Life with a Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Roku Streaming Stick 4K (2021)

We’ll get this out of the way, right up front: the reason I bought a new version of the Roku Streaming Stick 4k (2021 version) is that my old one would no longer support streaming Amazon Video. Don’t ask me why… We’ve had a Roku in the mix since about 2014, first a Roku 2 (replaced last year for the same [suspicious] reason) and later a earlier-generation Roku Streaming Stick (3500R). The two go along with a trio of Google Chromecasts that cover three of our four televisions; one of which travels with us when we rent from VRBO or Air B&B. I bought this model from Amazon, where the price has increased by something like 56% since I placed the order. Lucky me… except that I had to send the first one back, and the replacement got lost in transit. Try talking someone at Amazon “support” into sending you a new one instead of issuing a refund so that you can buy another at the new, “improved” price. Sheesh!

Whatever the case, I got the replacement and lo and behold, it had exactly the same “problem” as the original. It took some sleuthing, but I finally found out what was up. More on that later. The stick plugs directly into an HDMI port on the Television and is powered by a cord with a micro-USB on one end and a full-sized USB on the other. You can either plug it into a USB port on the television (not all TVs will power the unit) or into the supplied wall adapter. The cord has a fat plastic section that Roku (somewhere) says is a WiFi booster. I didn’t need it, but it’s probably nice to have.

The stick itself is about 20% longer than the model it replaced (84mm vs. 69mm), making it too large to fit into one of the HDMI ports. Lots of people complain about that, enough that Roku will send you a free flexible extender if you can find the order form. They are, of course, backordered… for three months.
Setup is typical Roku; plug it in and follow the on-screen instructions; you’ll have to enter a code on the Roku website as well as an email address and password. Just like every smartphone, Roku then automatically installs about seventy channels of bloatware, including such clinkers as the golf channel. OK, maybe some people like to watch golf…

On the GOOD side, the streaming stick is wicked fast compared to my old version, which was about five years old. The remote (included, as are 2 AAA batteries) has been upgraded to include volume controls and a mute button on the right-hand side and a voice control button where the OK button used to be. There’s also a power button that can be used to control the television. That’s in addition to the usual array of right-left-up-down-back-home-pause. Four pre-programmed buttons take you to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ (pbbbbt) and Apple-tv (double-pbbbbbbt).  Still can’t program them to your choice of streaming services.

On the BAD side, there’s damned near no documentation for this thing, so it was only by accident that I learned that the unit has a power-save mode that is, for unknown reasons, set to ON by default. Since it’s not documented anywhere, you won’t know that this is the reason the unit has to be reset every time you want to use it. Can you say, “Pain in the ass?”

So here are my two tips for living with this new version of the Roku Streaming Stick. First, find the power-save function (it’s in system settings) and turn it off. Otherwise you’ll be cursing Roku for the duration. Second, if you power the stick with the TV’s USB port, DO NOT set the power button on the Roku remote to control the television power. If you do, the television won’t come on until the Roku boots up ten seconds, maybe) and then you hit the power button. Again, PitA. Once I figured out those two caveats, I’m perfectly happy with my Roku Streaming Stick 4K, and will most likely stay that way until the company makes a deal with Netflix or Hulu to stop supporting their streaming, thereby forcing me to buy a couple more Rokus. Oh, well, at least they’re faster than the old ones…

Summary

PLUS: wicked fast, good streaming experience, upgraded remote function, interfaces with Alexa, Siri, or Hey! Google

MINUS: poor documentation of "hidden" features, bloatware channels

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Cut the cord and get a Roku. 

copyright © 2022-2023 scmrak

Decent Enough Earbuds, I Guess

SoundPEATS TrueFree+ Wireless Earbuds

SoundPEATS TrueFree+

I'll be honest: I am not one of those people who spends his entire life tethered to his phone. In fact, I get maybe two calls a day, most of them spam; about the same for texts. So when I decided to get some wireless earbuds, I wasn't interested in forking over a pair of Benjamins just to have some nifty white things that Siri has kissed. No, I picked up a pair that cost a quarter of that: SoundPEATS TrueFree+ Wireless Earbuds. In case you're like me and don't care whether people know you have a "cool" smartphone, here's what I think of them.

I wanted some to wear while riding my spin bike in the basement and occasionally while walking. For the most part, they remain securely in my ears, but I would NOT recommend wearing them while running: you'd spend half your life looking for them after they fell out.

A Visitor From Another Planet, or Just a Helpful Tool?

Homedics PA-200H Programmable Percussion Massager

"Take me to your leader," a scratchy whisper interrupted my nap. "Whaa?" I mumbled to my dream. "PA phone home?" came the querulous reply. "Whaa?" I repeated. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when three-quarters asleep. "Awake, foolish earthling!"

