The 2015 Subaru Legacy

It’s Subaru’s fully-refreshed, entry-level sedan.

2015 Subaru Legacy AWD

– 2.5 L 4-cyl. boxer engine
– CVT automatic with standard paddle shifters
– 175 hp and 174 lb.-ft.
– starting at $23,495

Competitors: Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion

Short review – loved it for 3 reasons

1 – it’s available in MANUAL

2 – List of standard features is strong

This is the base model, and includes: heated seats, automatic up/down front windows, rear-view camera, 10-way driver seat, Bluetooth and USB, riding on 17-inch wheels.  But the best standard feature is reason 3…

3 – All-wheel Drive comes standard

Lowest price in the country for an AWD sedan. And if the Legacy’s competitors even offer it, it’s about a $5,000 upgrade.

1 – the base finishings and materials do a good job faking it

2 – the infotainment system is all-new too, replacing the disaster that Subaru’s system once was

3 – good rear seat room, see next paragraph

4 – really into that cell phone pocket

The backseat will easily house to two large humans, and the fabric is cozy.

There’s no heat ducts back there though, maybe the only negative I found on this car.

The engine is a CVT, which like any good Canadian auto journalist I despise.

But Subaru does a better job than most, see: first CVT engine I ever liked.)

Has a great launch, steering is quick, and although the handling is slightly soft it’s supposed to be, it’s a sedan not a sports something #s

(see the steering in action in the photo I used for my column, Solving Crimes using Car Clues)

Subaru seems to get forgotten, but this Legacy is going to start changing that.

Read my detailed review on Autonet.

 

 

Turn your Car into a Library

The internet is arriving in our dashes this year, and a Canadian! company is the one (and only) to use it to stream audiobooks into our cabins. We speak with Sanjay Singhal, CEO of AudioBooks.com.

The streaming service will debut in Jaguar Land Rover, arriving this April 2015, with other manufacturers lined up behind them.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

The New York Times top 100 list is available, and includes The Hunger Games trilogy, 50 Shades of EyeRoll, American Sniper, and Gone Girl.

’50 Shades of EyeRoll‘… come ON that I got that printed. 

Tagging this post: a Keri Owned Phrase (23) 

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Bought on Credit for the First Time

Always ran my finances like, “if I can’t pay cash, probably shouldn’t be buying this.”

To be clear: I use a Visa daily, it accumulates flight points, but always have the cash to pay off at the month’s end, which also helps my credit score, like that #TheTrickIsFullPaymentAlways #GoodCreditScoreIsKey #SuchNicheHashtags

It’s fast to fill out the form, forever to deal with the consequences eh.

But fresh air is essential.

The windows.

(I tape things out always)

Details – each window is equidistant from the corners, 14″ high, drywall return, awning opening, reeded glass running horizontally, and all for just $60/month PHFT.

Bet that’s the part that gets me into trouble, the PHFT, how it would accumulate… because I don’t have that chunk of cash kicking around, so guess that’s how credit happens huh… #NotARenterAnymore

Blog tag = house

 

 

How to Use a Password Manager

A strong password looks like this:

That’s difficult to brute force, and a dictionary attack won’t work on it… but how do you remember this?

You don’t – your password manager does.

Here, I made a fake one to show you, this is inside my manager.

How it works:

1 – make 1 master password, like 25 characters long, write it down on paper, and ideally, memorize it, then store a physical copy somewhere other than home
2 – use that master password to log into the manager. That’s it, no more remembering from here on
3 – use the password generator to create a unique password for each site you log into

Add login information, notes, click okay to save.

To log into a site: go to manager > copy the password > back to browser > paste > done

4 – routinely backup the database, and store it on 2 USB keys in 2 locations (why? Here.)

Which manager program to use?

Here’s a shopping list:

– 256 encryption minimum, AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard)
– ideally the backup file is encrypted
– has the ability to exclude certain characters when generating passwords
– can sync between devices
– be wary of plugins that are independent of any software
– simple is best! It’s like a car – the more features it has, the more there is to break

Possible Programs:

– KeePassX – open source

– 1Password – (a Canadian company!)

– Password Safe – open source

Important: this is not an endorsement any of these programs, do your homework

This post has been brought to you by Nuix and KeriBlog.

Meet Nuix here.