Friendly reminder that comments are welcome, but please don't link to other sites in your text unless it's to your personal (social network) page or relevant to the post. Thank you!
Showing posts with label streaming devices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label streaming devices. Show all posts

Friday, August 7, 2026

Various types of uploads

I've got a few different places to be in this post, so stick with me.

All of this has happened in the span of 5 days, give or take.

1. A Halloween related decoration I found at a random store
2. A big old gecko on a tree that I saw while waiting for the air conditioning company to come service the house
3. A random thunderstorm we had.
4. Another gecko I saw while walking to my house after checking the mail.
5. An audio book I took out from the library because the synopsis looked interesting.
6. Cool Super Hero decals at the library

Alright; so in order of things I'd like to accomplish:

One - 
At this point, I don't remember what store I was in, however, I saw a random Pennywise related Halloween decoration. As all stores are gearing up for Spooky Season, this particular store was filled with the scary items. 

I wish I got the full name and price of the piece, because it's hard to find online, unless you're checking after market websites (Mercari, Poshmark, etc). The tag I did take a photo of, says this little statue is by "Authentique Spooky Night" and is an "LED Lighted Decor". Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the bottom, which has the on/off switch and more information. Plus, one of the eyes is a bit broken (burnt out?).








It's rather Shakespearean level creepy and really cool at the same time. I wish both eyes could light up and that I got more information from it. Being a fan of the original "IT", this is a new concept for marketing. I'm sure it's not supposed to be Stephen King related but someone made damn sure that people would automatically recognize the red hair and jester outfit. 

Searching online for it, again, it's third party websites. They're naming it things like ""Halloween LED Skeleton", "Creepy IT Skeleton Clown", "New Spooky Night IT Pennywise Skeleton Bust LED Light-Up Halloween Decor"; you get the idea. Amazon doesn't have anything remotely close. I tried "pennywise clown skeleton bust pedestal" and got various clowns that weren't Pennywise, but when they were, it was the Bill Skarsgård version. I tried "creepy it skeleton clown" and came back with nothing related to the movie.. at all.

It's literally a dead end for the A to Z seller unless you want to go after market somewhere else. Buyer beware because they're all different prices have different shipping costs. If I could remember where I saw this, I'd honestly say "or go to the store and see if they have it". 

Two - the gecko that kept me company while waiting for the AC technician:

This was one of those situations where I needed to be outside in the driveway waiting because every time we get "an outsider" (aka a service technician or a delivery), the person always missing the apartment. We end up watching them drive to the other end of the street before they turn around and drive to our direction. It's an easy oops but first instinct says they take a right instead of a left. 

It was at least 95° out and I wasn't feeling like standing completely in the sun, so I waited closer to the door. It was shady enough, where I felt I could keep an eye out for the van and stay somewhat cool at the same time. 






I also uploaded a video because he looked like he was doing pushups at one point:





It seems like the geckos are getting bigger and bigger these days. Every time we look outside, there's a monster of a lizard hanging out on the bricks. The plop plops are going to have a run for their food source at some point, if these smaller ones get any bigger. 

Three - we had a random thunderstorm.

Welcome to summer in Florida! 

Now that we're having more steady rain, we're kind of back on schedule for our daily (afternoon) flooding.

The downside to all of this, besides the fact the water comes so fast and furious with no where to go, is that it leaves just as soon as it arrives. The temperature drops for the duration of the wet, but once it's over, it gets back to being hot and humid and most of the quickly made ponds dry back up.











The only difference between my street and backyard flooding and the main roads gaining too much water, is, the main roads can't dry up as quick as my community. Therefore, the water stays for too long and makes traveling a little difficult in some areas. 

Trust me; I've gotten stuck on some of the main roads when there's been too much water around and larger cars (aka pickups) speed past you and create tidal waves on to your car. It's scary and not necessary - the way the people speed through the streets, especially during heavy storms. You don't know what you could run over and how you're going to effect the person in the lane next to you. Everyone is in a rush and no one wants to take their time through this. It's like being stuck in a snow storm; ice and sleet can bring the same amount of trouble.

Ask me how I know. Haha. 

Four - Ants go marching one by one while a gecko hangs out on the gutter.

I happened to go get the mail today and looked at a neighbor's front driveway. As we have brightly neutral colored houses, any dark shadow will stick out. 

I saw another big gecko on the drain pipe and felt the need to explore. 

Sorry if you thought I was looking in your house, dear neighbor. I wasn't snooping; I was visiting your visitor. 









This is another decent sized gecko, and he happened to have ants crawling around him. Unless the insects were his traveling companions of the eating kind, I've never seen the two together before. It was interesting.

