798 meh button clicks
98 days in a row
longest streak: 100
I’m so close to beating my previous streak but now I’m torn. 100 is such a nice round number.
On the other hand, life would be so much better with a higher streak. At least my coworkers would stop complaining about my constant tirades about how I KNEW I clicked on the meh button that 101st time.
I added one to my Expedition that replaced the rear view mirror. Looks factory, the resolution is just as terrible as this version, installation wasn’t much more difficult, and it cost significantly more than this. I haven’t hit any poles in parking lots since I put it in, though!
@ThrowingChicken It looks like they offer a wireless one, too. I dropped the headliner to run the wires, but I was running antennas for my ham radios at the same time.
@unksol I had switched from driving a Mercury Milan to my Ford Expedition, and wasn’t quite used to the size of it yet. I bumped it just hard enough to crack the paint on the bumper cover.
Well timed item for a story I really wanted to tell…
2 weeks ago I traded my 11 year old car for a brand new one.
I was pretty excited to get all the new fangled tech that I’d been missing out on, especially the rear view camera.
Yesterday was actually the first time since I got the car that I had to parallel park, in a pretty tight space, too - this was exactly the situation that had made me wish for the rear-view camera. Time to put it to good use…
So I line up, start backing in while watching the rear view monitor. It’s all going well and I’m approaching the last yellow line before the red line on the monitor when I’m startled by the car behind me honking the horn.
I stomped on the brake and looked around to see what I might be missing… nothing. But there is a lady sitting at the wheel of the car I’m trying to park in front of. She looks concerned for some reason.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I pull forward and realign to try to get tighter to the curb and then start backing again. In order to get parked nice and tight, I have to first get as close as possible to that car behind me before pulling forward. Luckily, I have that handy new-fangled rear view camera which will tell me exactly how close I can get before making contact.
Again, I get to the last yellow line before the red line on the monitor and the woman just leans on her horn - honk honk HOOOONK!
Either she’s worried I won’t leave her enough space to get out, or she thinks I’m about to back into her.
I stop, turn to look at her while giving the OK sign, yelling and mouthing, “It’s OK! It’s. Oh. Kay!”
I see her point to her eyes, point to the front of her car, and, if I read her lips correctly, she was saying, “you’re not even looking!” and she looks frantic, with her eyes popping out of her head.
I roll my eyes, shake my head and turn back to the monitor and back in another 6 inches, HOOOOONK, before pulling forward and finishing a pretty perfect parallel park.
I get out, walk between my back bumper and her front, spread my arms to indicate the, like, 4 feet between our cars. See, plenty of room!
Again, she points to her eyes and mouths, “YOU WEREN’T LOOKING!”
Again I roll my eyes and then lean down and point at the little camera on my car… “REAR VIEW CAMERA! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A REAR VIEW CAMERA?” I point to my eyes and to the camera and back again, “I COULD SEE YOU. I COULD SEE BETTER THAN YOU COULD. IT WAS OK!”
She kind of shrugged an shook her head and she was kind of smiling. I really don’t think she got it.
I shrugged, rolled my eyes, shook my head, gave her the one hand wave-off and moved on.
When I got back to my car, her car was still there but she wasn’t.
I actually thought to myself, “I should back into her car hard before I leave. lol” (yes, I lol’ed in my thoughts)
But, you know, my two week old, black car is spotless; not just scratch and ding free, but freshly cleaned and - I would never actually do a thing like that! lol
So yeah, that’s my rear-view camera story. Thanks for reading (or not, whatever).
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 Hahaha had almost the exact same thing happen to me and the girlfriend a couple weeks ago. “I’ve got the spotless brand new car, you think I’m going to hit YOU?!” Reminds me of when LED headlamps first came out and people thought they were getting high beamed when there was an incline in the road.
LED headlights are not the issue. Assholes who put LED bulbs in lamps not designed for them are.
Exactly. The reflector of a traditional filament bulb OEM headlight assembly was designed for a light point source at a specific place in the housing. Not a bank of LEDs hack-spread outside that focal point.
And many of those LED replacements die prematurely anyway.
