Has Everything Already Been Invented?

Tim Leave a comment

There is a famous quote “Everything that can be invented has been invented” believed to be by Charles H. Duell a commissioner of US patent office from 1889. Even though this quote is not accurate, it shows that many people believe the best inventions already exist. Of course, we know today this is not true. Think of the many inventions created in the past 30 years from technology to medical advances.

It is true that new ideas are hard to come by. I often find myself asking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” It seems that all my “good” ideas are already taken. The key is to remember that there may not be many new ideas, but that you can always improve existing products, apps, etc.

Which AA Battery is Best?

Tim 2 Comments

Batteries are expensive so I try to buy them in bulk and get the best deal. I recently came across a video on YouTube of a guy who goes really in-depth on what AA battery is the best buy. I’ve been a fan of the Amazon basic AA batteries but wasn’t really sure how they compared to name brands like Energizer or Duracell.

After watching the video, it turns out that the Amazon Basic AA batteries are actually the best MAH per penny battery on the market. Great news since I have been buying them for a couple of years. Amazon also sells rechargeable batteries.

How to Copy Variable from Chrome Dev Tools Console

Tim Leave a comment

I often need to copy a variable in Chrome dev tools console to my clipboard. Fortunately, Chrome has this feature built-in using the copy() function.

  1. Save the variable or right-click an object in Chrome’s console and select Store as Global Variable from the context menu. It will return something like temp1 as the variable name.
  2. Use the copy() method, so copy(temp1) in the console should copy that object to your clipboard.

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Turn Your Dumb Air Conditioner Into A Smart Air Conditioner

Tim 7 Comments

Recently I moved into a house that has a Diakin mini-split system (FTX12NMVJU / RX12NMVJU) in the bonus room. Mini-splits are known for being extremely energy efficient but unfortunately, I was not able to remotely control the unit on a schedule as I did with my Ecobee smart thermostats, so unless I remembered to manually turn the unit off at night, it would run for no reason. Definitely a first-world problem. I research options Diakin offered. From what I could find, the only option to turn the dumb unit into a smart unit was to by a Daikin Wireless Adapter that required taking the unit apart. Not to mention, the wireless unit cost around $165 so I started searching for other options. Read More