James Garriss

James is a systems engineer, has been married for 30 years, and has a pair of energetic toy poodles. His favorite gadgets are those that solve problems around the house and yard.




Makita Maktrak Rolling Tool Chest review – take your tools with you

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REVIEW – My neighbor is an electrician, and like a lot of folks in the professional trades, he travels to the job sites where he works.  He brings his own tools, which are inevitably piled into the back of a large pickup, and then hauls them around from room-to-room as he works.  For craftsmen like

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DaggerHeart – A new RPG from Matt Mercer

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NEWS – Anyone who’s into role-playing has heard about Critical Role, the professional voice actors who live-streamed D&D sessions.  Matt Mercer, the group’s front man, has created an alternative RPG titled DaggerHeart.  It’s still in a fantasy setting, but its goal is to simplify the rules and focus more on storytelling.  It adds two mechanics

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If your computer from the 80s was better, here’s a case just for you

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NEWS – Last year SilverStone, the computer parts distributor, released the FLP01, a retro home theater computer case.  This year, they are at it again with the FP02, a retro tower computer case that looks like the 80s have returned.  It comes in an oh-so-very-boring beige color and includes three 5.25 inch bays, a mechanical

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OUPES Exodus 2400 power station review – Great for DIYers!

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REVIEW – Sometimes I need power in a place where I don’t have any power.  As an example, I recently decided to add some shelves to my shed, but I don’t have any electrical outlets there to power my tools.  To solve problems like this, I am testing the OUPES Exodus 2400, a power station

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SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 Keyboard review

REVIEW – Though I dabble in mobile gaming on my iPad Pro, my favorite gaming platform is still my Windows 10 gaming computer with games that I purchase from Steam.  There are so many choices, Steam has great sales, and many indie games these days are surprisingly good.  I’ve had my current gaming keyboard for

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OUPES Exodus 1500 Power Station review – Prep for spring storms

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REVIEW – It seems like two or three times a year we lose power.  Thunderstorms, hurricanes, or high winds knock down trees and power lines, and suddenly everything in the house is off.  When these sorts of events happen, it would be nice to have some way to keep the computers, refrigerators, and other important

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The InfinaCore P3 Pro combines a power bank with a USB charger into one travel-ready gadget.

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REVIEW – When we travel to large cities, like Washington DC or Atlanta here in the States or like London or Paris in Europe, we typically bring a small army of gadgets that need power, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Kindle Paperwhites. Our phones need charging during the day as we are out sightseeing,

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How effective is Apple Intelligence at identifying house plants?

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ARTICLE – AI is all the rage these days, and Apple is one among many companies touting how their newest gadgets are using it.  In a recent iPhone User Guide, Apple says, “On all iPhone 16 models, you can use visual intelligence with Camera Control to quickly learn more about the places and objects around

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VTOMAN FlashSpeed 300 Power Station review

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REVIEW – Power stations are convenient gadgets for providing extra power any time I’m off the grid for a while, whether camping, picnicking, or whatever.  Smaller ones, like the FlashSpeed 300, can easily recharge phones and computers or provide power for lights and fans.  Rated at 300 watts, this power station is limited in what

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Is a physical keyboard the accessory that your iPhone needs?

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NEWS – Back in the day, the Blackberry was the master of the mobile phone world and was perhaps best known for their physical keyboards. These days, neither are part of our smartphone experience, but what if the keyboards should be? Digital keyboards consume a third of our screens, often obscuring the very forms into

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