len_mullen

https://freetvforme.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/amazon-prime-something-for-everyone/

Over the weekend, I added Philo and Starz (Prime Channel) just to see what Amazon would do... Each channel's programming is added to my Live Channels EPG. I have TV in a room not near network or cable. I had a TiVo Mini installed using Powerline adapters. That worked fine, but I was able to unplug everything and replace it with a Fire TV Stick and that works better. For a lot less money. I was able to power the stick using a usb port on the tv, so there is not even a cord running to the power outlet.

I feel like Brad is going to get spoken to about this

Second try at fries tonight. Sliced them myself, blanched, towel dried, and air fried. I am encouraged -- fries were crispy and tasty. Far from perfect. Much work to do! Cajun French Fries with Creole SauceServes 4 Ingredients:2 large russet potatoes (about 1¼ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch sticks2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (see recipe below) Cajun Seasoning:2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon garlic1 teaspoon paprika½ teaspoon oregano½ teaspoon thyme½ teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon black pepper Creole Dipping Sauce½ cup mayonnaise1 tablespoon coarse brown mustard2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning1 teaspoon lemon juice Directions: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan while you peel and cut the potatoes. Blanch the potatoes in the boiling salted water for 4 minutes while you pre-heat the air fryer to 400ºF. Strain the potatoes and rinse them with cold water. Dry them well with a clean kitchen towel. Toss the dried potato sticks gently with the oil and place them in the air fryer basket. Air-fry for 25 minutes, shaking the basket a few times while the fries cook to help them brown evenly. While the fries are cooking, combine the ingredients to make the Cajun seasoning. With 5 minutes left on the air fryer, sprinkle the potatoes with the Cajun seasoning and drizzle in a little more oil. Toss evenly to coat the fries and continue to air-fry for the final minutes. To make the Creole Dipping Sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Serve the Cajun Fries hot with Creole Dipping sauce on the side.

I have both. I don't love either. Roku has too many products and too few programmers. Once a device falls from Flagship status, it is an afterthought. I have found that every new software update leads to a period of instability. Roku makes things worse by forcing updates. I like the current 4K Fire TV stick. They got CEC right and the stick is fast. Still don't love it. Amen. My opinion on OTT all around is that everything is always a little bit broken. Great for hobbyists, but low WAF. I'm preparing a blog post on this idea. Nothing in the Amazon ecosystem thrills me, but I like the whole of it a lot. I'll link to the post when it goes up. Can't agree with this. Check this out. I like the Roku channel. It doesn't have local channels or a DVR. With the Recast and the ability to integrate Cinemax ($9.99/mo), HBO ($14.99/mo), Showtime ($8.99/mo), and Starz ($8.99/mo) plus many other channels Amazon is really providing a la carte options. Vue and Philo skinny cable packages can be integrated into the Fire TV grid style guide as well. I'm no Roku fan. (Been banned from their forums four times, as I recall.) It's strength (independence) it also it's weakness. Things could be better now. The last Roku I bought was a Roku 2XS. Had a bunch. Awesome except when they weren't. No fan of Amazon either, but for $400 up front and $70/month, you can build something special with the Prime Ecosystem.

