1993 vs. 2023 portable computer drive storage
What could you get 30 years ago compared to 2023?
In 1993, most new home PCs on the low end were outfitted with a 110MB to 130MB hard disk drive. There was absolutely nothing portable about that computer storage. If you wanted something portable and moreover affordable, the 3.5" floppy diskette was your only option.
And when I say the floppy was your only choice back then, I'm not kidding. The Iomega Zip Drive didn't exist until '94. In '93, it was floppy or nothing if you wanted a portable means of moving data.
Interestingly, older home computers of the '80s (like the Commodore 64) had the two affordable portable storage options of diskette and compact cassette. Windows PCs and Macs however didn't use tapes, so again, it was floppy or nothing if you wanted portable data storage.
2023 portable data storage options
I'll first say that my definition of portable data storage is physical storage media (meaning not a computer in itself) that fits in your pocket. I do not consider the internet itself to be portable data storage. Sure, you can store data to it, but to access the data you need to be connected to the network. If you don't have internet access for whatever reason, you don't have access to your files.
At the time I write this in January 2023, physical portable data storage options all operate the same way, spread across 3 dominant connection types. Flash memory is what is used, and the dominant connection types are USB A, USB C and SD (which includes microSD).
You basically have 3 shape types. Sticks, cards and slabs. Sticks are generally called flash drives, cards are generally called memory cards, and the slabs are generally called external SSD.
Has a portable 1TB finally become affordable in '23?
Almost.
Where sticks, cards and slabs are concerned, here's how things fare out for now:
Slabs have busted under $100 for 1TB where general availability is concerned.
The 1TB SD is available, but still not under $100. It's close, though. And by close I mean within $20 close.
Sticks have also busted under 1TB, but you have to be really careful about what you buy because there are a lot of not-so honest sellers selling a claimed 1TB that actually aren't. When you browse the listings for those, if it's a generic brand, don't buy it. You have to go by brand to actually get that 1TB. Look for SanDisk, Kingston and PNY and you'll get a true 1TB.
Should you get 1TB of portable storage?
For the home computer, yes. Having 1TB you can just chuck in a drawer and use at any time is darned convenient.
For the phone, that all depends on your phone and if you're willing to spend slightly over $100 to get it.
Take for example the Samsung Galaxy A23, which was released March '22 and still current now in early '23. That phone supports up to 512GB, so you can't even use a 1TB memory card even if you wanted to.
Other Samsung phones do support up to a 1TB memory card (such as the Galaxy S20). But even so, some models newer than that don't.
My opinion when it comes to phone storage: Unless you take a ridiculous amount of photos and record a ton of videos, 128GB is fine for most people, 256GB is great and 512GB is awesome. Also remember that you don't necessarily have to have a ridiculous amount of storage in the phone itself. As long as you can connect a USB stick to it, there's always that option too for added storage (and it's easier to back up with since you can plug/unplug a USB stick whenever you want with no special tools).
Driving a car that nobody wants
There are advantages to this.
Next week I'm buying new tires for my car. I did the penny test on my tread and yeah, I need new rubber. I could probably get away with driving on the tires I have for another 6 months or even a year, but better safe than sorry.
The total cost to replace all 4 tires will be about $400, and that's for everything. Tire cost, balancing, mounting, TPMS kits, the works.
In 2022 dollars, $400 for new tires with full installation is cheap. The entire reason I can get a price that low is because I drive a car nobody wants - a subcompact sedan that's over 10 years old.
If I were driving a recent SUV, such as a 2018 Ford Explorer with 18" wheels, the cheapest price I could get for tires + installation would be $800. Yes, double. Why? Because SUVs are hot-hot-hot, that's why. If you price out tires + install for an '18 Mustang with 18" wheels, guess what? Price drops to $650. Why? Because Mustangs are not hot-hot-hot.
Yes, this literally means your maintenance cost would be less driving a Mustang when compared to an Explorer. Also, the Mustang has 4 MPG better fuel economy than the Explorer does when both cars are equipped with the 2.3L 4-cylinder turbo engine, so you save cash there too. The Mustang is absolutely the cheaper car to own long term. Crazy, isn't it?
However, nothing is as cheap to own as a subcompact.
To give you an idea of how unwanted the car I drive is, here's a quick description: It's over 10 years old as I said above, a sedan (the hatchbacks are more desirable), no infotainment screen, and... it's a manual.
