Simple Living

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

I own both the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and ATH-MSR7's and wanted to wait a few months before doing a proper comparison between the two models of headphones. In many ways the MSR7 are the successor to the M50x; rather than the M70x.  The M50's became a legendary headphone in their own right because of the amount of value they offered relative to price.  While it's too early to know if the MSR7's can take that place, they are a worthy contender. Price (M50 wins) M50's MSRP around $169 USD (Amazon usually has them for $130 ~ $150) MSR7's MSRP for $249 USD (but have seen them for about $200) Sound Quality (MSR7 wins) Both use 45 mm drivers.    MSR7 5 ~ 40,000 Hz 35 Ohm 2,000 mW M50x 15 ~ 28,000 Hz 38 Ohm 1,600 mW The MSR7's do sound better in terms of tighter response, definition and overall clarity of sound.  Switching back to the M50's things sound muddled and it's quite surprising as when I first bought the M50's it was

By happenstance I own several Sony ZX Series Headphones: ZX-100 ZX-110 ZX-310 Build Quality (ZX-310 Wins) They use mostly a Plastic Build that is quite durable; the ZX-100 I've had for over 2 1/2 years and been thrown about in my Backpack & Car.  The ONLY issue with the lower model ZX-100 & ZX-110 Series are the crappy Earpads that disintegrate and create a flaky vinyl mess.  Those flakes then get stuck to your ears & hair.  The ZX-310 wins in that regard with much better quality Earpads. Cost (ZX-100/110 Wins) ZX-310's cost about twice that of the ZX-100/110 and I've been able to find several 310's for about $18 at Discount Retailers.  ZX-110's should go for about $10. Specs They are all 30mm Drivers.  The ZX-310 has a wider Frequency Range of 10 ~ 24,000 Hz and a Gold 1/8" Plug.  The ZX-100/110 are roughly identical going 12 ~ 22,000 Hz. Sound (ZX-100 Wins) Surprisingly, I prefer the ZX-100's Sound Signature vs. the 110 and 31

Having now owned several G-Shocks I've come to appreciate certain features of various models.  For most part all I care about primarily is 'size'.  Features are secondary and so long as it has World Time, I'm happy. Size (5600 wins) In terms of size the 5600's are my favorite, but the convenience of the illumination button front and center on the 6900 is beautiful. The compromise?  It has to go to the 9000 series Mudman.  While the buttons are difficult to press it is the right size and button arrangement that just connects with me as one of my favorite G-Shocks thus far.  Now Module versions this is probably a bad selection to compare as I have a GLX, G and DW types.  But form factor wise they are roughly equivalent representatives of their model series.  There are certainly much larger G-Shocks, but for me the 6900 is where I will draw the line for now. Features (G9000 Wins, GLX5600 Good Second) Most G-Shocks have the standard basics down pat and all I car

The battery died in the Seiko SSB003.  Popped it open to see what battery it needs and replaced it.  It needed an SR936SW battery. Kinda cool looking at the 6T63A movement.  Nothing fancy, but interesting all the same.  Standard screwback. The battery is locked into place by a thin metal strip running across it.  You can gently unlock it from pushing slightly on the part of the metal bar nearest the edge of the case.

The Hirsch Robby Sailcloth Performance Strap arrived today.  Purchased the version in Black with Red Stitching.  Cost me $ 108 from Amazon and is the priciest strap I've bought thus far, but felt it's a worthy investment as I plan to use it daily. First Impression The black texture on the outside feels like a pair of gortex gloves and the detail is quite good as it should be for a fairly expensive watch band. Stitching is excellent and the red rubber underside while coarse at first is comfortable. I got the 20 mm version and tried it on an Omega Seamaster 2531.80. And it works quite well. It's too soon to give this a verdict, but overall I'm satisfied that it is a premium grade watch strap. The Omega needed some new legs as I was tired of the bracelet accumulating scratches.  It does feel more sporty casual with the Hirsh strap. Update 2/6/16 It's been about a week since receiving the Hirsch Robby Performance strap and I must say it's

I've tried several character types and for now settled on the Odachi/Katana Sword with Power Stat focus.  Learning as I go along and experimenting with this build.  Was able to make it to the Izumo Rest Area after about a week of casual playing. Odachi for Group fights The Odachi is the long sword and while slower than a Katana has more attack power and a wider attack range.  It's good for medium size mobs. Katana for surgical fights The Katana is proving better for fast boss strikes or single enemy duels.  You can unload several skills in rapid succession with the shorter and faster Katana. Goal is Affinity = more damage to enemies I'm focusing all my stat points towards Power.  This raises sword and Odachi affinity which boosts attack rating.  The max is 3,000 (including any +% affinity items like magatama's). Weapons Using the basic gold weapons I've found along the way.  Nothing fancy and most are just +10 to +50 enhancement.

