W♥M

StackSocial

Read More VPN I've been testing out some free VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. You may have a need for a VPN for various reasons: privacy, ad-blocking/ad-tracking, removing restrictions, etc. …

Ever since I bought my first purchase on StackSocial in Jan 2023, I’ve been addicted to the discounted website.

Looking into StackSocial, it’s own by American company StackCommerce, founded by Josh Payne.

The website specializes in flash sale… So these great prices are only good for a set amount of time. They’ve been around since 2011, even though I’ve never heard of them until earlier this year.

I like deals, and wanted to pass along some things that caught my eye:

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $39.99. I bought it for $29.99, but even at $10 more, it’s still a great price. Note that MicroSoft will not support Office 2021, instead focusing on their subscription product Office 365 in 2023.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription for $30. I was looking for an ad blocker on my iPad or iPhone, so I saw this one-time fee for AdGuard. Unfortunately, reading its fine print, this only applies to new users. So, instead, I signed up for AdLock’s Lifetime for $20… which, apparently “Lifetime” means 10 years to this company.

RealVPN: Lifetime Subscription for $30. There are actually a bunch of VPN Lifetime Sub, so just do a search for your favorite. I did not buy any Lifetime sub, because I was already paying for Atlas VPN… but after my subscription expires, I will likely look for a Lifetime deal. A few years ago, I did some research on free VPNs (which is why I went with Atlas) … and while the “price is right” (free), there are so many drawbacks for free VPN. If you don’t mind paying a one-time price for a “lifetime” subscription, why not? Again, “lifetime” has different meaning to companies, so be aware that when they say lifetime, they mean the life of the company.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership for $60. This includes a $30 digital CostCo gift card, which needs to be used all at once. I believe this only applies to new members. I didn’t look that closely, because I had a Sam’s Club membership for two years, and I found that I don’t shop often enough to warrant paying a yearly membership.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 32GB WiFi Space Gray for $499. I already have an iPad Pro 12.9”, and I paid around $900, so for $500, it’s a good price. Note that this item is refurbished (not new), and, looking at the images, it is the first generation iPad Pro from 2018 (which I own at one time).

BirdBike eBike for $899. It’s snowing in Minnesota, and I’m in Winter Hibernation mode, so I’m not buying this eBike anytime soon. But I love the fact that I can pedal, and when I come up to that hill, I can get assistance from the motor. The bike looks good and it does come with free shipping.

PDF Reader Pro Smart PDF Editor & Converter Tool for $39.99. You currently cannot buy any Adobe products without requiring a subscription fee. I don’t have a need to create/edit PDF files, so I’m not buying this… but if you need this software, this $40 price by PDF Technologies is a deal.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bundle for $4.99. You get two Knights of the Old Republic game for $5, so you’re paying $2.50 for each game. You need Steam to redeem the games.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Lens Update and Winter Hibernation

Read More Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

Happy New Year!

I wanted to buy the Tamron 50-400mm lens for the Sony E-Mount last Aug 2022. On paper, it looks like it was exactly the lens I needed. When I am shooting a concert, I prefer to shoot from the back of the room… and for that, you need a big reach - in this case, the Tamron would go up to 400mm.

When the lens came out in Sep 2022 and the reviews started coming in… it felt more and more like the lens would not be a good fit for my needs. In all the reviews I’ve read and watched, the consistent downfall to the lens is that it did not perform well indoors. For low light lens, you need to a low F-Stop, and for the Tamron 50-400mm, the F is 4.5-6.3. Since I needed the lens for concert photography, this was a deal breaker.

The other thing is the price. I originally thought it the Tamron would cost, at most, $800 (based on other similar lens in this category on other camera companies) … but when I read that the retail price is $1,300, it was a sticker shock. I’m sure the price is fair, based on Tamron’s stabilization system and USB-C updates and settings.

So where does that leave me? While I am pretty happy with the Tamron 28-200mm, I am still looking for a nice, fast lens.

What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the Tamron, but what the Sony lens offers is the ability to use a teleconverter with the native Sony lens. Essentially you can double the distance, making the Sony lens a 140-400mm lens at the cost of losing some F-Stop.

Speaking of which, the F-Stop for the Sony lens is constant 2.8. This is why the lens is so expensive, you rarely see telephoto lens with this low of a number. It’s supposed to be the best of the best.

