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So, I was able to use this more over the weekend, and I have tip say that I'm pretty pleased with CarPlay. Anyone who's used Apple Maps will be familiar with the interface, though the improvement on the use of the added real estate with a 7" screen are noticeable. Siri search had worked so far, dictating and reading back of messages has been successful, and once I got some of the settings dialed in, I'm really happy with how it sounds. Highly recommended!

Got my new Alpine CarPlay unit installed in the Jeep. Initial impressions are only based on some very basic interactions in the driveway, but it seems like it's going to work really well. I found a good spot for the mic, and it will be really easy to add a backup camera down the road. And for now I just have the phone connected in the glove box. A shot of the harness adapter and radio harness all soldered and heat-shrunk. And the finished product.

Koshka is 17 and doing great as well, much to Lauren's dismay as she's getting increasingly vocal.

Spent the weekend building a deck with my dad. It was a great way to spend a few days. And we're really excited to enjoy it the rest of the summer.

Thanks... Once we get carpet down to finish our 3rd floor, we're going to be ordering a new mattress from Casper. Ours is beyond done, so we are soooooooo looking forward to this.

Finishing up the Apple Music Faith No More Deep Cuts playlist.

Amazon is selling the Momentums for between $70 and $100 depending on color as well.

It's amazing. That is all.

Apple Music Nine Inch Nails Deep Cuts. Nothing I haven't heard before, but a good playlist none the less. Excited to give their exclusive The Fragile Instrumental album a listen later. So far, I'm thinking I'll be moving on from Spotify Premium to Apple Music. Since Lauren & I both use Spotify, there are lots of times where we both want to use it but only one can. $15 for the family plan on Apple Music is a nice compromise. I know she likes Spotify a lot, but between the changes to the stock Music app, which I haven't used for at least a year, integration with Siri and better control of my iTunes Match, I'm going to try to convince her to make the change.

Still haven't watched the finale, but this caught my eye. A really cool breakdown by the show's composer on how he developed the score for the main title sequence. It's really great to hear the clips of each individual track and instrument and how they fit together. https://soundcloud.com/hrishihirway/song-exploder-40-ramin-djawadi

For Gmail, just try Google's Inbox or Mailbox, which is what I've used since it was released. I know you done maintain inbox zero, Mailbox may not be ideal, so if the smart grouping appeals to you, Inbox would be a better option. Apple's stock mail app is better than it used to be, but I'm still not a fan. And Google's Gmail app is pretty horrible.

Saturday we loaded up a ton (literally... 2000+ lbs) of residual construction debris from when we bought the house and took down walls and ceilings. Feels very good to have my back yard again, despite the damage it did to my lower back. Today I did the front pads and rotors on our VW Touareg. But for one stubborn fastener, it wasn't a bad job at all. And considering it needs new rubber all around, the $450 I saved doing it myself was worth it since that will cover 3 of the 4 tires.

Finally see the pilot for iZombie based on a friend's recommendation and confirming opinions here. Looking forward to catching up... Thoroughly enjoyable.

I couldn't be happier with my Pebble. Well, that's not entirely true... The plastic face has scratches and it occasionally drops its connection with the iPhone. But with the addition of a nice leather NATO band, it has served me well. I'd definitely prefer a round watch, and something with a little more style wouldn't hurt my feelings. But charging it once a week is great and it's tough to beat for the price. And the newer Pebble offerings don't really interest me... They've managed to make them more expensive and less appealing. I'll be curious to see how the Android Wear implementation on the iPhone works out since that will definitely open up the market and it's clear a lot of people don't care for the Apple Watch's execution.

Haj, thanks for the head's up... Concord, MA would probably feasible. Try before you buy is always preferable! Pickup at Hunt's in Manchester or Portland is always nice and convenient, but it's nice to know there are other local-ish options for harder to find lenses.

So, quick question for you guys... Lauren is planning on getting a new lens for her D700. With a Sigma 35 and Nikon 50 & 85 (and plans to sell her 24-85 3.5-4.5G which she doesn't really care for), she's looking to go wider. Does anyone have experience with the Sigma 24 1.4G Art? She's done a bunch of research, but knowing the kind of gear you guys use, I figured I'd see if anyone has first-hand experience. She had originally planned to go with the Nikon 24-70 2.8G which she's rented a few times, but has a real affinity for primes. Unfortunately Glass and Gear, while local, doesn't have much in the way of Sigma glass available to rent. And just a little background on what she'll be doing with it... She's moved to more of a documentary style for her lifestyle photography, with lots of maternity, newborn and family shoots with a few weddings mixed in. Her site is here, with lots of photos in the Blog portion. Thoughts? Has anyone tried that Sigma Art or other Art lenses, and are they worth it? Better 24mm options? Thanks!

Looks like a lot of NE was spared with the storm tracking east, except a small spot on the map that just happens to be in our neck of the woods. 16"+ with a few more expected today. Not sure where to put it all...

Happy belated, Jeff!

Thanks guys. Steve, when we pulled down the ceiling in the dining room, we found the beautiful hand-hewn beams in the living room didn't extend all the way to the back of the house. It was built in 1850, and the last 6 feet or so had half-round beams with the bark still on them... Not exactly the look we were going for. So when we were getting ready to re-frame the drywall ceiling, a coworker offered three 24' 8x6 beams from an 1800 era cape he owns. He needed to open up a wall and reframed the second floor. While it killed me to cut them to length, we were able to get enough to add those beams just below the existing framing and fill between. And the table was built from my father's old rough-sawn staging planks. He put it together after we mentioned wanting a harvest table in the new dining room. It's pretty cool to have that history in the table, and it fits the space perfectly.

The light fixture we ordered for our dining room finally arrived. When Lauren was out doing a newborn shoot today, I got it installed. It's pretty fly... 16 mason jars.

News just said we have 15" here. What's really impressive is the wind. Fingers crossed we don't lose power!

A friend posted that on Facebook yesterday. I thought it was fantastic.

I've been reading a bunch more since getting the 6+, since it's always with me and the size is perfect. The last two were: Night Film by Marisha Pessl - I thought it was excellent. Not without its faults, but one of the most entertaining reads I can remember. One that is better the less you know, but a pretty thrilling ride. Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews - An odd novel about Russian/US spy games with some interesting choices... Not sure how else to describe it without giving anything away. That said, I'm looking forward to the next one he has due out in May. Currently reading: Symbiont by Mira Grant - I wish I could say I was more excited about this, but this new series really does pale in comparison to the Newsflesh books. So far, so OK... We'll see where it goes.

I love the Plus. Lauren's 6 feels a little more comfortable to hold, but I'd definitely never give up the real estate. And the 5/5s feels like a toy.

I don't use a case with my 6+. I use a DodoCase Durables sleeve/wallet. I've used one with my iPad mini, 4S and 5S as well. I figure so much went into making the phone as thin as possible, why throw a big case on it. That's what Apple Care+ is for. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk