Hipsters

I have never felt the desire to become a hipster. And, almost by definition, would a true hipster allow the hipster label to be applied?

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Cross-Band Repeat

An "oops" update from Kight Radio:

"We are going over the Wouxun Dual band mobile now. The radio is working fine in cross-band repeat. Setting are funny and you need to set Menu 32, setting x-twrpt for it to operate correctly. Radio seems to be very nice but I still feel the price is too high."

A little positive news then.

DIY

A couple of DIY projects on LifeHacker...

• A Desk Fan/Heater
• A Bottle Radio

There are not enough hours in the day for all these little things I think would be fun to do.

Help for Picking a New Phone

A cool web site to do side by side comparisons of various smart phones. Somebody should whip one of these up for ham radios!

Via LifeHacker

Waccom WUV-6R: Wouxun KG-UVD1P - Fight!

Hans (PD0AC) reviews the Waccom WUV-6R and compares it to the Wouxun KG-UVD1P (as well as the Baofeng UV-5R). Some of the features of the WUV-6R sounded nice, but he is very disappointed in the receiver.

Click here to read the whole review.

Wouxun KG-UV920R: Problems

Posted on Kight Radio last night:

"7/19

The Wouxun Dual band Mobile is out but its got problems. The Cross Band repeat is not setup correctly. It will repeat but will not transmit on the offset needed to access repeaters. The way they have it setup is worthless to the ham. This radio should not have been released. This shows that Wouxun did not have this radio checked ahead of time by USA Hams. The new radio is worthless the way it operates. Looks like Anytone or TYT will be the mobile to buy. Wouxun also tried to fix the price on the Dual band Mobile to be $325 - $350 which is way too high for the Chinese Radio."

It is one thing to be priced high. It is another thing to be priced high AND not work well. So Anytone, TYT, or the BAOJIE BJ-UV55 are looking like the better options. Nate sent me stuff on the BJ-UV55. I need to dig on that one and the Anytone. Anyone got some more hours in the day they can spare?

American Ninja Warrior

What is wrong with American Ninja Warrior?

My answer - nothing the fast foward button won't fix. I've decided my next physical challenge should be to win American Ninja Warrior. All I need is some super-human upper body strength.

Sustaining

Knoxville did not do a great job of transitioning after the World's Fair, but these images of the Beijing Olympic locations are almost scary.

"See, unlike China’s empty malls or centrally-planned ghost towns, these Olympics venues weren’t always hollow shells. They were once massive and meticulously orchestrated affairs, exploding with life. Now they’re as cold and lifeless as the system of government that runs that country."

Down the Rabbit Hole

A comment on a story on Slashdot about Chinese rockets led me to the Fermi Paradox and a short story, The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model. A fun, little read - free on-line or a buck via Amazon on your Kindle.

A Song of Ice & Fire Teams

Get geared up to cheer on your favorite house from the Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series. (Via Wired)