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Are BeatsX worth it?

4/30/2017

Get 'em while they are hot!

Before going too far into this article, the BeatsX are currently (4/30/17) priced at $119. (Note: Minutes after I wrote this review, I noticed that the price of the blue went up, too. You can grab a refurbished version for $99, but I am not sure if it comes with the redemption code).

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

They probably won't be priced that way for long, so get them while you can. When I bought mine, you could get any color from Amazon for $119, now you can only get the blue headphones at that price (Note: That time has passed, so hopefully, they will price them at $119 again at some point).

Are they worth it?

When I opened the box for the BeatsX, I noticed that there was a $30 redemption code that I could use for Apple Music, iTunes, or the App Store. I am an Apple Music subscriber, so I was pretty happy to essentially take another $30 off the price of the headphones. That put them at $89, which, for me, made them worth it.

Why do I like them?

I should mention that I own a lot of Apple products. If you have read my blog or the associated linked pages on the website, you may already know that. The thing that makes these so special is the pairing process with Apple products. When I turned them on, I started by pairing them to my iPhone. They showed up on the screen, rather than needing to go into settings, and I hit a button to pair them.

After that, they show up in the control center with all of my Airplay devices (if I am home):

As you can see from the photo above, they are listed right below the iPhone and they even show you the percentage of battery you have available.

The fun doesn't stop there!

I also have a MBP and an iPad. Instead of needing to pair them, after pairing them to the iPhone, they simply show up in the audio devices on the Mac and iPad:

Don't they work with the watch?

Luckily, I have a first generation Apple Watch to test them with and they do work with the watch. You simply flip the screen down to go to the control panel and they automatically show up in "airplay" settings:

What about the design?

Compared to the AirPods, which have similar tech (W1 chip), you have a long cable that connects one earbud to the other. It also has the battery, on/off switch, and inline controls for accessing Siri, and for directly controlling the playback (which you lose with the AirPods). I found the cable a bit long for my taste, but I also think the AirPods look goofy, so there is a trade off either way.

The pouch that is included is awful because it does not close and it is made of a lint loving rubbery material, but they include several ear-tips and wings to make sure they fit almost anyone. The AirPods are more of a hit or miss prospect since you can't change the tips.

One thing I like about having the cables is that it makes the earbuds easier to handle when they aren't in the ears. In fact, these have magnets on the end of the buds, so you can snap them together like a necklace when you are listening to music.

How is the performance?

First off, I would have loved to have software like my Parrot Zik 2.0 Bluetooth headphones to change how they sound with an app that has EQ capabilities. Also, I would love for them to stop playing when I remove them from my ears, like my Zik headphones and even Apple's own AirPods.

That being said, they block out a lot of external sound, which actually helps bass and sound quality when you aren't in a completely quiet room. I know Beats headphones are known for heavy bass and I did not get that impression from these headphones. I typically lean for headphones that emphasize accurate bass and I did not find the sound of these off putting in that area. They don't really compete with my full sized headphones or even my Etynomic ER-4P in-ear monitors for accuracy, but I can listen to them comfortably without feeling like I am ruining the music. That being said, if you are an audiophile, I would recommend sticking with headphones/buds that have a cable. Right now, Bluetooth is still lossy, so even with the best Bluetooth headphones, you have compression involved that is not involved with wired headphones.

Convenience is key!

While I typically lean toward having accurate, great sounding headphones. I have DACs, amps, and several headphones to prove it. The reason I got these is simply for convenience. I am often taking the dog out to the backyard, working on stuff in the yard, or walking the dog around the block and the ability to just grab these, turn them on, and have them available without the pairing process is awesome. Also, when I am pulling weeds or cleaning the pool or hot tub, I don't want to be connected to my iPhone. I would rather have it in my pocket or inside the house. Also, when walking the dog, I can just use the headphones with my watch. Additionally, having the ability to access Siri directly from the headphones is great for skipping songs or telling Siri I want to listen to something else.

In other words, for certain applications, I can put my audiophile concerns aside for convenience. I should mention that I listen to a lot of podcasts, so hearing John Siracusa's voice in less than perfect accuracy isn't really a problem. The battery lasts 8 hours and you can plug them in for 5 minutes to get two more hours of use out of them. Since they use the lightning connector, that they also use for the iPhone/iPad, I can take one charger along for my phone and use that same cable to plug these in. Very, very nice!

Final Thoughts

For me, these headphones were worth it to get rid of cables, maintain the use of Siri, have easy pairing with all of my Apple devices, and for the inline controls. Also, I did not have to wait 6 weeks to get them...like you currently have to do with the AirPods.

Yes, the sound quality is of average quality, so they aren't for audiophiles unless they can live with that trade off for convenience. For me, I will mainly stick with wired solutions when I am sitting around the house and listening to headphones, but when I am doing chores or activities, these are ideal. Knowing what I know now, I would probably spend the entire $149 for them, but I like having music and podcasts entertaining me a lot of the time when I am working outside and these are pretty awesome for that purpose.

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Wrangler Must Have Accessories

4/22/2017

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The Criteria

So one of the best/worst things about having a Jeep is the ability to customize it to your needs. Of course, the Jeep has about a billion different accessories that can be bought to make it fit your every desire. Unless you want to be broke, you have to make a list of stuff you want to buy and then put it in some sort of order.

