AA cells for travel use. A pity that it only had a small coaxial input socket for external power (5V), rather than a mini-USB type, but I should be able to lashup a suitable power lead to use on suitable equipped public transport. £35 does seem to be a bargain price for this item.

Today the post brought a USB 3A Male Plug to 4.0 x 1.7mm Male DC Power Supply Cable (£2.99 including p&p via amazon.co.uk). It works perfectly for powering said radio, even from a spare port on a laptop. Very pleased to have found both the radio and the USB power lead (approximately 1m in length). Next is to try the combination out on bus, coach and train USB outlets (using noise-cancelling headphones, of course).

[Beresford]

I have avoided battery powered small DAB portable radios since the early days, due to their very high power consumption. However, today I caved in when I saw the Sony XRC-S41D reduced in price to £35.00 in the local Sainsbury. Before buying it I had to leave the store in order to get a signal on my phone and check the specification to make sure the headphome output offered stereo. Having had it confirmed that it did, I reutrned and made my purchase. It comes with a mains power adapter for home use. I have loaded it up with 4 2.5AH NiMH AA cells for travel use. A pity that it only had small coaxial input socket for external power (5V), rather than a mini-USB type, but I sould be able to lashup a suitalble power lead to use on suitable equiped public transport. £35 does seem to be a bargain price for this item.

Does it keep the presets if there is no battery installed and the mains is switched off? (an Amazon review says it does not.)

[teamsaint]

Well this is a first.
Mrs TS’s motor was in for a service and MOT at the Hyundai garage today. Quote was £235 plus
£10 for a loan car. They were about 40 minutes late finishing , ( due to be picked up at 5.00) and the apologetic service chap said because they were late , he had given us a discount. I thought he was just going to waive the fee for the loan car, but he knocked £70 off!!

Astonishing. Never, ever had a discount for something like this before. Paid for the shopping we did while waiting, with plenty left over.

[Zucchini]

We both have Hyundai i10s. Like you I had MOT & service + £10 courtesy car on Tuesday; returned to me comprehensively valeted in and out; plus a phone call on Thursday asking if anything worried me. At last I've found a dealership I really trust and people I like!

[teamsaint]

We both have Hyundai i10s. Like you I had MOT & service + £10 courtesy car on Tuesday; returned to me comprehensively valeted in and out; plus a phone call on Thursday asking if anything worried me. At last I've found a dealership I really trust and people I like!

Mrs TS also has an i10, with which she is very pleased so far. ( got some groovy pink edged mats from Aldi to go with.......
Like you, clean and valet thrown in with the service and MOT. A very good customer experience.
I noticed that the newer model loan car lacks a CD player, but that is how it is going.

[Dave2002]

Hyundai i10s - great little cars, but not all garages/dealers are good. Miss dave has one - now must be 7 or 8 years old - still going well I think, but sometimes the servicing isn’t done too well if the poor thing has to go to the main dealer in the area.

Particular problems in the last couple of years have been with the air conditioning, and most recently with a problem lock. There is unfortunately no serious competition for main dealers in the area, though round London and other major cities there probably would be some choice, without having to drive hundreds of miles. It is critical that the car works each day.

The car did “live” for a while in the London area, and servicing from the original dealer and related garages was good, but it has now migrated far north and servicing has become problematic, though there is a local garage not affiliated to Hyundai which has generally been pretty good.

Hyundai could do well to check out the quality of their franchised servicing agents. Perhaps they don’t realise how poor some of them can be. The good ones are, well, good!