My first Apple Watch

Yes, I like to consider myself mobile OS agnostic in that I believe in using all of the major phone operating systems (iOS and Android mainly these days, some WP10 just so I can complain about it).  Up until this year, I have had only two smartwatches including the original MotoActiv and the Sony SmartWatch 2.  After having a smartwatch very early in the game, I realized I needed to take a break and wait for the 3rd and 4th gen of watches to arrive.  Well, after doing the Android watches, let's see how Apple does theirs.

Random Geeking: Fixing issues with MINI Connected and iPhone lightning cable and audio playback

So I'm a total MINI Cooper fanboy.  I've had my 2013 MINI Cooper S Coupe (Bonnie) since Apr 2013 and love her still.  When I bought my MINI this was before Apple released the Lightning standard for their phones and in turn my MINI was ready for the standard apple port/connectors.  Fast forward to 2015 and trying to use my iPhone 6 hasn't gone as well as I had hoped however there is hope and it is in the name of hacking we can get this working!

TLDR; One must read the MEDIA module in NCSExpert and then check a setting in there and change it if needed.

USB1_IPOD_AUDIO
     digital

Geek Recap: Why I run a NAS vs desktop storage

Yes, I am a total data whore.  I have files from the 90s and my first floppies and of course all of my digital photos since 2003 and beyond.  These files take up A LOT of space after you have several decades of them.  My solution three years ago was to go the network area storage (aka NAS) route.

Ten Hour Cloud Day Time Lapse - GoPro Hero4 Session

A timelapse from this weekend from the man cave.

taken with my GoPro Hero 4 Session

Geek Remake: Sony PS3 Remote Play on any Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 computer

So I've been on youtube for about nine years and in turn have gained a decent following and video view counts.  However, one of the most active videos I have is my PS3 remote play on a non-vaio pc one.  Let's finally verify that this still totally works and it even works on the latest Windows 10 Pro os. :)  Youtube screencast and more!  Updated patch links (12/2016)

GoPro Hero4 Session: DIY backpack POV mount

So after watching Project Almanac (which is a mediocre movie, a few fun moments but a review this is not.. hehe) I realized that I wanted to have a cool backpack GoPro mount setup.  I did some really basic googling and well.. didn't find a single real product actually.   So after looking at my stock of random GoPro body mounts I had bought, I realized I could make my own w/the head mount one.  Keep on reading for the details.

Mobile Security Basics 101 - Some easy tips to securing your devices

Mobile phones are everywhere and everyone has one; you, your friend, your mom and perhaps even your grandma.  Most people are not too concerned with security of their own personal devices but that trend is changing very dramatically with the recent security breaches and awareness of what data your phone has and what hackers can get.  Let's go over just a few very basic but good places to start to securing your own devices (phones and tablets).

Enable a PIN or Passcode on your device:

This is the easiest and a great first step in securing devices.  Android and iOS/iPhones have several methods of securing your device including:

• Fingerprint/Biometric
• Voice
• Facial
• PIN or passcode
• Bluetooth unlock device

A passcode or pin helps keep personal data secure, prevents children or others from accessing data.  You can also set options to have your device wipe itself if the passcode or pattern is inputted incorrectly a set amount of times.  I recommend setting this to after 10 failed attempts.

Enable Find My iPhone or Android Device Manager:

These two features are both free on Android and iOS.  Once enabled, you can do the following if you lost your phone:

• Allows you to track phone in real time
• Allows you to remotely wipe devices
• Allows you to remotely lock devices
• Allows you to have phone make a noise

And finally, Mobile Apps and some general tips:

• Be sure to download apps from the App store and not web links. Malware can be masked/installed from links.
• Be wary of apps that require access to data; Android shows permissions required when you install any app.
• If you are not sure if an App is legit, do a Google search on it!
• Keep your apps and OS updated!
• Be careful when using public Wi-Fi or free internet; man in the middle and honeypot networks exist to try to steal data
• If you are using a pattern password; be sure the pattern isn’t smudged on the screen
• Do not use birthdate or commonly known numbers for pin if possible
• Backup your phone data regularly using iCloud backup or iTunes. Google Photos allows unlimited backups for free, iCloud photo backup allows up to 5GB for free.  

No Man's Sky: THE game I am waiting for and why...

I'm an older geek these days, mid 30s, but still love video games and will forever love them.  As most probably know, I'm a Sony fanboy and in turn have a PS4.  The last few months though, I haven't really gamed too much.  I did the whole Destiny thing for about 3 months and also got totally hooked on NBA2K15 and Pro player mode but have not really found anything that's captivated my interest.

However one game that is coming out hopefully soon has; No Man's Sky (game website)

Protecting your GoPro Hero4 Session's lense: DIY lense cover for under 10 bucks.

