How To: Fix Ur Speakers

Not really. I don't know how to fix speakers or anything so technical as that. Alls I know is that my speakers were picking up the radio signals of an NPR station. This is a common problem on Capitol Hill where the radio towers are a useful navigational point.

It's not that I don't like NPR, but I don't listen to the radio. I listen to podcasts... from NPR. It's pretty funny when I would be listening to NPR podcasts and be annoyed by the buzzing undercurrent of other NPR commentators muttering in the quiet moments, or speaking over each other. I doubt very many people on Capitol Hill actually listen to the radio either.

It was explained to me that something in my speakers isn't 'grounded', all I could do was buy newer speakers that would be grounded. Me? Buy something? I got these speakers out of the free pile, I don't see any other speakers in the free pile. Another friend mentioned that tinfoil would block the radio waves and shelter the speakers from picking it up. I kept questioning him and he got more unsure. "You've done this? It works? Does it keep the aliens out as well?"

"I think you may have to cover the wires as well, something is picking up the radio waves"

I wasn't sure if he was just messing with me, seeing how much of my room I would cover in tinfoil rather than buy new speakers. I concede that that would be pretty funny. He also just could have answered just to give me an answer. I'm pretty sure that's what he did, he had heard something about tinfoil blocking radio signals, but he had never done it himself.

I would try. I had just bought a large roll of tinfoil at the Cost and Carry, had a few hours free and was ready to procrastinate.

Here are the photos of my finished work:




That shelf is made of two milk crates stacked on top of each other, the bass speaker is inside it. I made a little door using duct tape that opens fairly easily. I went to far as to cover all the wires that connect the speakers to each other, as well the one that connects the speakers to the computer, but I only covered a little bit of the cord which connects the speakers to the power supply.

I can't believe it really works. The voices are gone!! I can listen to my podcasts and my music at any volume, unmolested by ghosts in the air. Every so often they creep in, almost as if leaving the speakers on makes the ghosts louder. But turning the speakers off and back on seems to work.

and yes, it looks ridiculous and protects me from aliens.

How To: Fix Ur Coffe Grinder

   Embarrassingly enough I managed to melt the wire on my 
coffee grinder a while ago. How? You ask.  Well, our kitchen is
pretty small, with only two outlets, and...  ummm, it found its
way into the George Foreman Grill one day.  You know, the cord 
is black, the grill is black, these things are bound to happen 
(and yes, I heart my george foreman grill). 
     
    Finally I found myself with some free time and did the 
obvious. I took a pair of scissors and cut the damaged part of 
the cord off. I then took one side of the word and carefully as
I could I clipped off the black plastic, trying not to sever the
little copper threads as best I could.  I trimmed back the 
pliable plastic on both ends, about an inch on each side.  More 
than I needed to but i figured I'd rather not have to sit down 
and trim more as it was finnicky work and time consuming.  I 
carefully twisted the wires together and wrapped a generous
amount of electric tape around and about the exposed wire.  It's 
a junky job but the freakin thing fucking works again!

    The cord is pretty short now; I figure that means it wont
sneak into that damn grill anymore.  I probably could have 
twisted together less of the wire, it kind of made a knot on 
the cord, but what they hell, it works.