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Tech Reviews: Upgrading My External Hard Drives to SSD

By Amazon, Reviews, Shopping, TechnologyNo Comments

I tend to keep my files (documents, photos, music & video) on WD external hard drives. I don’t use cloud storage, as I dislike subscription services and their ever increasing prices. Plus, I have a lot of files, so it gets expensive and relies too much on the internet. One of the pluses of external hard drives are that they are portable, so I can physically share larger files with family/friend easily.

But there are minuses with my current system. First transfers for larger files can be slow, second that there’s always a chance of hard drive failure – particularly with external hard drives that have moving parts, like the ones I’m currently using. So I decided that it was time to upgrade to SSD (solid state drives), which boast faster transfer speeds and no moving parts. Think of them as large capacity pen drives.

I opted for two different branded 4TB models, one a Samsung T7 Shield (4TB) and the other SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (4TB). The reason I opted for the Samsung drive is trust in the brand. The reason I opted for SanDisk was because of the colour.

It may sound odd, but different colours enable me to identify my drives more easily. I did try to get a Samsung T7 Shield in blue (in desperation I even considered beige) but both blue and beige 4TB models were out of stock everywhere.

Here’s my first impression of each model:

Samsung T7 Shield (4TB) first impressions:

  • It’s tiny. It literally fits in the palm of my hand, see image above.
  • It has this soft, ridged feel which makes it really nice to hold.
  • It feels like a quality product.
  • It comes with x2 USB cables. One is USB C to C and the other is USB C to B.
  • It gets warm, but nowhere near as hot as the Scan Disk.
  • It was easy to set up and use. It’s literally plug and play.
  • Its copy speed really varied. I can’t be sure if this is the new drive or due to my old one.
  • Had a cool blue blinking light to indicate that the drive is in use.
  • Good for multitasking.
  • I have complete confidence in the Samsung brand.
  • There are a range of cases you can purchase to keep it in.

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (4TB) first impressions:

  • It’s tiny. It literally fits in the palm of my hand, see image above.
  • Its firmware was up-to-date. This was a nightmare to check, SanDisk’s website is easy enough to find to check. But seeing the tiny serial number on the back of the device I found difficult.
  • It feels nice in the hand and has a hole for attaching to backpacks, not that I’ll ever use this feature.
  • It was easy to set up.
  • It gets very hot during use.
  • It is much faster than my previous hard drive.
  • I am concerned about failure or data loss as I found this video online when looking for reviews of the product, after I bought the product and was waiting delivery. I probably wouldn’t have bought this product had I have known this information prior to purchase:

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Open "Storaxa Kickstarter NAS August Update – Case Revealed, Testing, SD Card Issues Continue, Sample Unit" directly
  • I decided based on this video to use this drive up as a back up one, rather than a main drive as originally intended.
  • It is USB C but comes with a USB B adapter for those that might require it.
  • Practically silent operation.
  • Very good when multitasking.
  • There are a range of cases you purchase to keep the device in.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Saturday 6 April 2024

Book Review: Survivor – Recovering from Alcoholism, Heartbreak and Trauma by Kieran Youens-Byrne

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments

Survivor: Recovering from Alcoholism, Heartbreak and Trauma is an exceptional and heart touching memoir by Kieran Youens-Bryne.

In Survivor, Kieran shares his journey through addiction to alcohol, his heartbreak at ending his marriage to a narcissist and his emotional traumas from his earlier years.

It is a wonderfully inspiring read and includes literature in its various forms including poems, essays, quotes and even a playlist. The title of his book sums him up completely: Kieran is a survivor.

Kieran covers every aspect of where his addiction to alcohol took him, from his very first taste of an alcoholic drink, through the dark depths of active addiction and withdrawal and out the other end and into active recovery. Along the way he shared what worked for him, what didn’t and all the things he learned along the way.

Survivor is an brilliantly honest account of where addiction/dependency, a narcissistic partner and past traumas can lead to a person. But it is uplifting at the same time.

The book is written in an easy to read and engaging style. It demonstrates Kieran’s unique writers voice and is a piece of creative work that he should be very proud of.

I am pleased to report that Kieran’ story also has a satisfying happy ending. Kieran gets sober, at the time of writing this review he has been sober for more than a year. In the year sober, Kieran has completely transformed his life.

Kieran has rebuilt his confidence and self-esteem destroyed by his narcissistic ex-partner. Kieran has rediscovered his formally oppressed identity and learned to love himself once again. Kieran has faced past traumas and began working on healing and letting go of these traumas.

Kieran has gone on to write, edit and publish a further book titled Recovered, that I can’t wait to read. He is healthy and happy. I can’t wait to see what this amazing man does next.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 18 February 2024

Book Review: James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes by James Acaster

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments

James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes is a book by the eccentric, undeniably funny and weirdly attractive James Acaster.

In James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes, James shares stories from his life. Some of them he’s shared on Josh Widdicombe’s radio show.

These stories are ‘scrapes’ because of the situations James finds himself in and how he scrapes by. These stories are hilarious, particularly because he doesn’t appear to learn from past experiences.

What’s wonderful about James, is that he seems to aimlessly wonder through life, has a rather unique perspective on the world and the people around him.

The book made me laugh (out loud at times) and one thing I learned from it was: Never get in a car if James Acaster is driving. Honestly, I don’t know how this wonderful man is still alive.

If you want a light entertaining read, then this book is for you. By the end of it, you feel like you know James and his way of thinking. You can’t help but find this man strangely endearing and wanting him to do well in the future.

Review soon,

Antony

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Saturday 17 February 2024

Home Magic – Superb Simmer Pot Mixes from The Lancashire Witch

By Paganism, Reviews, ShoppingNo Comments
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Money Magnet Simmer Pot Mix by The Lancashire Witch.

The Lancashire Witch is a Witchy shop. The bricks and motor shop is based Leyland, Lancashire, but they also have an online shop.

All their products and services are designed, developed and delivered by an expert Witch, named Sally.

Sally is an intergenerational Witch being trained from a young age by her mother and grandmother. Sally is wonderful. Friendly, helpful and really knows her stuff.

The Lancashire Witch sells everything a Witch could need under one roof. This includes: Herbs, Resins, Roots, Bones, Flowers, Barks, Spell Oils, Spell Powders, various Tools, Incenses, Floor Washes, Spell Inks, Sprays, Rice, Honey Jars, Bath Salts, Candles and Crystals. It’s a one stop shop for all your magical needs!

I recently got my hands on this Money Magnet Simmer Pot Mix. This is handmade Sally (the Witch herself) is blessed and intended for its purpose. What is a simmer pot mix I hear you ask?

A simmer pot mix is a collection of herbs, roots, barks, dried fruit and flowers that you put into a pan and then simmer for as long as possible. This process releases the magic out of the spell ingredients and releases it into the Universe. It’s a brilliant idea and one a type of spell casting I have never ever thought of doing before.

This is what the Money Magnet Simmer Pot Mix looks like in the pan:

Now, first things first. It smells magical and absolutely divine. The smell throws well, filling my kitchen and living room (tip: open all the doors inside your home that you can and let the scent spread throughout your home). You’ve got to try one of these, if only for the scent that comes completely natural world. Sally only uses the produce of nature and never anything artificial.

The great thing is that The Lancashire Witch does these simmer pot mixes around every sort of spell work you could think of, including: luck magic, cleansing, blessing, healing, hexing, love, etc. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can even order a custom simmer pot mix suited to your intention.

In terms of Spell effectiveness, we’ll have to wait and see. I only just simmered this morning. But I’ve had many other products and services from The Lancashire Witch and they are always effective and often quickly.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 9 January 2024
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