If you’ve ever tried to install a caching plugin at WP Engine, you know that WP Engine bans caching plugins because they interfere with WP Engine’s server-level EverCache system. Well, bans all caching plugins except one – WP Rocket. In fact, WP Rocket is part of WP Engine’s “Preferred Plugin Program”, and you’re totally free… View Article
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For system administrators, ps is a frequently-used tool. It’s used to list the currently-running processes on your system with a variety of filter and display modes available through flags and arguments. The syntax of ps can be subtly odd. We will follow the UNIX convention of a single dash preceding a flag since that’s by far the most widely-supported syntax. However, it can also be run with BSD syntax, which drops prefixed dashes and uses a separate flag name syntax. For example, the aux flag replaces the more common -ef flag. Make sure you know which one you’re using. Related: The Beginner’s Guide to pstree… Read more
REVIEW – Hydration is important and although the old adage of needing 8 glasses of water a day may not be 100% valid, it is true that plain water is better for your body than sodas, and other sugary drinks. Can you make plain water even better for you though? Some people believe that alkaline water is more healthy for your body than regular tap or filtered water. The vast majority of people believe that bacteria free water is healthier for you (duh!). Is there a way to turn your ordinary water into both more alkaline and free of bacteria? That’s where the Spectral Body Alkaline Blue water bottle comes in. Let’s check it out and take a swig.
The Spectral Body Alkaline Blue water bottle is a 420mL (14.2 oz) glass water bottle that has a built-in filtration system that purifies and alkalizes water within 3 minutes with a touch of a button.
Regular water is supposed to be neutral with a pH level of 7.0. Alkaline water should have a pH level in the 8.0 – 9.0 range.
I’m not a doctor or a scientist. So I can’t tell you one way or another if the claim that alkaline water is better for your body than regular water is true. But if you Google “benefits of alkaline water”, you’ll come up with many opinions on both sides.
Some people believe that alkaline water is good for your skin, increases energy, helps reduce inflammation, helps prevent cancer, helps prevent osteoporosis, cures acid reflux, and more.
People who don’t believe in the claims cry BS and many health professionals say there isn’t enough research to support the many health claims.
Type: Ionizer / Small water filtration system
Material: Stainless Steel
Average Alkaline Content: 9.2 PH
ORP Reading: -650
TDS Reading: 47 (contaminants) Parts Per Million
Water temperature: 5-40℃
Charging: USB charge
Bottle capacity: 420ML
The Alkaline Blue water bottle is made of a double walled glass cylinder with a screw on top and a screw on base that’s a self-contained battery-powered filtration system.
The base contains an ionizer which puts the water in the bottle through the process of alkaline water electrolysis. The water runs over positive and negative electrodes emitted from the ionizer and when this occurs it will create alkaline water while flowing through the alkaline minerals and ORP water purification beads in the bottom in the reservoir.
The built-in filtration system has a rechargeable battery and comes with a proprietary USB cable that is used to charge it. A full charge will allow for multiple 3-minute filtration sessions. Depending on how much water you drink a day, the battery should last at least a day or two before requiring a recharge.
I asked Spectral Body about the lifespan of the Alkaline Blue bottle’s base unit and was told that it has a 2-year life span because the built-in battery does eventually die. This 2-year figure is based on using the bottle multiple times every day. They are developing a better battery replacement solution.
When the bottle is charging, an LED in the base glows red.
There’s also a Blue UV light that glows when the button on the base unit is pressed to start the purification and alkalizing session.
Note that the bottle can be washed, but the base should not be submerged in water. It’s best for cleaning that you remove the top cap and the base and just wash the glass tube.
The first time I tried the Alkaline Blue bottle, I just filled it with cold water, put the cap on, and pressed the button. The base emitted a blue glow and after 3 minutes, the bottle beeped and the blue UV light turned off to let me know that the alkalizing and purification process had ended.
I drank the water and didn’t notice any significant difference in the way it tasted or the way I felt after I drank it. However, when I sniffed the water, the smell reminded me of the way it smells when you walk outside after it’s rained. Kind of a fresh clean smell.
The second time I tried the bottle, I paid more attention to it and noticed a cool lava lamp effect while the water was going through the purification session. I took a quick video to show you what I mean. Check it out.
Wild right? I drank the water and again, didn’t really notice much of a taste difference when compared to un-purified water from the same source. I continued to use the Alkaline Blue water bottle for a couple of weeks once or twice a day and except for the fact that I was actually drinking more plain water instead of my usual drink of choice – tea, I didn’t notice any effects on my body, mind, etc.
So was anything really happening to the water beside the interesting bubble show?
To find out, I used a bottle of pH testing liquid from Think Alkaline that Spectral Body included with the water bottle review sample. I tested multiple water samples at a couple of different locations with water right out of the tap, through a house filter, from my day job tap water, and day job water filter machine.
For each test, I tried as best as possible to use the same amount of water and the same number of pH testing drops. I drew the water for each test at the same time by filling the Alkaline Blue bottle and a cup with the same water. Once the 3 minute filter session in the bottle was completed, I put 5 drops in each cup and waited a few seconds to see the results.