I have been putting together a list of stuff I want in the short term and possibly some options for the future. As I mentioned in a prior post, I don't currently plan to take it off road, at least to any extent that would require a replacement of the stock 70R18 tires.

The Preliminary List

I won't be driving my Jeep much until I turn in the keys for my BMW 3 series in May (I have a lease and want to use as many miles that I bought before turning it in), but I am making a list of the '"necessities" I want to add to the Wrangler. Here is my current list, but it could change when I start using it as my daily driver.

1. Tire Cover - I alreadybought a tire cover. I know that a lot of people prefer to keep the tire naked, but I think it will be in better shape if it is covered, especially in the hot sun. Since I like photography, I bought the cover below and it is supposed to be delivered today. I have not seen this particular cover around here, so I think it is unique.

2. Hoist - I have a hard top and I want to be able to pull it off without help and also be able to store in in the garage by pulling it up to the ceiling. I am still undecided, but the cheapest package I could find is the Harken 7803B Hoister Garage Storage 4-Point Lift System. It is in the $140 range and it is recommended quite a bit on Wrangler forums.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

3. Soft top - Of course, if I am going to pull off the hard top, I need something to protect me from a rain storm that comes out of nowhere, which is all too common during Memphis summers. The top I want is about $1100. It is Bestop's Supertop NX which is almost identical to the OEM Jeep top. I am not sure I can buy it this year, so I may look into a Bikini top that can at least give me some coverage. I will let you know when I make a decision about this issue.

Security Stuff

Of course, I will also want some security related accessories. The current list is below, but it may change over time, as well.

1. The Hood Lock - This is an absolute must. My Jeep has a security alarm, but that doesn't help a whole lot if the criminal can open the hood and pull out the battery. This will be one of my first purchases when I start driving the Jeep.

2. Gas Cap Door - I don't think I will buy a locking version, but I do want something over the hole that at least makes it look more secure.

3. Tuffy 326-01 Security Products Deluxe Security Deck Enclosure - This is similar to a trunk for a car. It allows you to secure stuff in your Jeep with the top off. I like the fact that it can be disassemble in a few minutes without much effort. One of the reasons I got the Unlimited version of the Jeep was for the storage area and this will allow me to store my stuff securely and remove it when I need to.

Wrap Up

Well, that is my current list. I have heard that the speakers aren't great, so I may add the Kicker upgrade that a lot of folks recommend, but I will live with the stock stereo for a while to see if it is necessary. I am curious to hear what others are adding to their Jeeps. Obviously, if my top concern was off-roading, my list would look a lot different, but I mainly just want to have the flexibility of going with a soft top in the summer and having a mostly secure Jeep.

As a side note, I did add a black Jeep plate to the front of the Jeep. The original dealer put holes in the bumper with their own plate, so this one was low key and covered up the holes. I have also purchased a mount for my iPhone, the one I bought mounts to the standard cigarette lighter port in the dash. It has a couple USB ports, so the iPhone can be charged when needed, as well. It was priced at about $12, so if I don't like it, it isn't like I am out a lot of money.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

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Jeep it is!

4/16/2017

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Note: The video above is the vehicle I bought. I apologize for the watermark that is shown in part of the video, but I did not want to buy a program just to capture one video and the link to the video would eventually go away since the dealership no longer has this Jeep. I will get some pics and maybe a video when I have time, but this is the only media of the Jeep I have right now.

The Criteria

Two days ago, I wrote about how I was contemplating moving from BMWs (I have had about 5 of them) back to Jeep. Well, it is official, I am now the proud "owner" of a Black 2017 Unlimited Sahara. I talked about the specs I was looking for in my last post, but here they are again:

1. Uconnect - I have to have Bluetooth audio streaming. This isn't even negotiable. I have grown so used to it that it would feel like going back to the stone ages to have to plug in my phone every time I get in the vehicle.

2. Automatic - Another must have feature. I will mainly be using this in town, so I don't want to deal with a manual. Heresy, I am I sure, but it is what it is. Apparently, I am not the only one that likes automatics, since they are much more popular than manuals on our local lots.

3. Heated seats - I would love to have this in any new vehicle. I could probably live without it, if I had to, but it would be a major bonus to have it. I have back issues, so having heated seats is a godsend, especially for long trips where it can get tight.

4. Navigation - I would love the bigger touch screen for everything, so I it would be a very nice feature to suit my "techy" needs. It isn't available in the Sport, so that will put me in the more expensive Sahara or Rubicon. I am leaning toward the Sahara since I don't anticipate needing the superior off-road capabilities of the Rubicon.

5. I also want a "normal" color...nothing purple or lime colored.

What did I have to leave off the Jeep?

I am happy to say that I found a Jeep that fit all the criteria above. The heated seats were hard to find at the price point that I set (max price of ~$40,000). There were two vehicles in Memphis, over several lots, that fit that price when I took off to look for cars yesterday. They were both on the same lot, so I drove out to take a look at them. Unfortunately, the less expensive of the two options was already gone, so that left me one vehicle that fit all of my criteria.

Why were heated seats such an important criteria?

Well, heated seats weren't the most important thing on the list, but it was the main differentiator, since so few vehicle in my price range had them.

