12MP Full HD 1080P Bicycle Helmet Sports DV Action Waterproof Car Camera

So I was thinking about buying a GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition for my trip to Miami. While searching I came across this camera: the SJ4000 DV Camera



I looks a lot like the GoPro Hero3+: Black Edition (See side by side pics)


However there are some differences in specs. The main differences are that the SJ4000 doesn't have wifi and cannot record in 4k or 2.7k. Here are some more specifications.

		GoPro Black Edition		SJ4000
Specs:		4Kp15 / 2.7Kp30 / 1440p48 / 1080p60 / 960p100 / 720p120 fps		Image resolution :12 Mega Pixels (4032*3024)/10 Mega Pixels(3648*2736)8 Mega Pixels((3264*2448)/5 Mega Pixels(2592*1944)3 MP(2048*1536)/ 2MHD(1920*1080)/ VGA(640*480)/ 1.3M(1280*960)
		12MP/ 30 fps Burst		Video resolution :1920*1080 30fps / 1280*720 60fps /848*480 60fps / 640*480 60fps
		Built-in Wifi		Video Compression Format :H.264
		Wi-fi remote		Default resolution --Video:1080P,Picture:4032*3024
		GoPro App		12Mega Pixels CMOS-Sensor
				LCD :1.5" LCD screen
		Slot for Micro SD card up to 64 GB		Slot for Micro SD card up to 32 GB
		Battery life: 90 minutes(1080P)		Battery life :60 minutes(1080P)
What's included		HERO3+ Black Edition Camera		1 x SJ4000 HD DV
		131’/40m Waterproof Housing		1 x Waterproof Case
		Wi-Fi Remote		Detachable 900mAhB attery
		Higher Capacity Li-ion Battery		1 x Bike Bracket
		Quick Release Buckle		1 x Bandage
		Vertical Quick Release Buckle		1 x USB Cable
		1 Curved + 1 Flat Adhesive Mount		1 x Waterproof Case Bracket
		3-Way Pivot Arm		1 x Waterproof Case Clip
		USB Charging Cable		1 x Multifunction Clip
				1 x Camera Clip
				1 x Cleaning Cloth
				1 x Power Adapter
				1 x Bracket Adapter
				1 x Manual

As you can see the by the specs SJ4000 DV Camera will not replace the GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition pound for pound, HOWEVER considering the price of the GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition at $499 compared to the SJ4000 DV camera at ~$93 you can see that the SJ4000 is the smarter of the two buys and at that price you can buy FIVE of them and do more than you would be able to with just one GoPro HERO3+.

At the least you should consider the SJ4000 as a backup camera for situations where you would hate to lose a $500 camera but are willing to sacrifice a $95 camera.

The History of Father's Day

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day was inaugurated in the United States in the early 20th century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting.

After the success obtained by Anna Jarvis with the promotion of Mother's Day in the US, some wanted to create similar holidays for other family members, and Father's Day was the choice most likely to succeed. There were other persons in the US who independently thought of "Father's Day", but the credit for the modern holiday is often given to Sonora Dodd, who was the driving force behind its establishment.



Father's Day was founded in Spokane, Washington at the YMCA in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there. After hearing a sermon about Jarvis' Mother's Day in 1909, she told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honoring them. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the pastors did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June.

It did not have much success initially. In the 1920s, Dodd stopped promoting the celebration because she was studying in the Art Institute of Chicago, and it faded into relative obscurity, even in Spokane. In the 1930s Dodd returned to Spokane and started promoting the celebration again, raising awareness at a national level. She had the help of those trade groups that would benefit most from the holiday, for example the manufacturers of ties, tobacco pipes, and any traditional present to fathers. Since 1938 she had the help of the Father's Day Council, founded by the New York Associated Men's Wear Retailers to consolidate and systematize the commercial promotion.[8] Americans resisted the holiday during a few decades, perceiving it as just an attempt by merchants to replicate the commercial success of Mother's Day, and newspapers frequently featured cynical and sarcastic attacks and jokes. But the trade groups did not give up: they kept promoting it and even incorporated the jokes into their adverts, and they eventually succeeded. By the mid-1980s the Father's Council wrote that "(...) [Father's Day] has become a Second Christmas for all the men's gift-oriented industries.

A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents". In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day is celebrated in many countries on November 19 for men and boys who are not fathers. (copied from wikipedia)

Father's Day Gift Ideas

How to Convert Workouts to Steps

How to Convert Workouts to Steps

The company I work for has a six week challenge where they reward employees for exercising, specifically walking.

How the program works.

The company send you a free pedometer that you keep on you during the day. The goal is to walk at least an average of 13000 steps a day. In order not to discourage anyone not capable of walking 13000 steps a day they broke it down into a tiered reward system.

If you walk and average of 6,000-9,999 steps per day you will receive $50.

If you walk and average of 10,000-12,999 steps per day you will receive $75.

If you walk and average of 13,000 steps per day you will receive $100.

After six weeks, based on your level of activity, you will receive your reward. Now this is based on the honor system and the only person you cheat is yourself.

The program does not start until June but I have already received my pedometer and have been wearing it. One thing that I've noticed it that I need to step up my game. I've only been averaging about 5,500 steps a day. At this rate I will not qualify for the basic payout. I realized that I need to step up my game. So today I dusted off my membership card and went to the gym. I rode the stationary bike for a half hour. I thought this should really increase my numbers.

