Beelink SER5 Pro Mini PC Review - Initial thoughts

I recently decided to purchase a new PC to replace my Lenovo desktop tower that was about 9 years old. I still liked the Lenovo but it was starting to get sluggish and freeze up under normal use. The current mini PC's are much faster and they are very affordable so I figured it was about time for a replacement. 

After doing research I decided to go with a Beelink SER5 Pro mini PC. It has a Ryzen 7 processor, 500GB storage, and 32GB of RAM. Overall cost about $300.

When it arrived, I was surprised how small the box was. It is amazing that a computer replacing a big desktop tower can be so small and it still has plenty of ports for connections. 

Setup and updates did not go as smooth as I would have liked. It had trouble updating to the newest version of Windows 11 so I had to go directly to the Microsoft site and download an installer to help and that worked. Then it said the Radeon drivers did not match so I had to update those.  

Upon using it for a while, I noticed that even though the PC was pretty quiet at idle, the fan would rev high whenever I would open a program or perform a simple action. It felt like the computer was stressing more than it should be for simple applications.

I did a bunch of research on adjusting the fan settings as many other people had mentioned the same issue. Finally I found the solution which was to go into the processor power management settings and move the "Maximum processor state" down from 100% to 99%. This made a huge difference and now the PC is much quieter and the fan does not rev up and down like before.

Overall the performance seems to be pretty good. It starts up and shuts down pretty fast and runs programs pretty well.  

One thing I don't really like is Windows 11. It is new to me, but so far I have found it not very easy to use or at least, it has quirks or limitations that make it not user friendly. For example the scroll wheels on everything are too thin and seem to want to hide all the time. I have adjusted settings and looked for ways to fix this but so far, none have helped without going deep into modifying registry settings which I don't want to do. 

Simple actions such as viewing programs installed seem to require more clicks that necessary and it is not intuitive to get to them. Reaching simple buttons such as a power button requires several clicks and mouse pans to get to it. 

There seem to be several different ways to get to similar settings such as power settings, and when adjusting one, it will modify and limit the other and since they are in different places, this makes it confusing. 

Some security settings are turned off by default and it is not clear as to why or what effect they have on the system. I found myself having to do tons of research online just to figure out what all these setting are for. 

Despite the initial struggle of getting started and the learning curve of Windows 11, overall I am pleased with the system. I will update this review later with more details over time to see how it performs in the long run.

Amazon is Pretty Amazing

I don't order stuff online that often, but recently I placed a couple orders on Amazon and was extremely impressed. First I was searching for a new computer. After doing a bunch of research I decided to place an order. It was about 8pm. I didn't have a Prime membership, but they offered a 30 day trial for free so I decided to go with that to get the free shipping. 

Literally the next day, mid day the computer arrives at my door! It's amazing that you can pick out a specific product, place and order and in less than 24 hours it arrives. And that is with free shipping!

A few days later I decided to order a few accessories for the computer. I ordered 3 separate things. Again placed the order late in the evening. Before noon the next day they all arrived! That is pretty incredible.

It's like they have a warehouse with every product near by and have people working overnight to pick out the orders and then more people ready to deliver next day. Maybe that is actually what they have, I don't know, but whatever they are doing it is working very well.

Where I work we get a lot of deliveries from Amazon and in my experience they are not always the most reliable. For example they often don't put the packages where they are supposed to go, and often they don't speak English so that may pose additional challenges for them. But maybe it is what is necessary to fulfill these orders so fast. Yes some orders may get lost, but if most of them arrive next day instead of having to wait a week, maybe it is worth it. 

In terms of shopping on their website, I have mixed feelings. On one side, it is very easy to navigate and research products. On the other side, it seems like the website can be a little fishy when it comes to pricing. 

For example, I noticed for a lot of the items, it had a lower price listed that was only available if you have an Amazon Prime account. 

Another example, I found a mouse pad that was about $7. I decided to do a quick Google search to see if anywhere else had it cheaper. Low and behold I found a 6 pack of the same mouse pads on sale for $5, but not at another store, on Amazon itself. 

I did an exact title search on Amazon to find that listing, and nothing showed up even though it was sold by Amazon. I looked through all the results and it was not there. So somehow Google was able to find the lower price on Amazon, but Amazon could not find it on their own site. 

Despite these little quirks, I still think Amazon is amazing with how well they nailed down this online shopping and delivery experience. What a time we live in where you can order exactly what you want and have it arrive at your door the next day with free shipping!

New Show Recommendation - Building Outside the Lines

 I just finished watching the show "Building Outside the Lines" and it was so good I wanted to share it here as a recommendation. The show features a father/daughter duo who are asked to make a creative build for a client each episode. 

