My Work Here Is Done

I know I've made posts in the past alluding to the growing stress of trying to balance my hobbies with things of much greater importance to me at this stage in life such as work and school and as a result I was going to put this blog on the back burner to help me focus on those things. Recently though I've grown so dissatisfied with my lack of consistency posting here lately so it's with great sadness that I'm announcing that this is going to be my last post on this blog.

I started this blog back in 2012 as a hobby spurred on by my interest in Nerf blasters and by other blogs doing the same at the time. I've since broadened the scope of this blog and in the years since it's gained more hits than I would have ever imagined as a high school freshman would ever get from just doing product reviews and other miscellaneous stuff. I've always gotten a kick out of expressing my opinion on things and this blog has taught me a whole lot about how to put my thoughts into words.

Recently though I haven't felt as passionate about continuing to run this blog nor do I have the time to do so anymore. I'm pretty well done with Nerf for the most part. I've run out of room to continue the hobby in the same capacity I've used to plus, having been accustomed to the hot glue and PVC hackjobs of the era I started up in, I'm kind of put off by the new mass produced precision and shift to electrics that have dominated the new modding scene. I know I sound like an old geezer complaining about kids and their newfangled 3D printed contraptions, but I simply just could never embrace it.

There is also the problem with money. I've run this blog on nothing but my own hard earned cash and I've never, nor would I have really wanted to take donations in order to keep this place running. Nerf has gotten expensive and much of the other stuff I post about are too, and I'd like be smarter with my purchasing. Pouring money into random things just so I could have something to write about just isn't a sustainable way of running this place.

Regardless I've learned a lot running this blog and I'm glad to have stuck with it for roughly seven years, but unfortunately I think it's time to close the door. The blog will still be online as long as Blogger or Google doesn't have a meltdown and I somehow lose everything but I'll be shutting down the Chatroll and I won't be responding to any comments left on here from this point on. I'll still be active in other circles such as Reddit and Twitter, not to mention I'll also continue to be a complete tryhard with video games, be it on PC or console. I do want to revisit the YouTube channel at some point too, but we'll see how that plays out.

Last but not least I want to thank you guys: if you've been following me for a while or even just popped in for five minutes, thank you guys so much. Seeing that view counter climb over the years and hearing your feedback was all motivation for me to keep going. I am going to miss this place but who knows, maybe I'll revisit blogging somewhere down the line. For now though, my life is far too packed to continue on here like I used to and I'd hate to let the blog sit without any sort of closure.

Once again, thank you guys so much. I hope to see you again on whatever endeavors I've got next.

-YALE70

Samsung Gear Sport Review

Never miss leg day again.

I don't really know how or why I'm back on a smartwatch kick considering I've hardly worn the fairly solid Gear S over the past two years but after seeing the thing collecting dust on my nightstand for all that time, I kind of struck me. That curved screen beast just isn't the most comfortable long term use watch thanks to it's enormous size, nor was it particularly good for the gym which was it's primary use for me. On a whim, I decided to order it's replacement: the Gear Sport, a smaller, yet more robust and fitness driven alternative to the fashion accessory-like Gear S3. After over a week of wearing it, here's what I think.

Nerf Zombiestrike Nailbiter Review (8/10)

Hammers are overrated.

Nerf has been consistently cranking out some pretty interesting blasters lately and while I'll give them crap for skimping out on paint, many of the new blasters are still pretty eye catching. On the other hand, spring powered semi-autos are still a rarity in Nerf's lineups to this date. There was the nifty but arguably terrible feeling Snapfire 8 and the surprisingly good but rather impractical Voidcaster. There was a lot left to be desired with these blasters despite their good ideas, but Nerf seems to have hit the nail right on the head with this entry, literally. This is the Nailbiter, probably one of the coolest looking and most fun blasters I've used to date.

Nerf Sawtooth Review (3/10)

Old school tacticool.

This is a blaster that's been on my bucket list for ages and I finally got the chance to snag one in very good condition. This is the 1995 Nerf Sawtooth and it has the very unique distinction of being the first clip fed Nerf blaster in history and if it weren't for this, modern staples like the Longshot and Retaliator may have never existed in their current form. Let's see if this old thing stood the test of time.

Nerf Deploy CS-6 Review (3/10)

Because they thought this was still a good idea.

School is starting wind down a bit so I'm going to try and ramp things back up around here. Not too long ago I reviewed the Expand-a-Blast, which I crowned the worst dart blaster I've ever tested in years bar none. I did praise it for having some slightly novel ideas, it's just that they were so badly executed that it pretty much ruined the whole blaster. Fast forward several years and apparently Nerf still thought the whole self-expanding blaster idea was still the coolest shit on the planet, and for whatever reason they decided to give it another shot. The product of this was the Deploy CS-6: a laughingstock in an era already defined by mediocrity.

Dyson AM06 Desk Fan Review

Cools you off. Makes your wallet sweat.

To be totally honest, I have no idea what would drive someone to buy a $300 desk fan, especially when you can buy one in the range of $20 that gets the job done. Electric fans are just one of those things we don't give much though to anymore; the basic design of them hasn't really changed since the 20th-century primarily because they just work. The maniacs at Dyson however, felt some need to radically redesign the thing into another ludicrously expensive appliance. That being said, it is pretty cool. Literally.

Hyperkin Duke Xbox One Controller Review

One big boi.

Xbox controllers have long held a reputation of being some of the best in terms of comfort and feel. The sleek yet slightly chunky shape feels great in the hands while the button and stick layout feels strangely natural. Nowadays you can get them in any combination of color you'd like, or a ludicrously expensive model you might not actually need, yet things weren't always this way. Back in 2001 when Microsoft was just dipping their toes into the console game, they released a controller so reviled that they replaced it less than a year after it released, and now it's back. This is the Duke, everybody's favorite terrible game controller.