The Brooks Review

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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
Grand Seiko SBGX261February 23, 2023
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Member Journal — 7/13/20

    Let’s really talk about why Xfinity sucks as much as using GitHub for writing collaboration does.

    This week: wait, does that say the 13th of July already, crap; Xfinity refuses our money; Kitchen upgrade tip; choosing the right words; men’s fear; over committing; DEET; routines.

    ## Why is Xfinity work from home hostile?

    [Betsy Morris, in The Wall Street Journal](https://apple.news/AqKxU9x-cTWy7dFdJMp2jmg):

    > Zoom saw daily meeting participants soar to a peak of 300 million in the latest quarter, up from 10 million before the pandemic.

    You would think that the work from home revolution was something Xfinity would grab a hold of — the the very least as a means to make more money. Sure, there’s more infrastructure costs with more and faster traffic, but *before* this home internet users really had little need to get an expensive internet and cable package. Before they just needed something that worked between 6pm – midnight. To get them through the hours before they get back to work. Cyber Monday became a thing, because people refused to have great internet connections at home (I’d argue even base connections make that a thing of the past.)

    This all changed when we started working from home, often more than just one person in the household needing good internet speed.

    But no, Comcast/Xfinity whatever they call themselves this week has buried their heads in the sand. The only real changes are to data caps (at first they removed it, now they added on 25% more for “free”). But what has remained is their plan structuring.

    ![](https://f3a98a5aca88d28ed629-2f664c0697d743fb9a738111ab4002bd.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/3944bd81-2a15-4121-a4f1-27202946a67a.jpeg)

    They structure things by focusing *only* on the download speed. 1gigabit service gives you that on the download, on average, usually. Upload? No clue. I have their 1 gigabit service and could not find the upload speed they are committing to on the website or on my account pages. In practice I get 30-40megabits up. *30-40*. Are you kidding me?

    With AT&T Fiber, I got 1000 up, and a 1000 down. Full duplex. Full magic. I could rest assured that degraded video was never from my connection.

    But, in their moment to shine and make more money, Xfinity has stayed the course (actually, that’s a lie, they now offer a 2gigabits internet connection which would take me from $85/mo to $299/mo with no upload speed increase noted). With the world on video calls, and document collaboration at all time highs, we now have more reason than ever to want — *to demand* — fast upload speeds. And yet, nothing from Xfinity.

    I would pay them 50% more money for the same download speed and 250megabit uploads. I am sure I am not alone.

    And yet…I am not allowed to do so.

    So why are they so against taking more money?

    Probably because they generally suck.

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  • Get Home Bag Deep Dive

    Ok, we need to talk about a practice get home bag, not this shit people talk about on Reddit.

    I went down a many-subreddit rabbit hole looking at bugout bags, everyday carry setups, get home bags, and vehicle everyday carry kits — basically I started getting frustrated at the state of advice out there for these bags.

    I don’t think people plan for emergencies correctly — they plan for the extreme, while missing the likely. So, today, I want to talk about what I see as the most crucial prep for anyone who has a car, or commutes somewhere for work (I mean like eventually, not right now, but now is a good time to prepare because you have ample time to find stuff in your house).

    We are talk about a ‘get home bag’. The get home bag is like a bugout bag, but for your car. Or, to carry with you if you commute on public or shared transit. It is the gear you need to help you get home safely in the event of something extraordinary happening.

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  • Member Journal — 7/6/2020

    A game of finger pointing no one wants.

    This Week: app makers breaking their apps; Comply AirPods Pro tips; New York Times and Apple News; New Email; Houston Heat; Facebook still sucks.

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  • GORUCK Xmas in July Sale

    Some insane deals as always. GR2s for $229, GR1s for $169, and the 15L Bullet ruck for just $79. You cannot go wrong with any of those and I highly recommend each. Hard not to buy those bags at those prices, but I already own multiples of each. Also the Simple Pants and the Stealth…

    Some insane deals as always. GR2s for $229, GR1s for $169, and the 15L Bullet ruck for just $79. You cannot go wrong with any of those and I highly recommend each. Hard not to buy those bags at those prices, but I already own multiples of each.

    Also the Simple Pants and the Stealth Polo are on sale, and I recommend both of those. I wear a stealth polo at least twice a week. Simple pants are my workout pants, and my backup pants whenever I travel, they rock.

  • Filson Medium Field Bag Review

    I love this bag, it is one of the best out there for daily general use.

    Pop quiz, hot shot, how do you carry around face masks, hand sanitizer, pens, and anything else you might need for a COVID-19 day out?

    You carry this bag. And I want another, here’s why.

    (To see the real reason for why I bought this bag, please read this post.)

    I love Filson, as a brand, as a company, and the stuff they make. They remind me in a lot of ways of my grandfather. Everything they make is classic, over built to almost a comical level, and pretty fucking straightforward. Funnily, my grandfather never wore/used Filson stuff, which is almost in itself perfect.

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  • Member Journal — 6/29/2020

    Take your pick on this one, because I talk a lot about iPad apps, but also about emergency kits for your home. Huge value in this edition.

    It is almost July, how is that possible?

    This week: arm on Mac; iPadOS 14 feels; Scribble thoughts; new sidebar design paradigm; VESA stand follow ups; Emergency kits; Alone; Best Coffee; masks; and life indoors is wearing me down.

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  • Member Journal — 6/22/2020

    That time when a reader saves me from neck strain.

    This week: VESA iPad stand; looming podcast graveyard; sticking to blogging; tactile turn shorty; mini bugout; and keeping your knives sharp.

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  • Hey, Controversy

    Apple sides with users, and Hey, that didn’t work out for a new app.