Nine years. How much have I saved? How much have I suffered? I grew up with television. I never remember not owning a color television. We had cable for most of my life. I remember looking forward to weekends at my sister's house where they had HBO and we chowed McDonalds to movies featuring nudity and profanity. Good times. When I bought my own home, my first call was to the cable provider. When they told me installation would be $5000 (in 1990), I installed an antenna. At that time, Pats home games were generally blacked out, so everyone [who cared] came to my home on Sundays as I could pull in a Maine station that was outside the blackout area. When my first born started kindergarten, we decided it would disadvantage him to not know what Sponge Bob Square Pants was all about, so we hired Dish. Dish was fine, but as we started paying separately for phone, local long distance, long distance, 'technology', high speed internet, and cell phones, the cost of communications and entertained topped $300/month at my house. Comcast consolidated everything except my cell service for $99.99/month...for 24 months. At the end of the 24 months, my bill increased dramatically. I offered them $149.99 for my package if they guaranteed the price for life. They countered with a bare bones package for 6 months for $99.99. I took this as a challenge. I immediately purchased an OOMA Hub and Scout VOIP hub. It cost me $205, but home phone has been free since October of 2009. So, $1.80/month for unlimited local and long distance calling. I called Comcast and told them I wanted to drop phone service (on my bill at $50/month) and they took it off, but the savings was offset by loss of my triple play discount. In January of 2010, I purchased a DB8 antenna from Amazon for $90.22. When we lost power and cable for a week in February, I plugged in my generator and hooked up my new antenna. We watched the winter Olympics via an antenna. Good stuff. When cable came back, I left my television on the antenna. At the same time, Comcast began their transition to digital. We had digital televisions, but they started moving the 'good stuff' to channels that required a box. Local broadcast television was SD without a box. Within a few weeks, both of my kids asked to have their televisions put on the antenna. The wife was a holdout -- we had a DVR in the living room and food network was the background music of her life. By April, she had warmed up to the PBS Create channel and we decided to fire Comcast. Fairpoint offered me unlimited internet for $49.99/month guaranteed for life. So, we were saving $100/month off the bare bones post-promotion Comcast price. In the first year, I spent $1000 on five DTVPal DVRs. I broke even in the first year, but had DVRs in all three bedrooms, the living room, and the kitchen. DVRs would be my biggest expense going forward. I've spent about $3000 on DVRs over nine years -- $333/yr, $28/mo, $5,56/mo/set. When we fired Comcast, we did not think we needed a DVR. The one DVR in the house was loaded with unwatched episodes of Bonnie Hunt and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It did not take long for us to fully appreciate the DVR -- pausing for dinner or a phone call, rewinding after a snooze or to re-see something that could not be unseen. Putting a DVR on each television dramatically enhanced the television viewing experience. I am very happy with my DVR+ DVRs and TiVos, but I just bought a Recast and a Tablo TV DVR. Right now, I have DirecTV at a steeply discounted price as a consequence of having an obscenely expensive cell phone plan. I'm halfway through the promotion and will not likely have the expensive phone plan after that, but, for now, I have a lot of channels including HBO. I still mostly watch broadcast television and my kids mostly watch Netflix. If you want to know what I have spent or played with over the nine years, take a look at this page... https://freetvforme.wordpress.com/my-network/ So, I saved $11,400 and spent $6,000 on infrastructure and toys netting about $50 per month in savings. Not much savings really, but I would not trade what I have for what I had. In fact, once when I was researching Comcast prices for a blog post, my wife walked in and let me know she was not willing to give up the antenna for Comcast. So, what exactly do you get with an antenna? That depends on your location and your antenna. I recommend people interested in broadcast television start at http://tvfool.com/. A report for you address or coordinates will help you understand how easy or difficult antenna reception will be at your home. Google the wikipedia page for each station you are likely to receive to see if there are sub-channels. Pick and point an antenna and you are good to go. If you want help analyzing a TVFool report, selecting an antenna, or cutting the cord, PM me or respond to this post. Most people want to know what I would buy if I were cutting the cord right at this moment. For me, right now, I think I would get an Amazon Recast and a bunch of Fire TV Sticks. In fact, I have done that. It's not for everyone, but it works for me. I have had Amazon Prime for some time. Mostly for shipping, but I enjoy the streaming media and use a photo library as the background for my Amazon Shows. I have a Recast, so I am able to watch television on my Shows (I have seven) or any device that is attached to a Fire TV Stick. The Recast only supports two concurrent streams, but that is plenty as my kids tend to watch Netflix. Some things I like about the Prime solution... Integrate Philo TV for 'cable' channels like A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, Discovery, DIY, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, Nick Jr., Nick, Lifetime, MTV, History, TVLand, and moreIntegrate Amazon Channels like Cinemax ($9.99/mo), HBO ($14.99/mo), Showtime ($8.99/mo), and Starz ($8.99/mo) Integrate Pluto channelsIntegrate Vue channelsLet's say your family enjoys some of the cable channels, network programming, and HBO for Game of Thrones. You get a Recast for $200, get a pair of 4k Fire TV Sticks for $100, pay $50/month for an ISP, $119/year for Prime, and $15/month for HBO. $300 up front and $75/month. Add Philo TV for $16/month for a $91 'skinny' cable killer. Most of the cord cutters I know simply run a cable from an antenna to a digital television. That is FREE TV. Respect! If you are thinking along those lines, consider a TCL Roku television. These are the best televisions for cord cutters. They get guide data from the broadcast stream (PSIP) so there is no need for an ISP or phone line to get updated guide data. If you plug a USB stick into one of these, you can pause, rewind, and fast forward through four hours of programming. If the USB stick is loaded with pictures, music, or videos, you can play those. If you have come to rely on a smart phone for online activity and are thinking you need to keep your high speed internet for streaming entertainment, think again. I'm also a fan of the Tablo TV DVR. No Prime integration and no OTT integration, but it's a great whole house DVR. You can get one for $100 at Best Buy right now. You will need to add a usb disk. I own five TiVo Roamio OTAs. Awesome set top box. I paid $300 for my first three with Lifetime and $200 for the last two. Great set top box. The Mini is the best implementation of remote access I have seen. I wish I could recommend a TiVo, but the only OTA TiVo is out of stock and $500 with 'All In' service plan. Add a Mini for a second set and you are in almost $700! As much as I paid for my last three TiVos combined. Keep an eye on Woot for deals on the Roamio/OTA and previous gen Minis.