Casio has a fantastic bargain with the model MDV-106.  It is an actual diver style, water resistant for 200 meters.  This is not a regular diver style watch, this one could actually go for a swim thanks to its screw down crown.  Which makes it a good deal as many sell for about $33 - 40. Features Unidrectional bezel marked for 60 minutes. Basic lume on hour indices and hands Date Display Quartz Movement (Casio 2784 / Miyota 2115) 200 Meter Water Resistance 44 mm case size 22 mm band width Size This watch is comparable to the Seiko SKX007 in size.  Both are 22 mm lugs and roughly the same dial and bezel width along with wrist height.  However a Seiko SKX007 is a real dive watch, this is still diver style.  For some this watch might wear a bit large, but for others it's sufficient.  For me, I prefer 20 mm lugs and a smaller face of 41.5 mm max, this one is closer to 44m w/ crown. Other Options This is a bargain basement choice, but hits well  abov

I bought an Eton Microlink FR160 Handcrank Radio for my Emergency Kit a few years ago and it's great, except for one thing....over time a sticky residue coats the radio's external surface.  It was driving me nuts and I thought something was wrong. Fortunately, rather than dump it I researched online and learned Eton Radios are coated with a substance to make them easier to grip, but over time it degrades and becomes a sticky mess.  Some isopropyl alcohol and cotton balls can clean most of the gunk.  Some paint maybe lost in the process, but the radio at least is not sticky anymore.

I bought another watch.  A Zenith Brand Caliber 126.  Dress Watch with Sub Second Dial.  Paid $450 + $20 shipping.  A simple, entry-level, vintage piece to round out my humble collection.  I could buy a Nomos Tangente, but the Zenith just speaks to me.  Idk...perhaps old age setting in?  In any case, that's enough watches for 2015.  Enough for quite some time as I have plenty to wear now.  It should arrive in the mail in about a week and I'll post pics after I've examined it further.  Hopefully, it's the genuine article and in decent condition. Some basic questions I will try to answer is what specific Caliber is the movement?  Been seeing various info about the nuances between Cal 40, 126, 126-6, et cetera.  It looks a bit beat up, so not sure if I got a deal or not. At minimum so long as it's authentic, working and wearable that should suffice. Zenith Caliber 126 Here are what specs and info I could gather on this movement. Several Vers

There are many watches similar and comparable to the venerable Rolex Explorer I.  Few automatics with decent specs and at an affordable price come closer than the humble Seiko 5 model SNKK35. These can be found pre-owned for about $50 (brand new they sell for below $80). I personally, owned both the SNKK35 (Black Dial) and SNKK33 (White Dial).  I loved them both for what they offered at such a fantastic price point.   There are many things to love about this simple, yet attractive watch that does have a passing resemblance to a Rolex Explorer I (but at a fraction of the price).  There are five (5) specifics on this watch that I wanted to discuss: Movement Dial Case/Crown Bracelet Overall Movement The Seiko 5 line use the standard 7s26/36 automatic movement.  It's been around for quite a few years and is utilized in nearly all their Seiko 5 watches.  The one noticeable feature lacking on a 7s movement, it doesn't have a hacking second hand, meaning you cannot

Linux Distributions have improved from when I last attempted to install Ubuntu in 2009.  Lubuntu 14.10 was effortless in terms of installation and nearly everything is laid-out in a very intuitive manner.  I was literally up and running within minutes and in maybe two (2) hours completely running Linux on the Toshiba Netbook NB505. Specs The Toshiba is a very weak machine and spec-wise nothing amazing.  It has a puny Intel Atom N455 1.67ghz Processor, 1gb Ram and 250gb HDD.  That's about it.  Running it on Windows 7 Starter was a painful experience and while I got it tweaked where it was reasonably functional, there were certain things you just could not do such as watch a full movie or surf the internet.  Otherwise, some basic typing was all the Netbook could offer.  With Linux however, it has given the Netbook a new lease on life and while marginally faster on boot times and most other tasks, it did make watching a movie or surfing the internet more reasonable.  There

It arrived!  Got the Seiko SSB003 in the mail and its a very nice watch. Aesthetics - Dial -  more a Glossy Silver than 'White'.  Pics don't do it justice and it's a very appealing color. -  Sub-Dial  - 3 registers at 3,6,9 o'clock.  Black color contrasts nicely with the Silver Dial. -  Bracelet -  20mm Steel.  Cheap and Rattly, but ok.  Identical to one used on some snkk Seiko 5 series. -  Bezel  - this was interesting, the case is a unibody design so the bezel is not a separate piece. -  Size  - it's a nice 40mm watch and a more conservative and classic feel.  Height is about 10mm and overall comparable in dimensions to my Omega Seamaster 2531.80. - Weight -  Case has some heft, bracelet is very light and total weight is same as my Rolex Explorer. Usage - Chronograph -  uses the 6T63 movement.  Some call it a 'MechaQuartz' as the Chronograph functions just like a pure Mechanical Chronograph watch would.  The big red s

What is it with Seiko watches?  I'm smitten with several models lately...the SSB007 chronograph is stunning and reminds me vividly of my first watch a humble Guess Chronograph.  The Arctura GMT model SUN003 with black dial is also amazing and looks so cool with its futuristic curves and design.  I'm missing my old Guess Chronograph.  While it was nothing special horologically, it was my first watch and that particular style and feel holds some sentimental value to me.  The SSB line looks awful close.  And some are going for $100 brand new on Amazon so very affordable. SSB003 - White Panda To help me decide...I am listing the various models and styles to pick which one is right for me.  So far I like the first few of the series...the 001, 003, 007, or 013. SSB001 - white SSB003 - silver/black Panda, red seconds SSB005 - blue SSB007 - black SSB009 - white, gold TT SSB011 - black, black bezel, red seconds SSB013 - white/black Panda, red seconds SSB015 - b