Tong Family (richtong.org sync)

But you have to make sure to start Find My iPhone or it doesn’t work. iOS 7: Activation Lock secures your device in case of theft (Updated) | TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog Activation Lock improves Find My iPhone by preventing a person from disabling Find My iPhone without knowing both the Apple ID…

Got a trip coming up and it seems like a good chance to test the Olympus OM-D MD-5 (before the MD-1 comes out 🙂 The next question is what lenses to try. DXOMark has a list of lenses it likes as does Cameralabs, so here are some conclusions: Panasonic Lumix G 7-14mm F/4. A little…

Wow, the prices have really comes down, in looking at Amazon, you can get an SDXC 64GB UHS-1 R40 (is that a mouthful, basically means 40Mbps read and SDXC breaks the 32GB barrier for SDHC) from Sony for $37 or $42 now. The Sandisk is about $66 and probably better build quality and the Transcend…

Been shopping a bunch for this (and despite the fact that my computer has crashed twice now while taking notes), here are the conclusions from reading Amazon reviews and Cnet. There doesn’t seem to be a good source of action cam reviews: GoPro Hero Black 3. Despite the names, the Black, Silver and White are…

Well now that it is really pouring, time to see what the right jackets are: Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer. You have to see this rain jacket to believe it. Weighs just a few ounces. Expensive at $165, but wow, what a think to carry in your pack. Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket. They put…

Yikes, amazing how computers can just kind of fail when they are not tended to. Here are my problems: The Synology DS-1812+ lost a 3TB Seagate hard drive. Amazingly Seagate has a warranty program and for the cost of shipping one way you can get a replacement. However, I only had a 4TB spare (you…

If your Bluetooth device connections seem flakey, or if your Apple wireless keyboard or Magic Mouse isn’t as responsive as you think it should be, there’s an easy way to check Bluetooth signal strength and then make adjustments accordingly. Open System Preferences from the ? Apple menu and click “Bluetooth” Press and hold the Option…

Here’s how to change the signal strength indicator with a number rather than a signal bar: Launch the Phone app Dial *3001#12345#* Then tap on the Call button, which will launch the Field Test app (or enter the field test mode). You’ll also notice that the signal strength indicator has switched to a number from the…

Been buying a ton of 4TB drives lately, so good to see the reviews, the performance is about the same, but the big issue has been reliability. The new units are jusst out with Seagate HDD launched June 2013 and this is what I’ve been using (despite many notes in Newegg about reliability). Western Digital…

Alaska is really tough to qualify for. For MVP gold, you need 40k real miles. They don’t have multipliers for things like first class. Delta on the other hand for its golf program is 50k but they have a 50% multiplier for international business. Net net since delta codeshare so much it is easier to…

Now that everyone is concerned (at least me!) about privacy, what about the various things we depend on. What’s safe and also private: Password Managers. Of course this is the motherlode, if you can hack into a password manager. Agilebits makes 1Password and they have been open about their security zero-knowledge. It does cost $49…

Fell asleep on the plane, woke up and found the screen of my phone completely discolored. Looks like somehow, soda or something spilled on the thing. Who knows? Anyway, Applecare Plus is wonderful. Cost me $49, but they did fix the screen. Makes me really want to get a waterproof case and barring that, it…

Offline for a few days without an easy way to do updates (unless you like tencent weibo :-), but here are some notes for touring Beijing: Restaurant Reviews. There a huge variety, but basically for the overseas traveller who wants some pretty interesting (but safe!) food, Fodors and Trip Advisor tend to be too touristy…

A whole set of cameras are coming. I just got an RX100 Mk II for a trip, but looks like more are on the way. Of course there is the Olympus OM-D EM-1 which looks great, but here are some more coming in a few months. It probably means, if you can hold off, do…

Well, go this as our RX-100 is going on to bigger and better things. So some reminders about how to reset the controls so that they work well: For Video, it a little hard to follow, but here are the setting and how to save them in a custom mode: Top dial: Movie Mode  …

