The Technology of Dave

Yema may be a name you haven’t heard of before, but they do have a history of making watching since 1948. Originally based in France, Yema makes a diverse line of watches, including chronographs, divers, and your standard dress watch. Today we’ll be looking at their racing inspired chronograph, the Rallygraf YMHF0802.

Looking at the Yema, you can see the obvious inspiration for the chronograph design. The design incorporates a square body, with dual racing stripes down the face. Behind the silver lumed hours and minute hands, and red second hand, sits a carbon fiber face and a T-shaped complication area showing the minutes and hours counted by the watch. The movement is quartz, so some people may be turned off by that, but it does help accuracy.

The design is very distinctive, with the large pushers to start/stop and reset the chronograph function, and a small blue band around the stem. This watch is definitely not a divers watch, as it is not water resistant. It does however achieve its major goal, which is to provide a watch with racing elements. In addition to the face and pusher design, the back of the watch has a F1 race car graphic to let you know the watch is a for someone who enjoys racing. The band is also unique, being made of leather, but with carbon fiber hatch markers in certain areas. I don’t know that the carbon fiber imprints on the band are completely necessary, but it does add to the design. The buckle is also quite distinctive, being made from aluminum with small holes drilled through much like a race car chassis.

Overall, I like the Yema Rallygraf. It’s distinctive, unique, and unlike anything else really out there. The design definitely calls back to it’s racing design heritage, and while the movement is quartz, I feel like it works in this watch. It’s not something you’re necessarily going to see that many other people wearing.

Retail on the Yema Rallygraf is $570, but they are running a 50% off promotion right now. I say buy it, I’ve worn the demo they sent me quite a bit, and found really nothing negative about the watch. The design is unique, it wears well, and is definitely affordable.

Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of WaveJet before. They're a new company with a rather unique product: an electric propulsion system that is designed to be installed onto existing watersport equipment....

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Home robotics have come a long way in the last 10 years. First, there were the housekeeping versions that clean your hardwood floors. Then they came out with gadgets to vacuum your carpets and clean your gutters. What's next? Well, it looks like someone has come out with a robot to mow your lawn for you. The neighborhood kids will be crushed....

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As you may or may not be aware, the original column espresso machine was patented in 1901. This means that unlike most current versions, the original was a handcrafted thing of beauty with brass, copper and mechanical dials. Of course today, you can get an espresso machine almost anywhere, but they seem to have lost that charm that the original had. Enter Hammacher Schlemmer and the Italian Astoria Dual....

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There are individuals out there who take their audio very, very, seriously. For them, nothing but the absolute finest in audio reproduction will do, and don't you dare whisper the word CD around them. These are the people who will buy products like the R-evolution Minima....

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Amongst outdoorsmen, Tritium watches are fairly popular. Given the fact that you don’t have to worry about charging the lume in the daylight, or how long that lume will last, a watch using Tritium is extremely convenient when you need something that will light up all the time. Add in a watch that’s durable and keeps good time, and you’ve got a winning combination. Now admittedly, Smith & Wesson may not be a name you think of when you are talking about watches, but the Mumbai Lamplighter is a quality timepiece.

Mumbai Lamplight (from Smith & Wesson)
Features:

• Leather strap
• Tritium lighting on the hour and minute hands
• Tritium lighting at 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions

Pros:

• Tritium makes the watch easy to read at night
• Light weight

Cons:

• Strap is inexpensive leather
• Tritium illumination has a limited life

Review
The S&W Mumbai Lamplighter is departure from the standard WWR reviews, but a worthy product for your time none the less. This watch is functionality at its purest form, with the Tritium providing that extra punch to make you consider buying one. The movement is nothing too exciting, your basic quartz with date window, but that’s not a major concern. This is the type of watch you put on to go fishing, hunting or camping.

There are no build quality issues with this watch, from the brushed steel case, mineral glass, or the well lumed and easy to read face. The Tritium makes the watch easy to read at night or in low light, regardless of if you’ve had it under your jacket sleeve all day. There’s really nothing bad about this watch, but nothing terribly exciting either. It’s an honest timepiece, and doesn’t try to pretend to be anything that it’s not.