The reason I wanted heated seats is two-fold. The first is that they are a godsend when you have the top off in cold weather. The second reason is that I have a "bad back". Putting heat on it during long trips or even on mornings when it feels tight, is really nice to have. Also, having heated seats gets you warmer when your Jeep has been sitting out the cold for a long time.

Navigation

While navigation wasn't a must have, it is very nice to have for trips out of town, since it doesn't tie up your phone for hours. I also wanted the larger 6.5 inch touchscreen, that makes everything easier to use. While it isn't state of the art, it gets the main job of sending Bluetooth audio from my iPhone to the Jeep. It also has voice control, so I was able to make a phone call by touching one button and telling it to call "home", which was already in my phone's contacts.

The unit has some other features like a year of SiriusXM, a 40GB hard drive, the ability to play CDs, and something called Sirius XM Travel Link (5 years).

Hard Top or Soft Top

To be honest, if the vehicle was available with a soft top, I probably would have gone that route. It is just really nice to be able to drop the top without needing a hoist or help and since you have it with you when the top is down, unlike the hard top, you can just put it back up if is starts to storm.

The upside to the hard top is that it is much more secure. Anyone can break into the soft top just by unzipping a window. The other great thing about the hard top is less road noise, which can be substantial on highways. Also, the back window has defrost and a washer/wiper, which gives you a better view most of the time.

As I indicated, my Jeep has the hard top, so I may put a hoist in the garage to be able to store it when I want to go " full convertible". I can just get a Bimini top to put on it or have available for keeping out rain in the front of the Jeep if a storm creeps up on us while we are out and about without the top on.

Lights and other stuff

While LED lights weren't on my list, after doing some research, I found a lot of comments about how they were a lot better than the standard lights. Luckily, my Jeep had those in its stock configuration. Other nice features like deep tinted windows, tubular side steps, tow hooks on front and one on back, 18 inch wheels, power windows, hill start assist, track lock differential rear axle, and other nice Saraha only features (like painted fenders and "Sahara" stitched into the seats).

I did not get the Alpine stereo, but I have heard that the subwoofer can take up a lot of space in back, so I am going to see if the stock 8 speaker stereo does the job before looking for an aftermarket solution. This Jeep also has a 3.21 axle ratio, which is its main shortfall, but I don't plan to do a lot of "serious" off-roading, so I can probably live with that trade off. The dealership I bought the Jeep from usually sells Jeeps that are have at least 3.73, but they got this Jeep in a swap with another dealer. This Saraha is "trail rated", so I think I can live with the stock configuration here, too.

Too Tall

As I mentioned before, I was worried about fitting my 6'5 frame in the Jeep. I fit okay, but I would probably be happier if I could put the seat back another inch or two. I asked the dealer if they could move the seats back and they said it would have to be done aftermarket because of litigation issues. Luckily, I have a store nearby that sells the equipment to do this, so I will probably see what they charge to install it. I may also look at their hard top hoist systems.

The Wrap Up

While moving from BMW to Jeep is probably not that common, I was just at a place in my life where I want to have the flexibility that comes with an SUV sized vehicle. It is better for trips (with the exception of the gas milage) and for a home owner than a small sports car. It is hard to consider the Jeep a practical vehicle, but it fits the bill for "fun" and "flexible" in a way that I could not find in another vehicle. Yes, paying nearly $40,000 for a Jeep Wrangler seems a bit ridiculous, but all of the add-on features start adding up and those features will make the transition from BMW to Jeep easier for me to adjust to.

Trust me, I am not saying Jeep Wrangler is for everyone. However, I am looking forward to pulling out those "t-tops" and cruising in the mountains or along 30A. Also, the fact that I can haul more than one bag of mulch at a time means that I will have a nicer landscape this summer, as well.

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BMW to Jeep?

4/14/2017

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I have been thinking about going back to a Jeep this year. Several years ago, I traded a Jeep Wrangler in for a new BMW and have regretted it ever since. If I had to do it over again, I would have kept the Jeep and simply used it as a second vehicle while leasing a BMW for my daily driver.

I ended up owning my first BMW past BMW's fantastic maintenance agreement, so I ended up trading it in for a lease. I just didn't want some unexpected multi-thousand bill to deal with in case something happened where they had to do major surgery on it. I have a friend with a 6 series and he just spent nearly 10 grand on maintenance. I have had several different 3 series and a beloved 1 series, but all BMWs can be very expensive to fix if there is an issue.

Lease is up

In the next month, my BMW 3 series lease is up again. I think I am ready to move back to Jeep, but I really won't know until I look around over the next couple of weekends. I am not even sure my 6'5 frame will fit inside the new models, so we will need to get out to the car lots and test drive them.

Decisions, Decisions

Typically, I love to have a lot of options, but the Jeep Wrangler takes that to the point of being overkill. I am pretty sure I am going to get one of the "Unlimited" models with 4 doors, despite my girlfriend preferring the traditional nature of the 2 door (both of us have owned two door Wranglers). One of the things I really hate about having a car is the inability to haul anything. The trunk is too small. Even the regular 2 door jeeps have very little room for suitcases or anything else I want to bring with me.

I am compiling a list of what I want in the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and have come to the "ideal" list of features below:

1. Uconnect - I have to have Bluetooth audio streaming. This isn't even negotiable. I have grown so used to it that it would feel like going back to the stone ages to have to plug in my phone every time I get in the vehicle.