The not so interesting part was when he fanned his chin out. According to Google, it's called a "dewlap" and it's only done by males because they're trying to impress females. Either it was hitting on me or there was a girl lizard hiding somewhere. 😂

I've seen the fan before, not just in Jurassic Park (like we're all used to), but I've seen it in the geckos too. If you stand still enough and let them do their thing, they do pop the chin thing out in hope that a friend will come visit. It's the oddest thing to see but also pretty neat. #Natureyo

Five - I went to the library and took out a 26 disc audiobook.

I happened to be perusing the audiobook on CD section of my local library and saw something new. 

They had a 2016 biography on Paul McCartney, titled "Paul McCartney: The Life" by Phillip Norman.






This is an "official" Macca biography, according to the synopsis:

"Since the age of 21, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock 'n' roll lives, played out on the most public of stages. Now Paul's story is told by rock music's foremost biographer, with McCartney's consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before.

Paul McCartney: The Life reveals the complex character behind the façade and sheds new light on his childhood - blighted by his mother's death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul's often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles' breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings - which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail.

Listeners will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, Paul McCartney: The Life will be the definitive biography of a musical legend.

©2016 Philip Norman (P)2016 W.F. Howes"

Which, if you've read my past posts about a rabbit hole conspiracy called "Paul Is Dead", this book will be totally different and perhaps not all correct, seeing how 'Faul' has his own story out. 

There is a 2009 biography from Thomas E. Uharriet titled "The Memoirs of Billy Shears: The Nine After 9-09 Edition", which my friend Tay had given me a copy of. The Billy Shears version is allegedly the real story behind the tin foil hat speculation of how James Paul really "vanished" and William Shepherd / Billy Shears came to be. 

The synopsis of the Billy Shears edition (via Amazon) states:
"In 1969, a rumor erupted that Paul McCartney, “the cute Beatle”, had been replaced. Generations later, we see that the Beatles spent hundreds of hours making “Paul is Dead” clues but were required to deny it. What if “Billy Shears” really had replaced Paul and still plays that role today? How would he explain taking over the band?

The memoirs, from Billy Shears’ perspective, reveals his conflict with John but also his delight in working with “Fifth Beatle” George Martin. With a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and a global agenda, their work transformed the planet, leading us through a psychedelic revolution that changed how we see ourselves.

In July 2018 (28 months after George Martin passed away), his eldest son, Gregory Paul Martin, received an advance copy of the Nine After 9-09 Edition of the Memoirs of Billy Shears. He had known the Beatles’ original Paul since 1962 and still has dealings with “Sir Paul” today. Gregory generously found time in his overbooked schedule for this performance.

To record this significant book, he thought it fitting to use the original recording equipment that his father, George Martin, had used with the Beatles. Sitting at that same historic equipment to record the memoirs, Gregory sometimes felt that he, too, had become Paul. It felt uncanny.

Special thanks to sound engineers: William Shinker (British Grove Studios), Andy Cook (Red Planet Records), and Clint Ramon Harrigan (Ranch Trailing Post-Production).

The Memoirs of Billy Shears: Nine After 9-09 Edition is also available in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book. Printed versions have footnotes, word-stacking, and the world’s longest acrostic. In the US, get the hardcover from www.BillyShears.com. Elsewhere, find the paperback via Amazon. Whatever you believe about Paul, let this performance take you on the Beatles fantasy of a lifetime. It is your ultimate magical mystery. With this view of the Beatles’ inner-workings, you, and their songs, may never be the same."

I'm looking forward to listening to the Phillip Norman version, to see how it parallels the Thomas E. Uharriet copy. Makes me wonder what may be different and if there are any similarities. I know I have spoken of length about the PID theory and when Tay was telling me his opinions on it, the things I learned do make sense to what I originally remember from when I first stumbled on it, decades ago. 

I know this is going to take some time to get through since it's 26 discs, running a total of 30.5 hours. The way I've been listening to things lately, I'm glad it's not due back until September.

Last but not least, six: I found some super heroes in the young adult section of the library!

Yes, I go into the young adult section because I occasionally pick up a Disney movie or one of the comic book movies. Strangely, Marvel and DC are put in the kids section rather than the adult section. 

Plus, I pick up random educational coloring pages for my cousins' kids (Hi Brady, Levi, Stevie, Marla, Lana and Daisy).






I couldn't find the exact Iron Man decal, but I linked to some variations below. The same goes for the Batman decal. However, I think I found the Captain America one, or close to it. 

I know a few people who would love the Iron Man and Captain America on their wall (Hi Cat), while I wouldn't necessarily use this specific Batman, I used to work with someone who would 100% want it in his office and at his house (Hi Travis, if you're still reading these pages). 

It is pretty rad to see the comic icons up and around; it gets the kids asking questions and reading something new, yet old. It is a good win for everyone. 

I think that's about it for now with the rest of the updates. Maybe I will have more over the weekend, but until I can sort some more things out and not put everything in one section, I should wrap this up. 

