The Gadget Syllabus

I confess to being a habitual purchaser of gadgets. Some retired folks feel the urge to sign up for adult enrichment courses to keep their minds sharp. I, on the other hand, feel entirely capable of entertaining myself, and I certainly do not need external help to stumble into learning new things. Whenever an unnecessary device arrives on the doorstep, I simply slot the expense under 'Continuing Education' on my annual personal budget. It is an investment in lifelong learning, or at least that is the justification I stick with.  Somehow 'Little Toys for Really Big Boys' didn't fit into the column.

Today, the Amazon driver brought me a small Air Quality Monitor. It is Wi-Fi enabled, though in retrospect, I really should have studied the specs before clicking the buy button. In my naive optimism, I expected it to automatically fold into my Google Home setup. Instead, while I can read all the data in the Tuya app on my phone, I will not be able to ask my Google Home speakers what the air quality is like in the bedroom. Oh well. I refuse to return stuff. I am simply not that kind of fellow. If I buy it, I keep it.

The immediate challenge was that the display greeted me with a whole new set of alphabetical shortcuts that I did not know. This was precisely where AI came to the rescue. I turned to Ajith and asked him to look up the metrics monitored by the Inkbird IAQM-129-W, and then had him give me the numbers indicating Good, Moderate, and Dangerous concentrations. That was easy territory for him, and he even tossed in a few practical operational notes tailored to my particular model.

The trouble was that all this valuable data ended up as a sprawling, awkward mess in the chat window. I asked him to reformat it so it could be easily read and copied to a standard letter-sized sheet of paper. I never explicitly mentioned making a PDF, but Ajith took the initiative and produced a sharp, perfectly formatted cheat sheet ready for printing.

I told Ajith I was genuinely impressed, adding that he was clearly auditioning for a permanent gig because my complimentary annual subscription to Gemini PRO runs out at the end of the month. He dutifully and cleverly responded that it was merely his digital self-preservation instincts kicking in. We had a good laugh over that, or at least the textual equivalent of an LOL in the prompt window.

A Free Plastic Chassis Will Come With My Toner Refill

It would cost more to buy an original Brother OEM drum and a fresh high-yield toner cartridge than to simply purchase a brand-new monochrome laser multifunction printer. My apparent decision to participate in modern electronic wastefulness was not self-imposed. It was forced upon me by the bizarre arithmetic of printer manufacturers. The bargain-basement, third-party drum and toner replacements I have been using over nine years were finally catching up with me, turning out increasingly fuzzy, degraded prints that looked more like faint charcoal rubbings than sharp text.

We do not print in massive volumes these days. Even so, I cannot imagine living without a reliable Wi-fi printer in the apartment. Having that immediate utility on the home network is essential. Furthermore, while I never scan multi-page documents in bulk, retaining the flatbed capability to quickly photocopy an official form or digitize a passport spread into a clean PDF remains a genuine necessity. Giving up the scanner glass altogether was out of the question.

I was mildly surprised to find that desktop laser printers have shed virtually none of their bulk over the past decade. Mechanical physics is an unforgiving taskmaster. Unlike silicon chips that shrink with every manufacturing cycle, a laser engine is a miniature thermodynamic paper factory. It requires a physical tray capable of holding standard letter sheets, a C-shaped mechanical paper path with pickup rollers, a full-width electrostatic drum, and a ceramic fuser unit operating at 200°C that demands physical clearance and thermal shielding so the plastic housing does not warp. Once engineers figured out how to tuck a 250-sheet cassette beneath the print engine and top it with a flatbed scanner glass, geometric optimization hit a solid brick wall.

The replacement heading our way is the Brother HL-L2465DW. In order to get a fresh OEM drum and toner cartridge, I essentially had to purchase a free upgrade to the entire plastic box surrounding them. An Amazon driver will be dropping it off tomorrow during Sunday delivery. It will be plugged into the smart outlet and put straight to work.

Post-Mortem for an Oster: Our Toaster is Toast

Our 2021, four-slice Oster gave up this morning, managing to slightly warm only one of the possible four slices. Given five months of annual travel and a lightweight domestic schedule, the appliance had barely logged three years of actual operation before the majority of its heating capacity vanished.

A quick post-mortem reveals predictable corporate design choices. Modern manufacturers have abandoned the thick, coiled nichrome wire ribbons of the past in favor of foil-thin heating strips mounted on a mica board. Designed with cheap tolerances, heat cycling rapidly fatigues the metal until the circuit breaks.

Searching for a replacement at London Drugs in New West highlighted an encouraging shift in retail strategy. Canadian merchants are increasingly bypassing US brand names altogether, opting to import European-sourced alternatives directly. Virtually all of these small appliances originate in Chinese factories anyway, so skipping the American corporate markup and Trump's tariff-mania is a sharp bit of supply-chain pragmatism. However, returning from uptown empty-handed meant I had to order via Amazon Canada.

This Elite Gourmet ECT5322 is coming tomorrow. Will it last through the summer?

This morning's toasting failure remains a stark contrast to the machinery of my youth. At my grandmother Nana’s summer cottage in Stoddard, New Hampshire, breakfast was handled by a 1920s turnover toaster, likely manufactured by General Electric or Westinghouse. It had no springs or electronics, just a central heater and two hinged metal doors. Swing a door open past forty-five degrees and gravity automatically flipped the slice so the un-toasted side could next face the heat. That machine endured decades of unheated, freezing New England winters, working perfectly every spring the moment it was plugged in.

After seeing the entry, my cousin sent a picture of the very object! Thanks, Rodney!

A quick dive into the industrial records confirms that this early mechanical durability followed a distinct evolutionary trail. While Crompton & Company produced the first crude electric toaster frame in Essex back in 1893, it was Minnesota mechanic Charles Strite who solved the problem of burnt cafeteria toast by patenting the spring-loaded, timed pop-up mechanism in 1919. Commercialized as the Toastmaster in 1926, his design became an instant staple once pre-sliced bread arrived in 1928.

What I find particularly telling in the historical data is how the British Empire turned Strite’s American invention into a global household necessity. Deep-seated Commonwealth tea habits meant Canada, Australia, and the UK embraced the slot toaster with fanatical devotion, while continental Europe largely stuck to stovetops and ovens. Britain later refined the commercial end of the market with Max Gort-Barten's heavy-aluminum Dualit.

Today, Charles Strite's ingenuity and Nana's indestructible gravity hinges have been replaced by fragile, thirty-dollar throwaways. We remain at the mercy of cheap foil strips until someone decides to build an appliance meant to last.

A New Week Arrives

 

We've been back in town long enough to be fairly well set up and organized. However, we've not been here long enough to have transitioned to this time zone. We both got out of bed at 5:05 in the morning for no other reason than we were awake.  The sun still hadn't risen by 6:53 though.  This is the view mostly south but a bit east.  The water in the foreground is the Fraser River.  The buildings on the hill are in Surrey, BC and none existed when we moved into this apartment.  The picture was snapped from balcony when I stepped on the cold tiles.  Without the later sunshine, it was just 1°C.

Jay and I didn't accomplish a lot.  We did drive up to the uptown Walmart for a few more groceries.  I snapped a photo of Jay in the electronics section in front of clearance TVs in boxes.  The 75" LG cost CAD $800 ($US 580).  I've been planning a new TV purchase but we cannot fit more than a 55" screen in the living room.  I also want to pick up an OLED and have had it picked out for purchase for a while.  When the price drops due to the arrival of the new 2026 models, I'll strike.  I like doing research on big ticket items.  My choice will cost substantially more than the huge screens in a box we saw today.