Well, the micro-4/3 family is looking better and better. Optically, it is grat, but the one limitation is the lack of really fast zooms, but Olympus seems to be fixing this; Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens coming in 2014, new ZUIKO lens roadmap, no more Four Thirds products | Photo Rumors “The…

Well, I had two of these and I lost them both. One on a plane. Another in a hotel. I loved these things for the fit and the sound. So time to figure out what to get. Ive tried lots of headphones and they are OK, but time to figure out what to get next.…

Spec-wise, the EOS-70D continues to be behind (unfortunately) in color depth, dyrnmaic range and low light ISO with the 5D3 being much better. Canon 70D. 22.5 bit color depth, 11.6Ev dynamic range, 926 low light ISO Nikon D7100. 24.2 bit color depth, 13.7Evs dynamic range, 1256 low light ISO Canon 5D Mark III. 24 bit,…

More cues that we could soon see a/two new Canon EOS M camera(s). The latest rumor suggests that Canon could announce an entry level and a more feature-rich EOS M body at the same time. The more pro oriented body should be available with some interesting accessories, as an EVF and a new flash CanonWatch…

Sony’s latest star performer isn’t a gadget like the Walkman or PlayStation. Instead, it’s a chip found in almost every high-end camera and smartphone. Apple’s iPhones 5 and 4S use it and so do Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4 and LG’s G2, researchers say. The company that helped invent the compact disc has captured almost a…

Ricoh describes the Theta as “the world’s first mass-produced imaging device that encapsulates fully spherical scenes with one shot.” To elaborate a bit, it’s a small, peculiar looking point-and-shoot camera that features two 180-degree wide-angle lenses mounted on opposite sides of the device. When one captures an image with the Theta, the result is a…

Well with the Sony RX100 dropping to $600, the price difference is now very substantial, the RX100M2 (formally the RX100 II) is at $750, but if you dig a little you can find better deals: Amazon has it at list price, but in trolling the reward sites and also the feature merchants you can find…

Don’t ask. But if u want the coverking to look good on the back of a rear seat, removing the back is nearly impossible. So for every supercab model from 2006 to 2013. A great video youtube

I miss Steve Jobs! Somehow I wish Apple would finish the features it starts. A good example is photostream. It is nearly wonderful. But here are the strange things about it: It deletes photos that are copied up there very 30 days or when you get over 1000 photos, so to archive them, you either…

Well, thanks to Lensrentals.com, I did a big test of all four cameras. It wasn’t super precise since I didn’t have the RX-100 with me, but this isn’t a technical review, but more of actual usage by a not very good photographer. I shot in raw and in jpg and used DxO to process for…

OK, this one is really complicated. Four ways to earn miles? (well really three): Hilton HHonors Double Dipping – Earning Hilton Points and Airlines Miles | LoyaltyLobby. Points & Points Points & Points Double Dip option allows you to earn additional 5 Hilton HHonors points per eligible dollar spent on your room. At Home2 Suites…

Seems like everyone is offering something these days. It is so hard to find them all, so here’s my short list that I get from the occasional reading, although loyaltylobby,com seems to ahve a good list: Premier Gold on Mileage Plus can now register and become Marriott Rewards Gold elites at http://united.com/rewardsplus which is just…

This is actually an amazingly cool idea. You just make a one room suite be multipurpose by the stage prop method of raising the bedroom up and having the living room come out of the floor. Pretty cool! YO! Home: Tour with Simon Woodroffe on Vimeo. Watch Simon Woodroffe, Founder of YO! Sushi and YOTEL,…

Batteries How about Batteries. We have lots of AA, AAA and even D rechargeables, but not 9V. Duracell Procell sure gets a high rating. $18 for 12 at Amazon Super Glue And then there is super glue for those of us who hate to throw things away, always worth a try and a quick spin…

Well here is what you have to do: Airline Miles Expiration | Million Mile Secrets Enroll in the Alaska Air dining program and dine at a partner restaurant Register any credit card with Thanks Again via Alaska Airlines to earn miles at participating merchants Download the Alaska Airlines toolbar and earn 1 mile for every…