Travel Tip: Check your hotel room for bedbugs

I started doing this 15 years ago when I first started to travel to Asia and have done it for every hotel stay since. The minute I walk into a room I drop my luggage in the washroom, remove the bedding and check for bedbugs.  

Why the washroom? Bedbugs typically hate all tile hotel washrooms and there are very few places for them to hide in there. This make the washroom the safest place to store your luggage until you finish with your bed bug check.

How do I check for bedbugs? remove the bedding on the mattress and inspect the seams of the mattress (all around on both sides). You are looking for blood stains, small black dots (like pepper) or actual bedbugs. Look for the same signs under the mattress (between the mattress and the bed).

Next look immediately around the bed. Behind picture frames, mirrors, headboard, under telephones and alarm clocks. Check couches and chairs. Last but not least, check the hotel room's closet. 

BedBug Registry (link)  is an interesting website that allows people to report seeing bed bugs. Check it before you leave. 

What should I do with my luggage and clothes? Never put your luggage on the mattress. If there are bedbugs, they may hitch a ride and infest your house. always store and open your bag on something unupholstered like a desk, nightstand or a purpose built luggage holder. Never leave it on the floor. Try to keep your clothes inside your luggage at all times. 

What else? There have been cases of bed bugs being found in airlines, taxis and trains. Companies (Like BugZip LINK) make zippered bags to store your luggage to protect from these infections and from infection in the hotel room. Personally I have never used these but I know people who do. Another cheap solution is a simple garbage bag you can tie and untie.

Look for white powder around/under the bed, in closets, dressers or anywhere else in the room. This could be insecticide which may indicate the room was infected. Insecticide isn't good for your health and I wouldn't stay in a room that may have been infected (regardless of what the hotel staff says). If you see a white powder in the hotel, ask the hotel staff about and switch rooms. And when you move rooms, make sure it it at least 2 floors away from the "infected" one since bed bugs can move between walls and through electrical sockets.

If you find something or even suspect something, speak up. Let hotel staff know and ask for an immediate room change. Be as verbose as necessary to make sure they take care of you properly. Remember bed bugs can transmit germs from customer to customers even antibiotic resistant ones. 

What can I do to avoid bedbugs in hotels? Before starting your trip, call up the hotels you will be staying in and ask about their bed bug prevention program. Most reputable chains have a program of constant inspection and a deal with a local pest control company. 

What to do when I get home? When I get home, everything get's put into the garage and all clothes get washed in warm water and detergent (regardless of having worn something or not). Bed bugs die in the hot water. Anything you can't wash at home should be taken to the dry cleaner immediately.  I then use my air compressor to blow air in every nook and cranny of my luggage (outside my garage). Then the last step is to vacuum the luggage before bringing it into my house for storage. 

Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons and Scottish independence

The ever popular Simpson's character groundskeeper Willie presenting his "unbiased" opinion about the upcoming Scottish independence vote.

Travel Tip : Snap a picture of your luggage

I have worked in the Air Transportation industry for many years and know airlines take the PAWOB (Passengers without bags) statistic very seriously. Having flown over 1 million miles so far, my bags have been irrecoverably lost only once. 

Every Time you are about to check in a bag, take a picture of the bag and then another one of the airline bag tag. In the event is is lost, you can show a picture of it to the airline attendant (instead of spending 10 minutes trying to describe what it looks like) and the picture of the bag tag is to show that the routing code was correct when you handed it off. 

The smartphone makes this tip super easy to implement so get snapping.

Travel Tip : Where to shop for airline tickets

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“800”] Image by  Julia P  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Julia P  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

After hundreds of thousands of air miles (hundreds of trips for business and pleasure), I can safely say the best value tickets are rarely found by searching on travel booking sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc).

The best way to find a great deal on your next flight is to use a meta search service. This is a service that doesn't directly book flights but rather that searches dozens of them to show you the best deals.

The best known sites for this type of meta search service are HipMunk (link) and Kayak (link). Each service has strengths so I recommend you check both. I ran a quick test for a flight YUL to LAX leaving Sep 12 and returning Sep 14 (for 1 adult).

