Free $186 worth of crypto via Coinbase referral links

Curious about Crypto? Use my Coinbase sign up link and get $186 worth of free crypto. Signup gives $10 worth of bitcoin and complete the Coinbase rewards for an additional $176. Use referral links for BAND, COMP, and XML for maximum rewards.

$10 Coinbase signup link: https://www.coinbase.com/join/kong_y1h

Answers for Reward Questions:

NuCypher (NU) – $3

  1. End to End encryption
  2. Independent nodes to perform tasks
  3. Paying Ethereum transaction fees

Band (BAND) – up to $49 – Use Referral Link: https://coinbase.com/earn/band/invite/yg9zrs45

  1. Real world data
  2. Oracles
  3. Earn crypto rewards

The Graph (GRT) – $3

  1. Blockchain data
  2. GRT token
  3. Curators

Celo (CGLD) – $6

  1. By making crypto accessible on mobile phones
  2. Staking, governance
  3. Using the Valora mobile app

Compound (COMP) – up to $59 – Use Referral Link: https://coinbase.com/earn/comp/invite/bwty6rj5

  1. Earning interest on your crypto
  2. Supply a crypto asset as collateral
  3. COMP token holders

Maker (MKR) – $6

  1. MKR and DAI
  2. MKR holders
  3. A crypto wallet and crypto collateral

Stellar Lumens (XML) – up tp $50 – Use Referral Link: https://coinbase.com/earn/xlm/invite/1ghrqn90

  1. Stellar is a decentralized coin that unites currencies
  2. Facilitating low cost universal payments
  3. Fast and Global
  4. To issue and exchange tokens quickly 5. It relies on the agreement of trusted nodes
  5. It relies on the cooperation of trusted nodes to confirm transactions

Install Spectrum WiFi Profile on iOS & Android without the Spectrum App

I have an old Apple iPad4 and it’s running iOS 10.3.4, which is the last iOS update for this device. I tried to install the Spectrum WiFi Profile via the My Spectrum App and failed; the app requires iOS 12 or later. Here’s how to directly download the Spectrum WiFi Configuration Profile without the app.

Side Rant – The My Spectrum App is a really simple fucking app. Spectrum should have kept support for older devices and/or least provide instructions on how to install the Wifi Profile directly.

To install the Spectrum WiFi Profile on iOS and Android:

1. Use your phone browser and go to: https://wifiprofile.spectrum.net/?SourceApp=MSA

Note: This link works for both iOS and Android. The following instructions are for iOS.

2. Sign in with your Spectrum credentials

3. Tap “Allow” on the popup showing “This website is trying to open Settings to show you a configuration profile. Do you want to allow this?”

4. This will open iOS settings showing the Spectrum WiFi Profile. Make sure “Signed by” has a green Verified ✓.

Tap “Install” at the upper right corner to install.

5. Enter your device Passcode to allow the installation.

6. At the “Install Profile” popup, tap “Install.”

7. Once the profile has installed, tap “Done” at the upper right corner.

Your Wifi profile can now be found in Settings > Profiles.

If you need to delete this or any configuration profiles in the future, go to Settings > Profiles, tap on the profile you wish to delete, and tap “Delete Profile.”

Decluttering the House

For the new year, I’ve been on a mission to declutter the house and found an old hard drive from 1995 in box of old computer parts. Curious to see if it contained anything fun from the ’90s, I plugged the hard drive in a IDE enclosure and gave it a go.

Unfortunately, the hard drive started making cranking noises and failed to install. Since the drive is failing, I figure I’d open it up and see how it works before tossing it in the trash.

https://youtu.be/nvHlWPZP8tM

After opening the drive. the hard drive installed correctly and the data was accessible.

Awesome!!!

I was hoping to find old AOL emails and pictures from my teenage years, but alas, the drive was wiped.

Oh well. At least I got it to work 🙂

iPhone Project Fi APN/MMS Settings

I just finished my free year of service with Sprint and working now out the kinks of using an Project Fi SIM with an iPhone(6s). After a year of paying $2.90 a month (for regulatory and taxes), my first bill post-promo was $66.76! I’m cheap and switched back to Project Fi where my monthly bill is around $30-35/month.

