Re: My computer situation (update, w/ recommended computer)

[Guest guest]

Great info! thanks!

On windows machines you might want to try

the google chrome browser instead of firefox.

Seems to use less resources?

For latex the dulop process is nasty, but the

other one, talalay, is not bad (but costs more).

How far from the eMachines can you pick up

radio static or buzz? I think some run linux,

but yours is Windows right? Which Windows?

Bill

On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 10:05 AM, svetaswan <svetaswan@...> wrote:

>

>

>

> Hi guys,

>

> Long time no see. I just thought I'd post an email (with a few

> omissions/modifications) that I just got finished sending someone in the

> group. I'm sorry that it's so long-winded - but maybe, just maybe, there is

> a morsel or two in my autistic narrative that might be helpful to someone.

> As I say in the email, I really regret not telling you guys about a laptop

> computer that I had known about for months that seemed relatively benign (at

> least to me). What a big " D'OH " on my part. I guess my " reasoning " , if you

> can call it that - for not mentioning it is that I had sort-of dismissed it

> in my mind as an " el cheapo " brand computer that wasn't a viable long-term

> option. But so far, this laptop is working for me - well, as much as a

> computer can " work " for someone with esens. It might work for other

> sufferers. The email follows:

>

> I just wanted to update you on my computer situation. In February/March, I

> finally started making some moves on buying a new computer. At first I

> bought an ASUS A52F-XA1 (15.6 " ) laptop, but I returned it to amazon.comwithout

even opening the box because when I later went to " test " the

> computer at Best Buy, it seemed like it would be pretty bothersome (I felt

> " forced " to make a quick purchase on amazon.com because it was showing one

> of those " Only 2 Left in Stock " type of messages). Then, a few weeks later,

> I took the plunge again; I was intrigued with ULV processors - so I bought

> an ASUS UL50-XA1 - this computer:

>

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/UL50AT-X1-Processor-Notebook-Windows-Premium/dp/B003DZCPL6\

/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1306059154 & sr=1-1

>

> Well, it was pretty bad! I started feeling quite " fried " about as soon as I

> turned on the computer. In many ways, it was considerably worse than the

> laptop that I was trying to get away from. The low-power, " battery " settings

> made it somewhat better - but not " better " enough. Within hours, I pretty

> much knew that it wasn't something I should keep - there just had to be

> something better. The ultra-low-voltage 1.3 GHz SU7300 Core 2 Duo processor

> just didn't " do the trick " as far as making that thing a tolerable machine.

> Oh, I still have faith that ULV processors can contribute greatly to a

> relatively pain-free computing experience - but in that particular computer,

> it wasn't nearly enough to make it -friendly (at least based on my

> experience). I guess this just reinforces the " theory " (or fact) that there

> must be a lot more involved in computer emissions than just the

> processor/graphics card.

>

> (I was focusing on ASUS computers because I had read that they have one of

> the best track records as far as durability/reliability - Dell's poor

> reputation for longevity steered me away from Dells. I need for my

> investment to last a long time.)

>

> So after this experience, I just said " f - it " . I was tired of the

> " buying-and-returning " merry-go-round. I was tired of the " research " and the

> self-conscious store expeditions. Luckily for me, I knew of a computer that

> was relatively benign on my -- the eMachines e725-4520. For several

> months, I eschewed buying an eMachines in favor of searching for my notion

> of a " better option " . (The eMachines brand just didn't have a positive image

> in my mind for quality/durability – and I thought that I might find an even

> more -friendly computer. Besides, I wasn't sure whether I wanted a

> desktop or a laptop.) Sometime early last year, without doing any " research "

> - my brother bought this computer at Walmart. (My brother does not have

> electrosensitivity.) His decision-making " process " was basically, " My laptop

> died - I need a new computer fast - oh, this eMachines is very inexpensive. "

> During a couple of occasions last year, I spent hours " trying out " his

> computer - and it seemed relatively gentle on my esens. I even felt

> comfortable with using his computer on my lap – and it had been a long time

> since I could do that with the Dell. I was worried about the

> quality/durability - but when I checked the reviews of the laptop, it seemed

> to get as good (or better) reviews than a lot of the more " reputed brands "

> out there. And my brother's laptop was still going strong after a year, it

> seemed. So I searched around and bought one. Here it is:

>

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Emachines-E725-4520-250GBDVD%C2%B1RW-Wireless/dp/B003\

AG7N4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1270241710 & sr=8-1

>

> I'm not saying things are " perfect " with this computer (there is rarely a

> such thing as " perfect " ). But my symptoms are a LOT less " active " with this

> eMachines than they were with the ASUS ULV monstrosity, and this computer

> just seems considerably more " gentle " than a lot of laptops out there. There

> are a lot of times when I hardly notice any symptoms at all. Funny - this

> " journey " I went on to find a good computer - all of the so-called

> " research " I did - leads me back to my brother's eMachines, a " Walmart "

> computer that I had known about for many months. I wish I had " the good

> sense " to buy this computer last year - when I could have bought it more

> easily and for at least $100 cheaper.

