![]() ![]() xbench recorded sequential uncached write speeds of 111.13 MB/sec and read speeds of 28.56 MB/sec with 4K blocks, and write speeds of 83.25 MB/sec and read speeds of 77.54 MB/sec with 256K blocks. ![]() In fact, the only element really holding the new MacBook Pro back was the hard-drive, its 5,400rpm speed proving underwhelming. Graphics, too, were comprehensively higher, with the 2011 MacBook Pro scoring on average 37-percent higher across xbench's various GPU tests. Again, the quadcore processor and fast RAM made short work of the 2010 notebook, with xbench's CPU, thread and memory tests coming out 14-percent, 68-percent and 71-percent higher respectively. A microphone is hidden under the left speaker grille, and there's a new, 720p FaceTime HD webcam above the screen, more on which later.įinally, we looked to xbench, a combination of CPU, GPU, memory and drive testing. Wireless options include WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR there's still no integrated 3G option. The slot-loading 8x SuperDrive is still present, while ports include gigabit ethernet, FireWire 800, audio in, audio out, an SDXC memory card slot, MagSafe power and, of course, Thunderbolt. Faster, 7,200rpm HDDs are optional, as are SSDs up to 512GB. Storage begins with 320/500/750GB hard-drives, depending on size and SKU, all running at a somewhat disappointing 5,400rpm. There's no need to log out and back in again to switch, as with earlier dual-GPU configurations. For basic web browsing and document editing, then, the MacBook Pro will default to the low-power, energy-frugal Intel HD Graphics 3000 chipset start gaming, or doing video processing in iMovie, and the AMD Radeon GPU will kick in. Apple has obviously deemed Intel's integrated GPU sufficient for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but the 15- and 17-inch models have a choice of the AMD Radeon HD 6490M (with 256GB of GDDR5 memory) on the entry-level MacBook Pro 15 or the Radeon HD 6750M (with 1GB of GDDR5 memory) on the higher-spec 15-inch and as standard on the 17-inch.Īs in the 2010 range, OS X automatically switches between integrated and discrete graphics depending on your activity. Graphics have undergone a significant change as well, with NVIDIA's discrete GPUs replaced by AMD's Radeon 6000 Series paired with Intel HD Graphics 3000. ![]()
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![]() ![]() If you make the recipe, rate it on the recipe card below and tag me on Instagram and use #simplystacie.What comes to mind when you think of comfort food? A lot of the times for me, it’s a saucy dish of lasagna, a cheesy vegan enchilada casserole, or a big batch of baked vegan mac and cheese.Ĭasseroles are a total winner in every way possible. You might also like this Meat Calzone, Slow Cooker Pizza Pasta, Meatzza Casserole or Pizza Dip.ĭo you have any amazing casserole recipes? I’m always looking for more recipes to try! Follow me on Instagram on Facebook at Simply Stacie, and on Pinterest and let me know how you liked this and my other recipes! Yes, it can be frozen! I would recommend cooking the base layer of ground beef, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, onions, garlic, green pepper and the pizza sauce the putting in a freezer safe storage container or bag and then when you are ready to eat, add the tater tots and then cheese, pepperoni and Italian Seasoning at the end. The Works with allll the toppings like pepperoni, bacon, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and black olives to name a few. ![]() BBQ Chicken with barbecue sauce in place of the pizza sauce, cooked chicken and onions.Use ranch dressing instead of pizza sauce. Veggie delite with cooked broccoli, green peppers, mushrooms and other veggies of your choice.Hawaiian themed with pineapple and ham.The possibilities for this are endless because of the amount of “toppings” that can be used. Some of the other dishes that would pair wonderfully with my Pizza Tater Tot Casserole are a simple side salad or my Tuna Salad or Garlic Bread. What to Serve with Pizza Tater Tot CasseroleĪlthough this is a very filling dish on its own, it may need a little extra side of something to fully complete the meal. A nice set of measuring cups will assure you that the amount of ingredients you are using are correct and will taste delicious. Measuring cups: Some ingredients can be eyeballed while others can not.Use for browning ground beef and sausage. Skillet: You more than likely already have a few of these but this set is my absolute favorite non-stick set.Cheese grater: Even though cheese can be bought pre-grated, I love grating my own cheese since some of my recipes include freshly grated cheese.Casserole dish: If you love casseroles like I do, a nice glass casserole dish is a necessity and it is something everyone needs since it can be used for more things than just casseroles.Remove from the oven and top with Italian seasoning. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, if you would like. Step Three: Bake for 40 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown.Then cover the mixture completely with Tater Tots. ![]() Spread pizza mixture evenly on the bottom. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish (my favorite one I like to use is linked below under my “ Helpful items used for my Pizza Tater Tot Casserole” section) with cooking spray. Cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until meat is cooked and veggies are softened. Next, add in mushrooms, onions, garlic and green pepper. Cook for 7 minutes or until the meat is lightly browned or halfway done. After heating, add in ground beef, sausage and bacon.
![]() ![]() I'assigned left and right joysticks for flight control, L1 button for video/photo mode switch and L2 button for pictures taking. When T1s buttons are aligned with tello app on-screen buttons we are done. ![]() There will be overlay button in Tello app that launches T1s buttons assignment to screen positions.ġ2. Add Tello app by pressing "+" button in this utilityġ1. Pair T1s wit phone, when connecting from within this utility T1s is switching to some fast mode.ĩ. Launch GameSir controlling utility from Notification area.ħ. We don't care of app itself, we need notification with gamepad that it produces. ![]() Connect Phone to PC and launch downloaded utility, follow on-screen wizard (my guess is that you need usb-debugging drivers to be installed)Ĥ. Enable USB-debugging in Phones's developer's menu.ģ. latest "GameSir World" app (- PC-based remapper activator utility (Install downloaded app onyour Phone (installation from unknown sources should be enabled)Ģ. From GameSir official downloads site (www,xiaoji,com/download/) get: Steps for rooted phones (how I recall them):ġ. On rooted phone these screen touches simulations are possible without additional hardware. ![]() On non-rooted phone we need to have usb-host enabled phone and purchase usb dongle from GameSir. This remaping is in fact screen touches simulation. Managed to control Tello with "GameSir T1s" on ROOTED! Android phone.Īll gamesir controllers are supported for so-called "remaping" in their android app "GameSir World". That is so unfortunate as it kills one of the main selling points ("use a game controller you might already have") which in reality means increasing the base price for many users by a to be determined amount. doesn't look so promising that any Android controllers beside the mystical T1d will work with the Tello. The method of storage doesn’t help: because videos aren’t stored locally on the drone but beamed directly to your phone, anytime the Wi-Fi connection drops in quality you’ll run into frame rate issues: fly the drone away from you and at some point the video will start stuttering.Well. It’s not wonderful, in all honestly, lacking dynamic range and, in the case of videos, often subject to extremely noticeable compression artifacts. One option would be to buy the “Boost Combo” package, which includes three batteries and an external charger able to accommodate all of them at once.įinally, we should mention the image quality of the built-in camera. This does make buying multiple batteries necessary if you’re planning on long sessions, but given the toy-like nature of the Tello we think 13 minutes is perfectly acceptable. There’s an on-screen battery indicator while flying, plus a built-in warning system that kicks in when power is low, to help ensure you don’t lose the Tello due to it abruptly running out of juice.īattery life is decent, however: you can get as much as 13 minutes of flight time out of one charge. The Tello app is refreshingly simple, with clearly labelled controls and a limited (but not restrictive) set of options. The most interesting is the 8D flips, which makes the drone perform precise flip-over tricks that mirror how you swipe your finger across the screen. In addition to manual flight controls, a handful of automated modes can be used to perform tricks and capture interesting videos: 360-degree rotations, 'Up & Away' (which flies – yes – up and away from you while facing you) and more. You can also use “Throw & Go” to launch the drone: turn the power on, then toss it upwards and away from you in the air, whereupon it’ll engage its rotors and hover in place. The sensors power one of the Tello’s flight tricks: the ability to hold out your hand and have