Random 3 for November 28, 2021 – Car warnings, electronics, memory

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The symbol is the second from left, top row although on my car it’s an enclosed box with more of an “x” than a snowflake (or it that a rotovirus?)

We’re running on empty here so there are only three!

Why I can’t have new things – My new car has been displaying a “warning” symbol. It’s a weird box with the top part narrower than the bottom and an “x” through it. It’s not there all the time, just sometimes. It’s not intuitive. I couldn’t figure out what it is. Although the car is three months old, I take heed of these things so I pulled out ye ol’ owner’s manual. The icon means it’s cold outside. They actually display a warning when it’s cold outside like I don’t already know! That “x” may be a snowflake. Who knows? I need to be part of the beta team to test new symbols. The car displays messages in English and has Alexa. Instead of an obscure icon, it could read (or Alexa could say), “Baby it’s cold outside!” That would work! Intuitive my arse!

And it continues — It’s not just the car, it’s the phone, the computer (mine is so old I know all the icons) and every other ding dang electronic thing (new cooking range coming, that will be a treat). I spent some time on my phone. It communicates to my car. I can lock my doors and start it up on an app. Both of these items do far more than their intended purpose. My car is pretty amazing. The sad part is that most of these features will go unused (and misunderstood). Where was this stuff when I was young?

Let’s not leave the car quite yet – Another issue — my remote garage door opener doesn’t clip on my big fat sun visor. (Yes I know, first world problem!) It torpedoes off like a missile at any given time whopping me on the chest. I stopped at an auto parts stores that has a gazillion obscure things but nada. I googled it. Nope I couldn’t find a fatter clip but I did read a lot of messages that the visor is a dumb place to store it. If the thieves get your address (usually in your glove compartment on the owner’s registration), they can attempt to get into your house through the garage. There were many alternative places suggested. I sat in my car (again) and looked around. I have a “qi” compatible charging spot (who knew?) and a little hidey hole on the left. It may be for coins but it’s shallow (who uses coins these days?). I found the sunglass holder (my sunglasses don’t fit) and the remote fits perfectly there. Bazinga! Done! Except the next morning I couldn’t find the remote. I had forgotten which of all the magic places I put it. There is no fix for that.

So how was your week?

60 thoughts on “Random 3 for November 28, 2021 – Car warnings, electronics, memory”

  1. I have to refer to the manual for the icon meanings, too. The low tire pressure is the one that freaks me out. Driving down the highway at 65-70 and the icon comes up along with an rather loud alarm, but the tire is fine. Eventually, my husband took it to the tire guys who found a slow leak. If it is extraordinarily cold, the air contracts and pressure lowers. So we only pay attention if it is warm outside. Pretty much it just cries wolf a lot. Here’s the real question. Does it have enough cup holders? The rest is gravy.

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  2. Oh my gosh – I know! especially with things that you don’t buy for years on end (cars, ovens) when you do buy a new one, they are just incomprehensible! But it sounds like you are getting comfortable with the new car – soon you will be reading the icons like a pro 🙂

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    • Lol

      On Tue, Nov 30, 2021, 2:03 AM Views and Mews by Coffee Kat wrote:

      > quiteayarnblog commented: “Oh my gosh – I know! especially with things > that you don’t buy for years on end (cars, ovens) when you do buy a new > one, they are just incomprehensible! But it sounds like you are getting > comfortable with the new car – soon you will be reading the icons ” >

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    • That’s unlikely to happen although I’m thinking about printing a cheat sheet to stash in my glove compartment. I have to get over the feeling that any warning means imminent death! The phone is coming along better than I thought although I may still upgrade in 2 years or so. We are starting to do apps on the phone. I can lock/unlock my car and start it from my phone. That’s besides streaming on my Sonos speaker. Cells are becoming more necessary these days. I’ve got one leg on that bandwagon so we’ll see.

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    • I have enough trouble with emojis people use. Much of the time, they are so small I don’t know what they are (and therefore don’t get the message sent!). Maybe the problem is in my brain. I was raised back in the day when they used word signs instead of obscure symbols.

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  5. I never thought I’d say it (because I used to think people who did were OLD) but I miss the good old days when everything wasn’t automated and we didn’t have 50 options for every single thing we did. On the other hand, some of the new stuff makes us more safe and it’s hard to argue with that. I’m almost dreading getting a new car – which we probably will do next year. As long as I am able to drive without it talking to me (or beeping or burping or flashing) I’ll be OK. I hope. Dang – maybe I really am OLD!

    Hugs, Pam

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    • I have flashbacks of my mother when I tried to get her to use microwaves, cordless phones and bank drive-throughs. Working hard not to get like that but dang it’s hard. You get used to the car beeping. At first I thought death was imminent but now I realize that I’m close to something but not THAT close.

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  7. I am already worried about having to eventually go to electric cars and I read this and will go out and bribe the car to give me another decade of driving bliss. I haven’t even changed the clock from the time change earlier this month. I had a cheat sheet for the Regal and I looked online to find it as it was quicker than digging out the 400-page manual in the glove box and paging through the index. I decided I don’t drive much in Winter and heck – it was easier to remember the hour time difference but wait … there’s more. I got a new battery this Summer, so it is 10 minutes slow from removing the battery before replacing it. Good – ten minutes slow, an hour fast – take a calculator with me for whatever hidey hole I can find to put the calculator in.

