Simple Living

When I was looking for a replacement for my venerable 6s the XR and 11 were high on my list and I debated which one to get.  The XR and 11 are almost identical with only 2 major differences being the faster A13 chip and dual rear cameras of the 11. Dual Camera’s — Yes, it makes a difference I ended up going with the 11 and paying $300 on a special deal (normally $600 full retail) and am very happy and find the dual camera's a must have.  You don't realize what your missing in casual photography until you've tried a dual camera setup. iPhones hold their value It's been a year since I picked up the 11 and was in the market for an XR to give to another friend who wanted to upgrade from their 6s.  I couldn't find refurbished XR's from Apple.com anymore and settled on a refurbished model from eBay for $340.  Overall, the eBay refurbished XR was in excellent condition with 87% battery health, so my friend was estatic and fell in love with her XR. As I setup the XR, I

Retro Gaming has come a long way since the early PC emulators.  I was curious at how well a portable handheld could handle emulation and am impressed with the Anbernic RG351p.  Based on online reviews the RG351p is probably the best handheld for those serious about portable retro gaming and only want to own 1 device. I'll have to agree with those reviews and was able to start gaming within 10 seconds of owning the device.  This by itself is impressive. The RG351p is by no means 'perfect', but there are no perfect portable handhelds and its competitors using the same chipset may have features and capabilities that out class the RG351p, but have their own share of drawbacks. The target audience for the RG351p are casual gamers who plan to spend 15-30 minutes in a gaming session.  It can run for much longer multi-hour sessions, but really this is for casual gamers. When shopping around for a portable, I evaluated the following devices: Retroid Pocket 2 RGB 10 RG351p RG351m RG3

As 2021 draws to a close, I'm planning what I want to pick up in 2022.  I'm focusing on various collections and budgeting about $ 800. I. 2022 Wish List Clothes - $360 Uniqlo - T-Shirts x3 - $45 - DONE Uniqlo - Polo Shirt x2 - $50 - DONE Banana Republic - Crew Sweater - $15 -  DONE Uniqlo - Heat Tech Shirt - $20 - DONE Uniqlo - Ultra Down - $80 - DONE Northface - Venture 2 Rain Jacket - $100 - DONE Adidas - Red Gym Shorts x2 - $50   - DONE Shoes - $200 ($110 spent) Air Jordan 1 - $110   - DONE Total - $470 spent I'll add to my list over time, but these are the items I want to start budgeting for. II. Wardrobe Refresh 2022 is also a refresh year for my wardrobe and I've decided to standardize to Uniqlo Supima Cotton T-Shirts.  Uniqlo Supima cost about 2-3 times more than a Hanes, but last 2-3 times longer than a Hanes. I've personally tested this by wearing in rotation both Hanes and Uniqlo T-Shirts for last 2 years and have already had to replace the Hanes T-Sh

Updating my Inventory List for my various Collections.  I've added a 7th Category Swiss Army Knives and replaced Clothing to focus on Sneakers. Headphones -- 11 Tech -- 12 Watches -- 7 Swiss Army Knives -- 16 Sneakers -- 4 Fountain Pens -- 4 Whisky -- 3 The only collection that hasn't changed since 2018 are my fountain pens.  All others have grown or been updated. 1. Headphones -- 11 Reduced by 3 items by dumping all my old MDR-ZXs, ATH-EQ500 and WM-77 as they were getting too old and I haven't used them in years. Over-Ear Audio Technica - ATH-MSR7 Audio Technica - ATH-M50x On-Ear Grado - SR80e In-Ear AKG IG955 // Office Klipsch R6i // Home Beats Urbeats // Bag Apple Earbuds x4 Wireless Apple AirPod Pro 2. Tech -- 12 Added an iPhone 11, Fire 8 Tablet and RG351p.  Sold off the Apple Shuffle and gave away my old 6s. I’m going to sell the LG K7. Phones iPhone 11 iPhone 4 LG K7 Tablets Amazon Fire 8 iPad 2 Laptops HP i7 HP i3 Gaming RG351p Sony Playstation PS4 Sony Playstation

