I Lied About Quitting Tidal

I can count on two hands, which soon may not be enough, how many times that I cancelled the Tidal music service only to resume weeks later. I first joined on April 1, 2015, when the rebranded music streamer started. Three days before my then most recent renewal date, June 30, 2018, I pledged to end my subscription for good. Simple reason: The Wilcox household subscribes to too many services, and Tidal is among the most expensive at $19.95 per month. I terminated, as planned.

But as expressed six months ago, “the new rule is this: we will pay for what we get good value”. My aging ears derive too much value from music streamed as so-called hifi—Free Lossless Audio Codec, delivered at 44 kHz, 16 bit, and 1411kbps bitrate. I can hear the difference, compared to muddy 320kbps MP3 or 256kbps AAC files. Every time I switch services, the muddy sound—particularly pronounced in vocals—drives me back to FLAC, and to Tidal. About two weeks later, in mid-July, I celebrated my birthday with yet another return. My subscription is uninterrupted nearly six months later.

Gear by Joe WilcoxDec 28, 20186:30 pm

Grado GW100 Review

When I first opened the box containing the Grado Labs GW100 headphones, one word came to mind: “Cheap”. The cans didn’t look or feel like the classy Grado RS1i and RS1e, which I once owned, or the GS1000e that are still beloved and possessed. But after connecting to Google Pixel 2 XL (and later the 3 XL), via Bluetooth, I exclaimed: “Priceless”. The first offering in the company’s “Wireless Series” rises to an audiophile class unmatched by most competing cans; I prefer the GW100 to the GS1000e, which cost four times more to buy. Four words best describe the experience listening to music of any genre: Natural. Immersive. Balanced. Authentic.

The GW100 are unique among wireless headphones by design: They are open-back like Grado’s wired models, but they are unlike all other major manufacturers’ wireless cans, which typically cover the ears and/or impose oppressively confining noise cancellation. I understand that commuters on noisy trains or travelers on rumbling airplanes might want NC, but the feature creates a cone of silence that is very unnatural. By comparison, the GW100’s open-air design allows music to expand, while—I must concede—letting in background noise going on about you.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 25, 20188:50 am

The Cats of University Heights: Tranquil

I encountered our honorary Christmas cat five minutes after sighting Comfy, on Dec. 12, 2018—also along North Avenue, but closer to Madison than Monroe. I lugged Leica Q, which was the perfect companion for post-production close-cropping; it’s a necessity when shooting wide (28mm) from a distance but easily doable because of the detail captured by the superb f/1.7 Summilux lens and full-frame sensor.

The kitty earns nickname Tranquil for its position, location, and time of day (sunny 2:22 p.m. PST). Vitals for the Featured Image and companion, aperture manually set for street shooting: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, 28mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 25, 201812:01 am

Christmas Palm

Merry Christmas! While waiting in our car for my daughter, on Nov. 22, 2018, I looked down West Point Loma Blvd. in Ocean Beach, Calif. at the strangest thing—a seemingly shaped Christmas tree reaching into […]

Web by Joe WilcoxDec 21, 20187:53 pm

AMC and I argue the Semantics of A-List Membership

Earlier this week, movie theater chain AMC dumped coal in my Christmas stocking when I attempted to cancel the $19.95-a-month, watch-three-movies-a-week Stubs A-List subscription. One, and then another, customer representative informed me that at signup, the terms of service explicitly states that commitment is for three months. He, then she, warned that cancellation would trigger immediate charge for the remaining two months. But the ToS restriction shouldn’t apply to me, being a returning customer.

Everything comes down to the meaning of one word: Initial. When A-List launched, on June 26, 2018, my wife and I joined. We ended our membership about 90 days later. The ToS states: “A-List has an initial non-cancelable term of three (3) monthly membership periods (the ‘Initial Commitment’)”. We were good with accepting that requirement, which we met. But on November 18, with a few holiday movies of interest, I resubscribed, presuming that by making a second commitment I could cancel whenever. However, AMC service reps claim that my 3-month obligation reset and initial is the applicable word. Oh, did I futilely argue the semantics of that. C`mon? Doesn’t initial mean first time?

Living by Joe WilcoxDec 16, 20187:37 pm

Where are These Santas From?

Before the Internet, my international news and cultural information mainly arrived via shortwave radio. Back then, many global stations would send to listeners who asked stickers and other memorabilia. Few days ago, my wife dusted […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 15, 201810:42 pm

Gatto Basket

The folks over at Tuft + Paw saw my “Cats of University Heights” series and asked about my interest in some of their products and “to collaborate with you on a story. We have a talented team of cat behavior experts, designers, and engineers”. In looking over the outfit’s website, the understated designs of the feline furniture and accessories greatly appealed, but not the pricing, which I felt fell into a niche of well-to-do shoppers. Finally, on December 2nd, I seriously responded to founder Jackson Cunningham’s request (it has been a hectic autumn).

