Eddie On Everything » How To http://www.eddieoneverything.com Tips & tricks on things that interest me Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:29:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 How To Fix Your Kindle 2 When It Won’t Charge http://www.eddieoneverything.com/how-to/how-to-fix-your-kindle-2-when-it-wont-charge.php http://www.eddieoneverything.com/how-to/how-to-fix-your-kindle-2-when-it-wont-charge.php#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:30:06 +0000 eddie http://www.eddieoneverything.com/?p=536 Egad! My Kindle stopped charging!

I settled in to bed the other night and grabbed my Amazon Kindle, looking to pick up where I left off in The Hades Factor. I was met with a familiar “Your battery is running low” message, so I plugged the Kindle in to the charger for the night and instead settled in with an old-fashioned, low-tech, printed-on-dead-trees style book.

The next morning, I unplugged my should-have-been-fully-charged Kindle & sat down to read the morning paper, only to be met with the “your battery is CRITICAL error!” Zoinks! For some reason, despite being plugged in all night, my Kindle had not charged!

I quickly ran to my computer & attached the Kindle. My Windows XP PC popped up that dreaded “USB Device Not Recognized” balloon. “It’s OK,” I thought. “It’ll be OK. I’ll just power the Kindle off by holding the power on/off slider for 15 seconds, and I’ll check back later.”

I returned later and … No dice! The Kindle was still not charging!

Thankfully, I was able to find a solution to this problem. (Whew!) After searching for things like “Kindle reset,” “Kindle hard reset,” and “Kindle soft reset,” I learned that while the Kindle 1 can be reset with a paper clip, or by using the Shift-Alt-R trick, these methods didn’t work on the Kindle 2.

I eventually came across a page that relayed a tip by Amazon Kindle Tech Support. I followed these steps, and within a couple of hours, I was back in action.

How to reset your Kindle when it won’t charge

1. Slide the power button and hold it for 30 sec.

2. Release and wait for 20 sec until the screen begins to flash.

3. As soon as it does, plug in the power and keep it connected for 2 hours.

Big thanks to The Epistemist for pointing me in the right direction. Now, back to my Robert Ludlum book…

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]]> http://www.eddieoneverything.com/how-to/how-to-fix-your-kindle-2-when-it-wont-charge.php/feed 50 How to extend the life of your disposable razor blades http://www.eddieoneverything.com/deals/how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-disposable-razor-blades.php http://www.eddieoneverything.com/deals/how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-disposable-razor-blades.php#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:56:25 +0000 eddie http://www.eddieoneverything.com/?p=489 Razor blades are expensive. At an average cost of roughly $2.50 per “premium” blade (such as Schick Quattro or Gillette Fusion), a well-groomed man can easily spend hundreds of dollars on replacement blades each year.  Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to maximize the life of your razor blades. In fact, I think I’ve discovered the perfect solution.

First, a note:  Don’t buy razor blades on eBay

Whatever you do,  do NOT buy replacement blades from eBay!  (Ever!)  Razor blades are a popularly counterfeited item, and, more often that not, the blades that you get from eBay will be fakes.  These fakes are of very poor quality and will tear the hair right out of your face.  I’ve been burned by this one before; believe me, you’d be better of shaving with Fred Flintstone’s clam than you would a counterfeit razor blade.  If you see a deal on blades that looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Think about it – if Walmart and Target, two of the largest retailers in the world, don’t have the buying power to get blades at a rock-bottom price, how does some guy on eBay have that pull?  The answer is, he doesn’t.  He is selling counterfeit blades, either knowingly or unknowingly.

A number of sites have info on spotting fake blades.  Save yourself the hassle and only buy blades from reputable retailers.

Razor blades get dull

All sharp edges dull with use.  It’s science.  That’s why expensive knife sets come with honing tools.  With a disposable razor blade, however, it’s not possible to re-sharpen the blade.  That’s why your course of action is to  fight off a sharp edge’s other enemy – moisture.

Water rusts your blades

Water causes oxidation, or rust, to develop on your blade. This rust dulls the sharp edge of your razor.  A  blade left damp with water will slowly rust away, thus dulling the cutting edge.  The single best method to extend the life of your blade is to never get it wet.  Of course, that’s not practical, so you could instead try drying your blade after each use.   Unfortunately, with today’s advanced four and five-blade designs, that’s often easier said than done.  Fortunately, there’s an even better way.

The best anti-dulling tool in your keep-sharp arsenal: Rubbing alcohol

If you want to keep your blades sharp for as long as possible, keep a small jar of rubbing alcohol in your bathroom and wash the blade with the alcohol after each use.  I use a high-percentage concentration (93%) and simply swish the blade around in the jar after each use.  This helps to clean the blade, removes excess water, and allows the blade to dry much more quickly, free of those pesky water molecules.

I have seen some people recommend storing your blade in an alcohol solution, but I don’t recommend this approach.  Today’s blades contain carefully positioned moisture strips with which the alcohol will interact, causing them to warp and distort the face of your blade, leading to a very shoddy shave. (Trust me, I’ve been there.)  The best technique is to simply swish the blade around, then place it in a drawer, where it’ll be safe from water and water vapor, until your next use.

Using this technique I have extended the life of my razor blades a bit. (I think.)

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]]> http://www.eddieoneverything.com/deals/how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-disposable-razor-blades.php/feed 1 How to fix the cursor ball on a Blackberry 8830 http://www.eddieoneverything.com/how-to/how-to-fix-the-cursor-ball-on-a-blackberry-8830.php http://www.eddieoneverything.com/how-to/how-to-fix-the-cursor-ball-on-a-blackberry-8830.php#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:48:29 +0000 eddie http://www.eddieoneverything.com/?p=252 I have an 8830 World Edition phone. The problem is that the ball cursor doesn’t work that well when I scroll.

I searched for some answers to this problem and was able to find a few tips.

Here are a few ways to fix the problem:

  • Press down firmly on the ball and roll it to the left and right. This will help dislodge anything that may be stuck underneath.
  • Try taking the trackball out and see if you can blow out the debris underneath. Simply pry off the silver ring from the bottom.
  • If these steps fail, you may have to replace the track ball and ring. New track rings and balls sell on eBay for about $10.

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