People hear "manual" and think "sports car". Not my car. It's just a little sedan with a manual gearbox. Yes, it has A/C, cruise control, power windows, power locks and keyless entry. But it's still a manual, and there's not many people that know how to drive one of those anymore.
Everything really is cheaper with a subcompact
Tires, filters, brakes, bulb replacement and just about anything else you can think of is significantly lower in price when compared to an SUV or a pickup.
Heck, the cost is even less when compared to a compact crossover. The cheapest tire+install for one of those, such as a Chevrolet Trax, is $620.
I seriously don't understand why more people don't drive subcompacts because they're not just for commuting. Most subcompacts today can easily fit 4 adults while still having decent storage in the rear. All of the newer ones can achieve 40 MPG highway easily on regular gas with no hybrid system. These cars are fast enough, are decent peoplemovers and are easier to drive compared to an SUV or truck.
When you know, you know
People who drive small cars can actually maintain them because the cost to do so is less. As such, the probability of getting a decent used car increases if it's small. This doesn't mean you can just buy a small car blind (some are lemons just like with any car), but generally speaking, yeah, single-owner used small cars are usually decent buys.
Some people think others give a crap about the car you drive. They don't. Other drivers don't care. And for any passengers you carry around, all they care about is a comfortable safe journey in a clean car that doesn't stink.
My small car is invisible to others because it just blends in. I never get challenged to a race, nor do I want to be. I can park anywhere. Thieves never give my car a second look or even a first one.
I'll end this with a mildly funny story.
The only other drivers I've ever seen who care about my car are others who drive the same model.
One day I was driving on the highway, driving a speed I shouldn't have been. I see this guy in a car just like mine up ahead, except his was a different color. He's in the far left lane waiting for this slower idiot that's hogging the left to get the hell out of the way. I see an opening on the far right lane (this was a 5-lane part of the highway). I check my mirrors, no cars there, quick look over the shoulder, no cars, safe to go. I change over to the far right lane and blaze by everybody on the left.
That guy saw what I did, then did the "Well, if he can do it, I can do it, I got the same car!" thing as soon as that lane hog got out of his way, stomped the gas and blazed past me at 90 miles per hour or more.
Stupid? Yes. But funny. My stupid increased his stupid, and the result of that was two little subcompact commuter cars dusting everybody else on the highway for a short spell. That's not hilariously funny, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
So I cracked a hubcap
Yes, I know the proper name for these things are wheel covers, but I still call them hubcaps. Amazon agrees with me on this one.
The current car I drive is over 10 years old. I bought it used and it came with a set of cheap hubcaps. Some months back, one of them developed a crack. When I spotted this, I thought okay, this will probably last maybe six more months and then the thing is going to break apart.
Recently, I had to pull off the hubcaps so I could adjust tire pressure, which went okay. But when putting the hubcaps back on, -CRACK-, that's when that one hubcap gave up the ghost. One of the tabs broke right off and there was no saving it.
Hubcap sets are fortunately cheap, but what a needless expense it is. The only reason I don't drive with just steel wheels showing is because they have surface rust. That rust is totally normal and doesn't hurt anything, but it looks bad, so yeah I will pony up the cash to buy a new set of 4.
Things I've learned from driving a car that has hubcaps
I've owned my fair share of cars, but what I'm driving now is only the third car to ever have hubcaps on it. The first one was a crappy '87 Chevy S-10 pickup, and the second the terrible Versa. My current car is a similar size to what the Versa was (meaning small).
The best bit of information I can give you is that if you have a car with hubcaps on it, ALWAYS take them off before having any tire service performed. Put the hubcaps in the trunk or leave them at home, because if you don't, they will be damaged.
Here are two small stories of what can happen if you leave your hubcaps on when you bring in your car for tire service. One involves me directly and the other is something I witnessed.
When I had the Versa, I brought it into a shop for new tires. The tires were installed and everything seemed to be fine. When I drove the car home, there were no problems... until I looked at one of the rear wheels. A nice big fresh scrape was on the hubcap. I didn't hit anything on the way home, so right then and there I knew the mechanic did that. I also knew there was nothing I could do about it. The damage was there, I couldn't prove the garage did it even though I knew they did, and that's when I learned always to remove hubcaps before going to get tire service.
Fast-forward some time later to the car I have now. Every single time I've ever gone in for tire service, those hubcaps come off first. The time comes due for tire rotation, so I make an appointment at the garage. The day of the appointment, the hubcaps come off and I go to get the service done. This particular garage is the type that only does tires and nothing else. In the waiting area are big windows where you can see all the garage bays with employees working on the cars.
