A smart universal remote.

I explained how to add surround sound to a two channel sound system here. The only snag I have encountered is that the small Fosi two channel amplifier I procured to drive the rear surround sound speakers failed after a few months of service. The maker – Fosi Audio – proved to be a thief, refusing to honor the warranty. So be warned – do not buy the Fosi brand unless you want to be ripped off.

Anyway, there I was, feeling sorry for myself, when it struck me I had an old Sony two channel receiver hidden away in the garage in the corner that the black beetles call home. I whipped it out, plugged the rear speakers in and voila, rear channel sound was restored. After a bit of digging I determined that this old Sony could be used with an IR remote and it was the work of moments to find one on eBay. $12 later it was mine. And it’s nice having a remote for the rear speakers because you really want to set the volume on these from your usual listening position, as engineers are wildly inconsistent on the relative volume accorded the rear channel.

But the snag is that I was now in Remote Chaos.

A gaggle of remotes.

Reading from left to right, these control the top notch Parasound two channel front amplifier, the LG 4K OLED TV, that old Sony receiver resurrected from the garage, the Roku Express 4K streaming puck and the Mac Pro mouse, where all our movies are stored. The ridiculous thing is that no one remote permits the functions of another to be added, and despite the plethora of buttons – I count 117 plus the mouse – only one or two buttons on any one remote are ever used.

So it was time to think about adding a universal remote, though memories of earlier efforts with past devices, ones from RCA and Logitech, recalled only bad experiences.

Enter the quirkily named Sofabaton U1 universal remote.

The Sofabaton U1 with a cell phone. The scroll wheel is circled.
Click the image to go to Amazon.

Priced at an attractive $50 the device uses two (included) AA batteries and any Android or iOS cellphone or tablet to program. First, you download the Sofabaton app from the AppStore. There’s a substantial database of saved devices, accessed when you enter the manufacturer and device names (sadly there’s no scrollable list) and, if your devices are there, adding them to the Sofabaton, which can accommodate up to 15, is simplicity itself.

If your device is not in the database, you can use an existing remote to program it, and such was the need for the relatively obscure Parasound amplifier remote where the only buttons I programmed were power, volume, mute and two input options. You place the Sofabaton opposite and 3″ from your existing remote, choose the button to program on your iOS or Android device, and hold the corresponding button on the remote until the app tells you the button is programmed. No problemo.

All the other remotes were in the Sofabaton database.

The Sofabaton is an IR/line of sight device, and mercifully that old Sony rear channel amp, nestled on a shelf behind one of the Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, can be seen through the transparent speaker!

Transparent speakers rule.

The universal remote can also control one Bluetooth device, not a requirement in my case. If your devices use RF then you need the Sofabaton X1 universal remote, costlier, but a handy solution.

Cross-assigning keys: This is not in the instructions. Say you have programmed the TV scroll wheel setting on the Sofabaton using the stock codes in the database. Your volume keys, as an example, will control the TV speakers’ volume. But that is not what is wanted as an external amplifier is used with external speakers. Sure, you can switch the scroll wheel to the Amplifier setting and change the volume there, but it would be far better to have the TV scroll wheel setting volume buttons operate the amplifier and not the internal TV volume adjuster. You can do this. Go to the TV setup on your cell phone and choose the Up Volume key on the display. Then touch ‘Learn from Original Remote’ but when it comes to pointing a remote at the Sofabaton use the remote for your amplifier, not the one for your TV. I have done this in the TV setting for Volume Up, Volume Down and Mute. Now, without changing devices with the scroll wheel, I can change the volume setting on the external amplifier while remaining in the TV scroll wheel setting.

Note that ‘learning mode’, where an original remote is used to ‘teach’ the SofaBaton IR codes, is not perfect. Sometimes you need two or three goes to get the code to take, something which is clearly indicated on the cell phone’s display. In some cases I had to vigorously pump the button on the original remote before the SofaBaton played ball. But with a little persistence all was well.