I picked up my 2007 Lexus IS250 in 2018 for $11,000 and have owned it for more than 3 years (as of 2021).  I kinda went into this one blind having only experience with Toyota’s and thought a Lexus would be similar in terms of reliability and maintenance; they are not.  I fortunately purchased an extended warranty for $2,400, which later proved a very wise move. For comparison a brand new 2018 Corolla would have cost about $22,000 at the same time I purchased the Lexus.  So initially, I was ahead by $8,600 and driving a very nice luxury car. Specs - 2007 Lexus IS250 Engine - 2.5L - V6 RWD HP - 204 @ 6.4k Torque - 185 @ 4.8k Transmission - 6 Speed Performance: 0-60: 7.4 seconds 1/4 Mile: 15.4 seconds @ 88 mph EPA MPG: 24 City / 32 Highway Dimensions: Length: 180.1  inches Wheelbase: 107.5 inches Height: 56.1 inches Width (w/o mirrors): 70.9 inches   I. Conclusion - TL/DR - It's Not Worth It So my journey comes to an end and I'm parting with the Lexus for $6,000.  This r

Casio digital wristwatches have become famous as they offer the best value.  You will be hard pressed to find an alternative. The G-Shock DW5600 and vintage A168 are excellent examples of their respective model lines and can be had for around $45 and $20 respectively.  It's that low price point that make these watches so attractive relative to their very high quality and feature list. When comparing watches you would want to compare 5 criterias: Features Accuracy Reliability / Durability Wearability Aesthetics I. Features - DW5600 wins The huge advantage that digital watches have over regular analog watches is its display.  For an analog watch to hold multiple features it would need to reserve room on its display for each feature and this can be inherently difficult due to the limited real estate on a wristwatch dial. Digital watches avoid this problem as they can cycle through multiple features sharing the same display.  By pressing the mode button either Casio can cycle through 4

Splurged on a pair of Apple Airpod Pro’s.  With the proceeds of my recent watch sales I had more than enough for new wireless earbuds. Initial Review Only had them for a few hours and overall I’m impressed by how well they are integrated with my iPhone 11.  Everything just works, and once you learn the basic controls it’s quite intuitive. I am finding the transparent audio impressive and beats my open ear cans like the Grado SR80’s.  The noise canceling feature I’ve only used sparingly and will try it out soon. 3 Day Review Okay, I got in my new Airpod Pro case and liking it as one problem I discovered with the Pro’s due to their size and shape they seem to easily fall out of my pockets. My first few listening sessions relied on transparent audio and that’s not good for actual music listening.  When I turned it off, the sound quality of certain songs improved, which should be obvious considering the original intent of transparent audio mode. But after several sessions, the audio qualit

My collection of watches has grown to over a dozen pieces yet again and like several times before it consists of a plethora of inexpensive and cheap watches I’ll never wear. I’m culling the herd and slimming down to 4 watches: Rolex Explorer 114270 Victorinox INOX Casio G-Shock DW5600 Casio A168 My thoughts on how to setup an ideal collection: I. Classics that Obey Form + Function It took years for me to realize I prefer simple tool watches of a reasonable size and classic styling.  For most everyday I'm relying on the humble Casio's and for more formal or special days I bust out the Automatics or the INOX.   It's funny how the Casio A168 gives me such delight as I don't have to worry much and it satisfies most of my daily needs in a watch. II. You don’t need every style or design One common mistake I made when I first began collecting watches was wanting to ‘complete’ a collection in terms of colors and styles.  If a model came in 3-4 colors I desired all of them. Cont

If you are seeking a Casio G-Shock you will likely come across two (2) of the most popular design series, the square 5600's and circular 6900's.  Both represent G-Shock at their best and you can't go wrong with either. When selecting the right G-Shock, you have four (4) questions to help narrow down your choices: 1. Form Factor (Size) For those with smaller wrists the smaller 5600's are the logical choice, but most people can get away with wearing a larger 6900. 2. Features (Modules) Second are module (features) and the most basic modules reside in the DW models. Higher end G-Shocks typically have model names starting with a 'G' like the GW or GLX. 3. Style (Color/Design) The third and most difficult choice is style.  Casio doesn't make this easy as they have done many limited edition and collaboration models offering thousands of different color and design choices. For me, I'd recommend keeping it simple and for your first G-Shock get one in classic bl

