i will never get along with analog watches
I've tried to get along with an analog watch, and it's just not happening.
My daily wearer is still the Casio W735H. Mine has wear on it now because I've worn it so much. This watch agrees with my skinny wrist. By the numbers of 51.4mm lug-to-lug, 47.1mm diameter case, and 16.1mm thick, this watch should not fit my wrist, yet it does. The W735H has "wings" after the case that drop off like a cliff with a very sharp downturn. And because of the hybrid resin/nylon fabric strap on the particular model I have (one side nylon, other side resin with a loop for the fabric part), the watch magically fits me even with the overhang at the bottom. I say magically because I can't even explain why it fits me, because again, it absolutely shouldn't.
This is not about fitment, but rather the conclusion I've begrudgingly come to that I will never get along with analog dial watches no matter what.
Two examples of analog watches I own:
The Casio MTP4500D, which does fit my wrist very well with its 48mm lug-to-lug, 42mm diameter case and 11.3mm thickness, looks absolutely amazing. It really does. Small seconds subdial, chronograph, screw-back case for easy battery changes, black dial with neat looking orange hands... the watch just looks good.
Another is the "Cartier Tank" of Casio watches, the AQ230. I own two of these. A silver case with stick hour markers on a black dial and a gold with stick markers on a gold/linen dial. The AQ230 is featherlight at just 47g.
With the MTP4500D, I love the fact it's time-only. Set it, put on the wrist and go. Easy. The problem is that depending on what time of the day it is, I may get confused as to what time it actually is. If it's 6:40pm, I may confuse that as 7:40pm. I don't know why my brain thinks that way when looking at an analog clock at certain times of the day, but it does.
With the AQ230, I can set the little digital part to display digital time instead of the date. That's ridiculous, because it defeats the whole point of wearing an analog timepiece in the first place. The watch has a small-square-luxury appearance going on and looks fantastic, but my brain still periodically gets that same time confusion like with the MTP4500D.
Is there a solution to that confusion on my part while staying analog? Yes, and it's called a jump hour watch. This is technically digital even though no LCD panel is present. Jump hour watches have two little panels. One for hour, and the other for minute. Some include a seconds dial and/or a date complication while others do not.
I have two problems with jump hour watches. The first is that they look a little weird. The second is that I am absolutely and totally used to seeing time + weekday + month + date all on one screen of a Casio digital, which you can't get on most analog watches.
For analog, the most convenient is the Seiko 5 because all of them have a day-date complication. And if it's a diver, you get the dive timer too (I don't dive, but absolutely would use that timer for other things). I mean, sure, you could go with a Rolex Day-Date to be fancy, but a Seiko 5 suits better as a daily wearer. For something more highfalutin as an extremely good daily wearer, several Seiko Prospex models have the day-date on it with the dive timer also.
On those watches, you get time, date, weekday, timer (on most), and that's it. No month. But like I said, I am absolutely and totally used to seeing time + weekday + month + date, having the timer on a separate screen, and also having an alarm and stopwatch...
...and wow, is that difficult to give up. I just don't want to do it.
Now if I wanted to go flat out luxury digital to keep all the features I like with full steel, Casio has that with the G-SHOCK GMWB5000D. That is one of the "full metal" digital G-SHOCKs. There is also the super-highfalutin break-the-bank made in Japan MRGB5000D. And when I say break-the-bank, no, it's not at the cost of upper tier Grand Seiko watches, but it is up there in the G-SHOCK world.
Both of those watches are obviously nice, but total overkill for me because I get all the stuff I want out of my W735H.
Is the W735H I wear an ugly watch? Basically, yes. It will never win any beauty awards. But again, it's got all the features I really like.
What I am hoping to someday find is a luxury or at least a luxury-looking digital watch where I don't lose any features, and is one that fits my skinny wrist. Yeah, that is a bit of a tall order. (And no, the answer is not a smartwatch. I can't stand those things.)
The closest thing to that right now other than the G-SHOCKs I mentioned is the Casio WV58DA. I already have the resin strap version of that, and the dial design on that one is... okay. Not as good as the W735H. Certainly not as good as the G-SHOCKs.
