By Broc Sears~ There’s an infinite number of devices and apps that do all kinds of whiz-bang things, but sometimes I just want a fast and simple way to get something done. In my quest for efficiency, I often forget that technology usually has all the answers. I first used my smartphone for calling and
LED Kinaras and a Digital Dreidel, Too! By Broc Sears~ From outdoor decorations to resource apps, the holidays never suffer from a lack of creative and unique tech treasures. To start, there are dozens of smartphone-controlled indoor and outdoor light strings and strips to choose from. Lumenplay has a starter set with actual bulbs and
Some people never get enough of it By Broc Sears ~ One of the perks of weekends with my grandparents — besides homemade cookies and milkshakes — was a fistful of change from my grandfather’s pockets. Returning home, I dumped my treasure in an aging cigar box. My father faithfully dropped pocket change into two
By Brad Smith | Photo by Kelly Sikkema ~ With more than 270 services in the United States, it’s safe to say that we are in the era of online streaming. Online streaming is generally a better deal than cable for watching your favorite movies and TV shows. Part of the appeal only paying for the
By Broc Sears ~ I used to be fit. Kind of. I used to run daily and log my distance, heart rate and calorie intake. Then came love, marriage, and the baby carriage — life, interrupted. Forty years later, three of my four doctors have told me I need to be more active. Two suggested
By Broc Sears ~ I recently noticed several pairs of reading glasses hanging from ornate hooks in every room of my friend’s home. She explained she often loses her “cheaters.” Her solution was to buy a case of glasses with which to populate each room. I said I wished I could afford to do
By Broc Sears ~ When I first saw a home that had a front walkway bordered by little mushroom lights, I immediately admired its charm and warmth. This was back in the day when that lighting feature would have taken hours of digging and stringing underground cabling to each light. Today, one buys a
By Broc Sears ~ When TV broadcasts switched to digital, my heart sank. The little portable TV with an internal antenna I happily toted with me as I diddled around the house fell into obsolescence. I quietly suffered, turning to an old boom box to listen to FM radio and CDs, instead. Eventually, I
By Broc Sears ~ “Dad, where were you? I called you a hundred times but you never picked up!” “I caught a ride to the store. I called you back when I got home.” Many of us have had that conversation more than once with our kids, spouses, or parents. It’s not the biggest problem