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
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
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
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 returning from Laguna Beach, I needed to replace my broken Apple Series 3 watch, which had stopped working after multiple surfing sessions. Although it is supposed to be waterproof, it really isn't. . . . . . . . . . I decided to try trading in my Apple Series 3 watch, and Apple offered $100 as a trade-in value. The new Apple Nike…
Read More: Apple Watch Nike SE Edition
After spending 3 hours assembling the very complex Weber Genesis II S-345 Grill (which I purchased from Costco for $949), I was finally ready to try grilling steak! I bought a 15-pound propane canister (outdoor supply hardware) for $65.. . . . My first attempt was to grill a prime rib using the iGrill thermometer. According to YouTube directions, I needed to examine the steak…
Read More: Grilling on the Weber Genesis II S-345
For a few weeks, I have been thinking about using a bike computer to help me improve my fitness training when riding my Specialized FSR S-Works mountain bike at Almaden Quicksilver County Park (and other parks & trails).. . Until now, I have been using my iPhone 10 with an Apple Series 3 watch to record my rides using the Strava app on my iPhone.…
Read More: Review: Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt GPS Bike Computer
Although I wanted to purchase the Gitzo GT2545T Series 2 Traveler tripod on B&H Photo Video, I had difficulty justifying the $1128.90 price tag.. . The Gitzo Series 2 is the world's pre-eminent travel tripod due to its lightweight, compact size, and extreme stiffness. However, the Neewer Carbon Fiber 63' tripod on Amazon for $109.99 was hard to pass up.. . . . . .…
Read More: Neewer Carbon Fiber 63″ Tripod
I am reviewing the 10th generation of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite ebook reader, which I recently acquired (on November 22, 2019).. . . . I purchased my first Amazon Kindle device in April 2008. It was one of the first E-ink book readers with a strange user interface. I used it for over a year before selling it and replacing it with the Kindle 2..…
Read More: Review: Amazon Kindle (10th Gen)
For the past 6 years, I have been using the Motorola/Arris SURFboard SB6141 Cable Modem for Comcast Xfinity service in the San Jose area. The modem worked fine until I recently tried to upgrade my Asus RT-AC66U Router to Asus RT-AC88U. During this time, the SB6141 would not connect to Xfinity for multiple hours.. . . . When I logged into the Xfinity website, I…
Read More: Review: Motorola 24×8 MB7621 Cable Modem
After 7 years on the Asus RT-AC66U router, I decided that it was time to upgrade to the latest and greatest Asus RT-AX88U. I want to improve 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz coverage, have faster overall speeds, and better protection against hackers, Trojans, and viruses.. . The Asus AX supports the latest 802.11ax standard for up to 6 Gbits of maximum transfer speed. I was…
Read More: Review: Asus RT-AX88U Router
When I purchased my home in 2011, it came with a pre-installed home sprinkler system. While it operated satisfactorily for the past 18 years, it has had operational problems over the past few months.. . . . . . I decided to replace it with something more modern. After some research, I chose the Orbit 57946 B-hyve Smart WiFi Sprinkler Timer, available on Amazon.com for…
Read More: Review: Orbit 57946 B-hyve Smart WiFi Sprinkler Timer
After using my iPhone for the past 3 years, I decided it was time to upgrade. The most important reason for me was the poor battery life. My iPhone 7 was entirely out of battery by late afternoon (5pm), so I frequently needed to recharge the phone before going out to the gym.. . . . . I chose the standard iPhone 11 64GB from…
Read More: Review: Apple iPhone 11
One day, as I was browsing the Plex collection on my Synology DS1815+ Network Attached Storage, I noticed that my Plex server was not able to find any of my music (although all of the files were there). . . . The files on my Synology server are all organized under:. /volume1/Media . After trying multiple options, I finally found a working solution, first described…
Read More: Problem with Plex Music
With Inna returning to Software Quality Assurance, I purchased the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 at Costco for $799 (Black Friday unique).. . On powering on the laptop, I was impressed by how easy Microsoft made the whole experience. Voice-assisted Cortana led me through creating my accounts and applying all Windows 10 updates.. . It was ready for use after I installed my old copy of…
Read More: Review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6
The first time I encountered a computer was the Space Invaders arcade video game in Rome, Italy, in the winter of 1980 (during my temporary stay in Rome, on the way to the United States).. . . . . A young Italian boy offered me a chance to play, and I was immediately hooked! I have never seen anything like it before.. . . .…
Read More: A Personal Computing History
For the past 3 years, I have used the Synology DS1815+ with 6 WD 6.0TB Red hard disks (in a RAID-5 configuration) for backup and Plex duties.. . . . . . It has served me well so far (though it can be a bit slow during Plex transcoding) until recent events. All of a sudden, I started receiving messages about unexpected system shutdowns. On…
Read More: Intel Atom C2538 defect in Synology DS1815+