A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For silent practice and travel, I decided to purchase the Donner Hush I Pro Electro-acoustic guitar. This guitar can be easily disassembled, fit into a tiny, thin travel case, and brought on flights with me. It has a built-in headphone amp powered by a lithium battery that lasts up to 8 hours. . . . . According to Donner:. PLAY WITH STYLE - DONNER breaks…
Read More: Donner Hush I Pro Travel Guitar
Since Inna's old 2021 MacBook Pro 13' M1 8GB was becoming slow and unresponsive, we decided to upgrade to a newer 2025 MacBook Air 15" M4. After looking at various models, we settled on the MacBook Air 15" due to the larger screen size, lower price, and the absence of a fan (we dislike noisy fans). . I decided to order it from Costco.com, since…
Read More: Apple MacBook Air 15″ M4
To help practice guitar and piano, I purchased a new Apple iPad Pro 13"/M4 256GB model (on Black Friday sale at Costco for $1099 in Lihue, Kauai). Fortunately, Hawaii has a 4.5% sales tax, compared to 9% in California (so it's cheaper to purchase items in Hawaii). . . The larger screens make it easier to read notes and do my music lessons, and are…
Read More: iPad Pro 13″ M4/256GB
One of my older Firex Smoke Detectors stopped working in our master bedroom (after a shower, it was activated but wouldn't silence). I started looking for the best replacement for my home's detectors. . . . . . I looked at multiple reviews of Smoke Detectors on Amazon.com, but I needed help identifying the best one. I have tried the following smoke detectors so far:…
Read More: Review: Smoke Detectors
I contemplated upgrading my GoPro Hero 10 Black to Hero 11, primarily because of the improved Hypersmooth and Horizon leveling features in the new model. . I didn't use the screen very much and thought the smaller, compact size of the Hero 11 Black Mini would be perfect for me. I was concerned about the non-removable battery. . . . . . . . .…
Read More: Review: GoPro Hero11 Black Mini
After reading multiple positive reviews (on Amazon), I decided to purchase the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Bluetooth Headphones to replace my current Monoprice BT-600ANC headphones. I would like improved sound quality and ease of use. . . . . Overall, I could have been more impressed. Although I noticed some improvement over the Monoprice BT-600, it did not justify paying 5 times more. . When I…
Read More: Review: Sennheiser Momentum4 Bluetooth Headphones
After viewing some positive reviews of the new Valve Steam Deck, I decided to take the plunge and try it myself. . I have always wanted to play old-school Arcade games (using MAME emulation) on a portable device. In addition, I was intrigued that the Steam Deck could also run games from Wii, Wii U, PSP, and the latest Nintendo Switch (in addition to most…
Read More: Review: Steam Deck 64GB
To dine on the patio and enjoy a bit of light and heat on colder days, we purchased the Bentley III Outdoor Fire Table by OVE from Costco. It had excellent reviews and was on sale for $599. . . . . The Fire Pit arrived in a large cardboard box, but was not very heavy. It was already assembled, so it was easy to…
Read More: Review: Bentley III Outdoor Fire Table by OVE
My home's 30-year-old York furnace and air-conditioner were getting old and working ineffectively at cooling the house. . . After consulting with David Pogosian and Conrad (two highly regarded contractors), I decided to upgrade my system using the following components: . . . Bryant BRGF 801SA48090E21 4-Way 80% AFUE 1-Stage Furnace . Bryant NRCO CNPVP4821ALA N-Coil Puron Up/Downflow . Bryant BRAC 127ANA048000 *17 Seer A/C…
Read More: Bryant HVAC Upgrade
After staying in Arnold, where we enjoyed listening to music on the patio (with the installed Bluetooth Patio Speakers), we decided it would be a great idea to do the same at home. . . . . . I researched many available options on wirecutter.com and finally decided on the following possibilities: . OSD Audio AP650 - $194.99. . Requires a separate outdoor 2-channel amp.…
