Hasta La Gadget!

Brandon Jennings has a deep affection for Nikonos, the renowned film camera series born from Jacques Cousteau’s famous Calypso underwater camera. The Nikonos Project is the vessel through which Jennings shares his passion with the world. It’s a simpl…

 Ring, the connected doorbell with built-in video and two-way talking features, now has a partner in crime: Ring Chime, a Wi-Fi speaker that activates when a visitor presses your Ring, and which can use custom tones you can upload yourself through the Ring mobile app. The Ring Chime is available at a discounted price of $19.95 when it launches for pre-order at the start of June, and will cost… Read More

This week marks the ten-year anniversary to the date that Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy introduced an immigration reform bill into Congress, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. The McCain-Kennedy bill has been somewhat forgotten in recent years, as several attempts to push an immigration reform bill through Congress have come up and failed. But the bill and its history is a lesson that 2016 Presidential candidates, and our current Congress, should study up on.

The McCain-Kennedy bill was the first comprehensive immigration reform package to be introduced after the events of September 11th. The bill’s introduction on May 12th was a sign that the American public had rejected the post-9/11 backlash against immigrants espoused by fear-mongering nativists, and that the country was ready to move forward to creating inclusive policies that welcomed newcomers who had contributed so much to America since its founding. The bill also had support from President George W. Bush, together with a wide base of supporters.

Yet, after a contentious debate, the bill failed to even come up for a vote in the Senate — dashing the hopes of America’s immigrant communities. Since 2005, there have been a number of immigration reform proposals based on the McCain-Kennedy bill. As the Latino, Asian and immigrant electorate has grown, each successive bill has brought the dream of comprehensive immigration reform one step closer to realization. In 2013, a bi-partisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate by a 68-32 margin — a stark contrast from the McCain-Kennedy bill’s failure to make it onto the floor for a vote.

And yet, none of these bills have made it to the finish line.

Even the last comprehensive bill in 2013 was prevented from coming to a vote in the House, and we have now reached 10 years of failure to pass legislation to deal with an issue — immigration — that can truly shape our country’s future. In an effort to provide some temporary relief, President Obama issued a series of executive actions last fall that would allow undocumented parents of U.S citizens and legal permanent residents to apply for a halt to deportation and work authorization. But even these executive actions are delayed and stuck in legal limbo as conservative forces attempt to block them.

These efforts to block any possibility of immigration reform has done more harm than good. While a vast majority of Americans have said that they support a solution to the country’s broken immigration system, persistent political plays to block progress have left communities frustrated and angry.

Moving into the 2016 race, any Presidential candidate that wants a fighting chance needs to prioritize an immigration reform game plan — one that is fair, just, family-oriented and economically sound. Ten years after the McCain-Kennedy bill, here’s our recommended starter kit for a comprehensive immigration reform proposal that must pass during the first term of the next president:

Provide a path to citizenship. First and foremost, any plan must recognize that the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants play a critical, valuable role to our economy and our society, and should provide a broad legalization program with a path to citizenship.

Strengthen family unity. Immigration reform will not be successful until we harmonize public policy with one of the main factors driving migration: families that want to be together. Currently, families are separated by visa waiting periods and processing delays that can last decades. Immigration reform must increase the number of visas available for family members and eliminate bars to re-entry so that individuals are separated from their family for decades.

Meet our workforce needs. Any solution must satisfy legitimate employer needs while respecting both immigrant and U.S.-born workers. We need visas for workers at all skill levels and a process to adjust for need. Increased visa numbers must go hand in hand with long-term investments in the U.S. workforce, including better education and job training opportunities. Reforms must uphold the wages and working conditions of all workers and ensure that immigrant workers in the formal and informal sectors have equal workplace rights and protections as well as a clear path to citizenship. We must reject faulty programs like “E-verify” that will harm the American economy and U.S. workers while doing little to end the hiring of undocumented workers.

Enforce the rules fairly. The U.S. Constitution guarantees due process for all people in this country. Our government, however, has not fulfilled that guarantee in its treatment of immigrants. Immigration enforcement, including detention and immigration court procedures, should adhere to basic due process and human rights standards. Any plan must restore basic civil liberties for all individuals in this country and our commitment to core American values of fairness and justice.

Ten years since the first post-9/11 attempt to fix U.S immigration policy, it’s time we saw results.

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Last week Bill Maher continued his one man crusade to convince liberals that belittling and disrespecting Muslims and their faith is somehow a progressive position. This week he was joined in his proselytization by ‘The Blaze’ analyst Will Cain.

The conversation focused on two separate Islamic based news stories that the media covered recently. The first was opposition to an award being given by the PEN organization to the satirical French Magazine Charlie Hebdo for their “courage” in depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The second was a contest held in Texas where participants had to draw Prophet Muhammad.

For his part Maher stated: “This is America. Do we not have the right to draw whatever we want?” which Cain followed up with: “You don’t just have a right to free speech – when someone’s position is ‘if you offend me, I will kill you’ it becomes virtuous for you to offend that person.”

It should be noted that these comments both really miss the point of the opposition. No one is saying you can’t draw a picture of the Prophet Muhammad – we agree that is your first amendment right. What they are saying is, just because you can do something does that mean you should? It also begs the question; is intentionally offending someone because they have different beliefs than you really a sign of courage?

In schools this sort of premeditated provocation is called bullying and has caused numerous young adults to take their own lives. Who is to blame for their death? The kids doing the bullying or the kid who would rather die than be tortured another day. Cain apparently blames the bullied kid. Of course, some of those who are bullied end up killing the bullies instead. According to Cain, this means the media would be virtuous in relentlessly antagonizing this child since his bully was just practicing free speech.

If killing individuals based on religious beliefs deserves a full frontal assault on that religion why has Cain never written or commented on the hundreds of LGBT are killed every year in majority Christian countries. Shouldn’t the media – Cain included – condemn all Christians for the acts of these few who can’t control their temper? Isn’t that the courageous and righteous thing to do?

One imagines Cain and those who agree with his position would be less inclined to support a contest for drawing Jesus as a homosexual or a museum exhibition of aborted fetuses held by a pro-choice organization. Yet you can bet a couple rednecks with guns would eventually show up to voice their displeasure.

It would also be considered free speech to use the N-word anywhere you want, yet the use of the word in certain locations is likely to cost you your life. Given this reality, shouldn’t Will Cain drop the N-bomb every chance he gets? Wouldn’t it be virtuous of him to hold an N-word black face parade until those who would kill him change their mind?

When you continually and overtly belittle people for being who they are, eventually some of the people in these groups will respond violently. Is the answer to their violence really to be more offensive? Is unrelenting abuse really the best way to get someone to do a thorough self examination, or does it just make you look like a jerk and further solidify the belief that those outside the group are the real problem?

No one is defending ISIS or other extremist Muslims groups, but realize that it’s not just the extremist that you tick off with your blanket Islamic insults. By insisting on drawing the Prophet Muhammad to offend the murders, you are also offending those who would otherwise be your allies. The vast majority of U.S. citizens agree with the goal of ending religious extremism. We just disagree with how you get there, and it has absolutely nothing to do with your first amendment rights to be a total d-bag.

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As I’ve often mentioned, I inexplicably and somewhat irrationally love portable power banks. The best I can ever explain is the efficient elegance of their design, so many features built in to increase their portability – and usability. That gets ratcheted up a notch when you throw in solar devices. Portable power chargers are, of course, intended to be used when you’re on the road with your portable devices when they (inevitably) run out of power, and you’re away from a power source. But what happens when your charger itself runs out of power, and you’re on a bus, walking between classes, or hiking in the middle of the woods?

Once upon a time I was enamored with solar chargers. Times have changed – they’ve improved, but so have the non-solar chargers, so the dynamic is more complex.

Reasonably small and light chargers now exist with 9,000 mAh – that can give you up to six charges of a mobile phone. You’ve got to be a scary power user if you can’t get to a wall outlet before that runs out. And astonishingly tiny chargers (that fit in your shirt pocket now exist that can give you 2-3 phone charges, at 4000 mAh. Or you can now charge your devices from your car’s cigarette lighter, lessening the need to find a wall outlet. Or you can charge from your laptop – or even from many portable speakers which provide that dual functionality. Furthermore, so many standard chargers now include built-in power cords – something I consider almost a requirement today. So, if a solar charger doesn’t include those that basics, and is too bulky, its solar convenience might not be enough to make it viable, at least for everyday use. The point here is that, today, as they themselves have improved, solar power banks have a lot of impressive hurdles to overcome to make them worth considering. To be clear, such devices do exist – and most especially if you’re a hiker or camper, particularly into the backwoods, they remain the gold standard, and today is their greatest value – but the task is finding them.

And so, we dive in to check out a few in this go-round.