@tasco Shouldn’t you get TWO? One for the truck, and another for the trailer! Once you’ve hitched up the trailer you can still see where you’re backing if you switch to just monitor the trailer’s camera.
@tasco Shouldn’t you get TWO? One for the truck, and another for the trailer! Once you’ve hitched up the trailer you can still see where you’re backing if you switch to just monitor the trailer’s camera.
Meh Bonus earned! @Dave owes you two of these gadgets, gratis!
Y’all might do well to read the Amazon reviews. This camera has more stories than Hans Christian Anderson…including, wait for it, not standing up to rain…
@fastharrydotcom From what I get of the reviews, it isn’t too waterproof. Make sure you don’t cry on it lest the moisture kill it. Peeing on it would probably be bad (though enjoyable) too.
How many new cars these days don’t have built-in backup cameras? I thought they were such a useful safety feature that they were made mandatory a few years back.
@lljk I think they’re required by law now. But obviously these are meant for people with older cars that don’t have them installed.
Ahh, here it is:
What year are backup cameras required?
About half of model year 2012 automobiles were equipped with backup cameras. On March 31, 2014, four years past its deadline, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it would require all automobiles sold in the United States built beginning in May 2018 to include backup cameras.
@lljk Having recently rented a car without one. I don’t believe they are mandatory as of yet. Going without after having become accustomed to them is quite the task though!
@lljk I just got a car that was made in this century! I can hardly wait until the used cars I can afford have all this cool stuff! Or maybe I should quit buying all this crap off of Meh and save for a newer car. Nah.
@eonfifty@lljk Well I have a 9 year old one (used to have a 25 year old one) to use as a backup when my teletransporter isn’t working. Had to trade in my spaceship in to get the 9 year old car.
Y’all really need a proofreader. “Her’s”? Does that go with “hi’s” or maybe “his’s”; and the plural option: “their’s” or “theirs’s”? And of course, there’s the ever-popular “it’s”. Here’s the easy rule: No apostrophe in ANY possessive pronoun. None. Not now, not ever. Got it?
@hchavers@mellowirishgent but you won’t be recording anything, you’d just see what you’re already seeing sitting in the driver’s seat looking out over the dash. Or am I missing something?
I guess it could be handy if you’re planning on driving a lot while lying down in the front seat …
@hchavers@mellowirishgent@stolicat It would provide road-level view. As a person who’s never quite sure exactly where the front of my car ends, I’d find this quite useful. Some vehicles do in fact offer a similar feature. I lack the ambition to both sort out the details and convince the spousal unit we should spend the money (I might could handle one of those tasks, just not both) or I’d do it myself. Still contemplating the intended use.
@joelmw I don’t know if the guide lines can be turned off. It’s generally unnecessary for a front view.
@mellowirishgent If you don’t mind running wires, $40 can get a dash cam that records both front and rear. Mount the rear view up front if you want a bumper view.
@canuk Yes, but I already have boxes of cheap cameras for the robots under construction in my basement.
The picture quality is much worse than that of most cell phones, including partially broken cell phones easily available on eBay for far less money.
Cell phones have WiFi (a much more general purpose wireless radio), higher quality screens, and higher quality cameras. Beginners should go for cell phones that only work when plugged in. A battery that doesn’t take a charge is enough to get a cell phone into the right price range.
@canuk@squishybrain The primary purpose of all electronics is to be affordable hobby robot parts. Many electronics are too expensive direct from the factory, so they have to have an alternate use while they are on their way to becoming affordable.
A pair of cell phones, includes most of the hardware you need for a backup camera. In the hardware department, you will also need USB power supplies, wire, epoxy or other mounting hardware, some resistors, and the cable from a pair of cellphone headphones with microphone.
Use the headphone/microphone cable and the resistors to allow the cell phone to sense if the backup lights are on. Just run a wire from the backup light through a resistive divider to the microphone input.
When the cellphone senses that the light is on, it can turn on the camera and connect to the dash mounted cell phone over WiFi or Bluetooth. The dash mounted cell phone just needs to go from a nondistracting dark screen to showing the video. Then go back to the dark screen when the backup light is turned off.