Prime is $10/month if you pay annually. I don't think I'd pay that for discounted shipping. I have always been comfortable planning orders to get free shipping. I'm not sitting on the toilet ordering paper. On the other hand, Netflix is $13/month. If you are streaming Prime video and Prime music, borrowing books, AND getting free shipping, Prime is a bargain. I own seven Echo Shows. The default background on these is a set of photos I've uploaded to Prime space. I enjoy music and entertainment during routine tasks like meal preparation and cleanup. I also prefer the Prime video library to what is on Netflix. I'm always looking for a better deal and am rooting for Walmart, but Amazon still looks like a good deal to me.

This year, I prepared my taxes using TaxAct, CreditKarma, and TurboTax. I wanted to validate CK. Sure enough, all three prepared identical federal tax returns. It probably took more time to use the software than it would have to complete the forms manually as I am FINALLY better off taking the standard deduction. State taxes were another story. I live in New Hampshire and work in Massachusetts. CK does not support nonresident state returns. TaxAct and TurboTax both incorrectly identified me as a single filer instead of Head of Household. I verified with the Mass DOR that HoH was correct for me and completed the paper forms. TurboTax made a number of other smaller errors -- rounding errors that resulted in additional forms being completed. I filed federal taxes Sunday night and state Tuesday. We lost power a couple hours after I filed the federal forms. Mass taxes are not due until Wednesday as Monday was a state holiday (Patriots Day) and Tuesday was a Washington DC holiday (Emancipation Day). While I may seem like a procrastinator, I actually have had my federal taxes done for a couple weeks. I just wanted to spend some time looking things over and have been very busy (April: mastered button sewing, rabies shot for dog, licence for dog, licence renewal for me, register two vehicles, inspect two vehicles, two dentist appointments, one college fair, one scholarship application, a wake, and a funeral). It felt pretty good to drop my mass return off at the post office Tuesday afternoon.

LMAO! I'm guessing you are spending a lot of time walking past mirrors and I think you have your priorities in order!

Amazon Alexa launches its first HIPAA-compliant medical skills... Alexa Is Becoming Your Personal Medical Assistant MediSprout integrates telehealth solution with Alexa Nothing at CES, but a lot is going on in development labs.