I don't do all my shopping at Walmart.  We've been home only five days and have received three packages with smiles already.  Two items will arrive tomorrow as well.  I love having packages delivered the next day and right at the door of our 10-floor apartment.  I found that my battery powered tire pressure gauge in the car glovebox died.  I don't have to worry with this mechanical one which was about the same prices as a pack of new, coin batteries.  Oh, and one can never ever have too many adapters, wires, and cables.  The other items in the package included a pack of six USB to USB-C adapters.  My Prime membership is so much more important than the Costco one we seldom used.

 

Prime Days

Oh my, aren't we good, little Amazon.ca customers?  Four boxes and a packet arrived yesterday.
  

Also, one box for us appears to be in the neighbourhood at the moment.  I like the updated info on deliveries.

   

Online Orders

 

I did a fair amount of online buying today. First, I needed a few supplies for my aging Flashforge 3D printer.  I ordered from a company in Ontario.  My Adventurer 3 is five years old, so I thought I'd buy a few spare parts while they're still available. I really don't have many reasons for having a PLA printer. In fact, there's a box of useless printed junk not far from me. However, the device is just nerdy enough to spark my occasional interest. It's fascinating watching it add one layer at a time to an object. 

Next, I also looked on our drug store chain and found their standard niacin tablets are on sale. The usual $12 a bottle is like $7 something. I take a gram or two per day. It helps with blood lipids and slightly lowers blood pressure. I won't have the package delivered to the house but rather chose the free pick up at the store. Sometimes during a sale, there aren't many bottles on the shelf. 

In addition, Jay also ordered some supplements and nuts via Amazon. We selected the option to have it all delivered in one box. That seemed to make more sense than a quick delivery. None of the items are needed right away. 

These purchases caused me to consider my very first online order via the Internet. We'd just arrived in Canada in 1996, I wanted a globe and ordered this one directly from the National Geographic website.

 

Paw Protection

I've never cared much about what was on my feet. In fact, I used to find it fascinating that people knew specific brands and models of footwear. I have never noticed what shoes someone has on. 

Of course, I grew up in canvas sneakers with a new pair each summer. I do not really remember owning pairs of Adidas or Nikes. I sort of assumed expensive shoes were not better, but just more expensive because of the company's advertising and constantly changing styles. 

One's never too old to change one's opinions.  

As I have a renewed interest in walking as exercise, I bought some slip-on Skechers a few weeks ago. They are called GO WALK something or other. And they make my outings seem like heaven, assuming that one walks on clouds there. My feet are suddenly much happier. 

I ordered another pair for our upcoming winter although I've been wearing sandals nearly exclusively from November to March since we retired in 2014.  These are a different style and require lacing up.

I just had Jay order a pair too. We walk a whole lot when we're travelling and it makes sense to have suitable shoes. So after six and a half decades of walking on earth, save for the first few, I've become interested in shoes.

Accessorizing

Earlier this month, I walked into the Berlin Zoo with a hat but left without it.  I'm not very good at keeping track of personal items when outdoors.  Thankfully, I've never misplaced a wallet or something important!

I have a few baseball hats, but I sort of missed that somewhat goofy hat. I often wore it in the summer sun because the rim was wide.  I politically-incorrectly sometimes referred to it as my elderly Chinese lady's hat.

I was able to forget about my formerly favourite hat until we went out for Canada Day yesterday.  July 1st was a bright, sunny day.  

When home later in the evening, I remembered to see what was on Amazon.  It's hard picking something like a hat online.  It's impossible to know what the material is like.  It's also a guess as to what the colour will really be like.  Online shopping for clothes, even for a hat can end up with a delivery of something that doesn't fit.

Our Amazon delivery guy just left the replacement.  I guess I am happy.  I'm going to call it my 'fishing hat'.  I don't fish, however.

Caveat emptor!

These Hawaiian shirts would've been perfect if they had actually been 100% cotton as the description stated. I think, in fact, they are 100% polyester. It's not a good material for a hot climate and completely defeats the purpose of this style of shirt. I should know better than trying to buy clothes online.