2. Automatic - Another must have feature. I will mainly be using this in town, so I don't want to deal with a manual. Heresy, I am I sure, but it is what it is. Apparently, I am not the only one that likes automatics, since they are much more popular than manuals on our local lots.

3. Heated seats - I would love to have this in any new vehicle. I could probably live without it, if I had to, but it would be a major bonus to have it. I have back issues, so having heated seats is a godsend, especially for long trips where it can get tight.

4. Navigation - I would love the bigger touch screen for everything, so I it would be a very nice feature to suit my "techy" needs. It isn't available in the Sport, so that will put me in the more expensive Sahara or Rubicon. I am leaning toward the Sahara since I don't anticipate needing the superior off-road capabilities of the Rubicon.

5. I also want a "normal" color...nothing purple or lime colored.

One on the lot

There is exactly one Jeep Wrangler Unlimited on the local lots with all 5 features I listed above. So whether or not I can get all of those features will depend on whether I can make a decent deal with the lot that has it. If not, I will most likely have to give up at least one of the features from the list. If all else fails, I am leaving myself time to still go back to BMW. My preference would be to buy a Jeep now, pay it off over the next few years, then lease cars for my daily driver after that, but until I see what kind of deal can be made, I am leaving the door open for anything.

My favorite BMW was the 135i convertible that I still miss. That thing was just so much fun to drive. While BMW no longer has the 1 series, they now have the 2 series which looks very interesting to a 135i fan. Of course, I already know that I like the 3 series, so I have to say that if I have to walk away from Jeep, I am pretty sure I will be very happy with whatever I end up with.

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The Myth of Memphis Basketball

4/8/2017

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First, let me say that I am writing this article because I am a fan of Memphis Tiger Basketball. Obviously, this article is a bit off subject from my usual tech articles, so I apologize to my regular readers.

My main issue is the unrealistic expectations of media and fans that look at the past through rose colored glasses, which I believe is detrimental to the goal of having a quality basketball team, that Tiger fans can be proud of, to put on the floor. I started this article back in March 2016 and never posted it because it comes off as a bit too negative on my favorite team, but today I felt it was time.

I realize that there will be a lot of disagreement with my assessments. That is part of the risk when going against public sentiment.

The National Image

For months, maybe years, the Memphis media machine was saying that Coach Josh Pastner should be fired. Many of them spent the last 6 months of his tenure speculating about how Memphis would come up with the 10+ million dollars he was owed at the end of the season. All of that is all well and good, but the thing I kept hearing and reading is that Pastner never measured up to Dana Kirk or John Calipari’s past success.

To put things in perspective, there was an article written by Geoff Calkins for the Commercial Appeal that year with the title “For Pastner, loss to ECU was the beginning of the end”.

There was also a statement in the article that makes me wonder if anyone remembers the REAL Memphis history:

“Beyond that, Memphis basketball helps shape the local and national image of the university"

Given the sentence above, lets take a look at the Dana Kirk era:

Coach Kirk was the head coach of Memphis State University from 1979-1986. His record was an amazing 158-58 and it included an appearance in the 1985 Final Four. This is the lofty record that local media and fans remember so well.

They apparently don’t remember the damage that was done to the “national image” of the university. Dana Kirk only graduated six players in seven years. Take a look at the history of some of these players if you have the stomach for it.

In comparison, Josh Pastner graduates players. There was an article by Insidehighered.com that put Memphis in the “Final Four" if games were decided by classroom performance.

Of course, these things don’t really matter to many college basketball writers or fans. I actually agree that it is only a small part of the equation, but it has to be mentioned since we are saying that the national image of the university matters.

As I said, the Kirk era had several trips to the NCAA tournament and a Final Four Appearance, but at what cost to the university’s national and local image? According to Wiki, all of those NCAA games were vacated:

"In 1986, the NCAA forced Memphis State to vacate all of their NCAA tournament appearances from 1982 until 1985. Kirk was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on 11 counts of tax evasion, filing false income tax returns, mail fraud and obstruction of justice. At his trial, witnesses testified that he scalped tickets for as much as five times face value, took money from boosters to give to players and actively solicited kickbacks from tournament promoters. He served four months in a federal minimum-security prison in Montgomery, Alabama."

In other words, it can be argued that he cheated to win those games, which is why they were vacated by the NCAA. The team was also placed on a two year probation and was asked to pay nearly a million dollars to the NCAA. Is this better or worse for national reputation than not making the tournament a couple of years?

So, when I hear how successful the Dana Kirk era was, I have to ask that person if it was really all that successful when it ended with all the tournament games and banners being thrown away, especially when one of your main measurements is how "Memphis basketball helps shape the local and national image of the university”?

Coach Cal

Enter John Calipari! After the era of Tic Price, another coach of Memphis that ended his career with scandal, Memphis was ready for a better coach.

Of course, Calipari already had a Final Four that was vacated, but Memphis didn’t really care. You could argue that Memphis should have never taken him if they were concerned about repairing their “national image”. However, Coach Cal spent a few years in the NBA, so I would argue that the past issues were far enough behind him to at least give him a shot.

