Beats Studio Pros

When the COVID19 pandemic hit, our offices shut down.  Our company gave us some funds to purchase equipment for working at home.  I'd bought an extra monitor and a set of noise cancelling headphones.

I bought the Skullcandy Venue wireless headset.  The headset was $130-$140...cheap for a noise-cancelling headset but I've been using it without issue since then.  It is now January of 2024 and that headset is limping along - it sometimes requires a full reset, as it gets into a condition where it will not accept connections.  The ear cushions are ragged and peeling.  The head band (the portion that sits on top of your head) cushioning cover ripped and was spilling it's innards, so I wrapped the whole thing with black electrical tape.

This is my work headset and I've grown used to it.  I though I'd buy another but they're no longer being sold or supported by Skullcandy.

My next step was to look into what best-equivalent to the Venue headset was available from Skullcandy.  Sadly, the next equivalent costs double the price ($220-ish).

I then looked at Apple's Beats Studio Pro.  While expensive on Apple's website, at $349, I saw that both Best Buy and Amazon were selling them with a mark down of 49%.  I decided to buy them from Apple's Amazon store.  I bought the headset in the Sandstone color for $179.  I'm also considering AppleCare+ for it.

I used it for 24 hours.  Some things to consider:

While it has ANC, it doesn't work as well as the AirPod Pro's ANC (either the old or new versions of those ear buds).  It works better than my Skullcandy Venue does, though.

One thing I always liked about the Venue was that it allows pairing to two sources.  Also, it has a Tile embedded into it.

The Beats Studio Pros aren't going to be on-par with Apple's headsets...they purposely neuter Beats headsets and ear buds so that they don't compete with Apple-branded products.

Still, these are good for work and I'm thinking they'll make for a good replacement for my aging and ailing Venue headset.  Plus, I got them for half the price, new.

I'll keep you apprised of my experiences with the Beats headset.

Used DaVinci Resolve to Create My First Video from Hero 10 Black Footage

I was able to successfully record some good footage using my new Hero 10 Black.  

As well, instead of taking the footage to one of my Macs so that I could edit it using iMovie, I tried DaVinci Resolve (free version), on my Dell G7.

UPDATE (5/24/2024):
I've since been using DaVinci Resolve on my Macbook Air M1.  My Dell G7 is equipped with an older i5 variant and that laptop was bought just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so it's not a recent laptop.  That system also has an Nvidia GeForce RX2060 (mobile) graphics card, which Resolve leverages when crunching videos.  The G7 gets noisy/loud and sometimes hiccups during the video crunching process, which sometimes shows in the resulting footage.  With the Air, I've none of those issues.  In fact, the Air processes videos far quicker than the Dell G7.  I'm probably going to end up purchasing a license at some point...the software is that good.

I thought that I'd have problems using DaVinci since I've heard that it was somewhat more technical than iMovie, but it was easier than I thought, because it was very similar in usage to iMovie and Cyberlink PowerDirector.

It is posted here:

First GoPro Hero 10 Black Gotcha - Preview Not Available

I've run into an very irritating issue that a shitload of folks appear to be complaining about with the later version of GoPros.  It's not really an issue with the action camers, but an issue with the Quik software.

Folks expect to be able to use the GoPro Quik app as a camera viewfinder while recording video footage.  That's how I've been using my Hero 4.  That's also how I'd been using the Akaso Brave.  That's also how I'd been using the Polaroid Cube+.

The issue is that, for later GoPros (Heroes 10, 11, and 12), the app will not preview while recording.  It only allows you to preview before recording.  If you try to preview while recording, the following message shows:  "Preview Not Available".

At first I was super angry about this, but then I realized that the newer cameras are super capable and the preview feature has limitations (probably bandwidth-related) in showing the footage as it is being recorded.  Now, if the GoPro folks admitted that, I'd be OK with it, but in almost all cases, when customers complain about it in the Support forums, they never give a straight answer to their customers.

Now, this is the only bad thing I've found thus far, and it's not so bad that it overshadows the good things about the camera.  Previewing is important to most folks, though, and it goes beyond previewing - being able to look at the footage as you're recording means that if you see mistakes, you can immediately stop and correct the issue(s).  You can't do that if you can't see how the camera is recording or framing the footage.  