Here’s an illustration of how this is done. I first programmed the Roku Express 4K keys using the stock data in the Sofabaton database. I then used the indicated remotes to override programming of selected keys with the happy result that all functions for the Roku are accessible without any scroll wheel selection – front and rear speaker volumes and muting, TV sources and sound sources:

Cross-assigned remote buttons.
This takes far longer to illustrate than to do.

Here is the programming screen on an iPhone for the above settings:

Green designates the stock database download for the Roku Express 4K.
Blue shows keys overriden with separate device remotes.
Orange is a Macro key to invoke the TV source display.

Snags? The battery cover is hellish to remove – I used a nickel and still managed to marginally scar the two opening slots. And there’s no way to program the mouse, despite the Bluetooth functionality, as the Sofabaton has no ball wheel.

Macros? These are series of steps – like ‘turn on the TV/turn on the front amplifier/turn on the rear amplifier’ – and are easily programmed with the requisite 0.5 second delay between each so as to allow sluggish devices to keep up. As for IR beam angle, my devices subtend maybe 45 degrees of angle from my seated position and pointing the Sofabaton at the middle of that angle saw no issues with response. In other words, the broadcast IR beam is wide.

The scroll wheel at the top of the device (see the first image, above) display the device chosen on the small LCD screen whose activation is motion sensitive. Pick up the remote and it comes alive. Leave it alone and it turns off after some 20 seconds of inactivity.

Look and feel? Except for the issue with the overtight battery door, feel and finish are excellent. The audible feedback from the keys is welcome, and the matt keys are set off against a very attractive glossy black fascia. It remains to be seen whether this will disclose a lot of scratches, but it looks great. The overall feel is that of a quality tool and the fit in the hand is superior to that of any of the now obsoleted separate remote controls. The English in the minimalist instruction book is truly ghastly, but the programming process with a cell phone is so simple that it does not matter.

And the pleasant result of all this magic?

The remote population now.
The OLED display is illuminated.

Reliability? Unknown as the device is new to me. I fancy the battery door clips will need some work with a fine file to ease removal. The buttons are not backlit but give off a satisfying ‘click’ when used.

The home entertainment center – technology should be enjoyed …. and invisible:

No mess.

A fine and expensive timepiece.

The Rolex 41 Datejust 16300

A year or so ago I wrote in disgust about my abandonment of Patek Philippe wristwatches and their replacement with a dirt cheap Seiko Solar. That Seiko is recommended every bit as much today as is my warning to steer away from Pateks. These may be the most elegant and desired of watches but they are like Jaguar cars of old. You need two. One on your wrist and the other in for service. In fact, it looks like you need two service men, in case one breaks down, and you can bet they are nowhere to be found in the US of A. It’s off to Geneva and many months of waiting, during which time your inquiries are disregarded.

So with the proceeds of the Nautilus and the Golden Ellipse burning a hole in my pocket, it was just a question of waiting for the wounds to heal after decades of association with the marque. The healing time was used for some serious research into alternatives.

And when the withdrawal symptoms faded with the coming of the new year I looked to a brand I though would never grace (darken?) my wrist, Rolex.

Frankly, all that bling and association with guys named Tony left me cold. Not my thing. While I do believe a good whacking beats our legal system as often as not, it’s not an activity with which I want to be associated.

…. guys named Tony….

But there are Rolexes and there are Rolexes as a glance at their extensive offerings confirms. As I wanted a classic, simple watch my attention fell on the Datejust, first offered in 1945 and the first watch with a date display. After a while Rolex added the ‘cyclops’ date magnifier, 2.5x unlike the 1.5x found elsewhere, and that was a must for these aging eyes. The look is simple, almost severe, ‘no gold’ options abound and you can even side step that awful machined bezel which screams ‘look at me’. So I went for a plain steel model with a smooth bezel and made sure it came with the gorgeous Jubilee bracelet – the one with the three rows of fine, polished links in the center in contrast to the single link of the clunkier Oyster alternative – and plunked down a (small) percentage of the proceeds from the Pateks. This is the Datejust 41 model, their latest, and obsoletes the thicker and clunkier Datejust II, which is more reminiscent of the fat onions of old. Roman numerals? You bet. An essential option on my timepieces. The trade-off is that the Roman numerals dial has no luminosity. If that is a desired feature, you have to go with the stick hour markers and stick luminous hands.