It is hard to argue that John Calipari wasn’t successful at Memphis, he would have won the most games of any coach in NCAA history in a season if it wasn’t for the often occurring asterisks that makes its way into so many great season at Memphis.

Unfortunately, after they won 38 games in 2007-2008, the NCAA started an investigation of Derrick Rose’s SAT scores (in the summer of 2009). In short, the ETS concluded the Rose did not take the test and Memphis was required to vacate all 38 wins, including the trip to the Final Four:

That summer, Calipari left Memphis with his best recruiting class of his tenure (most of them left for Kentucky), an NCAA investigation, and more bad news for the national reputation. It should be noted that Calipari is the only coach in NCAA history with vacated Final Fours from two separate schools. Of course, it didn’t hurt him as much as the university. He went on to get the best gig in college basketball and left behind a coaching job that no one in the country wanted. Memphis went on a nation wide search for a coach, and instead of hiring a big name, they had to settle for Josh Pastner, who was a relatively unknown recruiter on Calipari's team.

"For Memphis, the search to find Calipari’s successor was tough because nobody wanted the job. It’s impossible to replace an icon, and eventually the school turned its sights on Pastner, Cal’s top assistant."

The Unknown Recruiter

How does Josh Pastner compare? Well, the point of this article isn’t an attempt to say Josh is a coach that had the same success as Calipari had in his last four years in Memphis. Note that Cal's first five years in Memphis were worse than Pastner's first five years. In the first five years that Pastner held that job, he took Memphis to 4 NCAA tournaments. Cal was in two NCAA tournaments in his first five years. Trust me when I tell you that there were people in Memphis that had very negative feelings for Cal before he turned everything around with his Laurinburg Institute recruiting class.

Anyway, no one on earth (outside of Memphis, anyway) could have expected Pastner to compete with the last four years of Calipari's record here in Memphis. After all, he had never been a head coach before his job in Memphis, so expectations should have been adjusted accordingly, especially given the fact that Calipari took all of the talent to Kentucky with him. However, it is fair to point out that the best years of basketball from 1982 through today were mostly vacated for rules violations. Of course, the NCAA can’t erase our memories of those games, but it can put a deep scar on the national reputation. Josh Pastner, as far as we know, ran a super-clean program and at the end of the day, I think the University might prefer that to scandal if they are simply concerned with their image.

Note: For full disclosure Josh Pastner’s record was 167-63 (nearly a 70 percent average), he had been to the NCAA tournament 4 times and the NIT once in the seven years he spent in Memphis, he was the C-USA Coach of the year in 2013, but never made it to the Sweet 16. His last two years were his worst, but it could be argued one season’s disappointment was related to his best player getting injured toward the end of the season and then his final year’s disappointment was related to that same player* transferring unexpectedly in July with no hopes of getting a replacement that late in the summer.

*That player transferred to Virginia and was released from the team for undisclosed reasons, so it could be concluded that there were issues beyond Pastner's control.

Pearls of Wisdom

Well, Pastner was offered the Georgia Tech job and the university reportedly agreed to pay him 1.25 million to not coach Memphis.

So now that he was gone, who would they replace him with? As we found out when Coach Cal went to Kentucky, successful coaches don’t want this job unless you pay them a fortune. Also, the job is much harder now than when Pastner took over. Coach Cal’s main success came after Memphis joined Conference USA and hosted nearly every tournament on its home floor. Coach Pastner’s best seasons also came in Conference USA.

The new coach would start his career in the much harder AAC. Winning nearly 70 percent of your games in that conference, which would only put you on equal footing with Pastner, would not be good enough.

The funny thing is that the same media that declared Pastner should be fired were actually saying that Bruce Pearl “would be fabulous”, but unfortunately he was tied into a contract at Auburn.

Note: Pearl’s record at Auburn that year was 11-20 at the time of that article. Pearl has now been at Auburn for 3 years and has not taken them to the NCAA tournament and has a record of 44-54 during that time.

Also, Pearl is the guy that was fired from Tennesee:

"The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced Wednesday it is imposing a three-year show-cause penalty against former Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl for major rules violations, essentially making him unemployable in the college ranks during the three-year period."

With suggestions like this, do we really think the media cares about the national reputation of the University of Memphis? I don’t think they do. I think it is a win at all costs mentality that has been in Memphis since the Dana Kirk era and if it all gets taken away, at least we have memories to hold onto. It is fine to have that viewpoint, but please don’t try to sell that as being good for the national reputation.

(As a side note, I often linked articles from one writer at the local newspaper. However, he wasn't writing these articles in a bubble. Many of his sentiments are the same as you would hear on local sports talk shows and at the water cooler at work. I am mainly using him as a source because his articles are so easy to find, and for better or worse, he is one of the most respected, influential voices in this area.)

Tubby Time!!

As was the case when Memphis hired Pastner, they went on a national search and a name no one considered ended up being hired. Rumors were that Memphis went after Gregg Marshall, but when you can't outbid the competition, why would a coach want to come to a situation where a win percentage of 70 percent gets you run out of town?