the drone land on your outstretched palm (do watch your fingers until the props power down, though). This system is light-based, so only works in bright conditions. Take your hands off the controls and it will hover in place rather than drift around. When flying on a calm day or indoors (some prop guards are included for the latter you may as well keep them attached for outdoor flights too), a pair of downward-facing sensors keep the Tello nice and steady. ![]() ![]() ![]() All of these can be viewed in a context menu together, letting you zoom to your annotations and read your notes without having to find them first, though that is a pretty standard feature in e-book apps. It also supports bookmarks and colored highlights, as well as in-context notes for marginalia. The app does allow for customization of basics like font, text size, and background color, but the book frame is here to stay. It uses a very old-style book image to frame what you’re reading, which doesn’t really mesh with macOS’s newer, non-skeuomorphic design. While the app is flexible, the interface is a little dated-looking. This includes ePub as well as MOBI, PRC, AZW, and PDF. BookReaderīookreader is extremely flexible, opening pretty much every text-based book format in existence. There are also some basic font and color adjustments available, but two columns seem off-limits for basic tools. This lets you style the reader’s output with CSS. The reader app itself isn’t visually appealing or customizable as Kitabu, but enterprising users can heavily customize its appearance using the user stylesheet function. mobi and ePub files, and then re-export them in other file types. The e-book reader in Calibre can open just about any kind of digital text document, including. Calibre can build and host an OPDS e-book server, allowing you to share files to mobile devices from your Mac, and search dozens of e-book stores simultaneously to find just the book you’re searching for. You’ll also find some tools that can help you remove DRM, though results can be hit-or-miss. It comes with lots of tools for editing book metadata, adjusting things like author names, cover images, and publication data. It’s a powerful, if somewhat unfriendly, software tool designed for managing a large library of digital books. CalibreĬalibre includes a Mac e-book reader, but it’s mostly for Mac e-book management software. It also only handles ePub files and can’t manage any other file type, which is a bummer. But while you can add bookmarks, you won’t find any annotation options within the application, meaning it’s not as powerful for taking notes or highlighting text as some of the other applications we’ve reviewed. ![]() You can read books in any font on your computer, with adjustable text size, three background colors and up to three columns. It’s a solid competitor for stalwarts like iBooks, offering an attractive and customizable interface. If you want to escape from all the Mac e-book reader apps associated with bookstores and DRM, Kitabu will set you free. For those looking to read an ePub on a larger screen, we’ll look at the best Mac e-book reader apps available in 2021. ![]() E-book readers for iPhone, iPad, and Android abound, as well as dedicated reading devices like the Kindle and Nook. Lovers of digital literature are used to reading on a hand-sized interface. ![]() ![]() Once all libraries are listed, click Next, then Done to complete. Brand new Mac Mini running Plex (on my brand new Samsung 40 LED TV, and with a Logitech Harmony remote to control it all SO friggin sweet.If a library type you want isn't initially set up, click Add Library, select the type, name it, click Next, click Add Folder, select the folder containing the media, click Add, then Add Library.Manage the libraries to match the content you want to view, such as "Movie," "TV Show," and "Music.".The Basic Setup will ask you to set some essential details about the server, including giving it a memorable name and if you want to "access my media outside my home." Enter these, then click Next.It will first ask you to authenticate your Plex account. Plex will open a new browser tab on the first run and start its Basic Setup Wizard.Does the price make it a good Plex server option similar to the cheap NUC/NASs now UPDATE: M1/M2 mac mini is amazing, but there are still many cheaper alternatives available. If you haven't moved it to the Applications folder, it will offer to move itself for you. We can get the base m2 Mac mini (8gb/256gb) for 500 with student discount. I only use Plex for videos movies and TV shows that I’ve ripped from DVD or Blu-Ray. Its small form factor and quiet operation makes it easy to. ![]() The Mac mini is