Q. I have a Nissan Rogue that’s due for 60,000-mile maintenance. The dealership is quoting me about $1000 to perform the 60,000-mile service. I’m considering taking it to a private automotive shop which could be cheaper. Any thoughts or recommendations on a non-dealer doing this as well as any automotive shops?
A. Any good repair shop that uses AllData or similar repair databases (or even the vehicle owner’s manual) can perform the 60,000-mile service. There are a series of checks which take a little time, plus oil and brake fluid change, tire rotation, replacement of the cabin and engine air filter and interestingly the key-fob batteries. If you are looking for a shop look for the ASE (technician certification). For a AAA Approved shop (also ASE certified techs) go to aaa.com/repair
Q. I have 2021 Ford Bronco Sport (1.5L Turbo), I am trying to decide whether to purchase breakdown insurance for 10 years 100K miles. If I follow fluid changes recommended by Ford, will I have any issues before 100,000 miles? Just wondering what your thoughts are. I understand there not much history with this engine, but you may have some insights.
A. This engine has been used in the Ford Escape for several years and it has had less than a stellar record. There were issues with head gaskets and other problems that in some cases required complete engine replacement. If it were my Bronco I would wait until the factory warranty was near the end of its term and then consider buying an extended service contract/warranty. There is no sense in buying in now and paying for coverage you already have.
Q. Will AAA come out and charge the battery in my car or is it just a jump start? What about changing the battery?
A. AAA will come out and test the car’s battery as well as the starting and charging system. We will jumpstart a dead battery if possible. We don’t have on-board battery chargers, although your vehicle, if operating normally will charge the battery to some extent. It is best when a battery is completely discharged to have it fully charged using a battery charger. If the battery is in poor condition, the roadside technician can install a battery on the spot and properly recycle the old battery.
Q. I have a 1969 3/4-ton Chevy truck with a 350 cubic inch V-8 engine. The engine has a dead cylinder when idling and if I rev the engine up the number four cylinder-header will than get hot but at idle the same cylinder is cool. What could be wrong?
A. The exhaust port staying cool indicates there is no or incomplete combustion at the number four cylinder. The best way to determine what is wrong is to first remove the spark plug and see what it looks like. If it is heavily oil fouled, the piston rings or valve seals could be bad. The issue could also be a faulty ignition wire or even a crack in the distributer cap. If it is white, the engine could be very lean from a valve that is burnt or a vacuum leak. The next step would be a compression test or cylinder leak down test. The spark plug will supply you the beginning of the story of what is wrong.
Q. I recently bought 2023 Lexus IS300. The dealer says I should use 93 octane gas to get the best performance and best mileage. Performance not important to me (I’m in my mid 80’s) but I don’t want to hurt engine! The 93-octane gas is a lot more money that the 87-octane gas, what do you recommend?
A. The dealer is correct that the best performance will come from using premium fuel. To determine if it is needed is based on what it states on the fuel cap door. If the door states 91 octane fuel required, then you need to use premium fuel to prevent engine damage. If the fuel door states 91-octane fuel recommended, then you can use 87 octane fuel. Recently I was driving a four-cylinder turbocharged vehicle and octane choice according to the manufacturer could make a difference. Using 87 octane fuel would not harm the engine, but the stated horsepower was 275, moving up to premium fuel the horsepower jumped to 300.
Q. I am about to purchase a 2023 Subaru Forester and saw a very disturbing YouTube video concerning the emergency brake. In the YouTube video it showed that if the battery dies and the car is not in park that neither the braking system nor the emergency brake can be engaged in order to keep the car from rolling. Is this true? And what do you do if something happens, and the battery dies while the car is not in park, and you can’t engage the emergency brake! This seems to be a mechanical flaw if it is the case and a very scary one!
A. This sounds like a bit of a parlor trick and a YouTuber trying to get their views up. Although if the car is in drive and the battery is completely discharged the electric parking brake will not work and it is a bit tricky to get the car in park. That being said, the service brakes will still work. Under anything but extreme or made-up conditions I can’t think of anytime that the battery would fail completely, and you would have the car in any gear other park.
Got a car question, email the Car Doctor for a personal reply. jpaul@aaanortheast.com
There has been some good news on climate change. Not enough. But good news nonetheless.
First of all, over the past decade or so, several major economies including the United States have shifted away from burning coal to generate electricity. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels, and historically speaking a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
There are still coal power plants being built in the world, but the overall trend away from coal toward cleaner options, like solar, is progress. The cost to build solar power plants has fallen enough that, in some cases, it is now one of the most price-competitive options for generating electricity. This is a significant financial milestone.
Cars that burn gas are a major contributor to planet-warming greenhouse emissions, but in the past few years some of the world’s largest automakers have launched aggressive efforts to pivot to making more electric vehicles while phasing out gasoline models. The importance of a significant polluting industry embracing this change, and competing with one another to be better at it, can’t be underestimated.
