Miscellany: SureFire EDC1-DFT Turbo review - The [C]andela Effect

SureFire has been under assault from Chinese flashlight brands on the low end and boutique American shops on the high end for years now.  However, there are still a handful of products SureFire makes that I like better than the competition, like the subject of today's review, the EDC1-DFT Turbo:

The EDC1-DFT Turbo is a handheld everyday carry-sized flashlight that uses a single 18350 USB-rechargeable battery. Its main use is as a "thrower" or self-defense light - pressing the tailcap switch gives you a blistering 95,000 candela beam that can illuminate faraway objects and temporarily disorient people, even in the daytime. The tradeoff is that overall light output (lumens) and runtime are somewhat lower than its competitors.

In a pinch, the EDC1-DFT can use CR123A lithium batteries (that's what the "DF" stands for - "dual fuel"), which might be useful if you are headed "off the grid" or need to store the flashlight for extended periods of time without charging. The head is a bit bulbous, and the light is over twice as expensive as comparable foreign models, but if you need a durable spotlight in your pocket, this is one of the best options out there.

Tech: The Tesla Holiday Update

One of the best parts about owning a Tesla is that you receive free over-the-air software updates for the vehicle all the time. Most of these updates are minor (bug fixes, UI tweaks), but every so often major features get added, like rear cross-traffic alerts and adaptive headlights.  Tesla usually saves up the biggest changes for the annual holiday update:

This year, the headline feature for the holiday update is the integration of the car's navigation system with Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk's company xAI.  Practically speaking, that means you can give natural language directions to your car ("Navigate to the nearest Walmart, then go to the McDonald's on Belvedere Road") and the system will plot your course automatically.  If you add in Tesla's recently updated "Full Self Driving (Supervised)" system to the mix, you can theoretically drive all over the place, including backing in and out of parking spaces, without ever touching the steering wheel - theoretically.

In addition to the practical updates, there are always some gimmicks and fun stuff added, like new video games (this year, it's a SpaceX docking simulator straight out of Interstellar) and an updated "Santa Mode" which replaces the vehicle visualization in the display screen with a Tesla-ized sleigh. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's better support than you get from most other carmakers.

TV: A Charlie Brown Christmas (60th Anniversary)

A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered 60 years ago today on CBS. It was the first TV adaptation of Charles M. Schulz's beloved comic Peanuts, and its popularity spawned a litany of animated specials, merchandising, and an annual balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. 

The great irony is that A Charlie Brown Christmas was acutely critical of the commercialization of Christmas, and advocated a simpler take on the holiday. Even before cellphones, the Internet, and computers, consumerism at Christmas was already an issue:

For decades, the special was broadcast every year at Christmastime on CBS. In what is a sign of the times, it is now available only on Apple TV+.  The climactic scene is a small monologue from Linus, wherein he explains the true meaning of Christmas:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Music: Where Are You Christmas?

The standout song of this holiday season has got to be The Pretty Reckless's cover of "Where Are You Christmas?":

Of course, The Pretty Reckless is fronted by Taylor Momsen, who famously played Cindy Lou Who 25 years ago opposite Jim Carrey in the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The juxtaposition of the young Momsen's voice with her current grunge-y growl would be affecting all on its own simply as a reminder of the passage of time, but when combined with the song's wistful lyrics, it becomes even more poignant ("Where are you, Christmas? / Do you remember / The one you used to know? / I'm not the same one").

Now all we need is for Momsen to do a duet of "Where Are You Christmas?" with the song's co-writer, Mariah Carey, and the circle will be complete...