    As you have all likely seen this week, there has been some App Store drama over Apple’s rejection of the Hey.com email client. This is a story that has two important parts:

    1. App Store Rules
    2. App Store Rule Enforcement

    But first, the drama.

    1. Hey.com is a subscription email service only, and you can only buy said service on their website.
    2. They had an approved iOS email client.
    3. They launched, and submitted a bug fix for review in the App Store.
    4. Bug fix update to the app was rejected, because the app gives the user no way to pay for the subscription in the app, via an In-App Purchase, and instead is web driven.

    Pause here for a moment, because there are two things to be outraged by: that the app was initially allowed, and then rejected; and that surely you can name other apps which require a subscription, but which you cannot subscribe in the app. Others are just mad this rule exists.

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  • My Evolving Everyday Carry (EDC) and How I Arrived at a COVID-19 EDC

    The evolution of what I am carrying, why, and some stuff to buy.

    Seeing kits posted online of what people are carrying as businesses reopen, and of what people are carrying to participate in protests, had me thinking about the gear I have carried over the years. The most helpful thing is typically not telling people what you carry, but rather why you chose to carry those things. And luckily for all of you, I have been thinking about this stuff for a long time. So let’s dive in, maybe it will spur you to carry something helpful in your life. (And don’t worry, I do have recommendations at the end.)

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  • Member Journal — 6/15/2020

    I go deep on LEDs.

    This week: racism and tech; suppression and recession; tech offices; LED lights; and random things I thought of because I moved.

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  • Member Journal — 6/8/2020

    Advil and whiskey kind of week.

    This week: unrest.

    ## Small and Big

    Last week was rough for the country(and it hasn’t let up), and when you toss in the fact that I began moving Wednesday and am still unpacking — well Advil and Whiskey is my new life slogan.

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  • Member Journal — 6/1/2020

    I have nostalgia for ‘getting’ bored, instead of just ‘being’ bored.

    *Holy shit, it’s June…*

    This week: tech downturns; remote work scam; what runs your lock down life, and a couple notes…

    ## Silver Linings and All

    [Om Malik, writing about tech downturns and silver linings:](https://om.co/2020/05/24/why-every-tech-downturn-has-a-silver-lining/)

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  • Benchmade Bugout, Believe The Hype

    This is more or less a perfect knife.

    When Benchmade launched this knife it was everywhere — the distinctive bright blue handle and silver blade. It was loud, and those buying it were even louder. Everyone loves it, the only complaint seemed to be that maybe the handle couldn’t survive (insert contrived extreme example not likely to occur). But the thing is, I resisted getting this knife because it was large, and despite people talking about the low weight, I was unconvinced I needed it.

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  • Member Journal — 5/25/2020

    I found an app everyone needs, and also a bit of a rant on the short sighted work from home decision making going on.

    This week: Quick Draft, get it; missing office work; distributed work; blogs; Mac and Windows users; a recommended clothing company.

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  • Get a Purse, or ‘Man’ Bag, EDC Bag, Dad Bag, ‘Kit’ — It’s Highly Recommended

    It started as something to make my life easier, but then the pandemic hit and now it seems more prudent than ever.

    Simon Crompton writing for the style journal Financial Times:

    The vogue for men’s bags has now hit full stride,” says Alessandro Sartori, creative director of menswear brand Berluti. “It has taken a decade to get here but bags are now an essential part of every menswear collection. Men carry them; we design them. They are everywhere.

    Oh, hell to the yes.

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  • Member Journal — 5/18/2020

    This article has not been written for most people.

    This week: Comparison tables; changes I think will stick; face masks; Magic Keyboard battery issues; GIPHY; a sweet duffle bag; and a knife review preview.

    ## Reviews at The Wirecutter

    It has been a while since I wrote about The Wirecutter, but they posted something interesting: how they make their selections for what they recommend. They use [comparison tables](https://thewirecutter.com/blog/comparison-tables/) to track everything and clearly see what product should be the winner.

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  • Ministry of Supply Chroma Denim Pants

    Could these be the best jeans money can buy?

    Note: These pants were sent to me at no charge for review.

    One of the most popular items out there is to make performance denim — to take your standard blue jeans and tweak them somehow to make them better than denim. Ministry of Supply seems to have went for all of that, and then some with the Chroma denim. They claim: no color fade, ‘smart stretch’, and durable construction.

    And, in my testing, I think they are on to something here.

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  • Member Journal — 5/10/2020

    Yeah I get it, we all want to stay working from home, but it ain’t gonna happen.

    This week: retired Mac mini; Instacart thoughts; Shemaghs, buy some; long term remote work; copper touch tools.

    ## Retired Mac mini

    Back in 2012 I spun up a remote Mac Mini with Mac Stadium, and over the years I used the hell out of it. It was, for a very long time, the web server and email server for this website. At the time, it was so much faster than any hosting I could get.

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  • New GORUCK Goods

    Ohhh, it’s not really a bag, but it is cool.

    The new Ruck Plate carrier is sweet looking, I snagged one. The founder of GORUCK mentioned on Reddit that this is more of a conditioning tool for people and not really something to look at as a means for replacing the more expensive rucks. In other words, for most rucking activities a Ruck is better, but I am going to give this a go for my rucks.

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  • Garmin Instinct Tactical

    Finally, a ‘smart’ watch I love and really think you will love too.

    The Garmin Instinct Tactical is the first “smart” watch I like. Actually, I like it a lot. Because this isn’t really what you would expect of a smart watch, this is more like a modern incarnation of what G-SHOCK should be building. This is worth talking about.

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