Cancelling Social Media

Today, January 12, 2021, I canceled many of my social media accounts. 

 

I didn't like all the censorship instigated by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and decided I did not need these social media accounts. They sell my personal information to advertisers in exchange for algorithm-curated news, headlines, and photos. No, thanks!

• Twitter - deleted my account on January 12, 2021
• Instagram - deleted my account on January 12, 2021
• Facebook - (downloaded data in HTML) and then disabled account on January 12, 2021
• I am still debating whether to delete the whole account
• Google
• I am using DuckDuckGo for search and Yahoo for personal email 
• Amazon
• I am trying to purchase less from Whole Foods and Amazon and more from Costco B&H Photo.
• Apple
• I will try to purchase alternatives to Apple products whenever possible 

I am still actively using Strava (for recording my outdoor bike rides and hikes), Quora (for reading answers to exciting questions), and LinkedIn (for professional contacts).

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Hiking Sanborn County Park

On Saturday, January 9, 2021, on a beautiful but chilly winter day, Inna and I decided to hike the trails of the nearby Sanborn County Park in Saratoga, CA. We drove to the Costanoan Group Area parking lot and parked there.

As it was a cold winter's day, we selected a shorter version of our average hike (about 2 miles) that still provided cardiovascular benefits with the beautiful scenic overlooks.

While the uphill was tough for Inna, it wasn't long. The fresh air of the beautiful emerald-green forest made up for it.

We finished our short hike in less than an hour and headed to Los Gatos for fresh pastries at Fleur de Cocoa. It was an excellent start for Saturday morning!

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Review: Apple Airpods Pro

As a 2021 New Year's present, Inna surprised me with an Apple AirPods from Apple. She engraved them with "sea sloth" as a charming moniker. While they sounded clear, I realized she had overpaid for them, as Amazon was selling the Airpods Pro model for the same price.

 

We proceeded to return the original Airpods and replace them with Airpods Pro. Inna ordered Airpods Pro from Amazon (they were on a 20% off sale for $199), and I received them promptly. 

Until now, I have been using my Aukey Latitude Bluetooth earbuds (EP-B40-US) and have been satisfied with the sound quality, long battery life, and low price (around $25). For 8 times the price, the Apple AirPods Pro should be better. However, to my surprise, the sound quality of the Aukey was superior to Apple AirPods Pro! 

Switching devices (from iPhone to iPad) was easier with AirPods Pro, but that was the main advantage.

Apple AirPods Pro Scorecard

Highlights

• Pairing to iPhone and iPad is very easy
• Enabling and disabling noise reduction is accessible on the iPhone/iPad
• The charging case is very nice
• Switching between iPhone and iPad is very easy

Lowlights

• High price ($200 on sale)
• Muddling sound quality
• Fall out easily
• Noise reduction is very minimal

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Review: Apple Macbook Pro 13' M1

For New Year, I purchased a new Apple MacBook Pro 13' M1 512 GB SSD laptop for Inna - as her 2013 MacBook Pro was starting to misbehave (reboot often).

Initially, I was leaning toward the new MacBook Air 13' M1, but the MacBook Pro M1 512 GB SSD/8 GB RAM was offered on sale at Costco.com, and the difference between the two was minimal.

The MacBook Pro has the following advantages over MacBook Air M1:

• Longer battery life (20 hours!)
  
• fan to cool the processor (during heavy workloads)
• higher quality microphone and speakers
• only minimal increase in weight over Air
  

After using Apple migration to transfer files from Inna's old MacBook Pro, I updated to the latest version, Max OS X Big Sur. It works well, and Inna loves the touch ID (which unlocks the laptop with a fingerprint).

Since it's running Apple's M1 chip, many apps need to run under Rosetta, though many apps are being converted to natively support M1.

Apple Macbook Pro 13' M1 (512GB SSD) Review  

Positives

• Longer battery life (20 hours on one charge)!
• Very sharp and bright screen (500 nits)
• No fan noise
• Excellent performance
• The fingerprint sensor works excellently to unlock the computer (no need to type passwords)!

Negatives

• No way to upgrade RAM or SSD
• 8GB RAM may not be sufficient in the future
• Many programs built for x86 need to be recompiled for ARM architecture.

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Riding Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai Surfskate

I decided that he needed a surf skateboard to improve Alex's surfing technique - maneuvers such as cutbacks, bottom turns, and slashes.

Alex already owns a 43" Cardboard, but it's not as maneuverable as an actual surfboard. After researching, I found that a Florida company called Swelltech specializes in manufacturing surf skates that closely mimic surfing.

On October 21, 2020, I pre-ordered the Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai model.

The board was initially planned to be shipped on November 18, and I was looking forward to riding it. On November 23, I noticed the pre-order shipping date was delayed until November 28.

I finally received the board on December 5, 2020, and decided Alex might like it as his New Year's present.

Alex finally unpacked the surfboard on Friday, January 1, 2021. He found it very responsive but challenging to get a hang of. It's a high-speed and maneuverable board. It will take some skills to become competent in riding it.

February 12, 2021

Alex broke the spring on his board. I contacted SwiftTech, and they sent out 3 replacement springs.

February 16, 2021

I received the new springs from Swelltech, which were tricky to install. The following YouTube video helped a little:

The trick to replacing the spring was taking one of the wheels off first. This really helped.

