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Recipe: Pressure Cooker Arrabbiata Sauce

Mike ConnellyFood

Rao’s Arrabbiata, named for the Italian word for “angry”, is built on tomatoes, garlic, and crushed red pepper in olive oil. This pressure cooker version draws on techniques from Martha Stewart and J. Kenji López-Alt to produce a full-bodied, low-sugar sauce in a single pot. The ingredient that distinguishes it from the original is fish sauce, added in small quantity for depth without detectable flavor. Continue reading Recipe: Pressure Cooker Arrabbiata Sauce

How To: Synology DS1819+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Migration

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

The DS1819+ replaces the DS1817+’s Intel Atom C2538 with the newer C3538, and its PCIe 3.0 slot supports NVMe SSD caching rather than being limited to SATA speeds. Beyond those hardware differences, the disk migration process and key software features in Synology’s DSM are also addressed, including Synology and third-party applications, the file system, file sharing, synchronization & backup, and security. Continue reading How To: Synology DS1819+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Migration

How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos Beams

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Here, I describe an advanced network topology that uses Ethernet-connected Sonos Beam soundbars for better Sonos wireless coverage in your home. This approach: (1) provides significantly greater wired line backhaul to your SonosNet network, and (2) shifts the majority of your Sonos speakers to 5Ghz, freeing spectrum in 2.4Ghz for your remaining Sonos speakers. It is also possible to use either the Sonos PLAYBAR or PLAYBASE instead of the Beam, for example in your home theater. However, the Sonos Beam is a much more cost-effective solution, particularly for secondary rooms in a whole home deployment. Continue reading How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos Beams

How To: BMW S1000XR LED Lighting Upgrades

Mike ConnellyMotorcycles

I replaced the stock incandescent headlights on my 2016 BMW S1000XR with brighter, longer-lasting LED bulbs. This how-to covers the full swap: headlights, parking lights, and turn signals, with step-by-step instructions and photos. The trickiest part of the job is managing the LAMP FAIL warning that most aftermarket LED bulbs trigger, and the article explains how to avoid it. Continue reading How To: BMW S1000XR LED Lighting Upgrades

How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos BOOST

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

SonosNet 2.0 operates on a dedicated 2.4 GHz mesh network, entirely separate from your home WiFi, and multicasts audio to every speaker simultaneously rather than streaming individual unicast signals to each one. This article explains how Boost mode works, when a dedicated BOOST hardware device makes sense over an Ethernet-connected speaker, and how to configure up to three BOOST devices for a large installation. Continue reading How To: Advanced Sonos Wireless Network Configuration Using Sonos BOOST

Recipe: Sous Vide Beef Wellington

Mike ConnellyFood

Beef Wellington’s origins are disputed: food historian Leah Hyslop argues it is more likely a 20th-century American dish than a British one named for the Duke. This recipe applies sous vide to the tenderloin before wrapping it in prosciutto, duxelles, and puff pastry. Precise temperature control solves the classic problem of the pastry finishing before the beef reaches target doneness. Continue reading Recipe: Sous Vide Beef Wellington

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Sonos speakers support Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri simultaneously, letting users mix and match voice assistants independent of their music source or smart home platform. Here, we explain how that flexibility works in practice and what it means for households split across competing ecosystems. A Sonos owner can run an iTunes library, a YouTube Music subscription, and Apple HomeKit controls from a single speaker while still asking Google a question. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

How To: BMW S1000XR Farkles

Mike ConnellyMotorcycles

“Farkle” blends “function” and “sparkle”, a term motorcycle riders use for aftermarket accessories that add performance, comfort, or safety. Here, I cover a curated set of farkles for the S1000XR, with installation notes for each. My guiding rule is to prioritize upgrades that carry over to a replacement bike, which shapes some counterintuitive recommendations against stock BMW options. Continue reading How To: BMW S1000XR Farkles

Synology DS1817+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Configuration

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

The Synology DS1817+ is an eight-bay NAS running a quad-core Intel Atom processor with SHR2 RAID, capable of surviving the simultaneous loss of two drives without data loss. This review covers hardware configuration, file system selection, file sharing protocols, and security hardening for a demanding home prosumer environment. Btrfs goes beyond what EXT4 offers by adding automatic file self-healing and snapshot replication, but migrating between the two on Synology requires a full volume rebuild. Continue reading Synology DS1817+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Configuration

Introduction to Sous Vide Cooking

Mike ConnellyFood

Conventional pan-frying overcooks the outer layers of meat to guarantee a safe center, a problem Thomas Keller calls the “bulls eye effect.” This article introduces sous vide, the precision water-bath method long used in professional kitchens, and covers equipment, technique, and why it produces more consistent results than conventional heat. Achieving doneness within a single degree fundamentally changes how cooks define a finished dish. Continue reading Introduction to Sous Vide Cooking

Epiphone ES-339 P-90 PRO Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar Review

Mike ConnellyGuitars

The P-90 pickup, originally designed by Seth Lover for Gibson in the late 1940s, was eventually displaced by the humbucker it inspired. This review covers the Epiphone ES-339 P-90 PRO, a limited-edition semi-hollowbody built around a revival of that single-coil design, including its construction, electronics, and real-world performance. The central question is whether the P-90 PRO’s characteristic clean sparkle and overdriven growl justify choosing it over a humbucker-equipped alternative. Continue reading Epiphone ES-339 P-90 PRO Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar Review

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review

Mike ConnellyGuitars

Upgrading from the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-II to the Ultra-III centers on one key hardware addition: a built-in USB output that connects the guitar directly to a digital audio workstation. This review covers what changed between the two models and whether that upgrade justifies the switch. New ProBucker humbuckers, patterned after Gibson’s PAF-style BurstBuckers, are a notable addition alongside the USB interface. Continue reading Epiphone Les Paul Ultra-III Guitar Review