Hipmunk offers this easy to read chart of prices vs. time of travel. I also like the Agony sorting on Hipmunk. Agony is a combination of price, duration and the number of stops.

  <img src="uploads/2025/3d99e02712.jpg" alt="">

Whereas Kayak uses its search algorithms to recommend whether you should buy a trip now or wait.

  <img src="uploads/2025/eb63746304.jpg" alt="">

There are also some less known sites that may be worth Checking out. MoMondo (link) claims it searches over 650 different sites to find you the best deal. I ran my above query against it and voila. It actually found a cheaper flight than Kayak or Hipmunk.

  <img src="uploads/2025/87e17549a1.jpg" alt="">

MoMondo also has a handy graph that charts travel prices before and after your requested date. If your dates are flexible, you may end up saving a little but more. 

My recommendation is to use all of the above and find the best deal for you (combination of date, # of stops and price).

Travel Tip : Bring Your Own

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1296”] Image by  Angelo DeSantis  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Angelo DeSantis  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

For the best travel experience, BRING YOUR OWN STUFF. Everything you think you may want or need on the plane should be brought with you. Why? Because things you buy on a plane are expensive, bad quality and generally not that good.

If you want a pillow, bring a small inflatable travel pillow. If you get cold, bring your own sweater. If you are travelling during breakfast, lunch or supper, buy something in the airport and bring it with you. Airplane food is expensive, overly salty and usually tasteless (like soggy pizza).

Don't use the cheap $0,99 headphones airlines provide, buy a decent set of noise cancelling / isolating headphones and bring them with you.

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Most long haul flights now include some level of in-flight entertainment but often times the selection is limited and you may have seen the shows made available. It is better to bring your smartphone and tablet loaded with you own personal content (music, movies and games).

I have given up on paper magazines and now use NextIssue (a all you can eat magazine buffet loaded on my tablet).

Remember that most airlines allow one carry-on and one-personal item. Make sure you use the maximum allowable size and weight for each. I usually travel wearing a Scottevest brand travel jacket that has a bunch of pockets (most have around 21). I use this to lighten my carry-on which allows me to bring more stuff onboard.

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Check if your accounts have been hacked

Another day, another hack. It seems there is another media story every week talking about a site getting hacked and thousands (or millions) of account being compromised.  Companies have Information Security teams that track these breaches to protect their users, but how does an average user protect himself?

As an average user, you are on your own but there are sites that can help. One of these sites is called haveibeenpwned.com (link)

  <img src="uploads/2025/dae5e9461d.jpg" alt="">

You enter your address and the site will check if it was included in any of the breach leaks they track. I used 1 known clean email and 1 email that was part of the Adobe brach and the site identified each properly. When an email is found in their database, they tell you when it was breach and what breach it was part of.

  <img src="uploads/2025/95413d9e91.jpg" alt="">

 

Pwndlist (link) is another site that offers a free similar service but provides almost no additional information. 

I built an IFTTT script that emails me once a month to remind me to check my credentials against these services.

Travel Tip : travel as light as possible

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“600”] Image by  Reg Natarajan  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Reg Natarajan  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

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Airlines are trying to nickle and dime you every chance they have. In addition to paying top dollar for tickets, Air Canada (as an example) charges a fee for every piece of checked luggage and is making carry-on allowances smaller and lighter.

Your only option is plan and plan and plan. Start planning your trip as soon as possible and determine what you will be doing and where you will be going. Based on your plan, create a list of what you need to bring with you (and don't start this list the night before). 

The goal is to travel as light as possible with the least amount of luggage. Try to minimize your the amount of clothes you bring by ensuring you can mix and match everything. Bring items that are weather appropriate but as light and small as possible (it may not be a good time to pack that thick and heavy sweater that weight 12 lb). 

Try to limit the number of inflexible space consuming items like shoes. Years past, I use to carry my toiletries in a thick, resistant leather toiletry bag but it just weights too much. I now carry my toiletries in 1L Ziplock style freezer bags (freezer bags are thicker and more spill resistant that cheaper "normal" plastic bags). 

