reviews
Bingewatch Worthy: Master of None
Nobody would expect the guy behind this incredibly narcissistic and overly confident government employee/entrepreneur/media mogul to now be behind such a refreshingly honest and smart comedy like Master of None.
Chances are when you think of Aziz Ansari you think of Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreation. And chances are when you think of Tom Haverford you think of apps n’ zerts, Snake Juice, DJ Roomba, Treat Yo’self, Rent-A-Swag, Entertainment 720, Tom’s Bistro, or H2flow. So nobody would expect the guy behind this incredibly narcissistic and overly confident government employee/entrepreneur/media mogul to now be behind such a refreshingly honest and smart comedy like Master of None.
In Master of None Ansari, who is also one of the co-creators, transitions from playing over-the-top and ridiculous Tom Haverford to an equally funny and heartfelt character in Dev Shah. Dev is an actor trying to make his way through life in New York and the entertainment industry, best known for his work in commercials for Go-Gurt. Even though he ends up getting a supporting role in a “black virus movie” starring Colin Salmon called “The Sickening,” the show avoids what most others are quick to focus on and deals more with Dev’s curiosity about life and people around him as opposed to his career as an actor. This is a smart move because it allows Ansari to shine in fairly normal situations, where he is simply trying to see things from other people’s perspectives and better understand the world. That is what most people want deep down, but we often focus more on the surface things like careers. In Master of None, Ansari subverts that idea and chooses to focus on the everyday. It’s like Louie, except filtered through Ansari and co-creator Alan Yang’s sensibilities with a more optimistic approach to life than Louie’s.
Supporting Ansari is Noël Wells as his complex romantic interest Rachel, Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric as Dev’s large and sweet friend Arnold, Lena Waithe as his sarcastic and wise lesbian friend Denise, and Dev’s caring parents Ramesh and Nisha (who are played by Ansari’s real-life parents Shoukath and Fatima Ansari). All shine in their own way with Rachel holding her own as one of those rare romantic interests with a life of her own as opposed to just a prop for the central character and Denise always ready to talk some sense into Dev and offer romantic advice. However, the biggest surprises come from Shoukath and Fatima Ansari who do a pretty good job considering they aren’t professional actors, Shoukath a gastroenterologist by day and Fatima working in a medical office. Shoukath especially has some great lines and I found myself waiting for him to make more appearances than he did, and Aziz has even joked that his dad has started trying to look for his next role.
The show takes on an interesting format, shifting back and forth between episodes that focus on the slow building of Dev and Rachel’s realistically complex and endearing relationship and standalone episodes that see Dev attempting to put himself in the perspective of other people to widen his understanding of life. Particular standout episodes for me were episodes 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9. The second episode, called “Parents,” is where we are first introduced to Shoukath Ansari and it deals with the sweet and thoughtful relationship between parents and children. The fifth episode, called “The Other Man,” finds Dev sleeping with a married woman and getting caught by her husband, played hilariously by Claire Danes and Noah Emmerich. Episode six, called “Nashville,” sees Dev asking Rachel on a first date to a weekend trip to Nashville, with their instant chemistry on full display. The eighth episode, called “Old People,” follows Dev as he spends a day with Rachel’s grandma, played beautifully by Lynn Cohen. And the ninth episode, called “Mornings,” shows almost an entire year of Dev and Rachel’s relationship and was especially great as it explored their relationship through the honeymoon phase and their struggles, big and small, until Dev ultimately sums their realistic version of a fairytale relationship up by saying “I don’t know about happily ever after, but they’re pretty happy right now.” All episodes were incredibly poignant and well produced, each episode expressing how self-assured the creative team is and how solid of a series it is.
All 10 episodes of the first season of this remarkable series can be seen exclusively on Netflix.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
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