Black Friday 2018

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by haertig

Are you technical? Or know somebody who is? You can build your own, easily and cheaply (cheaper than buying the NES console), using a Raspberry Pi. And it's more powerful than the NEW Console, and plays other brands of games too (not just Nintendo).

Google "RetroPie".

https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/diy-nes-classic/
https://retropie.org.uk/

I always find projects like this interesting, but is there a legit source for game ROM's for it?

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by haertig

Are you technical? Or know somebody who is? You can build your own, easily and cheaply (cheaper than buying the NES console), using a Raspberry Pi. And it's more powerful than the NEW Console, and plays other brands of games too (not just Nintendo).

Google "RetroPie".

https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/diy-nes-classic/
https://retropie.org.uk/

Nope. I don't have a clue what those articles are even talking about.

I'm better off with the Nintendo mini, though it's missing my favorite Nintendo games (Mappyland, Adventures of Lolo, and Kickle Cubicle). I was all set to buy it at $60 but balked when I realized I'd need a separate controller, since the one it comes with has an absurdly short wire, and I'm cheap.

[Catlady]

QVC has the 2018 eight-inch Fire Tablet on sale today only for $60, or $100 for two.

It comes with vouchers for a customizable case and app offers, including two Audible books (not clear if the Audible offer is for new members only). Price can be divided into six payments; returnable until January 31, 2019.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I always find projects like this interesting, but is there a legit source for game ROM's for it?

This, I don't know. I have several Raspberry Pi's that I use for various tasks (UrBackup server, Nextcloud server, Calibre server, etc.) but I have never tried installing RetroPie, since I'm not really into games. I just know it exists, but haven't personally used it.

[tubemonkey]

Sears, the store that changed America, declares bankruptcy

It'll be interesting to see how Sears and Kmart handle Black Friday this year.

Oh, and now would be a good time to use any gift cards or rewards points you might have.

Sears, the once-dominant retail chain that changed how Americans shopped and lived, has filed for bankruptcy.

The 132-year-old company has been struggling for several years and is drowning in debt. The final straw was a $134 million debt payment due Monday that it could not afford.

Sears Holdings (SHLD), the parent company of Sears and Kmart, is among dozens of prominent retailers to declare bankruptcy in the era of Amazon (AMZN).

The filing in federal bankruptcy court in New York came in the early hours of Monday morning. The company issued a statement saying it intends to stay in business, keeping open stores that are profitable, along with the Sears and Kmart websites.

As of the filing, about 700 stores remained open and the company employed 68,000 workers. That's down from 1,000 stores with 89,000 employees that it had as recently as February.

[tubemonkey]

When to expect Black Friday ads to leak this year

Posted Oct 15, 2018 - 7:12 am

As I've done the past few years, I've looked at the data from the past several years including when the ad was leaked for some popular stores and what date Black Friday fell on each year. Based on these numbers and this year's Black Friday date (November 23rd), here is the "average" day you can expect these ads this year:

October 31: Dell Home, Ace Hardware
November 5: Sam's Club, Kohl's, Sears
November 6: Target, JCPenney, Meijer
November 7: Walmart, Best Buy, Macy's, Costco
November 8: Staples, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens
November 9: Michael's, Bass Pro Shops
November 10: Dick's Sporting Goods, GameStop
November 12: Lowe's, Old Navy
November 14: Home Depot, Menard's
November 23: Black Friday 2018

You can go back through the last 12 years to see the leaked dates for many stores here: http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/Dates

This year Black Friday falls on the earliest possible date, the 23rd. Next year it goes back to the latest possible date, the 29th.

Of course you may remember that the last few years we had a crazy 2-day periods that saw ads from nearly all the big stores all released right after each other. I expect something similar this year around November 5-7 (and the data above backs it up), so be prepared.

[Catlady]

Does anyone know if Amazon is upgrading its 10-inch Fire tablet anytime soon? The 7- and 8-inch ones are new for 2018, but I haven't seen anything about the 10-inch. I'm toying with the idea of trading in my 2017 8-inch for a 10-inch.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Does anyone know if Amazon is upgrading its 10-inch Fire tablet anytime soon? The 7- and 8-inch ones are new for 2018, but I haven't seen anything about the 10-inch. I'm toying with the idea of trading in my 2017 8-inch for a 10-inch.

The latest 7" Fire is 7th gen from 2017. Amazon went two years before upgrading the current 7" and 10" models. If they follow form, then I wouldn't expect an upgrade for either model until next year. Besides, if they were going to release new models this year, it should've been announced by now.

Currently, the HD8 is the only Fire getting a yearly upgrade.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The latest 7" Fire is 7th gen from 2017. Amazon went two years before upgrading the current 7" and 10" models. If they follow form, then I wouldn't expect an upgrade for either model until next year. Besides, if they were going to release new models this year, it should've been announced by now.

Currently, the HD8 is the only Fire getting a yearly upgrade.

Oh, thanks. The newest 7-inch is newer than mine, and that's why I thought it was a 2018 model.

But if the 10-inch isn't getting an upgrade, maybe that makes it more likely to have a great price on Black Friday. Hmm.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Oh, thanks. The newest 7-inch is newer than mine, and that's why I thought it was a 2018 model.

But if the 10-inch isn't getting an upgrade, maybe that makes it more likely to have a great price on Black Friday. Hmm.

I'm fairly certain there'll be some great deals on the Fire Tabs. Last year, the HD10 (current model) went as low as $85 at Target.

[Tarana]

Deleted.

[Tarana]

Western Digital drives are often on special at Best Buy, New Egg and even Western Digital. Remember to back up your data off site as well. Ebooks fit nicely at your sister's house on a flash drive.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Remember to back up your data off site as well.

My remote backup setup is below. You might get some good prices on the components on Black Friday (on the hard disk especially - the most expensive part).

https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspb...s=raspberry+pi

https://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Pi-...+official+case

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-micro...words=micro+sd

https://www.amazon.com/Red-4TB-NAS-H...igital+red+4tb

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Encl...nclosure&psc=1

https://www.urbackup.org/

Setup Raspberry Pi to boot off of hard disk, then you don't need the microSD card after initial setup. Encrypt hard drive. Install free UrBackup software server. Setup SSH access into Pi. Give to a friend and have them connect it on the LAN side of their router, and set up port forwarding for your SSH connection.

Safe, secure, cheap, totally automated remote backup. I disconnected the LED light in the drive enclosure so there are no obtrusive lights. And I turned off the cooling fan so the setup is absolutely silent as well no lights. The fan is not needed because the WD Red drives run so cool and quiet normally, and they are vibration free with a longer warranty - all reasons why I use the Red drives instead of the cheaper Blue drives.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by haertig

Safe, secure, cheap, totally automated remote backup. I disconnected the LED light in the drive enclosure so there are no obtrusive lights. And I turned off the cooling fan so the setup is absolutely silent as well no lights. The fan is not needed because the WD Red drives run so cool and quiet normally, and they are vibration free with a longer warranty - all reasons why I use the Red drives instead of the cheaper Blue drives.

My backup system is a bit antiquated. I should probably upgrade it.

Spoiler:

[Gotadimple]

You never know TM, this could be the solution to all back-up problems should the electrical grid fail.