National Signing Day

Funny...

Local Ham Signs With Yaesu https://t.co/Yu9urfI3Lj #NationalSigningDay pic.twitter.com/L8EwiDNemz

— Ham Hijinks (@HamHijinks) February 7, 2018

Ham in a Can

I post a lot about Alexa and other similar devices, but I had not thought about adding one to the ham shack.

Kingkiller Chronicle

So the Kingkiller Chronicles might end up as a series on Showtime. This could be a great option for The Game of Thrones fans. Of course, the author (Patrick Rothfuss) works like George R.R. Martin - we have been waiting about 7 years for book 3 in the trilogy.

I'm re-reading the first book: The Wise Man's Fear.

I love the stories within stories. I'm reading it with a little more care as I try to come up with some theories for the last book.

Radioddity Baofeng RD-5R: $75

Radioddity posted the RD-5R on their site and you can order it for $75.

Crouching Tiger Really Hidden Dragon

How to spot a Dragon using an illusion spell. #dnd #rpg #tabletop pic.twitter.com/cw33WhcAKq

— Grand DM (@Grand_DM) January 31, 2018

Netgear Orbi

I dropped my Comcast Triple Play down to a Double Play - no more phone. This means I don't need their cable modem any more. I ordered the NETGEAR CM500-1AZNAS and it's on it s way. (I figure by the time I need something beyond DOCSIS 3.0, I'll be able to get it cheaply.)

The bigger question is what to do for wireless since I won't be using the Comcast modem/router/wireless device. I very tempted by the NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Mesh WiFi System with Tri-band system. Lots of reviews are very positive and I like that both units have Ethernet ports on them.

S&W M&P Shield 2.0

I'm seeing lots of folks (online and in the real world) talking about the new version of the S&W M&P Shield. Lasers, flashlights, suppressors - oh my!

Smart Dumbbells

Of course they are... Bowflex SelectTech 560 Dumbbell (Pair), 5 lb - 60 lb:

"Integrated Bluetooth Smart technology syncs and records sets, reps, and weight
Free app with over 70 exercises, 6 week Challenge, journal, and more"

Unfortunately they aren't Alexa compatible, so you can't ask her to do your overhead presses.

Radioddity Baofeng RD-5R: DMR HT

Based on the UV-5R form factor, Radioddity is releasing a new DMR HT... the RD-5R:

As the first Radioddity-Baofeng co-produced DMR, RD-5R is featured with solid quality and affordable price. The FM radio function, LED flashlight and built in VFO mode make it stands out from other DMRs.
Sticked with classical design of the 5R family, this time RD-5R is a true dual band dual time slot DMR.

Fingers crossed that this will be a better radio than the DM-5R. Projected price is approximately $70 USD. In the comments, they note that the "RD-5R share pretty much the same CPS with GD-77 and hopefully this will make it a lot easier" to program and thus it will have all the GD-77 DMR functionality.

Streaming Services

Interesting viewing patterns in the big 3 streaming services...