Posing...

 

Yes, back to what keeps the internet going: cat content.

I can't even take credit for this shot...

 Joan took this with her new iPhone; the camera is much better than her old phone.  And, the subjects are especially fine looking.  I am biased... but, that doesn't make me wrong.  Murphy is that handsome and suave big boy.  And, cute little Stella will look you right in the eyes.  And then flirt with you.

They look sweet in that photo.  And, they are.  Generally.  This morning, around 5:00am, they acted out the chase scene from Bullit; with cats instead of cars.  On our bed.  While the humans were still trying to sleep.  The San Francisco hilly streets were the humans.  So, fun.  For them.

I guess I'm up now.

--------

I got out for a bicycle ride this morning.  My intent: ride.  I would say: "No tech," but... I like to listen to something when I ride: music, podcasts, YouTube videos.  I said to myself, "Self, no shooting videos so you don't have to work anything up when you get home."  I didn't say anything to myself about not taking any photos.  So...

 I just thought it was a rather pastoral scene; in the park, some water on the walkway (from sprinklers, not rain), and looking towards the sun with all the trees backlit.  Yeah, I used the camera in my glasses.  Because... it was there.

I played some music for an audience of 3 (Joan, Murphy, Stella) when I got home.  No music scheduled with any of my music buddies this week.  I like that schedule.

This is shaping up to be a chill day.  Well, it is "National Hamburger Day," so I'm guessing a visit to Smashburger will be in order.

--------

I did take this hot chick out for lunch.  To Smashburger; they had a special for National Hamburger Day: any single burger for $5.28 (get it - today's date).  We do go there once a week or so... there is one young man who works there that is friendly and remembers us when we come in.  ("Welcome back - good to see you again" sorta thing).  Today, as we got up to the register, it was already showing 2 BBQ Bacon Burgers - he said, "That's what you usually order, right?"  (big smile)

"I guess we are predictable.  Yes, that's what we're going to have - plus an order of Smash Fries, a soda, and a Cookies 'n Cream shake."  I was impressed that he remembered our order.

That is a really good burger - onion crisps, several thick strips of bacon, BBQ sauce, the burger, and a grilled bun.  What's not to like?

 I included that photo just to show how decent the image quality is; that's from the Oakley glasses.  Decent exposure, good contrast and color balance.  Like an image from an action cam rather than a mirrorless or DSLR camera.  But, from glasses.  Impressive.

 Oh, and the burger is really good.  :-)

 

Dust off some old tech...

 

Well, not that old.  I'm talking about the HoverAir X1 Pro drone.  Knowing that the batteries drain themselves to around 50% when the X1 Pro isn't being used, I charged everything up this morning... while taking Murphy out for his morning walkabout in the courtyard.  It has been a while since I've used it.

My plan: get out on a bike ride and shoot some video with the HoverAir X1 Pro and the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses... and then see how things go with editing those together.

 

I didn't get a chance to work on that editing until this afternoon; Joan and I went out for lunch, with a few other stops afterwards.  Back home, I started sorting through the video clips.  The audio from the beacon on the HoverAir isn't as good as that from the Oakley glasses.  But, it was an interesting experience.  I had the beacon mounted on the handlebars of the bike... and one abrupt bump sent it flying... fortunately, into the gravel and not into the pond in the park that I was riding around.

I tried some "dolly track," where the drone flies backwards, capturing me from the front.  Some "follow" shots (those are easy).  And a "zoom out" where the drone flies up and away while shooting video of the subject.  And, I supplimented that video with some clips from the new Oakley sunglasses.  The camera in those glasses shoots only in a vertical format, so it gave me a chance to see what I could do with cropping that horizontally; better than the same thing from the Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses, due to the wider field of view on the Oakleys.

And, the finished product...

 

It keeps me out of the bars and pool halls.  For now.

 

D-Day...

 

Nothing to do with World War II - I need to make a decision today regarding which pair of Meta sunglasses I will keep.  They both have good points and bad - no idea why I have been racking my brain over this decision.

But, in the meantime, I got out on the CTX this morning.  And, at the last minute, I tossed the Ray-Ban Wayfarers in the trunk of the bike.  I tried to put them on under the helmet, but... no go; they wouldn't fit under there.  I didn't even try the Oakley Vanguards, since they are significantly larger.

