Republicans Getting Bought →

A look at eight of the country’s largest providers, as well as five of the trade groups that signed a letter in January in favor of overturning the rules, show that in the last six years, they gave a total of at least $1,726,288 to those 22 senators — an average of more than half a million dollars per election cycle.

Idiots. We should probably harvest their internet browsing history and share it with their constituents. Idiots. It's our political system and if this isn't a form of corruption, I don't know what is.

via 9to5mac

Charge and Play Your Switch →

The takeaway from all of this is that while this is by no means an exhaustive test, what I’ve found is that any good power bank designed to power tablets will be sufficient to power the Switch. So long as a bank can deliver 5V @ 2A or better, then it can power Nintendo’s console.

It's amazing that the AC Adapter that comes with the Nintendo Switch is actually more powerful than the one that's included with Apple's 12" MacBooks. But, nonetheless, if you want to charge and play, Anandtech currently is recommending RAVPower's 26800 mAh Power Bank. I'm sure that Anker's PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C will also the trick, but then again, I'm a little partial to them since that's all I'm been privy to.

A 3D Printed Granny Flat →

Definitely could use one of these in the backyard! And for "only" $10k plus furnishings, definitely doable.

Zelda's Nintendo Switch →

As a “Zelda”-playing machine, the Switch works well. Nintendo is selling the latest chapter of its Hyrule saga, “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”, as a launch title alongside the system. With its gorgeous cel-shaded visuals that look like something out of a Studio Ghibli movie, the game is impressive. But at times, the Switch has trouble handling so many enemies and effects on the screen at once.

In terms of size and scope, “Breath of the Wild” dwarfs previous titles and makes the world of “Fallout 4” look like quaint region compared to the expansive continent of this reimagined Hyrule.

It's quite an expensive game at $299.99 + $59.99 but here's hoping for the a future pleathora of releases and continued "fun-factor!" Mario Kart 8 Deluxe up next on April 28, 2017 and much more!

Splatoon 2 & Super Mario Odyssey both tagged for December 29, 2017, which, I know is so far away, but Snipperclips is going to be downloadable on Friday!

And if you're with Amazon Prime, all those games I mentioned above are 20% off when you pre-order. Best Buy might price match but I know that Gamestop cannot.

BioLite's New CampStove 2

Taking my family camping last month was amazing. With another trip on the horizon, charging our iPhones and iPads ahave become essential. I carry Anker's PowerCore which has done beautifully for a day or two but today, with the ability to charge your portable devices and burn wood AND a larger lithium battery, Biolite presents you their new CampStove 2 = WIN WIN!

The award-winning BioLite CampStove's latest upgrade features 50% more power, an integrated battery, and an updated LED dashboard for improved control and feedback. Burning only wood, the CampStove 2's fan creates a smokeless fire that can cook meals and boil water in minutes while turning its heat into usable electricity. Compatible with the KettlePot and Portable Grill, cook up wood-fired meals and charge devices using only the sticks around you.

If you're all about minimalist get the things you carry, this is a new essential!

New York AG Sides with the Consumers Against Time Warner Cable

“When connecting wirelessly,” Schneiderman writes, “subscribers on the 300 Mbps plan typically received 15% of the promised speed; subscribers on the 200 Mbps plan received 20% of the promised speed; subscribers on the 100 Mbps plan received 39% of the promised speed; and subscribers on the 50 Mbps plan received 58% of the promised speed.”

To use the analogy of a public water main, Spectrum promised customers gallons of water and then knowingly leased them a faucet that was only able to produce drops at a time.

Now, I hope our new FCC Chairman does one better and goes after these telecom companies for the sake of all US Citizens. One can only hope.

The Right Continues to Misfire on Technological Advances

Ingraham is now the National Chairman of the organization that just launched the campaign against Musk and his companies.

They market themselves as being against “the entire culture of corporations making billions of dollars off of the American people for almost zero return to the consumer”, but they target very specific industries.

For example, they say they are against “Big Energy” in their manifesto, but in the section about ‘Big Energy’ they only attack the solar industry because they receive tax breaks. Does the solar industry really represent “Big Energy”? If your goal is really to attack energy subsidies, solar and renewable energy subsidies should be your last target considering their share of federal subsidies: Fossil Fuels.