My search continues. Until then, I'll keep wearing my ugly W735H.
Garmin DriveSmart 66 finally gets a lock screen
This was a long time coming, but better late than never.
It's kind of funny, because Garmin was in fact ahead of its time and then grossly behind the time at the same time.
I'll explain.
In early-early nuvi models like the nuvi 250W from the late 2000s, there was in fact a section called Garmin Lock. And then Garmin took out that feature in later models after that. No more Garmin Lock. This is the way things stayed for well over a decade. And oh yes, people were really upset about it. They complained. Loudly. Garmin didn't put it back.
At long last, Garmin finally brought back the lock screen.
In one of the more recent system software updates, the DriveSmart 66, DriveSmart 76 and DriveSmart 86 now has the lock screen that was taken away over a decade ago.
From Settings > Device, there is now the option for Screen Lock, where you can set a PIN for every power-on, using a 4 to 16 digit PIN of your choosing.
For those early-early models, the maximum PIN length was 4 digits, meaning a number between 0000 and 9999. Now the PIN can be a number between 0000000000000000 and 9999999999999999.
The nice part here is the PIN doesn't have to be 16 digits long. It can be 4 digits, 5, 8, 10, whatever. Anything from 4 to 16 digits in length can be used.
Garmin was really late to the party putting a lock screen back into their navigators, but it's there now, and that's good.
can a gps over 10 years old still be used today?
The answer to this question is a solid yes - if you know what you need to make it work.
I periodically read reviews for smartphone navigation apps, and there are a few very common complaints. The top 3 are "GPS signal lost!", "Gave me wrong directions!", and the most common, "Why did you change it? Put it back the way it was!"
People get frustrated enough to where they just say to hell with the phone and look up Garmin GPSes instead. Then they see the price of a Garmin DriveSmart 66 and say nope, too expensive, and would rather get something used that's dirt simple to use and cheap.
If that sounds like you, I have the information you need. All of it.
I am going to purposely concentrate on 4 very specific basic models that are easy to acquire along with everything you need to get the thing working right.
While I personally prefer more advanced models, the goal of this article is to be a guide that is very easy to follow.
The models
All of these are from 2013, and they all still work just fine.
- Garmin nuvi 42LM
- Garmin nuvi 44LM
- Garmin nuvi 52LM
- Garmin nuvi 54LM
It is important that you get a model with LM in the model name.
Be sure to purchase one that has the clip and the suction mount, don't buy it and look at other listings until you find one that does.
The 42 and 44 are 4.3" screens, and the 52 and 54 are 5" screens. All four operate exactly the same. If you are unsure which to choose, get a 5" model. It doesn't matter if it's a 52 or 54 since both work the same.
Adding a memory card to store USA, Canada and Mexico map data
It is required to buy one 32GB microSD memory card since the internal memory on its own doesn't have enough space to fit modern map data. The card slot is on the Garmin itself and you do not need to plug it into your phone nor your computer.
ONLY use 32GB. If you try using 64GB or greater, it will not work.
Cables needed
You need two cables. One for power, one for transferring map data from your computer.
These cables may look the same, but don't act the same, so you need both.
A warning: If you try to power the Garmin in your car using a data cable, IT WILL DAMAGE IT because the pinouts are different, so don't do that. You need the appropriate cables.
If you don't have a USB port in your car, any USB car charger will work. It is not required for it to be the high-power type. The charger needs at least one A slot (the older, larger rectangle one).
Alternatively, if the Garmin you buy comes with its own car charger, that will plug right in to your car's 12V port and you don't need the power cable. But you do need the data cable.
Updating to the latest maps
Insert the memory card into the Garmin first.
On your computer, go to garmin.com/express and install the software (free).
Once Garmin Express is running, use the USB data cable to connect the GPS to your computer.
Garmin Express will automatically detect the device and ask if you want to add it. Do so.
Garmin Express will then most likely tell you the GPS needs an update. Do so.
If there is a map update required, it will take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours to complete, depending on your internet connection speed.
Remove old Favorites first (if any are present)
On the GPS:
- Where To?
