Bryan Ruby

Digital spaces, much like the physical ones we inhabit, have seasons. For the past 20 years, this website has been a labor of love, a digital home for ideas, and a platform for so many content management related articles that I never could have imagined when I hit "publish" on our first few post. However, today I am sharing the news that we have decided to transition this site into a permanent archive.

Starting in early 2026, YouTube TV plans to give more flexibility to its customers by offering the ability to pick and choose from ten or more genre-specific packages over the standard base plan. This plan was announced by Christian Oestlien, Head of Subscriptions, via the YouTube official blog. Some of YouTube TV's competitors, such as Sling TV, have offered similar skinny bundles in the past and even flexibility in alternative base plan offerings.

Last month, I got rid of an old reclining sofa that my wife and I purchased 24 years ago. At the time, it was an elegant black-blue leather sofa that reclined in a special way that it could be placed safely next to the wall. I say the color of the sofa is black-blue because I always assumed the color of the furniture was black, while my wife insists that it is blue. This debate on color was never settled, but I can assure you that family history protocol will dictate that I was wrong and my wife is correct.

I have had the CD Edition of the Eversolo Play in my living room for over a month. This version of the Eversolo Play is an all-in-one that features a CD player as well as a music streamer, DAC, and amplifier in a compact and inviting form factor. While I have no regrets ordering this device for my home, there are definitely a few areas where Eversolo could have enhanced the user experience. After thirty days of usage, the Eversolo Play has left me with a mix of positive and negative impressions that we should discuss here.

It's been awhile since I reviewed anything Hi-Fi but this summer I brought into my house what what I call budget premium audio equipment. Audio equipment designed and built better than the price suggests offering the latest in streaming, room correction, and amplification. Lately, my focus has been on WiiM, a brand brand owned by Linkplay Technology. Linkplay is a company that has been backed by teams from such companies as Google, Broadcom, InterVideo, and Harman.

I just finished listening to Ray Charles' 1984 album, Friendship. As you can tell by the picture, I purchased this album at a garage sale a few years back for $5. This album has Ray Charlies returning to country music accompanied by a number of country stars including Hank Williams, Jr, the Oak Ridge Boys, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson. To this day, my favorite song on the album is the the last song on the album, "Seven Spanish Angles" with Ray Charles and Willie Nelson just singing away.

The older I get the more positive I have become. Yea I know, this surprised me too as I expected it to go the other way when I was younger. The negative of being positive though is recognizing that the world could use a lot more positive people.

I will never miss an opportunity to ride at the end of December with temperatures peaking at around 50 F. I rode about 50 miles yesterday! It’s pretty warm for this time of year here in South Dakota. The ice is looking rather thin for safely ice fishing on most area lakes…I hope those I saw ice fishing this weekend stay smart and be safe.

My 2023 Ford Maverick with Sync 3 does an odd thing, it doesn't allow me to sync Android Auto from my Google Pixel 6 to my vehicle wirelessly. Instead, I have to connect my phone using a USB cable from my phone to the console. There are times, especially during short trips, I prefer to keep my phone in my pocket and not mess with the hassle of cables. Luckily, the third-party market has responded and offers us wireless car adapters to allow me to connect to my phone wirelessly.