This issue is why I hate GoPro.  They've always acted like they're the only action camera company in existence.  Luckily, I didn't pay all that much for this camera.

If I keep finding out bad things about GoPro, I'm going to pivot to DJI and never look back.

UPDATE (12/27/2023) - Here's more info, for clarity-sake (and GoPro, for once, being direct and clear on the issue):  GoPro 9 - 'Preview not available' when recording

Spigen ArcHybrid Magsafe Portable Charger

We celebrated Christmas one day early this year, since my daughter flies back to Michigan on Christmas Day.

I received the Spigen ArcHybrid Magsafe portable charger (5000 mAh / 7.5 watts) for Christmas.  Little did I know that Spigen's product page for this item states that it will not work with the iPhone 13 Pro!  It appears to work without issue, though.  I've a JETech gel case with Magsafe and it works well.

I had the ArcHybrid listed on my Elfster wish list last year and decided to "let it ride" this year.  I do sometimes sometimes find myself with a somewhat low battery on days where I'm traveling and out walking/hiking.  This will come in handy.  As well, it can charge other items, I believe.

I'll give a summary of my usage once I've used it a while.

GoPro Hero 10 Black - Received!

I posted that I bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black from Amazon and that I was awaiting the package to arrive.

The package arrived yesterday.

I was surprised when I opened it.  Why was I surprised?  Well, the product description stated that I'd be receiving only the GoPro itself and no accessories.  I was expecting nothing other than the camera (I also expected that no battery would be included).

This (<=== link is here) is the one that I bought.

I received the camera, two batteries, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, two mounts and a case.  I was shocked.  I basically got everything that I'd get if I bought a new product.

The camera doesn't appear to be refurbished at all.

About the only thing that was off-putting was that I had to charge the the batteries sequentually with the battery compartment door left open.  The charging process was long in duration, as well.  This was so much of a pain that I immediately began searching for a dedicated battery charging caddy, which I didn't initially anticipate needing to purchase.  I bought the GoPro Enduro 2-battery & charger combo pack from Best Buy (local purchase) for $59, just so I wouldn't be having to charge each battery sequentially.

I haven't really used the camera yet, as I'm actually afraid to go out and about - around here, there's a lot of chaotic last-minute Christmas shopping going on and traffic has been horrendous.

I've got the camera set up to use with the Quik app - was easy to set up.  It can be used with my other GoPro fittings and attachments (many of them were designed by 3rd party attachment makers).

I've also developed a To-Buy accessory list:

I can't wait to use this camera while at my next shooting activity!

Out with Akaso Brave 7 LE - In with GoPro Hero 10 Black!

I bought an Akaso Brave 7 LE in December of 2021.  I was trying to buy an action camera to replace my aging GoPro Hero 4 Silver.  It came with a huge accessory pack with many clips and fittings.  I bought an extra battery for it.  It had some features that my Hero 4 didn't have.  It's smartphone app was actually pretty nice.  I could also use it as an web cam.  It also had a tripod mount on the bottom of it.  It's UI was nice.  Also, it had two displays, one in front and one in back.

I ended up being somewhat disappointed with it because the video footage wasn't as crisp as my old ass Hero 4!  Audio wasn't all that great, either.  I stopped using it for a while.

Maybe a month ago, I began to use it again.  I sorted out the video footage issue.  The main issue was that when indoors, the captured video footage was grainy.  When in somewhat dark settings, the grainy footage was even worse, but I found out that I the Brave has light settings that I can control manually.  I tried the various settings and found that the footage was actually pretty decent!

Not long after, I was changing the battery and the battery door on the camera cracked.  A day later, the cracked portion detached completely.  This was devastating since the door couldn't close properly - the battery would move around in it's compartment.

Luckily, I'd bought a 3-year warranty with Asurion (I bought both through Amazon).  I submitted a claim and they approved it.  They wanted me to send the camera back to them.  I sent them the camera (and the detached piece of battery compartment door).  As soon as I sent it, they reimbursed me.

I've never had anything fail that I'd bought Asurion insurance for, until now.  I'm very glad I bought it.

So, I took the funds they returned to me and, after some researching, bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black that comes with an extra battery.  I bought it through Amazon.  I bought 2 years of Asurion insurance for it.  What's cool is that I can buy additional insurance on a refurbished product.