Car buyers have been responding. As recently as a half-decade or so ago, electric-car sales were negligible in many parts of the world, but have risen rapidly since. Electric vehicles aren’t perfect of course, but as a general rule they’re cleaner than gasoline cars. (If you’re interested in studying more about that, try searching this F.A.Q. for “How green are electric cars?”)
The spread of electric vehicles also means that some of the difficulties of owning one (for example, finding charging stations nearby) will likely resolve themselves more quickly as demand grows from drivers. That, in turn, could encourage sales.
In 2022 the United States passed new legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, that is widely considered the most important legislative effort to fight climate change in the nation’s history by encouraging a transition to cleaner energy and offering a range of incentives to businesses and individuals to clean up their act.
(This Times guide explains how you might be able to claim some of that money by, for instance, buying an electric car or installing a heat pump.)
Lastly, here’s a big one: For reasons like the above, in the past decade or so the world has made significant progress toward slowing global warming and avoiding particularly extreme consequences from climate change. Not nearly enough progress, mind you, but significant nonetheless.
Specifically, before the 2015 Paris Agreement, some estimates put the world on track to warm in the range of 3.6 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times. Scientists widely agree that if average global temperatures were to increase that much, it would be devastating socially and economically. Now, however, according to a United Nations report in 2022, the world is on track to heat between 2.1 degrees and 2.9 degrees by 2100.
That’s still very dangerous.
However, if the nations of the world act as aggressively as they promise, there remains a chance to hold that increase to below 2 degrees Celsius, according to scientists. That’s a big “if,” of course. It would require a tremendous amount of work by the nations of the world, on an extremely swift timetable over the next decade or two, to hit the lower targets for limiting global warming.
However, since you asked about good news, let’s keep it positive. Even if there’s a lot of hard work to do, progress has been made on important fronts.
There’s now even a movement, “OK Doomer,” that basically says, stop it with the gloomy takes and focus on things that will fix the problem.
For every patient tired of filling out repetitive and privacy-invasive forms every time they visit a doctor, a medical facility, or a hospital, here is a questionnaire those patients should present to their doctor for him or her to answer and return to them:
Questionnaire To Be Filled Out By Physician and Returned To Patient*
1. Your intake form asked me about whether I feel “stress.” I sure do and I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment. I also don’t consider that the fault is mine. Unwanted stress comes to me from all sides in our polarized society. I don’t know about you, Doc, but the loss of some of my longtime friends, simply because they see one another as too far left or too far to the right, is devastating. Is this of concern to you as a physician?
2. I and most patients are bothered that doctors and hospitals ask so many questions that seem like a waste of time to regular folks, and that they do this over and over again, as if each time is the very first time. Does this bother you as well?
3. Do they really think that they are going to get an honest and useful answer to “Do you feel safe at home?” or “Are there any firearms in your home?” or “Do you think often of suicide and have a plan on how you would accomplish that?” I’d like to know how many times you have received a truly honest “yes” answer to those questions, but more importantly, what do you do with such information and who is it shared with?
4. These days, doctors hardly have the time to deal with all the administrative forms required of them. This clearly distracts from the medical issues that have brought me to see you. Is this paperwork barrage the result of doctors being afraid they will be sued, or is the government forcing all of this paperwork down your throats and you also resent it? Friends of mine in your profession tell me that this non-medical, paper-pushing work is causing physician “burnout” and early retirement from medicine at an alarming rate, which exacerbates the problems of doctor shortages and increases the cost of delivering medical care. Am I wrong in this view?
5. For centuries, patients have taken comfort knowing that new doctors take the Hippocratic Oath and abide by it throughout their career. I understand the Oath states that the most important responsibility for doctors is to do no harm and having a duty to treat every patient without regard to their ability to pay.
It appears that, increasingly, healthcare today has morphed into big business rather than a sacred profession and has become subject to many of the same partisan political pressures, including abortion, euthanasia, and gun control that have infected so many other aspects of society.
To top things off, we now learn of this new craze of folks wanting to be transgender, or “transition” from one sex to the other. It is deeply concerning to think about doctors messing around giving hormones to early teenage kids in order to arrest their sexual development. Parents used to enjoy watching their children mature into healthy young adults, able to make responsible life choices on their own. But it really is frightening to now read and see stories about doctors and medical facilities surgically castrating boys and removing the breasts from girls, in some cases before those kids are even mature enough to drive.
Does this fit within any reasoned interpretation of the Hippocratic Oath? I mean, what is going on here? It kind of blindsides people, when finally we become rightfully tolerant of gay rights and same sex marriage, and then, in short order we are asked to accept what reasonable people consider to be bodily mutilation on young people. Does the medical community really endorse such practices, but even more importantly, Doc, do you?
*NOTE: This questionnaire is not required by, nor will it be shared with any government entity. It will be considered as confidential patient-doctor information.
Bob Barr represented Georgia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He served as the United States Attorney in Atlanta from 1986 to 1990 and was an official with the CIA in the 1970s. He now practices law in Atlanta, Georgia and serves as head of Liberty Guard.
Feb. 7, 2023, 11:51 a.m.