- Favorites
- Select a Favorite
- Click the Favorite's speech bubble
- Click the Delete button:
Do this for all Favorites you want to delete.
Setting up your old Garmin - adding a Home location
Configure your GPS to show decimal degree coordinates first.
- Where To?
- Down arrow (bottom right of screen)
- Coordinates
- Format (bottom middle button)
- Click the gray box under Format.
- Select h ddd.ddddd°
- OK
- Click Back (bottom left) 3 times
Find the coordinates of your home parking space using Google Maps. Find your home, then right-click Google Maps to get the coordinates.
On the GPS:
- Settings
- System
- Set GPS Simulator to On.
- You will be given a notice "GPS simulator is turned on (for indoor use)".
- Back (twice)
- Where To?
- Down arrow (bottom right)
- Coordinates
Refer back to the coordinates you acquired from Google Maps. The first number is latitude, and the second longitude. In the continental United States, all GPS coordinates have a north latitude and a west longitude. This means the first number is always positive and the second number always negative.
- Enter the coordinates into the GPS.
- When finished entering coordinates, click Next.
- Click Set Location
- Click Back three times
- Where To?
- Go Home
- Use My Current Location
- Favorites
You should see "Home" now listed.
- Back (twice)
- Settings
- System
- Click On under GPS Simulator and change to Off.
- OK
- Back (twice)
If you ever need to reset your home location, go to Favorites, select Home, select the Home speech bubble, then Delete.
Setting up your old Garmin - Route Preferences and Avoidances
- Settings
- Navigation
- Under Route Preference, click the gray box and then select Faster Time or Shorter Distance. Off Road is meant for in-the-woods use. Generally speaking, Faster Time is the best option to use.
- When finished, click OK.
- Click the gray box under Avoidances
There are 6 options (one is hidden that you have to click the down arrow to see) to enable or disable here. A checkbox next to an option means the GPS will avoid it. No checkbox means it will not avoid it when calculating a route for you.
- When finished, click OK
- Back (twice)
Finding stuff
While viewing the map
Click the vehicle icon (it will either be a little car or an arrow).
Select Hospitals, Police Stations or Fuel to see the closest destinations for each.
If for example you selected Fuel, a list of gas stations closest to your current location will be shown. Select one, then click Go to start navigating.
Address search
- Where To?
- Address
- Enter the address of the location.
- Click Save to save as a Favorite, or skip that and click Go to navigate there.
Points of Interest search
- Where To?
- Points of Interest
You have several options here, all divided into categories. If you want to skip the categories and just spell the name, click Spell Name and do so. Bear in mind that the search may be slow, since this is an old model.
To just see what's local around you for specific category, pick a category. For restaurants, that would be Food and Drink, then pick a subcategory such as Asian, and the closest Asian restaurants will be listed.
What to do if the Garmin can't find the location you wanted
Use coordinates in a similar way that you set your Home location.
Find the place you want to navigate to on Google Maps first and right-click the map to get the coordinates.
- Where To?
- Down arrow (bottom right)
- Coordinates
- Enter the coordinates.
- Next
- Save to save the location as a Favorite, or Go to navigate there.
Things that may cause an old Garmin not to work properly
Heated windshield
I'm not talking about heater fans, but rather the windshields on some luxury cars that have little lines that heat the windshield similar to rear glass defroster lines. If you have a windshield with those tiny little wires in the glass, that will block signals like crazy and cause the GPS to outright not work.
Large steel bridges
When crossing a large steel bridge, that can bounce around the GPS signal and cause your position on the map to go wacky until you've crossed the bridge.
Parking garages and some airport terminals
Big thick concrete will block a GPS signal. If you enter one of these structures and the Garmin says "lost satellite reception", you'll know why.
Urban canyons
An urban canyon is a deep city environment with skyscrapers all around you while driving through it; this can sometimes block GPS signals.
Dense foliage
This is somewhat rare and usually only happens in mountainous areas during the autumn season, but a lot of tree cover with leaves flying around all over the place can sometimes temporarily block a GPS signal. Like with the large steel bridge scenario, this can cause your position on the map to go wacky for a short time.