"Alexa, turn on kitchen. Alexa, drop in on Paul's Room. Alexa, show salmon recipe. Alexa tune to Heroes & Icons." That's me chatting up my best girl after a long day at work. Turning on the lights over the kitchen sink and stove, getting my kid's attention, and catching a couple episodes of House while I prepare dinner. "Alexa, add milk to my shopping list." "Alexa, reorder paper towels." "Alexa, play Havana." "Alexa, play WRKO." "Alexa, play my news." "Alexa, what's the weather?" "Alexa, how's traffic from Danville, NH to Lynn, MA?" Recently, I added an Amazon Recast to my smart home. It doesn't really make the house smarter, but I can now watch TV while doing dishes and control my FireTV sticks with my voice (haven't yet...who talks to a television?) and wirelessly connect that TV in my living room (which is not near ethernet or coax) at 4K (streaming) or 720p (OTA). I think I like the Recast, but it is too new for me to review at this time. Mostly, I use smart lights and smart plugs. I have a couple cameras and a pair of smart thermostats, but have used neither. I've been trying to think of something to watch with the cameras. Nothing so far. I move my thermostat about six times a year and only have two wires to each. I could not see replacing batteries to avoid getting off my butt six times a year -- five, since I'd have to get off my butt to change the batteries. I like smart plugs best as they can automate just about anything. I put all my Christmas decorations on smart plugs -- "Alexa, turn on Christmas." I put scent diffusers on smart plugs -- "Alexa turn on smell." I put air conditioners on smart plugs -- "Alexa, turn on my AC." "Alexa, turn on coffee." "Alexa turn on rice." "Alexa, turn on toaster." There are really no limits with these plugs. I have use for smart bulbs as well. In some places, it doesn't make sense to install a switch or use a plug. Sometimes, I just want a bulb to act independent of other bulbs (on the bookcase of my bed) or sometimes I want the bulb to have special features like color. Switches are most permanent and require much thought. I use Insteon switches that work as normal switches when no smart hub is available. One of my spring projects is to disable the motion detectors on my outside lights. I have purchased three way switches for each which can be controlled by Alexa. I have purchased switches for overhead lights in my dining room, kitchen, family room, and hallway. I haven't considered a lot of smart devices just because I think they introduce risks I am not willing to accept. It's one thing to let Jeff Bezos to listen in on my conversations and watch my behaviors. It's quite another thing to let him unlock doors and control appliances. I'm OK with a camera at the door, but not with remote unlocking of the door. On the other hand, I'd consider a smart lock in conjunction with a traditional lock so that I could leave door 'unlocked' for someone who needed to enter my unoccupied home. Then I'd have use for the cameras. Some devices are simply a solution in search of a problem. I haven't figured out why the washer needs to talk to the dryer. Mostly, smart washers facilitate remote control and monitoring (by you and the manufacturer). I would not run a washer unless I were home and set a timer on Alexa to alert me to the finish of a load, so no smarts there. Smart also doubles the cost of the washer and probably dramatically increases likelihood of failure. You can learn more about smart washers here: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/washing-machines/article/smart-washing-machines-explained. Smart refrigerators do a lot of interesting things. Here is a link to an article about these features: https://www.lifewire.com/smart-refrigerator-4158327. Some are better done by other devices and some are too much work, but I would like to be able to look inside my refrigerator when I'm away. I'd like to be able to smell it too ;-) Too much money to justify a smart refrigerator. Maybe I can put one of those cameras in the frig? Smart refrigerators (and cabinets) will make more sense once bar codes are replaced with 2D codes and, eventually, RFID -- it's closer than you think: http://www.waspbarcode.com/buzz/future-barcodes. I like the idea of a digital whiteboard, but prefer it stick to the front of the refrigerator. Anyone who has ever pre-heated an oven with a loaf of bread inside knows why smart stoves are a bad idea. (I start the coffee maker, rice steamer, toaster oven, and slow cooker in the middle of the glass top of my stove to minimize risk of fire -- Alexa, turn on stove outlet.") All of this smart stuff is pretty cool. Except for the Shows and Recast, it's all pretty inexpensive. Here is a look at devices that work with Alexa... https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/880-best-alexa-compatible-devices.html The smart baby monitor is pretty cool ( I don't think the shades would pay for themselves in energy savings and I don't mind setting them manually, but I do like the idea of letting the sun in gradually on weekends -- especially in the summer (https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/880-best-alexa-compatible-devices.html#s28). Lots of security risks (first thing you do configuring a device is to send your home network's wifi password to China in most cases) even if you are careful. I recommend putting your IoT on a 'guest' network.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6835549/The-toilet-seat-save-millions-lives-detecting-heart-failure.html Good start. I wonder if it tracks the user. Maybe an opportunity for Jeff Bezos' team? "Alexa, Dad is poopin'."

I have mastered fried chicken in the air fryer. chicken parts (we like drum sticks, four for the two of us) buttermilk (enough to cover chicken parts) all-purpose flour (about a cup) 1 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoons ground black pepper 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder cayenne pepper to taste (about a tablespoon for us) mix the dry ingredients in a shallow dish. soak the chicken parts in buttermilk for an hour or two. roll the chicken parts in the dry mix until completely covered. preheat the air fryer to 400. coat the grate. spray oil on the chicken parts. cook ten minutes, flip, and cook seven more minutes.

First, congratulations! I'm exhausted just following along. I can't imagine what it has been like for you and your family. I need to know a little about this. My 80 year old mother drinks vinegar beverages. She can't remember who told her about the concoction and why she ought to be drinking it, but she's pretty religious about it. Can you explain to me why this is a good thing and how you learned about it? Also, how exactly do you prepare the beverage and is it not really unpalatable?

Sorry for your loss.

Checking for March with an invitation to my fellow air fryer enthusiasts to reply to this post with recipes, links to recipes, and reviews of fryers (loved or hated). It's been three months since I purchased a Cook's Essentials 5.3qt Digital Air Fryer from QVC (thanks Bopeep). We use it a lot, but mostly because it is easy to clean. I am still not sure if this thing will keep its place on our counter. That said, there are some things which cook very nicely in the Air Fryer... Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cordon Bleu: This is my favorite Air Fryer recipe -- mostly because I could never pull off CCB before the air fryer. My son prefers I not slather in mustard. Air Fryer Fried Chicken Legs - Wendy Polisi: Crispy chicken, golden on the outside, and cooked right through has also been a challenge for me...until now. Rotisserie Style Whole Chicken Air Fryer Method: My youngest loves rotisserie chicken. We had a Ronco Rotisserie Oven (set it and forget it). I tossed that when I purchased a toaster oven which did the same thing plus other stuff. The Air Fryer is easier to use and clean. Chicken Breast: Or chicken fingers or wings. These things cook the crap out of chicken. Crispy on the outside and juicy inside. And so quick! Air Fryer Roast Beef: Very juicy. Sliced thick for dinner and thin for sandwiches.Some things have not been great for me... French Fries (frozen or fresh): I cut the fries thin and toweled them dry, but these are not as good as deep fried. Onion Rings/Blooming Onion: I cannot make a worthwhile Blooming Onion, but I make great onion rings...except in the air fryer. Fish: I'm working on this. Fried clam strips, shrimp, scallops: The stuff that comes coated and frozen. Happy March!