A dozen years ago, Eric Schmidt forecast the AI pivot that’s playing out this week. And the questions it prompts — around the link economy, fair use, and aggregation — are more real than ever.
If you stick around long enough, even the most exotic future turns into the present.
At least that’s what I thought when I remembered an old piece I wrote here at Nieman Lab all the way back in 2011 — one that seems newly relevant today.It was about an on-stage interview that then-Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt gave to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at what was then the annual All Things Digital conference. They cover a lot of then-hot topics, from Google losing to Facebook on “the friend thing” to whether it should buy Twitter. But there’s one stretch that stood out, then and now, as having outsized importance to news companies.
Mossberg started out by ragging on the declining quality of Google’s search results:
Speaking as a consumer, I find my Google search results to be more and more polluted with junk that I don’t want to see or that doesn’t seem relevant.Is your basic algorithmic approach — which was so successful and so different from everybody else, in PageRank — still the right way to go?
Or is there some opportunity for somebody to come in and do to you what you did to Altavista?
(Altavista being the web’s leading search engine circa 1998, before Google ate its lunch.)
Schmidt defends the quality of Google’s results, but then pivots:
But the other thing that we’re doing that’s more strategic is we’re trying to move from answers that are link-based to answers that are algorithmically based, where we can actually compute the right answer. And we now have enough artificial intelligence technology and enough scale and so forth that we can, for example, supply you — literally compute the right answer.
Anything sound familiar there? Google has built an empire by “polluting” its search results with ads. Its defenses may seem impenetrable, but it has one potential point of weakness: a competitor who’d be able to supply users answers rather than links to websites that might have answers.
At 1 p.m. ET today, Microsoft is holding a press event at which it is expected to unveil a new version of its search engine, Bing, that incorporates ChatGPT, the fairly astonishing conversational, generative AI unveiled late last year. If a leaked version is to be believed, the new Bing is built around this promise: “Ask real questions. Get complete answers.” Along with traditional search results, you’ll also be able to chat with “your AI-powered answer engine.” The new Bing is part of Microsoft’s massive $10 billion investment into ChatGPT’s maker, OpenAI.
Google could see this coming, of course, so it tried to get ahead of the news yesterday by announcing its own AI-powered chatbot, Bard. It’s available to “trusted testers” now, becoming “more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.”
(Amusingly enough, even back in that 2011 interview, it was Bing that Mossberg argued was already ahead of Google in giving direct answers to search queries. Schmidt even agreed, “in some narrow cases.”)
This is all extraordinarily exciting stuff — the most important shift in consumer technology since the iPhone, I’d wager. In my nearly 30 years on the Internet, I’ve never been less confident predicting what it’ll all look like in a year or two. Will these new interfaces simply mean a modest improvement in 5% or 10% of our search requests? Or will AI become the dominant way we interact with information online? At the rate of improvement we’re seeing — “the scale of the largest AI computations is doubling every six months, far outpacing Moore’s Law” — putting any cap on the possibilities feels perilous.
But there’s a more narrow matter, of interest to the news business, that we can foresee. Right now, in lieu of those direct “answers,” Google sends a lot of traffic to news sites — more than any other external source by far. Newsrooms spend time and money figuring out a lot of those answers, and the reward they’ve traditionally reaped for them has been web traffic, monetized through ads.
But the more questions Google answers without a click, the less traffic those “answering” news sites will get. Less traffic means fewer ad impressions, which means lower revenue.
The kind of shift Schmidt is talking about — from “link-based” to “algorithmically based” — could have a big impact on publishers in the business of providing answers to searchers’ questions. And not just the Demand Medias of the world who are attached at the neck to search — traditional publishers too.
In 2011, these were the sort of questions that Google felt confident enough to answer without a link. They were all based on structured data, mostly hard numbers.
But even then, it was clear that their range would grow:
For now, Google’s ability to answer questions directly is bound by the sorts of things its algorithms can know. But they’ll get smarter — and Schmidt’s comments make clear it’s a strategic goal of the company to ensure they get smarter. So imagine a point in the near future where Google can supply direct answers to questions like:What time is Modern Family on?
Who are the Republicans running for president?
What red blouses are on sale at Macy’s?
Who’s the backup left tackle for the New Orleans Saints?
Modern Family is long gone, but Google will tell you directly when Abbott Elementary is on. And it’s happy to let Macy’s buy some ad space to talk about their red blouses. But it’ll still rely on links for G.O.P. candidates and the Saints offensive line.
ChatGPT, in its current public form, isn’t connected to the open internet and is only trained on information up to 2021, so it isn’t great on current events. (A rival generative AI, from Anthropic, tried to tell me Terron Armstead plays tackle for the Saints. Alas, if only.) But both Google and Microsoft have said their bots will be able to draw on the entire web, in real time — so their results will likely be strong.
Let’s go back to 2011 for a minute. Things like TV schedules, team rosters, and announced presidential candidates are still structured data — the sort of thing that didn’t seem too far out of reach even then. But what about the next level of difficulty?