I'd looked at the Hero 11 and 12, but those were beyond my budget.  I looked at the Mini but it has a non-removable battery (that's something I don't want).  I also looked at the DJI Osmo Action 4 but that was even more expensive than the Hero 12 (it's competition).

I really just want a camera to replace my aged Hero 4.  I can still use the Hero 4 but I can retire it from being my primary camera.

The Hero 10 won't be delivered until Dec 21, though, but I don't mind.

In the next year or two, I can get the either the Hero 12, the Action 4, or even the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (a great gimbal camera).

Apple Watch - 2nd Charger Died

 This will be a quick post about:

My 2nd Apple Watch charger died.  I bought it mid-March (March 12, I think).

WTF.  It was an Apple product.  I ordered it from the Apple Amazon store.  It wasn't cheap, either ($27).

So, two Apple-branded charging cables died.  The first one came with the Watch and died 5 months later.  The second one died after 1.5 months.  The charging cables are used at my bedside, so they're not being abused.  They're not being pulled.

They worked fine but just stop working after a time.  That cable and a USB-C to Lightning cable for my iPad were using a 20W charging adapter.  The other cables I've used with that adapter have been working fine.

I bought a new charging cable and it is non-Apple (and cheaper).  I figure, if Apple can't get their shit together, I'm not going to lock myself into spending $27 for repeated failures that shouldn't be occurring.  We'll see how long that cable lasts.

Free Apple Music!

My carrier offered my family free use of Apple Music.  I usualy don't check the monthly perks that Verizon throws my way, as much of it is junk that is free for a month of use.  Not in this case.

I used a free trial of Apple Music when I first bought the phone last year.  I liked it a lot but wasn't willing to pay monthly for it.

My wife was checking our account's perks back in November and saw that Verizon was offering Apple Music for all phones on the account.  I immediately wenth through the process of committing to enrolling.  Luckily, my wife saw the notice maybe a week before the offer expired.  I enrolled my phone, her phone, and one of my kid's phones (can't remember which of the three kids' phones I enrolled, but two of them didn't want it when I asked them).

I also recently canceled my Sirius XM subscription, too.  I've been working remotely since Covid hit the US, so I no longer commute to work, and Sirius XM is not cheap ($29 a month?).  The past two trips back and forth to my parents' home, I used Apple Music in place of Sirius XM and Apple Music was great.  There are enough radio stations so that I'm not bored during the 6 hour drive.  There are podcasts.  I can listen to my personal music through the Apple Music app.  

I travel up/down the I-95 corridor, and cellular broadband works without gaps in service.  With Sirius XM, there would be micro interruptions of service whenever I would go under bridges and over-passes.  If it were cloudy, I'd have service gaps.  If I were riding parallel to rocky hillsides or cliffs, I'd experience service gaps.  I had none of that when using my phoned as an entertainment conduit via cellular broadband.

Solved - Macbook Would Connect to Wifi but Has No Internet Connection

I'm currently visiting my parents in another state.  I last visited them two weeks ago.  The last visit, I was able to connect all of my Apple devices to their wireless access point (WAP) without issue and have been doing that for years, without issue.

I attempted to connect my Macbook Air to their WAP and it connects but I couldn't browse the web.  The browser client was saying that there was no internet connection, yet my mother's MBP could connect.  My Dell G17 could connect.  My iPhone Pro Max could connect.

My parents' router was working with all electronic appliances, with the exception of my MBA.

I used Google to search for "macbook connected to wifi but no internet".  The search results are here.

I focused on this web page - Solved: Macbook Connects to Wi-Fi but Has no Internet Connection - AppleToolBox.

I tried the steps that were recommended and all failed until I reached Step 4, "Change your Mac's Domain Name System (DNS)".

When I changed the MBA's DNS settings to use the Google DNS IPs, I was immediately able to reach Google.com when testing for connectivity.

I'm still not sure what was causing this issue.  When I checked the MBA's DNS settings (before I changed them), the MBA was pulling the DNS settings from my parents' router without issue.  The DNS IPs weren't resolving names, though, and the issue was only affecting the Macbook Air.  It was a very odd issue.