The backlight was no longer working on my Casio G-Shock DW-6900 and while it showed the time and all other functions worked, I suspected it no longer had enough battery power to sustain the backlight. Researching online I found the instructions on how to replace the battery and confirm it uses a CR2016 battery. Overall, the steps to replace the battery are straight forward provided you have a tiny Phillips screwdriver that fits the back screws and a needle or pin to release the battery harness. CAUTION: The trickiest part of the battery replacement would be when you press on the battery harness catch.  I had to review the online instructions and Youtube videos several times before I understood how to gently release and also lock it back in place.  Take your time on this crucial step or you may permanently damage your watch. A special note, the 2007 Lexus IS250 keyless remote also uses the exact same CR2016 battery.  I fortunately, had a spare after replacing the batteries on all my I

I’m debating on what to get for my next watch in 2021.  My last purchase was the Victorinox INOX in 2020 and with the death of my Apple Series 2, I have room for another watch. I’m seeking something simple and my choices are: Casio G-Shock DW-5600 Casio A168 Details Matter My current stable of G-Shocks always leave something to be desired.  My GLX-5600 is in red.  The DW-6900 too bulky and my G9000 hard to read negative display…so enter the contenders of a black DW-5600 or a silver A168. Pro #1 - Both are Affordable My current opinions are leaning towards the 5600.  Although, considering both are quite affordable…I’m also leaning towards acquiring both. Pro #2 - G-Shock is near indestructible I like G-Shocks as they are built tough and can go almost anywhere.  I have no fear of diving in a pool or the ocean nor banging it up while working outdoors or in the gym.  The G is a true beater watch. Con #1 - I own too many watches A knock against getting both is my ever growing collection.  

I’m cycling through my collection and donned the Orange Monster for past few days.  The benefit of owning larger watches like the Victorinox INOX and Armani AR585, they make the Seiko SKX781 look perfectly sized. Love/Hate relationship I can see how people can love it or hate it as I’ve experienced both during my 5 year ownership of the SKX781.  It’s blunt styling can be a turn off with the metal bezel and case, but then it feels more modern and unique relative to everyone else who clings to the Submariner style diver bezel; including the SKX007. What really attracted me to the SKX781 is the beautiful and legible Orange dial.  It’s by far one of the easiest to read dials and I wish many more watches took this to heart when designing watch dials, including Seiko. Another reason for the Orange Monster is it’s smaller than the more famous SKX007 as I owned both and found the 007 a bit too large for my tastes, but now might be okay with the larger size. But $500? I’m still shocked that the

I bought an oyster style bracelet for my Zenith.  The summer heat makes wearing leather impractical and I’m liking the form factor size of 36mm watches. It looks almost like my Rolex Explorer 114270 and in many ways was part of the reason I picked up this particular bracelet. Buyers Remorse Before, I hated this watch and wished I had gotten a Hamilton Khaki or Seiko SARB as they were all about the same price under $500, but now I’m okay with the Zenith.  It’s lovable to me as it’s a very classic design, simple, clean and now unique.  You’ll be hard pressed to find another original like this. As of this writing, this Zenith is 65 years old!  Pretty good for a watch old enough to retire. It’s also quite shocking how time flies as we are now nearing the middle of 2021.  

My Apple Watch - Series 2 in Space Grey Aluminum 42mm has finally died.  Bought it new when it first came out some 4 years ago around April 2017. I may take it into an Apple Store to see if there is any hope for it, but if not...I’m actually relieved it died as I’m now free from the tyranny of a ‘Smartwatch’.  I can enjoy my traditional quartz and mechanical watches again! Although, I’ve been mostly sporting my Victorinox INOX on most days and a Swatch when I need something light.  The G-Shocks seem excited to see the light of day again in the gym and on day hikes. Update - 5/22/21 Checked the Apple Service website and they quoted an out of warranty repair for the battery is $79.  Considering a newer Model 3 is just double the price of a new battery, just not worth it to fix the battery. I may someday try replacing it myself with one of the aftermarket battery replacement kits, but not right now.

I acquired the Swiss Army Victorinox - USB Drive in Green Alox several years ago and found it both useful as a storage device and for its aesthetic design, but since then have relegated it to a storage container as I have drives with much larger capacities and faster USB 3.0 speeds. This particular Alox model has since been discontinued and to my surprise these now sell for more than I paid for it and hovering near $50 - $70 for pre-owned.  I'm assuming this is more from a 'collectible' standpoint as while it still works fine as a USB drive and 8 GB is more than sufficient storage capacity for most non-media files, I have no use for it and perhaps its time to part with it? While beautiful in both its design and function, there are other things I'd prefer and considering using the funds from the sale to acquire either a Platinum Century 3776 fountain pen (to replace the one I lost years ago...) or a Pioneer Alox X knife.