the cheapest Mac you can buy. Extract the archive, and place Plex Media Server in your Applications folder. The chip gives the PN52 lively performance, though not up to the Apple Mac minis, while the chassis offers easy access and ample upgradability for the. Turn a Mac mini into a media server with Plex The Mac mini. Download Plex Media Server to your Mac.This is going to be my main computer, function as a Plex server. Create a free Plex account via the Plex website, as it will be required for managing your Plex Media Server and for streaming. Ive just taken receipt of a refurb Mac mini in the i5, 256 SSD, and 8 Gb ram configuration.So whether you’re running a live concert sound engine or testing your latest iOS or iPadOS app, Mac mini is the shortest distance between a great idea and a great result. ![]() in relation to changes in the submerged littoral mac- rophyte communities. 1 I currently have a Mac mini (2012, Quad core i7) with 16GB RAM and an internal 2TB HDD which I've been using for the last few years to store our collection of photos, home video clips (mostly from when the kids were young), our iTunes library (approx 100Gb), and other data amassed over the years (the stuff you never seem to delete). And now with eighth-generation Intel quad-core and 6-core processors and Intel UHD Graphics 630, Mac mini has even more compute power for industrial-grade tasks. on the transport of atrazine and alachlor from mini- mum till corn. I am building this to replace a legit Mac Mini 2012 with 2 external HDDs running as a (99 of the time headless) Plex server. In addition to being a great desktop computer, Mac mini powers everything from home automation to giant render farms. Benefit from a music management service that combines a users own video, audio, and photos with online. With up to $200 in savings across the lineup, the M1 MacBook Pro leads the way at new Amazon lows alongside price cuts on the M1 MacBook Air and 24-inch iMac. LUMIN is the ONLY high-end streaming solution for plex. Or you could save even more by going with the previous-generation model at $64, which ditches the built-in SSD storage found on the newer model.īut when it does come to the latest M1 machines from Apple, we’re also spotting some notable discounts on that front, too. This accessory sports a unique under-Mac design that delivers front-facing I/O alongside a matching silver aluminum construction to look the part. An easy recommendation for pairing with your Mac mini would be picking up Satechi’s USB-C Stand and Hub with your savings. ![]() ![]() ![]() It is immensely powerful and tackles hard subjects head-on. There’s not a lot to say about this novel that hasn’t already been said. ![]() Taking recommendations is always a risk (I also read some major duds off recommendations this year), but this one paid off big time. Once I got started, though, it no longer felt like an obligation. A coworker was shocked that I’d never read it (I’d never even heard of it!) so I felt I had to read it to defend my honor. I managed to read this just before the movie mania kicked in. Making musical references is an easy way to win me over. I also loved the insights into the writing because I am 1) a wannabe writer and 2) a giant Broadway nerd. That being said, I got really into Hamilton the musical this year, so reading all the lyrics and seeing pictures of the cast/set was a lot of fun (I am one of the approximately eighteen billion Hamilton fans who has never actually seen the show). I am usually not a nonfiction person at all, so the fact that there’s a nonfiction book on this list is a huge surprise to me. It is relatable and feminist and I coincidentally finished it the day before I attended my first Comic-Con, which gives it extra memorability points.ĩ) Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter It’s not a mind-blowing book, but it is cute. ![]() I’ve been seeking them out and reading them, and this was my favorite one that I read this year. I got really into books about fans and fandom this year. 10) The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash ![]() ![]() ![]() As its name indicates, this system from Ghost Spectre is super lite because many unnecessary features have been removed. Ghost Spectre Windows 10 Superlite is a tweaked version of Windows 10.