The image above shows the Alkaline Blue water on the left and plain unfiltered tap water from the faucet in my home on the right. According to the pH test bottle colors, the water on the left (from the Spectral Body bottle) is more alkaline than the tap water. The water on the left is more blue which means it has a higher pH level than the more green / neutral pH level water on the right. So the Spectral Body water bottle’s filtration base did make raise the pH level of the water.
But when I tried the same test at my office using the tap water there, the results between the two water samples were the same. There was no discernable change between the treated and untreated water that I could tell.
I tried quite a few more tests and most of the time I was able to tell that the Alkaline Blue water bottle raised the pH level of the water usually from a neutral 7.0 level to around 8.0 just using the colors on the pH testing bottle
Note: I didn’t have a way to test how effective the Blue UV light was on killing bacteria in the water.
The Spectral Blue Alkaline water bottle is a nicely made bottle and I like that you can remove the cap and the base for easy cleaning.
As for using it to make your water bacteria free and more alkaline, the jury is out on those claims. The bottle may be able to effectively kill bacteria in the water using its UV light but I wasn’t able to confirm or deny that claim because I didn’t have a testing method.
Regarding the claim that the bottle can raise the level of alkalinity in water, most of the time I could see that the Spectral Body Alkaline Blue water had an elevated level of alkalinity. But having said that, I was not able to feel any benefits from drinking the alkaline water. If you’re a believer in alkaline water, I think the Spectral Body Alkaline Blue water bottle is the only bottle on the market that will let you raise the pH level of ordinary water. Whether or not there are benefits to consuming alkaline water is a question for which I don’t know the answer.
Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Spectral Body
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Spectral Body.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Health and fitness, Water Bottle
Spectral Body Alkaline Blue water bottle review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 21, 2019 at 11:00 am.
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NEWS – Back in 1999, Dave Munson created Saddleback Leather in his quest to design the perfect leather bag. Here we are at the 20th anniversary of that event, and Saddleback Leather is releasing a limited-edition briefcase based on the original design!
I love the stripped-down look of this design, which reads more like a traditional mailbag or messenger-style design to my eyes. You can see plenty of elements that would be highlighted in future Saddleback designs like the double-gusset compartments and three-buckle closure system. The spec looks to be in the mid-size category at 11-1/4″ tall, 14-1/2″ wide, and 7-1/8″ deep with a double-gusset design that foregoes some of the external pocketing that came in later versions. It’s also a shoulder-friendly 4.5 pounds. I hope it’s got the ability to convert to a backpack as well; hopefully we’ll find out more as we get additional details on the release.
This will be a limited-edition piece. Orders are being taken through June 21, after which production will begin. The retail price is $499.
I remember buying a Saddleback briefcase when the company was relatively new and only offered the original style, and it was one of the most amazing bags I have ever owned. I’ve owned a number of Saddleback products since, but I still miss that bag. I may need to jump on this myself!
For more info, get to the product page for the 20th Anniversary Briefcase here!
Filed in categories: News
Own a little piece of Saddleback Leather history with the 20th Anniversary Briefcase! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 21, 2019 at 10:00 am.
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REVIEW – Most of my leisure time these days is spent playing Dota 2, so to support my keyboard-mashing habit, last year I bought a really nice keyboard, a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate. It’s a super study mechanical keyboard that can take a lot of abuse. It is, however, a wired keyboard. As a gamer, I am generally skeptical of wireless keyboards, worried about getting lag and running low on battery, so I was excited to test out GameSir’s GK300 wireless keyboard to see how it stacks up against my Razer.
The GK300 is a wireless keyboard that is designed for gaming. It’s a full-sized keyboard with 104 mechanical keys and has a built-in, rechargeable, lithium battery.
The keyboard can connect to a computer using either 2.4 GHz wireless or Bluetooth 4.1. There’s a small switch on the keyboard that allows me to choose my preference.
The keyboard is compatible with both PC and Mac. I tested it on my Windows 10 gaming computer and my MacBook Pro. Unlike my Razer keyboard, it lacks a USB port and a headphones jack, but this is not surprising, as it’s battery-powered. Speaking of the battery, the GK300 has an internal, 3600 mAh lithium-ion battery. GameSir’s website says that it should last 300 hours if you don’t turn on the backlighting, and only 30 hours if you do. Keep in mind that the battery is not replaceable.
The keyboard is a standard, full-sized keyboard. The unit I tested has white, plastic keys and a white wrist rest. I can’t say that I’m a fan of white, and I anticipate that it will show dirt too easily. GameSir also sells this keyboard in space gray, which is probably a better choice for most gamers, as we don’t have the reputation of being the neatest, cleanest people on the planet.
The keyboard is angled at 7.5 degrees and comes with a wrist rest; it’s an ergonomic design that should help to minimize carpal tunnel syndrome. The wrist rest has 3 notches embedded in, which have corresponding stubs under the keyboard. The keyboard fits perfectly in them, and this keeps the wrist rest in place.
Additionally, there 6 rubber feet on the bottom of the keyboard and 5 more on the wrist rest; together they did a good job of preventing them from sliding around on my desk.