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Welcoming 2021!

Ah, 2020 be gone! 

With COVID-19 changing our lives (mainly for the worse), we are happy to move into 2021! I look forward to a time when wearing masks is no longer required, when lines to Whole Foods are a distant memory, and when I can sip my Philharmonic coffee at Philz and enjoy my freshly baked croissants at Fleur de Cocoa.

Despite Covid-19 in 2020, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Highlights

• Health (I had no Ulcerative Colitis outbreaks), and both Inna and Alex stayed healthy.
  
• Jobs (both Inna and I adjusted to working from home. We don't miss the long commute!)
• College Visits (we could visit Southern California colleges before the COVID-19 lockdown), so Alex had a chance to visit UCLA, USC, UC San Diego, Cal Poly,  Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Santa Clara.
• Month-long work-cation at Laguna Beach to escape the horrible smoke from nearby fires, where we were able to surf daily and enjoy beach walks and freshly baked pastries :-) 
• Short weekend travel trips to Morro Bay and Pismo Beach to surf and enjoy the sunshine
• Surfing at Trestles and Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach
  
• Windsurfing at Sherman Island and Waddell Creek in late July, experiencing strong and consistent winds
• Mountain biking at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and John Nicholas trail
  
• Early admission acceptances to Santa Clara University and San Diego State University for Alex
  

 Lowlights

• Inability to meet or hang out with our friends face-to-face
• Massive restaurant closures and restrictions to dining indoors and outdoors. (Only take-out is available for those restaurants still in business.)
• Long queues and limited access to most businesses, including Whole Foods
• Inability to practice or play tennis at Sunnyvale Tennis Center (the ball machine is no longer accessible)
  
• Canceled April's trip to Four Seasons Resort at Punta Mita, Mexico
• Canceled September's Solosports windsurfing camp with Kevin Pritchard to San Carlos, Mexico
• No snowboarding at Mammoth or Lake Tahoe area ski resorts due to COVID-19 restrictions and limited snow precipitation

We made a lot of changes in 2020, including:

1. House Repairs
   
• Contracted James Snyder to repair my torn window nets, rotten wood, and exterior sliding doors with Milgard Patio doors
  
• Contracted Two Men & a Brush (Scoot Cooper) to repaint the house exterior
  
• Installed new Schlage front door deadbolt with Ring support
• Repaired my KitchenAid Dishwasher's Top Rack Adjuster 
• Replaced the Home Master's Water Filter and fixed the poor water pressure coming from the storage tank
  
2. Patio upgrades
   
• Purchased new 6-piece Barcalounge Patio Furniture
  
• Purchased Weber Genesis II S-345 Gas Grill and learned to grill steaks
• Bought a large outdoor umbrella from Outdoor Supply Hardware
  
3.  Family Room Upgrades
   
1. Installed LG CX77 OLED TV to replace my 12-year-old Samsung 58' Plasma TV
   
2. Installed Denon AVR-X3700H receiver to replace my ancient Onkyo PR-SC886 preamp
3. Purchased Ring (2nd gen) Security System with an indoor camera and video doorbell to replace the old and poorly-working ADT Security system
   
4. Service Changes
1. Switched from AT&T Mobile to Google Fi for all mobile phones (to lower overall cost)
   
2. Switched from ADT Security to Ring Security and installed Ring Video Doorbell 3 outside
   
3. Switched from Comcast Internet to another account
5. Gear Changes
1. Purchased a new Keiser M3i Exercise bike so that I could exercise indoors (since Gym access is no longer possible)
   
2. Used Silva Cycles to replace rear disk brakes and install new Maxxis Minion DHF (front)/DHRII (rear) tires on my Specialized FSR mountain bike (all tires had to be pre-ordered on Amazon as there was low availability)
3. Dropped off Alex's Ripcurl wetsuit at Ripcurl Santa Cruz for seam repair. It was shipped to Ripcurl headquarters in San Clemente and took 2 months to repair!
   
4. I used Midtown Surf Shop to repair Alex's Firewire Tomo V4 surfboard, which was damaged at Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach.
   
5. Purchased Apple Watch SE 44 mm Nike edition (to replace my dead Apple Watch Series 3 (which died after surfing at Laguna Beach)
6. Purchased a lightly used F-One Madeiro 8'5" SUP from Craigslist and sold it after realizing it was too small and unstable to paddle surf.
   
6. Vehicle Repairs
1. Replaced dead motorcycle battery in Yamaha WR-250F off-road motorcycle with a fresh Yuasa YTZ7S from GP Sports
2. Replaced dead auto battery in Lexus RX-350 with a new Costco Interstate MT-24F

We prepared the following gifts for New Year's presents under our Christmas tree.

For Inna:

• MacBook Pro 13' M1 512GB SSD (to replace her ancient 2013 MacBook Pro)
• Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday 
• 4-Tube Natural Latex Sit-up Bodybuilding Expander
• Winsterich Giant Sloth Stuffed Animal Toy, 27.5 inches 

 

For Alex:

• Surf Maps World Map Surf Accessory One Size Multi  
• Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai surf trainer 
• The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

For Boris: 

• Apple AirPods (exchanged for Apple AirPods Pro) (returned)
  
• Qi-compatible Wireless Charger (returned)
  
• Best Daddy Mug
• Shirt
  
• Apple MacBook Air 13’ M1 512GB SSD

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