Tong Family (richtong.org sync)

I got two adapters that convert USB C to a SATA interface, you can bus power a SSD, so this is not a bad test. I then ran Black Magic Speed Test and found to my surprise that one of the cables is 20-30% faster than the other. I used two SSDs, a Toshiba OCZ…

I’ve been using Google Slides quite a bit lately and I’ll be on to Office365 next, but here are some power user tips: The themes are really powerful, but you can many themes with the same name. There is an invisible GUID for themes, so when you are confused about formatting turn on the themes…

Well they now allow unlimited photos with an Amazon Prime account and you can share your high resolution photos with up to five family members. It does sound like the ideal backup strategy. But here are the problems: Live Photos. They still have a 5GB limit for videos and other storage, unless you pay $59…

I’ve been meaning to put a real router into the house for a while. You really want something that can handle 2M packets/second (why, I don’t know) but more importantly something that is reliable. Previously I had used the Linksys WRT-54G (which dates me!) and I found that under heavy load it would crash and…

Ok there are real problems with after market cables particular with USB C. TL;dr USB C, unlike other USB cables, are not created equal. Some only have six wires in them, some have 24, some have the right passive electronics (pull up resistors) and some have the right active electronics (e-mark), so you need to…

Well, the family the blogs together has the most fun together. Here’s a list of everyone who is blogging. I don’t know how up to date, but we definitely have the domain names covered: gracetong.com. Out of date, but it is there! calvintong.com. Just up now add some content Calvin tongfamily.com. Ok this is the…

Well it seems like it is that time of year again. Got two questions on backups. Here’s the short story If you are using a USB flash drive to backup your precious photos please stop! That’s not super reliable. Instead get a $120 hard disk backup at least. Wirecutter has a good recommendation. Why a…

I’ve been trying to use Harry’s Lap Timer and need the detailed specifications for a 2008 Mazdaspeed3. Here are the detailed specifications and some of the more obscure ones that these performance telemetry applications want: Volumetric Efficiency: This a measure of how what percentage fuel goes in, it varies by RPM and many parameters. 12%…

OK, here some  of the common problems I’ve had with MacOS: MacOS Sierra seems to have developed this, when copying (but not moving) files on  a Synology NAS, I get the dreaded Can’t move files, the required files cannot be found. Error code -43 When you try to delete in the Trash, you get the…

I always have trouble the first time I try to pair my Mac bluetooth keyboards. Here’s a quick guide to what you have to do: Most of the time the device isn’t visible. You should check the single LED light. If it is fast blinking, then the keyboard or mouse is not paired and you…

Ok we did find a loose m.2 SSD in our system. The reason is that some motherboards do not come with the proper screw to tighten down. After much googling, it looks like this tiny screw is an M2 3mm screw. These are about $10 for 300 on Amazon 🙂

OK we have three PCs down and are working our way through it. If you really have a hard problem, here are the steps: Buy a test chassis system. This is something that is case-less and let’s you swap components easily. It is really useful when something goes wrong. Here are the steps, first put…

Well it might be better to wait until after Christmas, but here are some things to get: $100 iTunes Gift card is $85 on eBay. That’s quite a deal from PayPal no less.

OK the world is a little confusing right now, but with a 4K cable, you need a 18Gbps at least to make sure you get 4Kp60: Monoprice Certified Premium High Speed Cables. These are just $5 for a 3 foot length

A buddy asked what’s a decent gaming PC. This is a great time to buy one as the nVidia GTX-1080s are coming down in price and UHD is coming out, so Techradar had a good overview http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/10-of-the-best-gaming-pcs-you-can-buy-in-2015-1304263: Alienware Aurora F5. $800. This is Dell’s premium line. It is tiny min ITX and very fast with a…

I’ve been using the Datacolor Spyder3Studio for years now to get a good calibration on monitors. Despite the fact they are up to Spyder5, this has really served me well even with out of data software. However in trying to calibrate a Monoprice UHDTV display, a 28 inch TN monitor, I had my first trouble.…

I’ve had a chance to use Youtube, Netflix and Amazon on three 4K screens in the last week! I just wish one of them were one I actually owned. Here’s what I learned: The in TV applications work really well. I tried it 0n a Samsung 6300, a Sony OLED and a Vizio. All late…

Ok let’s say that things are going great. You have a s ingle wifi router like the soon to be extinct Apple Time Capsule but now want a little More coverage say in your basement. What’s the easiest thing to do short of living on smallnetbuilder.com.  Well, it’s surprisingly easy and hard to make it…

As Airbnb agrees to hotel taxes and things the costs will rise but a 20% off gift card will take some of the sting away this Christmas from giftcardmall.com. I’ve found really reliable and got amazon and other cards that way. 

Well the thing has been super trustyworthy but lately there have been two problems: Graphics driver crash. The screen locks up and you can see blocks of pixels flashing. Feels like an nVidia driver crash in Sierra. I’ve heard that the increased use of the GPU can cause crashes in old hardware. Sigh. I’ve tried…

I used to use Geotag and then Picasa or iPhoto to make these kind of EXIF changes, but each has sadly died. Geotag doesn’t work anymore. Picasa was cancelled as was iPhoto, so there go the free options. The only one I’ve found that works reliably is Adobe Lightroom, but it’s a little complicated: Import…

With phones dropping the 3.5mm jack its time once again to look at wireless headphones.  One sad thing is the Amazon reviews are pretty worthless. They are filled with fake reviews (I sure hope someone over there is working on this problem).  The review sites are equally useless. Even wirecutter doesn’t do such a great…

Well it sure does look like someone is doing Christmas shopping now and taking notes. Here are some great ones for geeks with a hat tip to 9to5toys.com and to wirecutter.com for the USB-C things as well as Nathan at Google’s recommendations Aukey Dual Port 2.4A Car charger. These are $12 with a coupon. They are flush with…

Cooks Illustrated has a great guide. They recommend the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. This not expensive and compared with enameled pans they won’t chip and get destroyed. Available at  Amazon  (make sure to click through JetBlue to get 3x miles and use the 5% off Amazon store card) Walmart (make sure to use the visa…

Some kids are really sensitive to loud noises. So what’s a parent to do. Well there are nose headphones and ear plugs but what if the sensitivity is super high. Well time to go to the web and find out how the pros do it. First off how are these things measured. They use NRR or…

I don’t know if this is true or not but Amazon is supposedly offering a deal for triple jetBlue trueBlue points if you click through the jetBlue site via a special https://trueblue.jetblue.com/group/amazonOffer. jetBlue points are worth 1.5 cents, so this is like getting an additional 4.5% rebate on Amazon purchases! As another aside, jetBlue also…

If you want to add cute GIFS, GIPHY is a wonder tool for finding the URL and then you just choose Add Image and away you go. It is a nice IOS application as well 🙂

Well, if you laptop fills up with stuff, what’s the easiest way to handle the overflow? Well, for most folks, the simplest thing remains some that is physical. That is, a USB drive. Now a USB flash drive is nice but a little scary in terms of reliability but is better than nothing, the more…

OK some Macs are having trouble with wifi connectivity, then it looks like some preference issues where you need to delete some plists.

If you aren’t going to spend a boatload, then wirecutter.com is a great resource got good modest prices stuff. If you have an older system, then you only need upgrade your AVR really for the video signaling (that is support for UHD signaling) and to handle digital audio via HDMI. Net, net, replace your AVR…