January 26th Entry: First Month of 2019
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And here I am with the first blog post of 2019! 😄🎉 Or in the other words, the final year of this decade. If there's one thing I should mention that's going to be exciting for 2020, is all the all-electric vehicles we're going to see! Rivian and Bollinger are two exciting startups that come to mind. I have heard of others like Atlis and even Havelaar, but I do not think they will have products released for 2020. Havelaar in particular, has been silent since 2017. 😶 Are they still even doing anything? 🤨
Anyways! Let us just proceed to discussing the latest videos! 😎
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What's Next & Other Ramblings
Anyways! Let us just proceed to discussing the latest videos! 😎
Admit it, this video probably surprised you, didn't it? After quitting Asphalt 8 all the back in July 2018, you probably may have thought that I would be forever done with the Asphalt series entirely and completely. Well, after taking a good, long break, I've decided to come back to their newer Asphalt 9 series. This time with a much more mature, responsible mindset. From that day and onward, I've learned to never put so much time and effort into something not worth the sweat. 🕒💧 So with that said, I play Asphalt 9 very casually and lightly, meaning that I will not become an elite anytime ever, nor will I even try to get anywhere near there.😉
If you can remember back in 2018, a lot of people insisted that Asphalt 8 was far better, and that Asphalt 9 was all graphics and shine, and no actual fun. Or perhaps it was just the vocal minorities that gave me that impression? 🤨 Either way, I honestly think that Asphalt 9 is a good game. In fact, better than Asphalt 8. Yes, I said that and here's why:
1) All cars are buildable with blueprints. At first, that seemed like a horrible idea, but seeing as though blueprints aren't hard to get a hold of, it's actually good
2) More events for tokens and credits. Seriously, tokens are far easier to get in this game! In Asphalt 8, they were such a damn nightmare! 🦂🕷🕸 Well, I don't know how token-demanding this game is yet, so we'll see if there's catch here. I have noticed that you can actually buy token with your credits! 🤩 Dang, they have really taken the community's backlash from Asphalt 8 seriously with this game. 👍🏾
3) The graphics. This is something you cannot deny. In fact, many sources say that Asphalt 9 actually has the best graphics to date, for a mobile racing game. Now that is a serious accomplishment. 🏆
4) Ads are far less intrusive. Nuff said.
5) Progression is easier. They've managed to do it in way that it does not make them game itself easy, but also not painful like Asphalt 8.
6) With the exception of certain vehicles like trains, it seems like traffic doesn't get you murdered.
5) Progression is easier. They've managed to do it in way that it does not make them game itself easy, but also not painful like Asphalt 8.
6) With the exception of certain vehicles like trains, it seems like traffic doesn't get you murdered.
Overall, I'm liking it better and I can see where they've listened to the community with the gripes they had with Asphalt 8. Now if only we could have manual acceleration, and 1080p@60FPS for all high-end devices, and not just the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Seriously, there are phones with gaming modes meant for this. Some phones are even centered around gaming. Razer Phone 2 and Asus ROG anyone?🎮
I really do wish that stores still kept dual layer holster kickstand cases in stock for the BlackBerry Passport, but nope! ☹ The Seidio Surface was the closest thing I liked, so I went with two of them. Really wanted it in blue, but couldn't justify the price for it on Amazon. 😵 How am I liking them? They look nice, but I certainly wouldn't be clumsy with them. They don't look like they can take a serious fall or beating. And yes, their colours do not come off when they come in contact with alcohol or vinegar. 😆
You already know that the video is about me unboxing and installing these screen protectors, so I won't bore you about that. What you want to know is how well they hold up. I can tell you that the clear versions are indeed nearly invisible, and do not mess with your smartphone's digitizer. However, they have a big drawback -- they're fingerprint and smudge magnets! 😲 So even though the quality and clarity is amazing, you're going to need to wipe them occasionally in order to keep your screen clear. This is where their matte versions come in hand. I'll discuss my time with one further into this blog.
I originally had plans to make this "retirement" video more like a review of the BlackBerry Q10, but I decided to just make it a Multiple Platform Mobile Gaming Video instead. It has now been over three weeks since I retired the old Q10. Do I miss it? Not really, actually. Even though it had a number of hardware features that are grossly missing from today's smartphones, the itsybitsy screen and underpowered processor were getting long in the tooth. Did I mention how dull the screen is? Oh right, I said that numerous times in the video. 🤣 Seriously, now owning a Nokia Lumia 1520, iPhone 6s Plus and BlackBerry Passport, I honestly have to ask myself why I made myself go so long without buying proper flagship(s)? 🤔 Wait I know the answer to that question: 😅😶😳
Needless to say, since the day I bought the Nokia Lumia 1520, it taught me to never buy anything that isn't a high-end flagship ever again. 😎 From all the videos and photographs I shot, the places I've been, and how it pioneered the channel during the ATA1201058 days, my BlackBerry Q10's fingerprints will not be forgotten. And speaking of photographs, there are numerous pictures I took before retiring the device. Therefore, if you see #ShotOnBlackBerryQ10 on Instagram occasionally and you read bothered to read this blog post, you'll know why and won't be confused as to whether or not I really retired it. 📚
Can you hear it? The distortion and screechy sounds? This is exactly why I have been hesitant to film videos with the iPhone 6s Plus, ever since the day I discovered it was doing that. 😣 I'll have to find a video editor compatible with MOV files, or see if there's a certain setting I'm supposed to use. Or maybe there's an application that allows you film in stereo and produce the video files as MP4s? Who knows.... 🙄 I hate how dependent iOS is on 3rd party applications.