Memphis convinced Tubby Smith to take a 5 year contract averaging over $3 million a year. That is over a million more a year than he was reportedly receiving at Texas Tech. So when you add that to the extra compensation they are paying Pastner, you would think Memphis could have put money in the program while Pastner was here rather than cutting it back so dramatically that his players were flying coach...not exactly the situation you want when recruiting:

"There’s been efficiencies and adjustments. A large part of our expenses are tied to travel, and certainly if you travel outside the city of Memphis, you know that airline prices are expensive. The same can be said with chartering flights. So we’ve tried to create a hybrid where we’ll fly commercial and charter back. And fly commercial one way and charter one way."

In hindsight, Tubby Smith was the obvious choice. He is the polar opposite of Josh Pastner. They heard complaints about the lack of experience and few have more experience than Tubby. They heard that Josh wasn't a good "floor coach" and Tubby has a reputation as being a great "floor coach". Josh is known as being a relentless recruiter and Tubby...well, not so much. The idea was that he simply needed to put a recruiting wall around Memphis and his lack of recruiting prowess could be minimized.

Also, Tubby has a national championship, has lead 5 teams to the tournament, and many consider him to have Hall of Fame credentials. Josh can't make any of those claims at this point. Also, Tubby was 65 years old, so he could weather any storm brought on by the Memphis media and fans if he did not meet their expectations. Even if his career in Memphis ends like the Hindenburg disaster, it isn't like it will be more than a blip on his resume. For all we know, he is just cashing in before a much deserved retirement.

Let's Compare

In Pastner's first season at Georgia Tech, he took a team that was not supposed to win an ACC conference game and took them to a record that had them on the bubble of making the NCAA tournament. Instead, they went to the NIT and lost in the championship game. Additionally, despite being in the same league with all time greats like Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, etc, he was also named the ACC Coach of the Year in his first season.

Tubby, on the other hand, started with a team that had two players that were considered top 50ish (depending on the source) recruits with the Lawson brothers. Dedric was the rookie of the year in the conference in the prior year, and KJ was hurt (another plausible excuse for Pastner's record in his final year), so we did not get a chance to see his full potential in the prior season.

The sad thing is that the team got worse as the year went on. At one point, Tubby lost four games in a row and experienced the losing end of one of the biggest losses in Memphis history with a 41 point loss to SMU. Pastner never lost even 3 games in a row. Also, keep in mind that Memphis would have had Charlie Moore (another top 50ish recruit) on that roster if they kept Pastner. They may have also had Nick Marshall, who left Memphis after Pastner went to Georgia Tech. In other words, there is little doubt that Memphis would have been better with Pastner at the helm.

Well, lets cut Tubby some slack since it was his first year, right? Well, this week, the Lawson brothers have announced that they are transferring to another program. Dedric was a first teamer and KJ was rookie of the year in conference. Keon Clergeot has also announced he is leaving and most reports are expecting Markel Crawford to leave, as well.

To quote Gary Parrish of CBS:
"Assuming Markel Crawford also transfers, Memphis will return Jeremiah Martin and Jimario Rivers - and have its worst roster of my lifetime."

The Moral of the Story

The grass is not always greener on the other side. Memphis would have to spend a fortune to get rid of Tubby Smith at this point. If it is a job where a winning percentage of 70 percent combined with a couple "bad years" where injuries and an "out of the blue" transfer in July can't be tolerated, who would want the job? The answer is probably an unknown talent or a big talent willing to risk it all for a huge paycheck (assuming we have people in Memphis still willing to pay). In either case, you get no guarantee of success.

I think we are stuck with Tubby for good or bad unless he is so desperate to get out of here that he takes less money from another university to leave. I don't see that happening, so lets hope that he can perform a miracle and figure out how to turn the team's fortunes around.

Not sure how this is better for the national reputation, but it is the reality of ignoring the real history of Memphis and creating expectations so lofty that a top 40 job (some say it is a top 25 job - though the caveats in the article are why I consider it a top 40 job) starts looking like a bad deal for anyone on the upswing of their career to even consider. Maybe if Tubby drives the program straight into the ditch, a young and promising coach may decide to take the risk on a rebuild, but I would still advise anyone in that position to be aware of the myth of Memphis basketball and the ghosts of Cal and Kirk.

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Netgear Orbi Wifi

4/6/2017

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Google OnHub = Dead

As many of you that frequent this site may know, I have recommended the Google OnHub quite a bit. However, in its last couple of months, I started getting erratic behavior from the device. I would come home from work and I would not have any wifi. I would restart the OnHub and that would typically fix it. However, it got worse. I tried restarting it and it would still not work. I had to set it up again from scratch. Well, the last time I had the issue, nothing would fix it. I even downloaded software onto a thumb drive and reset it. It was still broken.

In fairness, I never called Google to see if I could send it in and get it fixed or replaced. Then idea of spending a lot of time with tech support was just a bigger headache than I wanted to deal with at the time. I have a TP Link Router that I used in the meantime, but I had so many areas around the house out of wifi range, that I needed a new solution.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Feelin' Meshy?

Being a complete geek with the mission of getting the best possible tech out there, I found myself searching for routers with "mesh" features. There are quite a few available now and I was on the verge of buying Google's solution, but I decided that I was not really all that comfortable buying another Google router after my OnHub died unexpectedly. Thankfully, I did a bit more research and ran across the following articles (in addition to several others):

The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Networking Kits for Most People
Netgear Orbi Review: The Mesh Router to Beat

I should mention thatone article from Macworld claims that theOrbi isn't really a "mesh" system, but it really doesn't matter unless you have a huge home that requires you to daisy chain from satellite unit to satellite unit. Right now, according to the article, all satellites connect to the router rather than the closest satellite, though, the article mentions that Netgear may have an update to alleviate that problem for those that need multiple satellites. (not sure if an update has fixed this possible issue or not...not really an issue for those of us using one router and one satellite.)

