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Flip This Condo #7 - Removing and Replacing Baseboard

We're moving full speed ahead toward our goal - completely renovating our condo in Bucktown, Chicago in 1 month. If all goes according to plan, we'll be on the market on or around the July 4 holiday.  Today's project - removing and replacing all of the baseboard in the house. 

Flip This Condo #6 - Ryobi Pressure Washer Review (2,000 PSI)

City living can get dirty. Over the years, the exterior of our condo in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood has gotten pretty dirty, too. Enter - the Ryobi 141900 2,000 PSI electric pressure washer.

Flip This Condo #5 - Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Our renovation started today in earnest. The team from H&M Flooring Design was on site at 8 AM, and we didn't waste any time getting started. We're sanding the floors down, and finishing them in a dark espresso color.

Flip This Condo #4 - 2017 Kitchen Remodel

We hope to have our Bucktown condo on the market in less than a month. That means that our projects are moving into high gear. And the kitchen is the biggest part of that effort.

Could Alexa and Siri Work Together?

Apple is very rarely the FIRST mover in tech. Usually, they come to the market with a refined version of existing technology, and crowd out the existing competitors with their high-end design (and the loyal fans in the Apple ecosystem.) Siri was a bit of an exception. 

Flip This Condo #3 - Shower Repair

We're quickly approaching the end of the final lease on our condo in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. We'd like to hit the market as soon as we possibly can, so we've been working to get the house looking its very best. This week - time to fix a leaking shower.

REVIEW: Peloton Cycle (2017)

This is a pretty major review - a Peloton bike is a pretty major purchase.  I'm happy to say that the bike lives up to its reputation. 

The Siri Speaker = The AirPort Mesh?

Will the Siri Speaker look like a Mac Pro? So, finally, it looks like Apple intends to enter the "connected speaker" space. About time.  Even better - there's one potential Siri Speaker feature that would silence Apple's critics forever...

Flip This Condo #2 - Curb Appeal

Our Chicago condo is on Armitage Avenue in Bucktown - a pretty busy street, but in a really spectacular neighborhood. As such, we want to make sure that our building looks its best, while still providing privacy and security. That means a decent amount of cleaning, some upkeep, and some construction-level projects.

Flip This Condo!

We've lived in the Chicago suburbs for almost 5 years now.  We kept our Bucktown condo, and have been renting it out.  But now, our original tenants are moving on, and we've decided to move on, too. Our condo is going on the market in 60 days.  BUT FIRST.... we need to get this place looking its best. 

Going Underground - Craftsman Style Built-In Dry Bar!

It has taken YEARS, but our biggest project - the finished basement - is finally done. And it's great! We've increased the usable living space in our house by a full 30%. The kids have a living-room area for board games, and there's an additional bedroom and bathroom. And now - finally - we have a built-in dry bar, which matches the built-in home theater upstairs.

Sonos CONNECT & a Turntable - Evolution or Blasphemy?

We recently added a SONOS CONNECT to our primary home theater. This got some pushback... and I'll grant that it's a little bit unnecessary. Our home theater has an AppleTV and Apple Music... we can already play almost any song ever published, immediately, with voice control. So why a Sonos? Because we have a turntable!

2017 Macs -- No News is BAD News, Apple!

Apple has always kept their cards close to their vest.  Eight years old and still getting it done.  But this is getting ridiculous.  The AAAD household has a LOT of Apple devices. But our Macs are getting a bit long in the tooth. I'd love to upgrade them, across the board. New Mac Mini, new iMac. But I wait. Because upgrades are surely just around the corner, right? Right?

Review - Two Months with Sony Playstation Vue

We've been using Sony's Playstation Vue television service for a bit more than two months. Last Sunday, we had two families over to watch the Super Bowl. No one had any idea that we were using a streaming TV service. That is high praise indeed.

Seven Years Ago Today - Steve Jobs' iPad Keynote

Seven years ago today, Steve Jobs invited Apple fans to to "come see our latest creation". He showed us the iPad, and almost immediately, it seemed familiar. In fact, it seemed as though the thing had always existed. It's hard to believe that we've only had iPads for seven years.