A Geek Goes Flying

Following up on a previous post , I can now confirm that, in addition to the reliable Qualcomm QCC5125 and CSR8675 chipsets (and unlike the QCC3034 , apparently), the “Flagship QCC518x”[ 1 ] chipset in the ifi Zen Blue v3 also connects via AAC to Mac  computers. Huzzah. I have one patched into an original Schiit Jotunheim (with the AK4490 Balanced DAC card installed ) via a 4.4 mm to dual XLR cable , and it sounds incredible . iFi Zen Blue v3 circuit board ifi Zen Blue v3 Bluetooth transmitter/receiver/DAC

I picked up a cheap Kindle; after reviewing this matrix , I opted for a 16GB  Kindle Paperwhite 5 (11th generation, from 2021: 6.8" E Ink Carta 1200 display, USB-C, IPX8 water resistance, etc.). I got it on eBay, on the assumption that such a unit would be less likely to have been updated to a later firmware for which a jailbreak wasn’t (yet?) available; I also added a $7 origami-style cover (which some don’t recommend, since the cover is weaker along the fold lines, but for my use case it was a good compromise). Used a jailbreak  and installed KOReader to use it to natively read ePubs (etc), that can just be dragged-and-dropped into the 'books' directory when mounting it as a mass storage device over USB. So far, I like it, and I can leave my slightly bulkier, more expensive Kobo Libra 2 and huge Kobo Elipsa 2E at home. Spent a little more than the $79 I had originally planned to spend on a refurbished Kobo Nia (or $89 for a refurb’d Clara HD ), but both were sold ou...

Over at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport , they have free municipal EV charging. It’s not particularly fast (I think it’s reported as being something like 4.2 kW, shared, but in practice I see 3.77 kW when charging alone, or 1.86 kW when split - which is basically L1 charging), but it’s free, and the system is kinda kick ass. Solterra connected to a Santa Monica supplied EV ARC solar charger It’s up to 4 hours free per day, with a $1.00/minute “overstay charge” if you go beyond that. It’s administered by ChargePoint. And the EV ARC (Autonomous Renewable Charger) hardware is courtesy Envision Solar , who claims to be using a “patented sun tracker” (presumably this patent ?). A large sign reads: EV ARC™  A truly zero emissions solution  The EV ARC™ is the world’s only transportable, solar powered electric vehicle charging product. The system is completely grid independent. The patented EnvisionTrak™ sun tracking technology enables the EV ARC™ to make up to 25% more electricit...

Decision:  https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.450934/gov.uscourts.cand.450934.64.0_1.pdf? At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith [...] federal overreach risks instigating the very behavior that the federal government fears. To put a finer point on it, the federal government cannot be permitted to exceed its bounds and in doing so create the very emergency conditions that it then relies on to justify federal intervention. [...] President Trump’s June 7 Memo marks the first time that a President has invoked § 12406, lawfully or not, against the wishes of a state governor. Regard...

I’ve had good luck with Anker and UGREEN (the later surprised me, frankly, usually names like that are sus), but rarely pick Baseus (looks like, so far, I’ve only bought USB C charging cables with LED displays from the brand; no complaints with those so far, after almost a year of use). But I needed an adapter with a fair amount of power on at least two USB C ports to MagSafe charge an iPhone, etc., both at my reading/listening nook and in my tech tote . Amazon was running a sale on the Baseus CCXFK100CS 100W charger (a/k/a the Baseus EnerFill FE11 Fast Charger 2C+U), which, for $40 or so, is a steal. Single port, each of the USB C ports will push 100W (20V⎓5A), or 22.5W out of the USB A port. Using both USB C ports, 70W out of C1 and 30W out of C2; if using a USB C and the USB A, either USB C will push 70W and 22.5W out of the A port. More than enough to charge an iPhone and MacBook Air or even smaller Pro at the same time. Using all three ports, it’s still pushing respectable numb...

I’m a big proponent of checklists . Checklist Manifesto appeared on my reading list as least as far back as 2 years ago . As a pilot, I live by them in the cockpit, and constantly tweak mine . As an overtaxed professional with varied practice areas and interests, I’ve been developing them in that aspect of my life. As someone who always seemed to manage to forget something on a day trip, I’ve built reusable templates in Apple’s Reminders app . Including a bicycle pre-trip checklist:  Bicycle checklist in Reminders app Watching my morning commute in Cyclemeter  today with my Apple Watch kindly providing heart rate information, I kind of vaguely remembered that there’s a number I should be shooting for , but I just kind of forgot the details. Apple Watch heart rate display in Cyclemeter Need to add my max and average heart rate targets to my checklist, so I see them regularly. Because my brain is full.    

About two and a half years ago I stumbled across the ideal (for me) portable sit-stand laptop stand , the TRIPODSY. I still have it and still love it, but there’s a problem: It seems to have disappeared and been scrubbed from the Internet. It came with a set of instructions (see below) that included a QR code linking to a YouTube “ video instruction ,” but that video is now private. The Amazon link is now a “ Projector Tripod Stand .” Only a few remnants exist. So I guess now I’m just archiving knowledge here for anyone lucky enough to have snagged one when they were around. Other options exist: The “ StandMore Portable Standing Desk with Keyboard Tray ” ($190) is the Tripodsy under a different name. Looks identical. The Tripod Standing Desk ($220) and 17x8" keyboard platform ($50) ($270 + shipping?) is still apparently available. (There’s also the $400 “Pro” version.) A  redditor put together something roughly comparable  ($158) though it doesn’t fold up quite so conv...