Big fuss over a little jack

You might not realize it, but I’m not a big fan of Apple products. (Go ahead, that’s a joke, you may laugh here.) It’s not that they aren’t sometimes good. Some are excellent, though overpriced, but others are just so-so. To me, it’s more that the haughty, we-know-what’s-best-for-you attitude from Apple, along with the legions of fanboy sycophants that buy every new product without question that rankles me at every turn. The idea that a computer could be so superior (as they want us to believe) yet so simple your grandmother can use it, just doesn’t add up. Then the futuristic, white-on-white, no straight lines, Jony Ive designs have become boring too.

But the computer end of things has settled down. It’s now kind of a Ford or Chevy choice, either is accepted and most people don’t care. Heck, most people are happy with a Chromebook these days. Continue Reading…

Mark Gritzmacher

I am saddened by the passing of my brother, Mark Gritzmacher, on April 27th, 2016. He was only 49. It’s doubly sad because he was the youngest of my siblings, 12 years my junior. You always figure that as I am the oldest in the family, he’d outlast me. Continue Reading…

Bluetooth mania

Amber Logix bluetooth receiver

Amber Logix bluetooth receiver

A little over a year ago, when I bought a used car, I was disappointed to find that the factory stereo it came with didn’t include the bluetooth option. It had the XM Radio, the OnStar with the ability to make phone calls hands-free, but not bluetooth. I searched and searched online for information to see if it could be added or upgraded, but nothing I found was authoritative. There was some indications that a module could be added or upgraded way down under the dash, but different sources gave different information about the modules location and even if it was available to buy.

I’m sure I could have taken it to a dealer or a car-stereo shop and had something done to upgrade, but it wasn’t hard to see that it was going to cost a lot of money. Continue Reading…

New Look

After a few years with the old theme, I decided to change things and use a new theme. It’s a little stark, but has a nice clean feel. A few things need to be tweaked, but that just takes time.

Some older posts may look odd, or not work quite right. I may or may not go back and fix them.