OK, that got my attention. But when I did awaken, there was no evil, ray-gun toting alien at my bedside; just a Homedics PA-200H massager that I'd left lying on the night stand. Oh, sure, with that gray triangular "head," the long skinny "neck," and those pupil-less black "eyes" at the corners of its "face," the PA-200H could easily be mistaken for an escapee from a Whitley Streiber novel as brought to life by Industrial Light and Magic. But on second glance, there are no long, bony fingers and no stereotypical lipless mouth; just an array of teeth, err, buttons and a long, dangling cord. So, my bedroom safe from alien invasion, at least for the moment, I went back to sleep.

Besides, my lower back was feeling so much better!

Features 

The PA-200H may look like something out of an episode of "The X-Files," but it sure doesn't act like a marauding interstellar visitor. It's well behaved; even well trained. It's an impact massager, with twin heads (on the opposite side from its face) that pound your sore spots like tiny fists, only lots faster. You can use any of three black rubber heads of varying hardness to give yourself a good thumping, or use plastic heads that can be heated. Those nice alien wranglers at Homedics taught the little guy some additional tricks, too, including:

Five Intensities: when used with the manual massager setting these simply change the speed (although there seems to be very little difference between numbers 4 and 5).

Three Programs: in which the thumping frequency sweeps from minimum intensity to maximum and back; the different programs have different rates of change and stay at the extremes for different lengths of time.

Three Intervals: allows you to speed up the whole cycle on any of those programs.

Heat: either on or off, and usable only with the supplied heatable pads. It appears to raise the temperature to about 10-15 degrees (F) above body heat. Soothing...

Auto Width Adjustment: hold down a button and the heads slowly move apart, keep depressing it and they come back together again. Maximum spread is about 4 inches, minimum is about 3 inches; the gap between heads ranges from about 1-3/4 inch down to 3/4 inch.

Usage 

The PA-200H is hand-held and corded with a 12-foot line, there's a Velcro loop on the line to help stow the cord neatly. All controls except the width adjustment are on the face, where they can be operated with a thumb or the other hand. These controls are the soft-touch type often seen on calculators and cash registers, which helps keep dust and dirt out of the works. The auto-width adjustment button is on the other side, adjacent to the vibrating heads.

Recommendations  Extra contact pads screw on and off fairly easily, though they don't look all that well made to me. The threads for screwing them on do not go all the way around, and it's easy to accidentally cross-thread them. There's also no way to store the accessory heads that aren't in use except for the crumbly styrofoam block from the original packaging. The unit weighs about six to eight pounds, most of which is concentrated out at the business end. It's awkward to use if you're trying to support its weight (e.g., using it on your hamstrings while sitting). The massager works best when held horizontal so that its entire weight is on the vibrating pads, so why not get someone else to do your back for you! Since it's apparently sturdy and possessed of plenty of features, we're happy to have our PA-200H hiding in that little nest in the master bath. As of this date, it doesn't seem to have made contact with the mother ship, although there are some suspicious "signs" shaved into the back yard grass. I'm keeping an eye on the little guy, just in case!

Summary

PLUS: versatile thumper, heated

MINUS: awkward weight distribution, "face" may frighten small children

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Though it might look like a Close Encounter of the Third Kind, the Homedics PA-200H is actually a handy device for soothing aching muscles.

copyright © 2018-2021 scmrak

Another Great Mouse from Logitech

Logitech M325 Wireless Optical Mouse

All good things must come to an end. Considering the amount of abuse my Logitech V450 Nano wireless mouse suffered week in and week out, it’s not surprising that it eventually stopped working. On the other hand, it did last more than 4½ years – longer than a lot of laptops these days. They were not easy years, either, entailing heavy work with precision 3D modeling software and also an owner who regularly eats lunch at his desk. Messily.

So when it did come time to replace that V450, I didn’t bother looking at Kensington or Microsoft or any of the others: I headed straight for Logitech’s catalog to see what had replaced the V450. The answer is a Logitech M325 Wireless Mouse, and it’s (pretty much) just like my old friend.

Here are some basic specs for the M325:

The mouse operates on two AA batteries; not included. Logitech claims “up to” 18 months' battery life, but we all know that’s just a guess. On the other hand, I only remember changing the V450 batteries a time or two, so more than a year sounds reasonable. It operates under (almost) any flavor or Windows or iOs, as well as Chrome and Linux.You’ll need a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port for the receiver (in case you don’t know, a USB 3.0 port [usually] has a blue plastic insert and a 2.0 has black).The body's about 3¾” x 2¼” x 1½”, slightly smaller than my old V450. It’s ergonomically shaped to fit the hand with a rubber grip notched on both sides for the thumb, and can be used either right- or left-handed. Logitech calls the scrolling "micro-precise," and I have no argument there. The 2.4GHz wireless signal is highly reliable: I’ve never experienced a dropout or delay, even from across the room.The eensy-beansy nano receiver is called a “unifying receiver” because you can run as many as six USB devices on a single receiver… assuming they’re Logitech devices, I think.