One final thing, the Sony G-Master lens has built-in stabilization in the lens. I’ve own and used older native Sony lens, and their stabilization is top in its class. My current Tamron 28-200mm doesn’t have stabilization, so I have to rely on the camera’s body stabilization. I can tell you that it’s not as good.

Since I’m still officially in hibernation, buying the lens is not a priority for now. So, hopefully, by April 2023, when I come out of hibernation, I can find the lens for $2k.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

W♥M Year in Review: 2022 Concerts and Events

Read More Franz Ferdinand As I have suspected, Franz Ferdinand will be on a bigger tour in support of their new album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, which comes out next week (August 27th) on Domino Records.… The Lemonheads Originally, The Lemonheads were scheduled to play in the closet-sized 7th Street Entry, but seeing as tickets sold-out, they upgraded the band to the full-sized room at First Avenue. … Juliana Hatfield As long as I can remember, Hatfield started her music career with the Blake Babies. When they broke up, she had a massive hit with "My Sister" in her newly reformed band Juliana Hatfield Three …

With only two weeks to go before we close out 2022… let us take a look back at some of our favorite shows of the year. So many bands came back in 2022, no thanks to the pandemic that ended social gathering in late 2019 and going onto late 2021.

If I had to pick just one show to spotlight, I would have to say it was for Franz Ferdinand at the Fillmore in Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022).

There are a couple of things that made this show special. First of all, FF was playing all their hit songs in one show to promote their greatest hits album Hits to the Head. The band was in top-form, energetically jumping and dancing from start to finish.

Second, the Fillmore (officially named Fillmore Minneapolis to avoid confusion with the historic Fillmore in San Francisco - which I have been to see Juliana Hatfield in June 1995) is a relatively new venue and we love the size and how it looks.

Speaking of which, Hatfield recently appeared with Evan Dando as The Lemonheads headlined First Avenue in December 8: “No shade to the very good bands that came before her, but Juliana Hatfield really knows how to knock the wind out of you. I was lucky to catch her and her band back in 2015 playing all of 1993’s explosive Become What You Are but it’s a different vibe without a noisy band sharing the stage. Hers was a staggering solo performance with just an electric guitar and those airy vocals. Beginning with “Everybody Loves Me But You” from 1992’s Hey Babe, Hatfield delicately flowed through songs from her 30-plus year catalogue. The occasional false start, awkward pause or runny nose could not dampen the sting and ache of her music and words: “Little Pieces,” “I Got No Idols,” a searing “Candy Wrappers” (which my friend requested on Instagram!) and of course “Sister.””

I didn’t attend the Lemonheads show due to my continuing self-imposed Winter Hibernation, but it sounded like a great show (especially with both Juliana and Evan on stage together again).

So far, we’ve documented 191 shows in total (with one final pending show for Landon Conrath coming up on December 30th). To see full list head over to W♥M 2022 Shows.

In hibernation,

- Vu

GRAND TOTAL: 191 Shows

DECEMBER 2022 (8 Shows)

• 12/06 Heart to Gold at 7th Street • 12/06 Soft Moon at Fine Line • 12/07 Lemonheads at Madrid • 12/08 Lemonheads at First Avenue

• 12/10 Modest Mouse at Palace Theatre • 12/17 Katy Guillen and The Drive at Bottleneck • 12/21 Classless Act at Lucia • 12/30 Landon Conrath at 7th Street

NOVEMBER 2022 (7 Shows)

• 11/01 Alex G at First Ave • 11/04 Jungle Giants at Turf Club • 11/10 Blu DeTiger at Fine Line

• 11/12 Let's Eat Grandma at 7th Street Entry • 11/18 Plains at First Ave • 11/19 Plains at Knuckleheads (photos) • 11/26 Trampled by Turtles at Armory

OCTOBER 2022 (22 Shows)

• 10/04 Laufey at 7th Street • 10/06 Sigrid at First Avenue • 10/07 Toadies at First Avenue • 10/07 The Head and the Heart at the Armory • 10/09 Broken Social Scene at Palace Theatre • 10/09 One OK Rock at Fillmore • 10/09 Superorganism at Varsity Theater • 10/11 UPSAHL at Fine Line • 10/13 The Ballroom Thieves at Turf Club • 10/14 Alexander 23 at the Amsterdam Bar • 10/14 They Might Be Giants at First Avenue

