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Last thing you bought

BD-HDD.jpg
Looks boring, eh?

Well, two things are going on that made this look attractive to me:
  • My 2007 desktop tower PC isn't practical to move to Windows 11 (without a new motherboard, CPU, memory, etc.) and the Windows 10 mini-PC I have can't upgrade either. The latter is woefully underpowered for even fairly light use today, and its use of a small eMMC main drive doesn't even have room for the late updates to Windows 10, much less 11.
  • No companies are making optical drives any more. Yes, you can still buy a USB DVD or Blu-Ray drive, but that's dwindled to new old stock.
A while ago I got a higher-spec mini-PC with Windows 11 Pro. It has a larger SSD main drive and room to install one internal 2.5" HDD, which I have.

But using an external USB DVD drive has been a pain. The mini-PC gets hot enough to slow down or fail if you place anything on top and those external drives really aren't sturdy enough to set the mini-PC on top either. So the result is a mess, taking up too much desk space, and everything at awkward angles due to short cords. Those USB drives are mainly meant as occasionally-used devices for laptops.

I tried to find some sort of shelving to use, and considered designing and making something.

But even Snitz (my old desktop tower) doesn't have a Blue-Ray drive. When I found out they've gone out of production I decided to go shopping for another external drive.

Then I found this one.

Large enough and a metal case so Buzzy (my newer mini-PC) can sit on top. Bonuses:
  • On the rear panel a 2-port USB 3 hub is exposed, so extra ports. There is also an additional "fast-charging" USB port there for charging a phone or what have you.
  • On top near the back, there is a slot where you can plug in a 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I/II/III HDD. This is not only potential expansion, but it will also be useful in transferring data from Snitz when I decommission that machine.
So much neater and more robust, and extra features like being able to read and burn BD as well as DVD and CD discs. Sadly, Windows 11 stripped out the codecs and other support for even DVDs let alone BDs. So I also forked out money for CyberLink PowerDVD 24 Ultra, which offers support for nearly any formats one might need.
 
I just bought myself a gift subscription for Kindle Unlimited. Most of the time, I can find a discount coupon, but even without that, it is cheaper to pay for a year than the regular monthly payment for KU. In order to have that payment option for KU, I have to send it to myself as a gift subscription, so that is what i do each year.
 
I last bought some milk and some cat food.
 
The last thing I bought was a drink from the store.
 
The last thing I bought was food last night from the store.
 
I just ordered a battery operated (usb rechargeable) table lamp for reading, and it should be here by Wednesday. I usually read everything on my Kindle app on the iPad, so I do not need any other light than the tablet; but if I am reading a regular book, then the ceiling light does not help, and actually casts a shadow on the book I am trying to read unless I sit leaned forward in an uncomfortable position.
I do not have an electrical outlet close to my chair, so I decided that ordering one that would recharge might be a possible way for me to have a light when I am reading in the evenings and not using the iPad.

IMG_0993.jpeg
 
Yvonne Smith said:
I just ordered a battery operated (usb rechargeable) table lamp for reading, and it should be here by Wednesday. I usually read everything on my Kindle app on the iPad, so I do not need any other light than the tablet; but if I am reading a regular book, then the ceiling light does not help, and actually casts a shadow on the book I am trying to read unless I sit leaned forward in an uncomfortable position.
I do not have an electrical outlet close to my chair, so I decided that ordering one that would recharge might be a possible way for me to have a light when I am reading in the evenings and not using the iPad.

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Looks more attractive than the more "industrial" lamps I've been using, though I was after lamps without a battery that run off 5 volt USB power. I'd settle for lamps accepting 12 volt power but those seem incredibly rare. Probably because an RV doesn't accommodate free=standing lamps which need to be secured when in motion.

Would your lamp accept a standard shade if you wanted a broader one or one with an external-face color?
 
The last thing I bought was a drink from the shop :)
 
Jacob Petersheim said:
Looks more attractive than the more "industrial" lamps I've been using, though I was after lamps without a battery that run off 5 volt USB power. I'd settle for lamps accepting 12 volt power but those seem incredibly rare. Probably because an RV doesn't accommodate free=standing lamps which need to be secured when in motion.

Would your lamp accept a standard shade if you wanted a broader one or one with an external-face color?
Click to expand...
I had never even considered that possibility, so I went back to the amazon page and looked to see what I could find, @Jacob Petersheim . The best information seems to be the assembly instructions ( assembly will be Mr.Bobby’s job), and it looks like it needs the shade that it comes with to hold the little light bulb that comes with it.
I just wanted to have a light for reading, something that didn’t look UGLY, and was a tall enough stand for the little table beside my chair, and this looked like it would fit all of those requirements. I will have a better idea once it arrives and I have it set up and working.

IMG_0995.jpeg
 
Yvonne Smith said:
it looks like it needs the shade that it comes with to hold the little light bulb that comes with it.
Click to expand...
All may not be lost.

I bought a small lamp to convert to using a USB-powered LED bulb, and it uses what appears to be the same mounting for its lampshade. So maybe those kinds of lampshades are more common now, and you might be able to find a different one later if you choose to.
 
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