When possible, I encourage to travel "carry-on only" (OneBag) and my favorite luggage is RedOxx brand (lifetime warranty, light and super durable).

Travel Tip : Reserve that airplane seat

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1200”] Image by  Angelo DeSantis  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Angelo DeSantis  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

Always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always, always. always, always book your seat in advance.

The minute you can reserve your seat (24 hours before flight or at booking) do it. Many travel agents can do it for free (no surcharge). If you carry a status level with the airlines, call your status helpdesk and they may do it for free. If you can visit the airport check in counter (anytime before your flight day), the agents can often do it (for free). 

The longer the flight, the more important it is to reserve your seat. How do I pick the best airline /airplane seat you ask? Check out SeatGuru.com (link) or SeatExpert.com (link)

   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="505"]<img src="uploads/2025/3ca47ad751.jpg" alt=" SeatExpert map for AC 797 flying YUL to LAX on Sep 12 ">  SeatExpert map for AC 797 flying YUL to LAX on Sep 12 [/caption]

SeatGuru and SeatExpert shows you the amenities on each flight and the best seats (green ones in this map). I prefer SeatGuru's look and feel better. 

   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="505"]<img src="uploads/2025/0be7f9d311.jpg" alt="  SeatGuru map for AC 797 flying YUL to LAX on Sep 12  ">   SeatGuru map for AC 797 flying YUL to LAX on Sep 12  [/caption]

 

Sometimes the world is against you and all the good seats may already be taken. Book a seat anyway. Then repeatedly (until travel day) keep checking the airline's site to see if something has freed up. On a recent family trip back to Montreal (from LAX), I was able to reserve Economy Plus seating for free 24 hours before the flight.

If you are a status member of the airline, ask their helpdesk if they can change the seat for you (sometimes they may swap you with someone else). 

Exit row seating means you won't have any kids next to you and you will have much more legroom. You can't book these seats online (on most airlines) and so you will have to show up to the airport early and request these seats from an agent. 

Many airlines now offer some sort of Economy Plus seating which is an economy size seat with more legroom and better seat incline. On longer flights, it may be worth it to pay a bit more to reserve one of these seats. Often times the prices for this upgrade (as well as to  business class) are fixed when done on the airlines website but can be substantially cheaper if done in person at the airport during check in so make sure you ask. On a recent Air Canada flight, it was $550CAD to upgrade from economy to business class but the check in agent was able to do it for less than $300. Whether the difference is worth it depends on the length of the trip and the benefits of the upgrade, so you'll have to make that decision.

Travel Tip : Keep shopping even after you book

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”] Image by  Franck BLAIS  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Franck BLAIS  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

When possible, continue shopping for deals even after you book your trip. I understand that packaged sun vacations are typically non cancellable but in most other situations, you can cancel your reservation up to 48 hours before.

This means that you should keep shopping for better deals until the very last minute. Hotels, car rental agencies, tourist attractions will sometimes run last minute deals to fill up their spot at greatly reduced rates and you shouldn't miss these. 

Sometimes hotels will offer upgraded accommodations for the same (or very close) price. I once managed to get the presidential suite at the Sheraton downtown toronto for $250 a night. The same type of opportunity can be had for car rentals (in less busy locations).

So never shop shopping.

Travel Tip : Beating Jet Lag

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2079”] Image by  Frank O'Dwyer  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Frank O’Dwyer  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

Every trip you take makes the next one a little easier. You learn how to do things better, faster and more efficiently (packing, booking, getting through customs, etc). The one challenge that never gets easier is Jet Lag. 

Jet Lag is the impact of switching multiple time zones in a very short period of time. Your body thinks its time to sleep but your new time zone says its only lunch time. Jet Lag typically gets worse the more time zones you fly through.

Over the years I have picked up little tips and tricks that help me deal with the Jet Lag better which means my first day on the ground isn't lost to groggy tired Edward. To be clear, I haven't found a magic elixir that completely negates Jet Lag but you can minimize its impact.