• Secūr Sun Power Bank 4000
• Secūr Sun Power Bank 6000
• Solpro Helios Smart
• Xtorm Magma Charger and Flashlight A116

SECŪR SUN POWER BANK 4000

The Secūr Sun Power Bank 4000 gets things pretty close to right. It has respectable capacity, at 4,000 mAh – not huge, but plenty for almost three charges of a mobile phone. It’s quite small, and impressively enough, at 4-3/4 ounces. Easy to stick in a pocket. And importantly, it includes two built-in cords – one for microUSB and one for a standard USB.

The microUSB cord has a basic 1.0 amp output for charging mobile phones, while the regular USB is 2.1 A, so it can be used to charge devices that require a more powerful draw, like a tablet (although, in practical usage, most tablets don’t use a standard USB plug). However, the USB cord importantly can be used for plugging into a charger when you don’t have to rely on the sun. One downside for Apple users – there’s no built-in Lighting plug. To be clear, there is a USB port, so you can simply snap your Lightning plug in there, but something built in would have been more versatile. If you don’t use Apple devices, though, but Android, Windows or anything else, this is not an issue. And having that standard USB cord instead is beneficial.

A couple other things I particularly like about the device. Solar panels charge by the surface area, which is why small solar power banks take a long time to fill to capacity. But the Secūr has a particularly efficient panel that covers a wide area. Charging time with the solar panel is rated a slow, but acceptable 14-18 hours under full sunlight. (An electric wall charge is, of course, much faster, 4 hours.)

Related to this, importantly, the panels are so efficient that they charge from any light source – not just the sun, but even a lamp (though it has to be direct and very close). And also, it charges from the sun even while indoors and just near a window in sunlight (not as efficiently as under a bright sun, but it still works). Most solar chargers I’ve come across don’t do either of those, or at least well. As a result, if you just leave the Secūr out, near a window or right under a bright lamp, it could stay fully-charged. Also, it has a red light that glows very brightly when it’s charging by solar power. That’s no small thing. On many other solar chargers I’ve tested, the light can be dull and washed out. Four green lights that let you know your current capacity.

The device is extremely well-built. If it included a Lightning plug, I might almost call it an ideal solar charger. But as I said, if you have no need for Apple plugs, this is no issue. (And you can use a Lightning cord by plugging one in.) At the time of writing, it retailed for $60, but could be found online for $44.

SECŪR SUN POWER BANK 6000

Secūr’s Sun Power Bank 6000 has much in common with its smaller sibling, the 4000, but there is one notable difference which makes this less valuable for everyday use, but significantly more valuable for another.

It too is extremely solidly made, has two built-in cables (one for microUSB and one standard USB), uses highly efficient solar panels, can charge from direct ambient light, has a clear bright light that glows when solar charging, and has a lithium battery, which here holds 6,000 mAh, enough for nearly four charges of a mobile phone. And like the Power Bank 4000, it can charge somewhat when simply near a window in sunlight, or directly under a bright lamp.

Unlike the 4000, this has two USB ports, the added one which is 2.1 amps which is very convenient, allowing you to plug in a cord for charging tablets since they require the larger 2.1A. There’s also a great LCD screen which tells you precisely how much charge is left in the battery. (The holes are protectively covered with plugs that are attached to the device.) But what’s most notable of all is that it opens like a clam shell.

This makes the device a bit larger than many chargers – it’s thicker than many chargers (though not as much as those from the excellent myCharge) and taller at 6″, so it won’t fit as conveniently in a pocket…though it will fit. And when it opens up, it’s significantly bigger. And heavier. However, it’s still fairly light for its size and capacity, at 9.5 ounces.

But it’s that opening up that makes the solar charger unique. As I said above, it’s surface area that is most critical for the charging capacity of solar panels. By flipping open, the Solar Power Bank 6000 impressively doubles its already good-sized surface area, providing a great deal more solar charging power. Since it has a larger capacity than the 4000, it takes longer to do an electrical charge of itself, about six hours. Yet because it has a much larger solar panel surface, it can charge itself faster – in just 12-14 hours in full, bright sunlight, according to the company.

What all this does is make the Solar Power Bank 6000 terrific for day hikers and campers. When open, it has a convenient slot to hang from your gear. And it’s light enough for its capacity not to be a burden. It’s also far more compact than other solar options like those that use a standalone solar panel. Those are great for their huge surface area, but are much more unwieldy. For my own personal taste, there are other portable chargers (solar or otherwise) that I prefer for daily use – but if you do any amount of hiking or camping, this is one of the best I’ve seen. At the time of writing it retailed for $100, but could be found online for just $33.

