brian

  • Uncategorized

    Busy and lazy

    I have hundreds of thousands of photos that I have taken over the years. However, I have not uploaded them here, but on my other social media sites. Part of this is due to the complexity that needs to be done to upload and create everything that is necessary for my Wordpress plugins, and part of it is me being lazy and very busy with travel and work. For right now, please use my Instagram, link on the right sidebar to see some of my new photos

  • Uncategorized

    Apple Watch Heart Rate Zones Are Not Correct

    Like many, I keep myself active and rely on my Apple Watch and Activity Tracker to count everything from the number of steps, calories burned, and time doing activities. I consider the Apple Watch necessary for my fitness. In WatchOS 9, Apple introduced heart rate zones, which allow users to monitor which heart rate zone they are in and if fat is being burned as opposed to carbohydrates. This is an excellent edition to WatchOS. There are 5 zones, and the zones depend on age. My information is entered into the Watch and

  • Apple, Uncategorized

    eSIM is superior, but not universal

    eSIM is easy. There is no physical card, only software verification through scanning a QRCode from a provider. Phones can theoretically have as many phone numbers as possible. My iPhone has two eSIMs, one for Wind Tre in Italy and one for AT&T in America. However, when I switch phones, I need to call AT&T to change, and I must go to a Wind Tre store and pay €15 to transfer my phone number to a new phone. Not as seamless as companies want you to believe. In the past, I would buy a regular

  • Uncategorized

    Cat Café in Lviv, Ukraine

    I love cats. I have two crazy cats that wake me in the morning and remind me to play with them during the day. During these hard times it is hard to overlook an incredible café in Lviv, Ukraine. Please support them by send money to help keep the café open and the cats happy. There is a good article about the café. I supported them by sending 100€, but any small amount is helpful.

  • Uncategorized

    I am back with Apple TV

    Apple TV 4K (2021) I originally adopted Apple TV way back when it first released in 2007. I thought it would be the future and a good way to share content from my iTunes library. I went through two iterations with the Apple TV and then switched to the Logitech Revue due to some better features, including TV Passthru and it had a keyboard. After I had some Android sticks, a Mac Mini, and several iterations of Amazon FireTV boxes. Due to several app issues, lack of speed and crashes, I decided to

  • Apple, Computers

    M1 Mac Update

    After having the M1 Mac for a few months now, I am happy with the little machine, but some hiccups have to be overcome. Apple has fixed many of the issues that plagued the machine, like my dock disconnecting randomly, but others remain, mainly due to software issues with third parties. Some issues will never to be overcome without an update to the number of ports and the possibility to add more RAM. (more…)

  • Uncategorized

    My Apple M1 Mac Mini

    I decided to take the plunge and buy an Apple M1 Mac Mini. I did not need it, but I was interested to see if it could really replace my 2019 Mac Pro. The short answer is currently no, but it might in within the next year or two. M1 Mac Mini Setup (more…)

  • Apple, Computers, Uncategorized

    Why I am buying the new 2019 Mac Pro

    My old 2009 Mac Pro has had a very long and productive life. The insides of the machine have nothing except one DVD ROM drive from the original packaging. Everything has been upgraded, from the processor to the graphics cards. The machine supports USB type C, and a host of other technologies that were not available when I bought the machine. The firmware has been upgraded to make it seem like a newer version to get a few more years out of the little beast that could. (more…)