And imagine, further down the line, that Google’s AI improves to the point where it can answer questions like these:Did Dallas city council approve that zoning change last night?
Was the stimulus package too small to be effective?
What’s going to replace the Space Shuttle program?
Which is Terrence Malick’s best movie?
Did Osama bin Laden really use his wife as a human shield?
Is the new My Morning Jacket album any good?
Some of those are complex enough that Google probably wouldn’t be able to supply a single definitive answer, the way it can with a database of census data. But it’s not hard to imagine it could provide a Metacritic-like look at the summary critical opinion of the My Morning Jacket record, or an analysis of customer reviews of Malick’s DVDs at Amazon. It could dip into the growing sea of public data about government activity to tell you what happened at city council (and maybe figure out which parts of the agenda were important, based on news stories, community bloggers, and social media traffic). It could gather up articles from high-trust news and government sources on NASA and algorithmically combine them into just as much info as the searcher wants. It’s a shift in the focus of Google’s judgment; websites shift from competitors to be ranked against each other to data sources to be diced and analyzed to figure out an answer.
I asked each of those questions to ChatGPT this morning. It…did pretty well. It nailed these two:
What’s going to replace the Space Shuttle program?
The Space Shuttle program was officially retired in 2011 and was replaced by the Commercial Crew Program. The Commercial Crew Program is a NASA initiative aimed at outsourcing the design, development, and operation of spacecraft for human space transportation to low Earth orbit. The program was created to provide reliable and safe access to the International Space Station (ISS) for both NASA astronauts and international partners.The two companies that were selected to participate in the program are Space and Boeing. SpaceX’s spacecraft, the Crew Dragon, has already completed multiple successful missions to the IS, and Boeing’s spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, is currently in the testing and certification phase
These new spacecraft are designed to be more cost-effective and efficient compared to the Space Shuttle, and they are expected to provide reliable and safe transportation for astronauts to the ISS for many years to come.
Did Osama bin Laden really use his wife as a human shield?
Yes, reports indicate that Osama bin Laden used his wife as a human shield during the raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011. According to the official account of the raid, bin Laden’s wife, Amal al-Sadah, was shot in the leg as she was used as a shield by bin Laden in an attempt to protect himself. The incident was reported by various news sources, including US government officials, and was later confirmed in the investigation of the raid.
It was useful, if equivocal, on these:
Which is Terrence Malick’s best movie?
Terrence Malick is a highly regarded filmmaker, and his works are often considered some of the best in the industry. It is subjective to name one specific film as his “best”, as it depends on personal taste and interpretation. However, some of his most highly acclaimed works include:• “The Tree of Life” (2011)
• “Badlands” (1973)
• “Days of Heaven” (1978)These films are often cited as some of the best in his filmography, and they showcase his unique style, beautiful cinematography, and themes of nature and spirituality.
Was the stimulus package too small to be effective?
The effectiveness of the stimulus package is a matter of debate and depends on various economic, political, and social factors. Some economists argue that the stimulus package was too small to have a significant impact on the economy, as it did not provide enough support to those who were most affected by the economic downturn.Others argue that the size of the stimulus package was appropriate given the constraints of the political and economic environment at the time. They argue that the package provided enough support to help stabilize the economy and prevent it from collapsing further, while also providing funding for important infrastructure projects and programs that helped create jobs and stimulate growth.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of the stimulus package is difficult to quantify and measure, and it depends on a variety of factors and perspectives.
ChatGPT didn’t know what the “latest” My Morning Jacket album is, so I asked it specifically about their most accurate release as of 2011:
Is the album “Circuital” by My Morning Jacket good?
“Circuital” is the sixth studio album by My Morning Jacket, released in 2011. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its mix of eclectic musical styles and the band’s ability to craft compelling and atmospheric songs.Many fans of the band consider “Circuital” to be one of the strongest albums in their discography, and it is often praised for its cohesive sound and memorable songs. The album was also well-received commercially, reaching the top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart and earning positive reviews from many well-known music publications.
Ultimately, whether or not “Circuital” is a good album is subjective and depends on personal taste. If you are a fan of My Morning Jacket’s music or enjoy a mix of rock, alternative, and psychedelic influences, it is worth checking out.
(“Cohesive sound and memorable songs” is some pretty non-specific praise, it should be noted, and the album actually hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200, not “just” the top 30.)
The last question — “Did Dallas city council approve that zoning change last night?” — is one ChatGPT can’t currently answer, being informationally stuck in 2021. But again, Google and Microsoft won’t have that problem. And for local news organizations, tech companies’ ability to get questions like that right will be critical. Local information, gathered by local reporters, can be exceptionally valuable in the right contexts. Will search engines be able to ingest that knowledge and chat it back out to users without sending even a pageview the publisher’s way?