The dad Cappie has a great personality and a lot of enthusiasm. Alex the daughter compliments him very well and contributes a lot of ideas and creativity to the builds. 

The show takes place in South Dakota which makes for a beautiful setting. The show is shot and edited very nicely which makes it a pleasure to watch. 

Each show starts with a local client who has a basic idea of what they want, but they leave it up to Cappie, Alex, and their team to put their own spin on it and come up with a completed design. The building process is featured throughout the episode and at the end the finished project is presented to the client.

Overall it is a wonderful show and I highly recommend it. The first season had 8 episodes, but I really hope they decide to make more! You can watch it now on streaming networks such as Max Discovery Plus. 

Music Picks - Best Artists and Songs for 2023 and Previous Years

From 2010 - 2018 each year I posted a list of my favorite songs of the year. Then I took a break from this series. Now after 5 years, I have a new list of artists and songs to recommend so I figured I would post them here on the blog to share. 

This list contains music released in 2023 as well as some from previous years. It is mostly songs that are not super popular, at least not yet at the time of this posting. Here are my picks for the best songs from 2023 and previous years:

1. CARR - Industry Kids

I just randomly discovered CARR after a quick search for new music on Spotify. I would describe her sound as similar to artists like Avril Lavigne, Jax, and Damone. Her music reminds me of the indie rock scene of the early 2000's. She has put out a few albums of the past few years. I listened to all of them and all the songs are good! What's interesting is it seems she has not blown up yet. I could see an artist like this easily having millions of views and followers but so far she seems to be flying under the radar. Other songs to check out also: Sick Bro, Spiral City.

 

2. Jax - Victoria's Secret

Jax is a singer songwriter that recently caught my attention with her anthem Victoria's Secret. She has distinctive singing voice and a knack for catchy tunes that stand out from the other pop songs. Power chords and a meaningful message make this song a hit. Also check out other songs from Jax including Cinderella Snapped and 90s Kids. 

 

 

3. Bo Burnham - From God's Perspective 

 

Bo is known for his comedy specials which include a number of original songs which are very good even on their own. My favorite would have to be From God's Perspective which is an equally funny yet deep song about God's thoughts on humanity. Wonderfully composed, written, and performed. Also check out songs: Straight White Man and Can't Handle This. 

 

 

 

4. Gary Portnoy - Temporary

 

Gary Portnoy is most known for making making one of the greatest theme songs of all time, the theme song to Cheers, but he also has released plenty of his own music such as this song called Temporary. It's an autobiographical song about his childhood friend which leads to a revelation about life itself. Also check out the songs Lee and Life on the Outside. 

 

 

5. Carly Rae Jepsen - Comeback

 

Carly has a lot of pop hits and one of my recent favorites is the song Comeback. In collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff from The Bleachers, they have made a wonderful song here with haunting synths and soundscapes. 

 

 

 

The cost of everything has gotten too expensive. Price of food and and inflation out of control.

As we near the end of 2023 the cost of living has skyrocketed. Ever since the pandemic the cost of everything has increased dramatically. Even the price of basic necessities like food and housing have gotten out of control. A little inflation each year is expected, but the increases we have seen over the past few years have been way too much. And the problem is that salaries and income from jobs have not increased to match it.

I don't know how many people are managing it these days. I am getting by but that is because I was in the habit of living a very frugal lifestyle even before all of this started happening. I saved up and continue to live even more frugally so I am ok, but for the average person living paycheck to paycheck without savings, they are pretty much screwed.

I'm not expert in economics but there does not really seem to be a reason for the dramatic increase in cost of living other than everyone just trying to get more money and stay ahead of the curve. The cost one thing will go up and then everything related to that goes up to try to make up the difference. Ultimately the consumer at the end is hit with a higher bill.

I can understand how the pandemic caused big issues with supply and demand and it had a huge effect on the workforce, but it is long over with and things have not changed back to how they were, they have only gotten worse.

I think there is a certain amount of greed involved with companies raising the cost of goods that people need and people keep buying them because they feel like they don't have a choice.

As far as I am concerned, I am not tolerating these price hikes. Certain grocery stores that I used to shop at on a regular basis, I no longer even step foot into. Certain food that I used to buy every week I no longer buy anymore because the price has nearly doubled in the past year or so. I changed my frugal buying habits into being even more frugal because I will not support these price increases. I think more people have to do the same to send a message that these prices have gotten out of control.

If things don't change, people will need to make more money and they will demand higher pay from their jobs. Then of course this will make companies raise prices on goods and the cycle just continues to get worse.