FAQ
Can I run this off of just the battery when fully charged?
Yes, but it's not recommended. Leave it plugged in all the time.
Can I run this off a USB power bank?
If you want to, yes. You will get anywhere from 8 to 24 hours of continuous use from a power bank's full charge.
Will this GPS work during hot summer driving?
Yes, as long as there is some air moving in the car either from a window rolled down or the A/C running.
The general advice here is to know what to do when parked. If it's a hot summer day and you park somewhere where there is no cover from the sun, get the GPS and its power cord out of the sun and put it in the glove box before leaving the car to prevent it from getting cooked. If it gets cooked, that will make it fail (possibly permanently).
Is there a service fee for any of this?
No. GPS is already paid for by taxpayer dollars and run by the US Government.
What map data do I get with this GPS?
All of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Again, you need the 32GB microSD card installed to hold all that data. It is REQUIRED.
Will the GPS notify me of a map update?
No. You have to check for map updates yourself about once every 6 months. Every 6 months, launch Garmin Express, plug in your GPS, and if there is a map update, the software will tell you.
Is there traffic reporting?
No. Navigation only.
Does this old model have any ability to receive a location from my phone?
No.
How do I get a list of directions from the GPS?
Pick a destination either from Favorites, Points of Interest, Coordinates or elsewhere, click Go and let the GPS calculate the route first. Once the route is calculated and it's telling you where to go, click the top blue text bar on the map screen, and the directions list will be there.
Will this GPS automatically recalculate a route if I miss a turn?
Yes.
Does this GPS have a trip computer?
Yes. Pick a destination (similar to what was described just above) and click Go. After that on the map screen, click the bottom right field where your speed is listed, and you'll see the trip computer. Information such as arrival time, miles to go and so on will be listed.
Can I get that trip information to always be on the map?
Yes.
- Settings
- Map
- Down arrow (bottom right)
- Map Data Layout
- Change from Standard to More Data
- OK
- Back (twice)
- View Map
Four boxes will be on the right side of the map. Each of the top 3 can be clicked and changed from 6 available choices. The ones you will probably want are Arrival Time, Distance and Time to Destination.
To switch back to full map view:
- Settings
- Map
- Down arrow
- Map Data Layout
- Standard
In Standard view while viewing the map, the bottom left field can be clicked and changed to one of the 6 options just like in More Data view, except it's just that one box.
Note that in either Standard or More Data view, there are two view modes, tracking and navigating. When not navigating (GPS is on but you haven't selected a place to navigate to), each box only has 3 custom options to select from since no place to navigate to has been selected. In navigating mode, you get the 6 options. Once you have set what you want to see for both tracking and navigating, the GPS will remember these settings and you don't have to set them again unless you want to.
How many Favorites can I save on this GPS?
1,000.
Does this GPS have a safe mode?
Yes.
When Safe Mode is on, the screen cannot be interacted with while your car is in motion. With it off, it can be used while your car is moving.
- Settings
- System
- Safe Mode (select On or Off)
I found a map error. What can I do about it?
Nothing. Deal with it.
I couldn't find the location I wanted in the GPS. What do I do?
Use coordinates as noted above.
The screen brightness at night is too bright. Can I adjust this?
Yes. When the Garmin switches from day to night mode, you can select Settings, then Display, and adjust brightness there. The Garmin will remember the setting. Bear in mind brightness decreases gradually from day to night based on the clock, so you might have to adjust it a few times before you get it exactly how you want.
Does this Garmin have a "dark mode"?
Yes.
- Settings
- Display
- Color Mode
- Set to Night, and the Night theme will be used all the time.
The clock is set to 24-hour and I want 12-hour. How do I do that?
- Settings
- Time
- Time Format
I want to completely reset the unit. How?
- Delete all Favorites first
- Where To?
- Recently Found
- Clear (to clear out the Recently Found list)
- Power the GPS off
- On battery, press the bottom right of the screen, hold, and power on.
- Wait until "Erase all user data?" appears, select Yes.