1 - Rest and be extra healthy - Many people go in a crazy hectic panic mode a day before their flight (packing, chores, planning, etc). The longer the flight, the earlier I try to finish all my pre-flight prep. I typically want to keep the last 48-72 hours before a flight as personal rest and relaxation time. This means all my planning, packing, and travel related activities are all completed at least 48 hours before my flight day. I spend the next 2-3 pre-flight days resting as much as I can and being extra healthy. Resting means sleeping early, doing exercise and meditating. Being healthy means I go out of my way to make sure I take extra special care of myself. I drink extra water. I make sure my skin is extra hydrated (planes are very dry). I eat super healthy by drinking lots of green juices, avoid overly fatty, starchy or carbohydrate laden foods. I make sure I take all my vitamins and typically start my probiotic regimen (which I do until a week after I return). All of this is done to ensure you body is in peak shape to handle the stresses of travelling which minimizes Jet Lag and risk you'll get a travel cold.

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2 - Use your travel time to rest -  I know the in-flight entertainment system and the fact you're trapped in a flying tube for hours on end seems like an invitation to binge watch TV but don't. There is nothing wrong with watching "some" entertainment while you eat but consider travel time as a rare gift where you are completely isolated from the world. Read a book, listen to an audiobook or sleep. 

3 - Switch Time Zones - Whenever possible, and especially if I am flying to Asia where the time difference can be as much as 12 hours, I try to start living in that time zone a day or 2 before the flight. I then continue with my destination schedule on the flight. Most flight attendants will gladly hold a meal for you and serve it later when it is more convenient if you ask nicely. 

4 - Live like the locals - A long trip and the extra dry airplane take a toll on your body and often times you want nothing more than to fall asleep as soon as you check-in to the hotel... BUT DON'T! If you have a free day, get outside and walk around. Fresh air, light exercise and sunlight all help to fight Jet Lag. Live according to the destination time zone regardless of how tired you think you are. Plus you gain a day of sightseeing.

5 - Early wakeup - Even with everything I have mentioned above, you will likely wake up early (compared to the local timezone) as your body transitions to its new schedule. Instead of mopping in bed, get up, have a healthy breakfast and use this time to get fresh air, light exercise and sunlight. Foreign cities are wonderful in the morning as the city wakes up.  

6 - Jet Lag remedies - Some travellers recommend pharmaceutical sleep aids (like Ambien) to help get a full nights sleep immediately using the local schedule. I tend to shy away from taking prescription meds anytime I can.  I have used a combination of over the counter melatonin and a homeopathic product called No JetLag which seems to have worked for me. The melatonin is a hormone that purported to help reset your biological clock. Make sure you check the regulations of your destination country. Some over the counter products are classified as illegal in some european or asian countries so check first.

There is no magic cure for Jet Lag. Over the years I have used the above tips to deal with it better and have found them efficient. Happy travels.


 


 

 

 

Travel Tip : Buy Travel Insurance

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1772”] Image by  Alan Cleaver  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Alan Cleaver  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Travel insurance is an interesting product that I can debate for hours. Some are sold and never travel without it, while others think its a waste of your hard earned money.

For anything more than an affordable sun holiday, I recommend you buy comprehensive travel insurance. Most comprehensive plans will not only cover emergency medical costs (which could be in the thousands) but they also provide baggage loss/delay coverage and more importantly trip cancellation coverage. 

There are dozens of reasons why you may have to cancel a trip or cut a trip short (family emergency, travel operator goes bankrupt, layoff, etc). 

Never buy your insurance from the broker, agent, company or website selling you the trip. Typically you can find better deals from larger third party agencies like American Express, BlueCross/ BlueShield, CAA/AAA, your bank, etc.

Shop around for the best price/coverage and read the fine print. Not all insurance is created equal. Some accept trip cancellation due to a layoff while others do not. Some provide a partial reimbursement for trips cut short due to family emergencies while others do not. Whatever you buy, make sure it has comprehensive health coverage with a dedicated 24x7 internationally accessible medical support line.

Travel Tip : Use Social Media to plan a better trip

Social Media sites are useful for more than watching cat videos. The truth is your social contacts can provide insightful information that can help you plan a better vacation or trip. Post a status update requesting tips for a specific location or for a good vacation spot. Engage with respondents about what they liked and what they would do differently. Find hidden gems or that extra special restaurant. These are your contacts so their recommendations should be better aligned with your likes and dislikes.

