Bits 'n stuff: JWST images; Printer ink

This is the 1-year anniversary of the JWST. NASA released a bunch of cool new photos and the WaPo published some of them.












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The WaPo does a nice job with printer ink:
I recently needed to replace the ink on my HP inkjet printer. Four little name-brand HP cartridges of yellow, blue, red and black cost me $123.

Ounce for ounce, that’s more than the price of Dom Pérignon champagne. Yet the actual ink in each cartridge likely cost about $2 to manufacture, industry insiders tell me. Americans are wasting some $10 billion each year on name-brand ink they could have refilled for less, according to the Public Interest Research Group.

But you can fight back. Printer companies push a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt about using anything other than their own supplies. So I tested a few alternatives on my own popular printer, an HP OfficeJet Pro, from aftermarket cartridges to ink bottles you re-inject with needles.

I did learn one hard lesson that’s important to highlight: To maximize your ink options, turn off your printer’s automatic software updates. .... software patches are important — but printer makers are abusing them to make printers less compatible with cheaper ink.




By Germaine: Astronomer and snarling consumer advocate

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