A great morning for a ride, but warming up quickly.  A couple still images...

 Yes, shot with the Wayfarer's camera.  And, the video...

 Since the glasses wouldn't fit under my helmet, I rode without a helmet for the short time I was trying the glasses.  Yeah, that was a bit unnerving.  I may not always wear a jacket due to the heat here in the desert, but I always wear a helmet.  Even if I am just taking the scooter around the neighborhood.

The video is "unlisted" - not being put out anywhere except here on the blog.  The audio was a bit distorted at times.  To be fair, these glasses were not designed for video/audio on a motorcycle.

I have one more thing I want to try with the Oakley Vanguards, then it is decision time.

--------

Glasses... blah, blah... you know what we come here for.

Yes, I do...

 

--------

I tried the third of three nose pieces that came with the Oakleys.  They are designed for different nose bridge heights.  I do notice a difference with each, but I can't say that one is a better fit than the others.  The Oakleys "grip" your head; the Wayfarers fit like more traditional sunglasses

More angst.  A list of pros and cons.  In the end, it came down to: one of these has better sound, a better camera position, a better lens field of view, and (for me) are better sunglasses (no frames in your line of sight; nice gray lenses).  The cons for these glasses: more cost and and what some consider "an aggressive" style.

Yeah, the Oakleys...

 When I visited with Joan about it, she said, "A year from now you aren't going to miss the money difference - keep them both if you want."  No, I really don't need two smart glasses that do pretty much the same thing, even if the approach for each is different.  Then, she added, "And as far as the unusual look to them, since when do you care what anyone thinks about the way you look?"  That's a fair question.  But, some people are put off by the Oakley styles... I used to be one of those people.  I'm not keen on having something that screams "Look at me!"  That's probably in my head.  Hopefully not on my face.

I cleaned the fingerprints off the Ray-Bans and packed them away, just like new.  Joan got the return label printed.  It's a done deal.

She also asked, "When will the next generation of these glasses come out?  The action cameras you buy seem to get a new version released right after you buy them... so, if a new version of these glasses come out with something you can't live without, get 'em."  She gets me.  ;-)  For the record, the Gen 1 Meta glasses were out almost two years before the Gen 2 versions came out.  And these Oakleys have been out for about 6 months.

Now I can obsess about something else.  ;-)

 

 

A Threesome...

 

Me, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Met Gen 2 Glasses, and the Oakley Vanguard Meta Glasses.  Out for a ride again this morning - starting with wearing the Wayfarers, then switching to the Oakley Vanguards.  I need to make a decision today, then get one or the other boxed up to go back.

 One more video...

 

This can't be right?

 

Joan flipped our scheduling calendar to the next week, and...

 Nothing.  Not a single thing scheduled.  Yet.  I don't think I've ever seen this before.  Doctor appointments... feeding the grandcats... music (with 3 different groups)... there's always something.

But, for now: nothing.  What are we going to do with ourselves?  ;-)

--------

That didn't last long.  Steph saw we didn't have anything on the calendar; I think she felt bad that we have no social life, so she scheduled me to feed the cats this afternoon.  They are going out with friends and she thought it would be later (after a Diamondback's game, and the game wasn't going to take as long as they thought).  So, yeah, I'll be feeding cats later today.

For full disclosure, that's today - Sunday - so it isn't officially something scheduled for "next week."

--------

Still deciding.

About what?  Thanks for asking.  I'm sitting here with both pair of Meta sunglasses: the Ray-Ban Wayfarers and the Oakley Vanguards.  I need to make a decision, because one of them needs to go back.  They each have their pros and cons.  Similar tech, both powered by Meta AI.  Completely different in style and fit.  The cameras in them are slightly different: same specs for resolution (still and video), same storage (32 gig).  The Oakleys have one extra "action button" that you can assign (slow motion, hyperlapse, etc).  You can see the difference between the field of view of the Wayfarers and the Oakleys...

 

The Wayfarer shot above, the Oakley shot below...
 

 And with my head swung around to the side...

 Wayfarer shot above, Oakley shot below...

 That's a talking Jimmy John's sandwich in Joan's hand.  Nothing to do with the glasses.

--------

Some cat content...

Little Stella almost asleep sitting up...

 Both kitties by the patio door...