Go on and listen to something new and read something wild. Take in a nature show and don't bother the animals if they're busy with whatever life has them doing. 


Cheers;






See Also
Posted by @ No comments:
It shall be labeled: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, July 18, 2026

Subscription based podcasts

It's been long enough in listening to the  "Into The Fray" podcast by Shannon LeGro, that the advertisements in the podcast bombarded me in the first episode I got back in to.

All I can say is, "Wow". 

Within the first 5 minutes, the conversation got interrupted and there was about 90 seconds worth of random commercials. There's already been a few more advertisements in this episode and I'm only 45 minutes into the hour and 50 minute airing. 

The last episode I listened to, was long enough ago, that I've got to listen to over 200 installments. I went from listening every week to being squirreled by other people's audio; so three years later, I've got a lot to catch up on. 

Which actually means half of what is in the list, I can automatically marked as played, because they're for "subscribers only". 

There are people who pay to listen to the show with no advertisements, no interruptions, receive extra features, better information, and so forth. The Patreon fee is $3 a month for the basic level and goes up to $50 a month for true inclusivity - this is a small club; only 5 people belong, according to the Patreon page. All levels have option to "pay annually" and "save 10%". 

Conversely, via Apple, the "premium" subscription is $4.99 a month or $59.99 a year. I think the difference is between the two services, outside of the "Listen Ad-free / Get Bonus Episodes / Listen First" option, is just that - you only get bonus episodes and no ads in Apple. Patreon adds merch, the ability to enter the closed off Facebook page, Youtube videos, exclusives no one else can get. Spotify on the other hand, based on just looking at the page, doesn't have an option to support? I could be wrong.

I like the show, but I can't afford the membership fee right now. On any platform. Therefore, in the Apple Podcast player, I'm sending the locked episodes to the vault. 

This "significantly" cut down the episodes I need to listen to. Sure, I'm missing bonus content and 5-10 minutes more of the show, but some of the subscription episodes are aired with commercials, so it's not a big problem... except when a sentence is cut in half and some ad for another app chimes in. It's jarringly weird because then you forget what the person was talking about and hope you didn't miss anything else from what they were saying.

Happened to me with this episode I'm listening to; Shannon asked a question and the guest started answering. He was mid word and all of a sudden I got blasted with some advertisement. It was loud because it was just spliced in but whatever AI Apple uses. When the show came back on, it sounded like I missed something. I can't tell because I'm not a paying member. 

I guess my point is, since I've noticed this is becoming common practice with other podcasts, "buyer beware" that you might get service interruptions in your audio when you least expect it. 

It's not new because we're getting them on our television shows and video streaming services already. But now when you want to cut off the world for a little while and listen to an audio program that isn't on the radio, you're going to have to contend with timed sales pitches.

If you're into the supernatural, go check out "iNTO THE FRAY" because it's pretty interesting, if you ignore the advertisements. Shannon LeGro does a good job on this and it's worth listening to. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to. I won't judge.

Until something happens in the universe shift, be safe and well.


Cheers;



See Also
Posted by @ No comments:
It shall be labeled: , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Happy July 4th | Gotta take off ad blocker to watch music videos?

Quick post in between rain storms to say "Happy 4th of July" to those celebrating "the birth of the USA". I know I have readers around the world, so there should be some clarification (which I know is silly of me). 

As my neighbors have their flags out, I went over to one of them and took a couple pictures with my iPhone 17. Edited for content with Photoshop, and I know I need to practice my color correction more). 






It's starting to get a little windy out, so like I said, we're in between storms at the moment, which is why the flag is moving the way it is.

Locally, there are fireworks scheduled tonight, however, like a lot of places in the United States, we're under a ban burn. Therefore, what's going to pop off later, will be highly watched so no fire is unintentionally started.  

Which is kind of crazy since we've been having sporadic rain bursts the last 72 hours. It hasn't been enough to keep the ground saturated since it's been so hot, but the flooding in some of the streets say otherwise. It's a part of life down here - the random deluge of water and the way it quickly floods certain areas and then stops just as fast as it started. 

Hopefully the pyrotechnics tonight won't be cancelled due to storms, but you never know. It's kind of heavily overcast right now and I know my friends up north are bummed their cities aren't doing anything. 

The news today has been showing all the celebratory stuff across the country as well. From coast to coast, news anchors are interviewing locals and reminding viewers of national monuments and treasures. As this is the 250th birthday of the country, it is a special time in people's lives. It also is coinciding with the World Cup, being played in North America, so all the soccer football fans are getting a special treat. 

There's a moth sitting outside my window that is hanging out on the screen and it's squirreling me. It's been there all day and I don't know what it wants. It can't come in; "there's nothing for you, here!". 








