USAA continues to be great

I have come to value vendor communication/transparency more and more. Here’s a recent snipped from USAA auto: We’re writing to inform you that an error was made when calculating the premium for your auto insurance policy. This occurred between October 2017 and August 2020 and was caused by a rating error related to your uninsured

three unexpectedly positive reviews

I’m a bit of a cynic about marketing so it’s a welcome surprise when products live up to their billing. grape solar 100w poly panels Ever wonder if cheap panels work? This is the output of a Grape Solar 100w panel at around solar noon on MPPT: Ordinarily I’d expect something like 83w out of

renewed adventures in contact heating: zippo handwarmer

I had one of these back in the 80s and it seemed to work pretty good. While I was doing the reading for the posts on contact heating I ran across the naptha handwarmers again. Previously I’d used lighter fluid; the cost wouldn’t break me but since I carry Coleman fuel now I figured I’d

review: Xiaomi Redmi 9 budget smartphone

I mentioned earlier that I’d ordered a replacement carry phone.  It came in on time and I spent most of yesterday setting it up. an unfair comparison This phone is terrific for my uses, snappy and well-built. The last phone that made me this happy was the Note II, Samsung’s flagship of 2012.  Of course, that

flashback: Review: Glion Dolly commuting scooter

there are 30 (!) unpublished drafts I need to post.  I will try to remember to use the “flashback” prefix.   The scooter works well, folding neatly, charging off the van’s solar, and exploring new places.   I bought this scooter from Glion.   I have the most recent version, the 225. This model has

NOT recommended: Renogy Rover Elite solar charge controller

Reasons not to get involved with the Rover Elite controllers from Renogy.  the setpoints are unconfigurable, except for the Absorption setting in Li mode even in that mode Vabs is settable only in .2v increments the cable interface (or chip behind it) is nonstandard for Renogy (and its sources).  The external display for it costs more than the options on

backchannel: grade-grubbing, business style

A couple thoughts here: don’t be a grade-grubber although pleasant enough, Cultura cannot compete with world-class joints of similar types:  Ginger Man in Dallas, Hoppy Monk in El Paso, etc. extreme ratings (1 star and max stars) with little gradation are generally associated with minimal education.

Review: cheap Chinese gasifying stove

You can tell right away that there’s something different going on there compared to a campfire or hobo (tin can) stove.

tablets –> chromebook

I had two android tablets and traded them in for a used chromebook.   It’s worked out well. I had been both interested in and skeptical of the chromebook concept. I like things that are simple, but I worried what would happen when offline.

shadecloth

I bought some shadecloth before going FT and finally deployed it this weekend. It’s commonly available in 90% and 80% shade, with 90% being more popular.  80% might be happier in very windy situations, although even 90% is much easier to deal with in wind than a normal tarp. I wanted shadecloth because I work