• 10/14 G. Love & Special Sauce at Steve Tilford Benefit • 10/15 Matt Maeson at the Truman • 10/15 Faouzia at 7th Street • 10/18 Rare Americans at 7th Street • 10/19 St. Lucia at the Truman • 10/19 Spacey Jane at Fine Line • 10/21 Lee Fields at Fine Line • 10/23 Preoccupations at Turf Club • 10/24 Pretty Sick at 7th Street • 10/28 Sammy Rae at First Avenue • 10/28 Flipturn at 7th Street

SEPTEMBER 2022 (25 Shows)

• 09/02 IDLES at The Truman, Kansas City • 09/03 Roger Waters at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City • 09/03 DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix • 09/05 Modest Mouse at GrindersKC, Kansas City • 09/06 Echo & the Bunnymen at Fillmore • 09/06 Phoenix at Palace Theatre • 09/06 Joy Formidable at recordBar • 09/07 Joy Formidable at Turf Club • 09/08 Judah and the Lion at Uptown Theater • 09/09 Twenty One Pilots at T-Mobile Center • 09/09 Afghan Whigs at Fine Line • 09/14 The National at Surly Brewing

• 09/16 Lucibela at the Cedar Cultural Center • 09/16 Highly Suspect at First Avenue • 09/17 Alice Glass at Amsterdam Bar • 09/17 Barns Courtney at recordBar, Kansas City • 09/23 Gaslight Anthem at Kansas City • 09/24 Gaslight Anthem at Fillmore • 09/24 Julia Jacklin at Fine Line • 09/24 Ozomatli at KCLive! • 09/25 Bear's Den at Knuckleheads • 09/25 Tamino at Fine Line • 09/27 The Cult at Uptown Theater • 09/29 Amyl and the Sniffers at First Ave • 09/30 The Avalanches at Varsity Theater

AUGUST 2022 (22 Shows)

• 08/01 Local Natives at First Avenue • 08/01 Sony A7IV at Springbrook Nature Center • 08/05 OneRepublic at Starlight Theater • 08/06 Ian Sweet at 7th St • 08/06 Innovation Festival at Kansas City • 08/07 Belaganas at Fine Line • 08/08 Here and There at Kansas City • 08/09 The Wild Hearts Tour at Surly Brewing • 08/10 Flip Rushmore at 7th St • 08/10 Black Pistol Fire at recordBar • 08/13 The Lumineers at T-Mobile Center

• 08/13 Fitz and the Tantrums at Palace Theatre • 08/16 Silversun Pickups at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 08/18 Peter Hook at First Avenue • 08/19 Hanson at Fillmore • 08/20 Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore • 08/20 Chastity Brown at First Avenue • 08/23 Seratones at recordBar, Kansas City • 08/26 Andy McKee at TPAC, Topeka • 08/29 Telekinetic Yeti at 7th Street Entry • 08/30 iDKHOW at Granada • 08/30 Shame at Fine Line

JULY 2022 (15 Shows)

• 07/02 Kenny Chesney at Arrowhead Stadium • 07/03 City Knights Band at Coon Rapids Festival • 07/08 The Cult at Palace Theatre • 07/11 Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue • 07/14 Country Stampede at Heartland Park • 07/15 Country Stampede at Heartland Park • 07/16 Big Gigantic at Fillmore

• 07/16 Country Stampede at the Heartland • 07/21 Savannah Conley at 7th St Entry • 07/22 Josh Groban at Starlight Theater • 07/23 Molly Hatchet at Sac and Fox Casino • 07/23 Boy Harsher at Fine Line • 07/26 Horsegirl at Fine Line • 07/28 Machine Gun Kelly at Xcel Energy Center • 07/30 Psychedelic Furs at Palace Theatre

JUNE 2022 (20 Shows)

