No Saturday Mail delivery? Fine by me!

Postal-truck-crash

Earlier this week the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it would stop Saturday mail delivery in August and that’s just fine by me.  I say cut it down to 2-3 days a week.

I go to my mailbox a few times a week and it’s full of advertising inserts, credit card offers and stuff I never even look at.  I pay my bills online and I rarely, if ever, send any kind of written correspondence, and I’m sure I’m not alone.  As a matter of fact, I hate all of the waste generated by direct mail marketing.  I didn’t ask for this stuff but I have to take care of getting rid of it…

The USPS is supposed to be able to pay for itself with the fees it charges to use its service but after being “forced” to take a HUGE loan to pre-fund its union pension program it’s become under water to a tune of $15-billion.  Yet another example of how unions are not good for business anymore (that’s another post all together).

So far I have not read a lot of complaints about the USPS decision.  I think it’s just a sign of the times and probably not the first reduction of service we’ll see in our lifetime.

Swipe to Over Sleep

20130108-220254.jpgAfter using the iPhone for a while I’ve become quite fond of it but with any device there tends to be a few quirks. Case in point; the iPhone alarm clock…

The Apple iOS starts just about all phone interactions with a swipe of the finger. That swipe becomes second nature to a lot of us because we’re unconsciously swiping to unlock our phones all day long.

iphone_alarm_settings_380px

So guess what happens when your alarm is going off at 6 am and you grab your phone to silence it (in my case hit snooze a few times)? That instinctive swipe motion turns the alarm OFF! You have to press a small red button titled “Snooze” to silence he phone for nine minutes. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve accidentally disabled my iPhone alarm in the morning. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it though…

Who came up with the nine minute snooze threshold anyway? Three of the four alarm clocks I’ve ever owned all had the nine minute snooze. The fourth one had a seven min snooze. I want a 10 minute snooze so I can easily calculate how many times I can hit it before I REALY need to get out of bed…

Zip-It

Wall_screw_plug_anchor
Old Style Drill and Plug Anchor

Being a homeowner for the past 15+ years I’ve had my share of do-it-yourself projects and a never-ending “Honey-do” list to tackle every weekend. For the most part a house is pretty easy to take care of as long as you stay ahead of problems before they manifest themselves into something bigger.

Recently I discovered a new (to me) kind of wall anchor and wanted to let everyone know about it. It’s called a Zip-It wall anchor. I’ve always hated getting out the drill and trying to make sure made the correct sized hole for the anchor I wanted to use. I usually drilled the wrong size hole and ended up having to hammer the anchor into the wall, often damaging it in the process.

New Style Push and Screw Anchor
New Style Push and Screw Anchor

The Zip-It anchors don’t require a drill and their unique auger design provides a secure grip in the wall. All you need to do is push the sharpened tip into the wall and use a phillips head screw driver to screw the anchor into the wall. Zip-It’s come in nylon as well as metal and a variety of sizes.

I’ve used these for the past 6 months and there’s no way I’ll ever go back to the old drill and plug method. Zip-It fasteners can be found at just about any hardware store.

Look Ma, No Wires!

I spend a lot of time in my car and I’m always listening to something on the radio or the iPhone.  Since I bought my Toyota I’ve been using the AUX-IN jack to connect my phone (for iTunes, Pandora, etc.) to the JBL Sound System.  I was starting to pickup static and noise on my 3rd audio cable so I thought I’d look for a wireless alternative.

After shopping around online and only finding “hand free” units that will accept music but also act as a bluetooth speakerphone I was getting a little discouraged.  I already have Bluetooth phone capabilities built into the car and I rarely ever use it.  It’s fine for around town but at highway speeds it does not work well due to road/wind noise.

Last night I finally found the solution.  The Aluratek model AIS01F iStream Universal Bluetooth Audio Receiver is exactly what I’ve been looking for and it only cost $30.

This tiny matchbook sized piece if plastic does one thing (stream Audio) and so far I’m really impressed with the performance.  After pairing with the iPhone and plugging the little 3-inch pigtail into the AUX-IN port I had the music from my phone wirelessly transferred to the car stereo.

