Weekly Ephemera #45

• On Monday the roofers came in and swapped out our box/turtle vents with turbine vents.  This was done to increase the ventilation in our attic (to reduce condensation) and to prevent the sucking of snow into the attic.  The snow and condensation was staining our ceiling in several rooms.  The roofers also vented the bathroom fans to the outside as they should have been from the beginning.  The builder had just vented the bathrooms into the attic.
  
  While doing the work the roofers pointed out that the baffles that ensure proper airflow from the soffit vents into the attic were not installed correctly.  They will be back in April (when workers return after taking off the winter season) to evaluate/fix these air flow issues.  This will result in a bill between $2K and $4K depending on what they find when they tear off part of the roof.  *sigh*
• Geek Talk Warning:  For years I've been using GoDaddy as my domain registrar for Homers Travels.  This week I learned that GoDaddy had discovered a multi-year hack of their system.  While this only seems to affect websites hosted by GoDaddy and I only use their Domain Name registration, I decided to play it safe and moved my registration over to Google Domains instead.  I suspect you, the consumer of Homer's Travels, will not notice anything.  Carry on.
• Walking was a bit chaotic this week.  Due to several factors beyond my control I only managed two hikes this week - one short and one long.  I ended up walking 15 miles (24 km).  The longer hike, over 10 miles (16 km) felt very good so I think I can push longer miles.  I don't expect any interruptions to my walking schedule this coming week so it will be interesting how my body handles longer miles.
  
  

  

  A pair of signs that made me smile.

• Saw my first Robin last week.  This, and the more spring-like temperatures in the forecast, seem to be hinting at an early Spring.  Our snow is almost all gone (we didn't get anything more than a trace from the storm that came through Wednesday night).  We only have rain coming this week.  Yay.

Weekly Ephemera #43

• I did my taxes this week.  This was a weird return since the Wife retired this year and our health insurance is from the affordable care act now.  One of the easiest returns I've done in years.  Turns out we are getting a larger than expected refund this year.  It's large enough to pay for our Key West Roadtrip so that's something.  I usually hate giving the Government a free loan but I'll get over it when the money is in the bank.
• I decided to skip the State of the Union speech on Tuesday.  Probably the first one I've missed it in several years ... possibly decades.  I felt a bit guilty as I read my book instead but the feeling passed.  Things have changed a lot as you pretty much can get summaries and relevant pictures and clips any time you want.  Ain't technological progress wonderful.
• Speaking of technology  I deleted the "Tweet to me" button from my sidebar.  I suspect it was never used and I also suspect it will likely stop functioning as Elno monitizes Twitter into the ground.  I'm not leaving Twitter yet.  I have read rumors that the IFTTT service I use to repost Homer's Travels to Twitter may stop working too.  If it does then my Twitter presence may become read-only.
• I walked three times this week for a total of 25.7 miles (41.3 km).  The two weeks off due to our Key West Roadtrip didn't help much.  My legs were a bit sore but by the end of the week I'd recovered the progress I had before the trip.

Cutting The Cord

This was year we started experimenting with cutting the cable provider cord.  At the beginning of the year our cable company provided TV, telephone, and internet services.  In addition to this we had a no-contract dumb cell phone, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.  At the peak we were paying $285 a month for communication, information, and entertainment.

We started cutting in March when we replaced our landline and our dumb cell phone with smart phones (t-mobile unlimited everything).  Doing this actually increased our monthly costs by $30 (some because the cost of the phones is included in the cell bill).  In my opinion the extra services provided by the smart phones - instant access to the internet wherever you are, access to travel apps when on the road, being reachable when you want to be - is worth some of the increase.

The next step was at the end of July.  We subscribed to Hulu with Live TV.  We decided to try this service out for a month or two to see if it could replace the cable TV.  Hulu has a mediocre library of TV and movies but it did cover things that were not included in Netflix and Amazon Prime, services we already had.  What Hulu has that the other services didn't was around fifty channels of live TV.  It has most of the channels the Wife and I watch the most and it had more sports channels than we had with our cable provider.  Most of the shows I can't watch on Hulu are available not-live on Netflix  (or even Hulu).  Our main concern was video quality.  We'd tested Hulu once before but it was a bit jittery and buffered often.  This time the experience was completely different.  Buffering was infrequent and the experience was much improved from January.

The final test was in September when college Football started.  After a month of watching without any major issues, including not reaching the terabyte data limit of our cable provider, we cancelled the cable TV. Our cable provider is now only our internet service provider.