I saw something that just floored me.
A Honda sedan is pulled in. Newer one. The type with hubcaps that will cost you a bare minimum of $80 or even $150+ to replace. Maybe even more. The owner obviously took care of his car because it looked really nice. Well, one part wasn't so nice when the mechanic was done with it. The car is lifted, he yanks off the first hubcap and then proceeds to toss it on the ground face DOWN right on the concrete, scratching it all up. He did this in plain sight and didn't even care.
I want to make it very clear: He did not properly place the hubcap down. Oh, no. He just tossed it.
My hubcaps are cheap crap, but if I saw a mechanic do that to my car, let's just say some yelling would be involved.
When I saw that happen, I just sat in silence, thinking "Yep. That right there is why I take the hubcaps off my car before any mechanic touches my tires."
If a hubcap is going to break, it's better if YOU break it
I broke my hubcap. My fault. The one I expected to break did break, I knew it was coming, so it didn't upset me when it finally broke.
The fact I broke the hubcap actually feels much better than having a mechanic break it. You pay the mechanic to fix things and not break them. Having a mechanic damage or outright break a hubcap is really insulting, especially since that type of damage can be avoided so easily.
When you damage or break a hubcap, at least it's "free damage". That may not sound like it makes sense, but believe me, it does.
Later this week I'll be buying new cheap hubcaps for my small car.
This stupid manual pencil sharpener
It's things like this that make you question whether buying more expensive "quality" items are even worth the bother.
As I've said before, I use pencils (Ticonderoga, specifically). Why? They don't splotch, they don't blotch, they never run out of ink, and compared to pens they never have to be "encouraged" to start writing properly by shaking them. Press to paper and go.
I had a battery operated electric pencil sharpener, but I did something stupid with it. I left the batteries in it too long, they leaked, and ruined the sharpener. Yes, I tried cleaning the contacts, but that didn't work, so I tossed it in the trash.
In the house was an older pencil sharpener. I tried it.
Immediately, I noticed it sharpened better and faster than the electric one ever did. The pencil tip was sharper and shaved wood on the sides smoother.
There are no shortage of electric sharpeners. But as I've found out, the cheap-as-chips 2 hole manual sharpeners actually do a better job.
If you're not familiar with the two hole sizes, typically that means one is for pencils and the other for crayons. If you need more pencil sizes, manual wall mount sharpeners still exist. If you're old enough to remember, it's the same kind used in elementary schools of the '70s and '80s. Chances are if you actually need one of these, it would be for jumbo pencils (specifically RevMark jumbo) used by guys for drawing on wood and walls and other construction type work.
I may never buy another electric pencil sharpener again. Why bother when the seriously cheap one works so well, and does a better job?
Minecraft Interactive Watch (this could have been better)
This watch is significant downgrade compared to the PlayZoom.
I recently tried out the PlayZoom smartwatch. That one is loaded with features and other good stuff.
But this, the Minecraft Interactive Watch... not-so good.
Does it even work? Yes. There's a big red sticker under the case that says it has to be charged for at least 30 minutes (better if you charge it for 90) before it will get enough charge to function. Once charged, it works like it's supposed to.
The strap is pliable, soft and comfortable.
The screen has enough brightness to it to be read, and touch response works.
The pinhole camera is one of those "selfie only" things since it's fixed in place. Yes, it will take very low quality photos and record very low quality video.
Yes, it will operate with no need to connect it to a phone or computer. Just charge it and go.
For a kid's watch, sure, this will pass. But you could get so much more from a PlayZoom. Namely, many more wallpapers, more games, more little apps and just a whole bunch more stuff to keep a kid entertained. And heck, the pinhole camera even swivels on the PlayZoom, meaning it can do more than just selfie photos.
To note, I believe this is the same watch you get with any Accutime Kids model. Minecraft is the one I tried out, but you'll also see this same watch themed as Disney's Frozen, Spider-Man, Marvel Avengers, Sonic The Hedgehog, Harry Potter, Pokemon and Star Wars to name a few. These all have the same lackluster set of features.
In comparison, the PlayZoom is just so much better in pretty much every way. However, I have to bear in mind the audience for this timepiece.
The ultimate question is this: Is it good enough for a kid? Yes, good enough - as long as it doesn't get wet. This watch, just like the PlayZoom, has no water resistance whatsoever. If it gets wet, that will damage the electronics permanently.
To see it in action, I made a video about this watch.