• 06/02 Pink Mountaintops at Turf Club • 06/04 Steve Noonan at Edina Art Fair • 06/04 John Waite at Ranchmart Center • 06/07 Prince Rogers Nelson Way - street dedication • 06/09 Mess Esque at 7th St Entry • 06/10 Jordana at 7th St Entry • 06/11 Nathaniel Rateliff/Sleater-Kinney at RTG • 06/11 Low at Rock the Garden (Garden Stage) • 06/13 Wet at Fine Line • 06/13 Purity Ring at Granada Theater

• 06/14 Crawlers at 7th St Entry • 06/15 La Femme at Turf Club • 06/16 Prateek Kuhad at 7th St Entry • 06/16 Cannons at The Bottleneck • 06/16 The Rainmakers at Olathe Live! • 06/18 The Warlocks at 7th St Entry • 06/21 Fitz and the Tantrums at GrindersKC • 06/23 Meghan Murphy at The Woman's Club • 06/24 Billy Howerdel at Fine Line • 06/27 slenderbodies at Fine Line

MAY 2022 (28 Shows)

• 05/01 Anais Mitchell at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/02 Dorothy at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis • 05/03 Lights at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis • 05/07 OMD at the Fillmore, Minneapolis • 05/07 Fontaines D.C. at First Ave, Minneapolis • 05/07 Ben Rector at Starlight Theater, Kansas City • 05/08 Ashe at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/09 The Mysterines at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 05/12 Cut Copy at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/13 Amyl and the Sniffers at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 05/14 Sir Chloe at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/14 Destroyer at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 05/15 Hatchie at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/18 Vieux Farka Touré at Dakota Jazz Club

• 05/18 Oh Wonder at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/18 ADULT. at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis • 05/19 Tiffany at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/20 Mountain Goats at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/20 Foy Vance at the Cedar • 05/20 MegaCon Orlando 2022 • 05/21 Curtis Stigers at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis • 05/21 Sunflower Bean at Fine Line • 05/22 George Perez Memorial Service at MegaCon • 05/25 Kurt Vile at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/27 Belle and Sebastian at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 05/29 4MIX at Minnesota Songkran Festival 2022 • 05/29 Bastille at Uptown Theater, Kansas City • 05/31 Ezra Furman at Fine Line

APRIL 2022 (20 Shows)

• 04/02 KC FanCon 56 at Douglas County Fairgrounds • 04/02 Baroness at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 04/02 Sasami at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/02 Fletcher at Fine Line Music Cafe • 04/10 Brian Jonestown Massacre at First Ave • 04/10 Soccer Mommy at Granada Theater, Lawrence • 04/11 Good Morning at 7th St, Minneapolis • 04/13 Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/14 Lala Lala at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/16 Quasi at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis

• 04/16 Snail Mail at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 04/22 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/22 Yumi Zouma at Turf Club, St Paul • 04/23 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/23 Hippo Campus at the Armory, Minneapolis • 04/23 LP at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 04/24 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/26 Apocalyptica at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 04/27 The Warning at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 04/30 Alan Doyle at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis

MARCH 2022 (18 Shows)

• 03/01 Birthday Massacre at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/01 Maisie Peters at 7th St, Minneapolis • 03/03 Wet Leg at First Ave • 03/04 Claire Rosinkranz at 7th St • 03/04 The Beths at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/06 Illuminati Hotties / Fenne Lily at 7th St, Minneapolis • 03/09 Longest Johns at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 03/10 Parquet Courts at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 03/12 Marisa Monte at State Theatre

• 03/13 Dirty Honey / Mammoth WVH at Uptown Theater • 03/14 Mitski at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 03/15 Deafheaven at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/19 Topeka Tropics vs Salina Liberty at Landon Arena • 03/24 Yves Tumor at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 03/24 Circle Jerks at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 03/25 Anna Meredith at Parkway Theater, Minneapolis • 03/28 Airborne Toxic Event at The Truman, Kansas City • 03/28 Girl in Red at Truman, Kansas City

FEBRUARY 2022 (5 Shows)

• 02/05 The Wombats at the Truman, Kansas City • 02/12 Cactus Blossoms at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis

• 02/12 Lunar New Year Celebration at Mall of America • 02/19 Lucy Dacus at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 02/22 Low Cut Connie at The Bottleneck, Lawrence

JANUARY 2022 (1 Show)

• 01/21 Kacey Musgraves at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City

Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore, Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022)

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide and Kansas City Music Guide

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck Update

Technical Specs Processor AMD APU CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz Storage 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) 512 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) Display 7" - 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio) Optically bonded IPS LCD Expansion UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K or 4K Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

When I placed my $5 deposit to buy the Steam Deck in Aug 2022, I was convinced that I wouldn’t get it until 2023. I was so wrong.