For what it’s worth, Sprint’s unlimited plan was pretty decent:

  • Unlimited data, talk & text
  • 10GB LTE Mobile Hotspot (tethering)
  • Free Global Roaming (2G speeds)
  • Best Perk: Getting unlimited 4G LTE data in Japan!

Project Fi is only officially available for Google’s own Nexus and Pixel phones; technically iPhones are not supported by Project Fi. Project Fi SIMs need to be first be activated on a Nexus/Pixel phone before using it in a non-supported phone.

Note: MMS may not work correctly on an iPhone and no visual voicemail.You’ll have to check voicemail the old school way by calling your own phone number.

So far, I’ve have my iPhone sending MMS messages with no problems; receiving MMS generates an error.

 

 

Here are my MMS settings in case anyone needs it.

Cellular Data

  • APN: h2g2 – must change “alpha” to “h2g2”

MMS

  • APN: h2g2
  • Username: [leave blank]
  • Password: [leave blank]
  • MMSC: http://mmsc1.g-mms.com/mms/wapenc – http NOT https
  • MMS Proxy: [leave blank]
  • MMS Max Message Size: 1048676
  • MMS UA Prof URL: http://www.apple.com/mms/uaprof.rdf

How to Jump Start a Toyota Prius (Gen II: 2004-2009)

I love Costco. I was at a Costco tire center earlier today to get my tires rotated, rebalanced, and the air pressure checked. The mechanic noticed there was a nail in my tire and patched up my tire for free. Awesome. The mechanic tried a few times to start my car and when it wouldn’t start, he asked me if there was a secret to starting my car. I’m thinking “Fuck, did the HV battery finally eat shit?” My car has over 234K miles and will eventually need a new HV battery. Yes, I live dangerously.

The mechanic suggested the issue might be related to the keyfob being low on battery (WRONG). None of the door controls were working and dash was displaying a “check engine” light. When the mechanic turned on the interior light, I noticed it was extremely dim then realized he left my car on IG-ON mode (Power button is Orange) which inevitably drained my 12V battery. As a sanity check, I checked my ScanGauge II for any diagnostic/trouble codes. No stored codes. **Phew** Ok, so now my car needs a jump start.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to jump start your Prius safely.

Some advice:

ALL PRIUS OWNERS SHOULD OWN AND CARRY A PORTABLE JUMP STARTER IN THEIR CAR AT ALL TIMES. Never get a jump start from another car – If you make a mistake, you will very likely destroy the Prius inverter which will result in a low four-figures repair bill. Read this post if you think your inverter is fried.

I’ve owned this since the early 2000’s. It’s also useful during power outages – it has a work light and two 12-volt cigarette lighter ports (useful for charging your cell phone and other electronics).

Although the 12V battery is located in trunk, the jumper mounts are located in the front of the car. Pop open the car front hood and look for a black box at the top right of the engine bay. Remove the black cover, then a red cover to expose the Positive (+) terminal.

On the portable jump starter, make sure the Booster Cable ON/OFF switch is set to “OFF” position. On the car, locate the clamp points which are circled in the left photo. First, attach the red clamp to the Positive (+) terminal, then the black clamp to the nut shown in the photo. We are using the nut as the negative (-) terminal.

Once the clamps are connected, the Reverse Polarity Indicator LED on my jump starter will light up GREEN. This means the polarity is correct, otherwise, it will illuminate RED and sound an alarm to indicate the clamps are reversed (this is bad).

After verifying the connections are correct (i.e. GREEN light) go ahead and toggle the Booster Cable switch to “ON” and hop into the driver’s seat to start the car. Make sure all car lights (headlights & interior lights) are “OFF” then start the car as you normally would… with the foot pressing down on the brake pedal while pressing the power button.

It’s a bit anti-climatic when the car does start up. Look on the dash for the “READY” indicator — if this is showing, congratulations, you’ve successfully jumped started your Prius. YAY!