When we cancelled our cable TV the cost of the internet went up by about $9 but this was balanced by a dramatic drop overall.  The final number, which includes cable internet, cell phone service, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu with Live TV, is $220 a month.  This is a savings of $65 a month or $780 of savings a year.  Not too bad.

I am happy with our setup (The Wife appears to be happy too).  My viewing habits are changing as I am binging more than watching stuff live.  I'm especially reliving my childhood by catching up on old cult classics I didn't have a chance to watch when I was a kid.

Now excuse me, I have a few more seasons of Monty Python to catch up on.

Kicking And Screaming Into The Twenty-First Century

Well ... we finally did it.  Today we got our first real cell phones.  After the dead landline fiasco last weekend we decided it was time to ditch the landline.

We've had at least one cell phone for nearly twenty years but they have always been pay as you go, not so smart phones.  We decided we wanted an unlimited talk/text/data plan smartphone to replace our dumb phones.

We chose middle of the road phones (LG K20) on the T-Mobile (their network works in many countries without the need to change the SIM card) 55+ plan (two lines for $70) with the unlimited everything we were looking for.

No more printing out map directions.  No more being incommunicado (though nobody ever calls me anyway).  No more wondering about anything when Google is at your fingertips.

Our landline will go away once our old number is transfered to the Wife's phone.  Her phone will be our old number.  I will have a new number.  If you need it, let me know by email and I'll pass it along.

Let the twenty-first century ... begin!

A New Camera For The Appalachian Trail ... And Everywhere Else

This week I received my new rugged camera that I will take on the Appalachian Trail (AT).  This camera replaces the Nikon Coolpix AW100 that I've owned since March 2012.  I really liked the AW100 and took it everywhere.  Unfortunately, off the Galapagos Islands, the camera screen went dead.

When I returned home I planned to replace the camera with the newer model (the AW130) but, after reading a few comments, found out that the dead screen problem still existed in the newer models.  This was disappointing.  I decided to go for the newer version of the camera that came it second to the AW100 when I did my previous search.  The Olympus Stylus TG-4 had good reviews and hit most of my criteria (I list those criteria in the AW100 post linked above).

Olympus Stylus TG-4

In fact, the TG-4 actually meets one more criteria than the  AW100 does - the capability of taking RAW format pictures.  The one thing that convinced me to purchase the AW100 before was the 5x zoom vs the TG-4 4x zoom.  As I mentioned in the linked post, zoom and tough cameras are not always compatible.  We'll see if i miss the extra zoomability.

I like the TG-4's auto Panorama mode which creates the panoramas in the camera without the need for external software.  This simplifies things a lot.  I do love me a good panorama and the tools provided should allow me to take better ones.

The Microscope mode (referred to as macro mode on most other cameras) is great.  The TG-4 has more options that make taking close up pictures even better including focus stacking that increases the depth of field of macro pictures.  Like panoramas, close up macro pictures are another favorite form for me.  Looking forward to experimenting with the new modes.

The Underwater modes are also more versatile than the AW100 including an High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode for underwater photographs (there is an HDR mode for above water pictures as well).  Not sure when I will get to try these new underwater modes out.  Who knows, it may be in a swimming hole along the AT.

Talking about the AT, travel weight for the camera is comparable to the AW100.  The camera, charger/data cable, and extra batteries come in at 13.6 oz (386 grams)  only a smidge (2 grams) heavier.  The TG-4 is heavier than the AW100 but the charger/data cable is much lighter.

The camera also has GPS and even Wi-Fi.  I will be taking my full size GPS so will probably not use the GPS function to conserve battery power.  The Wi-Fi, which allows transfer of pictures directly to my tablet without cables may or may not be used.  I think a direct cable transfer may be quicker and, at times, easier.

All in all,  the new camera has a lot going for it and I can't wait to really experiment with it.  Tomorrow may be that first day as I hope to take a walk and I almost always find something interesting to photograph on my walks.

The Changing Face Of Entertainment Media

Way back when Homer's Travels had just started, I flail around a bit trying to figure out what to write about.  One early post talked about what we watched on television.  Since I am kind of flailing around again wondering what I should post about, I decided to revisit the topic.  Turns out a lot has changed since that September 2006 post.

