I’m (Back) on Mastodon

I have actually switched some time ago, but it’s a good time to point to my Mastodon Profile where I still (occasionally) post useful or interesting things. I had an instance in the past, but general fatigue of Social Networks made it stick this time, and I’m quite happy with the result. Mastodon feels like what the web felt like before 2000. Regular people putting out information they find interesting, and no corporate manipulation or obsessive monetization where ‘you are the product’.

Ironically though, what Mastodon really needs are people who are constantly publishing new content, whereas I generally use Social Media as consuming information.

Why is Mastodon great? Well it is a Federated space and comes with all the

Welcome to my new home

Hello there!

Well after a long hiatus I am moving my web services from Digital Ocean (who I still highly recommend) over to a Bare Metal server on OVHCloud. I have always wanted to do more day-to-day management of my servers, and this is my first foray into doing that,

I will post some more details about what my new setup looks like, and what the software behind the scenes which make it up, but for now just wanted to say welcome to my new instance, and to let me know if you run into any issues with dead links.…

No, I don’t do sponsored posts, guest writers, or commercial cross-promotions

Since this is now about 90% about what I get in my inbox related to my website now, I wanted to take a quick moment while I’m working on new articles in the background to discuss this:

I don’t do sponsored posts, guest writers, or cross-promotion on this site

My site caters to other computer hobbyists and technology enthusiasts, or casual consumers of technology who are looking to educate themselves about technology, and are looking for an unbiased guide. I am not risking my reputation as a reviewer and someone who is frequently asked to weigh in on technology purchases for friends/acquaintances, to refer my readers to some online gambling or crypto promotion site.

If you own a small, independent,

Signia Silk X w/CROS: A huge leap for single-sided deafness (SSD) hearing aids

Model tested: Signia Silk 5X (right side), Silk CROS (left side).

Signia Silk and CROS hearing aids in their case

Design

The Signia Silk X is a completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid, which right off the bat differentiates it from every other CROS hearing aid solution I’ve tried so far (which were all Receiver In Canal or RIC models). You can read about different types of hearing aids here. As someone who lost part of their hearing at a relatively young age (30), I feel a lot less self-conscious wearing these hearing aids in public and at work due to their very conspicuous design. Whether we want to admit it to ourselves or each other (or are even aware of …

My favorite wireless Bluetooth earbuds cost less than $40

The SoundPeats Mini are my daily drivers by simply being high quality and tremendous value earbuds

I surprised myself when traveling 4 hours away by plane for a family wedding. As someone who has used several types of wireless headphones (earbuds) for years, and frequently a fan of the Samsung Buds, I ended up only bringing one pair of earbuds with me after all: The SoundPeats Mini (affiliate link). But they are so good for the low cost it was basically a no-brainer: I love these earbuds.

SoundPeats mini packaging: box, case, earbuds, manual, charging cable, tips

The Basics

When I first started looking for wireless buds, I did what anyone would do: I tried them all. I’m an Android …

How a Better Routeplanner (ABRP) eliminated my EV Range Anxiety

Plus a clear-eyed look at the state of non-Tesla long distance driving for EVs in the US

I have a huge secret. First, I’ll say I’ve loved being an EV owner the last 4 years. I took my vehicle to and from work 5 days a week, 70 miles round-trip, no issues ever. No need to stop and recharge, as my Bolt’s 238 miles of range was always enough even in Massachusetts winters. I occasionally got stuck on the ice, sure, but gas-powered cars can have this problem at times. Never slammed into a wall accidentally, ran over something (or someone!) on the road, and never needed a jump start.

No my secret is much more embarrassing because it’s so …

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