I recently got the alert that I have three days to purchase the Steam Deck. So it took a little over a month to finally fulfill my order. It could be that someone else turned down their Steam Deck, due to disinterests, or the email went to a spam filter, or lack of funds, and I may have gotten their Steam Deck… or it could be that Steam really was ramping production to meet demand. Either way, I’m so excited to finally get my hands on this thing.

I bought the cheapest one, because all three version are basically the same device (same chip, same speed), with the only exception of storage. The cheap version comes with 64GB, but I can always expand it with an SD card.

Again, I have been shopping around at various hand-held devices, such as the OneXPlayer and Aya Neo, and they are all very expensive (about $1,000). The only advantage is that those devices runs the full Windows operating system by default, so you can play GOG or Epic games.

With the Steam Deck, you have to go through a lot of trouble to install Windows on the device. Since the hardware is so new, and Windows doesn’t really support it, getting Windows to run on the Steam Deck is difficult.

Now that I’m waiting for the Steam Deck to ship to me, I am shopping for some new Steam Games. I’m excited to see that Sony is making some of their PlayStation games available on Steam, including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. All of which are Steam Deck verified (meaning they will run on the Steam Deck without issues). Since I probably will never buy a PS5, these PS games are the only way that I’ll get to experience them.

Also, it’s laughable, but none of the PS games will install on my Steam Deck because they’re all over 64GB in size. I probably need to invest in a 1TB SD card ($140) or 512GB card ($70).

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix (03 Sep 2022)

Read More Springbrook Nature Center It's been one year since we did a photo shoot with the Sony A7C at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley so I thought it would make sense to do a test run of the new Sony A7IV camera ...

With the Labor Day Weekend coming up, we took a long drive to William O'Brien State Park, along the St. Croix River, to enjoy nature.

We took the official Hiking Club Trail, which is a decent seven miles... although along the trail, you can take extra loops to clock in a grand total of twelve miles.

The trail was varied, from shaded trees, to a railroad underpass, to sharp climbs, to open prairie. wildlife can be seen, or mostly heard.

At the end of the hiking adventure, we stopped by Marine On St Croix to get some late lunch at the Marine General Store. Exploring the area, we heard live music coming from the Brookside Bar & Grill in the back.

For the Summer of 2022, the tavern has a different band playing every weekend.

For September 3rd, we had a trio called DD & Company, who played some swing, western & old-time country, rockabilly, and the occasional Irish jig.

Upcoming show:

Sat Oct 22 2022 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

Carbone's
4705 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis

DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix (03 Sep 2022)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Site Update: Visible to remove Party Pay

Read More Visible I’ve been using internet-only telephone service called Visible for three months now… and I feel I’ve experienced all the pain and strain of using their service. The short story is that this is a very inexpensive mobile service . …

I’ve been using Visible since May 2021, and I have to admit, I love it. For $25 a month, I got unlimited talk, text, and, most importantly, unlimited data. It made me re-think the way I use the internet on my phone, since I’m no longer watching how much data I’m using. You basically use the phone like you were on WiFi, like allowing Google Photos to upload original image sizes or downloading massive Podcast or stream Vudu or Amazon Prime.

The best part is that of the price, you can tether or use your phone as a Hotspot, so one other device can use the internet (for example, my iPad or laptop).

That’s not to say that Visible (a division of Verizon) doesn’t have their issues and problems. I mentioned that this is entirely a “do it yourself” service, if you need tech support, you’re pretty much out of luck.

Still, if you set it up, I think $25 for an unlimited phone service is an amazing deal. You are not going to see that kind of low price from any phone company.

So, some bad news.

One of the key thing I liked about Visible was their Party Pay option, which gives you a $15 discount, if you’re party of a large group. Think “Family Plan”, but none of the party is related to you. Visible will be removing the Party Pay option in October 18, 2022, as they introduce two phone options: a regular service ($30) and a “plus” service ($45).