The $129, all-wool, Gatto Basket arrived this afternoon (my formal review, with tidbits about the company’s notorious beta tester, appears on BetaNews). Baskets are abundant inside our apartment. My wife loves them. As such, I unpacked the Gatto with great trepidation, wondering: “Why would any cat take to this?” We have so many others inside which our kitties can play, but for the most part neither does. A basket is a basket, right? Apparently, not. I plopped the thing onto the living room floor, and Cali settled inside quite nicely. Immediately, in fact, and she is finicky.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 12, 20188:03 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Huey

Along North Avenue, but on the other side of Monroe from where I recently saw Stark, a handsome shorthair slumbered, soaking up the afternoon sun. The kitty changed positions while I snapped several portraits using Leica Q, which nearly silent leaf shutter caused no disturbance. The Q is my venerable camera companion, now that the M10 has gone to a new owner—a story I should tell soon in a future post. My needs are better met with auto and manual focus options, and the rangefinder only offered the latter.

For hopefully obvious reasons, our sleeping beauty earns nickname Comfy. He reposed on a back porch next to a kitty house. The Featured Image is the last in a series of five shots—all cropped and solely edited to draw out highlights. Vitals, aperture manually set for street shooting: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 2:17 p.m., today.

Web by Joe WilcoxDec 10, 20187:36 pm

There’s Philo Coal in My Christmas Stocking

I didn’t last long with streaming startup Philo. At 3:37 p.m. PST today, I purchased a gift subscription for six-months of discounted service. By 4:43 p.m., Philo acknowledged my cancellation (without refund, incidentally). I deserve some blame for not choosing the 7-day trial first. But the features are so modern and channel selection so perfect, I didn’t want to miss out the Holiday sale available since at least Black Friday. Besides, I had pondered Philo for nearly two weeks, all while brain-vacuuming professional reviews that offered little less than praise. Nowhere did I read, and perhaps carelessly missed, the dealbreaker: Cough. Cough. Streaming caps at 720p. Say what?

We live in the early era of 4K, which video quality I didn’t expect from Philo. But I fully anticipated watching 1080p on my Pixelbook or days-old Roku Ultra. As expressed, with flaming antagonism, in a requested cancellation reason emailed back to Philo: “I never imagined that streaming quality would be limited to 720p, which is jarring on my 43-inch TV…I hugely regret spending $99 for six months. Ho. Ho. Ho. Bah Humbug. There’s Philo coal in my Christmas stocking”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 9, 20185:49 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Stark

Meet Stark, who earns his (or her) nickname for my mood while writing (see next paragraph) and ambience of the Featured Image, which I captured using Google Pixel 3 XL on Nov. 18, 2018. The tiger tabby presented for portrait near where Monroe and North avenues meet. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 58, 1/3906 sec, 4.44mm; 3:19 p.m. PST.

This post has the distinction of being my first composed using WordPress 5.0’s so-called Gutenberg editor. I’m not loving it, in the least. Compatibility and reliability top my list of blogging software priorities—and neither is consistent composing with the radically new WP incarnation, using a theme from a reliable designer that supports the new editor. Some other theme authors have sent email warnings recommending against Gutenberg, to which my webhost auto-updated this site middle of last week.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 4, 20189:34 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tocino

On the morning of Nov. 1, 2018, as I approached Polk from Georgia, a lithe, tiger-tabby strutted up the sidewalk. I wasn’t the kitty’s interest, but a black-and-white shorthair looking out the window of a house. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough interior light for a good shot of that animal. Even so, I chose the Featured Image because it’s the street shoot’s story: Tocino staring up at the unseen beastie inside. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 73, 1/1020 sec, 4.44mm; 9:54 a.m. PDT.

The second portrait, taken two minutes earlier, captures Tocino at our first meeting, just before greeting and opportunity for me to read the name tag. Tocino is Spanish for bacon, and it is also a surname. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 56, 1/903 sec, 4.44mm.

Gear by Joe WilcoxDec 3, 20187:06 pm

Google Pixel Slate Fast, First Impression

Pixel Slate arrived at the Wilcox household on Nov. 28, 2018, from Google Store, with the order correctly fulfilled. Initial out-of-the-box reaction: “Oh”. Underwhelmed. Five days later: “Wow”. The Chrome OS tablet is understated in all the ways that matter. My brain just needed a wee bit of time to appreciate the many nuances, rather than one obvious thing flipping the “ah-ha” switch.

The Slate will largely complete my transition away from Apple products, started in late July. The Chrome OS slab is set to replace iPad 10.5 and possibly could displace my beloved Pixelbook, as well. We shall see about the latter. The delayed “Wow” response means something. That said, Google’s tablet, like first-generation Chromebook Pixel, feels too much proof of concept: The hardware’s potential awaits future software, and supporting services, refinements. As such, based solely on a few days use, I don’t see the device as being right for everyone, or even most anyone. However, Google geeks will find something truly exotic to get excited about. Android and Chrome OS enthusiasts, rejoice! Linux lovers, too!