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.

Starset: the Great Dimming – A Grimdark Tabletop RPG System

starset 01

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – In high school and college I spent a lot of my free time playing Traveller, a science fiction role-playing game (RPG).  As it turns out, Traveller is one of the inspirations for Starset, a new RPG written by Josiah Mork that is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter.  The setting style is known […]

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JMBricklayer Medieval Lighthouse Building Block Set review – a spectacular set with some issues

jmbricklayer lighthouse 1

REVIEW – After reviewing their 3-in-1 medieval weapon, JMBricklayer offered me a chance to review another building block set that they sell.  I gladly accepted their gracious offer and decided to build their Medieval Lighthouse.  This massive set arrived just before Christmas, which gave me the perfect opportunity to spend a couple days putting it

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Herman Miller and Logitech Vantum gaming chair review – an amazing gaming chair that puts good posture first

herman miller logitech vantum 1

REVIEW – One more game!  That seems to be the cry of every video gamer, especially when we’re on a roll. Unfortunately, long bouts of gaming tend to go hand-in-hand with slouching, hunching, and other types of bad posture, and if we’re not careful, the end result can be a variety of health risks.  Wouldn’t it

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JMBricklayer 3-in-1 Medieval Weapon model kit review – an excellent alternative to LEGO Technic

jmbricklayer weapon 1

REVIEW – I played with LEGO as a kid, and when my wife and I had kids, I rediscovered the joy of creating with them.  The kids are grown and gone now, but I still like building LEGO sets.  When I was younger, there really weren’t many choices.  Either we bought genuine LEGO bricks or

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Funwhole Lakeside Lodge Building Set review – a very detailed building brick set with lights

funwhole lakeside 1

REVIEW – I’ve been a longtime fan of building with Legos, but lately, I’ve been experimenting with Lego alternatives.  I recently built JMBricklayer’s 3-in-1 medieval weapon, and now I’m trying something a bit more domestic:  Funwhole’s Lakeside Lodge.  I’m hoping that this medium-sized set that comes with its own lighting system will be fun to

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HiCOZY Ice Maker review – a convenient source for extra nugget ice

hicozy ice maker 1

REVIEW – Most Friday nights we have company over to our house.  Sometimes it’s just a couple, but other times it’s an entire crew.  On those nights, the ice maker built into our fridge struggles to create enough ice for everyone to keep their sweet teas icy and their sodas cold.  Sure, we could swing

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AndaSeat Transformers Edition Premium Gaming Chair review

andaseat megatron chair 1

REVIEW – Every gamer, from the professionals to the weekend wannabe warriors, needs a good gaming chair when whiling away the hours in front of their computer.  A good gaming chair is not only comfortable and ergonomic, but it also has some pizzazz as well.  All of these come together in the AndaSeat Transformers Edition

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EVEAGE 14.5″ Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner review – a faster way to wash your driveway

eveage pressure washer cleaner 1

REVIEW – Pressure washing the driveway is an annual event where I live.  A year’s worth of dust and dirt from all the red clay we have around here gives my pavement a rather reddish, muddy look, something that’s definitely not very attractive.  Every fall I haul out the pressure washer, fill it up with

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Torro Leather Apple Watch Strap review – a timeless watch band

Torro Leather Strap

REVIEW – Apple recently released its newest round of Apple Watches.  While the Series 8 looks really nice, my wife decided to hold onto her Series 6 for now, as it still gives her all the functionality that she needs.  She does, however, want a new watch band, as it’s been over a year since

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Herman Miller x Logitech Vantum – an amazing gaming chair at a better price

hermanmiller logi vantum

NEWS – The Herman Miller x Logitech Vantum is the newest collaboration between two giants.  Herman Miller is best known for their incredibly comfortable and ergonomic office chairs, and Logitech is well known for its great gaming keyboard and mice.  A couple of years back, they teamed up to create the ultimate gaming chair, but

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Cyber Acoustics CA Essential USB Headset review – all day comfort for the professional

cyber acoustics essential headset 1 1

REVIEW – COVID has changed how many people work.  We spend less time in the office and more time working from home, and that means meetings are often done virtually with tools like Teams and Slack.  As a software developer, I have my fair share of meetings, and since my old headset is finally falling

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SmartWings Outdoor Shades review – motorized, solar-powered, and HomeKit-enabled!

smartwings outdoor shades 1

REVIEW – The front of our house faces to the south, but it’s angled slightly towards the southeast.  The result is that during the summer months, the evening sun peaks around the side of our house and floods into our back porch.  I’ve been looking for a way to reduce the sun as well as

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Vosteed Nightshade LT Pocket Knife review – the past perfected in the present

Vosteed Nightshade Pocket Knife

REVIEW – Everyday carry knives have a 101 uses, whether I’m in the house, out in the yard, or out hiking a trail.  I’ve been looking for a good quality knife to keep handy, and I’ve found it in the newest version of the Vosteed Nightshade LT Pocket Knife.  Read on to learn more! What

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The Pizza Pack – a place to store your leftover pizza slices

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NEWS – If you have leftover pizza, the Pizza Pack is the perfect place to put it.  It’s like a Tupperware container, but it’s expandable.  This allows the slices to be stacked on top of each other and thus efficiently uses space in the fridge.  It comes with five little trays to separate the slices,

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