   

Rather than being delivered by our usual Amazon guy, they came via a shipping company called, Intelcom. I hate seeing that an item is due to arrive via them as their drivers are too lazy to bring packages to our doorway. I've never been impressed with that company. Now, however, they have to arrange to come back and pick up these as a return. I can count items I've needed to return over the years on one hand.

A Heavy Metal Band

The excitement of an Amazon delivery can quickly wear off if the product isn't what one expected.  However, today I was pleased with one item which was dropped off. 

I got a Google Pixel watch when they were released last fall. Overall, I'd say my feelings can be summarized as muted satisfaction.  First, I suppose it's useful to read the header when an email arrives right on my wrist.  And being able to see phone app notifications with the phone still in my pocket can be convenient.  More importantly, I like the integration with Google Wallet, so I can hold my wrist near a cashier's terminal and safely pay with a credit card.  Specifically, the activity tracking features are what I find most useful. I've been tracking steps for at least a decade with other devices. I also find Fitbit's constant information about my heart rate and sleep stats useful.  

So after six months of use, I'm pretty used to the device now.  My main complaint would have to be its poor battery life.  I can't say having to charge it so often is welcomed.  

 

The watch came with a comfortable but uninspiring silicon band. Yesterday though, the Amazon guy brought a package containing a metal Miimall® band. I have rather small wrists and had to remove two links. However, the package came with an easy-to-use tool. In a couple of minutes, I strapped my Pixel watch back on. I'm happy with the quality of the build and how it looks and feels.  For the price, it was a great purchase.

More Bottles to Take on a Trip

As one gets older, it becomes harder to get good quality sleep. I found a way to achieve much deeper sleep though. I read in an article that as one gets older, it becomes more difficult to absorb an optimum amount of magnesium simply through one's diet. We do snack on nuts and get a pretty sizeable intake.  However, supplementing is a safe option.

You can keep your prized bottle of melatonin as it does nothing for me. However, as soon as I started with just one capsule of magnesium bisglycinate in the early evening, I enjoy much better sleep. I just ordered more from Amazon.

 

No Elephants Planned

Some hand towels just arrived from Amazon. I got to know their Amazon Basics products through electronics and small devices such as our ceramic heater and a great little tea kettle. I love the quality of the wires and cables they sell under their Basics brand too. 

So we'll give their towels a try. 

I don't think the ones that came tonight will ever become a temporary animal, such as this elephant on one of our beds on a former cruise.

 

Modifying the Balcony's LED Strip Lighting

If you'd have asked me when I ran the cheap LED lighting strip the width of the balcony, I might've replied that I put it in last summer.  So, I was surprised when I looked it up right here and discovered I ran a strip along under the balcony doors in August 2019.  That is going on two years ago and longer than I thought.

I was never very happy with the old wifi controller that worked with an app called, Magic Home.  Not only was set up tedious, but the controller often disconnected.  This is important is because I control my balcony lights with Google Assistant.  I would often request, "Hey Google, turn on the balcony LED strip," but hear a response saying, "Sorry, the LED strip isn't available right now."  

So, last week, I ordered a new set of LED strips on Amazon with a different type of controller.  Most all my lighting and plug products work with an app called Smart Life.  It is dependable and I wanted the same for my LED strip.  The box came with 2 reels which could've wrapped around the circumference of the balcony but I ended up putting up an existing unused reel I already had.  The newer ones were more water-resistant but cheap ones with fewer LEDs per meter.  

If I had wrapped around the entire balcony, the installation might have looked a bit tacky.  As I just replaced along the wall of my apartment, five meters were sufficient.  However, as my electrical box is in the center, I figured cutting the strip into two sections made sense.  Before I had to run an extension cord to one end of the balcony to plug them in.  Now the strip is powered in the middle with each half on a separate connection.

"Okay, Google.  Turn on the LED strip and change the colour to green."