Now, let’s disconnect the jumper pack.
1) Leave your car running on when disconnecting the jumper clamps.
2) Toggle the Booster Cable switch to “OFF”
3) Disconnect the jumper cables starting with black then red. Don’t let the clamps touch each other or any part of the car.
4) Drive the car around for 20-30 minutes to recharge your battery.

If the jump-start fails, there are likely some other issue that needs to be addressed… the issue would have likely generated a diagnostic/trouble code (hence, why I checked first before jumping the car).

Don’t forget to recharge the portable jump starter after use!

Home Webcam Captures Burglary in Action

TLDR: I chased some guy out of my garage with a knife and was featured on the local news.

Since I travel frequently and for extended periods to Tokyo, I have webcams installed so I can monitor my home while I’m away. On 8/15/2016 – My garage door was accidentally left open (Chamberlin Garage Keychain Remotes Suck) and at 11:58pm, I received notifications from my surveillance cameras of motion detected in the garage. My camera captured footage of a suspect rummaging through my car.

I went to the kitchen to grab a knife before going into the garage to confront the suspect. The suspect had taken an empty wallet from my car.

I chased the suspect out of my garage and he threw my wallet on the ground and was about to attack me. I started waving my knife at him while yelling “help” and “police.” – The suspect ran away on Overland Rd towards Rambling Rd.

My neighbor suggested I post the details of this incident on nextdoor.com. A day later, a reporter from 10news showed up at my door to do a segment on my story.


Thieves suck. I’m not sure why I used the word “gentleman” to describe the burglar.

Description of Suspect – Hair: Brown Hair, Top: Green sweatshirt, Bottom: Jeans, Age: 35-45, Build: Normal to heavy, Race: White, Sex: Male, Other details: Facial Hair: Goatee. Anyone with information should call the Encinitas Sheriff’s Department: (760) 966-3500 and reference the report number: CN 16141477.

Thought of the day:
Facial detection technology exists… couldn’t the authorities run facial detection on the photos I provided against the DMV database, then narrow down based on the description of the suspect? Also, everyone has a cell phone nowadays and telecom companies log location information (at minimum, which tower the device was connected to). Facebook can do it, why not the authorities?

Toyota Prius 12V Auxiliary Battery Diagnosis and Replacement (Gen II: 2004-2009)

Turned on my car one day and saw this: “Caution – The Transmission P lock mechanism is abnormal. Park your car at a flat place, and apply the parking brake completely.”

I’m thinking: “It looks pretty flat to me, buddy.”

The 12V battery (not HV battery) is failing. Here’s how to diagnose the problem and repair the issue.

** There’s also way to access a nifty hidden maintenance menu on the MFD (Multi Function Display) – See video at the bottom of this post **

Diagnosis:
Gen 2 Prius bad 12v battery – symptoms

Tutorial:
How to Replace the 12v Auxiliary Battery 2004-2009 Toyota Prius
http://priusdiy.com/tutorials/interior/12vBatteryReplacement.html

Battery:
Optima Yellowtop DS46B24R
Purchased at O’Reilly Auto Parts, price matched with Pepboys for $129.70 (Originally over $220).
This Optima battery is supposedly “exactly the same size as the OEM battery.”

My Video: My First Readings from MFD Maintenance Mode and Scanguage 2 after the 12V battery swap

CHSPE: I’m Pr0ficient!

(Random life tidbit – I started attending a university at 14 years old and tested out of high school at 15.)

Yesterday, I was looking at my certificate and noticed an error; There’s l33t speak on my CHSPE certificate! Compared to a friend’s certificate from 1994, someone screwed up when changing the font weight (text is no longer bold) in 1996.

Thanks, State of Calif0rnia!

 

My CHSPE Certificate:

Lanyard.fm – My Concert Photo Journal

One of the perks of working for Live Nation/Ticketmaster is opportunity to attend a lot of concerts. I did quite a bit of “field research” and used Lanyard.fm to “create a visually stunning online journal of my live music memories.”

Check it out: https://lanyard.fm/AK-Nation

https://lanyard.fm/AK-Nation
lanyard.fm: Online Journal of my Live Music Memories

Also, some concert videos on vid.me