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Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 vs Tozo NC9 Earbuds and Review
Are Tozos good? Are Galaxy Buds 2 good? A look at a real user
Hey guys, Bucky here! In this segment it's all about wireless headphones, like my Tozo earbuds versus my new Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds.
Money Doesn't Grow on Trees
OK I'm not real big on spending a lot of money on wireless headphones. For me they are a lot like sunglasses, I buy them I wear them a couple times, and I just don't use them again. But I've been having to use earbuds at work to merge with my computer so I can do zoom calls and that, and only have the noise of my ears. No need disturbing the whole workplace, right?
The Tozo Earbuds - Nc9
The Nc9 Tozo earbuds have been pretty much my go-to for 3, or 4, or 5 months. For the most part I have been happy with them, but their noise cancelling is a little bit iffy, and their sound quality is only okay for work. So far as the noise cancelling, they are labeled as "hybrid noise cancelling". But the challenge I have with these things, the Tozos, is that over the course of the day they would disconnect for no good reason and I'd have to re merge and re-pair them, going through the whole rigamarole probably four or five times a day. That became a distraction. However they're also a little heavy. After about 45 minutes my ears hurt like mad! Now, a lady at work told me "maybe you should get some new headphones." I'm thinking, maybe.
So I took the plunge and got me some Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Currently $81.95 at Amazon
Now when I bought my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, I debated on getting Samsung earbuds with it. However I just couldn't stomach paying 90 bucks for Galaxy Buds 2. Then there's a Samsung ear buds 2 Pro. and I thought about those too. Reportedly they a lot better noise canceling, better sound, that also being 360 sound, like you're at an event, but I REALLY cannot stomach $200 for a pair of headphones. I mean, what if I lose them? And since I'm going to primarily use them at work anyway, what's the point? Work isn't buying them, I am. The Tozos are like $29.00 and liked them for a while, I really enjoyed them.
Watch my Galaxy Buds 2 video review below
The Samsung's I got for about $84. The sound quality during calls is about the same as the Tozo, the noise canceling is slightly better. They fit better, they're lighter, and they're far more comfortable. But best of all they don't disconnect over and over and over again. I can easily wear the Galaxy Buds 2 for 3 to 4 hours and not even remember I have them in. Yet, with noise cancelling on, that can be a problem, as I do not hear people come up behind me asking questions. At least not initially. However, they don't block noise all that well.
In actual use
When I've got them in that work I get about an hour and a half of use and I'll drop about 40% of my charge. I pop them back into their charging case and in about 10 minutes I have full of charge again. So, in other words, I can go all day with them. I got them in right now and I can't even feel them. Now I don't know if there's a sound difference in videos, but I guess we'll know that when I hear this in your video above.
So, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, I would recommend them. They're reasonably priced. They're comfortable. they're light, and they do their job. And, best of all, the pair with my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone right quick. But do tell me what you think!
~~~~~~
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Solar Panels and Solar Power
5 things to know to escape a horror show
I have been a big fan of solar panels and power since I was a little boy. More on that later. I also wrote an article on solar energy on either blogger.com or blogspot.com (now owned by blogger.com) about 9 years ago on the topic. In that article I stated that all new construction ought to have solar panels (and is now a reality where I live), and solar roof tiles should be a thing. They are now a thing! I went on that all commercial buildings with flat roof systems would benefit from solar panels. That, too, is becoming a reality. As a matter of fact an old employer I used to work for installed a grip of panels on their roof. Why not, right? After all, you got this giant roof just otherwise soaking up sunlight and dissipating it as heat!
Now it's My Turn to get solar panels!
This coming week my house is getting solar panels, finally! I have wanted solar power for ages, but until recently it really made little sense. You see, I live in an area that, despite a great south facing roof, solar would be prohibitively expensive. After all, for years we averaged about $90 in electrical usage per month. Every month salespeople would ring our doorbell asking something akin to "Have you heard of our lord and savior, Solar?" Yes, we'd answer, but you can't beat $90 month, can you? Invariable they walked away, heads hung, after answering no, they could not. Then this region got plain silly.
Is this silly, or is it just me?
Our electric rates are through the roof. I have read countless Facebook posts of locals complaining about $800 and $900 electric bills this past summer. We got a $900 electric bill too, by the way. How does this even become a thing?
Well, you rid your state of nuclear power for the most part, stigmatizing nuclear, despite it being very safe, and has the highest energy density per kilogram of material. Smart. Then you let your electric infrastructure degrade to the point of nearly hopeless. So then be sure you sue the electric utilities for wildfires and damage partially caused by the aging infrastructure. Go forbid that cost get passed to the consumers, but as you know, it is. Then you mandate that no "fossil fuel" vehicles can be sold in the state after a certain date. Finally you pin your hopes on electric cars that will require an electrical infrastructure which does not exist. Cars with little range, by the way. So, the fix?