Go. Away. 

Speaking of going away, I had to disable my adblocker on Chrome because YouTube finally caught up with me: I was having ads not play while watching random videos. 

I got a message two days ago, saying "Ad Blocker violates YouTube's Terms of Service". 





Whomp. whomp. 

Message received... I had to turn it off, unless I risk being banned from YouTube and other Google Services. 

I never thought twice about the ads, since I've gotten used to seeing them on other devices (televisions for example). When I got this on my laptop, a quick search said this type of message has been around for a few years already and it's a catch-all for various revenue streams and other incidentals.

I'm not going to get into the politics of it, but now that I read up on it, I'm surprised it took this long to get that message, truth be told. 

I'll have to be fine with it, if I expect to keep my accounts "in good standing". The expectation (in my head) is, if I'm still going to blog here, have a Google email address, utilize Chats and upload occasional videos to share, I need to comply with the ToS thing and turn off the adblocker. I'm sure it's a scare tactic as there are comments floating around the internet pointing in various directions, but I'm not going to take the chance. I also don't want to pay for premium, but if that's your jam, I'm not going to hate you for it. It's not for me; I don't watch YouTube often enough to warrant an extra subscription service. 

So there you have it. Two days of shenanigans wrapped up in a small post. 

Or would be small post if I didn't include photos. 

Whatever the case, if you're celebrating today and tonight, I hope you're safe and stay hydrated. If you're celebrating with the States from another country, woohoo! Party across the continents! If you're staying low and chill, not doing anything, I don't blame you one bit.  I remember a couple years running, Tay and I would have an email going back and forth on this day, and it would be entitled "Are you [expletive] the fourth just like me?". Meaning, it was a regular day and we just chilled; didn't do much, didn't go out. It was business as usual and the usual business was protesting something. somewhere. Even if it was just in our heads. 

Tay, if you're reading this, "Eff the Fourth. Email me; I would like to talk to you since you've taken too long of a powder".

For now, I hope everyone remains calm, cool, hydrated and fantastic. Until something else happens and I post something new. Take care of yourselves and your friends.


Cheers;







See also (links via Amazon):
* "There's nothing for you, here!" comes from Edward Tatsyrup, a character from "The League of Gentlemen", a BBC dark comedy. Watch how you order on Amazon; some are PAL discs while most are coming from third party vendors. 
Posted by @ No comments:
It shall be labeled: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
From: Fort Myers, FL, USA

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

The decision has been confirmed (tech talk)

 I decided to two things: 

One: Go ahead and try the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter again.
Two: Attempt to purchase a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter dongle. 

Both purchases were done through Target instead of Amazon because I happened to be in the Bullseye store for something completely different, on completely separate days.

Conversation about the first purchase...

In store, the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter was ninety-nine cents more than what is currently listed on the A to Z retailer. Target had the adapter for $19.99, where Amazon has it as $19; before tax and potential shipping (if you're ordering online and there's a delivery fee). These prices could change, due to business needs; so don't quote me for a correction in six months. 

While in the store, I did ask the electronics employee if I could open the box and try it out. I wasn't about to go home, have it not work, and then drive back to return the device. Unfortunately, she stated I would have to buy it first, as store policy states that customers can't arbitrarily open boxes to test things or check out what is actually in the box. It is a profit and loss situation; leads to potential thievery, etc. However, if I were to purchase the adapter, stand at the desk with her, try it out, I can immediately return it and get my money back; no re-shelving fee included if it didn't work. 

I thought about it for a minute because it did seem wasteful but it made sense because it was saving me from running back and it was also saving them from having to explain to leadership what was going on. Therefore, I purchased the adapter. I was smart enough to bring a thumb drive with me in the event this were to happen. 

After struggling with the USB end of the adapter for a few minutes, my phone saw the drive. It was the weirdest thing because the Lightning version I had was so much easier - there wasn't any stiffness to the port like this one had. I was worried that it wasn't going to work, as the thumb drive wasn't immediately recognized by my phone. It turns out, I didn't push the drive in far enough into the adapter, so there was no connection between the two pieces. Which is why there was a stiffness - it was as if the USB end of the adapter is made a hair smaller on the inside, making it tough to push the drive all the way in. It does feel like it's connected when you first put it together, but when the phone didn't immediately recognize the drive, something was faulty.

This very well could have been my issue from the original one I purchased a few months ago on Amazon - I didn't get the two things to talk to each other because they weren't fully connected. 

Once I saw my thumb drive and was able to move some files around via the Files app, I immensely thanked the employee for her patience and helping me out, because she too, was in awe of why it originally wasn't working. She had started looking online for answers as I stood there trying to figure out what my next move was, while wiggling everything to make sure there wasn't any short. 