 Neither of which was shot with the sunglasses.  ;-)

 

 

Another Morning, Another Test...

 

After getting the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Meta Gen 2 glasses, I have spent some time researching the genre.  Meta is leading the pack on Smart Glasses right now but it is a rapidly growing and changing market.  I really like the Wayfarers, but they do feel heavy on the bridge of my nose.

Meta also makes glasses in conjunction with Oakley, a brand owned by the same parent company as Ray-Ban.  I looked into different models of Ray-Ban and Oakley.  Oakley is known for more futuristic sunglasses designs.  They have one model called the HSTN that is similar, but more angular, to the Wayfarers.  While out and about the other day, we stopped in Best Buy and I tried on a pair of those.  I also tried on some Oakley Vanguard Meta Glasses - a larger more wrap-around style; it's what I think of when I think of Oakleys.

I order a pair of the Oakley Vanguards after reading a bunch of reviews.  Overnight delivery, they showed up at our house early this morning.  I took the box outside to get the glasses paired up with my phone and the Meta app.  Of course, it needed a firmware update.  Murphy was content to just hang out rather than explore... he's a good boy.

 The first thing you notice about these Oakleys: they are BIG.  When I first saw them, they reminded me of ski goggles.  Yeah, that "Oakley style."  I was never drawn to the Oakleys - I'm more of a Maui Jim kinda guy, having worn those for decades.  But, I digress - back to the Oakleys.

Joan suggested I give them a try on the same route I took yesterday on my ebike.  Good idea!  Before heading out, a photo...

 Not quite as big as ski goggles, but definitely more than typical sunglasses.  On the bright side, the reviews were right: these are comfortable.  At first test, more so than the Wayfarers.  I headed out on the bike.

 

The field of view is wider on this camera, compared to the one on the Wayfarer (122º vs 100º) - you notice it in the photos: you can see the brow on my bike helmet at the top of the photos.  And, on to the video...

 At first blush, I think I like the Oakleys better.  I'll take a day with the two of 'em and get a better feel for it.  Each of these were bought from Amazon; each have a 30 day return.  I will give them both more face time (not to be confused with the video phone feature of FaceTime from Apple) and make a decision.

Also, you might notice that the video above is in its native vertical format (check out the video in yesterday's post to see the difference).  YouTube, other than "Shorts," is horizontal.  We'll see how that aspect of it plays out... my past videos have been horizontal.  Also, the camera in the Oakleys is in the center, just above your nose; the camera in the Wayfarers is on the far left side of the glasses - that makes a difference, too.  And the size: not only are the Oakleys bigger on your face, but they don't fold up as compact as the Wayfarers... the charging case for the Oakleys is about twice the size as the charging case for the Wayfarers.  You are not going to put that in a pocket...

  Size, comfort, function... decisions, decisions.

 

 

Out for a morning ride...

 

On the ebike (Lectra XP4 750), not the motorcycle or scooter.  It's been a while since I've ridden the ebike.  I wanted to try a test with the Wayfarer Meta glasses, leaving the video in the native vertical format that the camera in those glasses shoots...

 That image is a still taken with the camera.  And, here is the video...

 On iMovie, a vertical video comes in with black on either side so it becomes a horizontal video.  The video is 3k; no post production work done to the video other than adding a couple titles, some transitions, and some background music.  Easy and fast; less than a half hour into that 9 minute video.

I appreciate the hands-free aspect of taking video with the glasses.  To the point where I have decided to try the Oakley version of the smart glasses... I will only keep one or the other, but the Oakley Vanguard Meta glasses have some differences.  I'll revisit that when the glasses get here tomorrow. 

--------

Joan was feeling Babo's pizza for lunch.  We had another errand to run on the way, so it was a good outing.  As usual, the pizza was outstanding.  The cannoli for desert is a nice way to finish off the meal.  And, leftovers to enjoy it all another time.

The Interstate was slow moving on the way home according to Maps; Joan suggested we take surface streets to see how everything along the way has changed.  Here's the big change (from my perspective)...

 The very first Buc-ee's in Arizona is scheduled to open in about a month.  I am hoping that will drive fuel prices down locally.  Either way, we will probably let the "newness" die down before we give it a try.  We do know what we're missing, having been a big fan of Buc-ee's for years when we lived in Texas.