I got used (2007) Toyota Camry.

It came with 2 keys, one of them had the hook broken. The key has a transponder and a remote in the handle.

I did not feel like paying $200 for a replacement key at the dealership.

I found that one can get a key shell (on ebay). The key will need to be cut but the transponder and remote can be moved from the old shell to the new shell.

I also found that full replacement key are not a lot more expensive (about $20) but will need to be programmed.

A local locksmith offered to sell me key clones (without the remote) for about $60. The key with remote was more. He also offered to do just the programming. i don’t remember his rate but it was $50 or $100.

I found on ebay and amazon some key programming tools. They run $15-$20.

After ordering and receiving everything, i asked at OSH for the cutting of the key. I know that locksmith typically charge more for auto keys are they are usually stainless steel and require a key cutting machine that will handle stainless steel. OSH quoted me $3 per key for just cutting them.

I was at home depot, and i got them to cut it for free as they don’t have a sell code for just cutting.

Programming took some patience but worked well. i was worried to brick my car.

Using the instructions on the programmer and youtube, i could figure out how to program both the remote and the key to my car. Or more correctly how to program the car to like the remote and the key transponder.

If you try it, the key is to be patient. Programming the remote was easy and quick but the programming of the transponder took a good 30 seconds; on my first few attempts, i was not patient enough and thought it had failed and interrupted the process early.

All in all, I saved over $350 and have a programmer to program more Toyota car keys.

The tool i got : “OBD2 Auto Remote Key Programmer Maker For 96-15 Toyota G and H Chip Scanner Tool”  A green case with a switch for programming either the remote part of the key or the transponder. $23.49 including shipping.

The keys i got: “2 Remote Keyless Entry Car Key Fob for 2007 2008 2009 2010 Toyota Camry hyq12bby” $18.49 including shipping.

The key shell: “Replacement for 2007-2010 Toyota Camry Sedan Remote Car Key Fob Shell Case”  $4.70 including shipping

This year with some kid starting middle school, we have three school for as many kids. We need to set some order in this chaos. My wife and I both have android phones.

I thought i would list the apps i use and why i like them.

I’ll start today with the app we use for planning our family events: Cozi
I was looking for a way to handle everyone’s calendar. I asked at work and did some research on my own and tried a few. We ended up going with Cozi. It works as an app and as a website. One can enter school schedules, doc appointments, swim practices etc. It can be easily set up even if it’s something like every tuesday and wednesday from 4pm to 4:30 pm; each activity can be assigned to a set of people. When i update an appointment, my wife can see it almost instantly.

We can also share shopping lists, so she can add milk and bread when she sees we need some and i can check them off when i stop at the store.

Cozi is free, but they have a yearly subscription ($30) that enables a few bells and whistle. i don’t really need them but i went ahead a bought it anyway, hoping it will help them support the product better/longer.

what i like

• printing weekly calendar
• easy updates from the computer or the phone.

what i don’t like:

• There is currently no way to customize printing and it’s always making just over 1 page! also the week starts on sunday in the US, but not in my family (monday). There is a trick they told me about: select the day you want to start printing, then selecting “print current week”
• i wish we could see the week as busy/free lines similar to outlook.
• i wish it would integrate with outlook so my work calendar could easily be merged. I think they used to have a plug in but it’s not available anymore.

I remember when I was a kids playing with the Rubik’s cube. I could do one side and its crown but that was about it.

A few years ago, my company had some promotional cubes and i looked up on the internet to try and get further. i learned how to do the middle layer.  i did not do the last layer as it seemed to require memorizing some long formulas.

This summer, i was in the Sequoia Forest with the kids, away from internet, so when planning the trip, i thought it would be a good idea to see whether i could do it.
I got a new competition cube and a book:

I was amazed how easy this cube turns. it can be operated with one hand!

and

I played with it a little bit every day and learned the formulas of the “easy” way.

After a couple of weeks i was down to about 2:30 minutes.

Recently i tried the 4x4x4 Cube and the Mirror Cube 3x3x3.
The 4x4x4 is different in that there is not once center piece but 4. One way to solve it is to place all the center pieces first, then the edges (2 pieces per edge) finally to do the corners like it was a 3x3x3. I have not done it yet; maybe next summer!

The mirror cube is interesting in that the pieces have the same color, but their size vary as the center of the cube is offset to a corner. It’s a bit disconcerting at first but one can get the hang of it fairly quickly. Some people recommend doing the side with the tallest sides first so the last layer is the flatter one.