Features:
  • Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
  • Transmits up to 33 feet away
  • Remembers up to six paired devices
  • Works with any phone or device capable of transmitting the Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) protocol
  • Up to 12 hours playback using internal Lithium-ion battery
  • Limited 1 Year Warranty

The Bluetooth connection sounds just as good as the wired connection and the phone automatically connects itself when I get into the car.  I do have some concerns about how well the pigtail will hold up if I were to unplug/plug it in a few times (which I don’t plan on doing).  There’s also the need for the unit to be charged every 10-12 hours of use.  It comes with a USB cable that plugs into a small, round, power input socket on the side of the unit.  When the unit is charging there is a detectable hiss from the charging circuit.  It’s the same hiss I get when I charge the iPhone in the car while hardwired into the stereo, so I’m used to that.

I’m going to hold off for a while before passing judgement on the daily usability part until I can get a few weeks of use behind me.  I’ll post an update here if any show stoppers come up but so far this looks like a good alternative to using an audio cable between the phone and stereo.

Apple Style With Windows Functionality

I’ll admit I’m starting to get a case of Apple Fever.  After moving to an iPhone from the long favored Blackberry and actually finding a way to integrate an iPad into my daily routine I’m taking the next step…  I’ve purchased a MacBook Pro.

This is not just any MacBook, this is the 13″ model with the *new* retina display, 8GB of memory and a roomy 256GB Solid State Hard Drive.  Having used a 12.1″ Lenovo Thinkpad for the past 4 years the 13″ display on the MacBook seems a lot larger and the resolution (and clarity) of the retina display is nothing short of amazing.

The overall design of the Apple MacBook Pro is very nice.  Machined from a solid block of aluminum this thing is as solid as it gets.  No plastic to flex or creak and no flimsy screen to move around.  I’ve never felt a laptop as well-built as this is.

I mention Windows Functionality in the title of this post.  That’s possible because of a virtualization application called Parallels which allow you to run Windows applications right alongside the Macintosh apps.  It’s pretty much seamless and, so far, it just works.

I’m still in the “getting to know you” stages of the Macbook but I really like what I see so far.  Time will tell if this becomes my primary platform or if the limitations push me back to the world of Windows.  There are enough differences in how the two systems work that it’s going to take some time for the Apple Operating System to become second nature like Windows has become.

After I take this thing on an extended test drive I’ll go into more detail and post a more thorough review.  Stay tuned…

 

Need a Little Light?

Light is something we all need.  Whether naturally or artificially generated light is necessary for humans to discern distance, color and motion.  For years I’ve carried some form of light or another, normally in the form of a small flashlight on my key chain.

My key chain light of choice for the past 10 years was a Photon light.  Small, inexpensive and very durable the Photon has been useful in countless situations throughout the years.  Recently while reading the Every Day Carry blog I stumbled upon a new light that I just had to try.

The Streamlight Nano has some pretty impressive specs:

  • Up to 8 hrs. run time
  • Machined aircraft-grade aluminum with anodized finish
  • Powered by 4 alkaline button cells (included)
  • 100,000 hr. lifetime high-intensity LED
  • LED available in white (10 lumens)
  • 1.47″ x .51″
  • .36 oz.

But I think the most impressive spec is the price!  This light can be purchased for less than $10 on Amazon and it’s worth every penny.

Now 10 lumens does not seem like a lot of light, especially when compared to other lights like the $40 Quark Mini 123 which can pump out 180 lumens, but it’s perfect for everyday tasks like looking under a desk, or simple task lighting.  I’ve used it for lighting up a dark hallway and changing the air filter on my car at night.  The tiny size all but guarantees it’s going to be with me at all times.

Top – Surefire 6Z
Middle – Quark MiNi 123
Bottom – Streamlight Nano

Operation is simple.  Twist on, twist off.  That’s all there is to it.  No special functions or flashing patterns with this one.  Compared to the Surefire 6Z and Quark Mini the Streamlight is practically non-existent.

The unit comes with button cell batteries (4 of them) as well as a split ring and spring-loaded clip.  Once installed on a key chain it’s not even noticeable.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive key chain light that really performs I recommend you check out the Streamlight Nano.  If you do, leave a comment below and let me know how you like it!

 

 

Leatherman Micra Revisit

I posted back in 2011 about my all time favorite Every day Carry (EDC) item the Leatherman Micra.  Well, I finally misplaced mine & thinking it would eventually show up I held off on buying a replacement.  After a little more than a month I had to break down and buy another one.

Amazing how you become so accustomed to having something with you at all times and really missing it when you don’t.  Ordered it from Amazon and had it in just a few days.  SO glad I replaced it.  I’m impressed that after over 15-years of these things being made the new one is EXACTLY like the old one.  That’s pretty unusual these days when it seems like there are differences in products even after only a few months.  Welcome back my old friend, I’ll be sure to keep a better eye on you then I did your sibling.