Note that if you do this, you will have to set everything up from scratch again. Basically everything mentioned here. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long. Also, it may take a few minutes for the first GPS signal to be acquired after a reset.
making peace with windows 11
Microsoft will be ending support for Windows 10 in 75 days from the day I post this, so now was the time to just get 11 installed and be done with that mess.
No, I have not switched back to Windows. I've been using Linux for over 2 years now on my main computer, I really like it, and there's no way I would go back to Windows as my daily driver.
However, on my second computer (an old Dell Latitude), I need Windows on that for two things. Updating my Garmin navigators, and the rare occasion (as in so rare it's fewer than 5 times a year) when I need to print something. I could make the printer work with Linux, but since I print so rarely, it's not worth the bother.
This is actually my second (or maybe third?) go at Win11. I hated 11 so much before that I just said screw it and went back to 10. But again, it's 75 days before support ends, so... yeah, time for 11.
My Windows 11 installation is 99.8% bone stock. The only non-stock things I did was install the OS skipping all the BitLocker stuff and using a local account. The Win11 ISO was from Microsoft directly, but I made my USB stick installer using Rufus, allowing me to skip BitLocker and the "required" Microsoft account. Aside from that, everything in the OS is bog standard.
Okay, that's not true. I did run O&O ShutUp10++ to modify some settings, but that semi-broke the Start menu in Win11. I undid all the changes, went back to bog standard after that and stayed there.
My complaints about 11 haven't changed.
I still hate the fact the taskbar cannot be moved, cannot be resized, and cannot be made smaller.
I still hate the way the right-click context menu works.
I still hate that all the settings you need to change to turn off bloat (as much as can be done) are sprawled out all over the OS, including one that's a total doozy to get to that I'll detail in a moment. There's Win11 Settings, there's legacy settings stuff using Windows 7 style windows for things that weren't integrated into Settings, there's legacy settings from as far back as Windows 2000 (or earlier!) still floating around... the whole thing is a mess. And even after you're done clicking all over the place to find every setting you need to change, you're not done, because there's also Edge browser.
Edge browser has its own settings and permissions, some of which are integrated into Windows, some not. And there's a ton of them.
It takes - and I kid you not - at least a solid hour to go through all the settings in bog standard Win11 just to disable the bloat. All the "Settings" settings, all the legacy settings, all the Edge settings. I am not kidding when I say it's a mess.
Years ago, it used to be the PC manufacturer that put all the bloat in a new computer when you bought it. Those who remember those bad old days spent a lot of time uninstalling garbage trial software. It was ridiculous.
In modern times, it's Windows itself bloating up everything with its stock installation.
Once time (and a lot of it) has been put into disabling all the bloat, Win11 then runs fairly well.
There is one positive I can give to Windows that I've probably said here before. Out of all modern operating systems that exist, Windows by far has the best legacy software support. I have software over 20 years old that will still run in modern Windows. That's basically not possible on a Mac nor in Linux. And even if ancient software doesn't run exactly correct in modern Windows, it will still, y'know, run.
Some third-party programs that are only for Windows are still the best you'll ever find. Three examples of that are Everything by voidtools (absolute best search utility), Irfanview (absolute best image viewer), and Notepad++ (absolute best text editor). And for those that would wonder why Notepad++ is the best, it's because of the macro ability. Absolutely nothing comes close to how much you can do with macros in Notepad++.
While I can mostly get the same functionality in Linux, Windows-only programs like the above are top shelf stuff, and all free.
However, this doesn't fix how stupid Windows can sometimes be. And this is where I talk about a doozy of a setting so buried that you would never find it on your own.
Ready? Here we go.
Where's the keyboard repeat rate setting in Windows 11? Go ahead, try to find it in Settings. It's not there.
To find that setting, you have to:
- Win+R to bring up the run dialog.
- Type control, then click OK for the OLD Control Panel.
- In the Control Panel, click the tiny "Category" at top right and choose "Large Icons".
- Click Keyboard and now you can adjust the repeat rate.
Yes, this is how you're supposed to adjust the keyboard repeat rate.
How do I know this? Microsoft Copilot states so verbatim if you ask about it.