It still works now, and I have actually gone back to Target and bought a second adapter, to keep in another back because I did in fact need it another day and didn't have the first one. 

Win for the first piece of tech!

Now on to the conversation about the second purchase...

This post is not brought to you by Target, but it sure feels like it. 

I was in Target this week for some browsing in various departments and walked through electronics, yet again, just to see what was on clearance. I was actually making my way to the music section because I like trolling through the vinyl.

I started in the headphone section, which is the first part of the department from where I was in the store. Looking at the sales, they've shockingly got Shokz Open Run headphones in Lavender on clearance (No pun intended). The retail price for the headband type is $129.99 and the clearance tag read $64.99.

I'm attaching a picture because when I saw it, I was surprised it was already at a fifty percent discount. I don't know why, and I also can't find the lavender one on Amazon for the initial price tag because it may be a Target exclusive. Scratch that: a quick search says it's potentially a seasonal color, which possibly explains the price reduction and Amazon doesn't have it in stock at the moment.
 





Side quest: My mom took the photo to show to her brother because he had purchased a pair back in January and if his Target had the same deal, he could go and buy another one for himself or for his kids. My uncle wanted me to have a pair because "it's a game changer".  

After many a text back and forth, I had to keep insisting I wasn't interested in it, even for that low price. It does me no good because I still need to stop the audio to speak / listen to someone in front of me. If all I'm doing is making phone calls, I have other headsets that can do the same, for as much the may make me sound like "Mumbles Menino" (IYKYK 😅😆). If it's for safety reasons, it still does me no good due to my hearing challenges anyway. I'm going to have a hard enough time focusing on things if I have to struggle to listen in my one good ear. I'm not out playing in traffic when I'm using the headphones; I'm usually in the gym. When we go travel to Sarasota or if I ever get to go on a plane again, these open ear headphones won't help me since I'll still be able to hear my surroundings. It'll bleed into what I'm listening to and be a major distraction, defeating the purpose of what I'm personally listening to. 

As it is, when the fire alarms (or other big blaring alarms) go off, I need to immediately put my over the ear headphones on and either figure out how to shut the alarm off, or wait until someone else can do it. I can't deal with the noise; it hurts my head, the shrill. Same goes when my mother tries to open her rusting ironing board. The way the pieces rub together, they need to be oiled; it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. If I were to put on these bone conducting headphones, I'm still going to hear the sound that bothers me. I need the full wrapped ear phones in order to block the noise. 

No one understands that and it's not worth the continual conversation. 

As everyone is different, this is my issue, not yours or anyone else's. If you want to invest in safety and precautions and be part of the "in crowd", definitely look into the Shokz bone conducting headphones. My uncle and other people rave about them, and even when my mother tested them in the store, she was completely aghast and amazed due to the high quality of the sounds protruding out of the little speakers. She was ready to buy a few of them, but she doesn't use headphones herself, and I had to cause a small scene in the store to get her to not buy me a pair. 

On to what I really did...

I ended up buying a JLab USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter Dongle, so I can plug my regular headphones in when I need them. 

For $4.99 in Target, they're two cents less than Amazon ($4.97). It's a good deal because Jlab is a big enough brand name, that I trust them. I've got a pair of the Jbuds Air Sport (can also be called Go Sport, it seems) headphones as well as the Jbuddies over the ear headphones. Both have worked great, however, the sports are now at the "they're aging" point: they're losing their charge after 90 minutes. They will charge up to 90% but then once I start using them, the power degrades and by the 120 minute mark, they're down to 20%, sometimes a little less. I've had them for about 6 years or so, so I've definitely got a great worth out of them. I've yet to upgrade to a different Bluetooth in ear set because sometimes if I leave them in for long periods of time, I've got ear / hearing issues that last a day or so. Which is why the over the ear cans work out better for me. 

With the new adapter, I'm thrilled because now I can use my clunky wired headphones again and be able to not have them laying around the house unused. Actually, I use them with my Roku remote because there's a line in for that (I'm using a Roku 3, which is long discontinued now. It's considered a "legacy device" at this point. It's still functional though). 

I haven't made a phone call yet with the adapter (I have wired headphones that are also calling headphones) but when I tried to make a video and spoke over the visuals, it seemed to record fine. Podcasts are playing well through the adapter and I've not had to fiddle with settings as of yet. I'm sure I'll do some changing if I listen to music, but for now, the $4.99 was well worth the investment. Just got to be careful not to lose the cord!

#Winning! 

That's about it for now. Hopefully everything remains good and works. If something happens, I'll do an update, but for now, let's get this thing to remain positive. 

Stay cool and dry this week. It's going to be another scorcher. The Europeans are still baking in the humidity and there was a winter weather warning in a few places in the US the other day. Snow in June??? Da fuq?? Wherever you are, stay vigilant and stay safe!



