Great Sleuthing by Ars Tehcnica on the Artificial Note 3 Benchmarks

Once again, Samsung inflates their numbers by artificial boosting their devices and going so far to as trick the applications running the tests to max itself out. Caught in the act again.

Above is a picture of Geekbench and of Stealthbench, which is identical to Geekbench in every way except for a different package name. With Geekbench, System Monitor shows the CPU is locked into 2.3 GHz mode and all cores are active, but in Stealthbench, the CPU is allowed to idle, shut off cores, and switch power modes, the same way it does in any other app. We have successfully disabled the special benchmark mode.

"Geekbench" is a popular benchmarking app, so the Note is programmed to give it special treatment. It has never heard of "Stealthbench," though, so despite being the exact same app, it does not get the special benchmark boost. The Note will run this benchmark like 99.99999 percent of the other apps on the device. The next step then, is to run the two benchmarks and compare the CPU's benchmark mode with non-benchmark mode.

The file we ended up with is called "DVFSHelper.java," and it contains a hard-coded list of every package that is affected by the special CPU boosting mode. According to this file, the function is used exclusively for benchmarks, and it seems to cover all the popular ones. There's Geekbench, Quadrant, Antutu, Linpack, GFXBench, and even some of Samsung's own benchmarks. The two functions applied to this list seem to be "PACKAGES_FOR_BOOST_ALL_ADJUSTMENT," which is no doubt the CPU booster, and "PACKAGES_FOR_LCD_FRAME_RATE_ADJUSTMENT," which makes it sound like the phone is also altering the display frame rate.

via Ars Technica

Samsung's Galaxy Gear

Save $300 dollars and read the review.

As it stands today, though — unintuitive, oversized, overpriced, and in constant need of a Galaxy guardian — the Galaxy Gear might have been better off staying on the drawing board.

via The Verge

Why Rent a Router?

Okay, there are a couple of reasons and excuses that people come up with renting a router from a cable company, but after a year, you'd be paying for a reasonably great router that you could have owned.  You might be able to return it whenever it goes bad but that's a rarity.  In fact, I still have one of the original 802.11b routers from 2000 that I used alongside my Ti PowerBook G4 Gigabit Ethernet. So back to the topic at hand.  Once again, I'd have to recommend Apple's Airport Express for those that want something easy and sweet.  The setup is a dream, the wireless printing options and AirPlay option make it an easy go to for those invest within the Apple ecosystem.  If you feel like stepping it up a bit more for Time Capsule / backup capability, the Airport Extreme is another good best.  Just my two cents.

If you're the type to nerd out, install DD-WRT or other choice firmwares and tweak the router out to its max performance, the world is your oyster.  The Wirecutter recommends the ASUS RT-66u but it currently on a hold due to the onslaught of 802.11ac routers flooding the market.  The price will eventually come down too so hold up a bit if you're looking to pull the trigger.

I ended up Kickstarting one bad ass router and can't wait to get my hands on it.  It's called the Almond+ 802.11ac by Securifi who also hold the #1 spot on Amazon for their Almond.

The Whole Package

Impressive.

Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market.

via WSJ: All Things Digital

The iPhone 5S is, in some measures, computationally superior to the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro from just five years ago. In your fucking pocket.

via John Gruber's Daring Fireball

Anand on Apple's iPhone 5s

Just my two cents, don't buy the iPhone 5c.

As much as it pains me to use the word futureproof, if you are one of those people who likes to hold onto their device for a while - the 5s is as good a starting point as any.

via Anandtech

And then via Twitter:

I just spent the past week doing the best I can to understand Apple's A7 SoC. In short? It's insanely fast. http://t.co/AgWzGv1ljr

An Awesome Belt by Gustin

I remember Gustin from their Kickstarter days and boy have they taken off! Who would have thought crowd-sourced / funded clothing would be this awesome?! And to have it delivered to you wholesale??? I'm at a loss. With an emphasis on fit, fabric and finish... I can't stop admiring such a great company. They have yet another 'Classic Belt' round up for funding. Ever wonder how belt was crafted? If you need a belt, want a new one or want to simply own something of magnificence, support this bad ass accessory! If you're in doubts about buying this amazing classic belt from Gustin, check out the video below!