@joelmw I am goddamned sure they’re up to no good is all I’m saying. It’d be one thing if they were back there playing. But no, those evil little shits are apparently chasing after the car in the middle of the fucking road.
@joelmw Let’s not even talk about baby Cujo, who at least isn’t running after us. Though I’m not sure I want to open the door if he’s lurking back there.
@dam091@macromeh Amazon users gave it a 3.6/5 rating. So probably more Meh than crap. Meh puts an Amazon link in the description if they sell it so it’s easy to check. Fakespot gives the reviews an A.
I once had a driving safety instructor tell us that the person in back was the one in control of the situation. So then why would that person need one of these?
I am wondering if it is cheaper to pay for installation on an old Lexus or buy a newer vehicle? As a point of reference, replacing a visor is over $1700.
@PooltoyWolf ™ is when you assert trademark without getting it registered, ® is when you have. Short-lived (or hard-to-register marks) get ™ all the time. It is supposed to indicate that you think it’s a trademark and you might be trying to get it registered.
I bought one at Costco a few years ago, it worked fine for a couple of years but did not make it through a total submersion when backing a boat & trailer into the water. I really miss the camera and am glad to see the same brand here, on sale. Only have to replace the camera and screen (& will make sure it doesn’t get submerged again).
Did anyone get this and install it? Does it work good? I bought this 4 years ago with the intent of installing it on my 2000 grand cherokee. Never did. Now I have a newer van with an amazing factory backup cam. We recently bought a 2005 f350 with an after market cam, which is old and no longer clear looking. Remembered I have this and wanted to install it, mostly for help in backing up to the trailer, especially since it has a monster lift on it. This cam looks huge tho, does it work well?
I did it! 730 straight Meh clicks, two years not missing a single day. Wow, I have no life.
@hchavers *Me:
Button Clicks- 1598
Longest Streak- 260
Current Days in a Row- 28
Your lack of life is what I strive for!
@hchavers My dream is to one day see the calendar again.
@hchavers how old is your car though?!
@canuk - That’s why you need a rear-view camera.
@hchavers
I’m so close to beating my previous streak but now I’m torn. 100 is such a nice round number.
On the other hand, life would be so much better with a higher streak. At least my coworkers would stop complaining about my constant tirades about how I KNEW I clicked on the meh button that 101st time.
And you know, MEH offers another useless product and yada yada yada…
I added one to my Expedition that replaced the rear view mirror. Looks factory, the resolution is just as terrible as this version, installation wasn’t much more difficult, and it cost significantly more than this. I haven’t hit any poles in parking lots since I put it in, though!
@fuzzmanmatt Which one did you get?
@ThrowingChicken It looks like they offer a wireless one, too. I dropped the headliner to run the wires, but I was running antennas for my ham radios at the same time.
Pyle Backup Car Camera Rear View Mirror Screen Monitor System with Parking & Reverse Safety Distance Scale Lines, OEM Fit, Waterproof & Night Vision, 170° Angle Adjustable, 4.3" LCD Display-(PLCM4550) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K9N11V4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9Rb7CbAC5JPK9
@fuzzmanmatt why on Earth were you hitting poles in the first place?
@unksol I had switched from driving a Mercury Milan to my Ford Expedition, and wasn’t quite used to the size of it yet. I bumped it just hard enough to crack the paint on the bumper cover.
Well timed item for a story I really wanted to tell…
2 weeks ago I traded my 11 year old car for a brand new one.
I was pretty excited to get all the new fangled tech that I’d been missing out on, especially the rear view camera.
Yesterday was actually the first time since I got the car that I had to parallel park, in a pretty tight space, too - this was exactly the situation that had made me wish for the rear-view camera. Time to put it to good use…
So I line up, start backing in while watching the rear view monitor. It’s all going well and I’m approaching the last yellow line before the red line on the monitor when I’m startled by the car behind me honking the horn.
I stomped on the brake and looked around to see what I might be missing… nothing. But there is a lady sitting at the wheel of the car I’m trying to park in front of. She looks concerned for some reason.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I pull forward and realign to try to get tighter to the curb and then start backing again. In order to get parked nice and tight, I have to first get as close as possible to that car behind me before pulling forward. Luckily, I have that handy new-fangled rear view camera which will tell me exactly how close I can get before making contact.