I thought I'd share this issue and fix so that when folks had this issue, they'd have a potential fix.

Solved - Apple Watch Stopped Charging

My Apple Watch stopped charging three weeks ago (first week of March).

I couldn't determine why.  I only had the one charging cable that came with the watch (there was no need to have more than the one that it came with).

Keep in mind that this watch is relatively new.

It just ran out of juice, which made it difficult to troubleshoot.

I ordered a new (Apple brand) charging cable on 13 March, and it arrived 14 March.  It immediately started charging.

So, the cable went bad.  I've no idea why.  I didn't abuse the cable.

It was very frustrating because the reason I'd bought this watch was because the Fitbit Sense had a similar issue, and then died (due to a battery issue).

This watch was NOT cheap.  This post is a reminder that the "you get what you pay for" mantra doesn't always apply.

iPad 2019 (Gen 9) 10.2" 64 GB - Bought!

I've just purchased my 3rd iPad.

The first was the 1st generation iPad (32 GB).

A few years later, my wife bought me a 64 GB 1st generation iPad Mini.  I was still using that, up until today.  I got 10 years of use out of that Mini!

Today, I bought a 9th generation iPad with 64 GB of storage space.  It will replace the iPad Mini.

I'd use the iPad Mini but it hasn't been supported in quite a while (the last updates were at iOS 9.x).  I can only use it as a music player or a reader/browser.  I won't get much by selling it.  I suppose I can use it in the garage when I'm working on my car or motorcycle (as a music player or display for online service manuals).

With the new iPad, I'll be able to use the Apple Pencil.  I plan to use the tablet as a drawing device as well as a reader.  I can also use it to edit video footage.

I've quite a few options in the usage of the new iPad, since it can be used as a webcam or additional display (when using my Mac Mini M1, for example).

What I do NOT like so far about the tablet is that there's built in swipe texting but it can only be accessed on the tablet by pinching the virtual keyboard.  I've installed Microsoft Swype but hate it because you have to give it full control in order for it to work.

I'll (try to) document my usage of the new iPad.

UPDATE (5/24/2024):
If I had to do this again, I would not get the least amount of storage space...64GB isn't enough.

I've Retired My 2009 27" iMac

The iMac that I bought in 2009 has been retired.

A few months ago, we had a power outage and it didn't recover itself when the we regained power.  I could not determine why it was having issues, but it would never fully boot up.  It would take forever trying to get to the login screen and IF it would reach that point, would show the desktop but never fully log into the user account (beach ball was spinning and never stopped).

I was even having difficulty getting it into recovery mode.  When it finally reached recovery mode, I found that a file was corrupted and wouldn't repair itself.  I performed a drive check and it stated that there were errors and the errors were hindering the drive check.  I opted to reinstall the disk using the recovery drive and it worked.  There are no longer drive issues, but the drive has nothing on it.  

I couldn't use it as it was and had an extremely difficult time even getting a copy of Mac OS.  High Sierra was the highest supported version for that particular hardware, and since the system wasn't working properly, I couldn't use recovery mode to pull and reinstall any OS versions.  It wouldn't see my older disks (I had two optical disks of Snow Leopard), either.  I was not successful with creating a USB install disk using High Sierra, either.  I tried creating a USB recovery disk using the App Store, but needed an Intel version of Mac OS, which I wasn't allowed to download using my Apple siliconed Macs (I tried with both the Mac Mini M1 and my Macbook Air M1 - it wouldn't work).

Since I was at my wit's end and since the system was 14 years old, I retired it.  I've removed it's hard drive (a 1-TB Western Digital HDD) and will be putting it on the curb for rubbish removal this coming Monday.  I'll put it within it's box in case anyone that wants to try to get it working can just take it home.

Fitbit Sense & Apple Watch

I'm not going to lie.  I sort of miss my Fitbit Sense.  It's interface and capabilities are less complicated than the Apple Watch, which leads to better ease of use.  I feel that Fitbit's health monitoring capabilities are better - my Sense counts steps and stairs more accurately than my AW.  I'm sure it monitors sleep patterns far better than anything Apple produces, too.

