Author: DOuG pRATt

(Haven’t) Been There, (Haven’t) Done That

I had a visa to install a medical laboratory system in Pakistan.

The night before my scheduled flight out of Boston, a bus was firebombed outside of the Karachi hospital where I was going to work. As I watched the event on the CBS Evening News, my boss called and asked, “You seeing this?” With no need to specify what “this” was, I said “Yep.” He had just gotten off the phone with the big boss, and I was told, “You’re not going.” I never did, due to ongoing political unrest in Pakistan, culminating that year in the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73.

Better Than Bluetooth

Having found a workaround to make audio casting work between my Android phone and A/V receiver, I kept thinking about where it worked as it should — connecting to the Chromecast video adapter on the porch TV.

What about Google’s Chromecast Audio device? It was discontinued three years ago, but an outfit has some from Japan available on eBay for $50, including shipping. A reasonable price over the original $35. They’re supposed to be new in original boxes, so I ordered one.

Yep, new and sealed in its original Japanese language box. Chromecast Audio is now playing on the living room stereo, replacing a 6-year-old Bluetooth dongle, and working directly within the SiriusXM app, as it should.

Will Drew Carey have to take a break from his Friday Night Freak-Out on SiriusXM to go on the coast-to-coast tour for his day job?