Again, I get to the last yellow line before the red line on the monitor and the woman just leans on her horn - honk honk HOOOONK!
Either she’s worried I won’t leave her enough space to get out, or she thinks I’m about to back into her.
I stop, turn to look at her while giving the OK sign, yelling and mouthing, “It’s OK! It’s. Oh. Kay!”
I see her point to her eyes, point to the front of her car, and, if I read her lips correctly, she was saying, “you’re not even looking!” and she looks frantic, with her eyes popping out of her head.
I roll my eyes, shake my head and turn back to the monitor and back in another 6 inches, HOOOOONK, before pulling forward and finishing a pretty perfect parallel park.
I get out, walk between my back bumper and her front, spread my arms to indicate the, like, 4 feet between our cars. See, plenty of room!
Again, she points to her eyes and mouths, “YOU WEREN’T LOOKING!”
Again I roll my eyes and then lean down and point at the little camera on my car… “REAR VIEW CAMERA! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A REAR VIEW CAMERA?” I point to my eyes and to the camera and back again, “I COULD SEE YOU. I COULD SEE BETTER THAN YOU COULD. IT WAS OK!”
She kind of shrugged an shook her head and she was kind of smiling. I really don’t think she got it.
I shrugged, rolled my eyes, shook my head, gave her the one hand wave-off and moved on.
When I got back to my car, her car was still there but she wasn’t.
I actually thought to myself, “I should back into her car hard before I leave. lol” (yes, I lol’ed in my thoughts)
But, you know, my two week old, black car is spotless; not just scratch and ding free, but freshly cleaned and - I would never actually do a thing like that! lol
So yeah, that’s my rear-view camera story. Thanks for reading (or not, whatever).
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 BUT YOU WEREN’T LOOKING
@DennisG2014 the only solution in a situation is to lock eyes with her and steal her soul. or whatever. I also lol in my thoughts.
@therealjrn That was you, wasn’t it?!
@DennisG2014 that was the longest parallel parking story I’ve ever read.
But I endured it for the camaraderie of you so clearly enjoying that newly acquired back up camera feature.
@DennisG2014 Hahaha had almost the exact same thing happen to me and the girlfriend a couple weeks ago. “I’ve got the spotless brand new car, you think I’m going to hit YOU?!” Reminds me of when LED headlamps first came out and people thought they were getting high beamed when there was an incline in the road.
@RedOak Brevity has never been one of my strengths.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 @RedOak Brief and succinct reply. Well done sir!
@canuk @DennisG2014 Maybe just needs to lock the eyes to prevent all that eye rolling.
@DennisG2014 LED headlights are not the issue. Assholes who put LED bulbs in lamps not designed for them are.
@unksol
Exactly. The reflector of a traditional filament bulb OEM headlight assembly was designed for a light point source at a specific place in the housing. Not a bank of LEDs hack-spread outside that focal point.
And many of those LED replacements die prematurely anyway.
Bought it to assist in hooking up trailers on my property.
@tasco A practical use. I think you are at the wrong website.
@tasco I really wish I’d had one when I was towing a trailer!
@tasco Shouldn’t you get TWO? One for the truck, and another for the trailer! Once you’ve hitched up the trailer you can still see where you’re backing if you switch to just monitor the trailer’s camera.
@Euniceandrich @tasco
Meh Bonus earned! @Dave owes you two of these gadgets, gratis!
Y’all might do well to read the Amazon reviews. This camera has more stories than Hans Christian Anderson…including, wait for it, not standing up to rain…
@fastharrydotcom From what I get of the reviews, it isn’t too waterproof. Make sure you don’t cry on it lest the moisture kill it. Peeing on it would probably be bad (though enjoyable) too.
I immediately thought: “yada yada yada.” But since this is a back-up cam, wouldn’t it be “aday aday aday?” Or even BEEP BEEP BEEP?
How many new cars these days don’t have built-in backup cameras? I thought they were such a useful safety feature that they were made mandatory a few years back.
@lljk This is meh… how many of us have new cars?