I'd have stayed with Fibit if they'd make their products more reliable.  They're cheaper than Apple Watches but not by much - and they certainly aren't so cheap that I'm willing to buy a new one every thirteen or fourteen months.  Even if they died before the 1-year manufacturer warranty, it took Fitbit nearly two months to get me a replacement.

AW S8 - Battery Tracking; Activity Tracking

So, the AW's battery got as low as 20% today, before I decided to charge it. Between the last time I charged it and this afternoon, I changed the display settings:  I enabled AOD and allowed the display to show full-time.  I noticed a sharp drop-off of charge capacity between this morning and this afternoon.  Still, I got 2.5 days of use out of it before it needed charging (and I didn't run it down to 0% charge).

I charged it to 95% before I had to take it with me on a walk this afternoon.  I enabled Activity maybe 5 min into the walk (I hadn't messed with it until today).  10 min later it detected the walk and had already had the timer set to 10 min.  I enabled it to continue tracking and when I was done, I stopped the tracking.  I got really good feedback from that 20 min walk!  I will have to do this more often.

I'll also charge the AW again tonight then track how long the charge will last with AOD enabled the whole time.  I will then charge the AW and disable AOD and track how that charge's duration.

AW S8 - The First Few Days

I charged up the AW for the first time yesterday morning.  30 hours later, I checked it's battery level and it's at 48%.  That's not bad at all.

Keep in mind that I have the GPS model (probably uses less power than the cell/GPS model).  I also have AOD (Always On Display) enabled, with Wake on Wrist Raise and Wake on Crown Rotation.

One problem I've noticed is that the AW won't wake upon raising my wrist.  I'm not sure what's up with that.  I'll need to look into that.

I like how I can manipulate music that's playing on my iPhone, too.

I've settled on a watch face.  I've chosen Modular and edited it to show white lettering on black background:

This watch has soooo many configuration options, some that I'll probably never use.

One thing I didn't count on was choosing an AW with the wrong size wrist band.  I didn't even see that option when purchasing, and ended up getting the small band.  It fits but I've to use the last or 2nd to last hole in the band when wearing the watch.

As well, before purchasing, I had a bad time choosing a watch color.  At first I selected Midnight Blue but then changed my mind, as I remember folks complaining about their Macbooks losing paint easily (scratches and wear marks).  I chose silver and I'm OK with that.  It looks similar to my Sense in that regard.

Why didn't I get the stainless steel version?  If I did that, I may as well have purchased the Ultra...they aren't far off in price.  I already know I'm going to get bent over in trade value, so I definitely didn't want to spend $700 on ANY watch.  Stainless steel looks good, but I don't want SS so bad that I've to pay $700+ for it.

Will I get a screen protector?  Probably not.  I'm more than likely going to get AppleCare+ and just use the watch without worry.

I Bought the Apple Watch Series 8!

I was supposed to wait a while before purchasing an Apple Watch, and it was supposed to be a Series 7, but I saw that Amazon was having a sale, specifically the Amazon Prime Early Access sale that occurred on 11-12 October.  I wasn't even aware of the sale until 12 October at maybe 9 PM.

I ended up purchasing a Series 8 45mm GPS model in silver aluminum, for $379.  That price was good enough to where I decided not to pass it up.  I didn't want the steel version, as there's no way I'm going to spend $700 on ANY smartwatch, which also left out the Ultra.  NO SMARTWATCH IS WORTH THAT MUCH.

I ended up ordering it the day before I went on vacation to New England.  It's already been delivered at my home and it's awaiting me to open it.

Yes, I deviated from my plan of purchasing the Series 7, but that watch would've been refurbished if I'd chosen to buy it from Apple.  I'd thought to buy the Series 7 through Amazon, but didn't want to worry about Apple not offering support with refurbished Series 7s and didn't know if I could find new Series 7s on Amazon.

I really didn't want to worry about support (if the watch ever had an issue) and wanted the max support duration possible, so Series 8 was the best choice.  I'm also tired of always getting older tech equipment, so this time I bought something that's been recently released.

I'll eventually be buying a watchband for this watch.

The Fitbit Sense will be used at night only (it has good sleep tracking) and maybe for workouts (it has great workout detection and tracking - probably much better than the Series 8).

I'll document my experiences with this watch on this blog.

