Product Reviews

Master & Dynamic MW60 Headphones - Bluetooth headphones that live up to the hype

Sunday, February 7, 2016

So, I may have a headphone problem the way some people have shoe problems.[footnote]though my wife swears I have a shoe problem, too…[/footnote] It's not quite as bad as what I see with hard core audiophiles, but still, it's bad. Headphone addiction is kind of like they way people get hooked on adrenaline sports. You just need to get a taste, that first moment when a pair of headphones make you sit up and go, "

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One year later with the Twelve South SurfacePad

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A year ago, I wrote that the Twelve South SurfacePad was my favorite iPhone case. After a year, I'm still very happy I bought the case. I love knowing that I can leave the house with just my phone knowing I have the two most important cards with it.[footnote]Interestingly, in the US, that's my driver's license and main credit card. In India, I just carry two credit cards since I don't have a valid driver's license.

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Goodbye Google Apps (GMail), Hello Fastmail (and MailRoute)

Thursday, July 9, 2015

I recently moved nearly all of my email off of Google’s services over to Fastmail, with MailRoute in front of it to block spam. [footnote]My @gmail.com address can’t be moved, and I’m keeping it. While I'm shifting most of that email to my main address, I'll still use it for some things.[/footnote] So far, I’m really happy. The services are relatively inexpensive, and the features compare well with Google, both in terms of space as well as functionality that I used.

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On the New MacBook

Friday, June 26, 2015

I’ve been using the new MacBook as a personal travel laptop for the last month or so. I’ve been coding and writing blog posts with it and I wanted to share my experiences. If you care about these sorts of things, I’m sure you’ve read countless reviews of the device. So I won’t try to cover everything. Instead, I’ll hit on a few specific things that matter to me.[footnote]Two reviews that I’ll highlight, in case you missed them: Marco Arment’s review (he hated it) and Rene Ritchie’s review.

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OK, I'm convinced... Must have headphones for heavy travelers

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

I can't believe I'm recommending this, being a Bose-hater for most of my adult life, but the Bose QuietComfort 25 Headphones are now my favorite travel accessory. Overpriced, yes. Average-ish sound quality, sure. But the noise canceling is uncanny. Flip the switch and the silence is surprising. Unlike most other noise canceling headphones I've tried, these don't give me a headache. I've used them on a few long haul flights at this point (17-20 hours in the air each trip) and they're comfortable enough that I sleep with them on.

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Moov: Fitness coaching, not just tracking

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

We're flooded with fitness oriented wearable devices from the step/activity trackers like the Fitbit and Up to smartwatches like, of course, the Apple Watch. Some phones even have dedicated activity tracking chips. The sad reality, though, is that most of devices are basically the same. They do step tracking. A few add some extra dimensions of motion capture, or have some additional functionality like sleep tracking, or online tools for food tracking.

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Practicing RC flying with a simulator

Sunday, January 4, 2015

One of my recent obsessions has been RC flying. So far, I've played with relatively cheap quadcopters and helicopters, but I've managed to crash every single one enough times to end up with a pile of damaged copters. So, I basically gave up on the hobby thinking I didn't have the time (or budget) to really get into it. I felt like I either needed to spend to get an advanced quadcopter that auto-leveled and could correct for novice piloting, or really dedicate more time than I had to do the fly, crash, repair, charge cycle required to practice.

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My favorite iPhone case

Monday, December 8, 2014

For the last two years, I didn’t use a case for my iPhone. I really love the look of the 5 & 5S, and didn’t want anything to cover it up. Of course, by the end of the year, the screens had dozens of fine (and one or two not-so-fine) scratches. Really annoying. So, for the iPhone 6, I decided I’d keep an eye out for a case that I could live with.

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Binoculars for looking at butterflies and insects? Who knew?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

A while ago, I was looking at (and tweeted about) some dude's travel gear list and noticed a nice pair of binoculars in the pack, a pair of Pentax Papilio 8.5x21 binoculars. I saved it to my Amazon Wish List and this year Heidi bought them for me for my birthday. We've taken them on a short hike near our house and I've been messing with them here and there.

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The Back-to-Basics Egg Muffin Toaster

Saturday, January 5, 2008

I've been remiss in my blogging responsibilities and, for that, I apologize. It's already January 5th and I haven't mentioned the most unusual of my Christmas gifts this year. It's the Back to Basics Egg and Muffin 2 slice Toaster and Egg Poacher. No, really! What is this thing? Well, if you've ever had or seen an McDonald's Egg McMuffin, you know exactly what this machine makes. It's a combination toaster and egg maker that has a special cycle that poaches the egg and pops the toasted bread at exactly the same moment.

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One year with the best universal remote I've ever used: Logitech Harmony Universal Remote

Monday, December 31, 2007

That's pretty much the review right there in the headline, but as I continue to stall actually finishing my work for, uh, work (I'm suffering from the coder equivalent of writers block on one problem at the moment), here's a quick endorsement for the Logitech Harmony line of universal remotes. While a bit expensive for most casual TV viewers, it's a great device for those of us with more than 3 things attached to the TV.

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