While Rolex claims a 41mm bezel diameter, that is a lie. It’s actually 40.1mm:

Little lies.

No matter. It looks just right on my 7 3/4″ circumference wrist and more discreet than some of the modern monsters from the competition.

And while silver hands on a white background suggest poor readability, tilt the wrist a few degrees and the contrast is striking, courtesy of the facets on the hands:

No lack of contrast

The watch can be ‘hacked’, meaning the second hand can be stopped for precise alignment with Apple Time, and my early readings suggest it is losing 1.0 seconds a day. Compare that with the quartz magic of the Seiko which gains 2 seconds …. a month! The Rolex is automatic and the power reserve a generous 70 hours. The movement is made in house, unlike with most Swiss brands who buy in movements from mass market makers. Stated differently, your are buying a packaging and marketing exercise with those, not a statement of mechanical originality. You want your Porsche 911 with a Chevy motor?

A great deal of thought has gone into the making of this timepiece. Look at the perfect integration of that gorgeous bracelet with the lugs and body:

Perfect integration of band and lugs

And the attention is not all on the surface, as this detail of the clasp’s design and finish discloses:

Clasp detail

So for those seeking a mechanical watch which will never really be an heirloom – in the sense of a Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet – but which nevertheless boasts high standards of design and execution, and if a 2 seconds a day accuracy is acceptable, add the Rolex Datejust to your list. Waterproofing is good to 100 meters below the surface.

If you want a Rolex with a stopwatch function, you should look at the Daytona model. This will run you 2 to 3 times as much as the Datejust, above, and be prepared to add 50-70% to prices on the Rolex website for any model. No jeweler will offer you those prices. Excuses will include “supply chain”, “sunken delivery ship”, “the European war”, “the pandemic”, “inflation”, and so on.

Provenance? Churchill was gifted #100,000, though like a true Victorian he preferred his Breguet pocket watch. Ike got #150,000 and the watch even made an appearance on the cover of Life magazine along with its distinguished wearer, in 1952. Elvis got a free one, but the number is unknown and he probably bought a few dozen out of his own pocket to give his closest hangers on. The Datejust has a distinguished history and has been around almost 80 years, so the kinks will have been well and truly ironed out by now. Plus the extensive USA dealer and servicing network means it’s not off to the land of the Gnomes of Zurich (Nazi and Russkie bankers to you) every time something goes wrong. This is a Swiss product after all and its reliability is most likely like that of a Mercedes. Stated differently, it’s no Toyota/Seiko.

Purchase the watch new from an authorized US dealer and it comes with a five year factory warranty.

For an interesting review of the history of the magnificent Jubilee bracelet, click here.

Update May 18, 2022 – after one month of operation:

The Datejust has lost 23 seconds in 30 days at a constant rate. This is comfortably inside the stated +/- 2 seconds a day specification. When resetting the date every two months for short months I will set the watch 23 seconds fast for minimum mean error across a two month period.

The bracelet has a tool less length adjustment feature allowing a 5mm change in length by clipping or unclipping one link inside the clasp. I find this to be most useful. My wrist shrinks during the day so I shorten the bracelet around noon for a perfect fit at all times. Very handy.

Update June 30, 2022 – after 72 days of operation:

July 1st will be the first time I have had to reset the date at which point I will also “hack“ the second hand to get the lowest error rate through the next reset, which will be on October 1st. For those 72 days, the average daily error rate sees the Datejust running just 0.4 seconds slow per day. That is excellent for a purely mechanical device.

A fine and inexpensive timepiece.

