What if it’s not the screens?

dagorenouf

Hey guys, a couple weeks ago I posted about having problems with a Mac mini m4. I brought it back since then, but I keep thinking about it.

I remember that when I tried it, after immediately having symptoms (on an otherwise usable screen), I turned it off and moved it away from my desk.

But I remember that the Mac mini felt « charged ». Not sure how to describe it, but it felt like it was still impacting me even turned off. And I was scared to even look or approach it.

it probably sounds super woo-woo, but I had to put it in a box and move it to the other side of my apartment to feel better. I’m sure some of it was just placebo, but I also remember that distinct feeling of the Mac mini being somehow charged with electricity, or electromagnetism, or something of that nature.

Now since then I tried 4 more Mac with various degrees of pain, but nothing I could use for the long term. It didn’t matter if it was a MacBook or a Mac mini, on an Internal or external screen: I always had problems.

and today that made me think: since there is apparently no clear way for Anyone to know which device is safe or not, maybe it’s because we’re looking in the wrong direction? Maybe the rendering or screens aren’t the problem after all, but rather it’s the electro magnetic waves emitted by the computers / Screens that are the cause? That would finally explain why even desktop computer using otherwise safe screen also have the issue.

Anyway sorry for the rant. Anyone has thoughts on that?

radfaraf

dagorenouf That's an easily testable as a theory if you just ignore people hesitant about certain things happening being possible because they never heard of them (referring to how people who think they have EMF sensitivity automatically get bullied on the internet). If it's the radiation effecting you then you should get the same symptoms sitting by the monitor when it's on even when say facing the opposite direction, or a similar test. If you do get symptoms you'd want to make sure there isn't a simpler less distressing reason such as your body doesn't just like the chair you sat in, or you were overly anxious about the test, but you should be able to figure out some set of conditions to prove or disapprove it to yourself as long as you're honest, thoughtful and careful about it. If it still seems like the radiation is causing your symptoms then you could setup some sort of blind test where you don't know what you're next to and are blindfolded and see if still happens.

Another reason even 'safe screens' might cause problems is you have eye/brain/nervous system issues that aren't corrected such as binocular vision issues, or other issues where your brain can't properly process vision in unideal situations very well.

K-Moss

dagorenouf Use a known safe screen like the Moto G 2025. No PWM, no dithering. If that one bothers you, then you can look for other reasons, but before wildly speculating you should order one from Amazon and try it out for yourself. It is cheap and Amazon gives a great 30-day return policy.

jordan

dagorenouf mac minis arent grounded if you look at the power cable. macbooks when connected to the wall also arent grounded unless you buy the special grounded cable that connects to the detachable plug on a apple charger. I did a test of this a long time ago and found more emf when connecting a apple charger to a device ungrounded. when swapping to the grounded attachment it was much better. if you look online theres tons of post about peoples arms/hands tingling buzzing when thery are resting on the metal laptop chassis due to the laptop grounding to you and not through the outlet due to the lack of ground plug. Theres no way to ground the mac mini with that method. you could try the special ground plugs that connect to the wall and to usb port but unsure how well that works through usb.

btw if your machine is ungrounded and you connect a monitor it could possibly cause interference maybe worsened pixel inversion?

Donux

dagorenouf Absolutely this could be the case. I was looking into this issue too, also checking with language model aggregators to see what noise it generates regarding this topic. It really could be that CPU GPU unit is making some sort of EMF leak or high pitch noise, and it adds up to already strainy macbooks in general. But that is one way of thinking.

Another way of thinking is - neuro marketing, which is a big field, and Apple is at the top of it. Maybe, they have achieved a product which creates a very strong attachment by using various pulse modulation techniques, ir simply design. That attachment is so big, that you eventually feel consumed by the device causing various neurological and psychological symthoms. It litteraly shapes your consciousness within this virtual environment which results in disharmony between your actual physical environment, and virtual environment, which eventually leads to various forms of stress. This is in line what mindfullness or budhism argue partly, i.e. stress comes from mismatches of inner state and external reality (not as you perceive it, but objectively speaking).

dagorenouf

Btw I have no problem with:

iPhone SE 3
MacBook Air m1 (I use it 8h per day)
Switch 2
my lg monitor (except when connected to some devices like Mac mini)

radfaraf I don’t think it’s the monitor since I can use it no problems with MacBook Air m1 or switch 2. But with Mac mini 4 it was a nightmare (same cables and params on better display and everything).

I might just try buying a 10m usb-c cable and putting it super far away from the monitor. And if that works I’ll buy a faraday cage or something 😂

Sunspark

You have anxiety, and if you don't recognize that, you're at risk of developing a psychosomatic condition.

All these devices are tested by various regulatory agencies.

dagorenouf

jordan this is very smart observation. I have an old grounded cable I will experiment with.

radfaraf

jordan My own experiments show that both a m1 mini and m4 mini become grounded despite not having a grounded cord if they are hooked up to a monitor that uses a grounded cord, then it serves as the ground for the whole setup. I've never seen a monitor that doesn't use a grounded cord, so maybe they designed them knowing this?

Donux

dagorenouf Every macbook I buy, there is also addition item of purchase - cable extension, since it has grounding pins. The original charger for the sake of cost saving, does not have grounding pin. Easy to test by simply touching macbook or mac min body with your hand and see if you feel tingling sensation. With right cable, its gone immediately. In regards to EMFs, if this is a real cause, then it means for some people, their brain incorrectly perceives high frequecy EMFS as a threat and generates stress hormones. You need to offset it with daily supplmenets of magnesium, perhaps adding into your coffee or water after main meal. Otherwise it will buildup in your body and cause more problems down the line.

jordan

radfaraf I have heard that from someone else too but I dont think its always good to ground your pc that way since it can cause interference. It could cause worsened lcd pixel inversion. Theres a vid on youtube about properly grounding a pc tower and it creating a noticeable difference with gaming.

Sunspark

(Or eat better food that has magnesium, but yeah. It's one of the nutrients a lot of people have a deficiency in because of our terrible corporate food chain.)