Monday, August 20, 2018

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

Saturday, August 18, 2018

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

Sunday, August 05, 2018

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

Thursday, July 26, 2018

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

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

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

Friday, July 06, 2018

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

Thursday, July 05, 2018

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

Sunday, June 24, 2018

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

Moto E5 Plus Moto Actions and Display Tips - Sprint Product Ambassadors

Motorola has brought their flagship Moto Actions and more to the E series phones. Check out the video for some tips on using Moto Actions on 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

Hands Free Activation of the Moto E5 Plus - Sprint Product Ambassadors

The fastest, simplest activation of your Sprint Handset - no computer, store visit or call needed  - all the activation for a swap or new line of service needed!  See how easy it is to get your new Moto E5 Plus online and working.


 -- 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

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Moto E5 Plus Unboxing Video - Sprint Product Ambassadors

The new midrange Moto E5 Plus comes with a 6" screen and a 5,000 mAh battery, along with super fast charging capability.  Take a look at what comes in the box and what the phone looks like!



- 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

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Moto E5 Plus Photo Comparison - Sprint Product Ambassadors

A couple of posts ago we saw a photo comparison where the photos from the E5 looked dull and washed out compared to a premium phone.  So I had to try it -- I shot photos from my Samsung Galaxy S8, the Moto E5 (both automatically set to HDR) and my long in the tooth Canon T3i DSLR. All photos were processed through Adobe Photoshop Elements to resize them to 1800px wide and add the text; no other corrections were done.


First, the 'Reference Shot' from the Canon T3i - washed out.  Evaluative metering couldn't handle the bright sun on the tree and the dark shadows in the back corner.  But I wanted to keep the composition the same - for a better shot, you'd eliminate some of the contrast.



Next up, the Samsung Galaxy S8.  Much better job with the auto HDR - shot with no changes to the settings, just point and shoot, keeping the composition the same.



Finally, the Moto E5 Plus.  A bit darker in the dark areas, but the brightly lit tree has better definition.  All in all, the Moto E5 Plus will shoot.  I have no complaints about the 12 MP camera outdoors.



- Will England, Sprint Product Ambassador  #sprintemployee

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

Typewriter Fonts

Found this brilliant site with dozens of old typewriter fonts - they truly look like old, worn down, thin ribbon typewriter typing (minus the whiteout - although you can almost smell the whiteout when you read it on the printed page).

http://www.1001fonts.com/typewriter-fonts.html

Seems to work well on the Mac!

- Will England

Monday, June 11, 2018

2000 June Blues Fest at Grant Park

Back in the day we'd roadtrip up to Chicago every June for the Chicago Blues Fest and sit on the lawn at Grant Park, enjoying the day go by.  Here's a short clip of (I believe) the last Blues Fest held in Grant Park.



Saturday, June 09, 2018

Overdone

9 years ago I worked a full day; went to happy hour, then to Westport for Crystal Method.  I'm not 25 anymore.  Quick livestream from the couch.


Wednesday, June 06, 2018

How to remove the Radio from Subaru Forrester

Too long, didn't watch: The climate control cables have to be removed by crawling on your back upside-down and popping out the cables.  Even more cables to handle on the Automatic Climate Control models.  Also known as 'why to take it to the pro shop for a new radio'.  $200 is worth not bending this 45 year old back upside down in the floorwell of the car.  It sucked when I was 21, it will most definitely suck now.



Subaru Symmetrical AWD vs. Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen

Great information on buying used cars with AWD; too long didn't watch: Subaru with their all wheel drive walked right up the 'ice' as did the VW 4Motion system.  Toyota and Honda were unable to make it up without traction on the front wheels. 



There's a reason I own a Subaru!



2006 Subaru Forester wind noise solution

Too long, didn't watch: Use screen spline, about 4' under the top gasket of the window seal. Ensure the screen spline is fully under the top gasket.