Only if the artist who handcrafted my belt could sign it. Hmmm.... guys?

I'm not going to mass email you guys but check out the referral email below! Get $20 off your first order. Hey!

Have you checked out Gustin yet? They are the first fully crowdsourced premium menswear company. That means you get to decide what they produce and get it all at true wholesale prices!

If you create an account using my referral link you get $20 off your first purchase!

https://www.weargustin.com/invite_from/1356

Thanks!

I already own two of their amazing pairs of jeans. I'll be slowly replacing all my other pairs shortly. Maybe a road trip in the books!

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Version 2

Looks like Amazon's own leak led to the early unveiling of the next generation Paperwhite.  Being dubbed as version 2, Amazon's best e-reader & in my opinion, the best way to consume ebooks is out for preorder today!  Click on the picture or use my link below to get yours shipped on or by September 30th! Here's the quick run down:

• higher contrast
• next generation built-in light
• 25% faster processor
• 19% tighter touch grid enhancing accuracy

Is it worth the upgrade?  I'll be honest that these features alone won't cause me to sell my version 1 on craigslist just yet but if the light is indeed that much better, you can count on it!

Amazon Paperwhite (next gen)

Watermarking

I haven't solved my post processing / editing workflow problem yet and keep on delaying.  I've come up with reasons such as, I don't have my new MacBook Pro Retina Display w/ Haswell yet or I don't have my new iMac setup or my home cloud server isn't setup the way I want it, but nonetheless, I'm falling way behind.  Yesterday when I posted a couple of images, I thought about watermarking.  I know that you can use either Adobe's Lightroom or Apple's Aperture photo editing software, but because I don't have a computer to install these applications on (another excuse), I was left to find something minimal.  And I'm glad that I did. I stumbled up Photobulk by Eltima Software.  They are having a 20% off sale right now on the Mac App Store or you can download a free demo from their website.  Takes seconds and the results were as expected.  The biggest draw to me was that it was drag and drop.  You can even set multiple presets and bulk edit your pictures.  At the sale price of $7.99, it's a no brainer.  And no, I was not paid to post this article.

http://youtu.be/uZnZnyo8qbg

The Medium Espro Press

My post yesterday "Save Money, Save the Environment, Pour Your Own Coffee", received a few comments on facebook from friends telling me that their choice of brew method is the french press. Coincidently, my Kickstarter Edition Medium Espro Press was dropped off yesterday afternoon and I couldn't have been more excited about this beautiful piece of hardware!  I was so excited that I actually took the time to record a video. http://youtu.be/1Enff99VJLM

Without a doubt, the Espro Press produced the cleanest cup of french pressed coffee I've ever had. Paired with my bag of Tonx, my mornings just got upgraded.  I cleaned and detailed my Bodum Chambord Coffee Press, then while placing it up high in the cabinet, my wife asked me,"Are you retiring that one now?"  I gave her a slight nod along with a huge sinister-like grin.

I've also included the Kickstarter video below.

Shot using my Olympus OM-D E-M5 paired with the Panasonic Lumix G Leica 25mm 1.4 mounted on my Joby GorillaPod.

Fine Coffee Cheaper than Beer or Soda

LATaco's interview with Tony Konecny from Tonx.org. I've now had one month worth of Tonx coffee and am a huge supporter and big fan! Try it for free if you don't believe me! http://instagram.com/p/XnBW0pFEgz/

I’d say the biggest misconception about coffee is that it’s expensive. It can feel expensive when you’re standing in a slow line in front of some prohibition-era cosplaying barista and shelling out 5 bucks for a cup – but even with that kind of a price premium, it is still almost a bargain.

For comparison, a pint of craft microbrew at a typical bar will set you back more than a great cappuccino or brewed coffee, even though the margins on that beer are much better and it requires less skill to pull a tap than to pull a decent espresso. But craft beer doesn’t suffer from quite the same perception of being an upscale, pricey luxury and it dodged a lot of unnecessary pretense as it became more mainstream.