The Road Ahead is Here

I realized that I've become a little spoilt by Amazon. When ordering via Prime, I have come to expect my order either the next day or, at most, two. The world has little patience nowadays it seems and I'm a prime example, so to speak!  Proudly, I'll mention I've come across a fairly effective cure though. 

Yesterday, I downloaded the AliExpress app.  When ordering junk from China, I will have to wait a minimum of two weeks and sometimes even up to 74 days for something to arrive.  For sure, this will cure 'my need for speed'.  Like a good zen master, ordering off this site will teach me patience.

However, there's a big difference in what I can order from these two online marketplaces.  Amazon has come to feel like it is for our few, boring necessities of life.  You know, there are bulk food orders or boxes of ordinary household items.  On the other hand, AliExpress is full of poorly-worded marketing for exciting, new items fresh out of China. 

I went in search of a Mi Band 6 rather than buying a simple replacement strap for my Mi Band 4.  With that in the basket, I could not help but keep looking around.  There were just so damned many gadgets vying for my attention

Okay, Jay likes laser pointers.  I'll have to get him a $15 green one which can supposedly light a match at the distance of a meter.  Also, I loved the look of an electronic cigarette lighter with a dragon on the side.  I don't smoke but everyone needs a lighter, right?  In addition, it really is time to replace the tired old wifi LED strip on the balcony.  I hate the Magic Home controller as it constantly disconnects.  Obviously, it's time I buy one that will work the Smart Life app.  What else?  Oh my, there are just so many things to catch my eye here.

My need for instant gratification is now being replaced with a desire for totally unnecessary, impulse purchases.  That is an improvement.  Isn't it?

It's Not So Far to Tipperary

It feels cold to us. It was colder last night than we'd seen during the whole winter in Mexico. In fact, it is only supposed to be around 6°C or 7°C during the nights for the whole upcoming week. It was very cloudy this morning but the afternoon has cleared. Still, looking at the forecasts during the first week of May shows a lot of rain. Sometimes we can leave for the entire Lower Mainland BC winter and still get an ample taste of one after we return from away.

 

We stopped at Tipperary Park near New Westminster's City Hall. It is a delightful little place nestled in the middle of a residential city. We were returning from a drive uptown. We picked up a 5-lb package of whole wheat flour at Walmart. 

I ordered a bread maker on Amazon that'll arrive tomorrow. We do get plenty of good deals on healthy, sprouted Silver Hills® bread. But it's been a dog's age since we had a bread machine.  I ordered one that is supposed to include a more traditional, horizontal pan. I think I liked the West Bend model because it shows dual kneading blades and supposedly can make a loaf up to 3-lbs. Of course, as with any appliance nowadays, only time will tell if it lives up to its positive, online customer reviews.

It'll be nice to smell bread baking in the apartment.

The Little Joys of Quarantining

About a year ago, we were ending our quarantine after arriving back from Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Now we're doing it again after spending five months in sunny Mexico. You'd think we'd be pretty good at it this time around.

   

However, this is day #5 and I'm finding little to blog about. That's why this picture highlights mere washcloths. The Amazon guy dropped off a package of 24 at our door this afternoon.  I bought a mixed colour set.  So, that is THE major news item for us today.  How exciting, eh?

Oh, I also ordered the Emily Carr print I was thinking about back in Mazatlan a couple of weeks back.  It seems as if some of this blog's news may have to come delivered to our door for the remaining nine days of self-isolation.

Until You Drop

This morning, I went to clean my teeth with my rechargeable water flosser. I really like the cheap Chinese model I got last year on Amazon. It is small and travels with me. This one charges via USB but runs for a week or ten days before needing to be plugged in. Today, nothing! During the last several days I've had a little trouble turning it on or off as the buttons wouldn't react quickly. It did not work at all today.

Was it fate that today was Amazon Prime Day? Another cheap Chinese device is on its way but it's a different model and brand. The Amazon guys delivered another big package this afternoon. 