The top cover of the keyboard is made from an aluminum alloy, while the underside is made from white plastic. The keyboard is solid and fairly heavy; when I grabbed the ends and twisted, it didn’t flex. From all appearances, it’s a well-made gadget.
The keyboard comes with an internal, rechargeable battery, and the first thing I had to do was charge it. I plugged the micro USB connector into the side of the keyboard and the other end into a USB port on my PC. GameSir’s website says that it needs 3 hours to charge and recommends that I let it charge fully before playing, so I did.
The keyboard supports both 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth 4.1, but as my motherboard doesn’t support Bluetooth, the only thing I tested was the wireless. On the bottom of the keyboard is a small slot that stores the wireless dongle. I pulled it out and connected to a USB port on my PC, and Windows 10 promptly found and installed the driver. When I tested it on my MacBook Pro, it did the same.
When it comes to the performance of a wireless keyboard, I admit that I have concerns. My first concern is obviously, “Is there any lag?” When playing online, competitive games, there’s no room any amount of lag. The good news is that I could not discern any lag at all. I jumped right into my favorite game and began playing. No lag detected!
My second concern is the feel of the keys. When pounding away, I want them to be very tactile and give strong feedback letting me know that each key was successfully pressed. This is why all good gaming keyboards use mechanical keys. I’m happy to report that the GK300 performed as expected. In fact, once my game got going, I forgot that I wasn’t using my trusty Razer.
My third concern is battery life. What happens when the battery gets low in the middle of a game? The manual says the LED under the wireless/Bluetooth switch will flash red when battery life drops below 15%, but this is not what actually happened. After several days of playing, about when the battery should have been getting low, the switch started flashing green and red. This left me a bit confused, because it’s not what the manual says. Assuming that this was still a battery problem, I plugged in the USB cable, and it charged while playing. I’ll always need to keep the cable handy because I can’t afford to have my keyboard die during a game.
After many hours of gaming, I can say with confidence that the GK300 plays very similar to my Razer keyboard, and that’s a compliment!
These days all gaming peripherals come with some sort of extra lighting, and the GK300 is no exception. Using the function key, I can set the lights to roll across the keys like a wave, to light keys as I touch them, to pulse out in wave from each key I touch, to light all the keys, etc. Personally, I prefer to leave all the lights on, as the room I game in is a bit dim, but it’s nice to have these choices. The lights on this keyboard only come in one color, white, and I can control how bright they get. What I really appreciate is that I don’t have to install any extra software in order to set the lighting, something that I have to do for my Razer keyboard.
I’m not normally a fan of wrist rests, but as this keyboard comes with one, I decided to test it out. After playing with it for several days, I can say that it’s not bad. It doesn’t squirm around, and the support it provides is comfortable. It does push the keyboard a bit further away from the edge of the desk than I prefer, but it needs to have some room. If having a wrist rest is important to you, you’ll probably like this one.
The GK300 manual notes that the keyboard can use Bluetooth and connect to an Android or iOS device. While I don’t really have a need to connect my iPad to a keyboard, I decided to test it out anyway. I followed the instructions in the manual, and while the iPad was able to detect the keyboard, it was not able to pair with it. I kept getting a “the pairing took too long” error. Just to make sure there wasn’t some problem with my iPad, I tried it on my daughter’s as well but got the same error. The manual notes that if pairing fails, I should hit the function and reset keys simultaneously; that’s great, but there is no reset button on this keyboard, so I don’t know what the manual was trying to tell me. I tried to use other keys instead of the mythical reset key, but nothing worked. If connecting to your phone or tablet is important, you’ll want to look elsewhere, but honestly, if you that’s what you need, there are better keyboards for the job.
GameSir’s GM300 wireless mouse comes with utility software, G-Core, that provides some extra configuration options. I couldn’t find anything similar in the GK300 manual for their keyboard, so I decided to test GameSir’s tech support. Their “Ask for Help” page has a form that I filled out with my question. Although their website guaranteed a reply within 1 day, I never got one. It appears that GameSir doesn’t actually offer any tech support.
I played a lot of games using GameSir’s keyboard, and I must say that I like it; in fact, I am surprised by how much I like it. As I was comparing it to my Razer, I was expecting it to fall short, but that didn’t really happen.
Do I plan to replace my Razer with GameSir’s keyboard? No, I don’t. With a wired keyboard, I have the peace of mind knowing that lag and battery problems just aren’t a thing. If was I looking to buy a wireless, mechanical keyboard for gaming, would I consider the GK300? This is tough, but probably not. If I were only comparing the keyboard to other keyboards, I would consider the GK300; however, when I consider the entire package (the poor manual, the problems with Bluetooth, and the lack of tech support), I think I would look elsewhere. If GameSir wants to compete with top-tier providers of gaming peripherals, like Razer, Logitech, and Sennheiser, then they are going to have to step up their game. And I hope they do because the GK300 is a solid product.
Price: $69.99
Where to buy: GameSir’s store or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by GameSir.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Gaming keyboard
GameSir GK300 Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 21, 2019 at 9:00 am.
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