Vote! Well, no, that won't work
The challenge is that this state has a vast majority of one party, so it is One Party Rule. Vote all you want, the state will continue to be as blue as the faces of Trumpers holding their breath until the next election. I'm an independent, so shame on the Demoncrats for de-evolving this state, and shame on the Retardicans for allowing it to happen.
So, since "roll out the vote" means nothing but more of the same, might as well make the best of a bad situation and get solar installed.
When in Rome
I have loved solar panels since childhood. When I was 6 or 7 years old my step dad brought home an electric remote control toy car that was about 1 foot long. It was powered by a solar cell about 1 inch long by about 1/2 inch wide. Sunlight hit it, and it ran forward if the ON switch was in fact on. You controlled where with went with a combination flashlight/steering wheel. When you encountered a lack of sunlight, like indoors, or at night, you turned on the flashlight and aimed it at the tiny photovoltaic cell.
As a result I'm still influenced to this day by the promise of solar power. Hence, our signing up for our solar panels to be installed.
This article on solar panels was WAY delayed!
I began this article months ago, just before our panels had been installed, then forgot all about it. I got on my laptop, replete with a piping hot cup of coffee, to write an article on the ineptitude of UPS in my area. "Oh, look, a partial article I never finished! Darned good thing my head is attached to my body..."
Interestingly, much has happened in the intervening months. Yes, we got our 20 solar panels, which are supposed to outstrip our use, but so far, this has NOT been the case.
SunRun is our solar panel supplier
Okay, SunRun installed our solar panels, but the deal was made with some company of sales people, Bright Planet solar. These are roving bands of folks who show up at your door and solicit for other companies, like SunRun. I listened to their pitch, and even though I had reservations about ANYONE selling me anything door to door, I also did some quick math and calculation before agreeing to their terms. I considered things like:
- Are electric rates going up, or down?
- How much more are they projected to climb, and why?
- What impact will the growing fleet of electric cars on the road have on the aging California electrical infrastructure?
- What is my average electrical cost over time? And what is it right now?
- How much are electrical panels going to cost me?
- What is the ROI?
- And, based on all of the above, does getting solar panels make sense?
The cost of electricity is climbing. Similarly to EVERTHING else in the world, the price goes up like a rocket, and down like a feather. There are a lot of causes for this, but let's looks at a few, so we can come to grips with how much they will continue to climb.
Why are electrical rates skyrocketing?
Nationally, you need only look at Washington D.C. for part of the answer. Prices for virtually everything has risen. It makes no difference what the product is, the cost is higher now, and that id not going to get any better. you see, when your government prints money like a banana republic, or like the Weimar Republic, prices rise because the money is devalued. This has been going on for decades folks, but is has recently gotten much worse. Besides taxing us to death, how do you think the government comes up with billions of dollars to dent to the Ukraine? They. Print. It.
So, in short, solar panels make sense as a hedge against electrical price hikes.
But wait, there's more. Who is one of the largest suppliers of natural gas in the world? Russia. What incentive does Russia have to increase production or shipping? None. We are funding a war against them.
What does natural gas have to do with it?
Well, besides being yet another increasingly expensive bill, MUCH OF THE ELECTRICITY IN CALIFORNIA IS GENERATED USING NATURAL GAS! 37.9% in 2021! So the supply of natural gas decreases, the cost of the electricity increases. Supply, may I introduce you to demand? Demand, supply.
So, getting solar panels will both directly, and indirectly, reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. Thus, it's the patriotic thing to do, after all.
See, our diaper wearing Bungler in Chief is costing you money each and every hour of every day with this whole Quixotesque Ukraine deal.
Electric Cars and Other Drains on the infrastructure
Let's face facts, here in California (Californee as I like to say) the electrical infrastructure is horribly outdated! Decades of neglect, just like on out highways, water infrastructure, as well as other critical items have left the state in very poor condition for the decades to come. But, don't just take my word for it, read this article.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/23/californias-lofty-climate-goals-clash-with-reality-00058466
So, in his infinite wisdom, sarcastically intended, our state leader has decided that by 2035 all internal combustion engine powered vehicles will be, well, in essence, illegal. Sure, folks will still have some, at least for a decade after the Petrolcalypse, you will not be able to buy a I.C.E. engine car or truck in the state. The shocker is that low range electric cars will be the standard. So, what to do? Solar panels, once more.
See, delivery of power to homes is under threat from the supply standpoint, such as the natural gas used to generate much of it. It is under stress from the poor infrastructure. Additionally, let's just go ahead and slam 3 household worth of electrical usage per day to each and every existing home in the state with electrical cars. Not very well thought out, I think.
Rising cost
My electrical usage has remained roughly the same over the years, but my cost - month by month, has more than doubled. Is there an end in sifght to this madness? In a word, no. So long as we have a state and national government that simply refuses to exercise good fiduciary responsibility and common sense, it will not get any better. So, solar makes sense, once again.
What I did on my solar deal was accept a stable and steady $189, a month cost for solar panels for 25 years. That per month cost is roughly double what we have paid every month here for 14 years. So essentially what I did was opt for more cost now, speculating that the recent $450 to $900 electrical bills would be more the norm in the future rather than the aberrant exception. Time will tell if I am right.