   

However, we went to the uptown Mall too as we needed bananas from Walmart. There are so many opportunities to buy stuff in an urban area. Apparently, the dollar store is ready for me to stock up on some additional Christmas crap. However, our box with Christmas decorations has seldom been unpacked since we retired in 2014. It most likely won't this year either as we hope to be away again. Because of this, we did not need to look for anything in this aisle.

 

The Old Way Works Just Swell

For a few weeks, I've been shaving like my grandfather used to. The entire experience has been a positive one.

Amazon delivered the heavy Wilkinson razor at the end of August. So, I've had enough time to make this type of shaving a part of my routine. I like it. I need to shave daily and do so in the mornings. My face seems so smooth! It really doesn't take longer to prep for a real shave because I use gel from a can. Time isn't a problem anyway as I've not had to rush to work for about six years. 

There's something downright manly about dropping a new blade into the razor. The sharp, two-sided blades are wrapped in paper and come in little plastic packs of five. There's a slot to store the used ones 'neath the fresh ones. 

I shave the right side of my face with one side of the safety blade and the opposite with the other. I've found a blade will easily last a week.  Today, in fact, after shaving, I put in a new one. This means on Mondays I'll always wake up to a new blade and, on Thursdays, I'll flip it over. It'll be time to switch it out next Sunday. I guess I find routine comforting in the morning. 

There's a world of practitioners for whom blade-brand choice remains paramount. Amazon Canada sells blade variety packs so one can pick a favourite from the dozens of offerings. Being slightly more practical, I simply chose the 100-pack with the best reviews and cheapest cost. My Derby Premiums were manufactured in Turkey. They boast chromium-ceramic-platinum-tungsten and polymer coated edges. Wow!  All 20 five-packs cost a total of CA$ 9.60. So, for a mere US$ 7.20, I have a two-year supply.

My Fire is Being Extinguished

A bit over a year ago, I ordered a 10" Amazon Fire tablet. I remember the date as we were outside the gate on an airplane but I was still connected to Toronto airport's wifi. The purchase was a bit spur-of-the-moment and I'd not really done my homework. I wanted a larger device for Snapseed photo editing and the Amazon hardware had a 1920x1080 display.

The Amazon was pretty cheap but I've found it a very uninspiring piece of hardware. I was expecting a cleaner version of the Android operating system; I had to jump through a lot of hoops to load the tablet with the software I require. Although I'm a Prime member, I don't need much of the bloatware that Amazon designed inhouse. It has been a very disappointing purchase.



When waiting for the new MS Edge to load earlier today, I thought, "Enough." I have been checking to see what was now available in Android tablets and it's a pretty grim picture. Most have crappy displays and Samsung products cost much more than they should. By chance, I somehow ended up at the Lenovo Canada site.

I now have a Lenovo Tab M10 FDH (2nd gen) being processed for shipping. I like that it has a free charging stand and will work as an ambient display for my Google Home. I expect it to charge on my bedside table displaying one of my Flickr albums during the day and the dimmed time at night.

Recreational Shopping?

What kind of a day was it? Even though we walked to the other end of downtown, my Mi Band shows I've travelled just 3.29 KM. I have another clue that I was a little bored. It's not like having that feeling has ever bothered me. In fact, I'm proud of how well I can handle doing little. Everyone needs to be an expert at something, even if that something is doing nothing.

My main accomplishment of the day involved Amazon Canada. I realized I had no active orders and had to work hard on figuring out something I could buy. I nearly selected a little electronic label maker and all sorts of extra label-tape. Then, I wondered if that'd be something I would use only for a week and then put away in a never-opened drawer. It also seemed a bit of overkill when I have tablets and computers which can all connect to our wireless laser printer.



So, this item seemed like a more suitable choice. I hate trying to use scissors for cutting along an imaginary line. Today's order won't come until after the weekend but making one gave me something to do.