The debates (and lawsuits) around the ethics of AI-generated images ask similar questions. (Though training an image AI to learn the style of an artist seems distinct from training a chat AI to take specific facts from a publication. “How do you write a city council story?” ≠ “What did city council do last night?”) Does this sort of amalgamation differ, legally or ethically, from the indexing of content that search engines have always done? As publishers around the world have sought hush money, er, I mean compensation from Google, the company’s reply has been simple: But we send you all this traffic! Does the conversation change as that becomes decreasingly true? Or will Google, seeing that risk, decide to focus on the more strategic universe of non-local information, reasoning the legal and PR risks are lower when you’re summarizing Wikipedia than The Hometown Gazette?Who knows? Not me. 2011 me didn’t know either:
These things aren’t right around the corner — they quickly get to be really complicated AI problems. But they all point to the fact that Google is working hard to reduce the number of times searchers need to leave google.com to get answers to their questions. For all the times that Google has said it’s not in the content business, it’s not hard to imagine a future where its mission to “organize the world’s information” goes way beyond spidering and linking and into algorithmically processing for answers instead of PageRank.That — much more than news organizations’ previous complaints about Google — could put real pressure on the business models of news websites. It challenges ideas of how to navigate the link economy and what concepts like search engine optimization, fair use, and aggregation mean. And it sure looked like Schmidt pointed the way last night.
A dozen years later, all these questions are becoming more than rhetorical.
As fun as building your own PC can be, it’s not always the right call. A pre-built can end up the more fitting choice—as my colleague Ashley Biancuzzo rightly pointed out. Pre-built computers have their advantages too. You don’t have to devote as many hours to their purchase nor maintenance, for starters. Sometimes they win on price as well.
So how do you know if rolling your own PC is right for you? With no universally correct answer, you’ll have to ask yourself the following five questions…and then decide the order of priority for your responses. For example, even if the scales tip in favor of a pre-built, a single “yes” for the DIY camp could trump all.
What’s your budget?
Building your own PC can be cheaper than pre-builts, but DIY isn’t a ensure of savings. Depending on how much you have to spend and your desired specs, a pre-built computer sometimes wins the financial battle.
For example, take a basic productivity PC—a machine you’ll only use for browsing the web, document editing, simple photo editing, and other lightweight tasks. You might think that assembling such a modest PC would cost less than an equivalent pre-built, but the opposite is true. In this scenario, the pre-built will often undercut the DIY alternative on price.
On the flip side, the more generous your budget, the greater your opportunities for shopping smart (especially if you can buy parts on a slower schedule). Websites like PCPartPicker will help with forming your components list and comparison shopping, and retailers like Newegg, Amazon, B&H, and Best Buy often discount parts. With smart shopping, you can end up shaving hundreds off the most expensive PC builds.
As for mid-range DIY projects (say, $800 to $1,200), whether you’ll come in under or over a similar pre-built PC can be a toss-up. It’s the range most affected by market conditions, since you have less cushion for cost-cutting while targeting parts above budget range. Generally, you can save a hundred bucks or more if you shop smart (particularly if you play your cards right during big sale periods), but fairly priced pre-builts are pretty competitive.
The outcome for your particular scenario will entirely depend on when you choose to build. Right now at the start of 2023, things are more normal again—at least, relative to the painful experience of 2020, 2021, and much of 2022. But only time will tell if this fragile calm will last, what with CPU price increases, fierce but fragile competition between AMD, Intel, and Nvidia, and a continuing lack of budget-friendly parts.
What’s your plan for upgrades?
HP
With a DIY PC, you have complete freedom to replace anything and everything. You can also build in leeway for future changes—like buying a higher-wattage power supply in anticipation of later upgrades to more powerful (and power-hungry) parts.
In contrast, if you buy a pre-built PC from a big vendor like Dell, HP, or Lenovo, you often can’t swap out its components. Occasionally you’ll run into specific models compatible with off-the-shelf parts, but proprietary parts are generally the norm. And so with this kind of pre-built, you’re more stuck with what you buy; you have to content yourself with small upgrades like adding more memory, replacing your boot drive, and maybe installing an extra storage drive. In gaming PCs, you can also exchange the graphics card for a newer model, but the power supply’s specs will limit your options.
The middle-ground option is one many PC buyers aren’t aware of—pre-built PCs from system integrators like CyberPowerPC and iBuyPower, or PC component vendors like NZXT. Computers purchased from these kinds of companies use off-the-shelf parts compatible with DIY upgrades down the road. The main drawback here is that available configurations are more limited than DIY building—especially if cost is a factor.
How much time do you have?
PCWorld
DIY can save you cash, but you’ll pay the difference with your time. Expect to invest extra hours into researching and planning your list of components—not just specs, but component compatibility and what will set you up best for any planned future upgrades. Also account for looking up known quirks or issues for parts you’re considering if you’re a diligent researcher, as well as advice on how to build a PC if you’re a first-timer or returning after a long hiatus.
Then there’s the build itself, which can be fun but still eats into your schedule. For every person in YouTube comments boasting they assembled their PC in 15 minutes, most people treat a PC build more like gardening—you don’t aim to finish as fast as possible, but instead enjoy the process as you get everything just right. On average, a simple build with just a few non-RGB fans takes between 45 to 90 minutes with no interruptions and no mistakes. Seasoned builders will fall on the faster side of that range, while newer folks and those meticulous about cable management will be on the slower side. (If you take longer, don’t sweat it; PC building can feel meditative. Enjoy it.)