Cheers;







See also (aka links to Amazon):
Posted by @ No comments:
It shall be labeled: , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Ooohh.. I got one of THOSE covers! | I was so excited for the branded tech!

The final season of Good Omens dropped on Amazon Prime a couple weeks ago as a 90 minute movie. There are multiple reasons for having a single movie rather than a series and a particular reason with this series is due to some behind the scenes accusations with the writing staff. I don't want to get into that here, but I am sure some sleuths will be able to figure out the "whys".

~ No Spoilers ~

I was excited to get some sort of continuation with the show, so having a finale movie is okay by me. The staff that stayed on, seemed to wrap up some loose ends in such a way, that it really did make sense by the end of the film. There were some story lines that they were able to tie together from the second season and ultimately included a surprise allowance of some fan fiction shipping. The film took some liberties in the fan department but I think most people are pleasantly pleased by it. Truth be told, it was a classy ending and I honestly wouldn't have asked for a better tribute. 

That doesn't mean they couldn't have done some better things in the bulk of the main hour, but with time restraints, it's understandable. I'm glad they did something with it (in a rushed way) instead of leaving fans hanging. 

To the ones wondering what the show is about, it's based on a late 1980s book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The full title is "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—A Humorous Fantasy About Armageddon". It is now one of those novels that is on reprint on demand, thus making it hard to find an original copy. This is, considering, it's a British book that prompted a few conversations of audio form in the UK before landing in America. If you do happen to find a copy of the first printing, it's going to cost a lot more than what the generic Mass Market paperback is (we're talking a range of $30 to over $100 depending on what site you're using. Allegedly people are finding it for under $25 in thrift stores. Keep in mind, this is first pressing or first run, not reproduction). That being said, the reproduction, depending on type (hardcover, paperback, e-reader) is running between $7 and change (mass market) to over $20, because big box retailers need a mark up. 

The book synopsis, on various bookstore websites:
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

The Amazon site review:
Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...

It's being sold as a more comical version of The Omen due to the heaven and hell, angel and demon, antichrist, The End Is Nigh connections. I can kind of see that, but it's not as ominous as the 1976 Gregory Peck movie is. 

I debated and debated about buying the book, and did do some leg work to see who had a "better deal" on the paperback. I didn't want a repeat of the Elton saga, so I chose to go to Amazon. They had the reprinted book, on paperback, for $10.43; where Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have it for $18.99. The difference between the two latter stores is Books-A-Million has has a mass market version at $9.99 and B&N doesn't list a that as an option on their website. Conversely, Amazon lists the mass market for $7.19, which is what I used to buy the True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse) series for, back in the day. If you are a member of the retail stores' rewards programs (B&N, BAM), you get free shipping online, but you're paying gas to get to a physical location. It's coming out of your wallet either way. Same goes with Amazon, I know, I know. At least you can add other items to your cart that are not books and have everything shipped together. 

The other thing with the physical stores, is they want you to pay $39.99 a year (B&N) or $25 a year (BAM) for discounts on select merchandise. In order to get the full realm of the annual cost, you need to spend 10x that amount in the 12 months because spending a low amount willy nilly once or twice in 52 weeks for just free shipping isn't worth it. That's just my opinion. 

I realize Amazon yearly rate is much higher ($139/year), but you've got to realize what you receive with Prime: 
  • Fast, free delivery
  • Unlimited streaming
  • Exclusive deals & savings
  • Groceries
  • Amazon Music with Prime
  • Amazon Photos (storage)
  • Amazon Prime Fuel Savings
  • Grubhub+
  • Rx savings
The bookstores don't seem to offer this type of an array, except "deals and savings" and "free delivery".

I think I've made back my Amazon money at this point, as I am the household account owner and bothmy mother and I stream movies (she has her own profile), I've purchased music through the site (vinyl and CD) so I can stream those MP3s when it's offered, my mother has an Echo Dot so she streams music and uses the timer function. We also make several purchases with Amazon and in Whole Foods (when we go to that area of town). I've also utilized the holiday deal sales. I could have used the RX savings with a previous job, but I didn't need any prescriptions at that time. Although, that's one thing I'm a bit leery on - giving Amazon your doctor's information as well as script information. So yeah, I feel like I've made my 139 back, and since Amazon doesn't sell things knowing they're discounted, there's no percentage to double everything up for. 

On another note, regarding versions of the book, I did notice a third party vendor selling a hardcover copy on Amazon, and they were looking for $18.19 plus $3.99 shipping. Therefore, you have to watch what you're clicking.

Which brings me to the next challenge.