A word of caution about the Tritium lighting however; Tritium is a radioactive isotope, and as such does have a limited life span. Not a huge issue, but be aware that the manufacturing process can produce inconsistent results as far as the quality of light is concerned. Additionally, the average lifespan of a Tritium lighting tube is about 12-15 years. Tritium is also a component in thermonuclear devices, so it may not be available in all countries.

Conclusion:
Should you buy a Smith & Wesson Mumbai Lamplighter? Absolutely. This watch will cost you less then $100, and for a simple honest timepiece that won’t let you down in the wee hours of the night when you need to know what time it is, they can’t be beat. Plus, they look really cool sitting on the nightstand glowing away.

I recommend you buy yours from Watch Sgt, they were kind enough to send one to me for review.

I finally had a chance to go on an investigation with the new Ghost Meter Pro, and I have to admit I’m impressed. The device managed to provide feedback unlike anything we’ve seen previously, except for in the KII. Is the GMP perfect? No. But it has some great functionality that just might make it the next “most needed” item for your gear bag.

The Ghost Meter Pro is a bit of an odd piece of kit. It’s more than an EMF meter, but there’s not a whole lot of information on how it works. The GMP is an expanded version of the Ghost Meter, a sort of low end EMF meter that’s been around for a few years and panders to the ghost hunting market. The product goes back even farther then that, when you look at the “Cell Sensor” product that has been out for even longer, and was designed to help find how much energy was coming from your cell phone.

The Ghost Meter Pro has 4 new modes. It’s still a EMF meter, but the creators have added a “Older Ghost” mode, a “Recent Ghost” mode, and a “Dialogue” mode. This is where I get a little suspicious, because the company that makes the device doesn’t explain what all the modes do, or how they work.

The modes that do work, and work well, are the EMF meter and “Dialogue” mode. I’ve tested the EMF meter along side other meters and seen comparable results, so there is no question there. Where things get a little less clear in the Dialogue mode. It seems to more much like the K-II meter, allowing a type of communication with entities. In fact, it’s quite remarkable how well it seems to work. I recently had the chance to test it quite thoroughly at two separate (and known to be quite active) locations, and got some really impressive results with the dialogue mode. The meter would sit and remain dark for a period of time, and then as an entity came towards the meter it would light up. The spirit was then able to communicate by making the light flash and the meter move, giving the typical “one flash for yes, two flashes for no” response. I was able to get consistent results when other devices were failing, however other EMF meters also indicated some type of energy fluctuation in the same area. My only complaint about the meter in dialogue mode would be the clacking of the needle in the meter, causing potential EVP contamination.

Where the meter does fall down is the Older Ghost and Recent Ghost mode. This seems like smoke and mirrors to me, and I’m highly suspicious of something that doesn’t have any explanation as to how it works. Is it different sensitivity levels? No one but the manufacturer knows, and they aren’t telling. The only real information we do have is a YouTube video where some older gentleman shows off the functionality. I’m personally highly dubious about these extra modes, however to be fair I haven’t spent much time trying these modes and attempting to quantify the results with other devices. As opportunity presents itself, I’ll update this review with any results I’m able to obtain.

In conclusion, I like the Ghost Meter Pro. As I’ve stated before, I do have reservations about some of the functionality, however the EMF and dialogue modes make the meter a worthwhile purchase. The MSRP on this product is $49.95, but hopefully you’ll be able to find it cheaper at different vendors. I do recommend you be cautious about where you buy it, as specialty shops are usually higher then somewhere like Amazon.

Update
Further use of the Ghost Meter Pro has revealed that the dialogue mode seems to work as advertised. It’s important to realize however that the spirit may not be answering by the number of times the light flashes, but rather the tone that’s generated. It’s important to have the sound turned up on the device in order to correctly interpret the responses from the entity or spirit you’re communicating with.

Tired of the kids these days with their touchscreens and their fancy keyboards? Miss those thrilling days of typing on a old Remington mechanical typewriter? Well the past lives again with the Typescreen mechanical typewriter simulator for the iPad....

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So you're looking for an audio system for your RV, or maybe your boat, and you want something with serious sound quality, but a little more class then the standard portable audio setup...enter Cambridge Soundworks and their take on the portable audio solution....

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While the traditional arcade may be a missed icon from my childhood, pinball machines are still around. And while they may not have the same cachet as they used to, they certainly are popular for home game rooms and basements....

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