Building a new Desktop Tower

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…

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Prepping for the Holidays

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…

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Hiking Point Lobos State Reserve

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,…

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Configuring Denon AVR-X3700H

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…

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GoPro Hero7 Black Video Settings

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…

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Exploring Half Moon Bay

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…

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Upgrading White-Rodgers Thermostat

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…

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LG CX 77 OLED TV

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…

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Celebrating Thanksgiving

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…

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Hiking Sanborn County Park

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…

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