When you make your own coffee at home, even the finest coffees become pretty cheap. We are buying and roasting some of the finest coffees available and our per-cup cost for our customers is barely 80 cents a pop. Much cheaper than most sodas, red bull, gas station coffee – and a hell of a lot cheaper than those popular k-cups and nespresso pods.

And we spend a lot of time fighting the misconception that you have to be a trained barista with expensive gear to make a good cup. Not remotely true. It is all about starting with really great, fresh roasted beans.

The Summer Ant Problem

On Monday, I made a trip to H-Mart in search for some Cronuts.  When I arrived, they had sold out and apparently are selling out within an hour of baking.  So instead, I bought a large assortment of pastries from Paris Baguette Cafe and looked forward to a delightful tasting with my wife when she got home from work.  After I put our daughter to bed, I came back downstairs to see that the ants already started the party.  To date, the ants have infested our family room dining table treats and are up 2-0.  I was livid and our for revenge!  The kicker is that I didn't even sample anything from the box as I anticipated a fun dinner. I looked up "ant killer" on Amazon and found Terro.  With just under 600 reviews and 4.5 stars on average, I was ready to buy but I needed something now.  We are subscribers to Amazon Prime, and love it, but it's was still two days away.  I went to the local grocery store and bought some Raid Ant traps.  The reviews on Amazon are sub par and in actuality pretty poor.  I was on a full on war so I ended up buying both.

The Raid solution cost me $8 while the Terro came in under $7.  I ordered the Terro on Amazon on Tuesday and it came next day!!!  Unbelievable service and I am truly impressed more and more by Amazon.  If I would have known, I might have forgone the extra money I spend on the useless Raid trap.

Within seconds, and I mean maybe 10 seconds, the ants were all over the Terro package.  The response was tremendous!  Continually throughout the day, it kept on attracting everybody while the Raid was the lonely child left in the cafeteria.  I'm giving it 5 stars!  Solid five stars!

An E-Reader That I Use

I get a lot of questions on what tablet I use / prefer (iPad Mini) and if I still carry an e-reader when I travel.  I do and I'll tell you why. To put it simply, my daughter has taken over my Mini.  Some other quick thoughts are that the Kindle Paperwhite is lighter than the Mini 95 grams, the front light is amazing, the resolution is crisp, and lets not forget about the amazing ecosystem than Amazon has established.

I've never enjoyed reading on the iPad unless it's a news article or a magazine through Flipboard.  I also end up getting distracted by all the applications that are on the iOS ecosystem.  When I want to read a book and dive into it, I'm still in enamored by my Kindle.  In fact, my wife prefers it too!

A Tumbler to Rule Them All

If you travel as much as I do, or find yourself commuting for long periods of time, hang on to your Contigo Travel Mug!  As long as you don't forget yours in the plane, you'll be happy with the Contigo 20oz Travel Mug a.k.a. Best Coffee Tumbler EVER.  It's a pure winner.  It's 100% leak proof and the kicker stats are that the vacuum insulated double wall stainless steel keeps beverages hot for 6 hours and cold for 18 hours! It kept my coffee scalding hot for so long that I had to keep the lid open for over 30 minutes just so I could sip the darn thing!  I highly recommend the 20oz version as it can hold a full can of soda with ice or a vent coffee.  If you're wondering how it tests for cold beverages, I've tested it through and through and was able to reuse the ice for multiple can refills of Mug Root Beer for a couple of hours as it seemed to never melt.

contigo20oz.jpg

Ideally, it's a tremendous coffee cup or coffee tumbler.  Just hit up your local drip and filler up!  In case you're wondering, I'm referring to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters!

Update: In 2013, I went through two Contigo Coffee Tumblers and one Zojirushi.  I left them all in airplanes and have only gotten one back to yet leave it in another aircraft.  I just bought another one today, February 1, 2014 and chose to go with Contigo as I wanted to actually be able to drink out of the tumbler within the first hour. The Zojirushi on the other hand, keeps your beverage scalding hot for over 2 hours so it's best for transporting and only enjoying a poured cup of coffee only in my opinion.