REVIEW – We heat our house with a wood stove, and I’ve always been concerned about indoor air quality as a result. A lot of research says indoor wood burners can have a pretty detrimental impact on your health. We’re really careful; we burn only clean seasoned wood, work to eliminate smoke while adding wood, […]
REVIEW – During the pandemic, a lot of face-to-face activities were quickly converted to online. This meant that a lot of the paper tools typically used in face-to-face interactions also needed to be converted to digital. A scanner works well, but what if it was something you needed to demonstrate with? Or, what if you
REVIEW – Portable power stations are becoming increasingly popular because they are incredibly useful. Now they are available in a number of different sizes, to meet varying needs. Some of the larger ones are upwards of 2000 Wh, but that’s definitely not something you’d want to carry with you. Those typically have wheels built in!
GOOLOO GTX300 Power Station review – convenient power in a tidy package Read More
REVIEW – Like many of us these days, I work at my computer a lot. I have a laptop, but that spends most of its life plugged into a docking station, so a good external keyboard and mouse are critical components. The Logitech MX Master series have emerged as go-to products for professionals across many
REVIEW – Are you looking for the best rechargeable headlight? What about one that is also a normal handheld flashlight, and can attach to anything magnetic? The Cyansky HS3R mini headlamp might fit that description. And did you know that headlights make great gifts? Everyone can always use a bit more light – especially ones
REVIEW – If you’ve been in any medium to large city lately, you’ve likely seen rental electric scooters littering the sidewalks and zipping by you as you walk the streets. Perhaps you’ve even used one. While they are rather annoying for pedestrians, they are an efficient way to get around cities, and quite a bit
Yes Electric Scooter review – A beautifully designed but flawed commute enhancer Read More
REVIEW – Are you looking for the best hand coffee grinder? Perhaps the best coffee scale and timer? The Wacaco Exagrind and Wacaco Exagram may have you covered. These compact, effective, and well-built pieces lead the way not only in home coffee brewing, but also in the emerging movement known as “trail coffee.” or the
REVIEW – The holidays are just around the corner, and everyone can use the flashlight. I can’t tell you the number of flashlights I have stashed around the house. I have two in the garage, one in each vehicle, one in the basement so I can see into the deep freeze, a few in the
ThruNite T3 rechargeable flashlight review – this flashlight would make a great gift! Read More
REVIEW – Wood-fired pizza is all the rage, but most pizza ovens are VERY expensive! I’ve long wanted an outdoor wood-fired oven for homemade bread and of course, pizza. I had visions of building one of the big bee-hive-shaped ovens made of brick and clay on our patio, but that has obviously never materialized. When
Vevor Outdoor Pizza Oven review – Good pizza, with a few big drawbacks Read More
REVIEW – No one likes to look up your nose. But that’s likely what is happening if you use your laptop on your desk for video meetings (unless you’re sitting on a milk crate!). The camera is a foot or two below your eyes, so with the screen tilted back and framing your face, the
REVIEW – Projectors used to be an item of decadence. I remember my uncle had a home-theater setup built around a projector mounted on his ceiling, and that he was proud of how much it had cost. When I was teaching college courses, we would need to seriously consider our budget if we had to
SMONET 7500L projector review – Family movie fun, on a budget Read More
REVIEW – Did you know that poor audio is one of the biggest complaints about remote meetings? Zoom and Teams are great, but if you can’t hear or understand your colleagues, it creates a frustrating experience for everyone. To make it worse, most people never hear themselves on a meeting, so you often have no
OneOdio FM1 Condenser Microphone review – Make sure you’re heard, clearly! Read More
REVIEW – When I got my first smartphone, I was working in stream restoration, a field that involves a lot of water, rock, and heavy equipment. A co-worker told me that I needed to get an OtterBox case for my phone since they were the toughest and provided the most protection. That was the first
REVIEW – Before the pandemic when I worked in an actual office, our building was powered by the largest solar array in our state. We could park our cars under it, since it covered the parking lot. If you had an electric vehicle, you could charge it up for free. I really enjoyed knowing that
Redodo 12V 200Ah Plus LiFePO4 Battery review – Power everything, for a little less. Read More
REVIEW – When the pandemic drove everyone out of the gyms and into their houses, in-home fitness systems like Peloton took off. Everyone seemed to have one, which might explain why, for a while, they were so hard to get. And they were expensive. Peloton bikes are nice, but they are really just a stationary
REVIEW – No one likes to vacuum. At least, no one that I know. And even fewer people like to mop their floors. So wouldn’t it be great if there was a machine to handle those tasks for you? One that you can control from your phone? There is! It’s the ILIFE A11 LiDAR robot
ILIFE A11 LiDAR robot vacuum and mop review – Great vacuum, OK mop, horrible app Read More
REVIEW – There’s a small forested area on the edge of my town where I walk my dog every morning. I often see deer and turkeys in the woods, but I’ve seen tracks of many other creatures, especially in the snow. I always thought it would be fun to get some photos of these animals
REVIEW – It seems like everyone is working from home these days! If your employer is like mine, they give you a laptop, but the rest of the WFH kit is up to you. Working all day on a 15 inch laptop screen might be OK for some, but most crave a bit more
Plugable USB-C Quad HDMI Docking Station review – One wire connects it all! Read More
REVIEW – Our house was built in 1877. So of course, it was not built with air conditioning. It also was not built with any ducts or vents, so it would be next to impossible to install central air. In our little mountain town, air conditioning is not often needed. If it gets above 90
REVIEW – Sports and exercise are known for fads. One big fad right now has to do with recovery from exercise, and specifically, for when you overdo it. If you follow the trends, sore muscles can now be relieved by everything from oddly-shaped foam rollers to percussive massagers, which use a combination of vibration and