>

> I also really regret that I didn't tell the group about this computer

> as soon as I determined that it was a " tolerable " computer (at least for me)

> - especially in light of the lack of recommended brands/models of computers

> on . It might have provided some helpful " lead " to someone. Now - since

> this computer is " last year's model " , it is harder to find - and people may

> more likely have to go through less " mainstream " vendors .

>

> I'm just knocking on wood that this computer lasts.

>

> I'm not sure if there is a current-model eMachines being sold - I think

> there may be. Hopefully - whatever eMachines did (or didn't do) to make this

> computer relatively-benign - they have replicated in subsequent models. I'd

> like to know what it is that makes this computer better than a lot of the

> others - is it something about the screen-technology, or what? It could be

> that some of the same factors that make this computer less expensive than

> others (last year, it was selling for two-hundred-something dollars at

> Walmart), makes it more tolerable. This experience leads me to conclude that

> it may be fruitful for folks to search for cheap, " low-end " computers

> being sold at Walmart or Target or somewhere.

>

> Also – it is worth mentioning that Acer bought eMachines a few years back -

> so this computer was actually manufactured by Acer, I think. So maybe there

> are some Acer models that share certain characteristics with this eMachines.

> An " extreme " example of this is the possibility that this particular Acer

> computer is the *exact same* computer as my eMachines - it just has an

> " Acer " label instead of an " eMachines " label:

>

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS5732Z-4867-15-6-Inch-Display-Laptop/dp/B00358XT5W/r\

ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1270242214 & sr=8-1

>

> I've also realized more than ever that software issues - at least for me -

> play an important role in computer tolerability. If the " wrong " software,

> spyware, or " bloatware " gets installed on this computer - it can become

> bothersome. For ex., when I installed the version of Malwarebytes that has

> real-time protection, I thought I noticed this computer immediately becoming

> bothersome - thankfully, I could disable the real-time protection. I also

> notice that using Mozilla Firefox is significantly less bothersome than

> using Internet Explorer: I guess it's a less " bloated " , resource-hogging

> browser. One reason seems to be that Mozilla gives you the option of

> deleting individual cookies (I swear I sometimes notice an immediate

> difference when I delete cookies). I was nervous about the latest version of

> Firefox having " hardware acceleration " (the latest IE has this as well) - it

> just sounds like something that would increase emf. So I avoided upgrading -

> until circumstances sort-of " forced " me to upgrade. Fortunately, there is an

> option in the new Firefox where you can turn hardware-acceleration off.

>

> Looking back, I wonder if the worsening/progression of my

> electrosensitivity - when my symptoms really started " screaming " - was due

> to an accumulation of cookies/malware/crapware dumped on my computer

> harddrive. I really do believe this played a definite role. Maybe there was

> some " poorly scripted " crapware that put a particular strain on my

> resources/harddrive. More and more unwanted " stuff " kept getting dumped on

> my harddrive. I admit that I was lazy/naiive about installing an

> anti-virus/anti-spyware program - not that it would have made *too* much of

> a difference in the long run . I'm very skeptical about these anti-malware

> programs truly keeping rogue junk from eventually accumulating on people's

> computers.

>

> Another thing I did with this eMachines (I also did it on the Dell) that

> made a positive difference is change the monitor display settings from the

> default 32-bit color to 16-bit color...it seems to either decrease emf,

> and/or lead to eye-strain relief. There may be things I can do to further

> " tweak " the graphics to decrease computer stress, but I currently don't feel

> any urgent need to do them.

>

> Of course, the computer offers a variety of power-management settings - I

> think most late-model, Windows 7 laptops do. One thing that's good is that

> you can configure the computer to run on low, " battery " -type power settings

> - even when the computer is plugged in. But so far, I choose not to do this.

> I'm running the computer on the default " balanced " settings when it is

> plugged in.

>

> I just think it helps to keep the harddrive as " clean " and as " empty " as

> possible. In addition to trying to keep cookies/spyware/adware etc. off the

> harddrive, I think I'm going to try to minimize the amount of files I put on

> it.