Look, even an increase to $30 (a $5 increase for me), I think is fine, as long as the service remains the same. I fear that the $30 will be an inferior version of the “plus” service, that’s what I’m afraid of… which means that the service will be a $20 increase for me if I need that “plus” service. $5 is acceptable, $20 is not okay with me.

You can read about it on their website:

Existing members will be required to get a new SIM card to take advantage of all these capabilities. All members, new and existing must update their device software before activating their new Visible or Visible+ plan. Devices that are currently certified for use with Visible services including our new plans are listed in the compatibility checker.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Tamron 50-400mm E-Mount lens coming September 22, 2022

Read More Tamron Maybe Tamron heard me, and announced that they are working on the Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067) on July 28, 2022. The new lens will be coming out Fall 2022 … Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

You know I’m in the market for a long-reach telephoto lens for usage at live concerts. Right now I’m using the Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens (since Sep 2021). While it’s a very fast lens (at F2.8 at the short end), I would trade that to get more reach... since I rarely shoot at 28mm.

When I read that Tamron was working on a 50-400mm lens called Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067), it was perfect for my needs.

Recently, Tamron released some additional information about the upcoming lens, including a release date of September 22, 2022, via their products page. One of the key features that I am looking forward to is that the lens will have stabilization called VC (Vibration Compensation) built into the lens! This is much-needed key feature that was absent in Tamron’s 28-200mm. While I didn’t mind it as much (as my camera had a five-axis stabilization in the camera), this is a feature that many shooters are asking for.

The other new thing I’ve learned is that the lens will have an optional tripod mount with Arca Swiss-compatible quick shoe. This suggests to me that the lens is heavy, even though the website lists it to weigh about 2.5 pounds.

For power users, you can set focus limits with their “Focus Limiter” (you would want to do this if you know you’ll never need a certain number set so you can focus faster), which I probably won’t use... but I appreciate the option. Based on the photo, I see you have physical buttons to set your custom focus - so it’s great to see that you can revert back to the default, if your custom is not working for you.

You can get half-macro photography, with a distance of about 10 inches, so if you’re into shooting very close subjects, this is for you. I probably won’t be using this too much, but I like to have this ability.

While most people won’t care for it - I find that the 75° zoom ring rotation arc is very useful. Imagine going from 50 to 400 with just a twist. On one of my old lens, I would have to turn the lens almost a half circle!

The best part is that the lens is about 7 inches, which is a good size for something that can reach 400mm. Of course, it is about 2 inches longer than my 200mm, but that’s the price to pay for more reach.

Speaking of price, that is the one thing that Tamron didn’t mention. I am going to guess that it will cost about $600-$800, based on similar lens.

I guess I’ll find out for myself, when I buy the lens in September or October (depending on availability).

Update: Pre-orders from retailers lists the lens at $1,300... much more expensive than its competitors.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer Update (August 2022)

Read More Steam Weekend gamer here. This weekend, we will look at Steam’s Steam Deck (not to be confused with Elgato’s Stream Deck). For some months, I’ve been eyeing on the handheld AYA Neo as a … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. … Xbox So, I joined Game Pass. There are two price points, the $10 per month pricing is strictly for Xbox games, and the $15, called Game Pass Ultimate includes PC, EA and Xbox Gold (you need this to play online … Sony Still, you know I’m still somewhat interested in seeing the next generation of gaming consoles… and today, Sony showed up what the upcoming PS5 will look like. And holy crap, it is so ugly. …

It’s the weekend, and here’s your Weekend Gamer update.

I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck.

I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more. Even though Steam said they are ramping up production, and it’s listed as delivery date of “October-December 2022”, but I doubt that I will get my Steam Deck until 2023. The company already announced they are working on a Steam Deck 2. I think the smart move is to just wait for the second version, as it will fix all the problems in the first version...

I think my main reason for wanting a portable PC game console is that increasingly I’m very unhappy with the performance of my Nintendo Switch. I recently launched Diablo II on the Switch and it was just unplayable. Whenever there are hundreds of enemies on screen, the Switch just crawls to a snail’s pace. The Switch desperately needs a refresh. Come on, it’s been five years already!

