Friday, December 10, 2021

Day 4369

The new TV arrived today. As expected, there were a few surprises. For starters I couldn't attach the TV to the stand I'd put together the other day. The wall mount screws included with the stand were the wrong size and there were no screws included with the TV. I thought about just placing the TV on top of the VRC and set top box like the old TV, but it was too wide and wouldn't fit. Right now it is sitting on the floor and way too low to view.

I had an online chat with a Samsung tech support guy who kept recommending a wall mount screw size that other people online said wouldn't work. This small TV is seldom wall mounted, so that is part of the problem. It is also not very popular since most people get larger sizes. I actually think this is the smallest 4K TV available. I guess I'll go to the storage warehouse tomorrow and bring home some small cube tables that will at least raise the TV up to a decent viewing height. I'll also go to Home Depot and buy a wide selection of metric screws. Something is bound to work.

I managed to get the TV hooked up to our cable service and turn off some of the most annoying features. I really don't want my TV talking to me. It's annoying enough to have my watch and phone talk to me. I need to figure out how to disable the built in Alexa feature. Janet doesn't want Alexa snooping on us. I had a lot of things like a Roku stick and Apple TV hooked up to the old TV, but these streaming services all seem to be built into this TV. Setting up a TV these days involves scanning a lot of QR codes with your phone and configuring the TV using an app. I can never seem to type using my phone, so I enter the information on my computer in the office instead. I think I spent the entire afternoon walking back and forth between the office and the bedroom where the TV is. Basically I'm too old for a high tech TV. I was happy enough with 13 channels and the little portable Sony Trinitron I had decades ago.

It's looks like I'll have to wait for the FedEx truck. I could never figure out how to request that my shipment be held at a Fedex facility. The FedEx website is basically broken. When I'm not signed in, it offers a variety of choices for managing my delivery. Of course when I'm not signed in, it doesn't know who I am. As soon as I sign in to my account, all these choices disappear. I tried calling the FedEx help line, but it is completely automated now. Have you ever tried to describe your problem to one of those automated artificial intelligence voices? It will drive you mad. It's hard to explain to one robot that another robot isn't working. 

I don't think I'm going to get my 20,000 steps today. Dawn got her sunrise walk and I took a longer four mile walk later. I usually need one more short walk to go over 20,000 steps. Sorry. When I should have been walking, I was at Home Depot looking for a small table for the new TV. I also went to a neighborhood Walgreens to see if they could hold my FedEx package, but their in-store Fedex facility was such a shambles that I left without even talking to anyone. All in all, it wasn't a very productive day. 

Tomorrow is basically just waiting for the FedEx driver. I'll do my grocery shopping and hopefully get some walking in while Janet is still at home to sign for the shipment. Probably we'll wait all day and the shipment won't come anyway,. That's usually how it works.

Princess is todays Dalmatian of the Day


Watch of the Day