The Seiko PADI Solar Model SNE435P1

A friend is an expert on watches and helped me with the decision to buy an inexpensive yet robust timepiece. I have got tired of inflicting damage on costly Swiss timepieces and the related maintenance agonies which last seemingly forever. Last time my Patek Philippe Nautilus was in for replacement of a broken bracelet clasp the service took – wait for it – 9 months.

The Seiko PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) diver’s watch uses a quartz movement, charging its battery through solar cells embedded in the dial. These are so skillfully hidden as to be invisible to the naked eye, and will recharge from any light source. Once fully charged the watch will run for 10 months, according to the manufacturer.

The watch’s appearance is a rip off of the Rolex Submariner with two differences. It’s quartz, not automatic, so far more accurate. And the rotating bezel is screen printed like earlier Submariners. Later ones are enameled for greater longevity.

This is an excellent watch for the rider of a classic motorcycle which has no clock installed. Like my 1975 BMW R90/6 air cooled twin. That’s because the visibility of the hands is very high, requiring only a quick glance at speed and meaning that you do not have to angle your wrist this way and that for a reading.

After many days of checking – you can freeze the seconds hand when setting the watch against a know accurate time source like Apple – the watch is dead accurate, having neither gained or lost as much as one second. The only time you are going to be adjusting the time is at the end of short months when the crown is rotated to advance the date. By contrast the Rolex is guaranteed to +/- 2 seconds a day, or up to one minute a month, which is disappointing on so costly a timepiece.

The Lumibrite fluorescence of the hands is excellent though it rather fades after 3-4 hours. The outer diameter of the dial is 43.5mm suitable for medium and larger wrists. I has to remove one link for a good fit, as well as setting the clasp on its shortest of four positions.

The bracelet is not, however, Rolex quality, using a mix of stainless stampings and castings. The pin and collar mechanism used to connect links is a horror story necessitating that a small 2mm collar is installed one side as the pin is pushed in from the other after removal of link(s). Chances are your jeweler is clueless and will lose the collar, meaning the bracelet will eventually fall apart. Check out online videos, splash out $5 on a pusher tool and do it yourself. The bracelet rattles off the wrist but is fine once in place. The deployment mechanism uses both a clasp and a push button release as a failsafe. While aftermarket bracelets are available for many Seikos, none has yet been made for this model. They tend to be better quality and use screws, not pins, to connect the links. Typically priced around the $100 mark you can buy ten before approaching the cost of the repair on my Nautilus.

Price is incredibly low for what you get. I paid $300 at Amazon. That’s less than the round trip shipping of your Rolex to Geneva when it breaks down, and it will. The happy Seiko owner simply recycles his PADI and buys a new one. He is also $15,000 richer, money which can be spent on scuba gear and lessons.

Fans of automatic movements can spend $50-100 more for the Automatic Turtle (SRPA21J1) or the Automatic PADI (SRPA21) which will get you less accuracy and a short 41 hour power reserve. Replacement aftermarket bracelets for those models are readily available. All are guaranteed leakproof down to 200 meters (660 feet).

The Solar has a date only display with a cyclops magnifier for better visibility. The Automatic PADI and Turtle have day and date displays, unmagnified. Accuracy of the automatic watches is specified by Seiko (4R36 movement) as +45/-35 seconds a day which is, frankly, awful, but can probably be tuned for better performance. None of these qualifies as a ‘dress’ watch, but as I gave away all my suits and ties years ago, ask me if I care.

Highly recommended.

Update after one month of use:

The Seiko gained just 3 seconds. Given that the date has to be advanced mostly every other month, I’ll simply ‘hack’ it at that time to lose the 3 seconds or so it has gained.

Public education.

I wrote this a while back and, for some reason, did not publish it. I was reminded of the horror of US public school ‘education’ when Pig’s miserable Education Secretary resigned the other day. So here it is.

When Eisenhower was president (1952-60) America boasted the finest public schooling system on the planet. Today, that system is the worst in the Western Hemisphere.