>

> Another thing that I finally started doing was dialing down the power

> output of our satanic AT & T WiFry router. I remember you telling me that I

> could do this, but I was too lethargic/green-thumbed to pursue the matter.

> In the back of my mind, I thought there would be a lot involved...that it

> wasn't for the novice. But one day in desperation (after a confrontation

> with my father in which he ordered me to stop turning off the WiFi router,

> since it also turns off our landline phone service) - I stumbled upon the

> way to do this. I logged into our router settings. The power output is

> adjustable from Level 1 to Level 10 - of course, our WiFi was operating at

> the maximum level of 10 (which is the default). Each time I adjusted the

> power downward, I noticed relief - i.e., from 10 to 5, from 5 to 3, etc..

> Eventually, I decided to keep it at 1 - our computers seem to be dealing

> with the weaker signal fine. I also noticed a positive difference when I

> changed the setting to stop the router from cranking out both " b " and " g "

> signals. Now it only outputs " g " signals.

>

> Sorry for the loong novella. I just thought I'd update you on the status of

> things - just in case you thought I had died or something, lol. No, the

> radiation hasn't claimed me quite yet. Thanks to an improved computer and

> WiFi situation, things are better than they were a year ago. Oh, make no

> mistake - I'm still very much . I still fear that I've suffered

> considerable mental and physical damage. I fear that this computer may

> become more and more bothersome as the " surreptitious files " start to

> accumulate. I can still " feel " the WiFi in the air sometimes - though not

> nearly as much as I could. Even with the WiFi power at one, laying on my

> innerspring mattress bed was still very bothersome. I recently replaced my

> " wire-antenna " bed with a " wireless " latex one - although this situation is

> still in flux because I may have to return the latex bed (the

> offgassing/fumes have been a big problem for me).

>

> ~Svetaswan

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

Steve

>

>

> Hi guys,

>

> Long time no see. I just thought I'd post an email (with a few

omissions/modifications) that I just got finished sending someone in the group.

I'm sorry that it's so long-winded - but maybe, just maybe, there is a morsel or

two in my autistic narrative that might be helpful to someone. As I say in the

email, I really regret not telling you guys about a laptop computer that I had

known about for months that seemed relatively benign (at least to me). What a

big " D'OH " on my part. I guess my " reasoning " , if you can call it that - for

not mentioning it is that I had sort-of dismissed it in my mind as an " el

cheapo " brand computer that wasn't a viable long-term option. But so far, this

laptop is working for me - well, as much as a computer can " work " for someone

with esens. It might work for other sufferers. The email follows:

>

> I just wanted to update you on my computer situation. In February/March, I

finally started making some moves on buying a new computer. At first I bought

an ASUS A52F-XA1 (15.6 " ) laptop, but I returned it to amazon.com without even

opening the box because when I later went to " test " the computer at Best Buy, it

seemed like it would be pretty bothersome (I felt " forced " to make a quick

purchase on amazon.com because it was showing one of those " Only 2 Left in

Stock " type of messages). Then, a few weeks later, I took the plunge again; I

was intrigued with ULV processors - so I bought an ASUS UL50-XA1 - this

computer:

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/UL50AT-X1-Processor-Notebook-Windows-Premium/dp/B003DZCPL6\

/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1306059154 & sr=1-1

>

> Well, it was pretty bad! I started feeling quite " fried " about as soon as I

turned on the computer. In many ways, it was considerably worse than the laptop

that I was trying to get away from. The low-power, " battery " settings made it

somewhat better - but not " better " enough. Within hours, I pretty much knew

that it wasn't something I should keep - there just had to be something better.

The ultra-low-voltage 1.3 GHz SU7300 Core 2 Duo processor just didn't " do the

trick " as far as making that thing a tolerable machine. Oh, I still have faith

that ULV processors can contribute greatly to a relatively pain-free computing

experience - but in that particular computer, it wasn't nearly enough to make it

-friendly (at least based on my experience). I guess this just reinforces

the " theory " (or fact) that there must be a lot more involved in computer

emissions than just the processor/graphics card.

>

> (I was focusing on ASUS computers because I had read that they have one of the

best track records as far as durability/reliability - Dell's poor reputation for

longevity steered me away from Dells. I need for my investment to last a long

time.)

>

> So after this experience, I just said " f - it " . I was tired of the

" buying-and-returning " merry-go-round. I was tired of the " research " and the

self-conscious store expeditions. Luckily for me, I knew of a computer that was

relatively benign on my -- the eMachines e725-4520. For several months,

I eschewed buying an eMachines in favor of searching for my notion of a " better

option " . (The eMachines brand just didn't have a positive image in my mind for

quality/durability – and I thought that I might find an even more -friendly

computer. Besides, I wasn't sure whether I wanted a desktop or a laptop.)

