Strange electronics...

[alexpgp]

It has been my custom to place my VAIO into "Stand By" mode when turning it off for the day. Yesterday, after doing so, I decided to speak with Drew, and during our phone call, the VAIO suddenly "woke up." I have no idea why. (Actually, I have a suspicion of a suspicion, but I need to think about it some more.)

Before hitting the sack, however, I did a little browsing using my BlackBerry, and when I finally went to sleep, the battery indicator showed about 40% charge left in the device. The phone beeped twice during the night, which had never happened before, and the only thing I could tell that may have prompted the noise was the arrival of email (except that email arrival normally doesn't result in noise, except for priority messages, and this morning, when I checked, the sound played for priority messages was not what I heard during the night).

However, when I went to connect to the Internet this morning, I found the phone had apparently turned off its wireless capability, and the battery charge level stood at 1%! (I'll bet the tones were announcements of "low-battery" and "turning off wireless.")

Things are more or less back to normal now... I think I'll let the phone charge off my VAIO's USB port while I get ready for my time at the MSR, which starts in a couple of hours.

Cheers...

Comments

[astroprisoner.livejournal.com]

My Vaio does the same thing...I think. I've never actually seen it kick on by itself, but there have been plenty of times when I go away for a while, come back much later, and wonder why it didn't go to sleep. Now, reading this, I'm wondering if instead it's turning itself back on.

What's your theory about why this happens?

[madhacktress.livejournal.com]

The machines are rising up and the VAIOs are coordinating...

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

I don't pretend to understand the mechanism, but from time to time, I've noticed my VAIO disconnects from my wireless router and makes a poor connection to a neighbor's wireless network (my machine says it's connected, but the signal level is "no signal").

I suspect that when that "no signal" kicks up a notch while the machine is in standby mode, it forces my VAIO to pay attention, so it wakes up.

I'll have to test this by, say, switching off the built-in wireless hardware when I put the VAIO to sleep.

Cheers...

[astroprisoner.livejournal.com]

Oh great. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day peeking through the blinds, looking for a red-eyed guy who resembles the governor of California.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

What's your reason for putting it to sleep rather than turning it off?

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Much faster startup time, ranging from nearly instantaneous to about 45 seconds (with all applications in the state they were in when I quit), as opposed to ~4-5 minutes from a "cold" start to the time the machine is usable, with no applications started.

Cheers...