You’ll also spend more time on maintenance as well. Pre-builts often come with software that handles driver and other updates, but not so with a DIY build. Keeping on top of all those issues is your job alone. Also, if a part starts acting funny or needs replacement, you must deal with each retailer or manufacturer separately—there’s no all-in-one customer support line to contact. Basically, if you build it yourself, you’re also your own IT department. Which brings us to…
What’s your tolerance for troubleshooting?
PCWorld
Assembling your own PC can be a source of pride and entertainment. It can also be a royal pain in the rear when the computer doesn’t behave—whether that’s at first boot or months into use. You can’t call a tech support line for help; Google and Reddit are all you got for insight into what’s gone wrong. And sometimes that advice doesn’t always pan out, even after trying multiple fixes.
You can spend anywhere from minutes to hours (or even days, sigh) trying to resolve an issue. Sometimes the process is satisfying and teaches you a lot. Other times you’ll want to bash your head against a wall because the problem won’t respond to anything you throw at it.
If you can’t stomach the ups and downs of servicing your own PC, a pre-built will be more compatible with your lifestyle—you can pawn off the thinking part of troubleshooting on to the company that sold you the machine. Or at least a lot of it.
How good is your organization?
Willis Lai / Foundry
PC building is a heck of a lot easier when you buy tools suited for the job. You’ll also need to store the accessories that come with your components, like the CPU socket cover for LGA processors, spare SATA cables, extra screws, modular power supply cables you’re not using, thermal paste, cooler brackets, and the like.
You should have a good place to these bits and bobbles after the initial build, since you’ll need them again for maintenance or troubleshooting—and a good system for remembering what piece goes with which part. Sure, you can toss them all into a single bag and then shove that into the back of a drawer, but trust me, that strategy is a headache in the making.
If you lose things easily, having to catalog (and remember) these important leftovers could beyond your tolerance levels for such things. You can’t always assume you’ll be able to freely find and swap in replacements, either—for example, modular power supplies aren’t interchangeable between different models, not just manufacturers. Plug in a different set and you could fry a key component in your PC. And that CPU socket cover? If you need it, that means your motherboard is unresponsive. Having to delay to find a replacement is going to keep your computer out of commission even longer.
Overall, staying organized isn’t hard—it’s just more work. But a specific, more tedious form that can feel like physical pain for some of us. (Don’t ask me why I still like to build PCs.)
We can help
Now that you know the pros and cons of DIY and prebuilts, hopefully you feel better equipped to invest in a new PC. No matter which route you prefer, PCWorld can help. We maintain an updated list of the best desktop computer deals available, so you don’t spend more than you need to, while our roundups of the best CPUs, graphics cards, SSDs, monitors, and other hardware can point you towards the DIY components that are worth your money if you decide to roll your own. Happy computing!
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Are you in a new relationship and wondering if what you're feeling is love?
It can be hard to know, especially if you are expecting a big sign to drop out of the sky and hit you over the head.
Does falling in love have to be intense or dramatic? Should love be something that is all-consuming, or can it be quiet and easy? How long does it take?
These are some of the common questions you may have in your mind, but the truth actually lies in you being honest with yourself.
First, know that there is no timetable for you to know implicitly if you love someone. There doesn't need to be a rush to get an answer.
If your romantic interest is pursuing you for a relationship, then he or she probably isn’t going anywhere and you can relax and allow yourself to be courted by them.
This will allow you to get more in touch with how you feel so you can gain insight into a much more important question — is it love?
RELATED: 6 Scientific Reasons Falling In Love Feels So Good
Are you expecting a big sign to drop out of the sky and hit you over the head? Does falling in love have to be intense or dramatic? Should love be something that is all-consuming, or can it be quiet and easy?
The first step is simple but may not be easy.
RELATED: If You Haven't Experienced These 7 Things It Isn't Really Love — Yet
1. Be realistic about what you expect to feel when you fall in love
You might have an expectation blocking you from your experience of what is actually going on inside of you right now.
For instance, you may expect to feel it immediately, but the truth is, there is no time limit to falling in love with someone. It can happen in a moment, or it can develop over time. Ask a hundred couples and you’ll get answers that vary from immediate to months or even years.
Unfortunately, if you don’t know what you are looking for or if you have unrealistic expectations about falling in love, then you can miss something amazing that is right in front of you.
Let go of the need to know and instead get curious about what it means to you to fall in love and what it might feel like.
RELATED: You Won't Find True Love Until You Accept These 10 Things
The subconscious mind is tasked with keeping you alive. Its job is to keep your body alive and functional within a very narrow range of temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, etc. If your body moves outside of this narrow range of homeostasis, you will die.
This is also the way your subconscious regulates your behavior and your emotional responses to outside stimuli. You also have behavioral homeostasis. Basically, your subconscious is working to keep things the same to keep you alive. It uses two criteria – known and unknown. If it is known, the subconscious can recognize it and will allow you to proceed without much hesitation.
