Ho, Ho, Hi-Tech
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
Change is Good
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
Make Online Streaming Smoother and More Enjoyable
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
Are You Fit for a Bit of Wearable Tech?
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
Honey, Where Are My Keys?
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
I’ll Take My Power Sunny Side Up Please
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
I Love My Little TVs — Now Streaming Shows and Movies at Small Screens Near You
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
Tracker Apps Help You Find Peace of Mind — and Dad
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
Wait, Is That My Phone Ringing?
By Broc Sears ~ I have friends who never answer their cell phone. Eventually they will return my call and the reason they most often give for not answering is that they never heard their phone ring. They say they either can’t hear the phone ring or think it’s someone else’s. And they don’t want