The ROI?
Accounting for smart, judicious use of our electricity (smart appliances, all LED lights) and the 20 solar panels we had installed, we should generate, month for month, more power that we will ever use. In short, we will be more a power supplier than user, meaning we ought to get a little money back every year. Last month Edison, or line base supplier, showed we had $154 more production than usage. Fairly substantial- however...
Does getting solar panels make sense?
Well, yes and no. We reduced our overall cost. However, we have an excellent south facing roof. We could have easily fit another 20 panels on the roof, I think, but the SunRun subcontractor was pretty unyielding to that. Afterall, the contract must be profitable, and I have no problem with that, provided the system works and saves me money monthly. However:
Since Install
Every since the day my solar panels were installed, they have CONSISTENTLY underperformed. 2 months ago I contacted SunRun because the app was showing really poor production. They can monitor it is real time, so I thought maybe they could help. Nope. I got the basically equivalent of calling Microsoft back in the day. "Did you try turning it off, then on again?" SunRun said, "Well, you know, production depends on sunny skies, and blah blah blah, as well as how much directly sun the panels get..." We. Are. 100% South. Facing. And the thing is, it had been crazy sunny all month!
Hint to all you service businesses out there who hire cheap overseas labor to answer your messages: We Know. When we, the intelligent consumer as sidetracked and railroaded into non-answer answers, we do things like cut videos and write blog articles.
So, this past week SunRun supposedly called my cell phone several times (then folks, why not leave a freaking voicemail???) then called my daughter to set an appointment to check our equipment.
Seems I was right, out solar panels are doing nothing but sitting upon my roof loafing. Just as I told them I'd love to be here when they arrive.
Other downsides to solar Panels
Are solar panels attractive? Nope. But my south facing roof is at the front of my house. I also have a gang of roof tiles the installers removed to install the panels. I have seen no leaks with the massive rains we have had this winter, so there's that.
There are ugly conduits running to my roof also, but I suppose that is a low price to pay, Afterall, they are on the rarely visited side of my house.
All in all, save for the low production, I'm fairly happy with our solar power panels, but, in view of the fact that they have been underwhelming so far as performance, I think I'm owed some money back.
Update on our solar panels- 4-02-2023
Right, so our solar panels when active 12-29-2022. However, despite our repeatedly reporting a problem, they actually were totally DEAD until 3-10-2023!!! Whenever I would contact SunRun, they would give the solar equivalent to "have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in..." How irritating to be told, "Well, you know, cloudy days will reduce your production" when mostly all we had were sunny days during that time! I had to pay $379 in equipment fees during that down time, with no benefit offsetting that cost, like, you know, actual electrical production. March 10th Bright Planet Solar, the SunRun partner, finally diagnosed the system had a bad inverter and replaced it. 3 months and 12 days AFTER the system went live and the bills began.
Right now I would not recommend SunRun, nor Bright Planet solar.
~~~~~~
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About The Author
Bucky can be found on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and a few other places, as well as right here on Friendslr. com
Friendlsr.com
Friendslr.com is a social network, and occasionally staff or guest will write articles. Friendslr is free to use. Become a member, join today!
Check out our community as well! You can find that on our home page. It's a little like Facebook, but clean, and no arguing is permitted.
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McDonalds Delivery with Uber Eats My Horror Experience
McDonald's via Uber Eats - is this a good use of time?
I work a lot, and I work hard. My average work week, with travel time, is just over 60 hours a week, and I work harder than the average person. As a consequence, as much as I love creating, my video vlogging and my blog articles are done solely on my very limited spare time. Thus, I order from Uber Eats fairly regularly. That said, I have never ordered McDonalds from Uber Eats.
It seems like a no brainer, however, in that McDonald's is (usually expected to be) very fast with their food preparation, even if the food itself is marginal at best. And Uber Eats, well, they have proven to me that they are the real deal. Fast, accurate, totally worth it, even with the added costs.
That said...
This past Friday night I got home late to a hungry wife, a hungry granddaughter, and my stomach gnawing on my spine. Further, odds were my daughter would arrive home, and hungry, soon too. Having nothing prepared, yep, this was going to be an Uber Eats night, the only question was, what to order. Or, more precisely, from whom, then what items.
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Why do we celebrate Halloween? Surprising Reasons!
Also known as Samhain, Halloween has a long history!
Each year for the past 5 or 6 years, we have locked ourselves in for Halloween and shut off the lights. It's not because we as ourselves "Why do we celebrate Halloween" or anything like that. It's not because we don't like it, or don't celebrate it or whatever, it's because our dogs have always freaked out over the doorbell ringing and strangers at the door. Clearly, they are traumatized, and I'd rather they not traumatize little kids seeking treats. Simple as that. However...
Halloween has a long and interesting history
Read more: Why do we celebrate Halloween? Surprising Reasons!