Sometime early last year, without doing any " research " - my brother bought this

computer at Walmart. (My brother does not have electrosensitivity.) His

decision-making " process " was basically, " My laptop died - I need a new computer

fast - oh, this eMachines is very inexpensive. " During a couple of occasions

last year, I spent hours " trying out " his computer - and it seemed relatively

gentle on my esens. I even felt comfortable with using his computer on my lap –

and it had been a long time since I could do that with the Dell. I was worried

about the quality/durability - but when I checked the reviews of the laptop, it

seemed to get as good (or better) reviews than a lot of the more " reputed

brands " out there. And my brother's laptop was still going strong after a year,

it seemed. So I searched around and bought one. Here it is:

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Emachines-E725-4520-250GBDVD%C2%B1RW-Wireless/dp/B003\

AG7N4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1270241710 & sr=8-1

>

> I'm not saying things are " perfect " with this computer (there is rarely a such

thing as " perfect " ). But my symptoms are a LOT less " active " with this

eMachines than they were with the ASUS ULV monstrosity, and this computer just

seems considerably more " gentle " than a lot of laptops out there. There are a

lot of times when I hardly notice any symptoms at all. Funny - this " journey " I

went on to find a good computer - all of the so-called " research " I did -

leads me back to my brother's eMachines, a " Walmart " computer that I had known

about for many months. I wish I had " the good sense " to buy this computer last

year - when I could have bought it more easily and for at least $100 cheaper.

>

> I also really regret that I didn't tell the group about this computer as

soon as I determined that it was a " tolerable " computer (at least for me) -

especially in light of the lack of recommended brands/models of computers on

. It might have provided some helpful " lead " to someone. Now - since this

computer is " last year's model " , it is harder to find - and people may more

likely have to go through less " mainstream " vendors .

>

> I'm just knocking on wood that this computer lasts.

>

> I'm not sure if there is a current-model eMachines being sold - I think there

may be. Hopefully - whatever eMachines did (or didn't do) to make this computer

relatively-benign - they have replicated in subsequent models. I'd like to know

what it is that makes this computer better than a lot of the others - is it

something about the screen-technology, or what? It could be that some of the

same factors that make this computer less expensive than others (last year, it

was selling for two-hundred-something dollars at Walmart), makes it more

tolerable. This experience leads me to conclude that it may be fruitful for

folks to search for cheap, " low-end " computers being sold at Walmart or

Target or somewhere.

>

> Also – it is worth mentioning that Acer bought eMachines a few years back - so

this computer was actually manufactured by Acer, I think. So maybe there are

some Acer models that share certain characteristics with this eMachines. An

" extreme " example of this is the possibility that this particular Acer computer

is the *exact same* computer as my eMachines - it just has an " Acer " label

instead of an " eMachines " label:

>

>

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS5732Z-4867-15-6-Inch-Display-Laptop/dp/B00358XT5W/r\

ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 & s=electronics & qid=1270242214 & sr=8-1

>

> I've also realized more than ever that software issues - at least for me -

play an important role in computer tolerability. If the " wrong " software,

spyware, or " bloatware " gets installed on this computer - it can become

bothersome. For ex., when I installed the version of Malwarebytes that has

real-time protection, I thought I noticed this computer immediately becoming

bothersome - thankfully, I could disable the real-time protection. I also

notice that using Mozilla Firefox is significantly less bothersome than using

Internet Explorer: I guess it's a less " bloated " , resource-hogging browser.

One reason seems to be that Mozilla gives you the option of deleting individual

cookies (I swear I sometimes notice an immediate difference when I delete

cookies). I was nervous about the latest version of Firefox having " hardware

acceleration " (the latest IE has this as well) - it just sounds like something

that would increase emf. So I avoided upgrading - until circumstances sort-of

" forced " me to upgrade. Fortunately, there is an option in the new Firefox

where you can turn hardware-acceleration off.

>

> Looking back, I wonder if the worsening/progression of my electrosensitivity -

when my symptoms really started " screaming " - was due to an accumulation of

cookies/malware/crapware dumped on my computer harddrive. I really do believe

this played a definite role. Maybe there was some " poorly scripted " crapware

that put a particular strain on my resources/harddrive. More and more unwanted

" stuff " kept getting dumped on my harddrive. I admit that I was lazy/naiive

about installing an anti-virus/anti-spyware program - not that it would have

made *too* much of a difference in the long run . I'm very skeptical about

these anti-malware programs truly keeping rogue junk from eventually

accumulating on people's computers.