Security Warning: I have to add a note about being careful about how much info you share on these social networks. It's a great idea to ask for tips, tricks and recommendations but don't post messages about when you will be gone, unless you want your house broken into. Thieves are often looking for status messages indicating travel. Also make sure your posts about travel are only shown to a limited group of people (in Facebook make sure it is only available to friends or a specific user list).

Travel Tip : Join a travel forum

A friend of mine is an airmile magician. He knows the travel reward systems so well he manages to pull off some incredible and amazing can't believe it's possible trips. when I asked him how he learns and keeps up to date, he mentioned the FlyerTalk forums. 

As a traveller, after reading review sites (link), your next step is to sign up for and use the various travel discussion forums. On them you can learn tips and tricks (for travel clubs, hidden menu items at restaurants, little known activities to do while travelling, etc). 

There are already millions of questions answered but just in case, you will also likely find someone who can answer your specific questions. There are dozens of sites but your time is best spent on the bigger ones. Make sure you join a site aligned with you (Fodors is for the older more affluent crowd while Lonely Planet is for the young backpacking student).

Forums I recommend you consider are:

Travel Tips : Some General recommendations

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“745”] Image by  Sean MacEntee  used Under Creative Commons License Image by  Sean MacEntee  used Under Creative Commons License [/caption]

Travel Tip : Read Review Sites

I remember the pre-Internet days when your only source of reliable information was a library or friend. The Internet has radically shifted many of our life processes and travel is one of them.
Travel review sites are a fantastic way to evaluate hotels, resorts, airlines, attractions and almost every other aspect of travel. 

The one site I always check (the 800lb gorilla) is TripAdvisor (link). With millions of reviews, you are almost guaranteed to find what you are looking for. There are of course many others like CitySearch (link)

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Don't forget the traditional review sites like Yelp, OpenTable, etc. Using these types of sites we have almost always gone to great vacation resorts. Before booking, we know the cleanliness of the resort, quality of restaurants, level of service, etc. 

As you read these sites, it is important to keep certain elements in mind:

  • think about the mindset of the reviewer. One resort we visited had very positive reviews except one of them gave it a 1/5 stars. When we read the review, we realized the reviewer was a baboon because he gave the resort a bad review because one of the restaurants had dared to give him non matching cutlery. Let's just say that's not something that would bother me.
  • give more importance to recent reviews. We were evaluating a resort in Cuba which had a fantastic overall rating but as we read the more recent reviews, we realized the resort had started to be neglected (but the reviews dating 6 months or more were glowing).
  • search for pictures. I always look for pictures and generally do a Google Image search to find pictures of the location posted to the internet from travellers. A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

 

Apple to livestream Sep 9 iPhone announcement

Every major Apple event is a thrilling adventure for technology enthusiasts. Will the announcement be a simple evolution or will we see the start of a revolutionary new product category?

Apple has finally confirmed that they will livestream the event on their website (link) for everyone (with the appropriate config) to watch.

Everyone agrees that this will be the unveiling of the iPhone 6 and possibly the iWatch, iHat, ipatch (whatever format their new wearable takes). Everyone's favorite (mostly) accurate analyst, Ming Chi Kuo, also believes we may see an updates iPad Air (but I think this last one is much less likely).

“Live streaming video requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.”

Interestingly no reference to Windows users being able to watch the stream... Is this a simple error or a jab at Windows users?

 

Jackery Bar Review

Portable battery backups are an incredibly useful category many users ignore. In the last 30 days, I have used one a couple of times and was thankful to have it every time. I used it while camping in the woods, while travelling to LA and when a day seemed to be neverending. 

Ultimately I test dozens of these portable battery backups everyday and this time around it's the Jackery Bar's time.

Physical

I was actually impressed at the weight and size of this device. It is fairly small and compact compared to many other similarly powered devices. The exterior shell is aluminium while the 2 end caps are made of strong plastic. 