I admit it, I'm an action cam nut. No I'm not an extreme sports guy or a hardcore motorhead or biker.  No I just love what action cameras are; high quality cameras in nearly indestructible form.  After owning a GoPro Hero3 Black Ed, a GoPro Hero3+ Black Ed and a Sony 4K FDR-X1000V camera; I've now taken a step back in regards to resolutions and features to the GoPro Hero4 Session.

This post won't be a review, I'll have one of those up later in August after I have some real time to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the camera. I admit that the first week I own any new, shiny gadget I treat it like it can do no wrong (to justify purchase) but in the weeks to follow is where I find the major QC flaws or just bad design of said products.

Farm Drive Timelapse - July 2015

The drive from Minneapolis to the farm. #GoProHero4Session used for #timelapse in Protune mode, 8mp wide, 10sec interval.
Uploaded: July 21, 2015 at 11:59PM

Farm Time Lapse - July 18 2015

My time lapse from the farm. From 2pm to 10am, cut out the blank night scenes. :) Enjoy! Shot via: GoPro Hero4 Session. Settings: 8mp, Wide, Protune 1600 ISO Post-Prod: iMovie
Uploaded: July 19, 2015 at 07:32PM

GoPro Hero4 Session - Test video in Daylight

via IFTTT
My first test video w/the new @GoPro #Hero4Session action camera. Video settings were as: 1080P, 60fps, Protune mode
Uploaded: July 17, 2015 at 06:53PM

My 2015 Miles Ahead Performance Motoring School 1/2 Day

A video recap of my 1/2 day at the Miles Ahead #MINI Performance Motoring School (http://bit.ly/1TrWvNG) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (#IMS). So much fun, recommended for any car enthusiasts or MINIac! 120mph on the Indy speedway? heck yea! Check! Cars: 2015 MINI Cooper JCW F56 w/all suspension and brake upgrades Instructors/Racers: -Gabby Chavez -Pippa Mann -Stephen Simpson -Stephen Gregoire A big thanks to the staff for making it such a fun time!

Uploaded: July 10, 2015 at 08:10PM

My Fanboy MINI Cooper Coupe Video

My MINI Cooper Coupe Story.  Enjoy! :)

A longer fanboy tribute I made to the MINI Cooper S Coupe.  BMW and MINI are discontinuing the model this year, 2015.  It was built from late 2011 to 2015.

Sony Playstation 4 and the new Media Player.. Getting ALL Twonky videos to work!

I'm a PS4 owner and have been waiting forever for DLNA support on our PS4s.  Sony announced and released the Media Player just yesterday to all of us for E3.  Nice move!!

However I noticed initially I had some probs with movies not streaming from my Twonky server.  Let's chat about my setup and what I did to get it working.

My first handgun; the Sig Sauer P250 modular gun

As most know, i'm a total gadget and tech geek.  however i also am american so i like to exercise my rights and in turn a few years back bought my first hand gun after getting my purchase permit (MN requires a purchase permit for handguns, valid for a year or 5 if you do a conceal and carry).

I bought this gun mainly due to it's modular nature.  One can swap out the frame or slide/barrel with different sizes (full, compact, subcompact) and calibers (9mm, .357, .40, .45 and even a .22 conversion kit).  This last month I finally found a good deal on the 9mm subcompact x-change kit and will touch on that too.  Enjoy!

Amazon Echo: A very quick review, thoughts

I'm an early adopter of tech and in turn have been interested and purchasing various home automation related devices.  I currently have Philips Hue bulbs throughout the man-cave and also a few Wemo devices and of course am an Amazon Prime member.

I pre-ordered and bought my Amazon Echo in the first wave of invites/orders.  From the get go I was going into my purchase with my early adopter expectations put in place (ie over priced while under delivering but are mandatory for the product sect to grow).  The initial features included only weather updates, news updates, limited music streaming from pandora and iheartradio and basic knowledge retrieval (ie what is 2 plus 2, how many ounces in a pound, etc).  No contact or calendar integrations or home automation controlling either.

Apple OS X Yosemite and Changing Airdrop save location via Automator

So I've been a Mac desktop user now for about 4 years and at times love my Mac and at times hate my Mac.  At work I am a very heavy Windows user and power user. I do desktop administrator at my place of work and know how to customize/tweak the Windows OS to an extreme level.

Lately I've moved over to using an iPhone6 Plus as my main daily driver phone and am trying to use the native cross-functionality of iOS and OS X Yosemite.  A nice feature that I hadn't used up until getting my iPhone 6 was Airdrop.  However now that I see the power and convenience in using it, I have ran into a few annoyances.  The main one being the inability to set the default save location for files that are AirDropped to your Mac.   By default, these files will save to your System Drive > Users > Downloads folder.  There are no ways to change this folder in the OS like you can in Safari.