If you’re still trying to think of a cool Christmas gift for the little techie on your shopping list, here are a few suggestions: LittleBits I remember spending countless hours with my “160 in one” electronic circuit kit from Radio Shack. Thankfully, these kinds of kits have become less about […] Read more
Just because you went out and bought a generator and restocked your pantry doesn’t mean you’re ready for the apocalypse to hit – there are still a few more things to think about if you’re going to survive. What’s the biggest one? WATER You know that humans can’t survive […] Read more
Regardless of whether you believe an apocalypse is imminent or that you should just prepare for the worst but hope for the best, planning is the key to retaining your sanity. The likelihood of our whole society unravelling within our own lifetimes may be small, but there are plenty of other events that are “not […] Read more
In the last piece, Frickin’ Lasers, I wrote about ditching your inkjet printer and switching to a color laser printer. I’ve heard from a few people that they just couldn’t get rid of their current “all in one” printer because it doubles as a photocopier. So I get asked about buying an “all in one […] Read more
It’s October. The weather is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and all basic cable programming has turned to grainy nightvision footage. Even Animal Planet. It’s the second scariest time of year next to the last day of school. To celebrate we’re going to share with you the scariest books we’ve ever read. Click the […] Read more
Quick question: what kind of printer do you have at home? Inkjet Black and white laser Color laser If you answered anything but “color laser” then get ready, because Christmas shopping will be upon us in a few weeks and you should be ready to pounce on a deal when it comes. But I’m jumping […] Read more
The Gadgeteer It’s a man job to be curious. Exploring and prodding the world to determine what is best, what is safe and what should be feared. In pre-history this man would be in charge of the stick used to poke maybe-dead things. Today, it’s Todd’s job to seek out the latest gadgets, gear and […] Read more
We all like to think we’re pretty smart. But, the truth is half of us are dumber than average. The rest of us get busy, distracted or drunk and can fall prey to tricks. Todd’s here to give you a pointer. After so many years of hearing about internet scams and identity theft, I thought […] Read more
The Gadgeteer It’s a man’s job to be curious. Exploring and prodding the world to determine what is best, what is safe and what should be feared. In pre-history this man would be in charge of the stick used to poke maybe-dead things. Today, it’s Todd’s job to seek out the latest gadgets, gear and technology […] Read more
The Gadgeteer It’s a man’s job to be curious. Exploring and prodding the world to determine what is best, what is safe and what should be feared. In pre-history this man would be in charge of the stick used to poke maybe-dead things. Today, it’s Todd’s job to seek out the latest gadgets, gear and […] Read more
People blame technology for too many problems. This isn’t new, and I’m surely not going to stop it with one article, but stay with me for a couple of examples and then feel free to chime in with your comments below. Look at the simple case of automated checkouts. These stand-alone stations that let you […] Read more
The Gadgeteer It’s a man’s job to be curious. Exploring and prodding the world to determine what is best, what is safe and what should be feared. In pre-history this man would be in charge of the stick used to poke maybe-dead things. Today, it’s Todd’s job to seek out the latest gadgets, gear and […] Read more
While I was working on my boat engine this weekend I had a sudden moment of clarity, and I stopped to appreciate just how lucky I was to be a Dad right now. No, I don’t mean because of my kids, I mean because of the Internet! (And dear wife, please let me explain before […] Read more
About 20 years ago my Dad bought my grandparents a microwave. Up to that point, my grandparents had been insisting that they really didn’t need one, the stove worked just fine. After they tried it out and loved it, they were hooked. They loved their new microwave. At the time I thought it was rude […] Read more
There are many good ways to end the day, but one that ranks right up there is watching Netflix with your wife once the kids are in bed and pretending to be asleep. But Comcast, Verizon, and other US internet service companies think you aren’t paying enough to do that. Instead, they want to charge you TWICE […] Read more
There are a quite a few ways that you could earn some points with your wife, but here’s a way that’s even better than doing an extra load of laundry: install a USB charging wall outlet. I know that you don’t care what those cell phone chargers hanging off the outlet look like, but she […] Read more
I have two daughters, and they are of the age where Internet access (or simply “the WiFi” as they call it) seems to them like a basic human need. Right down there on Maslow’s hierarchy, just before shelter, water and food. So imagine the trauma that I caused when I did a little investigation and […] Read more
As parents we all seem to be taking a decent amount of pictures – mostly of our kids, with the occasional landscape shot for posterity (and maybe a few of our spouse when we’re trying to catch them off guard). And why not? Back when we were kids, our parents had to spend a few […] Read more
We’re parents now. It’s no secret that our kids laugh at the fashions we used to wear and the music we listened to, just like we did to our parents. And in today’s terms it also means that they don’t use the same apps we do. Here’s a rundown on some of the ones that […] Read more