Needless to say, since the day I bought the Nokia Lumia 1520, it taught me to never buy anything that isn't a high-end flagship ever again. 😎 From all the videos and photographs I shot, the places I've been, and how it pioneered the channel during the ATA1201058 days, my BlackBerry Q10's fingerprints will not be forgotten. And speaking of photographs, there are numerous pictures I took before retiring the device. Therefore, if you see #ShotOnBlackBerryQ10 on Instagram occasionally and you read bothered to read this blog post, you'll know why and won't be confused as to whether or not I really retired it. 📚
Can you hear it? The distortion and screechy sounds? This is exactly why I have been hesitant to film videos with the iPhone 6s Plus, ever since the day I discovered it was doing that. 😣 I'll have to find a video editor compatible with MOV files, or see if there's a certain setting I'm supposed to use. Or maybe there's an application that allows you film in stereo and produce the video files as MP4s? Who knows.... 🙄 I hate how dependent iOS is on 3rd party applications.
Anyways! Even though I've had the microSD cards in my BlackBerry Passport and Nokia Lumia 1520 for weeks now, I have not done extensive filming or application loading with them yet. The biggest thing you probably want to know, is whether or not I achieved the 90 MB/S they're advertising. The answer? No, and neither did I expect to. The average speed I got was 69 MB/S, while rarely hitting 74 MB/S. This is honestly not too bad. While some people might consider being short of 21 MB/S a flaw, the most important thing to consider is consistency. I made sure to not only bold that, but also highlight it. A card can boast 2 GB/S, but what good is it if it only goes that fast 3% of the time? While most people probably won't be transferring gigabytes of files frequently, unless you're media heavy like myself, that would be considered a serious flaw.
Speaking of media heavy, I do wish I got the 400GB version, but that price tag tho... 😱 And then there's the fact that I have no idea if the Nokia Lumia 1520 would recognize it. The BlackBerry Passport would, but it's not a device I bought for extensive photography and videography.
I wanted to return this screen protector and exchange it for the original clear HD version. But then I decided to just use it for a little longer, and abandoned the idea of returning them. I still do much prefer the clear HD, and will only buy those from there and onward. I'll just keep the matte screen protectors I already bought as emergency backups. So my word of advice: if you aren't sure whether or not to get a matte screen protector or a clear one, go with the clear version. Unless, of course, you really hate glare and fingerprints that much.
The 17th Episode, but the first of 2019! ⭐ Unfortunately, during the time gap between #16 and #17, I have not been playing the tenor recorder very much. As a result, the obvious suffered: tone and playing skills. 😳 Quite badly, too. 😳😳😳 Not to the point that I couldn't read sheet music and play all the notes on the tenor recorder though, so that's good. 😅 The only way that'd happen anyway, is if I were to not play for like a year or something. Even then, I'd probably still be able to simple music, because it's not like recorders are unfretted string instruments or something. That's not to say that they're a cake walk that can be played with a lousy approach, but they are definitely easier to get started on, that's for sure.
As for this episode itself, nothing super special. Just played some songs and poked fun at the objects portrayed in the video.
What's Next & Other Ramblings
What's next? YOU are next! 🤪🎉🔥 Kidding. 😶 Ok, so let's talk about my video resolutions. I believe from some point in 2016 up to either late 2017 or early 2018, my videos have been optimized for 1920 X 1080 screens. Now, they are optimized for 3840 X 2160 screens! 😎 That's right, 4K. While they have been 4K since I figured out why they weren't being exported in that resolution from August 2018, I've done more tweaks to keep them that way throughout. Of course, the screen recorded videos from the iPhone 6s Plus or BlackBerry Passport are exceptions, since no device can currently record the screen at that resolution. Maybe the Sony Xperia XZ3 Premium will change that? 🤔 Or can the current Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium already do that? 🤨
So about the commentary videos...😅 I've been mentioning for some time that XXX batch may have one, but never ended up recording one. Why? They take more time to put together, and not being on YouTube's payroll doesn't exactly make you motivated to want to put too much time into videos. Don't get me wrong. I do love filming videos, and I do care about making the videos high quality, but don't like editing and putting them together. 😐 "So why not hire an editor to do the dirty work for you?" No. If I hated it that much, I wouldn't even bother with it in the first place.👀
So about the commentary videos...😅 I've been mentioning for some time that XXX batch may have one, but never ended up recording one. Why? They take more time to put together, and not being on YouTube's payroll doesn't exactly make you motivated to want to put too much time into videos. Don't get me wrong. I do love filming videos, and I do care about making the videos high quality, but don't like editing and putting them together. 😐 "So why not hire an editor to do the dirty work for you?" No. If I hated it that much, I wouldn't even bother with it in the first place.👀
Man, with all the electric cars coming between now and the next 1-3 years, I seriously got to start pulling in some big cash for them! ⚡🤑⚡ For far too long, an all-electric truck has been such a fantasy, but the next decade is FINALLY changing that! 🤩 YES! Now trucks, commentary, and resolution aside, I'm not entirely sure what videos will be in store for February. Let's just hope that 2019 will be an awesome, exciting, healthy year. 🙏🏾