![]() ![]() This Disney DVD is a mildly entertaining hour that you can spend with your kids at Christmas time. And finally, the disc offers a mildly amusing Create-A-Card Activity, in which your child can create a virtual card for someone she loves. You get a Words of the Season: Vocabulary Game that will insult even your youngest child. This is a fine sound presentation, given the varying sources. The Dolby Digital 2.0 track offers rich depth, nice bass, and very clear singing. In general, this presentation gets the job done quite nicely. ![]() But your children won't mind the differences in quality one bit. Some of the colors in these shorts are vivid, whereas others are washed out. The older stuff suffers accordingly with its age. We have many different sources here, and in general the new stuff fares best, with great colors, detail, and depth. See if you can spot 'em.Ģ1) "The Best Christmas of All"-More of the "Spot the Characters" approach.īuena Vista presents Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing Along Songs in an accurate 1.33:1 transfer that varies in quality from song to song. The first four and the final six are newly created shorts.ġ) "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"-Donald and his nephews.Ģ) "Winnie the Pooh's Jingle Bells"-Pooh and friends.Ĥ) "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"-Goofy and son.ĥ) "Deck the Halls"-Mickey, Pluto, Chipmunks.Ħ) "Jingle Bells"-Donald briefly, then unknown.ħ) "Joy to the World"-Snowflake fairies, great animation!ĩ) "Let It Snow"-Awkward compilation of characters.ġ0) "Sleigh Ride"-Mickey and Scrooge, awkwardly edited.ġ1) "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"-Toy soldiers.ġ2) "Winter Wonderland"-Old-style Donald!ġ3) "Here Comes Santa Claus"-Live footage of a Disneyland parade.ġ4) "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"-An old Rudolph cartoon.ġ5) "Silent Night"-Old animation that will bore you and your kids.ġ6) "Seasons of Giving"-Pooh and friends.ġ7) "As Long as There's Christmas"-Belle from Beauty and the Beast.ġ8) "Jingle Bell Rock"-Mickey and Minnie.ġ9) "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"-Pooh and friends.Ģ0) "White Christmas"-A bunch of characters from many movies. Here's the song list, and the Disney characters represented. Also, a big drawback is that you can't remove the huge karaoke-style subtitles that are plastered across the screen for each song-and many of these obnoxious subtitles appear too late, so that you can't prepare for the next lyric. Even in shorts where the characters are supposed to be singing a given song, their mouths aren't shown or the lyrics don't seem to quite match the lip movements. What bugged me about a few of these short subjects is that some of the footage seems clumsily recycled and edited. So, the disc offers many different styles and periods of Disney animation. ![]() So is the inclusion of not only 10 newly animated short films (some really short at just a minute or two) but also some classic footage-from seemingly the very beginning of Disney animation. You've probably heard all of these songs on the radio at Christmas time: They're original recordings from such artists as Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, and so on. The 21 songs are interwoven with the help of some warm, Christmasy narration by Roscoe Lee Brown, who talks all squishily about the holidays and warm fires and stuff, providing cute little introductions to each tune. In other words, this ain't up to the standards of their theatrical fare, but there are some diverting moments. If you love Disney and Christmas, you'll find that the two go together reasonably well on this disc-but if you're an animation purist and really put your critical eye to this presentation, you'll see that Disney has cut more than a few corners and applied the same deft touch that they use on their direct-to-video sequels. Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing Along Songs is a collection of 21 traditional Christmas songs accompanied by new and classic Disney animation. Here's a Disney Christmas stocking filled with a few gems, a bunch of okay little items, and a couple lumps of coal. ![]() ![]() Ibotta has integrated cashback exclusive offers for in-store, online, and grocery delivery orders, making it extremely convenient to use during pandemic times. I can’t be alone, because this app is popular for receipt scanners, and Ibotta has paid out approximately $860 million in cash back to its loyal users so far. Every time I went to Target, I knew Ibotta had a deal specifically for a kombucha brand I loved, so I had no qualms about purchasing a little probiotic pick-me-up and getting some money back for it. I blame Ibotta for my kombucha addiction of 2017. ![]() Accumulated points can be redeemed at stores you’re likely already shopping at, like Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon, to name a few. Those points can benefit you two-fold if you also purchase products from the hundreds of household brands that partner with Fetch. This gives Fetch an edge