I started by looking at what I've been watching for the past few months.  I realized soon enough that the topic of this post really isn't what I'm watching but how I am watching.  While most of the shows I watched in 2006 were network shows with a smattering of cable channel shows, what I tend to get excited about today are either purely cable channels or are not on traditional sources at all.  The biggest change in the last ten years for me has been the arrival of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming sources ... all connected together on our Roku box or tablet apps.  Here are a few examples of what I'm watching and how I'm watching:

• "Marvel's Daredevil" and "Marvel's Jessica Jones" (Netflix):  These Netflix Marvel series are darker and grittier than the comics.  Netflix, like other streaming services, release the entire season (ten episodes) on the same day so no more watching one episode per week like it was done in 2006.  Now you binge watch - watching several episodes back to back to back.  I usually limit it to two to four episodes per day.  These original series are only available if you have a Netflix subscription.
• "The Man in the High Tower" (Amazon Prime):  An alternate history drama set in 1960's America where the Nazis and the Japanese won World War II and have divided up the country.  The show is based on Philip K. Dick's book of the same name ("The Man in the High Castle").  This show is also only available to Amazon Prime subscribers.
• "The Expanse" (Syfy):  One of the few of the shows I've watched lately that are not by subscription only.  Based on a series of books (James S. A. Corey's The Expanse Series) the show is an an interesting space opera.  I'd heard of this show but, being distracted by the game, I didn't watch it when it started on Syfy.  I ended up catching up by watching the first seven episodes on our cable system's On-Demand feature and recording the last three hours on our DVR.
• "Mr. Robot" (USA):  This series, another cable channel offering, aired at the end of last summer - early fall.  I'd heard of it but, again, I was distracted by life and the game so I never pursued it. After catching up with "The Expanse" I decided to try to catch up on this show as well.
            I first looked at the On-Demand feature.  Only two episodes (nine and ten) were available.  When I checked a week later there was only one episode (three).  I next checked to see if there was a USA channel Roku app.  There was (USA Now) but when I loaded it up only episodes three, four, seven, eight, nine, and ten were available.  I then checked online where I found that the USA Now site listed all ten of the episode.  This would be good news but sitting in front of the computer to watch shows really isn't that comfortable (I kind of wore out my desk chair seat playing the game ... seriously I did).  I then loaded up the USA Now app on my tablet.  On the tablet all episodes were listed as well.  Huzzah!
            I ended up watching the first two episodes (and a couple more while riding my trainer) on my tablet and the others on Roku.  Why are the three different versions of the same thing, offered by the same network, all different?  Mystifying.
• "The Walking Dead" (AMC):  I record this cable show on my DVR and usually wait until the mid-season finale before I binge watch the episodes over a few days.  I don't think I've ever watched an episode live.
• "Marvel's Agents of Shield" and "Marvel's Agent Carter" (ABC):  The only dramas I watch regularly on the four major networks.  I rarely watch them live, instead I record them on the DVR and watch them the next day at my convenience.
• All the so called reality shows.  The only other shows I watch on the four major networks (and a few cable channels) and shows like "Survivor", "The Amazing Race", "American Idol", and "Top Chef".  These shows are, more often than not, watched live and, amazing enough, were on my viewing list ten years ago too.  These are also the shows the Wife and I watch together.

You can see my watching habits have changed.  The idea of sitting down at a specific time in a specific room to watch a specific show feels odd to me now.  I like controlling when I watch things.  I don't want to wait a week to find out what happens.  Heck, having to fast forward through commercials using the DVR irritates me ... a side affect of not having to watch commercials at all on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

While I have a lot more control over what I watch and when, just look at all the methods/sources I had to use to watch the shows listed above.  It needs to be easier to integrate all these streams into one easy to use interface.  Wouldn't it be nice to just type in a series or movie name and have all the episodes pop up no matter the source?  The Roku box comes the closest by searching across multiple services but, strangely, does not include Netflix in their search.  Wouldn't it be nice if you were charged a single subscription giving you access to all shows and movies across all services.  Today, to do this, you need Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Hulu at the very least.  It's still a bit of a hodge podge.

It will be interesting to see how all this changes in the next ten years. 

Witnessing The March Of Technology

My first laser printer - the HP LaserJet IIP *

I remember in the early 1990s going to a business computer store and purchasing my first laser printer.  It was an HP LaserJet IIP.  By today's standards is wasn't anything special but in 1990 it was incredible.  It replaced an old dot matrix printer I'd had since the early 1980s.  It only printed in black and white but it was such an improvement over the dot matrix printer.  I don't remember the exact price but I think it was over $900 before taxes.

