The Brooks Review

Category: Articles

  • MACV-1s, are they any good?

    When I wrote my first impressions of the MACV-1s it was a mix of underwhelmed, and pleasantly surprised. But that was many miles ago, and I still wear these boots almost everyday. So it’s about time to answer the big question: are they any good?

    I think for like monetary reasons, you are supposed to not reveal things until the end of the post, but yes they are quite good and worth the money. There’s some caveats to that, of course, but suffice to say I am thinking/wanting to pick up a pair in Coyote as well. I really like them, so let’s dive into the nitty gritty then.

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  • Member Post for 3/4/19

    This week I have two topics: the first is a theory that we are coming to a point where we will all be forced to wear activity trackers to be able to get basic services; the second is work;life balance.

    Enjoy.

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  • Changing my Coffee Routine & Setup

    I used to really hate coffee, so instead I drank obscene amounts of Pepsi to fill my caffeine needs. But as part of getting healthier I stopped drinking soda at home, but this still meant needing caffeine — so I moved to coffee. My wife and I initially did this with a Starbucks Verismo machine (Erin would like me to clarify that she has liked coffee since college and Spain), which is like half Keurig and half Nespresso. It makes solid coffee, but the pods are hard to find (mostly from Starbucks stores, though now I see Amazon has a ready stock, but they were always on sale at the stores) and very expensive ($1.50 a pod typically). However the convenience was impossible for us to ignore.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/25/19

    Alright, you’re going to need to hear me out on this one — but it is one of my favorite go to snacks. It’s just not one that many of you who don’t work from home will be able to easily accomplish. This week’s snack pick is: cold nachos.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/25/19

    This week: a look at how I have started to take better *looking* iPad notes, my transition *back* from physical notebooks, and a quick note on some of the content shifts a couple people have pointed out.

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  • Below Deck

    So if 90 Day Fiancé is the second best show on TV, what’s the best? That honor goes to Below Deck, the best show on TV right now. Forget about Game of Thrones, it’s solid, definitely a top 10, but Below Deck is far better. Allow me to explain.

    Below Deck is what I call a quasi-reality show. The people are real, not actors, and while parts are likely scripted — the situations are amazing. What you get is a look at the behind the scenes workings of a luxury lifestyle not many people will ever be able to afford to take part in. Groups of people renting 150’+ Yachts with a private crew, chef, and all-inclusive-vacation in tropical locales. These cruises are hundreds of thousands of dollars to charter, but word is those who agree to be on the show get 50% off. While the crew themselves work at a slavish pace to earn big tips.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/19/19

    You’re going to want to act fast on this snack pick, because this is a limited availability item. Obviously, that only adds to making this taste better. So this week the snack pick is Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries.

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  • Member-Only Post for 2/18/19

    This week I talk a bit about lifestyle changes which have come through in my travel setup with my new role. I also share some thoughts I have been storing in a list for a couple years around being ‘a boss’. Lastly, I know you are really wanting an update on my new keyboard, so I don’t disappoint there.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week — 2/11/19

    I’m traveling this week, so I’ll give my pick to the best travel snack I’ve found which isn’t something I necessarily would rate as the best under any other circumstance. That is Jack Links Beef Jerky, Peppered flavor.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/11/19

    This week: an update on my new mechanical keyboard, some notes about USB-C. Further, some thoughts about using an iPad Pro in a corporate environment (it’s fine) and some additional musings unrelated to iPads, but which *hey why not add them here.*

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  • SureFire Titan Plus

    I’ve been hearing about this light for quite some time now, with the consensus being that this is a fantastic light at a great price (especially for a SureFire light). There are two models of this light, the Plus and the standard. Both take a AAA battery to power them, but the size and output varies.

    The standard Titan is shorter by a fair amount and has a maximum output of 125 lumens — which is about all you need for most scenarios where you would be using a light this small. It has two modes at 15 lumens and 125 lumens and is only $55.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week: 2/4/19

    This week I am going with a classic snack, and one that will fill you up as well. Ritz Sandwich Crackers which come with either a cheese filling or a peanut butter filling. There is a divide in our house over which is best, with my oldest daughter and wife preferring the cheese, and my youngest the peanut butter. I personally think the peanut butter takes the win on this, but the cheese is very good as well.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 2/4/19

    This week I touch on some thoughts around Darkroom for iPad (and in general). I also share thoughts on my reacquaintance with a Mac, now that I have one again for work, as well as my evolving desk setup now that I am figuring out the tools I need for my new job.

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  • Bond Venture Pouch

    For a very long time my travel DOPP kit has all resided in a GORUCK Field Pocket. First in the GR1 Pocket, and then in the Echo Field Pocket. Those both worked really well, but those pockets are overly bulky and heavy for what you really need. I decided to give a new piece of gear a try, the Bond Venture Pouch.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 1/28/18

    This week I am covering some of the newest additions I have been trying and working with on my iPad Pro. I have a new favorite handwriting/Pencil note taking app, updates on some of the newer USB-C accessories I picked up. And I ordered a new mechanical keyboard as well, so we should certainly talk about that.

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  • 90 Day Fiancé — A TV Train Wreck You Should Watch

    There exists this show on the TLC network called 90 Day Fiancé and it is among the best of reality television. Both the show itself, the and cult like following and dissection of the show on blogs, but mostly on Reddit (which is an insanely active subreddit). What’s the show about? It’s about rather sad Americans (who are typically troubled in some way), going and “falling in love” with a foreigner and applying to bring them to the U.S. on a K1 visa (Fiancé Visa) which gives them a scant 90 days to marry that person once they arrive in the US, or send them packing.

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  • iPad Productivity Report — 1/21/19

    Over this holiday break my iPad Pro setup changed. I had no intention of switching my setup, but a generous gift of an 11” iPad Pro upended my thinking. As I’ve [written in the past](https://brooksreview.net/2018/10/the-new-ipad-pros-everything-i-wanted-and-nothing-i-needed/), there was no real need for me to upgrade my iPad hardware, but that’s not to say that the new devices aren’t very nice.

    So what happened next was simple, I decided to proceed with the 11” iPad Pro which had the base 64gb of storage (this is how I know first hand this is actually enough storage). I used that setup for a week and a half and sold off all my other iPads. And then, I changed my mind and swapped the 11” for a 12.9” model and since I was swapping I went ahead and increased the storage size for peace of mind down the road. So what I want to talk about this week is threefold: the 11” iPad size, the new 12.9” footprint, and some accessories I have added to my stable.

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  • A Quick Update on Performance Clothing

    I wrote a series of posts a while ago about my quest for finding better clothing for travel. That morphed into finding better clothing for everyday and all of that morphed into my launching a new site with my pal Steve, called Everyday Wear.

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  • Benchmade Proper 319

    If there was one knife I spent all of 2018 wanting, it was this knife: the Benchmade Proper. This is a fantastic looking knife and a bit of a modern take on an older knife style.

    I’ve been using this knife now for about three weeks and I have fallen in love with it. It is fantastic, so let’s dive in.

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  • Snack Pick of the Week – 1/14/19

    I am going all out for the snack pick this week, and I have to warn you that this might send you back in time a bit. This week I have a gluten free snack pick, which is always nice and inclusive. So this week it’s Mike and Ike Original Fruits.

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