Also, after six months, I finally cancelled my Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The main reason is that I honestly did not have the time to fully take advantage of Game Pass. I love the fact that I could I try out the full games that I normally wouldn’t pay money for... And for titles that would normally cost $60! It was a huge savings, but at the end of the day, I would just rather buy (and own) the games that I like. What I am trying say is that I end up just playing the games that I already paid for.

I had a problem with Game Pass removing some games when they end their license agreement with Xbox. It’s very frustrating to play a game one month and then come back a few months later only to find out that game is no longer accessible, because it left Game Pass.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Microsoft announced that they will no longer be offering free downloads to Xbox 360 games in their subscription services (they simply ran out of games to give away). The one saving grace of Game Pass was that you were allowed to keep one Xbox 360 game for free (yours to keep forever!)… and it was going away as of October 1st.

Having said all those negative things, I still believe Game Pass is worth that $10 (or $15), because if you just play one game, you’ve literally made up the price of admission. It is excellent value for the money... but I didn’t have the time for it. When I find myself with more free time, I will definitely reactivate my Game Pass.

The opposite of not good value is PlayStation 5, which is still impossible to find in retail stores. I’ve seen a lot of Xbox Series X in stores recently. I’ve yet to see one PS5 in stores. In a move that I think is a mistake, Sony announced that they are raising prices for the PS5. While the USA is not one of the region that is getting a price hike, the announcement does not bode well.

Everything I’ve researched about PlayStation 5, from ripping people off on digital games to extra $10 charge for PS5 games to Sony blocking games from Game Pass... it tells me that PlayStation is very anti-consumer and they are only interested in profits.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Ripping 4K

Read More Handbrake Handbrake is my choice for ripping DVDs. It's by far the slowest ripper I've ever used, but what it lacks in speed, it does make up for being free. There are some presets, but personally I've been ripping at the best …

If you know me, you know that I own multiple thousands of DVDs and Blurays. Since the early 2000s, I’ve been ripping my DVDs, as a form of backup… and also a way for me to easily access my films and television shows. In those early days, I did recommend a paid program called DVDFab … but, as the program shifted to a subscription model for Bluray, I couldn’t support the software anymore. You can buy a “lifetime” subscription for $200, but I chose not to.

Instead, I went with a free Bluray ripper called MakeMKV, which I really liked. It’s free as long as you get a new license from them every month. I did that for a while, until I got sick of the license expiring every month… so I did pay (or “donate”) for the software. I’ve no regret about the one-time payment, it’s probably the best purchase I’ve ever made, considering that I use it on all my Blurays.

Very recently, I bought True Romance on 4K from Arrow Films. It was very expensive, I thought it would just come with a Bluray for me to rip… but it did not. I own a lot of 4K discs, and all of them came with a Bluray, so naturally, I just thought this new release would automatically come with a BD. To add insult to injury, Arrow Films, charging as much as they do, they have never offered a free digital or streaming copy of their films.

Without a BD, I had to teach myself how to rip from a 4k UHD disc. This is how I did it:

#1 UHD 4K Blu-Ray Reader
I bought Archgon’s External USB 3.0 UHD 4K Blu-Ray Writer Super Drive for $125 from Amazon. The aluminum encased drive will read UHD, read/write Bluray, M-Disc BD-R, DVD, and CD… and will work for PC and Mac. It comes with a travel protective case and all the necessary cords to plug into your computer.

In order to get the drive to rip 4k, you need to flash the drive image to from BU40N to BU40N 1.03MK. You can download all the drivers and the “MartyMcNuts” Flasher on forum.makemkv.

#2 MakeMKV
Once you flash your UHD drive, MakeMKV will be able to read the disc. I normally rip all the English audio tracks (some are audio commentaries that I want to hear) and I rip the subtitles.

The 4K files are huge. True Romance was over 70GB. You have to remember that the size of DVDs are only 4.7GB.

#3 Handbrake
The raw file is too large, so you’ll need to shrink the film to a more manageable size using the free Handbrake. My personal preference is 720p, which is “good” quality and the file size is small enough that you can locally stream or put on a USB drive for travel. Unfortunately, re-sizing the 4k resolution to 720p, took my computer over 9 hours to encode. If you have a really fast computer, I’m sure you can make it go a little faster… but if you have a slower computer, I’ll bet it might take a day!

