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GDouglas

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GDouglas last won the day on May 25 2021

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  1. Yes, the fiber optic is actually routed through Jocopotec before it routes to Ajijic, the backbone comes from Gualadajara-to-Jocopotec. That sounds like they installed fiber along Highway 80 then Highway 15, because they probably had cheaper running rights for their mega reel of fiber backbone... That's why TotalPlay arrived a bit sooner towards the west than towards the east. Telmex has been playing catch-up to TotalPlay and iLox also expanded coverage, so some Casa addresses have 3 fiber optic ISPs competing against each other now! So check all 3 of them, fiber is very common in 2023 now in most Lakeside locations, though some "Remote" locations (e.g. farms or isolated homes, or very far up mountain) may not have it far from the carterra. But even most of the mansions high up on the mountain seems to now be reached by TotalPlay. TotalPlay is generally preferred, followed by Telmex, followed by iLox, in my experience. You may even try to get 2 connections installed at the same time - one being used as a backup. You can keep the monthly bill low on one of them ($20/mo equivalent) and spend more on the other. Knowing local Internet reliability is poor on non-fiber, paying 2 ISPs also causes them to race against each other to outdo each other. Also the fact that copper thieves and rise in copper value, means fiber is now cheaper than copper, so new deploys are now fiber -- when new towns are built today, it's already fiber from the outset, as fiber per meter is now much cheaper than copper per meter this decade. In other words, new telephone lines being installed in new towns next to already-fiber towns, are going straight to fiber now. Even Telmex knocked on my door to upgrade my DSL connection to fiber, long after my 500/500 symmetric TotalPlay. I haven't bitten yet as it is only backup, and it's just a sub-400 peso connection as a backup, and I had modified my on-property telephone wire to upgrade DSL from 5/2 to 50/10 (direct wire to modem, bypassing house wiring), and simultaneously removed a pigeon poop perch above my front courtyard (yay). But if I do upgrade, then I'd have dual-FTTH! One big side effect of disposable price of cheap fiber, the new FTTH competition boom is the massive messes they're making on the shared telephone poles, but tolerate that for a decade (or two), it gets cleaned up eventually once all the old copper lines are removed and some ugly messes are replaced with neater fiber bundle upgrades. It's like 1880's telegraph wire messes all over again. Damn fine price to pay for cheap reliable fiber Internet. BTW, while you can get entry level fiber for less than 400 pesos per month (a steal compared to DSL), both Totalplay and Telmex now offers gigabit speed plans. If you go that fast, then Telmex is slightly cheaper at $1499 pesos per month, which is cheaper than some of the North American gigabit options (especially Comcast pricing), you should consider also bundle-in the Disney+ and streaming plans as the Mexican pricing is relatively cheap. There's been good price-cutting at the fastest speeds so my TotalPlay 500/500 is a bit cheaper than it was thanks to the competition. Speed/plan changes are just a WhatsApp chat away for me.
  2. Only seeing this now… Visit the Telmex office in Ajijic during business hours, they can help with some incorrect signup info by signing up together with you, and noticing a mismatch in the signup for mitelmex.
  3. I use my Netflix Canada account autobilled on a Canada VISA card. Netflix accounts autobilled on Apple App Store also works in Mexico too. Works perfectly fine in superlative 4K DOLBY VISION HDR ATMOS ULTRA HD on my TotalPlay 200/200 Mbps fiber optic connection. Goes straight to 4K in just 500 milliseconds (0.5 seconds) after pressing the PLAY button. No slow uprezzing or buffering junk. For now, I don't use a VPN though, I get enough of what I need at the moment. But if you use a VPN, choose a fast VPN -- something blazingly fast such as ExpressVPN or HotspotShield. Don't go for the cheap VPNs that will buffer 240p or 480p instead of instant zero delay 4K.
