2019 – asty.org

Sony Xperia 5 review: The next evolution of the XZ1/XZ2 Compact line, and I love it

Posted on December 2, 2019December 4, 2019 by chrisa

…and why it replaced the Pixel 3A in my pocket

I have to share this story before I start, which explains why I gave Sony the next chance to be my daily driver phone:

When my son’s old Nexus 5X broke earlier this year, I decided to give him my old Xperia XA2 phone. He is only 13 and forgetful, and of course managed to lose track of the phone awhile back. We looked everywhere for this phone, trying to call his number. It would continue to ring for three days; it did not start going to voicemail, indicating the phone had died. In an of itself this was already a decent achievement of great standby battery life.

What …

Location of ASUS C302C write protect screw

Posted on November 18, 2019January 4, 2021 by chrisa

Just a quick post since I was having trouble finding the write protect screw on the ASUS C302C. I was looking to install Linux on it via the MrChromebox firmware script, but to install the new SeaBIOS requires you to remove the Write Protect (WP) screw. To do this, you first need to unscrew all the screws on the bottom of the laptop, and an additional one which is under under one of the rubber feet (which I did not do, and subsequently ripped off the metal, per the picture).

So I’m assuming other folks will have a similar hassle finding this write protect screw. It’s hidden under a rubber cover next to the connector ribbons, so you have …

Rekt! Is An Adorable Multiplayer Party Racer For Nintendo Switch and You Should Buy It Right Now

Posted on November 17, 2019November 19, 2019 by chrisa

It’s currently on sale for $3, but well worth its normal asking price of $6

I have to admit, I had recently gotten leery of sticking my neck out to buy what looked to be decent, non-AAA games on the Switch from a developer I’d never heard of for a few bucks. When I saw Rekt! in the Switch eShop I was intrigued but still hesitant, especially when it was selling for a meager $3. A lot of questionable stuff makes it to the Sale page of the eShop, but I decided to give the game a buy and I’m so glad I did! Apparently the full title of the game is Rekt!: High Octane Stunts, but I’ll be …

My Hands are Declaring War on Wide Phones

Posted on November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 by chrisa

I’ve had it with wide phone screens. I tried to adapt, I’ve reached, strained and contorted my thumb to reach the sides and top of my phone. I even tried to chase the trend that people seem to have of slapping rings on the back of their phone to keep their fingers securely on the back of the device.

I found a great ring/stand that works on almost any phone (affiliate link) which I do like a lot and it’s not even pricey. I’ve tried using text to speech, and become exquisitely aware of both how imprecise and vague words in English sound, and how doomed we really are with this technology, unless tech companies secretly employ humans to correct …

Magic Spoon Review from a Regular Dad (Non-Keto)

Posted on November 3, 2019November 19, 2019 by chrisa

Is it worth getting that cereal you’re always seeing on Instagram?

You have surely seen the Magic Spoon ads if you use Instagram in the slightest, especially if you’ve ever followed someone (or some brand) in the food industry. Their claims are bold to be sure: a very low net carb (total carbs minus protein) cereal with good taste. At $10 per box it was clearly not in the “too good to be true” category, but I was still apprehensive…

Well I did my research and it seemed like something I wanted to try, so off to the Magic Spoon website I went to get the variety pack. The ordering process was smooth, but at this point in my life …

Apex Legends’ ShadowFall Shows How Great Battle Royale Can Be with a few Tweaks

Posted on October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 by chrisa

But why no Team Deathmatch mode?

I adored Apex Legends when it first came out, and I even frequently defended a lot of Respawn’s intentional but controversial choices, like not having a solo queue in favor of getting folks to team up with strangers. Unfortunately after many matches with mic-less team members who immediately dove into the water, others who repeatedly tried to shoot me and gave away our position, and more than one terrible dad who had set up a separate account for their child who was too young to speak poly-syllabic words let alone effectively play an FPS, I’d had my fill. The Shadowfall event has really shown how to do a Hallowen-themed event in a multiplayer game, …