WRONG!

When I check my pedometer when I entered the gym I was at 150 steps (it’s not very far from my bed to my truck). After cycling for 30 minutes I was only up to 315 step. The pedometer does not do a good job at tracking other activities other than walking. There are conversation charts available online that you can use to convert your activity to steps. Here is a link to one of many. Click here.

I'm taking a different approach.

I just ordered the Polar Loop Activity Tracker to help count my steps and track other activity.
  The Polar Loop Activity Tracker claims it can counts calories burned and monitor your sleep. Polar also states that it is waterproof and can be used to track swimming and cycling.

I was going to order the Nike+ Fuelband but decided otherwise when I saw that first, it is not compatible with Android devices, Apple only, (MAJOR flaw on their side) and that it was not waterproof. It is water resistant however.

I will post an update once I receive it and try it out for a while. Hopefully I will reach the max goal and the reward will pay for the cost of the Polar Loop.

Wandering Taíno

So if you're like me you are a displaced puertorriqueño. Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents I still love my island and my culture. However, since I joined the Army and traveled around I find it hard to buy the things that I was use to growing up. I miss my mom's pasteles, empanadas con carne,
alcapurria, arroz con pollo, you get the picture. I've been able to sometimes find some Goya products in the commissaries and Wal-mart but not always. I mostly buy them online.

I finally retired from the Army and now live in Charleston, South Carolina. Mecca for Puerto Ricans? Not. However, we are everywhere. After settling in I found out that my neighbor acroos the street is Puerto Rican as well as the neighbor down the street. Its still; not the same as New York or Miami but it will do for now.

One of the pluses about moving to South Carolina is that they don't require a front license plate. Now I can put my new Borinquen license plate on. That's a win for me. Wepa!

Protect your so called "vicious" dog and you

Most "vicious" dog owners know by now that the data used to label their dogs as "vicious" or "dangerous" was take from a twenty year study conducted by the CDC back in 1996. The CDC no longer tracks bites by breed because people often misidentify the breed of the dog. If someone was bitten by a dog it is often labeled as a pitbull or pit-bull type or mix. The reason why is because of ignorance and fear mongering by the media because that's what sells.

Either way I came across these ingenious collars, leashes or leads, and harnesses that protect you as a dog owner and your dog from idiots who think that your dog wants to play with their aggressive, hyper and nervous Chihuahua who has a Napoleon complex.

Please do yourself a favor and most importantly protect your dog with one of these.
http://amzn.to/SDiAyY

How to use your blender as a fruit or vegetable smoothie maker

With the new year comes new resolutions and probably at the very top of that list is to eat healthier or lose weight.

One of the more popular diets out there involves the blending or juicing of fruit or vegetables. Now I do not juice vegetables because of two things. First, it is very expensive. It takes a lot of fruit and vegetables to make just one glass that you drink. Second, it leaves out all of the fiber from the drink!!

According to the Mayo Clinic - "Dietary fiber — found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes — is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But foods containing fiber can provide other health benefits as well, such as helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease."

So why would you want to remove that from your juice??

 One thing I found was the price of the juicers (Magic/Nutri Bullet, Ninja, Vitamix, etc) can really get up there. In my searches I found an article that described the use of a Mason jar. Missing from the article was pictures and the finished produce so I decided to see if it really works.

My blender is an Oster 14-Speed Blender that I had around for a while.

 One of the things that I like about this model is that it has a solid shaft drive. So you don't have to worry about wearing out rubber parts.

You want to make sure that you are using the rubber gasket between the Mason jar and the blade.

As you can see the Mason jar will fit the blade attachment.

NOTE: Make sure that you are using REGULAR mouth Mason jars. I know you want to guzzle it down quickly but wide mouth jars will not work here.

One thing you may want to do is take your blade attachment and check it against a regular mouth Mason jar.

Watch my video to see how it works.

The Affordable Care Act Headache!

Ok so my wife and I are double insured. I have insurance through my employer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and from my military benefits, Tricare Prime. My wife has Medicare Parts A & B as well as Tricare 4 Life.

Today we are sitting at the doctor's office arguing over whether or not we have to pay Medicare's deductible. Before the ACA (Obamacare) went into effect there was no issue. Tricare was billed as our secondary insurance. Now with the new changes it seems no one can figure out how to bill.

It took a phone call and a fax from Tricare to straighten it out. I feel for the lady who was sitting here for an hour while they were still trying to get confirmation from her insurance. Needless to say she left untreated.

We were not the only ones going through this today. Everyone walking in today had had the same issue and were told they had to pay the deductible up front.

So much for "Health care that works for Americans."

Hello World!

Welcome to my little slice of cyber space. Hi, I'm Eddie, a husband, father, and retired Soldier. I read blogs every now and then and never really thought about writing my own. Now that I have "retired" from the Army I thought now would be a good time to share with you things I've learned throughout that journey, things I wish I would have known throughout that journey, and things I knew but just didn't work out so well.

Hopefully I can make you laugh, get angry at me, agree with me, disagree with me or just leave you wondering. I'm very passionate about some subjects, especially those involving our military. After having that environment be so much part of your life for 25 years it is very hard being neutral. I hate political correctness so don't expect me to ride the fence on some subjects.

I am a pseudo handyman so some of my attempts at DIY projects will be on hear as well. Feel free to laugh at my failed attempts or offer up suggestions.

Thanks for your time. More to follow...