Politics like this I cannot stand. Relentless idiocracy. Utterless stupidity. So what, we continue to run on gas? Idiots. // *frustrated.

New MacBook Pros Still Lack Elite Gaming Graphics

If you really want to do some gaming on your new MacBook Pro, there is one option available to you. The high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro (starting at £2,350) can be configured to use the Radeon Pro 460 for an additional £180. The Pro 460 will get you up to 1080p @ 60FPS in some games, with higher quality settings.

It's really unfortunate that NVidia couldn't get their new amazing mobile chipset out in time for the new MacBook Pros.

iPhone 7 Plus' Camera Kills the Competition →

Today the iPhone 7 Plus became way better at capturing the most important thing in our lives: the people we love. If you haven't already, be sure to download iOS 10.1 (Settings > General > Software Update) and give it a shot. You'll be capturing stunning portraits in no time.

Impressive and indeed, game-changing.

Banned! →

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), today announced it is issuing an emergency order to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices from air transportation in the United States. Individuals who own or possess a Samsung Galaxy Note7 device may not transport the device on their person, in carry-on baggage, or in checked baggage on flights to, from, or within the United States. This prohibition includes all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices. The phones also cannot be shipped as air cargo. The ban will be effective on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at noon ET.

It's serious. Don't mess around and even think about showing up to the airport with Samsung's Note 7! (Bold is my formatting)

"Unaffected" Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Still Catches Fire

Green said that he had powered down the phone as requested by the flight crew and put it in his pocket when it began smoking. He dropped it on the floor of the plane and a "thick grey-green angry smoke" was pouring out of the device. Green’s colleague went back onto the plane to retrieve some personal belongings and said that the phone had burned through the carpet and scorched the subfloor of the plane.

He said the phone was at around 80 percent of battery capacity when the incident occurred and that he only used a wireless charger since receiving the device.

Running the phone's IMEI (blurred for privacy reasons) through Samsung's recall eligibility checker returns a "Great News!" message saying that Green's Galaxy Note 7 is not affected by the recall.

I'd offload ANY and all Samsung stock as well as do as Mr. Green has; Buy an iPhone 7 or maybe try Google's new Pixel. Maybe there is a reason why Apple does not offer wireless charging or fast charging.

Don't Be an Idiot →

Apple (AAPL) tries to make that painful journey a wee bit easier by tossing in an adapter that plugs into the iPhone 7’s lightning port and lets you use your old earbuds and headphones. The problem for me? I accidentally threw it out with the paper packaging the adapter came with. Based on sheer principle, I refuse to fork over $9 for something I’ve taken for granted on every single iPhone I’ve owned since 2007. But now I have 4 pairs of “old school” EarPods lying around that are semi-obsolete.

How can you write and publish this post based on your own idocracy?

I also finally threw down $150 for a pair of wireless PowerBeats 2 headphones on sale for running. Do I regret the purchase? Not really. The PowerBeats 2 are incredibly comfortable to wear, and the audio quality is good enough for my day-to-day needs. It’s also liberating to run cord-free. But I wish the 5-hour battery life were twice that, and I seriously dread the day they go missing, simply because they’ve fallen off my shoulder.

This is Apple's point although I recommend you should have waited for the PowerBeats 3 debuting shortly with longer batter life.

Horween Leather for Your Brand New iPhone 7 / 7 Plus →

If you haven't already gotten the e-mail or checked it out, Nomad (one of my favorite anything Apple accessories purveyor) just announced an update to their Horween Leather Case. Now available for pre-order and shipping on October 31, it's by far one of the most beautiful and handcrafted cases I've been privy to own, and to tell you the truth, I'm probably on the train for this one too! =) Get yours for $39.95 for the iPhone 7 or $44.95 for the iPhone 7 Plus.

sidenote: one differentiator I can see consumers having is that the new Apple iPhone 7 Leather Case showcases "machined aluminum buttons that match the finish of your iPhone case." If you want to pay for it, Apple's variation on the leather case will cost you exactly $5 more than Nomad's offerings but it's not Horween, it's "European" but I say, to each his own.

Horween Leather offers an unparalleled blend of quality, consistency, responsiveness, and innovation. Through the years, we have cultivated our experience to offer dynamic lines of leathers. Our products include traditional, old world tannages and techniques, carefully updated with modern applications. Today, our leathers are still made by hand, the same way as generations ago.

Beautiful!