over other receipt-scanning apps that require you to purchase specific items. Every time a receipt is uploaded, you’re absolutely guaranteed to earn points. The app is free to download and use, and your receipts will earn points for online shopping. ![]() For example, on the Apple app store, Fetch has a five-star rating from more than 1.1 million reviews, and users have scanned more than 623 million receipts for rewards. ![]() This is one of the highest-rated grocery scanning apps out there, and Fetch’s reputation precedes it. The amalgamated information from millions of shopping receipts helps with market research. The thing about receipt scanning apps, however, is that they are getting something from you: your shopping habits. I’m a true believer that any company that offers people money for no additional work should be highly scrutinized. The skeptical among us may think these apps are a scam, which is understandable. Simply complete your grocery run, upload your receipt with your phone, or submit your e-receipt if you buy groceries online, and enjoy the cash flow return. The apps below are the favorites of the grocery receipt scanning crowd. With grocery receipt scanning apps, though, you can earn cash and rewards on those necessary food purchases making that mundane trip to Kroger/Ralphs or Aldi suddenly a whole lot more exciting. We all need to eat, and who doesn’t want to be rewarded for that obligatory milk and bread run? Even if you’re the coupon-clipping master, it’s impossible to completely eliminate a grocery bill. This content has not been provided by, reviewed, approved or endorsed by any advertiser, unless otherwise noted below. There is also a web version.We may receive compensation from the providers of some products mentioned in this article. Receipts by Wave is free and available for iOS and Android devices. The interface is straightforward, perhaps even slightly dated in appearance, but for those looking for a tool that does what it's designed to without a lot of extra bulk, this one might be the one for you. The app is quite simple, even basic, without a lot of extra bells and whistles. Receipts by Wave helps you track and organize your receipts by categorizing them, allowing you to separate business expenses in the way that works best for you. Of course, the downside to this feature is that you need to be connected to the internet to use the app (though on a smartphone that is probably less of an issue). What is a little different about Wave is that it saves your receipt information in the cloud instead of your device, saving you some storage space on your phone or tablet. ![]() Receipts by Wave is a free receipt management app that allows you to take pictures of your receipts and save the receipt information-and the app will prompt you to confirm the information to ensure that it is correct. ![]() ![]() ![]() Color Supply - an interesting online color palette generator ![]() In comparison with Colordot, it offers designers more useful tools to customize and export their designed color schemes. Colourco - an easy-to-use free online color toolĬolourco is an easy-to-use free online color tool that allows UI/UX designers to pick colors, create and download desired palettes with ease. Moreover, its iOS app, which allows designers to create and share colors/color palettes by wiping, is also worth trying. Colordot– a simple free online color pickerĬolordot is a very simple free online color picker which is developed by Hailpixel, allows designers to pick colors and create desired color palettes by scrolling and clicking. You can simply copy and paste the desired color palettes to use them into your design projects quickly. It offers you more than 13 color palettes that are collected based on different countries’ preferences. If you are in a hurry, Flat UI color, a quick color palette tool, is perfect for you. ![]() Flat UI Colors – a quick online color palette tool You can install it as an Add-on to the Adobe suite. If you use Adobe suits usually for design, this color tool is a good option since it supports Adobe programs. It has a very low learning curve for new users, especially for some UX/UI design beginners, as it has a simple user interface and considerate user guide. Coolors - a good online color scheme generator with a low learning curveĬoolors is a web-based color scheme generator which allows designers to create, save, share and export a color palette for their UI/UX designs. Here are a few widely-used online web-based/Cloud-based color tools for you: 1. In this aspect, it is very convenient for web/app designers. It can be accessed at anytime or anywhere.
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