XPost: comp.mobile.android, alt.comp.os.windows-10   
   From: robin_listas@es.invalid   
      
   On 2026-02-09 18:51, Maria Sophia wrote:   
   > Carlos E. R. wrote:   
   >> On 2026-02-07 21:41, Maria Sophia wrote:   
   >>> Take the case of octane ratings, for example, in organic chemistry,   
   >>> where I   
   >>> was taught in the 1960's what it meant so ever since I could drive, I   
   >>> would   
   >>> nonchalantly innocently and inquisitively ask the person filling up   
   >>> next to   
   >>> me "What's the difference between regular and premium?".   
   >>>   
   >>> In decades of asking that question, I've only gotten the correct answer   
   >>> about a half dozen times, which fits with my hypothesis that people only   
   >>> know about six of the million things that they need to know about   
   >>> anything.   
   >>   
   >> You do not need to know what is the difference between regular and   
   >> premium. But I do know it. My father was a chemist and worked in an   
   >> oil refinery. One of his initial jobs was to measure the octane number   
   >> of gasoline mixtures. I think they used a small gasoline motor adapted   
   >> for variable compression and or variable advance. I don't remember   
   >> exactly and he is no longer in this world to ask him.   
   >   
   > Hi Carlos,   
   >   
   > I never disagree with anyone who says sentient things, where both the   
   > common octane ratings are measured using the same standardized test engine   
   > that you remember from when you were a kid since they haven't changed.   
   >   
   > In most of Europe they use the Motor Octane Number (MON) while in the USA   
   > we use the AKI system (which is the average of the Research Octane Number   
   > (RON) and Motor methods (R+M)/2).   
   >   
   > They're both measured with a motor but under very different conditions.   
   >   
   > RON is determined at lower speed, lower temperature, and fixed ignition   
   > timing, which represents mild light-load driving. MON is measured at higher   
   > speed, higher temperature and with variable ignition timing which simulates   
   > heavy-load, high-stress operation. Because MON is the harsher test, it's   
   > usually (always?) lower than RON for the same fuel.   
   >   
   > For example, when we see "87 octane" here in the USA, that's roughly   
   > equivalent to about 91-92 RON on your pumps   
   > My point in bringing this up isn't that people need to know the chemistry,   
   > but that many drivers pay extra for "premium" simply because they assume a   
   > higher number must be better simply because marketing has decided to charge   
   > more for it. Marketing also "markets" it as "better", although, much like   
   > Apple marketing is brilliant lies, they never actually say so outright.   
      
   We just have to trust the sales guy from the car company. "Just use   
   regular as long as they make it."   
      
   There was a decision to ditch regular, but it is always postponed.   
      
      
   ...   
      
   > Back to the topic, a key observation is that we can port contacts easily if   
   > we "upload" them to "the cloud", but that's exactly what "they" want us to   
   > do.  Once it's on "the cloud", we have lost control of our contacts.   
   >   
   > And, since our contacts are our friends and neighbors, it's like placing   
   > everyone's data on a deck of cards and letting those cards blow in the wind   
   > around town for anyone else to pick up and use if they feel like it.   
      
   Sorry, I do not agree. They are still my contacts, and they are not   
   shared with google.   
      
   >   
   >>> Privacy is a million things, of which people only know about a half   
   >>> dozen.   
   >>>   
   >>> You don't protect against what you "think" they'll do.   
   >>> You protect against what you know they 'can' do.   
   >>>   
   >>> If you knew how much hoovering they did, oh, way back in the 80's,   
   >>> you'd likely be shocked with what they can do today on the Internet.   
   >>   
   >> That they might do things with the contact list, would be breach of   
   >> contract for starters, and illegal, at least here. I don't have to   
   >> assume they do and not use the provided contact app and tools. What we   
   >> do is legal and normal usage.   
   >>   
   >> Now, if I wanted secrecy, I wouldn't. I would assume the worst.   
   >   
   > I'm not so concerned about "breach of contract" than about malefactors   
   > getting a hold of it, but I'm not saying I know of any cases where   
   > malefactors have harmed our friends and neighbors.   
   >   
   > What I'm saying is simply that uploading ANYHTHING to the cloud is absurd   
   > when you have no need to upload anything to the cloud when backing things   
   > up from your Android phone to the Windows PC.   
      
   I do not agree. It is far more convenient, easier, safe enough, and   
   private enough.   
      
   >   
   > For example, I've backed up my exact home screen to a file, and my ~600   
   > user-added applications to a folder (including split APKs) and my SMS/MMS   
   > to a folder and my contacts to a file and my calendar to a file, etc.   
   >   
   > Have I missed anything?   
   >   
   > What I can't back up without being root is the /data/data because my   
   > Android is above Android 11 & Samsungs in the USA aren't rootable (AFAIK).   
   >   
   > But much of my data is kept on the external sd card which can be popped   
   > into another phone and all that data (e.g., map data) will still work.   
   >   
   > The good news is that it turns out to be rather easy to back up everything   
   > (including contacts) to the PC with privacy (without using the cloud).   
   >   
   > But I do comment, wistfully, that out of a million people, only six of them   
   > know how to do it, which is a sad statement about people (if it's true).   
      
      
   --   
   Cheers,   
           Carlos E.R.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)