Fitbit Sense Replacement

As you've previously read, I had problems with an 8-month old Fitbit Sense - it refused to restart and was stuck in a reboot loop where it would never progress beyond the Fitbit logo screen.

Fitbit, after spending 8-10 days evaluating the broken Sense that I'd sent back to them, sent a replacement.  The replacement arrived 2 days early, which is surprising since it took so long in being delivered from my address to Fitbit's return facility.

The replacement Sense appeared to be prepackaged in a plastic bag with standard Fitbit labeling.  I received nothing other than the pebble itself - no watchband, no charging cable or any other accessory.

It started without issue.  I immediately installed my third party metal band.  I then synched it to my phone using the Fitbit iPhone app.

It came with a 70% charge, but I wanted it topped off.  The charging cable that came with the original watch is not working properly, and I found that out during troubleshooting of the broken watch (this is a known issue - the spring-loaded pins on the charging cable loses it's "spring" the pins no longer make contact with the watch).  I'd ordered two new ones from Amazon.com a few months ago.  I used one of  them to charge the watch.  When I connected it, the watch black-screened.  My first thought was that this watch also died, as the first one die.  I watched it go to the Fitbit logo screen, thinking it would loop back - it started without issue.  I'm not sure why it crashed.  I'd just received it less than an hour prior to that.

This watch brand is very much untrustworthy in the extreme.  While I'm glad I've another Sense, I'm waiting for this one to stop working.  I do not want to go back to my Samsung Watch - while it is nice and it works, this Sense should also work (and stay working).

This Sense will soon be replaced.  I conducted some research the past few days and decided I do not want another Fitbit.  

At first, I was considering the new Sense 2 but Google appears to have severely nerfed it - whereas the Sense is a legit smartwatch, Google has removed a lot of the smart aspects of the Sense technology from the Sense 2, intentionally neutering it so that their new Google Pixel smartwatch can be better competitive.  That is sad as hell.  The biggest changes to the Sense 2 is that the watch is no longer capable of controlling music (which most folks use on Senses when working out) and they've disabled WiFi.

As well, the Google Pixel is not compatible with iPhones, so both the Sense 2 and the Pixel are not options for me.  One of the things I love about my Sense is that it's not locked to a specific OS. 

Garmin isn't an option, as it's fitness and health technology is the least robust in the smartwatch industry.  I want a versatile watch and Garmin appears to be tracking-centric.

Samsung isn't an option, as it's software is WearOS (Google and Samsung are joint developers of WearOS), which is not compatible with iPhones.

It appears I may be locked to Apple's Watch.  Apple Watch isn't a bad platform at all, but I'd prefer to not be locked to any particular platform - the industry is becoming silo'd and that's not a good thing for a consumer that wants options regardless of the phone brand he/she is using.

Of the Apple Watches, I want something that's supported and do not want to worry about Apple dropping hardware or software support any time soon.  That means I won't be getting any legacy Apple Watches.  I'll be focusing on either the Series 7 or 8.

In comparing the 7 and 8, the 8 may be newly released but it doesn't offer a lot more tech over the Series 7. The best thing about the Series 8 option is that I would have even longer support.  The con of the Series 8 in comparison to the 7 is that it'll cost more for not-so-much tech advantage.

I'm trying to keep costs low and I think I will look at refurbished Series 7 Watches.  

I looked at Best Buy's refurb Series 7s and their prices are high. As of 10/8/2022, the price for a certified used S7 45mm GPS Watch is $389!  They also offered taking trade-in watches, and I was curious so I checked what they'd give for a new Sense, but they only offer $25 for Senses - WTF.  This is what I hate about the technology world and why I keep everything that I have...all they're going to do is take your $25 trade-in and sell it to someone or sell it themselves for $100.  F that.

Amazon sells Series 7 re-certified Watches, but I've been told that Apple will sometimes not honor warranty claims on watches bought from Amazon.  The pricing on those phones weren't bad, though, so Amazon would've been a good option (while also buying 3rd party warranties through Amazon, which I should've done with the Sense when I bought it) if I hadn't have found an even cheaper option.

Note that I'm looking for a specific version of Series 7 Watch:  45mm, Space Gray, GPS variant.