I was forcefully reminded of this fact over the past few weeks which saw my son laboring mightily over his Algebra II studies. These studies were dictated by the need to catch up with the mainstream at his high school and reflected the glacial progress at his former public intermediate school in California which saw to it that the pace of teaching was aimed at the dumbest and slowest, not at the best and brightest. This is the result of a system which regards education as a right, not as a privilege.

Notes from my son’s summer Algebra II studies.

With the curriculum approved by the head of Mathematics at his prep school, he started classes at the local school district in Arizona only to express a strong desire to quit after one day. Understandable when you realize that his fellow students comprised juniors who had failed the subject in 11th grade and were being forced to retake Algebra II before their senior year. Not what you would call a supportive peer group. Add to that the fact that the teacher would clearly be some place other than in the classroom, mistaking rote recitation for teaching, and you can see where the boy was coming from. He quickly switched to online tuition – a choice not without its own issues – and elected yours truly as teacher and mentor. This was a risky move given that I last studied algebra in the previous milenium, but the alternative was too awful to contemplate.

The fall in the quality of American schooling is attributable to many factors, but one dominates. The Teachers’ Union has but one interest at heart and that is self preservation. And hang the kids. They accomplish this goal by ensuring that it is virtually impossible to fire a public school teacher for performance. The data attest to this fact. A recent article in “American Teacher’ stated that just 0.2% of tenured teachers were fired in the past five years. In any meritocracy that number should be ten to fifty times higher. In New York City, where a rational observer would expect public school education to be the best in the nation, firings of teachers are virtually unheard of.

And how was that online tuition? Mostly awful. Irrelevant jokey introductions to classes then switched to rambling text. Not once in the over 100 lessons was there a clear opening exposition of the equations being taught, these being lost in the turgid text. Wild jumps and omissions of logic made the quizzes doubly difficult and we found ourselves frequently making side trips to Khan Academy videos on the internet in a desperate effort to figure out what on earth was going on. Worst, none of this math tuition was focused on the real world and real problem solving. All is cast in the abstract and a heavy dose of rote and memorization is the seemingly preferred path to success. None of this is surprising. The Teachers’ Union must be mightily threatened at the prospect of their teachers being obsoleted by superior machine learning, so it’s hardly in their interest to craft a high quality online system.

The ten best public high school systems in the world, according to The Independent are:

• Finland – #1
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Singapore
• Holland
• Qatar
• Ireland
• Estonia
• New Zealand
• Japan – #10

America? Nowhere in sight. I rather doubt it even made the top 100.

Perhaps the most galling aspect of this is that we now have an Education Secretary – a misnomer if there ever was one – who has never set foot in a public school and whose appointment hearing disclosed a thorough ignorance of public schooling. Then again, this is hardly surprising in a nation which increasingly denigrates education as something reserved for the ‘liberal elites’. Sadly, as a taxpayer I cannot opt out of funding this crime against the people, and insult is added to injury when the realization dawns that the $300,000 I will spend on my son’s prep school education includes not one penny of tax deductible outlay. Instead of rewarding my success the United States is punishing me for it.

Is there a fix to this chamber of horrors? Of course there is. Much as the criminal Airline Pilots Association was bankrupted by an earlier administration and put out of business, so should the Teacher’s union of today be treated. Then a strict merit system with the lowest performing 10% fired for cause annually for the next decade will dramatically increase the quality of teaching. There is no greater weapon in a nation’s arsenal than the quality of its education. We can easily deflect 10% of our ridiculous military budget, now approaching $1 trillion – the very ‘military industrial complex’ Ike ranted against in his final presidential speech – and spend the $100 billion thus realized on attracting the best and brightest to the front of the class, reestablishing once again the pride and joy of that nation under Ike.

As for my son, he scored a straight A on his classes, but what did you expect given the quality of instruction? And no, he will not be migrating to the public schooling system from his prep school in Massachusetts.