  4. I just noticed Jalisco made some advisories about Dengue mosquitoes not long ago: https://ssj.jalisco.gob.mx/prensa/noticia/10313 Also some of the Ajijic/Chapala health people have been knocking on doors on advising about Dengue (and treatments, such as those dissolvable bags that you put in your cistern to kill the dengue-infected mosquito larvae). We haven't been knocked on but we might not have been around at the time. I only post this because I seem to occasionally get a minor rash that looks exactly like https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471#gallery-open -- something like 10 bumps or so. And they say 75% of dengue patients don't even get a fever -- and sometimes only a few bumps, like around the arms, legs or ankles. Does anyone know of a dermatologist that can diagnose my itchier-than-usual mosquito bumps? I don't have an accompanying fever, but they are annoyingly itchier than usual for mosquito bumps. I'm not even sure if it is dengue or not, but the bites feel redder and itcher than usual. I'm definitely no emergency case, but I want to be safe than sorry.
  5. The advice is accurate. I can confirm local shops can easily do common copying tasks from a working drive pulled from a dead computer. It's something I have done myself on occasion. An addition precaution tip though: The biggest risk is accidental damage -- via transportation of the bare hard drive, make sure you protect it from static electricity and from being bumped around If you have any antistatic bags, put the drive inside such a bag. And then put the bag in something padded for shock absorption. If you don't have any antistatic bags, then double-bag it in ziploc in a pinch -- it will be better than keeping it in plain open air. Ziploc inside ziploc, if no antistatic bag available. Touch something metal before touching the disk drive -- to clear your body of static electricity. Normally for most users if it is a laptop drive -- then I would recommend keeping the disk drive inside the dead laptop and transport the laptop (since even a dead laptop protects the drive from static electricity and some G-shock). But if it is already removed, take additional precautions to protect the drive during transportation to whomever helps get the files off for you.
  6. I never said anything about "how can we say we miss you" Perhaps that was your attempt to move the goalposts, virgo lady... I merely simply said a very true fact, which I will rephrase more clearly: "There exist people who like my posts, while there exist people who don't like my posts." That is different from interpreting it as "how can we say we miss you". Fixed that for you. Here's a safe zone for you where I've disabled notifications, if you would like to post a disagreement with me there with your total glee: (90% full of photo, very few words)
  7. Haha. I'm still in the industry, albiet part time -- I do remote work on my preferred hours. I'm retired from office cubicles but I work remotely on hours I set, as I still do so. Mainly to do things like save extra investments and stocks, fund extra vacations, possible summer property in Canada, help some local Mexican friends finish school (ongoing), etc. Being covered for the base of my life, it just merely simply mean I no longer have to live paycheck to paycheck anymore.
  8. That part I might hire a local trade (the same ones that is doing other stuff we don't want to do)... For considering this portion as a DIY project -- I've also watched a few youtube videos such as this. one. That is certainly easy and much simpler than some electricals and in-walls I've done in Canada, but I will have to wait until we've purchased a vaccuum cleaner for all the cement dust. 😆 Just that I've never needed to do this in Canada, since Canadian houses generally aren't made of concrete...
  9. Though contemporary green roofs is an idea, we prefer a permeable deck at this time because of planned shade and also solar panels above the patio (thread). Via another channel, I've just been informed of bamboo deck options, either as bamboo stalks (tiki / raft look) or bamboo-fiber 2x4's (traditional look), both of which are available. I'll accept tips of local suppliers on these too. (Commentary: Although our concrete roof appears to be strongly built enough to support a full size 3rd story or a green roof -- we are doing some common local greenery along one edge -- like flower boxes / edge gardens / small palmy trees for the opposite edge of the roof that is not covered by the solar panels.)
  10. Is this an adoption in progress? Or a widowed dog / or a dog that was just abandoned? If so, one of the local dog rescues has a Flight Angels programme. Basically your dog will be sent with a volunteer who's also bringing other dogs to meet their adopters waiting at the Canadian airport. Perhaps contact them and see if they would be willing to help you for a fee, if you're able to wait for their next trip? They serve Toronto. Background: We learned this because our household is in the progress of seeking to adopt 2 dogs in the next couple months, and we learned about the Flight Angels programme. (Even though I wasn't planning to use the program, I was informed of it). Our goal is to adopt an older dog and a younger/puppy. Also, we are the godfathers to a local friend's very adorable dog who we dogsit often and walks up the mountain often.