Earlier this week I was walking through Sam's Club looking at the printers.  All priced under $300.  All printing in color, as well as scanning and copying,  One was less than $100.  Things had changed a lot since that first LaserJet of mine.  Then I came to the end of the aisle ...

There, sitting on the end of the aisle, was a Makerbot 3D printer.  I've known about 3D printing for quite a while but I didn't realize you could buy one at Sam's Club.  It was price at $1,299.  Not much more than what I paid for my first LaserJet IIP '2D' printer.  Seeing it there on the shelf really drove home just how things are changing and progressing.  What a wonderful technological future awaits us.

P.S. TGAW, a blogger I follow, has played around with 3D printing including winning the White House 3D Printed Ornament Design Challenge last month.  You should pay her blog a visit and read about her 3D printing projects.

* Photo is a derivative of a photo uploaded to Photobucket (Majorbloodknock)

Goodbye Google Reader ... Time To Move On To The Next Shiny Object

I am a news junky.  I get news mostly from RSS feeds and Facebook.  This week a very useful tool for keeping up with the happening around me began a three month process that will end in its demise.

For years now I've been been among the thousands ... millions (???) ... of people who used Google Reader (GR) as their RSS feed reader.  GR brought me my daily news,  my morning funnies, my tech news, and, most importantly, my blog posts from my Internet friends.  When I learned Wednesday that Google, in it's attempt to clean up its portfolio of services, will be killing GR, I went into mourning.  It was like I was losing an old friend.

By coincidence, a few days earlier ... I can't remember when ... has it been a week? .... more?  ... anyway, I decided to dip my little toe into the Twitter puddle.  I'd thought of doing it for a while.  What had stopped me before was I didn't know what I would get from Twitter that I already didn't get from my RSS feeds.  I finally took the plunge when I realized that I'd better stake a claim to my Twitter handle before someone else got it (yeah, I'm a bit late but I was lucky as it was still available).  My Twitter handle is @HomersTravels.  I haven't tweeted anything yet but I plan to tweet my Homer's Travels posts just like I auto-post them to Facebook.  As a matter of fact this post should be my first official Tweet (apologies to everyone who is both my Facebook friend and my Twitter follower for the redundancy).

What does Google Reader and Twitter have to do with each other?  Turns out a lot of my RSS feeds (like Engadget, Gizmodo, Boing Boing, etc.) are also tweeted.  Following a sites twitter feed does the same as subscribing to their RSS feed.  Twitter is not a complete replacement for GR though.  Many of the blogs I follow do not have a twitter account so I will still have to find an RSS reading solution.

That's where FlipBoard comes in.  My relationship with Flipboard has been a bit rocky.  The app allows you to combine multiple social networks/aggregators (Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Flickr, YouTube  among others) into one slick, magazine style, user experience.  At first I found it confusing and difficult to use, especially when using it to read GR RSS feeds.  The app seems to have a limit to the number of RSS articles it would download at a time.  It took a little snooping to realize this and, after you've read your feeds, you had to reload to get more articles.  I was so frustrated that I uninstalled it ... and reinstalled it ... at least three times before I decided to buckle down and just learn it.  My experience with FlipBoard changed when I used it to read my Twitter feed.  The Best Man had said he used FlipBoard to read Twitter and I can see why he likes it - it can be pretty slick.  As I have added twitter feeds, I have deleted RSS feeds and this, in turn, makes GR work better with FlipBoard because there are fewer RSS feed articles and you don't bump up against the limit as often.

So, how does FlipBoard help with the whole GR is going away issue?  This FlipBoard blog post says it all.  It appears that if you link your GR account with FlipBoard, they will copy all of your feeds over.  It also explains that you can add any RSS feeds to FlipBoard.

So, it seems that a combination of Twitter and FlipBoard will solve my problem while giving the added benefit of aggregating all my updates into one app.  No more checking GR then checking Facebook then checking Twitter then back to the beginning ... ad nauseum.  With the addition of Twitter to my news repertoire I will never be starved for news.  If anything my news obsession will go into overdrive.  The only issue I have now is that FlipBoard is a mobile app only and there is no desktop interface.  Since I am finding I'm using my Nexus 7 much more than my desktop for casual browsing, I don't imagine this will be a problem.

A side benefit of all this Google Reader brewhaha (on Twitter the shut down of Google Reader trended higher than the new pope for a while) is that I'm taking the time to trim out the chaff in my RSS feeds and doing a little housecleaning.  Turns out I have a lot of feeds that I rarely read or rarely update.  All this cleaning ... and just in time for Spring.