Alexa no longer works here

I've fired Alexa. I had high hopes. Bought all the cool intelligent home gadgets. But Herself didn't like Alexa and Alexa didn't like here. Wouldn't listen to her. And Alexa needed to stick her fingers in every smart home account to make them work. You see, Alexa can't do shit on her own. And you … Continue reading Alexa no longer works here →

Shark Attack

More like a whiff. I bought a shark robit vac to keep up with the mess around here. It does a decent job. Dogs run in with wet paws, it dries, shark hoovers it up with dog hair then dumps it in it's dust bin that I empty maybe once a week. It starts it's … Continue reading Shark Attack →

Done with Smart Watches

I'm done with my smart watch. For the longest time, I had an Apple Watch. There was a lot good about it. I liked getting textes that I could scan without pulling out my phone. I liked the maps app tapping my wrist, telling me when to turn, and I especially liked the 'find my … Continue reading Done with Smart Watches →

A Barn Find

The product I support in my real job is OEM-d to two other manufacturers, and I create and maintain the training courses for them, as well as the original. For a modest fee, of course. Ever so often they ask for updates or changes. It's a living. A good one actually. So one of these … Continue reading A Barn Find →

Defensive Driving?

How about no driving? or can't drive worth a damn? Eric Peters has a great article on "Defensive Driving". But it's really about the lost art of driving properly. This hit a nerve with me, since I spent the lions share of my career travelling around. I've driven 20K-30K miles in some years. I was … Continue reading Defensive Driving? →

Apple Watch – Wrap

Back here, I reviewed an apple watch, series 1. Now that I have some time on it. I can elucidate on how it performs over time. Like those car reports where they drive the thing for a few years to say how it's been. What it's been is largely a waste of money. Let's start … Continue reading Apple Watch – Wrap →

Victorinox Chef’s knife.

I worked out in the field doing real work for nearly 30 years and I've run into two different types of trades dudes in that time. There are the guys that buy the cheapest tools they possibly can, with the reasoning that somebody's going to steal them so why bother spending any kind of dough. … Continue reading Victorinox Chef’s knife. →

Eurolux Percolator

I'm not a huge coffee drinker. Coffee and Alcohol do about the same thing to my guts. I'll go for some time with neither. Then, I'll start drinking coffee. I'll have a cup, then think all is well and I start drinking it every day. After a few weeks, my guts are sour and will … Continue reading Eurolux Percolator →

USB outlets

Every now an then you run across something that makes you think; "Holy shit! I didn't know they made these things!". You buy the thing and it turns out exactly like you thought. I had a problem. We rebuilt our kitchen, and the contractor thought "Hey, it'd be useful to have an outlet at the … Continue reading USB outlets →

Apple Watch, Series 1

I'm not an early adopter. It's not because I'm some sort of Luddite. I've seen my early adopter friends pay too much for new tech, only to have better and cheaper show up in a year or two. I had a friend that bought a Cd player when they first came out. Manual feed, one … Continue reading Apple Watch, Series 1 →