These are optional steps:

Optional: Subtitles
You can use Subtitle Editor to extract the subtitles to a text file called *.SRT. From there you can attached it to Handbrake to offer select-able subtitles.

Optional: Tagging
I use MetaX to tag all my files with artwork and metadata. The software used to be free, but they are now a paid software. I used it a lot, so I just paid $10 for it.

I hope this helps you. It was a learning experience for me, particularly about flashing the drive to the correct firmware. If you don’t want to go through the same problem I went through, they do sell “pre-flash” drives from resellers. I’m certain there’s an upcharge.

Between you and me, I probably won’t be buying too many 4K discs (especially if it doesn’t come with a Bluray), because it just simply takes too long to encode a 4k file.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ @weheartmusic

iPad Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro 12.9

Read More iPad I’ve been living with the iPad 12.9 Pro (2017 Model) since March 2018. After using the iPad daily for about two months, here are my thoughts …

I caved in and bought a used iPad Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro 12.9 (2020). You see, between my Asus Electropunk Laptop and iPad, there is no comparison in terms of portability. The laptop weighs a ton, I never want to travel with it. Instead, if I need to do some work, the iPad and Keyboard combination works best for me.

Previously, I was using the iPad and Keyboard Folio, which is fine, but I didn’t exactly love the typing experience. Plus over time, the Folio is showing some wear and tear.

The shocker of the iPad Magic Keyboard is that it costs $350 new. This is really an insane amount of money to pay for a keyboard… and I felt like it was the barrier to entry for those in the market for a keyboard for their iPad. There are many third party keyboard maker, but I decided to go with the Magic Keyboard because it uses the smart connector.

After playing around with it, like putting the keyboard light brightness to the max, I was shocked that within a few minutes, I went from 100% charged to 84%! I turned off the light on the keyboard immediately. Wow, what a battery drainer.

In the few minutes since I started typing this review, I started noticing the battery quickly dropping. It went from 84% earlier to 81% in a few minutes… Judging by the battery drain, I feel like you need to plug this in if you intend to do a lot of work on the iPad.

The best perk about this keyboard is that you can assign the four physical button at the bottom-left of the keyboard. The four keys are Globe, Control, Option, and Command. I’m a PC user, so using the CMD+C or CMD+V is annoying to me, because of the layout. I’m just used to the Ctrl key to be the furthest left of the PC keyboard. Thankfully, you can reassign the Globe key to CMD, making a better keyboard (in my opinion).

I also like the mousepad, but it doesn’t always work with all the applications. For example, it doesn’t seem to work with Google’s Keep. I am assuming it will work better with native Apple Applications, such as Safari or their iOS Mail App.

The other thing you should know about the Magic Keyboard is that it is a little heavier than the folio. Weight may be necessary so it can anchor the “floating” iPad. As for versatility - it is only a keyboard or it can only close to protect the iPad. That’s all you can do with it.

If you need to use the iPad as a tablet, like reading digital comic books, you have to remove it from the keyboard. I think it was intentionally designed this way… which I don’t like. You see with the Folio, you can just fold the keyboard all the way to the back and use it as a Tablet, if you don’t need the keyboard.

In the end, if you need a keyboard for your iPad, I would recommend either the Folio or the Magic Keyboard, it just depends on how much money you want to spend. I have to admit, typing on the Magic Keyboard is 100% better than on the Folio.

I think my biggest concern is the battery drain. It’s already at 70%, as I finish writing this.

Update: I thought perhaps it’s just a fluke that the keyboard was draining the iPad’s battery like water (even if you have the lights on the keyboard turned off)… but after using it for a week, I can confirm that you need to plug in the keyboard if you intend to type a lot. If you are not using the keyboard, obviously it won’t draw power.

The magnet is very strong and can really hold the iPad in place. You can rock it around in a moving vehicle and know that it won’t go flying off.

PS, the other cool thing about this keyboard is if you need to lock your iPad, you can use the keys: CTRL+CMD+Q and it will lock the iPad right away.

Photo below is my Magic Keyboard with Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (from Mighty Skins) and my iPad with Death Dealer by Frank Frazetta from Skinit. I’ve previously ordered a Skinit for my Xbox Series X, and I love it. The printing looks very good and it seemed durable.

Apple Magic Keyboard and iPad Pro 12.9

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ @weheartmusic