@lljk I think they’re required by law now. But obviously these are meant for people with older cars that don’t have them installed.
Ahh, here it is:
What year are backup cameras required?
About half of model year 2012 automobiles were equipped with backup cameras. On March 31, 2014, four years past its deadline, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it would require all automobiles sold in the United States built beginning in May 2018 to include backup cameras.
@lljk Having recently rented a car without one. I don’t believe they are mandatory as of yet. Going without after having become accustomed to them is quite the task though!
@ciabelle @lljk Required for new cars, but they aren’t retroactively required.
@lljk The average car is slightly over 11 years old.
@lljk @pinksunshine 17 years and aging.
@lljk I just got a car that was made in this century! I can hardly wait until the used cars I can afford have all this cool stuff! Or maybe I should quit buying all this crap off of Meh and save for a newer car. Nah.
@ciabelle Rental car companies are holding on the cars a lot longer. I’ve had two year old rentals with 50+k miles.
The gate agent just circled the entire car for preexisting damage.
“You’re fine as long as it still looks intact when we get it back.”
@canuk @lljk I still have tape players in my cars.
@canuk @ciabelle @lljk @narfcake “Tape players?” The proper term is 8-Track.
@Kidsandliz @lljk my car is almost 20 years old and I have this amazing thing called a neck and know how to use it. So idk what this product is for.
@canuk @ciabelle @lljk @narfcake @thevorlon
You’re skipping a “tape player” generation.
@Kidsandliz @lljk
How many of us have cars?
@eonfifty @lljk Well I have a 9 year old one (used to have a 25 year old one) to use as a backup when my teletransporter isn’t working. Had to trade in my spaceship in to get the 9 year old car.
I bought one, plan on clear coating everything but the lens when it gets here so it’ll hold up to weather better
@riceatusc In the business, we call that “applying a conformal coating”. It makes it sound more impressive.
Y’all really need a proofreader. “Her’s”? Does that go with “hi’s” or maybe “his’s”; and the plural option: “their’s” or “theirs’s”? And of course, there’s the ever-popular “it’s”. Here’s the easy rule: No apostrophe in ANY possessive pronoun. None. Not now, not ever. Got it?
@kvarmint Your right. Thank’s for sitting it strait.
@kvarmint @therealjrn
https://shirt.woot.com/offers/possessive
My car has a backup camera question can I use this as a dashcam if and how would I Supply Power
@mellowirishgent Instructions say the camera transmits whenever it gets power, so power it by the lighter with the display.
@mellowirishgent Sure can! Just run a power wire to it and put it on your dash. Boom! Dashcam.
@hchavers @mellowirishgent but you won’t be recording anything, you’d just see what you’re already seeing sitting in the driver’s seat looking out over the dash. Or am I missing something?
I guess it could be handy if you’re planning on driving a lot while lying down in the front seat …
@fuzzmanmatt I get that. NOw but it dosen 't record so whats the point ?
@mellowirishgent
So those who vehicles don’t have a backup camera can buy it and hook it up to their vehicle so they’ll now have a backup camera.
As for your dash cam question you can pretty much do that with all dash cams just buy the right connection wires
@hchavers @mellowirishgent @stolicat It would provide road-level view. As a person who’s never quite sure exactly where the front of my car ends, I’d find this quite useful. Some vehicles do in fact offer a similar feature. I lack the ambition to both sort out the details and convince the spousal unit we should spend the money (I might could handle one of those tasks, just not both) or I’d do it myself. Still contemplating the intended use.
@ConcealedPsycho Yes your rite i realized it after i posted that it does not record
@joelmw I don’t know if the guide lines can be turned off. It’s generally unnecessary for a front view.
@mellowirishgent If you don’t mind running wires, $40 can get a dash cam that records both front and rear. Mount the rear view up front if you want a bumper view.
So… these are also cheap ways to bring vision to robots you may or may not be building in your basement.
@canuk Yes, but I already have boxes of cheap cameras for the robots under construction in my basement.
The picture quality is much worse than that of most cell phones, including partially broken cell phones easily available on eBay for far less money.