>

> Another thing I did with this eMachines (I also did it on the Dell) that made

a positive difference is change the monitor display settings from the default

32-bit color to 16-bit color...it seems to either decrease emf, and/or lead to

eye-strain relief. There may be things I can do to further " tweak " the graphics

to decrease computer stress, but I currently don't feel any urgent need to do

them.

>

> Of course, the computer offers a variety of power-management settings - I

think most late-model, Windows 7 laptops do. One thing that's good is that you

can configure the computer to run on low, " battery " -type power settings - even

when the computer is plugged in. But so far, I choose not to do this. I'm

running the computer on the default " balanced " settings when it is plugged in.

>

> I just think it helps to keep the harddrive as " clean " and as " empty " as

possible. In addition to trying to keep cookies/spyware/adware etc. off the

harddrive, I think I'm going to try to minimize the amount of files I put on it.

>

> Another thing that I finally started doing was dialing down the power output

of our satanic AT & T WiFry router. I remember you telling me that I could do

this, but I was too lethargic/green-thumbed to pursue the matter. In the back

of my mind, I thought there would be a lot involved...that it wasn't for the

novice. But one day in desperation (after a confrontation with my father in

which he ordered me to stop turning off the WiFi router, since it also turns off

our landline phone service) - I stumbled upon the way to do this. I logged into

our router settings. The power output is adjustable from Level 1 to Level 10 -

of course, our WiFi was operating at the maximum level of 10 (which is the

default). Each time I adjusted the power downward, I noticed relief - i.e.,

from 10 to 5, from 5 to 3, etc.. Eventually, I decided to keep it at 1 - our

computers seem to be dealing with the weaker signal fine. I also noticed a

positive difference when I changed the setting to stop the router from cranking

out both " b " and " g " signals. Now it only outputs " g " signals.

>

> Sorry for the loong novella. I just thought I'd update you on the status of

things - just in case you thought I had died or something, lol. No, the

radiation hasn't claimed me quite yet. Thanks to an improved computer and WiFi

situation, things are better than they were a year ago. Oh, make no mistake -

I'm still very much . I still fear that I've suffered considerable mental

and physical damage. I fear that this computer may become more and more

bothersome as the " surreptitious files " start to accumulate. I can still " feel "

the WiFi in the air sometimes - though not nearly as much as I could. Even with

the WiFi power at one, laying on my innerspring mattress bed was still very

bothersome. I recently replaced my " wire-antenna " bed with a " wireless " latex

one - although this situation is still in flux because I may have to return the

latex bed (the offgassing/fumes have been a big problem for me).

>

> ~Svetaswan

>

[Guest guest]

Good choice of wool. All-cotton ones have flame retardants these days. You can

smell it. I think you have to get a dr's note to buy an organic cotton

mattress.

>

> Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> Steve

[Guest guest]

Hey, I got one for my daughter from the below place. And didn't need a dr's

note.

Check it out!

Natural and Organic Mattresses : Futons

Providing natural and organic mattresses, furniture, cribs, bedding and other

products to Michigan and Northern Ohio. Located in Farmington Hills not far

....www.downtoearthhome.com/Products/?category...futons - Cached - Similar

Lizzie

From: emraware@...

Date: Tue, 24 May 2011 00:45:16 +0000

Subject: Re: My computer situation (update, w/ " recommended " computer)

Good choice of wool. All-cotton ones have flame retardants these days. You can

smell it. I think you have to get a dr's note to buy an organic cotton mattress.

>

> Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> Steve

[Guest guest]

supposedly if it has wool in it you don't need the doctor's note since it is a

natural flame retardant

> >

> > Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> > Steve

>

[Guest guest]

I can't seem to get the website to come up for some reason

> >

> > Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> > Steve

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

www.downtoearthhome.com/

Try this one, or type in: downtoearthhome *(down to earth home )

organic mattresses, michigan.

Pretty sure they can ship anywhere in the US, if I remember correctly, this

woman

orders from the company that makes them. She says she goes " on site " to an

Amish

farm that actually makes the futons, not sure if this is total truth.

In any case, the one we got was perfect...although pricey.

Lizzie

From: torch369@...

Date: Tue, 24 May 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Subject: Re: My computer situation (update, w/ " recommended " computer)

I can't seem to get the website to come up for some reason

> >

> > Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so no

fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> > Steve

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info

> > >

> > > Bed wise I am thinking of getting an organic futon that has wool in it so

no fire retardant is needed on top of a wooden bed

> > > Steve

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >