#if the drawing is low quality even when u click on it? its supposed 2 b like that((my canvas is less than 1000px))

[pup-pee]

otp is angel fangs x snake bites

[dropswisdom]

This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the lovely people at Videostrong, so thank you very much, and especially Emmy & Cheryl, for the help!

Videostrong Technology Co. Ltd. was founded in 1998. They produce a line of android based TV boxes and dongles, as well as hybrid boxes. Hybrid boxes are TV boxes which incorporate other abilities such as DVB tuners of different standards (T2, S2, ATSC and others) as well as capabilities such as HDTV recording (PVR).

KI Plus is one of the latest models which Videostrong put out, and they have delayed its release to get a more stable firmware working – which is appreciated. The advantages of KI Plus (aside from the Amlogic S905 chipset): integrated DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 digital TV tuners. Those allow reception of over-the-air standard and high definition digital TV transmissions, where available.

What’s in the Box?

As can be seen both in the unboxing video and the photo below, the package is pretty standard, with the DC power adapter, HDMI 2.0 cable, and standard IR remote control and user manual. It contain most all of what you’ll need, aside from a Digital TV antenna, which is not included.

Looks

The KI Plus is a rectangle made of black plastic, with the model name printed in white letters on top of it. On the left we can see the indication LED/Power button. The KI Plus can also be turned off and on from the included Remote control.

I also took screenshots of the Main and app screens, as they are different than the standard launchers usually included with these boxes:

Specifications

Chipset Amlogic S905 Quad core 64-bit Cortex A53 Up to 2.0GHz GPU Penta-core Mali-450 Up to 750MHZ Memory / Storage DDRIII 1GB / Nand Flash 8GB (4~32GB Optional) LAN Support LAN 100M/1000M Base-T Wireless Built in 2.4G WiFi Bluetooth Optional OS Android 5.1.1 Video Output HDMI 2.0 4Kp60 10-bit HEVC, 4Kp30 MPEG / VC-1 / AVS+ / H.264 Audio Output HDMI Data Output / SPDIF / AV 3.5 mm output Power DC 12V/1A DC-in Peripheral Interface

HDMI 2.0 4K 2K HDMI2.0 , HDCP2.2

4 * USB HOST 4 High speed USB 2.0,support U DISK and USB HDD

1 * TF CARD Support 1~32GB

1 * AV AV output

1 * SPDIF Audio output

1 * RJ45 10/100 BaseT, 1000M( Optional)

Packing Includes

DC Power Adapter

IR remote control

HDMI 2.0 Cable

User Manual

Benchmarks and Testing

All benchmarks have been repeated 3 times and results have been averaged to give a more accurate reading:

Antutu Benchmark

The Antutu benchmark tests single core performance over multi-core as it is a better indication of the performance of one device over others in most situations. Antutu 6.0.1 crashed at the end of each run, although it did complete it. I also experienced sound artifacts (fast chirping sound) during the 3d testing, where music was supposed to be playing in the background. The results of the tests draw a mixed picture, where in the older 5.7.3 version, the box takes the very last spot of the S905 based boxes, but in the newer 6.0.1 version, it sits pretty in the middle.

GPU Mark Benchmark

GPU Mark tests 3d gaming performance and also provides a normalized score according to the used screen resolution (for a more accurate result). The test is quite short and should be taken as a supporting result to that of the more serious 3D Mark benchmark. Both graphs shows the same grim picture: This device is not optimized for gaming or 3d heavy tasks. In both it takes the place before last, coming only before the weakest device I tested so far.

A1 SD Benchmark

A1 SD Benchmark tests RAM and flash memory speeds. As can be seen in the provided graphs, RAM is much faster (by a factor of about 40) than flash memory – that is why it’s in smaller amount and is also volatile (does not keep its contents after a reboot). Here we see a mixed picture again, with the storage showing low results (in the last 4 places) while the RAM speed shows its muscle as it settles in the 4th place!

PC Mark Benchmark

The PC Mark benchmark test suite gives a more task/day oriented picture of performance. Things like photo editing, web browsing and video playback are tested. The KI Plus takes a nice middle seat as it shows it is more than capable at performing day-to-day android tasks.

3D Mark Benchmark

3D Mark benchmark is considered as one of the best ways to test 3d performance on Android (and other platforms). Interestingly, unlike GPUMark, 3dmark shows the KI Plus a medium score that makes it a descent box for casual gaming. This is supported by actual gaming I tested as mentioned later.

Video Playback testing (Using KODI)

Resolution Video Format Local Playback Network (Wi-Fi/LAN) Playback 720p (1280*720) AVC (High@L4.1) Playing correctly Playing correctly 1080P (1920*1080) AVC (High@L4) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K/UHD (4096*2304) AVC (High@L5.1) Playing correctly Buffering  and stutter 2160P (3840*2160) HEVC (H.265) Playing correctly Playing correctly 4K TS HEVC files HEVC (H.265) 10Bit Playing correctly only from Movieplayer app Does not play

There seems to be room for improvement in the playback capability of the KI Plus. Mostly when it comes to Kodi, as I experienced some instability with the customized version that comes pre-installed on the KI Plus. Bear in mind, this is an early production sample, and the device is not widely available.

I experienced some Kodi crashes out to the android desktop (or app list) and noticed that the KI Plus does not actually retain programs in its memory (most likely to keep better performance, as there is no task killer/memory cleaning app) – so if you would switch from Kodi out to the desktop (“Home” button on the remote), it will actually force close the app, and when you re-open Kodi, it will go through the initial splash screen and content update procedure again.

I also noticed that 10 Bit TS files do not play (at all) inside Kodi. I have tried Kodi 15.2 official release, Kodi 16 Beta 5, and SPMC 15. All had issues playing back content on this device, and one would not show video playback at all (16 Beta 5). The 10 bit content did play correctly in the included movieplayer app – but only locally as the app does not have network connectivity on its own.

This leads me to believe that the KI Plus needs some thorough work in regard to Kodi compatibility and stability.

Digital TV performance

This is a special addition, as this box supports DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 digital TV protocols, and does it well. This capability is accessible both from the app list, and from the remote by pressing a button labeled “DTV”.

It uses a special app that comes pre-installed, called “DTV”. Upon opening the app (each and every time) you’re presented by the choice of one of the tuners: DVB-S2 or DVB-T2.

You’re also presented, only on the first time, with the option of scanning for channels. You’ll need to make sure you get an external antenna (not included in the package) or have an existing digital TV antenna at hand. The scanning process was fast, and reception was quite great, even if I left the small antenna I used in the room rather than placing it outside the near window.

Picture and sound quality are both great, especially in HD, but standard SD quality is good and stable as well. Recording is possible – either to the (Micro)SD card, or to an external USB drive. This can be set in the app settings, and record schedules can be set from the EPG by clicking on the desired program to set recording, or within a program – clicking on the remote control record button to initiate. I have successfully recorded a test segment of a Full HD program.

I did notice two issues: the first being that certain HD channels could not produce sound, even though they recognized the audio track (usually AC3 encoding), and the second – de-synchronization between the video and the audio. The audio did slowly catch up with the video in time.

Issues and bugs

Kodi Add-ons did not always install properly at first time each time. Some required repeat attempts to get installed.

Google play games service crashes upon running, and so does not function correctly inside games.

Volume and/or information overlay comes up on kodi while playing back video without user interaction, occasionally.

10 mb bug is present. When attaching big capacity USB drives, they show as 10 mb drives, and do not allow file operations other than read.

Antutu 6.0.1 crashes out at the end of testing, and produces a weak chirping sound during 3d tests (when there’s supposed to be background music).

Digital TV – AC3 audio on some HD channels would not play sound.

The pre-installed Kodi 15.2 custom version proved unstable as it crashed out to the desktop several times, mostly when stopping playback, but a couple of times just while navigating the menu.

Other Kodi/SPMC versions did not work well on this box. They either showed a quarter screen playback image, no image at all, or had other issues.

Network performance

Network performance has been tested using Speedtest.net Internet speed measuring app, in WiFi and in Wired mode. My Internet connection is 200 Mbit Symmetric Fibre connection. The included WiFi is 2.4 GHz only (802.11n) and so is quite limited. Wired speed is good:

Wired, over power lines (AV500)

WiFi – 2.4 GHz

Gaming performance

I use an application called “GameBench” to measure frame rate and resource usage in games. The application did crash during testing, but I was able to run it long enough to gather resource usage information:

Asphalt 8 Airborne – a 3d graphic intensive racing game. The game run fine, but not completely smooth.

Angry Birds 2 – a popular 2d action game. Runs smoothly most of the time, with bits of slowdown both in-game and in menus.

Walking War Robots – an online robot warfare game that requires a game-pad (I don’t have a game-pad). WWR ran quite smoothly, but did produce an annoying static or distortion sound all through playing.

Conclusions

Did I like it? Yes, I did. The KI Plus is a interesting and good contender in the s905 crowded scene. The (now) standard s905 related issues are expected to be resolved in coming firmware updates, and this box offers out-of-the-box rooting (although I advise to install SuperSu to make the most of it). And then there’s the built-in Digital TV support. For many Kodi enthusiasts this box will give an almost perfect all-around solution which gives them crisp HD terrestrial digital channels which do not depend on internet availability on top of the good video decoding ability offered by the Amlogic S905 chipset.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. It has a few issues to patch up, but all in all it’s a great combined solution for a very good price.

So you’d like to buy this box? You can find it here: K1 PLUS S2 T2 Amlogic S905 Quad Core 64Bit TV Box Android 5.1.1 1G 8G 2.4G WiFi LAN HDMI2.0 3D DLNA AirPlay Miracast Netflix for 76 USD

Or, without the Digital TV tuner, much cheaper at 46 USD: K1 PLUS Amlogic S905 Quad Core 4K KODI TV Box Android 5.1 1G8G 2.4G WIFI LAN HDMI2.0 3D DLNA AirPlay Miracast Netflix

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Review | Videostrong KI Plus S905+DVB-T2/S2 TV Box This review unit was sent to me courtesy of the lovely people at Videostrong, so thank you very much, and especially Emmy & Cheryl, for the help!

[greggsdiabetes-blog]

The Secret to Happiness? Simplify.

New Post has been published on http://www.greggsdiabetes.com/the-secret-to-happiness-simplify/

The Secret to Happiness? Simplify.

For centuries, people leaned into the popular (and false) belief that possession—material wealth and stature—was synonymous with happiness. But now minimalism is on the rise, and for good reason: it works. With the popular Netflix film Minimalism: A Documentary About Important Things and the massive bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up emphasizing the benefits of decluttering, it's no surprise that more and more people are cleaning out gear closets, streamlining their workouts, and buying less stuff. Because when you do, there's way more room for adventure.

#1. Purge

The first piece of furniture I ever bought kept me up at night. I was 25 years old, and the offending item was a 60-pound oak armoire the color of whiskey and the size of a standard refrigerator. It wasn’t the price or the quality of its construction that triggered the angst. It was what it represented. I now owned something that couldn’t fit in my rooftop RocketBox. I saw my adult life beginning, along with a relentless accumulation of more stuff. That armoire was the loss of my freedom.

Looking around my house nearly 20 years later, my vision was prescient. I’ve col­lected more things than I want, and finding a place to put them all is a daily struggle. My twenty­something anxiety wasn’t un­founded, ­either. Research has revealed a troubling paradox: not only is clutter a cause of stress, but so is getting rid of things. For some people, the very act of shedding a possession triggers activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and the ­insula, the same parts of the brain that register physical pain. Which explains why millions of Americans, including me, have plunked down $10 for yet another possession: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a bestseller by Japanese cleaning consultant ­Marie Kondo. According to Kondo, dealing with your clutter can improve your well-being. “A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dra­matic changes in lifestyle and perspective,” she writes. “It is life transforming.”

I bought my copy thinking it would be a needed catalyst for the garage-cleaning project I’d been putting off for two years. Inside is my gear stash, proof of a lifetime of adventure and the only possessions I’d truly mourn in a house fire. Crampons that have felt summits from the Cascades to the Hima­layas. My first road bike. The BOB stroller that logged hundreds of miles as I trained for ultras and jogged my two small children to sleep. A lot of this stuff hasn’t been used in years, rendered obsolete by shinier new toys or my shifting passions. It was piling up. The issue came to a head when my fiancée moved in, along with her own stockpile. But any hopes that I would realize Kondo’s magic by confronting the mountains of sentiment in the garage were extinguished within the first few pages of her book. In rigid terms, she describes a “tidying marathon,” an all in, months-long project that will fail if not completed. If I didn’t address my entire household inventory—­closets, drawers, cabinets, everything—I would return to a state of unwanted clutter.

The garage would have to wait. I started by moving through Kondo’s list of categories in the prescribed order: “Clothes first, then books, papers, miscellany, and lastly, mementos.” The process forced me to confront those myriad places that attract random junk. The kitchen counter always littered with mail and school announcements. Bathroom cabinets stocked with bottles and tinctures. And that damn armoire, in which I discovered an incongruous collection of candleholders, board games, place mats, two puzzles, an extension cord, a New Mexico atlas, and an ancient video camera that records on something called MiniDisc. I took on these hoarding stations armed with a garbage bag (trash it) and a box (give it away). I purged like I was at a peyote ceremony. Over several days, I made four trips to Goodwill, where the staff began to recognize me.

Clothes, books, paper—those were easy. My garage came last, for it was filled with the high-end sporting gear that we adventurous types classify as mementos. It was here that my trust in Kondo’s method was tested. Her advice for deciding on whether or not to keep something: touch it, be aware of the feeling it triggers, and ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?” When I thought of my prized quiver of skis, bikes, and camping stoves (six of them!), I pictured Kondo asking the question and me defiantly answering “Hell yes!” to all of it.

One Sunday morning, I clicked the ­garage-door opener and confronted nostalgia’s grip. I started with the camping equipment. After careful consideration, stoves one, two, and three registered no spark. Neither did way too many headlamps, stuff sacks, first-aid kits, and ground pads. My first real trial was the sleeping bag I took on multiple cross-country family road trips as a kid. It was in that bag that I slept soundly in the back of our station wagon as my parents drove all night from the north rim to the south rim of the Grand Canyon to catch the sunrise. Running my hands over its greasy seams, I felt a powerful sentimental joy. I also realized that the memories it evoked were inside my head, not its weathered nylon. I put it in the giveaway box. There were three pairs of cross-country skis, each having carried me through the 40-mile Elk Mountain Grand Traverse. I’ve always liked seeing them propped against the wall, proof of my feats. But joy? It wasn’t sparked. I tried to draw the line at my first pair of telemark skis. No matter that they’re comically skinny, I thought, these babies rip. But now I was on a roll. I threw them in with the sleeping bag.

I went on like this for several more weekends, pawing flat soccer balls, tired camp chairs, and outdated bike wheels. Eventually, I whittled down my treasures to my absolute favorites and began reorganizing the space according to Kondo’s strict instructions—no piles. Finally, one recent evening, preparing for my first skin up the local ski hill, I felt a little bit of the magic. The real evil of clutter, the one I’d feared at age 25, was its ability to bog you down. Do I want to go backcountry skiing at 6 a.m. when the process requires an hour of rounding up misplaced necessities? Nope. I’ll just sleep in. But that night I ­entered the newly overhauled space, and all the items I needed—poles, skins, helmet, gloves, skis—were in exactly the right place.

I’d be lying if I said my life has been transformed. I haven’t touched my office yet. And I’ve actually noticed an increase in angst over the places that I’ve yet to tackle. But if tidying is indeed a marathon, I have faith in Kondo’s metaphor. I know how shedding weight and completing a long-distance ­trial brings on a curious euphoria. Kondo estimates that her tidying marathons take clients around six months, and I will keep running. But she’ll have to pry my BOB stroller from my cold, dead hands. —Christopher Keyes, editor

#2. Put Down the Phone

"You don't need to tweet or post during your adventure unless you're a sponsored athlete whose livelihood depends on it. I promise you that no one really cares. I've grown to love it when an expedition starts and the bars on my my phone dwindle down to uselessness. That's a sure sign that I'm headed in the right direction." —Guide Dave Hahn, who has summited Mount Everest 15 times

#3. Make It a Liquid Lunch

“Soup is a nutrition life-hack,” says ­Nicole Centeno, author of the cookbook Splendid Spoon and CEO of the soup-­delivery company of the same name. “It’s efficient and nourishing and keeps you fueled for hours outside without weighing you down.” It’s also a foolproof one-pot wonder. Buy a stack of plastic pint containers for single-serving storage in the fridge or freezer, and reheat for lunch as needed. Centeno’s favorite hearty soup, kale and lentil, is ­loaded with fiber and protein and made with ingredients you likely already have at home.

Kale and Lentil Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 pound dried red lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 pound dried green lentils, rinsed and drained

2 quarts water

2 cups thinly sliced lacinato kale

Sea salt to taste

Process

Warm the oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery, stirring frequently, for ten minutes or until tender. Stir in the garlic, pepper, curry, and cinnamon, and cook for one minute.

Increase the heat to high, add the lentils and water, and bring to a boil. Add the kale, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture thickens, the lentils are tender, and the kale is wilted.

Stir in the salt. Serve hot.

#4. Lighten Up

"I value celebration, possibly more than I should. You have to relish your accomplishments and take time off. I also have a terrible sweet tooth, and I don't care. I will continue to eat Sour Patch Kids. I usually have three two-pound bags in my room. There's a fine line between being anal retentive and being purposeful. Everything I do, I do with purpose." —Ultrarunner Clare Gallagher, who won the 2016 Leadville Trail 100 Women's Division by two hours.

#5. Choose a Uniform

Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck and jeans every day. Mark Zuckerberg lives in a hoodie. Yes, they’re tech geeks—but not having to think about clothing frees up all kinds of mental energy for more important tasks. So what’s a style-conscious active person supposed to wear? Consider this foundational formula from Peter Buchanan-Smith, founder of Manhattan clothing and gear company Best Made.

Chambray shirt:"Chambray is far more versatile than flannel—it can be worn with jeans or trousers. The material is timeless. Once you find the perfect shirt, buy five."

Sweater jacket:"Best Made's shawl-collar sweater, with super-heavy, 100 percent western wool, is my armor. I wear it fly-fishing, as a winter jacket in the city, and under a rain shell.”

Aviator sunglasses:“Randolph Engineering’s are classic. You can’t go wrong.”

High-quality belt: “I wear Best Made’s Gfeller belt almost daily.”

Dark-wash jeans: “Levi’s 501’s. You get so much for the price, and they only get better with age. ”

Good socks: “Wool blend. Not too thick, not too thin.”

Rugged boots: "I don’t think it’s overkill to have burly leather ankle boots as your daily staple, even in New York. I’d pick the Danner Rainforest. They’re like the Land Rover Defender of boots.”

#6. Skimp on Gym Time

One of the pillars of the modern approach to fitness is the belief that gym-based strength training is essential, even for endurance athletes. Problem is, many of us take things too far. Two-time Olympic skier turned strength coach Eva Twardokens is part of a growing chorus of fitness professionals who ­argue that amateur athletes don’t need to spend more than two hours a week working out between walls. The upshot: you can spend a lot more time playing outside. “The danger for a lot of people is over­exercising,” says Twardokens.

She closely analyzed just how much gym work she needed to continue to perform at a high level. “I boiled it down to the essentials and created Minimum Dose, Maximum Effect,” she says. “The idea is to do the least amount of training that allows for good body composition and supports the activities in your life without wearing your joints down.” Twardokens, a ­National Masters Weightlifting champion, explains that her general workout philosophy is to “maintain strength and muscle mass through the basics, like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and dips. And that includes you endurance athletes!”

The rest of the time? Get outside and enjoy the sports you love.

#7. Bring It Back to Life

In 2011, Patagonia launched its Worn Wear program, which allows customers to send in jackets and apparel to be mended. The company has since performed 170,000 repairs. Here’s a quick guide to fixing your own stuff—and taking better care of it in the first place.

Keep it clean: Before storing technical layers at the end of the season, launder them in cold water with a revitalizing cleaner like Nikwax Tech Wash and hang them to dry, says Lindsey Stone of Seattle’s Rainy Pass Repair, which fixes, updates, and renews all manner of outdoor fabrics. “Once something like Gore-Tex is dry to touch, treat it with a DWR spray to revive waterproofing,” she adds. “Then stick it in the dryer on low for 10 to 20 minutes.”

Avoid the common errors: “Wool is much more difficult to burn than synthetic fabrics, so consider a top layer of wool while you’re tending the campfire,” Stone says.

Upgrade your field kit: “Tenacious Tape is just as strong as duct tape, but it doesn’t leave a sticky residue,” Stone says, “so later you can properly fix a tear without a mess.”

Save your sole: Don’t toss out those worn-down hiking boots if the upper structure is still in good shape. Legendary boot wizard Dave Page in Seattle can resole just about anything. He has repaired a pair of 1960s boots six times. Their owner is now in his eighties.

#8. Go It Alone

"I always say, if I had to wait for a friend, I'd still be in my cubicle office. It's easier to travel alone and has become a lot more socially acceptable." —Matt Kepnes, author of the blog Nomadic Matt

#9. Just Say No

"Most people overestimate how efficient they are, so we say yes to everything that comes our way. The result is you end up feeling overwhelmed. Saying no makes space for the things that matter most to you. Saying no more often is actually more expansive." —Leo Babauta, author of The Power of Less

10. Buy Less, Live More

There’s a joke that we tell around the office: How can you spot an Outside editor at the trailhead? They’re the one removing tags from their stuff.

It hurts because it’s true. Some editors’ offices are so packed with gear that it’s tough to find a place to sit. I’m no exception. When I decided to take up mountain biking a couple of years ago, I bought two bikes: one hardtail and one full suspension, so I had the right ride for any situation. I currently own six fly rods—one for throwing dry flies on small streams, another for casting streamers on big rivers, yet another for windy days, and so on.

But when I read a recent story about Pata­gonia founder Yvon Chouinard that noted how most of his gear was made in the previous century, I began to question my excessive ways. I suffer that disease so common among middle-class Americans: overconsumption. And I’m not joking when I call it a disease. We’ve long known that buying things releases dopamine in the brain—a 2012 study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs suggested it’s even addictive. Partly to blame: the ease of the buy-now button.

It’s not just a biological pull, either. Magazines, catalogs, and websites—Outside’s included—assault your inbox, mailbox, and Facebook feed with new gear. I decided to fight back: for one month I would buy nothing but food. (OK, and beer.)

The first week, I felt like an alcoholic standing outside a liquor-store window. I had a strong urge to cheat, to buy something small like a book or a movie ticket. But midway through the month, the compulsive urge to consume relaxed. At home I realized that not only did I have a jacket that would get me through ski season, I actually had two, even if they didn’t breathe quite as well as I’d like. I began to look at things I previously considered at the end of their useful life—jeans with holes, a laptop that was a few years old—as perfectly functional.

I spent less time scrolling through gear blogs fantasizing about smartwatches or fishing reels, which meant that I had more time for things that really mattered: my wife, my friends, my colleagues—people, not things.

Late in the month, though, I caved. My wife and I recently bought a home, and we wanted to replace the old smoke detectors. “I’m not buying everything for the house this month,” my wife said, with a certain tone in her voice, suspecting that my pledge to swear off consumerism was a ploy to bankrupt her. I immediately went online and ordered two of them. Later that day I got her flowers, just to be safe.

The truth is, not buying stuff doesn’t feel as instantly good as hitting the buy-now button does, and I can’t say that I won’t purchase superfluous stuff in the future. But I realize that I don’t need it. In fact my life may be richer by not having as much of it. A few weeks after my experiment ended, I reached out to Trout Unlimited to see if it needed any packs or rods for its youth programs. I rounded up my extra winter hats, coats, and gloves to give to a local shelter. After years of being sick, I’m starting to feel better. —Jonah Ogles, articles editor

#11. Don’t Get All Epic

I’ve got a bit of Viking in me. Not the raiding and pillaging so much as the deep-seated urge to explore distant lands. For years my M.O. was: save up money, blow it on a far-flung adventure, return broke, repeat. It was fun, but I’ve since wised up. While I still try to pull off big trips whenever I can, I’ve learned that closer-to-home outings can be just as satisfying.

I grew up in southeast Wisconsin and couldn’t wait to set out for the mountains and rivers of the West, eventu­ally landing in New Mexico. But when I go back to Wisconsin now, I’m discovering everything I overlooked. ­Within 20 miles of my childhood home in Sheboygan, there are sand dunes to explore, waterways to paddle, waves to surf (seriously, Google it), and glacially carved trails to wander.

Having kids has helped shift my perspective, too. In Santa Fe, a lifetime of family microadventures can be had right out the back door. This past fall, we spent a weekend rafting a section of the Rio Grande near town. It might not have been heroic by Instagram standards, but there were rapids, rattlesnakes, hot springs, and pictographs. The kids didn’t have to miss any school, and I swear I felt my inner Viking stir. —Sam Moulton, content marketing director

#12. Use Paper

“I’ve tried all the organizational apps, but I much prefer putting pen to paper,” says legendary alpinist Conrad Anker, known among fellow climbers for both his skill and his preparation. “I like using Moleskine notebooks, the lined five-by-eight ones. Every night I use a nice fountain pen to jot down my to-do list for the following day. Then I prioritize it, rewrite it to reflect that ­order, and think about it. On Sunday I do the same routine, but for the whole week ahead.” ­

Anker says that bulletproof organizational skills may be in his blood. “My sister is a professional organizer, with clients, so we joke that creating structure and having discipline runs in our family. I find myself flipping back though my journals and rereading them. Research shows that writing things down helps you process and remember them better, and I agree. I’ve been doing this since 1998.”

Original Article