Read More: Review: Pyle Outdoor Patio Speakers
After using my GoPro Hero 4 Silver and GoPro Hero 7 Black for many years, I decided to upgrade to the latest GoPro Hero 10 Black bundle ($399.99), hoping to improve video quality and stabilization. . . . I am just starting to use it now and will update this review once I have more time with the new GoPro.. . Positives . Better video…
Read More: Review: GoPro Hero 10 Black
Since my Synology DS1815+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) was getting quite old (6 years+) and 90% complete using old, 6 TB Hitachi hard disks, I thought that it would be prudent to replace it with the latest Synology NAS (with larger, faster, and newer hard disks). . . . . . . After research, I settled on the DS1621+ with a RAID-5 configuration using 5…
Read More: Upgrading to Synology DS1621+ NAS
Inna purchased the 2021 Apple iPad Pro 11 for my upcoming birthday with a 128GB SSD and M1 processor.. . . . . . My current iPad Air 2 (from 2014) was getting a bit old, and I could use a newer iPad. . . . . To complement the iPad Pro, I also purchased the Logitech Folio Touch iPad Keyboard Case (with a built-in…
Read More: Review: Apple iPad Pro 11′
I have owned the Asus RT-AC66U WiFi Router (AC1750 3x3) for 8 years (since February 2, 201), which has served me well. However, in the past month, I experienced multiple disconnects from many of my devices (including the Ring Alarm) and decided that an upgrade might solve the problem. . I tried upgrading to the Asus RT-AC88U two years ago, but it had difficulty connecting…
Read More: Review: TP-Link AX6000 WiFi 6 Router(Archer AX6000)
Inna purchased the latest Apple MacBook Air M1 with 512GB SSD in silver from Costco.com for my delayed New Year's present. It was on sale for $1099 ($100 off) and was an excellent choice. . I asked her to delay the purchase as I hoped Apple would release their Apple 14" or 16" Macbook Pro with an M1X or M2 CPU, but the release of…
Read More: Review: Apple MacBook Air M1
For Inna's birthday, I surprised her with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. She used her iPhone 8 Plus a lot and wanted a larger screen and a better camera with more zoom options.. . Since my intended cellular provider was Google Fi, I ordered a sim-unlocked version directly from Apple, as Costco and Amazon only sold carrier-locked versions. . I scheduled a Enjoy delivery from…
Read More: Review: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
For Valentine's Day, I surprised Inna with the latest Apple Series 6 Watch. Inna's Series 3 Apple Watch has been flaky lately, and the newer version, with EKG and blood oxygen sensors, might provide her with more insight into her activities. . . . . . . The Apple Watch Series 6 40mm was on sale at Costco for $349, so it was only about…
Read More: Review: Apple Watch Series 6
After my Aukey EP-B40P Bluetooth earbuds stopped working (the battery died), I started looking for suitable replacements. . My wife purchased the Apple AirPods initially, but I did not like the sound quality, which seemed lower than my $25 Aukey EP-B40P buds. I decided to try the Apple AirPods Pro next, but they did not impress me, even though they cost $200! . . My…
Read More: Review: AUKEY True Wireless Earbuds Sports EP-T32
As a 2021 New Year's present, Inna surprised me with an Apple AirPods from Apple. She engraved them with "sea sloth" as a charming moniker. While they sounded clear, I realized she had overpaid for them, as Amazon was selling the Airpods Pro model for the same price. . . . . We proceeded to return the original Airpods and replace them with Airpods Pro.…
Read More: Review: Apple Airpods Pro
For the New Year, I purchased a new Apple MacBook Pro 13' M1 512 GB SSD laptop for Inna, as her 2013 MacBook Pro was starting to misbehave (rebooting often). . . . Initially, I was leaning toward the new MacBook Air 13' M1, but the MacBook Pro M1 512 GB SSD/8 GB RAM was offered on sale at Costco.com, and the difference between the…
Read More: Review: Apple Macbook Pro 13′ M1