Wisetrips Travel Blog

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 $1199 on Amazon . I couldn't afford the …

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 FPS FOV: Wide Low Light: N/A Stabilization: Auto Protune: ON Shutter: Auto EV Comp: -1.0 …

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 breakfast), we decided to have lunch before walking a few miles …

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 RH) C => n/c G => green wir…

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 LG CX 65" version (which was on sale for $1849), but it was quickly sold out. Aft…

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 a somewhat melancholy occasion, as I remembered …

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 tantalizing, and we marveled at the beauty around us. We embark…

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 ask for help repairing the window sensor (which prevent…