I'm worried that long term, the aluminium will get dented and scratched. Time will tell.

The device is sleek save one button on the left side to turn the device on or to power the built in LED (more on that later).

The top has 3 charge level indicator lights.

  <img src="uploads/2025/d1e83b48e2.jpg" alt="">

The front has the 2 LED lights, a standard USB 2.0 out port (5V 2.1A) and a micro-USB to charge the device.

Some have complained that these 2 ports are too close but I didn't experience any issues with the setup. there was never a situation where I was charging the battery and a device at the same time.

Battery

  <img src="uploads/2025/e0ce68a151.jpg" alt="">

The Jackery USA website seems to be confused about the battery capacity of the Jackery Bar. Let's assume it is 6000mAh.

The company goes to great lengths to communicate that it is using Grade A Samsung batteries. Which is a good thing.

I compared the charging speed of a completely dead iPhone 5s of charging it to 100% with the Jackery bar and the Apple branded 2.1A wall plug charger. They both charged the device at similar speed. This device was also able to charge a Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Note 3 a Nexus 7 and an iPad. 

Most phones use between 2 and 2.1 amps to charge (you can check the power output on the OEM provided wall plug). The only phone that is designed to charge faster is the OPPO Find 7 /7A which can charge at 4.5AMPs. This means that using this battery with that phone will charge it at half the speed of the OPPO wall charger (but that is an exception because the phone is unique) but it does charge.

Once my device was fully charged, the  battery seemed to switch itself off (which is a good thing).The device comes with a micro-USB cable to charge the battery (from a computer or wall plug) but you have to provide your device's USB cable.

I cooled the battery to just slightly above freezing and testing it's charging capacity. A room temperature Jackery Bar gives you about 3 charges. A near freezing Jackery Bar gives you just slightly more than 2 iphone 5s charges. You lose a bit with the cold temp but this is similar to other quality external batteries. 

The company claims their battery lock technology will keep the device charged for up to 6 months of storage. I tested it for 30 days and was able to get 3 charges out of it. 

You can recharge the battery using a wall plug and at the same time charge a device using the Jackery Bar but this isn't recommended as it will shorten the life of the lithium ion battery. so don't do it but it does work. 

To charge a device, you plug the USB cable into the battery and press the white button on the side. That's it. You can of course use your smartphone or tablet and charge it at the same time. This is a nice option when taking lots of pictures or using high drain functions like GPS navigation.

Flashlight function

I love flashlights and have all kinds from 70 lumen very small pocket sized ones and up. I tested this devices 2 LED flashlight function while camping in a pitch black forest (ideal environment to test a flashlight) and it is only usable to read something up close or to find your car's key hole. 

Other than the above, the flashlight is pretty useless.

Charging the Jackery Bar

Charging the Jackery Bar using a high quality 2.1 A wall plug took about 6 hours. Here is my biggest complaint: The Jackery Bar should have a fast charge wall plug adapter (ideally with prongs built in). 

Verdict

Ultimately I think the Jackery bar is a nice little battery that delivers on its promise of fast consistent charging. It is light durable and relatively affordable Buy from Amazon now at $29 (link). At $29, it definetly a good buy.

Can I get good sound from cheap headphones?

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”] Image by  Anemone Jones  used under Creative Commons License Image by  Anemone Jones  used under Creative Commons License [/caption]

Headphones (or earphones) come in all shapes, sizes and budgets. You can use the cheap ones included with your smartphone or buy $1000 audiophile ones powered with a headphone amp. A question I hear often is "Can I get good sound from cheap headphones?"

Good is very subjective and means different things for different people but the simple answer is YES. A $20 pair of cans won't sound as good as a $1000 pair but more often than not, it will be good enough for most users (especially since the source is often a compressed MP3 played through a weak headphone amp in a smartphone or PC).

I am a semi-audiophile and love high quality headphones but to really appreciate them, you need lossless audio files, played on a device that support the lossless format (usually FLAC on Android and ALAC on Apple) and a high quality headphone amp between the two. Did I mention you need a fairly quiet room?

