The Brooks Review

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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
The Hype: Yoshida & Co’s Porter BagsAugust 26, 2025
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Below Deck

    You’re likely not watching the best show on TV, so I want to fix that for you.

    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

    I waited so long for these to come back.

    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

    SA Profile, carrying five devices when one bagging, and random shit I have thought about over my years in business.

    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.

    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

    Allow me to talk more about keyboards, and assure you that iPads still work great no matter where I work.

    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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  • Screen recording scamalytics face App Store ban

    Zack Whittaker: Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm.

    Zack Whittaker:

    Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm.

  • Some iPhone apps are secretly recording your screen

    Michael Grothaus: Using Glassbox’s session reply technology, app makers can see every tap and swipe you make. Keystrokes are also recorded and any text you write is captured as well, though text inputs are usually masked so as to hide sensitive information like credit card or passport numbers. However, TechCrunch found that not all apps…

    Michael Grothaus:

    Using Glassbox’s session reply technology, app makers can see every tap and swipe you make. Keystrokes are also recorded and any text you write is captured as well, though text inputs are usually masked so as to hide sensitive information like credit card or passport numbers. However, TechCrunch found that not all apps that are using Glassbox’s tech are masking data fields properly, leaving sensitive information exposed in the screen recordings. And since all screen recordings go back to the app developer through Glassbox’s servers, anyone at the company with access to those servers could potentially see a user’s unmasked personal data.

    Ban them, and it’s not just Glassbox. In fact, apps should have to disclose the analytics packages they use in the app description.

  • SureFire Titan Plus

    A fantastic light that could be many peoples only light.

    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

    Ohhh yyyyyeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhh

    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

    I thought a Mac might suck me back in, until I used to for a few days.

    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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  • A New Report on Internet Usage

    Matthew Hughes: That figure sounds like a lot, but it’s absolutely astronomical when spread across an entire year. It equates to more than 100 days of online time every year for every Internet user. That’s more than 27 percent of every year.

    Matthew Hughes:

    That figure sounds like a lot, but it’s absolutely astronomical when spread across an entire year. It equates to more than 100 days of online time every year for every Internet user. That’s more than 27 percent of every year.

  • New Study On Facebook Use

    Nicole Karlis, reporting on the new study: As the researchers state: “We find little evidence to support the hypothesis suggested by prior work that Facebook might be more beneficial for ‘active’ users—for example, users who regularly comment on pictures and posts from friends and family instead of just scrolling through their news feeds.” The whole…

    Nicole Karlis, reporting on the new study:

    As the researchers state: “We find little evidence to support the hypothesis suggested by prior work that Facebook might be more beneficial for ‘active’ users—for example, users who regularly comment on pictures and posts from friends and family instead of just scrolling through their news feeds.”

    The whole report is basically: you’re better off without it.

  • Bond Venture Pouch

    My new go to DOPP kit.

    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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  • Facebook’s Exploitation of Teenagers for $20/mo

    Josh Constine: We asked Guardian Mobile Firewall’s security expert Will Strafach to dig into the Facebook Research app, and he told us that “If Facebook makes full use of the level of access they are given by asking users to install the Certificate, they will have the ability to continuously collect the following types of…

    Josh Constine:

    We asked Guardian Mobile Firewall’s security expert Will Strafach to dig into the Facebook Research app, and he told us that “If Facebook makes full use of the level of access they are given by asking users to install the Certificate, they will have the ability to continuously collect the following types of data: private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps – including photos/videos sent to others, emails, web searches, web browsing activity, and even ongoing location information by tapping into the feeds of any location tracking apps you may have installed.” It’s unclear exactly what data Facebook is concerned with, but it gets nearly limitless access to a user’s device once they install the app.

    Why do people keep going to work at this company? Kudos to Apple though for swiftly shutting this down.

    (BTW, Google is doing it too.)

  • Intel’s Foldable Phone Concept

    Love it. Want it. So very Westworld. Goodness I hope someone makes this a reality. One device for everything. That’s the dream, shit, we had that in the 90s. Well, not that you could take those everywhere, mostly just that you could only afford to have one.

    Love it. Want it. So very Westworld. Goodness I hope someone makes this a reality. One device for everything. That’s the dream, shit, we had that in the 90s. Well, not that you could take those everywhere, mostly just that you could only afford to have one.

  • Japan’s Plan for IoT Security: Hack Everyone

    On one hand, this is a clever way for them to go about finding these vulnerabilities. On the other: no thanks.

    On one hand, this is a clever way for them to go about finding these vulnerabilities. On the other: no thanks.

  • iPad Productivity Report — 1/28/18

    Some updates on USB-C accessories from last week, as well as my pick for a new Apple Pencil note taking app.

    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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  • Facebook’s plan to merge WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger sounds a privacy alarm

    Good synopsis.

    Good synopsis.

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

    Allow me to introduce you to the second best show on TV.

    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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  • Amazon Knows What You Buy. And It’s Building a Big Ad Business From It.

    Only surprising part is that it took this long, I guess.

    Only surprising part is that it took this long, I guess.