  11. I had not had a need for this because we were renting, but since we purchased recently because of our large number of friends here... we're in the process of lots of minor renos, some by trades and some by our hand. For example, we want to be able to hold parties on our rooftop. We chopped down a very old 8 foot C-Band satellite dish left behind by the old homeowner, plus other clutter, and just freed up a massive rooftop deck. Solar will be the awning/gazebo cover, but the floor is concrete and uneven (has a drainage channel). 1. Sources of rooftop decking? I'm only familiar with wood decking of the 2x6 or 2x4 kind (or similar) in Canada. Here, to solve the uneven concrete rooftop floor with built-in drainage channels -- I'm thinking of installing a permeable floor, like deck-style floor. That way the drainage channels still work but the floor becomes flat. But wood isn't good for a hot Chapala rooftop, so I'm wondering what people do about covering uneven rooftops with planks -- perhaps a special kind of wood formulation designed for these climates, or plastic planks, or plastic tiles 2. Shops for electrical wiring? (15 amp indoors type), power outlets / GFCI / power switches, etc. There's a couple of easy jobs I want to do, like adding an outlet where none exist. What are the favorite shops of Chapala/Ajijic I should be browsing through? I'd love to know some local favorites now that I have a sudden need for these for the first time. I've long done DIY electricity upgrades back in Canada, and while I can hire local labour, I'm perfectly happy installing a couple my way (so wiring is hidden the way I like it, etc.) Some will be surface-mount outlets in a workshop building at the back of the backyard. 3. Trades (or DIY) for embedding a new outlet into concrete? For the outlets that needs to be embedded in concrete, I may hire a trade, but I'm also interested if there's a Ryobi or DeWalt cordless tool capable of cutting a cube-shape hole in a wall for installing an outlet (from wiring coming in from opposite side). Already have a drill and masonry bits. Thoughts & recommendations?
  12. Thank you! Tip is noted. It is true that I will not be adjusting the size of my posts in those situations where a big post is (in my own mind) warranted. Some of mine are small, and others of mine are big. My typing speed leads to big posts that served me well in other industries, and it's not a habit I plan to change...
  13. NO - I will be staying around... While I realize some people hate long messages and some people like long messages, here is a perspective: People in real life like me because I post big, and I bring big cheer to many lives in the real world, including through the time-saving manuals I write in real life. There are many existing people here afraid to disagree with you (because they don't want to alert you with a Reaction, so only people who agree with you are reacting to you). Also, because of my old field of work, I have always posted big -- I earned more because of my ability to output lots of English at 140 words per minute. With due respect, I am not reducing the size of my posts here. I might use Grammarly to reduce fluff words, but it will only reduce the size of my posts by a few %. If you think I am a troll, follow the old adage, "don't feed the troll", and also, "use the ignore list feature" on these forums. With due respect, you can just use these tools. You can yes-people amongst yourselves, but I also have my fans too -- some of whom is silenced by the likes of you. This forum has no 140-charater or 280-character limitation like the kindergarten bird app (aka "Twitter"). It is already well known that the owner of the web boards can't really easily quickly ban neither you nor me because all of us are customers of the sponsor, Caldwell Banker, and that Caldwell Banker would lose business (and the real estate commissions) if they started banning many members. However, these forums nicely provided a feature that allows you to mute members onto an ignore list. Reactions Only Amplify Participation Because Of Alerts In addition, any reactions or request to shorten my posts will simply amplify my participation in these forums, as an equivalent of a Striesand Effect↗️ because your replies and reactions alerts notifies my smartwatch on my wrist as all my emails/texts show up on my watch. I might ignore your post or your reaction, but since I'll be back on the site, I might end up participating more often in other threads because your reaction alert brought me back here. It's just Notifications 101, so if you personally think I am a troll (not everyone does, but you might), the old Internet adage is "don't feed the troll" if you think I am a troll from your perspective. So it's useless to react to my posts if you don't like me, or my content, or my length of my posts. Unless you