Bus Stop
I’m stopped at an intersection for a red light, so is the Da Bus two lanes over. What’s wrong with this picture?
Buying a Cable Modem
The cost of leasing a cable modem from Oceanic/Time Warner Cable was never that glaring for me. If I had problems with the little box, I’d take it in and get another little box or a different box. I don’t remember how many cable modems I’ve had in the past. But then two things happened – I had signed up for Extreme Internet service in 2011, and Oceanic is raising its modem lease price.
When I signed up for Extreme internet, I got a different cable modem entirely, a Motorola SURFboard SBG6580. Capable of higher bandwidth, this modem included an integrated WiFi router – convenient but unnecessary since I already had a WiFi router. But then I began seeing similar cable modems sold in stores.
In my July 2013 statement from Oceanic, I saw this little blurb:
Beginning with your next statement, Internet Modem Lease will be $5.99/mo. As an Oceanic Time Warner Cable customer, you have the choice of leasing a modem from us or buying your own. For more information about your modem options, please visit twc.com/approvedmodems.
Six bucks a month to rent my commercially available cable modem? Hmmm…Then I read The Wirecutter’s review of the Best Cable Modem, the Motorola SB6141, this Squidoo lens, some Lifehacker articles, and was convinced that buying was the way to go. And yes, the SB6141 is on Time Warner’s compatibility list.
There is some confusion about the various models of the SB6141. There’s a version provided to cable companies and the retail version for purchase. Supposedly, you can buy “second hand” models that originally came from cable companies but while functionally equal to the retail version, the item’s warranty may be suspect. I wasn’t exactly sure, so I went with the retail version (available in black
The SB6141 only has one Ethernet port, mainly for an existing home router or a single computer so I had to pickup a cheap Ethernet switch (TRENDnet Gigabit Switch
So while an additional investment, the modem will pay for itself in little over a year and my home network will be getting a Gigabit Ethernet upgrade. Are you convinced? Are you going to buy as well?
Update: I originally had a typo regarding the monthly lease fee. I corrected the mistake to reflect $5.99 per month, not $5.95. Thanks Damon for the catch.
Damaged by Flossie
Although Hawaii escaped catastrophic damages by tropical storm depression Flossie, you can’t take these weather systems lightly and should expect the worst. Case in point, I pshawed the dwindling effects of Flossie as drizzles of rain fell on Monday night.
But the next morning, I was welcomed by this damage.
Anyone want plumeria cuttings?
What Are Speed Humps?
I’m guessing the Fergilicious Fergie named these neighborhood speed bumps. And no, they didn’t look like lady lumps.
Because The Cure Is in Concert
And Facebookers’ timelines are blowing up with The Cure concert highlights, I feel compelled to buy The Cure Greatest Hits
Demand a Buttnut
Need comfort food while waiting for tropical storm Flossie to arrive? It’s not too late to partake of the buttnut, Hawaii’s answer to the popular cronut. Well, okay, the real name from Regal Bakery is BUTTerNUT, so it seems like “buttnut” is the intended moniker.
Available in bavarian cream, green tea, and POG, the buttnut isn’t in the same class as THE cronut and probably not on par with the frissant. Personally, I’d rather try out the croissada before demanding a buttnut. But then again, the buttnut is available here and now in the 808 state.
Ready for Tropical Storm Flossie
Are you ready for the potential impact of tropical storm Flossie? While the storm’s strength has been downgraded, the media and the state of Hawaii is taking Flossie very seriously, closing facilities and shutting down services over the weekend.
If you need toilet paper, Palama Market has a sale going on and as a bonus, you’ll be bestowed with wisdom. If you’re anxious about Flossie, let these words calm your spirit as the TP calms something else…
If you have to walk outside in the rain, make sure you’re protected. How about The Wirecutter’s best umbrella, the ShedRain WindJammer. I got mine.
As of Monday morning, perhaps early effects of Flossie were affecting morning commutes.
Do you remember the last time then-Hurricane Flossie approached Hawaii? It was back in August 2007 and brought along the introduction of Olena Rubin.
Stay safe people!
Back from Cruising
Back from vacation checking out Vancouver and cruising to Alaska onboard the Disney Wonder.
Racial Overtones?
While doing some research on the popular DisBoards, I came across a very detailed, entertaining, and well photographed trip report on an Alaskan cruise. The daily accounts are fantastic, there are so many pictures to help tell the story, but there’s a big detraction from this specific report – the racial overtones. Peppered amongst the details are references that could very well have been left out, and one board member questions these overtones.
I’d have to agree with this commenter. I don’t see the value added of pointing out ethnicities of fellow travelers. We’ve all been there contending with large groups and families that create an instant queue, but that’s just how it is. Race can’t impact the effects of too many people contending for limited resources.
Now, I don’t think the author intended racial malice, but I think if similar words were used at work, we’d all be attending sensitivity training soon enough.
Thanks to Pearlridge and the Flutter Flyaway Contest!
With a flit and a flutter (and an Instagramed tweet), I was entered in Pearlridge’s Flutter Flyaway contest.
Late this afternoon, I saw several tweets announcing that I had been randomly picked as the week 1 winner. How great is that?!
This week's winner of our Flutter & Flyaway contest is @Geewhy! He gets a trip for 2 on Mokulele air. You can… http://t.co/sNizfBgsFx
— Pearlridge Center (@Pearlridge) July 6, 2013
You know how it goes. If you don’t enter then you can’t win a contest, but even after entering, you typically don’t win. But once in awhile you get lucky, real lucky, as in a free trip via Mokulele Airlines along with gift certificates for several Pearlridge stores. So I repeat, how great is that?!
The live butterfly exhibit is fun for the family. You learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly, see them in their different stages, watch them eat, and sometimes, they’ll pay you a personal visit. You don’t experience this everyday in a shopping mall. I highly suggest a visit, and of course, participating in the Flutter Flyaway contest. 😉
There’s still time to turn your #PRflutter experience into something extra special. Read here for contest details and watch this video.
Be sure to follow Pearlridge on Twitter and Facebook, and thanks again!
From Cronuts to Frissants to Croissadas
The foodie fad that is the cronut has made its impact across the globe. The cronut craze started in New York then Canada’s take on the croissant/donut is the frissant, mixing a fritter and a croissant.
Locally in Hawaii, the cronut now takes shape as the croissada. Yes, that’s a croissant and a malasada. Available exclusively at the Pacific Beach Hotel, a croissada is:
a delicate blend of a croissant and malasada filled with a Polynesian vanilla Bavarian cream.
Damn, my idea for a local-style cronut would have been called Cheeholes, playing off of the “cheehoo” exclamation. The tagline for Cheeholes would have been, “They’ll make you” (it’s meant to be an open ended question), and the URL would have been cheehol.es. There goes a fat fortune. 🙁