The secret that Orbi employs is that it is a tri-band router with six antennas. It has a 2.4Ghz band and two 5Ghz with one 5Ghz band being dedicated to communication between the router and the satellite. This means that you don't lose bandwidth like you do with wifi extenders.

Netgear is where it is at!

Once I read the articles I mentioned above, I was leaning toward getting the Netgear Orbi. However, the thing that put that choice over the top was the fact that I have had such a great experience with my numerous Netgear Arlo security cameras (many reviewed on this site). I simply trust that Netgear knows what it is doing.

While the Netgear Orbis are larger than some of the competition's devices, I wasn't too worried. They don't have huge antennas, or large footprints, so I was able to fit both of them on shelves. The satellite is mostly hidden behind a surround sound speaker on a built in shelf in my living room, so you don't notice it unless you are looking for it.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

The Setup

My setup may not be customary. I kept my old router in place and simply turned off its wifi antennas. It is an Archer C5, so it actually has a switch on the router that flips it off. Like the Google OnHub, you will lose features by using it in "AP Mode". Below is from Netgear's website:
The following router features are not available (grayed out) when the router is in AP mode:

Guest Network
QoS
Setup Wizard
Port Forwarding/Port Triggering
Remote Management
UPnP
IPv6
Traffic Meter
Parental Controls
Block Sites
Block Services
VPN service
VLAN/IPTV setup
Internet Setup
WAN Setup
LAN Setup

As a side note, the reason I kept my old router in place is that I did not want to have to setup all my customized settings again because it works fine outside of the wifi range issues. That being said, without Remote Management, you apparently will not be able to use the Orbi with Amazon Echo. I may chose to get rid of my TP Link when I have time to deal with setting up some of the specialized settings I have on it. Some of them are rather sophisticated and required third party hardware to setup, so I may just stick with the app for turning on and off my Guest Network.

I will say that the Orbi app is awful. It is missing most features and, to be honest, I found it fairly useless. I would highly recommend using their web setup instead. It is more straight forward and has many more features. Given the fact that Netgear's Arlo app is amazing, I was saddened by just how bad the Netgear Orbi app was out of the box. They do have a separate Netgear Genie app that has more features, but there seems to be a disconnect because the AP mode features above are still listed and you can set them to be on, but they do not work. Also, I tried to turn on the Remote Management feature and it required me to turn off my Orbi and turn it back on to be able to connect to it again. In other words, my recommendation is to stick with the web app.

Below is a picture of the Arlo cams that I mention in this article:

How is the range in normal use?

My house is small enough that I could probably get by with one Orbi. However, I am outside a lot in the spring and summer grilling on my Big Green Egg and floating around in the pool. I like to stream music to my iPhone or iPad and then send the audio to an Airplay device in my Sunroom.

With the Orbi, this is not a problem. I get a full signal from one end of my yard to the other. Even my Google OnHub would lose a signal at the farthest reaches of my yard. The Orbi still shows every bar on the wifi icon when I am on the other side of the pool. It is awesome to be able to get a perfect signal without worrying about the signal dropping.

My iPhone is setup to use wifi for phone calls when I get a poor cellular signal. Since I don't get a very good signal at home, it often jumps to wifi. However, with my old router, I would often lose calls. Since getting the Orbi, I have not had one dropped call.

I should also note that I waited over a month to write this review so that I could have some time with the Orbi before concluding everything was perfect. However, so far, the system has been great. I can put my Arlo cameras anywhere in the yard now. Before, I would completely lose the signal when I was out near the shed. No such issues now.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

The Wrap Up

These things are the real deal. I wanted fast wifi all over the house and yard and the Netgear Orbi and satellite have not disappointed. The price is somewhat expensive, but I got mine when it was on sell, so I didn't feel as bad about splurging. Personally, I am on wifi all the time, especially with Airplay and this has given me a very fast connection no matter where I am in the yard or house.

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Hybrid Smart Watch Review

4/2/2017

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I have an Apple Watch and an analog watch. The Fossil Q Grant Gen 2 Hybrid Smartwatch Dark Brown Leather takes some of the most used features of the Apple Watch and puts them on a more traditional watch face (similar to my analog watch). In other words, it has a foot in two worlds. It should be noted that this watch is both wider and thicker than the 42mm Apple Watch.

Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

In my personal opinion, the watch face on the Fossil Q is gorgeous. Unlike an Apple Watch, you can see the time without lifting your arm. In other words, for people that are annoyed by a blank watch face adorning their wrists all day, but want a few geeky features, this might be a nice compromise. No, it comes no where close to having the numerous features of the Apple Watch. However, if you only need a few functions, this might be your answer.

The watch has some clever features, but first you need to create an account and pair it, via Bluetooth, with your phone. I use a an iPhone, so I went to the App Store and downloaded the Fossil Q app. It walked me through the pairing process. After the watch was paired, you can set it up for your preferences. One cool feature is that the watch will automatically show the correct time after it pairs and change when you travel into different time zones.