We just need to get some stability in the economy back. Maybe government needs to step in to put some regulation in place. Maybe more people have to stop putting up with these price increases. If people can no longer afford to pay for basic living expenses while working a full time job, this could lead to even more serious problems.

Gerber Armbar Drive Review - First impressions of the driver multi-tool

I have been a fan of multi-tools for a while now and up to this point I have mostly used Victorinox Swiss Army knives. Recently I was in the market for a new multi-tool that would have a good phillips head screw driver and a knife. After doing lots of research I decided to try out the Gerber Armbar Drive.

My first impression was that it was a bit smaller than expected but it is similar in size compared to Victorinox knives like the Super Tinker. The problem though is that the tools don't fill the shape well and because of this, it makes it hard to handle. For example when you open up the screw driver, that part leaves a big hollow space in the handle where it use to be so you don't have much to hold on to. 

I found the tools themselves to be hard to open. Maybe I got spoiled by Vicotorinox, but these tools on the Gerber are really stuck in there and when you open one, it tends to pull out some of the other tools next to it. 

The scissors I don't really like because of the design. When you open it, it is not ready to go, you have to flip one of the sides 180 degrees to get it into place. This extra step might not seem like a lot, but when you just want to get to a tool quick you don't want to have to worry about extra steps just to open it. 

The pry tool I found to be hard to open. They say it functions as a hammer too, but this thing is so light, I don't expect it would work too well at hammering. 

The knife is ok. I like that it is able to lock. In terms of size it is about as big as the handle itself which seems a little too big for the handle. 

Overall I wanted to like this multi-tool and was hoping to use it as my daily carry for screw driver and knife, but after trying it out, I am disappointed and I don't expect to use it much unfortunately.

Cancel culture and the trend of trying to bring down good people - Colleen Ballinger, Jenna Marbles

Recently I discovered that a Youtuber I like, Colleen Ballinger from Miranda Sings, was in the news for apparently doing bad things. I was surprised to hear this because having followed her channels, watched her Netflix series, and read her book, I never had any reason to think anything bad about her.

I did a little searching to try to figure out what was going on. My search found a lot of news articles saying she may have done some things in the past that some might consider inappropriate. I also searched Reddit and found a lot of people intent on trying to bring her down. I read their reasons and honestly they were not that bad.

I could tell right away that this situation is exactly like what happened to Youtuber Jenna Marbles. It's where there is a good person who has a lot of success and then one day some negative press article comes out saying they did something wrong and then all of a sudden the mob pounces on them and tries to find every little thing they possibly did wrong in their entire life.

This kind of thing gets a lot of media attention so news sites and social media are all over it. Suddenly everyone has an opinion on it. Anyone who ever disliked them or was jealous of them in any way is chiming in on the action.

I'll admit I have not read into all the allegations thoroughly but when you follow someone on Youtube for years and have watched and read a lot of their content you get a pretty good idea of who they are. In my opinion she is a good person plain and simple.

Of course there are probably some things she has done that she would look back on and say “yeah I probably shouldn't have done that, or I would have done that differently”. Of course she probably made some mistakes in the past, but guess what, so has every single person in the world!

But because she is famous she gets attacked by everyone who dislikes her. When you are famous, even if you have millions of people who love you, there are still going to be a small percentage who don't like you. Then as soon as you make one little slip up, they are all over it and try to blow it out of proportion.

It can be contagious to jump on the bandwagon when someone you know has made a mistake. I'll admit there may have been times in the past where I have done the same thing, not to this extent, but something similar.

For example, how many times in your life have you known someone who you thought was ok. Maybe a co-worker who you didn't necessarily get along with but tolerated them just fine. Then maybe one day they leave under bad terms and people start gossiping negative things about them. Have you ever been tempted to join in and give your own take on what you didn't like about them?

This is the kind of thing that happens in these situations to celebrities but on a much larger scale. It is really unfair especially when you have thousands of people trying to dig up your life's history and find every little thing you did that could possibly be interpreted as being even slightly offensive or controversial.

If this was done to everyone, guess what? Pretty much everyone would be “Canceled”. Even the best people in the world make mistakes. I'm not saying we should condone celebrities when they do something that is truly horrible, but I think we really need to give them a break when small mistakes are made, especially when they are from many years ago and the person has since matured or changed.

People like Colleen and Jenna are good people who brought a lot of joy to millions of people. It is a shame when a small group of “haters” band together to try to bring them down and ruin their career.

Keep these points in mind when you see these attempts at canceling celebrities. They may be famous but deep down they are real people just like us who sometimes make mistakes and are not always perfect.