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      • I always have a watch on, except weekends – my indulgence to not look at the time while I am out, so I either calculate in my head or turn the all-news station on … they give the time frequently. That is true – my car is on a trickle charger now 24/7/365. I listen to your modern car and feel like I’m turning into an old fogey. P.S. – I had to argue with Allstate because they did not send my proof of insurance to me. I said I don’t have a printer (despite working from home) and I don’t have a smartphone to show my insurance is paid. They hemmed and hawed about it – I said “not everyone in the world has a smartphone.”

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          • Wow – I might have a problem down the line if I remain stubborn with my flip phone. But I don’t use it … I phone my landline twice a month to discharge the battery and also use up some of my minutes (I have over 500 minutes as I roll them over each year – but I can’t have more than 500 to roll them over).

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            • It’s one of those things that you may need for emergencies so you pay for the convenience. If you insist, usually a company will accommodate. My car insurance sends me the proof car by email but follows a few weeks later with a paper copy because I haven’t gone paperless yet.

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              • I had to change back to the way I had my premiums before. Allstate was just written up as having the highest premiums and they raised them, despite last year having fewer people driving = fewer accidents. They raise my rates twice a year citing administrative costs. When I complained, they suggested I go to an automatic withdrawal of the premium amount from my bank. I’m okay with that for Medicare or my Obamacare before that, but I was skeptical. Do it, the Allstate agent said. It was all messed up. When I asked for hard copies of everything, she said “either/or” – SMH.

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  8. OMG! It makes me tired just reading this. I’m going to try very hard not to wreck my car so I won’t have to learn anything new.

    For Thanksgiving I had 8 guests, so I rearranged some things to make the place look neater and to give me more space for entertaining. I’m in the habit these days of writing in the kitchen, so I had some messy piles to clean up. So far, I’ve only lost one thing.

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  9. Finding a perfect spot for something…and then forgetting what perfect spot I stashed said item in is all too familiar for me. I also totally get your resistance to new (much more complicated) replacement for our daily tools. Phone and computer updates? #Fogetaboutit #Waytoomuchwork!

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  11. Ah, the warning symbols on car dashboards. We had one come up which turned out to be low tyre pressure. We also had little snowflakes for an ice alert and wiggly lines for a slippery road.
    New car, or should I say another car, and Hubby was panicking because it was sluggish to start. Seems we have a ‘heat start’, and have to wait for the little coil light to go out before turning the ignition on. Worked like a dream! Test will be tomorrow if this cold weather holds.

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    • I sound like my mother when we were trying to set her up with a cordless portable phone. At the end of the day, she never used it but preferred to get up and go to where the phone was attached to the wall!

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  14. Hi Kate, I had the same issue as you with my garage door remote not going on the new cars fatter visor and could not find anything that would work. Here is my McGiver solition: I cut a length of an old pair of pantyhose, inserted the remote into it and then tied it around the visor. I can push the button through the mesh. Voila! Has been working perfectly for 3 years!

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  15. Don’t get me wrong, technology is a wonderful thing. At some point, ‘they’ decided that the world needed to be directed by technology. I watched a weather report this morning, and told my husband that if my grandfather had read, looked, checked and double checked back in the day, the cows would have never gotten milked or fed because he wouldn’t have left the house. Yes, I’m showing my age, and I don’t care. 🙂 The younger folks who have grown up with technology at their fingertips check their apps for everything and live accordingly. I do what I want and sometimes look at an app to verify what I already know based upon years of experience. If it is November 28th, it is most likely cold out there so grab a coat. 🙂

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  17. Yup! Absolutely agree with everything you wrote! I bought a new vehicle in March 2019 (traded in my 2001!) and the next day as I was leaving my driveway it beeped at me (Colin hits brakes!). Why was it beeping? Was there an obstruction somewhere? Was something not working? Nope!
    Some Toyota genius decided that I needed to be warned if the temperature outside could produce icy conditions. I mean ………. I knew what the damn temperature was, and am well aware of “Freezing Point”.
    It is beeps, burps and flashes at me regularly for a variety of reasons (try putting a package on the front passenger seat without strapping it in), and I have come to a couple of conclusions. One is that car design is now driven by the philosophy that “we’ll load the car with electronic gimmicks because we can”, and the other is that I am losing touch with society in general. Reminds me of my grandmother who never grasped the concept of television. She used to love the live entertainment shows and would always wave to the performers but, why not … they used to wave to her didn’t they! 🙂

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  18. Buying a new vehicle is a bit like learning a whole new language. It’s scary to notice one when you’re driving. I have to pull over to check the translation (aka owner’s manual). On the plus side, at least you don’t have to deal with learning grammar rules but you do have to figure out what all those hieroglyphic symbols mean.

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  19. I’m not sure I need my car to tell me it is cold outside! Technological overreach. And those symbols are so not intuitive. I have a low tire pressure light that took me reading the manual to understand finally. Maybe the symbols are intuitive to those who are 40 years younger than we are!

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    • The low tire pressure light — when I was working I came in an told the guy who worked for me that a new warning signal was on my dash. He asked what it was. I thought it was a butt with a crack in the middle. He laughed and told me tire pressure.

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  20. Can you program your car to open the garage door? Most cars have a button or three on the rearview mirror that you can use and then you never have to hunt for the remote again. Sure, thieves can also use that, but is your car likely to get stolen? I live in Los Angeles and my cars have never been stolen…although the wheels have been stolen off my car.

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    • I looked for that because many suggestions were to get a smart mirror. I found no instructions on it although my mirror adjusts for night driving. My garage door opener is old so I wasn’t sure if I’d get it to sync but next warm day (freaking freezing out there today) I’ll give it another look. My husband’s old car has it.

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