Assuming you will be listening on a street, train, plane or at the office, you will be served by a good pair of headphones that can be bought at a reasonable price. Nothing is more distressing than travelling with super expensive headphones and having them break because of all the hustle and bustle. 

The cheaper the headphone (or earphone) the more the sound will be compromised. Compromise here is a more restrictive sound-stage, less neutral reproduction, less clarity in the low/mid/high, etc. 

$20 earphones

I wrote about this buds almost a year ago so I recommend you go and read my review (link). You can buy them from Amazon (link) for $13 or from Monoprice for $8 (link). To say these headphones have a fanbase is not an exaggeration. They offer a more bass-heavy clean sound with decent mid-range.

  <img src="uploads/2025/f82de76505.jpg" alt="">

They achieve better than normal sound for this price-range by using larger driver. These larger drivers make the device slightly larger and heavier than other. Some people love the fit, others complain. some people find them easy to wear for long periods of time, others find them slightly heavy.

Everyone agrees that they offer an incredible value. They perform better than many other headphones in the $50-70 range.

  <img src="uploads/2025/e02c473f12.jpg" alt="">

In the same price range, they offer another pair of decent headphones that offer a more balanced sound (less bass heavy) called the 9396. You can buy this on Monoprice for $8 (link) or on Amazon for $10 (link)

$20 headphones

  <img src="uploads/2025/81319789b5.jpg" alt="">

If you prefer headphones, then let me recommend the Monoprice 8323 for this price range (aka the Premium Hi-Fi DJ Style Over-the-Ear Pro Headphone). You can buy them from Monoprice for $23 (link) or from Amazon for $33 (link).

Like the above Monoprice earphones, these headphones offer a fantastic value proposition. They are comfortable and offer decent sound at an unbeatable price. It is plastic and feels like plastic but at the same time it is remarkable durable. the pleather earpads worried me at first but that can easily be modded or is easy to forgive considering the price. 

Like the Sennheiser CX300 MK-II, this headphone provides a small bass boost but nothing overly aggressive. The Mid/High are decent but sometimes come through a little muddy (but are fairly crisp most of the time). 

These headphones work great plugged into your device but the performance is taken up a notch when you pair this with a headphone amplifier. 

Read related articles:

  <img src="uploads/2025/6b7220b193.jpg" alt="">

My second headphone pic in this range is the Sennheiser HD 202 II (buy it for $25 on Amazon link). The Sennheiser HD 202 II offers great value with clean sound (not bass heavy - more neutral), decent build quality and good noise isolation. 

My one complaint is that these seem to be weak when used with most smartphones. To really get decent performance, you need to power these with a headphone amp (the amp in most smartphones is too underpowered). 

I found these comfortable for the first 30-45 minutes of wear but then my ears started to get a bit sweaty. My other con is that the cord is too long. Otherwise this is an incredible value.

$30 range

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I am a big fan of sennheiser headphones. They make some solid products with excellent performance. for for this price range, the Sennheiser CX 300 MK-II is a natural choice. The CX300 MK-II offers a little more bass (isn't completely neutral) without being too punchy. It offers a nice combination of rich bass and clear mids / highs.

I was really surprised at the larger than expected soundstage (for such a small in-ear device). These are light, well built and provide a decent amount of noise isolation. 

You can currently pick these up on Amazon for around $36 (link).

If you are willing to spend about $10 more, then you can upgrade to its bigger brother (about $45 on Amazon link). The CX 400 offers improved sound in a package the same size.

What to expect from Apple's next desktop and mobile OS

At the 2014 World Wide Developer conference, we learned that Apple plan's to release a slew of new integration feature between its desktop operating system (Yosemite) and IOS 8. 

