Mac OS X 10.14 Mojave Problems and Solutions

Backing up my 2015 Macbook Pro getting ready for the 10.14 update (Mojave). While I'm waiting for the backup to complete I checked out what problems I'll be getting into.

First, what to look for - MacWorld.co.uk has a great overview of Mojave.

SoftwareHow.com has some solid tips on the most common problems and resolutions for them in Mojave.

Ensure your Mac is backed up, and you have updated all your applications.  Also, after the update, update your apps again, as there may be new versions just for Mojave.

Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be as many issues as previous updates.  Once the backup is done I'll be installing the 10.14 Mojave update.

On Riding

Stolen from so many sources I can't even give proper attribution -
"Riding a motorcycle doesen't call to everyone. It carries a level of risk that is an anathema to most. It demands a level of competence, a degree of engagement that is unusual in today's society. Like an old craft, the skills and the wisdom necessary to be successful at it don't come quickly, but emerge slowly, over time. Most people today simply don't have the patience or the inclination to deal with that sort of thing.
But for those of us who do, to that tiny minority who are drawn to it, the rewards are immeasureable. For us, riding imbues life itself with color, tinges it with adventure. It connects us to a time when people weren't perhaps quite so shy about how they lived. A time when everything wasn't a careful, exacting calculus of risk and reward. A bolder time when a fear of getting hurt didn't stand as an impenetrable shield to the simple enjoyment of life.
So, yeah, those of us who ride are deffinitely different. But it's a good difference. We carry something that once was common but now is rare. Something of the distilled essence of what got us all here.
We're the last wolves, in a land of sheep." — with Will Rutland.

My favorite GPS error, Somewhere in the Texas Hill Country

Following the GPS on an MSTA ride after Lukenbach TX.  Nice two lane windy road, and all of the sudden the GPS pops up and says Turn here! 

Where?  There may have been a road there 10, 20 50 years ago but there sure isn't one there now!
-- Will England

LG G7 ThinQ Concert Recording - Fantastic -- Sprint Product Ambassadors

I used the previous LG V30 for several band concerts when my 25 year old AKG Stereo mic broke and found it to be as good, if not better than my professional microphone.  When I got the G7 I couldn't wait to try it out -- but it was in the middle of the summer and no band concerts . . . .

So I waited and waited - and last week we had our first outdoor marching band show of the year!  I dug out the G7 and went up to the press booth at the stadium and recorded the show.  How'd it do?  Absolutely amazing!  Superior bass response, excellent stereo separation, amazing color capture.  I dumped the completely unedited untouched video to YouTube - put on some headphones and check it out!

So, the LG G7 ThinQ is just as good if not better than the V30 for live recording!  You can compare it to the $400 Sennheiser MK440 professional microphone on a Canon T3i here (also a straight dump to YouTube, no editing).  The Sennheiser has more gain, but less bass response and less stereo separation.  I had a wind blocker on the MK440 so you don't get the initial wind noise you hear on the LG.

Thanks for watching and enjoy your LG Phone!

-- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

2011 Ducati Diavel Key Fob Battery

Battery died in the proximity sensor key fob for the wife's Ducati Diavel. We (I) being cheap, order some generic batteries. Never worked. Used the PIN code to ride it around for a while, then heard a tip - use *Energizer* brand batteries in the key fob and it will work.

Well guess what? It worked. One $3 Energizer CR2032 battery later and the 2011 Ducati Diavel starts just like it's supposed to!

- Will England

LG G7 ThinQ Live Sound

Shot two videos of the marching show at halftime - one on the T3i with the Senheiser mic and one on the LG G7 ThinQ phone. Listening to the LG right now in the car a *whoa *! Seriously solid sound. Will have to wait till I get home to upload the video but another home run for LG!

-- Will England

#sprintemployee

Nikki bought us lunch!

She had to drop the dear daughter off at work, so she brought home some fantastic pizza!

Samsung Note 9 vs Samsung Note 8 Side by Side

Unboxed the new Samsung Note 9 one day before launch.  Hopefully I won't get sued!

Take a look at the Note 9 vs the Note 8 side by side!

Note 8 beside the Note 9, front side.

Not any real physical difference in size.  Haven't activated it or done anything yet.  But it's still the same (large) size as the Note 8!

(Shot on the Moto Z3 Play stock camera)

- Will England

MotoZ3 Play and MotoMods - Sprint Product Ambassadors

A very nice feature of the Moto Z3 Play is the support for MotoMods - these are magnetic attachable extras, from batteries to speakers, even a 10x zoom camera from Hasselblad!  So how do they work?

Quite simple actually - line up the gold studs on the phone with the studs on the mod and the magnets will pull them together easily.  Watch and see!

We'll check out the Hasselblad camera more later - but MotoMods are an exciting and fun part of the new Moto Z3 Play!

- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Moto Z3 Play - Adding a Memory Card or Changing SIM card - Sprint Product Ambassadors

Adding more memory to your Moto Z3 Play is easy - all you need is a tool included in the box and a few minutes of time - take a look!

I hope this helps you enjoy your Moto Z3 Play even more with more memory on board!

 - Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Moto Z3 Play Unboxing - Sprint Product Ambassadors

The affordable and highly functional Moto Z3 Play recently came out - lets find out what's in the box in the following video!

Looks promising! Stay tuned for more on the Moto Z3 Play!

-- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Earning Boy Scout Merit Badges with Schoolwork

Every scout goes to school - and literally dozens of merit badges are taught there every day.  Here's a fairly comprehensive list of merit badges you could complete or partially complete from your regular class work in 7th through 12th grade:

Personal Fitness - Gym class;
Sports - if you're in two team sports;
Art - 2D art, painting etc;
American Business - typically 7th or 8th grade Social Studies;
American Heritage - US History;
Animation - Some High Schools have Art Animation courses;
Chemistry - Chemistry;
Communication - Speech, Debate class;
Drafting - CAD class;
Electronics - Robotics class / club;
Entrepreneurship - Various business classes;
Geology - Earth Science class;
Graphic Arts- Art class;
Insect Study - Biology class;
Inventing - Business class AND robotics club;
Journalism - Journalism class;
Law - Various Social Studies classes;
Metalwork - Metal shop class
Moviemaking - Videography / Journalism class;
Music - Choir, Band;
Nature - Biology, Earth Science;
Painting - Art - Painting class;
Photography - Photography, Journalism classes;
Personal Management - use your lunch account as your budget;
Plant Science - Biology class;
Pottery - Art Ceramics class;
Public Speaking - Debate, Speech class, Student Congress, StuCo membership, Boys State participation;
Robotics - Robotics class or club;
Sculpture - Art Sculpture class;
Soil and Water Conservation - Earth Science;
Theater - Drama class or club;
Welding - Metal Shop class;
Woodwork - Wood shop class

Scouting Magazine gives a few more tips on using your school course work toward merit badges in their August 20 blog post.

I hope this helps give you and your scout some ideas to rock out those merit badges!

 - Will England

LG G7 ThinQ Final Review - Sprint Product Ambassadors

So, after 6 weeks of using the LG G7 ThinQ phone, I've found it to be fast, light, powerful and excellent screen and video.   Sound quality is also excellent, playing back high definition audio clearly and handling tracks as high of a resolution as I could find!

Yes, there's some quirks - it features a dedicated Google Assistant button, which doesn't do a whole lot just yet.  It's still nice to have a button instead of barking "OK Google" to get it to respond to the  normal lot of Google commands.  The battery life is fair, lasting me a whole day, but it could be better.  The photos are clear and crisp, but at full zoom they're a bit over-sharpened. 

The phone fits cleanly in my hand even with a serious Spigen case installed, and the tall 18:9 display gives my old eyes an easy view.  Fingerprint unlock works flawlessly and the centered rear reader is in just the right place.   The narrower device allows me to work easily across the whole screen without shifting the phone in my hand and risking dropping it.  (I'm looking at you, Samsung Note).

The coolest part of the LG G7 ThinQ is the LG features, from seamless initial transfer of content to the user-selectable notch, to multiple notification slide-downs.  The software is polished and quick -as it should be on a 845 chipset.  With 64GB of onboard storage, I never worried about running out of space (I keep the HD Music on an MicroSD card).  

Overall, a solid flagship phone with unique features.  Strongly recommended.

 - Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Another New Website - willengland.com

In the never-ending quest to learn platforms, build my personal brand and such, I've stood up a premium Wix account to host https://www.willengland.com/.  Go take a look - I've just gotten the basics started there; a video page, a blog, and even a favicon!

Nice layout and look and feel; relatively easy to build on if you're used to contextual menus.  Their new Blog tool reminds me of the LinkedIN article editor.

Next steps could be an eCommerce shop to sell something; link to a photo sales site for photo shoots etc.  Who knows?  More of a test bed for bigger accounts like the Shawnee Mission West Band and W&N Photography, and get my hands around using it for what the kids call a 'side hustle' these days (and back in the day too).

Post your feedback in the comments - always looking for constructive feedback!

 - Will England

LG G7 ThinQ Swipe to Search Personal Content - Sprint Product Ambassadors

LG had deeply integrated Google into the G7 ThinQ, and one of the great features they've done is given you a search engine for all of your personal content!  Now, this is only visible to you and only you can search your personal content, but it's far nicer than swiping back through emails just to remember the thing you were looking for was in a text.  It's easier to show than type about watch this brief video:

I hope this helps you enjoy your LG G7 ThinQ even more!

- Will England, Sprint Product Ambassador

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Using Google Lens on the LG G7 ThinQ - Sprint Product Ambassadors

LG had heavily integrated into the Google environment, using their AI and many other features rather than developing their own proprietary in-house solutions.  One very useful feature is the Google Lens.  Check out a video of how it works and how to use the Google Lens on the LG G7 ThinQ!

Thanks for watching and I hope this helped you learn a bit more about the powerful features on the LG G7 ThinQ!

-- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Managing Storage Space on the LG G7 ThinQ - Sprint Product Ambassadors

While your phone comes with a ton of onboard storage, with the high res video camera and today's apps and games it's easy to fill that up.  Check out this brief video on how to manage your storage space!

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Unboxing the LG G7 ThinQ - Sprint Product Ambassadors

The newest LG G7 ThinQ is a powerhouse of a phone - let's check out the unboxing!



Really looking forward to using this phone more!

 - Will England


The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Configuring the LG G7 ThinQ Side Buttons - Sprint Product Ambassadors

The LG G7 ThinQ continues to surprise me with nice features.  Instead of hard-coded shortcuts for the side buttons (volume, etc) the ThinQ offers several different options to configure what the side buttons do!



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-- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee

Cleaning up the Moto E5 - Sprint Product Ambassadors

Sprint, like all carriers, offers a wide selection of pre-installed apps for your enjoyment and use.  Many you'll find useful and helpful -- others, not so much.  Fortunately, Sprint has made it very customer friendly to remove un-used preinstalled apps from your Moto E5!  Watch the video for more information on removing pre-installed apps from your Moto E5 Plus.

-- Will England

The Product Ambassadors are Sprint employees from many different parts of the company that love technology. They volunteer to test out all sorts of Sprint devices and offer opinions freely to the Community. Each Product Ambassador shares their own opinions of these devices, therefore the information in this post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sprint. The PA's do not represent the company in an official way, and should not be expected to respond to Community members in an official capacity. #sprintemployee