The websites are stating "covers may vary" because you don't get a choice in which edition you are purchasing online. It's a William Morris publishing company (merged with Harper Publishing), but there are two different covers: a black sketch of Crowley holding a wine glass filled with red wine (on a white cover) or a white sketch of Aziraphale reading a book (on a black cover). 

image via Amazon



Amazon customer reviews are mixed because most people are buying the book to have the chance of both covers; while others are, like me, wanting to finally read the novel the show is based on. Totally fine; everyone has their reasons to do something. However, what you order and what you receive are two different things. 

People are commenting that the white cover book (Crowley) is coming to them damaged. 

How damaged? The picture of Crowley is completely missing. All you see is a small splash of the red wine. The same is to be said on the book spine as well. Other comments are staying the mass market book isn't bound great; the pages are easily coming out of the spine. Otherwise, it's an awesome story. 

I decided to take my chances and order it anyway. I am having reading issues lately, so I didn't want to go with the smaller print mass market ($7.19 version). I purchased the regular paperback version instead ($10.43). 

Can you guess what cover I received?


 




Yup, the missing Crowley cover. 

The last page in the book also has printing information, which is a bit weird to me. 





I feel like this proves that this version is a Print On Demand copy and was printed when I ordered it. Rather, it was printed and bound the day they shipped it from the Amazon Warehouse. Which may be why other people are saying they are having issues with the copy they received as well. The company isn't allowing things to set correctly.

Or whatever Amazon now does when you order random books.

This also means that the book was sent from an Orlando based publishing company, in order for me to get it the next day; it's local but not local enough to divulge that information.

Similarly, I noticed that when I asked my local library to request Rachael's book - they had found it on their vendor site and since her story is a Print On Demand version anyway, she too had some "Made in [country]" with city and date stamped in it. 

Everything seems to be relative these days and literally "mass produced" to a point. There's some PDF file somewhere and someone is pressing "print". Another person takes that, cuts it, binds it and hands it off to someone else. I honestly don't know the process; I'm just spitting out random guesses at the moment, but it's just sad how you think you're ordering a print of something and there is no quality control over it. No one noticed the cover was off. The more this story gets printed, the less of a chance the book has better value to it because it was a misprint. 

Usually when there is an error in a product, it's fair game for resellers because it's a rare item. However, in the printing world that is becoming more popular right now, "on demand" means "pay no attention; just send it". I think. I don't know; there's a lot to be said without running in circles. Just be mindful on what you're ordering and certainly read reviews because you never know. 

I mean, this type of error could potentially make me go out to the big box stores and pick up the copy I want. Do I then want three copies? I don't know. Maybe, if that means it's also a conversation I can have with my friends. "Hey, look at this; look why brick and mortar stores are going out of business. I big online retailer has taken over and they aren't paying attention to what they're doing. So I went to the outer reaches of the universe to pick up a better copy... at a 10+ dollar price hike". 

It's not a real conversation. I'm just making it up as I go along here. Free writing. But there could be something along the lines of why stores are shuttering and there are more delivery vans on the road these days. People aren't leaving their houses and adventuring out in the world. 

-Shrugs-

With adventuring, I do need to go to another big box retailer this week. I bought something else on Amazon and ended up returning it today because it didn't work as expected. 

When I had the iPhone 6 and 11, I had the lightning digital adapters to go with it.

I had a USB to Lightning dongle that allowed me to transfer files from my phone to my computer and vice versa while using a thumb drive. This came in so handy when I was doing event set up and clients needed to email me their presentation to put on the company laptop. I was able to get the file on my work phone, via email, download it to a thumb drive, then transfer it to the computer. We were off and running in a matter of minutes. 

Of course, it was my adapter and I didn't get reimbursed for it, but it was only offered to those I trusted because a lot of people took advantage of my niceness and help (long story). I wasn't about to gift it to the company when I left, either. I bought this fair and square and they never knew about it. My own personal use for the adapter was when I had to transfer my own files from my phone to my laptop or quickly save a file from an email on a computer to then have it on my phone for whatever reason (text a friend "you're not going to believe THIS one! 👀"). 

I also had an HDMI to Lightning Dongle that allowed me to stream movies on bigger screens (before the video apps shut that shit down and wanted you to watch on your phone screen instead. Something about media rights.. and all I wanted to do was stream a TV series from my phone onto a TV in someone's bedroom). The adapter was amazing - all I had to do was connect the lightning end to my phone, plug in an HDMI in the other end of the adapter, and then the opposite end of the HDMI went to whatever screen I was using. Plenty of times I hooked it up at work and I was able to use a decent size projector screen as my way to "test out the audio system and sight lines in the room". It was a combination platter because there were people who were vocalizing about dead zones in the room - they either couldn't see the screen or hear the audio. If I could do some tinkering on my own time (on the clock), I'd watch a TV show and do some testing. I also used the adapter when traveling, so if I had a TV in the room I was staying in, I could hook my phone up and watching a movie before bed. It got to the point I was carrying a 3 foot cable with me (seems super long but it winds up small). It suited my needs for a long time.  

However, both adapters went by the weigh side when I upgraded to the iPhone 17. Now the phone has a USB-C port instead of a lightning port so I'm stuck with a lot of chargers and a couple adapters that don't work on this new device. 

Back in January, I purchased Apple's Lightning to USB-C adapter, tried it, but that didn't work for me. Somehow using an adapter on an adapter doesn't jive correctly. Even if they're both the same brand's product. I know other people have positive reviews of the product, but I tried on two different iPhone 17s and it didn't work. I must be doing something wrong, but I even tried it on my mother's phone and it didn't work. 

Fast forward to this week when I needed to transfer something from my phone to my laptop. I wasn't connected to Wi-Fi on my computer, so I couldn't get on iCloud. I also didn't have a USB-C to USB-A cable with me, so I couldn't plug my phone into a USB port. I was stuck and couldn't do anything about the files someone needed.

Which led me to order an adapter. 

The Anker USB C to USB Adapter came in the mail yesterday and I was excited to try it.





  • Number one, it's a top brand; it's reputable among a lot of technical people.
  • Number two, I've got the USB-C to USB charging cables all over my house right now and they work. I even use it in my laptop to transfer files off my phone. I've had no problem with the name. 
  • Number three, having a two pack of the adapters allows me to keep one in my backpack and one in another bag. The price was worth it (on sale for $9.56 after tax).
I found out it wasn't so worth it. 

With a case on my phone the adapter doesn't work.  

As it is, my iPhone 17 is sausaged into the case; there's no getting that thing out unless I want to break the seal of the Zagg. 

Just for giggles, I tried it in my mother's 17. She has a thinner case on hers. 

No dice.

The adapter was so loose (on both phones), it wouldn't even make a connection anywhere or anyhow. It was like the thing was waiting to fall out if you looked at it the wrong way. One wrong question and it jumps overboard. 

I don't have the words to describe this part so stick with me.

The USB-C part is shorter than the surrounding holder, and there's no inversion of the holder to make the USB-C part go past a certain point when you have a case on your phone. That's why it was so loose in the port area, because the USB part is shorter than it should be. 

I can get the USB C part into my phone from the charging cable because the housing part is slanted in a way that allows the USB C to go through the case and in the port. 

Also, when I tried plugging my thumb drive into the USB A side, it felt like there was something wrong with it. It was a tight fit so the thumb drive wouldn't fall out, but it also felt like the drive could break in the port as well. It almost felt like it was a tiny bit off from making a solid connection. I was afraid of something breaking internally - whether it was in the adapter or in my thumb drive.

It's so hard to describe this and I hope it's making sense.

I really wish it had worked because I had such faith in it. 

Like I said, there's no way I wanted to take my phone out the the case. I don't want to, nor should I have to, in order to randomly use the adapter. 

Yes, I'm reading it now online, that in order to use it on a phone, you need to take the phone out of the case, but I stupidly and stubbornly wanted to give it a try. All cases are different and you never know. 

Now that I'm back to square one, I am thinking I need to go to a big box retailer and ask them if they have something like this and if I can try it out before purchasing, because I'd be returning it if it doesn't work. 

I know the answer would be "no, you need to buy it first" but it saves everyone a big headache if I take it home and can't use it. There has to be a way to test it before it leaves the store. I'm certainly going to buy it if it works, but they're certainly calling it a loss if I have to return it (and I get stuck with a possible reshelf fee). 

I've tried on over the ear headphones before, and there were no issues about it. I've also asked to look more closely at watch bands and other tech. It's a matter of being polite and asking nicely. If they won't let you, don't fight it. Most of the time, the people are okay with it. Most of the things I've asked to take out of the box, I've bought. A watch band I looked at, didn't fit on my watch and I was able to get it back in the box, in front of the worker, and he put it back on the shelf. It's all about transparency. 

Mind you, I'm not trying to condone any type of shoplifting or raising their profit and loss ratio, but there's a very slim time when situations happen that they can make a decision as to whether or not it's acceptable. I've had those conversations where the employee has said "no" and I've had the ones who say "I don't care". It's really how you explain what's going on. Especially if you honestly do have every intention of purchasing it if it works. If it doesn't, they can tape it back up and put it on the shelf (if you open it carefully). I've seen this happen in other stores when employees are working with people. 

Again, this is not a habit thing. It's not something I suggest everyone do to anger the stores. It's one of those "in a pinch" situations. It saves everyone if it could be done.

Overall, it feels like I really can't win right now with tech. I try, but some things aren't going my way lately. I'm hoping for the better though! 

In the meantime, if I can find something that works, I'll make an update. 

Until things get sorted... do your research and do some (light) reading.

Cheers;



See Also:
Posted by @ No comments:
It shall be labeled: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)