Copilot also goes on to say hey, you could also perform a registry edit to do the same thing if you wanted to. Yeah, I'm sure Joe and Jane average computer user would totally be comfortable doing that, right?
It is literally impossible to get to the keyboard repeat rate setting using only the mouse. Win11 shipped this way. The keyboard is the primary interface for a computer, and Microsoft decided to just leave out any way to adjust the repeat rate in Settings.
For anything positive I could say about Windows, it's stuff like this that immediately punches it down.
But as the title of this article states, I've made my peace with Windows 11. On the second computer I have it installed on, I've accepted its awfulness. Win11 was bad out of the gate, it's still bad, that will never change, and that's just the way it is.
Whenever I encounter a dumb thing in Windows now, all I think to myself is yep, there's yet another reason I don't use this trash as my daily driver OS. I get in Win11, get whatever done I need to, then shut down that computer and go right back to Linux.
battle of the cool mist humidifiers
I said in the quest for a humidifier that doesn't suck that I would list off the other humidifiers I tried out, so here it is.
Money was spent on all this, so if you're looking to get a humidifier or replace one, this will give you some good insight on what NOT to buy.
Before I begin, I'm still using the Frida Baby 3-in-1; that hasn't changed because it's still the best of the lot. Easy carry handle, easy refill, easy cleaning, infinite-adjust control knob, and it just works. There is however one thing that I personally don't have a problem with, but others might. Tank size. You might want something larger. If so, keep reading.
I'm going to list these off from worst to second best, being the best one was the Frida.
Equate Cool Mist Humidifier
This one literally didn't last 5 minutes before it broke.
I unpacked it carefully, filled the tank halfway with cool tap water, ran it, then the tank cracked and it started leaking all over the place.
Total garbage.
Safety 1st Everyday Cool Mist Humidifier
This one actually works, but just barely as it hardly generates any mist at all. Maybe this would be good for an office cubicle, a very small bathroom, or a baby crib, but not much else.
It is also infuriating that the front "button" isn't a button but a touch point with no tactile response at all. Also notice there is no knob present. You get 3 mist settings and that's it, and there's barely a difference from one to the next.
Not total garbage, but still garbage.
Safety 1st Easy-Fill Cool Mist Humidifier
True to its word, this is easy to fill. Also, notice it has a knob, and it's infinite-adjust. Very good.
And then things go downhill from there because it does not throw a good amount of mist. This is again something only meant for small spaces.
Vicks FilterFree Cool Mist Humidifier
Now we're talking.
Out of all the humidifiers I tried (including the Frida), this is the only one that throws a lot of mist on max setting. If you can't find this at your local department store, try Amazon.
It holds a full gallon of water, and there is a space that acts as a carry handle in the back. There is a side compartment for "VapoPads" to add scent, but it's not necessary to use one. You can leave the side compartment empty and the humidifier will still work as it should, but still, nice to have the option.
The tank is made of good material and doesn't feel flimsy. Front knob is large, infinite-adjust and has a light on it to let you know the unit is on. Operation is as easy as it gets.
There are only two issues with this particular humidifier.
First, the tank is tall, so it can't be filled in a bathroom sink. You'll have to bring it to the kitchen to do that.
Second, light dripping noises are heard if you go anywhere past a 1/4 turn. This is not a flaw but rather just how the mechanism for this particular humidifier works.
The dripping noise is not loud, but there. And this is the only reason I don't use this in my bedroom. It is otherwise a solid, well-designed, good humidifier.
For a 1-gal humidifier that can truly throw some mist and can run at maximum misting for almost 3 days before needing a refill, you can't get any better than the Vicks.
However.. I'm using the Frida because it barely makes any dripping noise (basically silent), I can refill the tank in a bathroom sink, or leave the humidifier where it is, pull the top off and refill with a measuring cup, water bottle, jug or whatever.
It is convenience reasons that made the Frida win out in the end. Or more specifically, convenience for me. You might want the bigger tank and more mist. If so, then you want the Vicks. But it will make light dripping noises and there's no way around that unless you run it at the lowest setting.