I found that Apple carries Series 7s on their Certified Apple website.  I found what I wanted there and the cost is $313.  I don't have the money now, but I might have to do something soon because Series 7s are pretty much the rage at this point in time, as the public is now aware that the Series 8 has no huge advantage over the Series 7, and now folks with older than Series 7 Watches are now trying to buy Series 7 watches.

The plan is to get a 45mm GPS variant Series 7 within the next few months, whenever money comes in, but if I find that I can no longer find Series 7s on the Apple refurb website due to high demand, I'll just have to get the Series 8.

Fitbit - Replacement on the Way; Fitbit Support is Iffy

I've been without a functional Fitbit Sense since mid-July.  It is currently the end of September.  I'm only now getting a replacement.

I paid a good deal of money for this smart watch.  No, it's not an Apple Watch or Garmin product, but damn...since when is $200+ not a decent chunk of change?  I think most folks have lost their money sense nowadays.

If I'm paying that much for a product, I expect it to last more than 8 months.  I didn't get through 365 days before the watch stopped functioning.

The replacement watch will be at my door next week (Oct 5).  That's very close to 3 months wait time.  Granted, I didn't immediately escalate the issue to Fitbit, as I kept troubleshooting the issue, because I kept seeing Fitbit support posts making recommendations and I kept trying different solutions (none of them worked).

Fitbit support was extremely slow in all parts of the return process, almost as if they were reluctant to address the issue and were intentionally slowing the pace of things.  Even after they had received my watch (they wanted me to return it to them, and I did), they held onto it for close to two weeks before notifying me that they've initiated the replacement process.  I don't understand why it would take that long to assess a replacement for a watch that is locked to the bootup screen.  What part of this process would warrant two weeks of process time?  Yeah, we're still experiencing the negative affects of COVID-19 - I get that, but damn...

I'm very tempted to sell the replacement watch.  I no longer want it...what's to prevent the replacement from exhibiting the same issue?  I'm dreading trying to sell this thing, though - it's going to be a pain in the ass and I'll end up losing money in the process, since the Sense 2 was recently released.

I'm soooo tired of buying smart watches that aren't dependable.  I'll probably keep the Sense but only buy top-end smart watches from now on.  I know for a fact that Apple wouldn't have taken almost 3 months to replace a broken Apple Watch.  Even Samsung has better support than that (but that's not saying I'll buy another Samsung watch, either).

PC Gaming - GHPC, Steel Beasts Pro PE, and VTOL VR

 This past summer, I've been trying different types of PC games.  Yes, I bought Battlefield 2042, but I've done Battlefield games since the original (BF 1942)...it gets old.  

Prior to this year, I was playing War Thunder, mainly Air - arcade battles mode, Air - realistic battles mode, and some dabbling with air- simulation battles mode, which requires a stick, a throttle, and head-tracking.  Sim battles is also VR-compatible and I've also done that - it's fun!

I quit playing War Thunder last fall.  In trying to fill the void, I started playing IL-2 Stumovik: Battle of Stalingrad and it's different maps/campaigns, and also bought some premium planes.  That game is also VR-capable, but is more difficult to configure for VR, but it flies extremely well with TrackIR too.

This summer, I saw a game being advertised called Gunner, Heat, PC!  It is a moderate level tank simulator.  It's not quite easy and not quite difficult.  It plays better than War Thunder's ground battles model.  I liked it so much that I decided to become one of their Patreon members, helping to report bugs and donating funds to help the game grow.  In being a Patreon member, I was able to play their Patreon version of the game (which was available before the game made it to Steam).  September 2022 was the Early Access release date, so you can get that game on Steam now.  It's in an alpha state, so there are bugs but the devs have created a roadmap for the game, so it'll be growing over time.  It's a great game - I highly recommend it.

Lastly, I've been playing a hardcore tank sim called Steel Beasts.  I've actually been playing versions of this game for a very long time, close to 20 years.  I bought it around the year 2000 when it was being sold on a CD.  I still have that disk, too.  The game has evolved over time to be quite hefty.  The consumer version of the game is called Steel Beasts Pro Personal Edition (PE).  It's an expensive game now (it was also expensive 20 years ago, too).  The game is $115 if you're purchasing the unlimited license.  You can buy limited licenses (1 month, 4 months, and 12 months, at $9.50, $29.50, and $49.50, respectively).  With unlimited licenses, they send you a USB dongle that houses the license, which is required to use to play the game.  As well, every three years, there are major version changes, which requires licensing updates, which costs $40.