I’m evaluating new Linux distros for my revived Linux rig.  The old Lubuntu 17.10 while fantastic is obsolete and I am unimpressed with Lubuntu 20.04 LTS. It seems the mindset of Linux has evolved to take into consideration increasingly more powerful computers and now a minimum of a dual core CPU and 2 GB of ram is required.  The HP i3-4010u with 8 GB of ram is just slightly above those minimum standards. 1. Lubuntu 20.04 LTS I’ve been a longtime Lubuntu user and fan.  My absolute fave has been Lubuntu 17 and later 18.04 LTS so I was expecting the same experience with 20.04, but was disappointed. It is laggy and unresponsive and feels bloated.  It took 15 seconds for Firefox to open and the loading of pages would take even longer!  I found this unacceptable as 17 is lightning fast and on the same machine with less ram. Finally, I threw in the towel and installed another distro. 2. Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon  I used an older version Mint before and wasn’t impressed with it then but now I’m

My overview of my HP 15f-10dx.  One of the toughest laptops I've ever owned and its still chugging along on the original battery.  I really don't know when to get rid of it as there is no reason to let it go, even if the battery dies.  I think its winning charm is its 'touchscreen'. Why a cheap laptop Specs BIOS Battery Drain on Linux How it became Linux Machine 2021 Water Death SSD Upgrade I. Why a cheap laptop? I've own several laptops in my lifetime and the HP 15f-010dx was a budget choice for about $399 back in 2014.  I never really spent much on laptops as I wasn't into gaming or anything computing intensive. However, Windows 8 was horrible on this slow machine.  The i3-4010u was sufficient for my needs, but Windows 8 was awful.  It's main thing going for it was the 'touchscreen' and surprisingly is very useful. II. Specs i3-4010u CPU 8 GB RAM (original factory was 4 GB) 500 GB HDD Windows 8.1   III. How to enter BIOS At startup immediately clic

My watch trinity for 2021 a Chronograph, Field Watch and Smartwatch.  While I have watches with better pedigree, these three are commanding the most wrist time and will be the go to watches for the foreseeable future. All of these watches are on the larger side and while I would prefer more appropriate sized cases with 20 mm bands, these are acceptable and I've grown accustom to larger watches. There are days when I prefer a nice leather band and others a steel bracelet, then even others where I want technology.  These three (3) represent almost everything one could ever want or need in a collection of watches.

There is something to be said about a nice chronograph on a good leather strap.  The massive and heavy Armani AR0585 comes on a solid and equally heavy steel bracelet making it tough to wear for long periods of time.  The lack of micro adjustments make it further difficult to handle for too long. But with a leather strap that alleviates many of those issues and also looks strikingly good and makes the Armani feel more like a decent aviator style flieger watch. I hope to keep this combo for a while and not part with it like I did years before.  Something about nostalgia that makes me seek out these lost things and revive past memories.

I scored a Samsung S8+ as my friend was upgrading to a new phone.  After using it for a few days, I decided to part with my older Note 4 as the S8+ can take its place for streaming movies and overall media player. But before I part with the Note 4, wanted to do a side-by-side comparison with the S8+ that'll replace it. Specs Samsung Note 4 Screen 5.7" screen AMOLED 1440 x 2560 resolution (1440p) Power/Memory Snapdragon 805 3 GB Ram 32 GB Internal Memory MicroSD slot Battery 3220 mAh Li-Ion Samsung S8+ Screen 6.2" screen AMOLED 1440 x 2960 resolution Power/Memory Snapdragon 835 4 GB Ram 64 GB Internal Memory MicroSD slot Battery 3500 mAh Li-Ion By almost every measure the S8+ beats the Note 4 hands-down.  This is expected as the S8+ was the flagship of its day.  About the only thing that the Note 4 has going for it is the simple flat screen design vs. the curved edges of the S8+. But for video, I am finding the S8+ alot easier to hold and view with its more narrow and tall