SOLPRO HELIOS SMART

The Solpro Helios is an intriguing solar charger that has a lot going for it, holding 5000 mAh, enough for about three charges of a smartphone. Though it also suffers in a few areas compared to some of its competition.

As I’ve mentioned, the most critical thing with solar chargers is the surface area of its solar panels. And though the Helios is a small device, it solves that problem by having its own built-in case with tri-fold panels that open to create expanded surface space. As a result, it only takes about 90 minutes for device to create enough power to charge a smartphone, or about five hours to create three charges, quite quick. (This is provided there is bright sunlight under optimal conditions.)

The Helios is about 5″x 3″wide, and .75″ thick – though it will open to 11″ wide. It weighs about 9.5 ounces – a bit on the heavy side for something this small if you’re using it for backpacking, though not at all problematic. When the panels are open, there are two holes that allow you to rope a cord through so that you can hang the power bank to charge. A red light glows reasonably well-enough to see when charging in the sun.

A big plus for the device is that it comes with two USB ports, one that 1 Amp (which can charge standard smartphones), and another that’s 2.1 Amp, that would allow for charging a tablet).

Being a “smart” power bank, there’s an interesting feature when using the Helios. If you have a device connected to it for charging (for instance, a mobile phone), and you have the Helios plugged into a wall socket, the charge will pass through it to charge the phone directly. The advantage of this is that it won’t use up any of the charge that’s stored on the Helios.

At issue is that there are no built-in charging cables, something as I’ve mentioned I consider should be standard, and you have to supply your own. Also, while there are tiny plugs to protect the ports, they are unconnected and can easily be lost. The package comes with a spare set, though they still can get loose easily. To be fair, I’m not sure if the plugs are all that necessary. Finally, though those two “hanging holes” are good to have, they aren’t nearly as convenient as the big slot on the Secūr 6000.

The Solpro Helios Smart is an extremely well-made, sturdy device. It’s very well designed, most notably with its tri-fold panels, and pretty fast-charging. However, I think the advantages of the Secur 6000 are significant, most notably the built-in cords – unless you prefer the sleek design of the Helios and its ability to have the pass-through charge. At the time of writing, it retails for $100, but could be found online for $77.

XTORM MAGMA CHARGER AND FLASHLIGHT A116

Xtorm is a very good Dutch company that makes a range of devices, notably chargers, and in particular has long specialized in solar chargers. I’ve reviewed quite a few of them here in the past.

One of the things I like so much about portable power banks is how well-designed they are, putting impressive functionality into small and light devices. The Xtorm Magma is a perfect example. On the surface, the Magma is a fairly standard solar power bank, exceeded by a lot of the competition. However, it uniquely adds great functionality by have a flashlight built-in – which itself can double as a reading light.

The charger holds 3000 mAh, not huge but enough to charge a smartphone almost two times. However, there’s only one USB port, which is for a 1 amp device, so you couldn’t use this to charge a tablet. And with a small surface area of solar panels, it should take 7-9 hours to fully charge the Magma. However, it’s the 4 LED bulbs on a swiveling panel that set the Magma apart.

Campers know that multi-functionality is very important when backpacking. Packing space is limited, and weight is a premium. So, a power bank that can double as a flashlight – and reading lamp – is of high value. Tap its power button twice, and the lights emit fairly bright light. Twist them down, and you have an effective reading light. (And since LED lights don’t use much power, you could have them shining for up to 12 hours on a full charge.) There’s a very sturdy aluminum hook which you can hang on a backpack or anywhere to aid in charging the device – and then you can twist it to become a stand when used for reading, and adjust the angle. Oddly, my only quibble is that I wish the hook/stand wasn’t as solidly-made as it is, since that adds a bit of weight to the device. The Magma isn’t as light as I’d wish, but it’s absolutely fine at just 5 ounces, and fits easily in a pocket.

Xtorm products aren’t always easily found in the United States, though they can all be purchased on the company’s website, though international shipping is added. However, the company has been expanding its outlets, and many of their devices are now available on Amazon and elsewhere, including the Magma A116. At the time of writing, it retails for $60.

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“The Writers Workbench” appears monthly on the website for the Writers Guild of America. To see this entire column, with complete product graphics and additional “TWW Notes,” please click here

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To read more from Robert J. Elisberg about this or many other matters both large and tidbit small, see Elisberg Industries.

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