Steel Beasts is over-the-top sophisticated.  Up until recently, it had this very convoluted install process that was straight-up painful.  With the latest version, released a few months ago, the install process is a lot more simple.  As well, the difference between v4.1 (which I'd been playing a lot the past 2 years) and v4.3 (the latest version) is drastic!  The game appears to be better optimized (plays smoother and loads faster) but the graphics are actually stunning.  There's now heat blur and haze.

I've also recently been playing with the mission editor as an attempt to learn things about the game that I've not yet tried.  Creating/editing missions is tedious but the reward if you create a good mission is astoundingly satisfying!  I'm just dabbling in mission editing and created a mission where I've a US tank battalion pitted against a dug-in Soviet tank company, where the US tank battalion is forced to funnel it's forces into a kill zone.  The enemy is out of reach when the US unit comes out of a valley and there's no cover (it's a desert map), so you've to plan a way to get within range of the Soviet tanks without losing all your tanks.  Not only are the  Soviet tanks dug in, they're hiding behind small hills.  It's a works in progress but it was fun building the mission and was also fun playing it. 

I'm having so much fun with Steel Beasts that it will probably quickly replace War Thunder as my favorite game.  Note:  Steel Beasts is more of a training aid than a sim.  There's a lot to the game and you'll not be able to play it without studying up and running through it's training guides.  It's not something you're going to be able to play in 30 minutes, unless you can find user-created missions that are strictly designed for short duration gameplay.  The manual is close to 250 pages, so if you're interested, be prepared to study.

I also play VTOL VR, a VR PC flight sim that is flown using the VR controls!  The graphics fidelity is a turn-off for some folks but the game is highly immersive, mainly because the cockpit can by manually manipulated (ie, cockpit buttons can be actuated virtually, using your VR controls).  The game is also extremely popular.  There are three planes you can choose to fly, as well as a helicopter. 

I don't have a lot of footage of VTOL VR because it taxes my system badly.  With VR PC games, the PC renders the game footage, and also pipes it to the VR display.  The gameplay isn't bad in itself but playing the game and also recording it puts huge stress on the system.  I'm currently researching ways I can offload recording to another system (USB recording hardware).  Initially I flew this game while the VR headset was tethered to my gaming laptop.  I later determined how to play the game without a USB cable (I use Virtual Desktop, which enables me to play it while wirelessly connected to the gaming PC).  Flight footage of this game can be found on my Twitch channel.

My VR headset is an Oculus Quest 2 w 64 GB of storage.

My Twitch channel that I stream to -  unixfool - Twitch

I also have a YouTube page that has some recorded War Thunder gameplay:

War Thunder RB - Full Matches - YouTube

War Thunder - My ace matches - YouTube

iMovie & Mac Mini M1

I've a YouTube channel. Who doesn't, right?

Well, I did something I haven't done in awhile.  I recorded footage using my Logitech C922 Pro Stream, but using Photo Booth on my Mac Mini M1.

I've used Photo Booth in the past to capture footage but it was on my iMac 27" Core 2 Duo system...was decently fast in the day but always generated a bit of lag when recording footage that was long in duration - lag meaning that an audio delay developed.  The audio wasn't matching what was occurring on video.

I also used iMovie for the first time on the Mini M1.  It was super quick in rendering footage as I edited.  I did nothing complicated, though, but there's quite a bit of YT videos showing how well the M1 SoC works when manipulating video, so that's no secret and I won't get into the technicals.  The video footage was recorded as 1620 x 1080 and was 1.65 GB (18 min in duration).  iMovie encodes to YouTube as 1920 x 1080, so it crunched down the resulting YT video a tad.  I cut maybe 10 min of footage off the backend, added a title page, added a transition between that page and the video's beginning, and also added a fade to black at the end of the footage.

The iMovie process was super easy, but no different than that I remember - again, though, what made it a great experience was that there was zero lag when editing or rendering the video.

I will try to work more with iMovie.  I wouldn't mind buying something with more options/frills, but I need to be able to justify buying nice video editing software from Apple, since that software isn't cheap.