Many of my  "normal" users (less technical) users asked for a simple summary so here goes:

  • AirDrop - This is a file sharing feature that currently works mobile device to mobile device. Apple will open this feature up to its desktop platform making the exchange of files, photos and other digital assets as easy as drag and drop (as long as the devices are nearby on the same network).
  • Continuity - Apple understands that sometimes your phone is just out of reach which causes you to miss important conversations so with Yosemite and IOS 8, you will be able to answer calls from your Mac as well as send and receive SMS' using your phone. The only requirement is that they be on the same WIFI network and be newer model devices with bluetooth 4.0.
  • Handoff - Apple understands that users wants a seamless experience between its various device. Every Apple device you own will be aware of the work you are performing on the others and you will be able to quickly switch devices but continue working on the same file. As an example, you will be able to start creating a document on Apple Pages on your PC, then pick up you iPad and continue to working on it exactly where you left off without worrying about synchronization or copying of files. It will just work. Handoff will work with all Apple default applications (Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar and Contacts) but third party developers will also be able to add this feature to their apps.
  • iMessage - A slew of improvement are coming to iMessage including jutting the alerts on iMessages per conversation, a tap to talk feature and the ability to share your location, simple way to see all the attachment in a conversation (instead of scrolling through an interminably long list), and the ability to auto-expire content so your devices storage doesn't quickly fill up with old attachments (voice, pictures, videos).
  • Instant Hotspot - Many of the above features require a shared WIFI network between your phone and laptop but what happens where you are on the move or in a foreign environment? Your Mac will sense that that you are not connected to a WIFI hotspot and will automatically create a temporary one for your phone without requiring any intervention from you (all automatic).
  • Maildrop - Most email systems have a hard cap of 12-20MB for attachments. Considering that most modern dSLR cameras create 15MB files, that cap is starting to create a real problem for users. Apple's new MailDrop feature will automatically transfer files up to 5GB per message using iCloud. If the recipient is on Apple tech then they will see everything as they do today (except they will be able to send and receive attachment of up to 5GB in email). Non Apple recipients will receive you email which will contain a URL to download the large attachment.

All in all I think Apple is making the right moves. Its environment is becoming increasingly powerful and is being simplified at the same time. Apple is trying to convince users that its products are better when used together (Mac, iPad and iPhone).

The best laptop for your elementary student

Most of us over the age of 30 have this false belief that the ideal laptop is powerful, with lots of ports and runs Windows. The reality is that most of what we do (except running powerful games) no longer requires that type of expensive machine.

The new generation of computer users want to watch online streaming movies (Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Vimeo, etc), perform basic photo editing (you can use sites like PicMonkey.com), write basic documents (with Google Docs or Microsoft Office Online) and have a sleek light device with all day battery life and minimal maintenance. Enter the Google Chromebook. 

Chromebooks are Google's response to this new computing paradigm where most tasks are performed through a browser anyway.  Go to my previous article (link) that explains why ChromeOS (the operating system powering the Chromebooks) is a respectable choice. In summary it is a fast, low cost, no maintenance device.

I still like the Dell machine written in my article but it isn't always available so here is my new choice, : Acer C720P Chromebook.

Why the C720P?

The Acer C720P seems to provide the best combination of features, reliability and cheap price. It has a faster (than most) Intel processor which  makes a world of difference when opening multiple tabs or running process intensive web apps. 

It has a nice touch screen which is a cool feature for some touch optimized web apps.

It has a respectable keyboard and a fairly good trackpad. It comes with one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, which is great to add external peripherals. It has an SD Card slot to upload your photos to your cloud service of choice. It has a 32GB solid state drive which makes it shock resistant, power efficient and extremely fast (many other Chromebooks still use cheaper but slower mechanical hard drives). 

Like the Dell I had originally recommended, you buy a Chromebook for functionality not looks. This isn't an Apple-like product but what do you expect for $360. 

The other advantage of a Chromebook is the fact that you won't spend hundreds of dollars on additional software. Since this is built to leverage web based services, you won't be forking over money for Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, or other similar apps. 

The minute a ChromeOS update is available, it will automatically be downloaded and installed the next time you reboot. 

No antivirus, no disk defragmentation or any other device management activities. If your child manages to somehow "screw up" the Chromebook (which is really really hard), you activate a feature called PowerWash which brings the device back to its original shipped state. Since everything is in the cloud (Google gives you 100GB of Google Drive storage free for 2 years), you never have to worry about losing your information. 

Overall this is a great device for kids in elementary school or as a second device in a house.

Amazon seems to be the best place to pick one of these up in the USA (link)