Simple Living

Review of the Seiko Chronograph SSB003 I purchased the Seiko Chronograph model SSB003 about four months ago in November 2014, and it has quickly become a favorite in my collection. Here’s a brief overview of my experience with this timepiece. Design and Comfort The stock metal bracelet is comfortable enough for daily wear, but I prefer the look and feel of the watch on a leather strap. Currently, I have it paired with a Hirsch Liberty strap, which contrasts beautifully with the silver dial. This combination gives the watch a classic yet understated appearance—almost like a 'poor man's' Hamilton Khaki. Performance and Usability While the SSB003 has its flaws, I believe it’s worth every penny. The main issue is its legibility in low-light conditions; the lack of luminescent materials on the hour markers and hands makes it challenging to read the time when it's dim. However, considering the price point, this watch has performed admirably, and its size is a perfect fit for ...

I was able to create a Linux RAID 0 Array with two (2) SanDisk 32gb Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drives.  I opted for RAID 0 - Striping as it would give me one logical 64gb Drive with theoretically 'double' the speed. Due to the Linux Test Machine having only USB 2.0 ports, the theoretical max it could achieve is limited by USB 2.0 max speed of 480mbits/sec (roughly 60mb/sec).  Initial test of Single USB Flash Drive -- 30mb/sec Read Speed. Create RAID 0 I installed mdadm .  It was conveniently located in the Ubuntu Software Center.  Reviewed other users guides and none worked exactly as described, but after reviewing each one, I was able to piece together the necessary terminal commands and steps to take. Steps Taken: sudo -s Enter Admin Password mdadm -Cv /dev/md0 -l0 -n2 /dev/sdc /dev/sdd mke2fs /dev/md0 mount /dev/md0 /mnt/samsung I had to also mess around in disks to get things to work.  And then renamed the Lost+Found folder to 'USB Files' as ...

Quick Review of the SanDisk CZ48 USB 3.0 Ultra Flash Drives I recently purchased two 32GB SanDisk CZ48 USB 3.0 Ultra Flash Drives for $17 each on Amazon. If I had acted a bit sooner, I might have snagged them for $14.99 each, but that’s hindsight for you. Here’s a breakdown of my experience with one of these drives, particularly during large file transfers. Performance Read/Write Speeds Read Speed: 75 MB/second Write Speed: 25 MB/second SanDisk clearly states that the CZ48 drives are optimized for read speed. The write speed of 25 MB/second is decent, especially compared to the 4-10 MB/second speeds I typically got with USB 2.0 drives. Given that these drives are priced similarly to USB 2.0 Cruzer Glides of the same capacity, opting for the CZ48 Ultra is a no-brainer. However, if you require faster write speeds, I recommend looking into the Extreme CZ80 or Extreme Pro CZ88 models. Pros Decent Read Speed: The read speeds are impressive for the price point. Good Price: Comparable to ...

Audio-Technica MTH-50 Review: One Year Later It has been almost a year since I purchased the Audio-Technica MTH-50 headphones, and they are still going strong. I blogged about them back in March 2014, and I can confidently say they continue to sound fantastic—perhaps even better than when I first got them. While I wouldn’t necessarily attribute this improvement to "burn-in," I do think that as you become accustomed to their sound signature, you start to notice more of the subtle details that might have been blurry or drowned out in cheaper headphones. Durability and Wear In hindsight, the 'white' color looked cool initially, but it has proven to be a magnet for dirt and grime. The pleather headband, in particular, is showing some wear and tear, and I worry that it may eventually peel and crack. However, this wear doesn’t detract from the sound quality, and I believe these headphones will remain usable for a long time. That said, I do wish Audio-Technica ...