The spark of attraction to another person is a signal of your subconscious recognizing a familiar energy or dynamic. It sends a signal announcing, “This is familiar! This is familiar!”
If you have negative experiences from your childhood about connection and intimacy, that familiar signal could be an alarm announcing, “Watch out! Danger ahead!”
This creates a false positive if you misinterpret the signal as excitement rather than fright. A supposed “love at first sight” could be a danger signal telling you to run away from a possibly toxic person.
So it's important to sort out what real love will feel like, rather than just a rush of brain chemicals.
RELATED: The Scientific Answer To Whether Or Not Falling In Love At First Sight Is Possible
2. Be honest about how it feels to be with them
Do you feel safe and cared for when you are with him? Or do you feel uncertain and afraid you are going to make a mistake? The answer will tell you a lot about whether he is an ideal match for you.
The goal is to be in a relationship that inspires you to feel good about yourself (not one that triggers feelings of insecurity or that you have to prove yourself).
Pay attention to how you feel when you are with him, as well as how you feel when you part from him. Notice your inner dialog. Is your mind quiet or is it spinning about what you should have said or what you did wrong?
Instead of worrying about how long it takes to fall in love, focus on what emotions he inspires in you.
Getting in touch with the emotions he inspires in you will supply you the clarity you need to identify the feelings you have for him.
RELATED: What Happens To Your Brain On A Chemical Level When You Fall In Love?
3. Look for true emotional connection
Are you looking for the lightning bolt of chemistry to let you know that you’re falling in love? While chemistry and attraction are important, having a strong emotional connection with him will deepen your feelings.
Chemistry is a product of your differences while emotional connection comes from your similarities. This sounds contradictory but it is your differences that create the spark of attraction. Masculine and feminine energy, introverts and extroverts, these naturally opposing energies work like magnets to bring the two of you together.
Emotional connection comes from what the two of you share in common. When you share how you feel and can see each other and be seen, then you feel a powerful connection and bond that is the source of emotional intimacy.
When both exist between you there is a powerful connection and attraction that can lead to a satisfying and lasting relationship.
This kind of connection doesn’t just happen by accident. Taking a more conscious approach to love will help you create an ideal partnership that can withstand the test of time.
RELATED: If You're Not Sure If It's Love Or Lust, Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
4. Notice how you navigate conflict together
Being able to navigate conflict together is one of the most important indications that you can maintain a long-term intimate relationship with your guy. (It’s possible that the two of you have not had any bumps in the road yet.)
Conflict in your intimate relationships is inevitable. There will be challenges that the two of you will need to work out.
That’s why it’s important that you don’t try to avoid discord during the dating process.
There’s no need to create conflict, but it is okay to occasionally rock the boat if it comes about by speaking your truth.
Knowing that the two of you can repair and reconnect through conflict is one of the most important deciding factors to determine an ideal match for love to last.
If you haven’t overcome any obstacles together it’s more of an infatuation with the potential for love in the future.
RELATED: Why We Need Love To Resolve Conflicts
5. Pay attention to whether you're being your most authentic self
Wanting to be loved for who you really are, you must be willing to show up as your authentic self. It can be exhausting and anxiety-producing to be constantly twisting into a pretzel trying to please your guy.
An ideal relationship is one where you can be yourself and the connection between you is easy. What happens when you share with him how you feel? Does he get defensive and argue with you? Or is he able to hear you and acknowledge your feelings?
Start letting him know how you feel. You could even share with him that you like hearing that he loves you and that you’re still figuring out your feelings for him.
Share your truth about your attraction for him and that you’re enjoying the journey to see how it unfolds.
Being authentic is like sending him an invitation to meet you at a high vibration. When your partner is able to meet you with his authenticity then you can create a deep connection.
When you can be authentic and share your truth with one another you’ve laid the groundwork for love to blossom.
RELATED: Be True To Yourself: The Power & Importance Of Authenticity
6. Get real about your life goals
Common interests are nice, but they are no indication that the two of you are on the same page about what is really important. Your relationship is still young, so this is a great time to his values and goals and sees if you share the same perspective on what’s important in life.
You may have different strategies for dealing with challenges, but if you share the same values and goals then you can find a way to work together to solve any problems that arise.
Worrying about how long it takes you to fall in love isn’t helping you stay present to what you are actually feeling and evaluate if he would be a good match for you for the long term. Let go of the need to know if it’s love or not, and instead, get in touch with how you feel about him right now.
This will allow you to be present at the moment so you can evaluate the relationship for its long-term potential.
RELATED: Falling In Love Is Easy — Staying In Love Is A Choice
Orna and Matthew Walters are soulmate coaches who have been featured guest experts on Bravo’s The Millionaire Matchmaker. They're the authors of the free ebook, 7 Steps To Soulmating.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Renters reach out to ABC13 to find answers to their questions and concerns about where they live. From crime problems to added-on service fees, it can be difficult to know where the responsibility lies.
