Wouxun KG-UV8D: Pricing

The Wouxun KG-UV8D will be available soon and BuyTwoWayRadios.com will be taking pre-orders on Tuesday. They will be selling them for $139.99. Woot!

Wireless Laser Printer

I've never been much of a fan of inkjet printers. My favorite was probably the HP DeskJet 500 from back in the day. (If I remember correctly I used that printer with my IBM PCjr.) I rarely need something printed in color and if I do, it is probably a photo that I'm better off sending to Wal-green's to be printed.

However, I do like inexpensive laser printers. I think I picked up my Brother HL-2170W 23ppm Laser Printer with Wireless and Wired Network Interfaces for about $99. (You have to catch it at the right time as I see the price is $145 today.) Until recently, it had been the recommended printer at the Wirecutter. They have a new favorite - the Samsung SL-M2825DW/XAC Wireless Monochrome Printer at $107.

True Detective

I've been watching True Detective on HBO. My wife snapped this picture on the greenway near our house. It looks like the Yellow King is lurking.

Subaru Fun

Digital Radio Yahoo Group

David (K7DB) shared this with me and I'm passing along the information for those who might be interested:

NEW FORUM FOR DIGITAL RADIO 

I read on Feb. 21 that the owner of the digitalradio Yahoo group decided to end the group. 

In my judgment there is benefit coming from the existence of a forum where digital radio enthusiasts can exchange information and help each other. I have therefore created the Yahoo group DigitalRadio2 to serve as such a forum, and I invite you to join. 

Group link: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/digitalradio2/info

Quick Score

Underwear

My five year-old was asking me if I had any fun underwear when I was a kid. She's got princess, My Little Pony, and Hello Kitty underwear. I told her about my Underoos. I think I had the Flash and maybe Batman. Soon after that conversation, I came across these:

Bench in a Box

For people who don't have a lot of room for a proper bench.

Via Lifehacker

Wouxun KG-UV8D

BuyTwoWayRadios has a post about the Wouxun KG-UV8D:

"Billed as an upgrade version of the popular KG-UV6D, the new KG-UV8D will have some significant feature additions and improvements. One of the most exciting new features of this transceiver is duplex cross-band repeat operation, a standard feature on Wouxon's popular base/mobile radios (the KG-UV920P-A and KG-UV950P), but is a first on their handheld models. According to Wouxon, the KG-UV8D will also work in duplex, providing the ability to transmit on one band and receive on another simultaneously. 

One feature that really stands out is the display. The KG-UV8D will sport a large, color LCD display that is more than double the size of its predecessor. The screen alone looks impressive, encompassing nearly half the front face of this handheld."

They say it should arrive in mid April.

The Internet of Everything

I love slideshows like this Business Insider presentation showing the state of the internet union.

I wasn't surprised by anything in particular as I've seen the trends at home (thermostats, locks, etc.) and at work. For example, we were installing a new manufacturing line and made our usual assumptions about how many network ports would be required. Unbeknownst to us, the engineers had bought new versions of devices (like scanners) that were all IP based. In the past, these devices would have been connected to the PLC. It more than doubled the number of Ethernet connections we saw on a line that size.