Month: January 2020

It’s not paranoia if they’re really listening to you. And unfortunately, it’s true: the default settings on many Smart TVs leaves the system open to listen to ambient room noise and whatever you’re saying when you think you are alone. The software that controls these sophisticated functions also straight-up reads what you tend to like. 

No need for a tinfoil hat, though—it’s not a shadowy conspiracy to spy en masse as much as it’s a pretty obvious conspiracy to sell you stuff.

So yes, if you got a surprisingly low-priced Smart TV from any one of a number of manufacturers over the holidays, USA Today reports that not only are those companies taking note of your viewing habits, they’re reporting “back to third parties, for a fee.”

More, from USA Today:

[In] some cases, companies like Amazon (with its Fire TV branded sets from Toshiba and Insignia) and TCL, with its branded Roku sets, look to throw those same personalized, targeted ads at you that you get when visiting Facebook and Google.

To cut to the chase, the paper has detailed how you can switch off that conduit from your living room to Amazon or Sony corporate. We’ve condensed the instructions and reorganized them right here:

Amazon’s Fire TV

• Open Settings and Preferences.
• Click “Privacy Settings.”
• Switch off the following:
• “Device Usage Data”
• “Collect App and Over-the-Air data”
• “Interest-based ads”

Naturally, Amazon will encourage changing the settings back, but don’t. 

TCL/Roku

According to USA Today, TCL is the company that “makes branded Roku TVs with software also used in sets by Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, Philips, RCA and Sharp.” That software ACR, or “Automatic content recognition” capability. 

• Open Settings, Privacy, then “Smart TV Experience.”
• Deselect all the choices under the latter to disable ACR.

LG

• Open the menu, click Settings,
• From All Settings open General.
• Find “LivePlus,” LG’s own ACR function. 
• Turn that off to ensure your content preferences remain your business.

Samsung

• On a new Samsung, open Settings then go to Support.
• Open Terms & Policies.
• Select “Viewing Information Services”
• Uncheck the ACR tab.
• Find Service Privacy Notice and be sure to uncheck Enable.

Sony

• ACR is on the moment you agree to Sony TV service terms.
• Go to Settings, then to setup.
• Disable ACR.

Vizio

• Go to System.
• Click “Reset & Admin.”
• Choose “Viewing Data.” That’s how you opt out of Vizio’s ACR.

With apologies to Vans‘ iconic checkerboard Slip-Ons, the Vans Era is perhaps the venerable SoCal shoe brand’s most indispensable product. First introduced back in 1976 as the Vans #95, these beloved minimalist sneakers were famously worn by skateboarding “Z-Boys” Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, and went on to become an enduring emblem of casual cool. 

But the original Core Classic version wasn’t always the most comfortable sneaker for daily wear, so when Vans mercifully introduced its ComfyCush line in 2019, which took the brand’s classic designs and re-engineered them for maximum comfort, you wondered what took them so long. 

ComfyCush versions of Eras, Old Skools, Slip-Ons, Sk8-His, Authentics and Zushi SFs were upgraded with cushioned foam midsoles, padded insoles with added arch support, and one-piece interiors, making the shoes significantly more comfortable at just $10 more per pair. 

Now Vans is doubling down on the ComfyCush with the “Super ComfyCush” Era, which comes with a double outsole that that evokes a kind of platform shoe/club kid-style ethos that wouldn’t look out of place at a ’90s rave.

The ultra-cushioned new shoes feature a canvas upper and co-molded construction of foam and rubber for maximum comfort and grip, along with one-piece interior tongue stabilization and improved arch support.

Vans partnered with artist Geoff McFetridge for the double-decker kicks, featuring his artwork alongside the newly-enhanced Eras. “Comfort is the reward of creativity,” McFetridge said in a statement. “The comfort isn’t the process; the process is uncomfortable. Comfort is the reward of taking on challenges. If it was nice the whole time, I’m so suspicious of that.”

The latest ComfyCush Era Vans are available now at Vans.com/comfycush.

If you’ve never heard of watchmaker and stainless steel bracelet supplier Ollech & Wajs, there’s a good reason. After launching in the mid-1950s and selling military and dive watches through the early 1980s the company for a time focused on the aviation industry, making cockpit chronometers.

Ollech & Wajs relaunched timepiece sales in 2019 with the leather-banded OW-P101 and now they’ve leveled up with stainless steel “beads of rice” bands inspired by finely-designed vintage mid-century models. 

Adorning Swiss-made O&W tool watches such as the OW P-101 S and the OW C-1000 S, the “beads of rice” bracelet has what seems an obvious name but its function and what makes it unique isn’t obvious at all. 

Ollech & Wajs details their inspiration for this unique band:

The bracelet of the OW P-101 S was inspired by those found on past Ollech & Wajs models of the 1960’s. Its links are individually machined in a solid block of 316L stainless steel, before being carefully brushed, assembled and screwed by hand. This process prevents from the usual stretching common among pressed steel bracelets. It ensures both longevity to the bracelet and comfort to the wearer. The bracelet’s double lock deployant clasp prevents any accidental opening.

A secret many watch collectors probably don’t want to admit to is just what a pain steel bracelets can be. Sizing them correctly can sometimes require professional assistance from a jeweler or horologist and even then there can be plenty of play that makes wearing a heavy dive or pilot’s watch a distraction. 

Ollech & Wajs seems determined to change this experience for the better.

They’re a luxury brand for sure, but Ollech & Wajs timepieces are still on the reasonable side—the model above, the OW P-101 S, retails for anywhere between $1,126-$1,639 USD.

Check out their larger collection here.