Like its little predecessor, the M325 is a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel that can be programmed to act as a third button (for Linux fans, among others). For everyone else, the wheel operates as a forward/backward switch for web browsers; just tilt the wheel to the right or left, respectively. You can download Logitech drivers to enable an extended set of mouse features, but I prefer to use it as a standard “dumb” mouse with the Windows default mouse driver. If you want to run multiple devices on the unifying receiver, you also have to download the unifying software. Haven’t tried it…

That receiver is one of Logitech’s Nano receivers, so called because it’s a tiny (about ½” x ¼” x ¼”) chunk of plastic sitting on a USB plug.  It’s so small I never bother to unplug it, even when stowing the laptop for travel – it sticks out perhaps a quarter of an inch. If I do you want to disconnect and store it, the receiver tucks into a dedicated slot in the battery compartment, which also turns the mouse off. You could also leave it plugged in and turn the mouse off with its bottom-mounted switch. There’s a tiny green LED on the top to show the power’s on, which turns red when the battery’s low – aat which time the mouse seems to have another week or two of battery life.

Special programming features: If you download SetPoint, the M525 will end up with additional functions. By default, the wheel’s programmed to scroll the current window right-left with a wheel “tilt.” If you press and hold the wheel, you get software zoom to enlarge/reduce the current window. Tilt and press functions can be re-assigned to several other actions, like volume control for yout speakers.

Life with a Logitech M325:

Installation is easy, since it's plug-n-play. My laptop runs Windows 7 64-bit,, and the mouse worked immediately upon installation.
Download: The download software is massive, which is the  reason I didn’t bother with it – I’ve used it on other machines and don’t find that it adds that much to my experience. I have no need for the unifying software, so ditto on the no-download.
Physical stuff: The receiver only projects about 0.25" out from the USB port so you really can plug it in and forget (though maybe not so much if it’s on the side that rests on the bottom of your laptop bag).
Range: It's a minimum of ten or twelve feet from the receiver, at least with fresh batteries. I always like that for presentations, because I’m a bit of a roamer.
Surface Sensitivity: It works fine on a plain countertop, rubber mousepad, magazine surface, newspaper, cloth, and wooden desk without any tracking problems. Like other mice (mouses?) it's pretty useless on shiny or monochrome surfaces.
Portability: Though decidedly compact, it’s also pretty dense. It’s probably worth the extra ounce, though.
Buttons: Some aftermarket mice have extra programmable buttons under the thumb and ring finger for additional controls; if you're used to them, you'll not find them here. If you're not, you probably won't care. I find that the mousewheel is super-sensitive, allowing me to scroll line by line instead of the noticeable jump of some cruder mice.

Is it really Ergonomic? Well, that might depends on your tastes: the M325 is kinda chunky, but it’s still a little small for large hands. If portability isn’t your driving need, a larger mouse might fit your hand somewhat better.

Overall: A nice little mouse with few shortcomings. Logitech sells sexier mice, but they cost more than this one’s $30 price tag . I’d recommend the M325 for medium to heavy use, though not for cursor-intensive pastimes like CAD or gaming; and I especially recommend it for travelling, where its small size and Nano Receiver will be a blessing. Oh – and replacement receivers are available from Logitech, so you can literally forget the receiver as well! Summary PLUS: tiny and tough even while it's sensitive MINUS: some of the software downloads are a little "much" WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: I liked my last couple of Logitech mice so much that when the latest one died I didn't bother to look at anything but the Logitech M325 Wireless Mouse.

copyright © 2018 scmrak

A Complete Waste of $1300

NordicTrack Elite 13.1 Elliptical

NordicTrack Elite 13.1

After we wore out a cheap elliptical machine a couple of years ago, we dithered for a while about buying a new one. Having survived a frozen winter or two when we couldn’t get outside to exercise, we broke down and went looking. Sadly, the only consumer-grade ellipticals we could lay hands on we found at Sears – Dick’s sells the Sole brand, but has none on display – so we picked out a NordicTrack Elite 13.1 Elliptical (their model 24055.0). To be frank, it’s the worst $1300 we ever spent.

White Noise Without the Fan

Marpac Dohm-DS Sound Machine

Because she's had a case of chronic tinnitus for several years, the woman of the house often finds it difficult to sleep without a low-to-medium level of background “white noise” in the room. Years ago, we tried some of those “sound machines” that have settings that are supposed to mimic waves or rain, but they seemed intrusive and the variations in pitch and volume seemed to make it harder to get to sleep, not easier. For years, she’s used a fan on a low setting. That’s no big deal in summer or during what Houston calls “winter,” but when the Midwestern temperatures drop below 0°F you don’t want a fan running in the bedroom at night!

I really wanted to like this TV

Toshiba 32L310U18 32-inch LED Television

When the family spent a few days in temporary lodging not long ago, we found ourselves TV-less. Not in the mood to miss the big game (much less the latest episode of Jeopardy!), we quickly scanned the offerings at a nearby BestBuy. That’s where we found the Toshiba 32L310U18; a small, 32-inch model television (LED, 720p) and brought it "home," along with a low-end amplified antenna for grabbing over-the-air broadcasts.