A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
Since my current desktop tower is getting quite old, I decided to upgrade it soon to speed it up. The older parts in my current PC can be used to create a separate NAS server (to replace the old Synology DS1815+). . . . . . My current desktop/server tower has the following components:. . HP ZR30w 30" S-IPS LCD Monitor. Fractal Design Define R5…
Read More: Building a new Desktop Tower
For Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's, we purchased a Christmas Tree and decorated it with all our favorite decorations. . . . Inna and Alex helped to decorate the tree with our favorite lights. Inna also arranged our favorite stuffed animals, including Olaf (from Frozen), snowmen, and moose. She even hung the sloth on the Goof balance board.. . . Here is a photo of…
Read More: Prepping for the Holidays
On Saturday morning, we decided to enjoy one of our last COVID-19 days (before another lockdown) by visiting Point Lobos State Park and hiking to the famous Allan Memorial Grove, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. . . The drive to Point Lobos was easy, with little traffic on Highway 101 heading south. We arrived around 11:20 am, parked inside the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve,…
Read More: Hiking Point Lobos State Reserve
With my old 12-year-old Onkyo PR-SC886 processor, which was incapable of driving HDM2.0 signals to our new LG OLED CX 77 TV, I needed a new processor to handle 4K/60Hz signals from my nVidia Shield streamer to the LG TV.. . . After much research, I settled on the Denon AVR-3700H due to the following reasons: . The retail price for the Denon AVR-3700H is…
Read More: Configuring Denon AVR-X3700H
I have been using the GoPro Hero7 Black action camera for many years, but I have used it with less-than-optimal settings. I am not planning to upgrade to the GoPro Hero 9 yet (due to its much larger size). . . . . . After watching some videos, I have decided that these are the optimal settings to use: . . Res: 4K | 24…
Read More: GoPro Hero7 Black Video Settings
The day after Thanksgiving, Inna and I decided to explore Half Moon Bay. She visited Half Moon Bay a few weeks ago and liked the immense beach and the surrounding restaurants. . . The drive from San Jose was relatively short, taking about an hour. When we arrived, we parked on Ave Portola. Near Surfer's Beach. Since Inna was a bit hungry (she hadn't eaten…
Read More: Exploring Half Moon Bay
My current home has a White-Rodgers Thermostat, Model 1F82-261, installed to control the York Diamond 80 furnace and the air conditioner. . . With the cover off, the White-Rodgers Thermostat shows the following wiring. . . Original Thermostat Wiring (4-wire version) that runs on batteries:. W => white wire. RH => red wire (tied to RC). B => n/c. RC => red wire (tied to…
Read More: Upgrading White-Rodgers Thermostat
After 11 years (purchased on 10/2/2009) of using the Samsung PN58B650 58' Plasma TV, Inna and I decided to upgrade to an LG CX 77" OLED TV. . . We saw it at our local Costco and debated whether to purchase the 65" or the 77". . . . . . When Black Friday sales at Costco rolled out, I initially planned to purchase the…
Read More: LG CX 77 OLED TV
For this peculiar COVID-19 Thanksgiving, we decided to skip the standard Turkey preparation. We decided to grill fresh Ribeye steaks (along with asparagus and mushrooms), serve freshly prepared cranberry sauce, and have salad. . . . Alex, Inna, and I enjoyed the delicious Ribeye steaks, cooked to Medium-rare on the Weber grill, while Vladik ate his grilled chicken. . . . . . It was…
Read More: Celebrating Thanksgiving
On Sunday, November 22, 2020, Inna and I decided to hike the trails of the nearby Sanborn County Park in Saratoga, CA. We drove to the Costanoan Group Area parking lot and parked our car there.. . We walked to the Sequoia/Person Grove Picnic area from the parking lot, taking photos of the beautiful trees.. . . . The fall's yellow and red leaves were…
Read More: Hiking Sanborn County Park
After many years with ADT, I switched to Ring Security System with an indoor camera. On November 18, 2020, I called ADT to disconnect my service. I was tired of paying $24.95 per month for an obsolete system. . The straw that broke the camel's back was the following ADT incident. After remodeling my house, the upstairs window sensor started malfunctioning. I called ADT to…
Read More: Ditching ADT for Ring Security
On November 19, 2020, I decided to switch from AT&T cellphone plans to Google Fi to save on my cellular bill (usually about $160/month for 4 lines). With COVID-19 still raging, our cellular usage has declined significantly, and we no longer need to pay for 10 GB of data per month. . I selected the $50 per 3-line build with $10/GB of data use. I…
Read More: Switching to Google Fi
After almost a year of being unable to dirt bike, I finally got to ride my Yamaha WR250F at Hollister Hills SVRA on Saturday, November 21, 2020. . On Friday, before my planned ride, I loaded my off-road gear into my Sienna minivan and attached the bike carrier. On Saturday morning, I strapped my Yamaha to my van and prepared a couple of sandwiches to…
Read More: Returning to Hollister Hills SVRA
For the past year, Alex has not been driving his 2008 Lexus RX-350 AWD very often, and the relatively new Interstate Battery has not been getting charged. When Covid-19 hit us in March 2020, Alex stopped driving his Lexus to Bellarmine High School altogether, as all his classes moved online. . . . After 3 months of not driving, the battery died ultimately. However, I…
Read More: Replacing Dead Car Battery
On Thursday, November 5, 2020, the upper rack of my KitchenAid Dishwasher KUDS35FXSS2 broke. The wheels on the upper rack fell off. After I removed the rack, I noticed that the tabs that hold the wheels in place had broken off. . . Using Repair Clinic, I was able to find replacement (S-Union) parts on Amazon for $23.99 . 4. W10253546 (W10712394) - Adjuster. 5.…
Read More: Repairing Kitchen Aid Dishwasher
After Alex completed his EdX class - MIT Introduction to Computer Programming using Python - he experienced a eureka moment. He decided that Computer Science is the area he'd like to study in college. . . . . . . Looking at various Computer Science programs at multiple universities in the United States and Canada, he settled on the following programs: . . Stanford -…
Read More: Applying to Colleges
The last time I mountain biked on the John Nicholas Trail was May 3, 2020. I had a fantastic time; this is one of my favorite bike trails in Los Gatos.. . . . I really enjoy biking on the John Nicholas Trail in the fall. The leaves are turning yellow, red, and all the shades of the rainbow. The temperature is cool - in…
Read More: Biking John Nicholas Trail
After surfing for many days in the Laguna Beach area (at Rockpile Beach, Trestles, San Clemente Pier), it was time to return to surfing near my home. Since Surfline.com predicted 4-5 foot swells on Tuesday, November 3, and I had a company day off, I decided to try surfing in the early morning when the wind and wave forecast was most favorable. . . The…
Read More: Back to The Hook
Covid-19 Halloween 2020!. With so many people working from home (due to COVID-19), this year's Halloween decorations were more elaborate and perhaps a bit more macabre than in previous years. In addition to beautifully carved pumpkins. We saw many skeletons, graves, witches, zombies, and other ghastly creatures. . . . . Walking around our regular workout route, we marveled at people's effort to set up…
Read More: Trick-or-Treating during Covid Halloween
We returned to our usual routine after returning from our long staycation at Laguna Beach. . . . . . . When I heard (from Trey) that Alex's Firewire Tuomo v4 surfboard repairs were complete, I drove to Santa Cruz's Midtown Surf Shop to pick it up. . . . . . I made it a fun day by walking with Inna on West Cliff…
Read More: Enjoying Santa Cruz