secretly enjoy seeing me keep posting, despite publicly saying you don't want me to post long replies. Since I am self employed, and we have a zero-mortgage zero-rent house now, I have plenty of time to kill. Since I type 140 words per minute, I have no desire to shorten my posts. Therefore, I humbly and politely suggest that @mudgirl and @virgo lady put me on their Ignore List. (To be fair, I use Twitter too, under other accounts including some community accounts back in Canada, for things like promoting a park community events and gaming/computer club events.) </🎤> WINNER! Thanks Trophy awarded 🏆 Thank youi. (Aside: The Golf Cart thread is now toxic waste contaminated by a puppet that probably has the IP address of a VPN still accessible to Russia instead of Telmex/Totalplay. That thread should probably be closed in the name of security and peace, or thread moved to the moderator's preferred pandora box forum next to the other "famous" threads. At least it's confined to one ignorable thread and I will focus on other existing/new threads..) To help other readers of this thread learn how to block me, allow me to help. (I used to write instruction manuals as one of my many careers, and was paid six figures USD & CAD for it!) Instructions: How To Block GDouglas For Computer/Tablet: Click your username at the upper-right corner. For Smartphone: Tap menu ☰ icon and then tap "Account" Select "Ignored Users" Enter "GDouglas" and then tap the Enter key. All my posts will disappear from your eyes* *Note: Even though my posts and my reactions to your posts will be muted for you, they will still be visible to others. Accessibility Shortcut Link: If you are using an accessibility device that doesn't work with above instructions, open this link to go directly to the "Add Ignored User" page.
  14. My experience with Telmex line in Ajijic and Chapala has very different reliabilities. In Ajijic, after a big haggle, I was able to get Telmex upgraded from a noisy 5Mbps-ish DSL into a very reliable 40-to-60Mbps DSL connection. It almost never goes out now. I visited the Telmex office literally 4 times to essentialy egg them on. I think they were getting tired of this computer tech (me) and found it cheaper to just fix the line with a fresh wire. 🙂 (The next renters of the place -- friends of ours -- are thankful. They say they haven't noticed it going out during the times they used it, except during power blackout) Here in Chapala, I've got a very spotty 30/5 Mbps Telmex connection that goes out several times a day, despite being between 1-2 block from the Malecon. But I got Totalplay fiber-to-the-home installed and chose the symmetric 100/100 plan. I've got the ability to switch it 10 minutes to gigabit, or a symmetric 500/500 connection, just by chatting Totalplay via WhatsApp for a live speed change (and bill change). Our new house came with a landline with Telmex DSL activated. But now that we've switched to TotalPlay while still paying for the Telmex bill as a backup, I'll probably be in @dixongeposition of not noticing my landline going out, since I might use it only once a month (or less). The "computer technician way" in Lakeside is to always have a backup -- two Internet connections. If Totalplay stays reliable, I might ever not failover to Telmex, and thus, I'll never notice my Telmex backup going out. My other techie friends in the area seems to do this -- but then again these are my friends in the age of 30s, 40s and early 50s, rather than full-time retirees -- I noticed this "have-an-idling-backup" technique is not as common amongst retirees. It's a super-cheap $25 Internet "insurance policy" to just keep paying the good 'ol unused Telmex bill. It's easy to not notice your backup going out, if you're not using the backup. I might get a "dual-WAN" router (one WiFi router that's connected to two internet services at the same time) so that I have automatic failover. The Dual-WAN automatic failover arrangement requires 3 routers (a TotalPlay router with WiFi intentionally turned off and a Telmex router with WiFi intentionally turned off) connected to a 3rd router you purchase separately (Amazon/MercadoLibre/local store). That 3rd router becomes the "main" WiFi router for the house. Someone I know is doing dual-WAN with TotalPlay and Telmex simultaneously on one WiFi name (SSID) and it works great for them. Less hair pulling if one of the two disconnects!
  15. Good question! As long as I'm getting 21%-22% efficiency panels, and the price-per-watt is reasonable, I'm OK with any panel size of a good durable panel. I've heard good things about Panasonic a few years ago, but most manufacturers now make >20% efficient panels. [Still debating what to do with the two-meter situation, which is a showstopper that delays things by a couple months probably]
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