Some of the options in the app are:

Activity

The app allows you to set your step goals, review your step activity, and set sleep goals. According to the app, it uses algorithms to track your activity. Since the app can pair with the Health app, you can tie it in with other apps that pair with the Health app. The "sub-eye" on the watch face shows your current progress toward your activity goal. When you reach the goal, the hour and minute hands will move in celebration. You can also connect the app to "Under Armour" and "Up By Jawbone" apps, but I have not used those features.

Alarm

You can set up an alarm and it will vibrate on your wrist until you turn it off. You can also set the strength of the vibration you feel on the watch in the app.

Notifications

This is one of the main reasons I wanted the watch. It allows you to setup notifications for many different apps. Some of the options are calls, texts, calendar, ESPN, FaceTime, Flickr, etc. You can also set it up to be notified for individual contacts. After you decide which notifications you want to be aware of on the watch, you assign each one a number. For instance, if you assign your mom (you can be notified of calls, texts and emails from this person or any combination of the three) position 1, the watch will buzz and move both hands to 1 on the watch face. You just have to get used to the number you assigned to each notification. To be clear, you will know that your mom notified you, but you will have to pick up the phone to dig deeper. Obviously, on the Apple Watch, you can do a lot more without ever picking up the phone. I also wish that I could get notifications from my security camera apps, but I did not see a way to set them up independently. There is a way to set it up to receive all notifications, but I would prefer the option to assign a number to Arlo or Ring.

Q Link

This is another cool feature of the watch when compared to your old analog watch. It can be setup to "Ring Phone", "Control Music" on phone, "Take Photo" with phone, and set a new goal. I wish there was a way to flip back and forth between options directly on the watch, though. In other words, I often use this feature to control music on my phone (It can play/pause, go to next track, or go to previous track with pressing the bottom button on the watch once, pressing twice, or pressing and holding, respectively.), but I would like to easily change it to ring my phone without needing my phone to make that change. That way, if my phone was misplaced, I could use the watch to find it, even if I was initially using the feature for music.

Buttons

The buttons on the side have different features. The top button is for the day of the month. You push down on the button and both watch hands go to that day. The middle button will allow you to switch between alert, alarm, second time zone, and date. The bottom button is for Q Link control.

Other stuff

I should also mention that you do not need to dock this watch every night like an Apple Watch. In fact, you don't dock it at all. It has a battery that you switch out every 6 months or so, depending on usage. They include a nifty tool shaped like a Q to open up the back of the watch. The watch also has easy to remove bands. I found it a bit more cumbersome than just pushing down on a button like you have with an Apple Watch, but it is still a heck of a lot easier than using the typical band removing tools you need for regular analog watches.

Wrap Up

The Fossil Q Grant Gen 2 Hybrid Smartwatch Dark Brown Leather is for someone that wants a beautiful watch with a nice leather band, but with a few of the comfort features of a smart watch. My main issue with the watch is the lack of a backlight. The watch relies on you to be able to see the hands, but if you are in a dark room, you typically have to turn a light on to see where the hands are pointing. While they did put some glow in the dark material on the watch hands, unless you are coming out of a bright environment where light is directly aimed at them for a while (which makes them glow), they usually won't be bright enough to see in the dark. For me, this is a major problem for this kind of watch. If I have to pull out my phone when I get a notification when I am out in the dark, the less useful it becomes when I am out and about. I would also like a way to change the Q Link feature directly from the watch, but that may not be possible, so I can understand that shortfall. Lastly, I want to be able to setup assignable notifications from my security camera apps so that I know when motion is detected without getting out my phone.

That being said, I think they are close to making a very nice hybrid watch. I love the ability to control my music app of choice and I like being able to look down and see the time without moving my arm around. That being said, I will still be wearing the Apple Watch most of the time, but for those times I want to look more professional, but still be aware of notifications without taking out my phone, I will put this watch on. If it had a backlight that I could manually turn on (with maybe a three second feature where it turned off automatically to save battery power), I could overlook some of the other shortfalls, but the lack of a backlight is an issue that will keep this from being on my wrist on a daily basis. However, if you are mainly in bright environments and prefer a more traditional watch than some of the tech-centric smart watch options, this may be your answer.

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Are BeatsX worth it?

Get 'em while they are hot!

Are they worth it?

Why do I like them?

The fun doesn't stop there!

Don't they work with the watch?

What about the design?

How is the performance?

Convenience is key!

Final Thoughts

Wrangler Must Have Accessories

The Criteria

The Preliminary List

Security Stuff

Wrap Up

Jeep it is!

The Criteria

What did I have to leave off the Jeep?

Why were heated seats such an important criteria?

Navigation

Hard Top or Soft Top

Lights and other stuff

Too Tall

The Wrap Up

BMW to Jeep?

Lease is up

Decisions, Decisions

One on the lot

The Myth of Memphis Basketball

The National Image

Coach Cal

The Unknown Recruiter

Pearls of Wisdom

Tubby Time!!

Let's Compare

The Moral of the Story

Netgear Orbi Wifi

Google OnHub = Dead

Feelin' Meshy?

Netgear is where it is at!

The Setup

How is the range in normal use?

The Wrap Up

Hybrid Smart Watch Review

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