Cell phones have WiFi (a much more general purpose wireless radio), higher quality screens, and higher quality cameras. Beginners should go for cell phones that only work when plugged in. A battery that doesn’t take a charge is enough to get a cell phone into the right price range.
@canuk @hamjudo I’m confused. Are you suggesting that I tape my cellphone to the back of the car?
@hamjudo @squishybrain I thought that was obvious. What else are cell phones for? I heard people used to use them to talk to people who were far away
@canuk @squishybrain The primary purpose of all electronics is to be affordable hobby robot parts. Many electronics are too expensive direct from the factory, so they have to have an alternate use while they are on their way to becoming affordable.
A pair of cell phones, includes most of the hardware you need for a backup camera. In the hardware department, you will also need USB power supplies, wire, epoxy or other mounting hardware, some resistors, and the cable from a pair of cellphone headphones with microphone.
Use the headphone/microphone cable and the resistors to allow the cell phone to sense if the backup lights are on. Just run a wire from the backup light through a resistive divider to the microphone input.
When the cellphone senses that the light is on, it can turn on the camera and connect to the dash mounted cell phone over WiFi or Bluetooth. The dash mounted cell phone just needs to go from a nondistracting dark screen to showing the video. Then go back to the dark screen when the backup light is turned off.
I want and plan to buy one. Just not this one…
They will steal it right off my car if I buy it
@mcemanuel who steals garbage?
Ha! Thought you meant my car
So no one else is creeped out by the children of the corn who are literally running to catch this vehicle from behind?
/giphy children of the corn
@joelmw I am goddamned sure they’re up to no good is all I’m saying. It’d be one thing if they were back there playing. But no, those evil little shits are apparently chasing after the car in the middle of the fucking road.
@joelmw Let’s not even talk about baby Cujo, who at least isn’t running after us. Though I’m not sure I want to open the door if he’s lurking back there.
/giphy Cujo
@joel when are children ever up to “good”
So is the consensus that this is crap?
@dam091 It’s being sold on Meh. Need we say more?
@dam091 @macromeh Amazon users gave it a 3.6/5 rating. So probably more Meh than crap. Meh puts an Amazon link in the description if they sell it so it’s easy to check. Fakespot gives the reviews an A.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
1x Camera
1x Display screen
1x Suction cup mount
1x Camera power cable
1x Screen power cable
1x Mounting hardware
Price Comparison
$74.67 at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 13th - Thursday, July 16th
First click
FORWARD!
I once had a driving safety instructor tell us that the person in back was the one in control of the situation. So then why would that person need one of these?
Are you sure they weren’t talking about sex?
I am wondering if it is cheaper to pay for installation on an old Lexus or buy a newer vehicle? As a point of reference, replacing a visor is over $1700.
@hchavers Two words: duct tape
@hchavers I am offering you 70$ for your Lexus, so you are gonna come out ahead. You’re welcome.
The brand name is Yada. No “yada yada yada” jokes?
@GLaDOS yes…5 posts above yours i slayed it…
I refuse to believe this company actually took out a trademark with the USPTO for the phrase on the front of the box.
@PooltoyWolf ™ is when you assert trademark without getting it registered, ® is when you have. Short-lived (or hard-to-register marks) get ™ all the time. It is supposed to indicate that you think it’s a trademark and you might be trying to get it registered.
/image the more you know
@yeppers This is truly a ‘today I learned’ moment. I had no idea. I’d always assumed they just had differing levels of protection/usage!
Been wanting to try one of these on my rock buggy, at this price it’s worth a shot
I bought one at Costco a few years ago, it worked fine for a couple of years but did not make it through a total submersion when backing a boat & trailer into the water. I really miss the camera and am glad to see the same brand here, on sale. Only have to replace the camera and screen (& will make sure it doesn’t get submerged again).
Did anyone get this and install it? Does it work good? I bought this 4 years ago with the intent of installing it on my 2000 grand cherokee. Never did. Now I have a newer van with an amazing factory backup cam. We recently bought a 2005 f350 with an after market cam, which is old and no longer clear looking. Remembered I have this and wanted to install it, mostly for help in backing up to the trailer, especially since it has a monster lift on it. This cam looks huge tho, does it work well?