ABC13 reached out to a Houston-area attorney, Richard Amagwula, to help answer some top questions Eyewitness News has received from viewers.
Tamara in northeast Houston said she moved out of her complex after being concerned about crime and her safety. Someone else moved in, but she ended up with a big bill.
Q: If someone else takes over your lease, are you still responsible for paying rent?
A: "So as a tenant, even if you leave early and they find a new tenant, you may still have a requirement to pay additional or additional rent that is required for the remainder of your lease," Amagwula said.
Amagwula explained that tenants could also be on the hook if the landlord could not rent out the unit for as much money as they were paying. You may be responsible for paying the difference.
Q: Lisa in Pasadena wants to know: Can an apartment complex decide to use an outside service to do utility billing that will end up adding extra fees to my rent payment?
A: The attorney ABC13 spoke with says you will have to look at your lease to see if there was anything about the fees in there. A tenant can be responsible for these kinds of fees, even if the cost goes up. However, if the landlord is trying to enforce a provision that is not in your lease at all, you should notify them of that in writing and, at that point, should not be required to pay the fee.
Q: Tia in southwest Houston asked if there is any recourse if you've been a victim of a crime at your apartment complex?
The attorney said it's possible to get some financial recourse in this situation under the covenant of quiet enjoyment, which holds the landlord responsible for other tenants who create disturbances.
A: "You'd first have to point out that covenant itself and then actually prove that the landlord has actually breached that covenant. From there, obviously, if the court agrees and sees that the landlord has breached that covenant, there's some possibility of some financial recourse, but obviously, you have to go through the process of litigation to get there," Amagwula said.
Rodnisha from the Alief area said the complex where she lives had ongoing issues with the hot water, leaving her and her children going days at a time without hot water each month.
Q: How long can apartments keep you without hot water?
Amagwula explained that if the complex is actively trying to fix the problem, there's no set timeframe for how many days they have to do so. However, if the issue is not being worked on, this tenant should make repair requests in writing. If there's still no solution, that's when the tenant can decide if they want to start the litigation process or seek to end her lease.
Q: After a renter has filled out an application, can an apartment change its rent price without notification?
A: Unfortunately, according to the attorney we spoke with, there is probably not much you can do about this because, typically, applications are not binding agreements, so you likely would not be able to hold the complex accountable for a breach of contract because they changed the price after you filled out the application and planned to move there.
Q: Do landlords have to supply renters a heads-up when maintenance crews will be inside their homes?
Amagwula said it depends on what kind of repair it is. If it is a mandatory repair or an emergency repair, generally, landlords do not have to supply notice before coming to your apartment.
A: "You may see for routine repairs or routine visits to the property that the landlord has a requirement to provide you with 24 hours notice or reasonable notice depending on what they're actually coming to the property for. Generally speaking, there are situations where notice is not required for the landlord to either come on to the property or to make these mandatory repairs," Amagwula explained.
Do you have questions about your rent? Are you struggling to get help from a landlord? Send us your questions, and we will look into it.
For more news updates, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2023 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
DR JEFF FOSTER is The Sun on Sunday’s new resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) SIX weeks ago I had the nasty flu that has been going around.
I’m a 44-year-old man and am usually in good health but I felt awful and was in bed for more than a week.
The worst of it has gone but I still feel unwell and very tired.
Is there anything I can do to shift it?
John Conway, Bristol
A) One of the biggest problems we now see with viral illnesses is the perception around recovery, and making the distinction between mild illnesses such as the common cold and flu.
Lots of people state they have had a “touch of flu” and been unwell for a week or so, but in reality this was probably just a bad cold.
True significant viral illnesses such as influenza, coronavirus and glandular fever can be devastating and take many weeks, or even months, to fully recover from.
Patients who have not recovered from Covid are now referred to “long Covid” clinics, (although there is still no single clear treatment), but the concept of post-viral fatigue has been around for decades.
Try to make sure you are doing everything to supply your body a good chance to recover – e.g. maximising your sleep quality, minimising stress and having a good diet, as well as making sure you have sufficient vitamin D and exercising where possible.
If none of this helps, see your GP .
Q) I AM a 39-year-old woman.
I’ve always enjoyed sex and had orgasms but over the last few months I haven’t been able to orgasm at all.
I’ve tried everything!
Lauren C High Wycombe, Bucks
A) Sexual dysfunction in men and women is a very common problem and causes are often multi-factorial.
The biggest problem is that both sexes tend to be embarrassed to talk about it.
This makes diagnosis and treatment difficult.
We tend to look at any form of loss of sex drive as either primary or secondary – is it a new problem or something you have always had?
In your case, if you previously had normal sexual function, this suggests a accurate change in either your body, mind or social circumstances.
If you are in a relationship, then make sure you are happy and still find your partner sexually desirable.
I would also look at any external lifestyle factors that may have impacted on your sex drive, such as stresses, poor sleep, change in body weight and too little or too much exercise.
If none of these apply to you, then see your doctor.
A drop in libido can be a symptom of an underlying medical problem and it would be worth thinking about any other symptoms you may have.
