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General Updates - Happy Halloween 2017

It's been a time of transition around AAAD. Most of our Apple gear is either for sale, recently upgraded, or in a holding pattern while we wait for new releases. And we're all STILL waiting for HomeKit to "arrive".

Late 2009 iMac - Should You Upgrade to High Sierra?

Our late-2009 iMac has been the best computer we've ever owned.  Before the iMac, we used to need a new computer every couple of years.  Even after all this time, the iMac still looks and feels state-of-the-art.  But is it powerful enough to run High Sierra?

The Apple TV 4K - Is It Worth The Upgrade?

After a week of searching, I finally found an Apple TV 4k on Friday. ( Which is good, because I put our 64 GB Apple TV 4 on eBay on Tuesday .) We've had the ATV4K up and running for 2 days now - is it worth the $179 upgrade? Or should you look elsewhere?

The Apple Watch LTE is the iPod We've Always Wanted

This summer, Apple discontinued the iPod Nano.  After 16 years, the iPod Era was over.  I've held out hope that the iPod would be re-booted as a cellular device - focused less on local storage, and more on streaming Apple Music.  After Tuesday's Keynote, an iPod resurrection seems unlikely.  Because the Apple Watch Series 3 IS the iPod we've been hoping for. 

2 Weeks Until The Next Apple Keynote!

And this one will be big. It's the first keynote in the new Steve Jobs Theater. It's will also introduce Apple hardware we've been waiting YEARS for.

A Week At Apple Camp

Our 11-year-old shares our interest in technology. If anything, he's more enthusiastic. We'd probably prefer to channel that interest into school work... but it's summer. He's got a reading list for school... but he's making good progress there. Our boy's summer was primarily filled up with baseball games & video games. With one week at Scout camp... and a week at Apple Camp.

We found an iPad. In the middle of the street. Can you solve this mystery?

Sunday was my wife's birthday, so we loaded up the kids and biked from Glen Ellyn to Wheaton, a nearby suburb, for lunch. (Atomic Turkey sandwiches at Shane's Deli, of course.) And on the way home, my wife found an iPad. An iPad 2. With no case, but with no screen cracks... literally in the middle of a busy street. We took it home, charged it for a few hours, and it works. We don't have the unlock code, so this is as  far as we've gotten. And that is where YOU come in, internet - let's find the owner.

Flip This Condo - Four Days on the Market

Well, THAT long road is finally over. Our condo is on the market! And now we play the waiting game. (Or Hungry Hungry Hippos.)

Flip This Condo - This is It.

Finally. FINALLY. After 6 weeks of renovation, followed by a week and a half of late nights working our way through a punch list, 2117 West Armitage #1 is ready to hit the market. Official photos will be taken this afternoon. We'll be on the MLS on Monday, July 21 - admittedly, 11 days later than I'd hoped.

Flip This Condo #10 - Kitchen Before And After

Well, this is it. All of the projects are complete. We're meeting with a realtor this evening, and putting the Bucktown condo on the market. (It's also our 13th wedding anniversary, so it will be fun to be back in the old neighborhood!)

Flip This Condo #9 - Finishing Touches

We're approaching the end of our condo renovation project. I expect that we'll be listed on the market by July 10. This week, our painter got to work. Cabinets will be painted white later this week - but the walls are basically finished. And the place immediately looked brighter.  

Flip This Condo #8 - Budget Curb Appeal

We started with interior painting this morning - that will likely take the rest of the week.  Yesterday was Sunday, and the whole AAAD family was in the city.  We did some minor clean-up in advance of the painters arriving, and spent the afternoon trying to make the exterior look more inviting.

WOW Internet Service vs. Comcast Xfinity (2017)

We've had WOW internet service for over 5 years. (Long-time readers will probably remember us trying, and failing, to move to Comcast, and the follies that ensued.) 5 years late.... it's time for a follow-up post.... how is WOW internet service working these days?

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.