I'm sitting here watching the snow fall through my bedroom window. I just took the dog out. Hints of dawn peeking over the tree tops. There is about four inches of ice in my yard with another four inches of fresh snow on top. Everything is beautiful. I think I will just take a moment to enjoy the waning winter. Enough of that. Time for my first nap of the day

When they are on sale <s> I paid $60 for a Canon PIXMA MX922 (on sale at Staples) many years ago. Now they run around $150-$200. Might be worth the price too as inexpensive ink is widely available and the features and print quality are outstanding. Favorite features? Cheap InkAutomatic duplexing (two sided prints)Automated Document Handler which supports two sided scansBorderless picturesWaterproof black for text (so you can highlight without smudging!)Probably not what you are looking for, but worthy of consideration, IMHO. Good luck!

How, exactly, are you doing this? Amazing progress and you're losing it in all the right places, as they say.

Perspective: Tyree James...has been identified as the man who died following a car crash Tuesday afternoon. Keep the faith!

To write "41" in Hebrew, they use two Hebrew letters, mem and aleph. The mem means water, and the aleph means an ox. When paired with the aleph, the ox signifies strength or that which is first, since it is also the first letter of the alphabet. In this case, paired with water, it signifies a strong flow of water, a rushing stream, which can separate people on either side of the river. In fact, the Hebrew word badal, "separate," has a numeric value of 41.

Get yourself a dehydrator or an Air Fryer and dry out slices of chicken for your dogs. They get the good chew and leave you no mess. Probably better for both of you!

Uninspired by CES. CNET crowed that Apple and Samsung 'stole the show' by announcing that iTunes, Homekit, and Airplay would be available on some Samsung televisions. Apple wasn't even at the show except for a sign that declared 'What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.' Believe that? Me neither. (see http://www.startribune.com/apple-busts-facebook-for-distributing-data-sucking-app/505087752/ and https://www.msn.com/en-ie/money/technology/googles-data-gathering-app-may-have-also-violated-apples-policies/ar-BBSZqui) Sony showed a beer-holding-karaoke-party-speaker...because it's a good idea to set alcoholic beverages on top of electronic devices, i guess...in Japan. Best quote of the show came from The Verge, "Kohler’s Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet is one of those strange products that draws so heavily on buzzwords and tech trends that it’s indistinguishable from parody." Google Home and Alexa enabled, the intelligent toilet is part of Kohler's smart bathroom. Speakers, moodlighting, and a bidet, but no medical analysis. The Japanese have been taking stool samples at home for two decades. Alienware demo'd a $2,549 i7-8700, RTX 2070, 1TB, 8GB of DDR4, 1080p 60Hz laptop. With the possible exception of the display, all of those components are upgradable. No guarantees that anyone will make components that will fit, but my shorts are getting a little tight. Still boring. Check this out: https://freetvforme.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/locast-stream-local-tv/ (couldn't wait for May) Happy February! Happy February!

I'm flying to Maryland for a week in February. Count on a foot of snow.

Ten months, ten topics... Feb: CES 2019 should give us some ideas about what Black Friday 2019 will be all about. A review of what they hope we'll buy. March: Best Air Fryer recipes/uses. Going to try a blooming onion tomorrow. Jury is still out on this counter top wonder. Apr: In 1999, I took a job in a group called Architecture Technology Organization (aka ATO). These were all the geeks and those who managed them. On my first day on the job, I learned about X10. Within a couple weeks, I was living in a smart home. Not a lot of X10 in my house these days, but the house is even smarter thanks to Alexa. Some thoughts on getting started with automation. May: In May of 2010 I fired Comcast. A lot has changed over nine years. This is how I would cut the cord in 2019... Jun: Cash back for dummies. Best credit cards and loyalty programs for people who do not want miles. Jul: Prime Day Primer. Aug: Drying food on purpose. Sep: Televisions. Oct: Laptops. Nov: Time to talk about Black Friday 2019!