Kathleen Chapman

Kathleen has always enjoyed technology and the sciences (biology and entomology). She has worked as an entomological research technician, end user services tech, home educator, and technical project admin. Her continued interest in technology led her to join the Gadgeteer team in 2014.

My First Lab STEM Starter Kit: Smartphone Microscope and 3D Slides review

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As a child long, long, long ago, I remember longing for a microscope in order to study things that were too small for me to see and tragically, I never received one. I now have a marvelous stereo microscope but it is too large and heavy to carry around with me to investigate things while […]

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Easily clean pet hair off of carpet with the OXO Good Grips Furlifter Carpet Rake

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Pets shed a lot. Enough to make you think you could make a completely new Fido with all that fur, right? And cleaning up all that fur is the pits. It’s worse if your home has a lot of carpeting because that means you have to pull out the vacuum. If you dread this torturous

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Always find your keys with the OxyLED Mini Motion Sensor Light with Key Rack Organizer

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When we enter or leave our house, we always go through our tiny laundry room to get to the garage. Upon entering the dark laundry room there are two switches, one for that room and the other for the garage. Without fail, I always hit the garage light switch then I have to fumble around to

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Buckle & Seam Sierra 15″ Messenger Bag (2018) review

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I recently reviewed the Buckle & Seam Sierra 15″ Messenger bag, but they have since updated the product (they made it with thicker leather).  Is it a vast improvement over its predecessor? My opinion is that it is somewhat better, but far from what I was hoping for. What is it? The Buckle & Seam

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Loop High Fidelity Earplugs review

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Over the last several years, I’ve noticed a problem developing in my left ear when exposed to continuous loud sounds (it sounds like there is cotton constantly moving around in my ear). I haven’t gone to a doctor about this because it happens infrequently. I’ve tried using inexpensive protective foam earplugs (those intended for use

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Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll review

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Leather products attract my attention, but it takes a really well-made leather product using high-quality materials to maintain my interest and entice me to purchase it. Recently, I received the Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll to review. Is it a high-quality leather product? Indeed, it is! But I’m not sure it will

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A recording microphone and a shouting caterpillar – two great things that go great together!

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I know nothing about recording microphones and I have often wondered, “What would I use a microphone for?”, until I read about a screaming caterpillar on Curiosity. The above video was obtained from Science News. Okay, so it’s not really shouting or screaming as we know it, but apparently, the Nessus sphinx hawkmoth caterpillar makes a

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Celebrating the life and humor of Stephen Hawking – see the Quantum Chess showdown with Paul Rudd

quantum chess

Stephen Hawking, a renowned theoretical physicist, and well-known author passed away on March 14, 2018. He may have been one of the more famous and brilliant scientists of our time, but isn’t it wonderful to know that he had a fabulous sense of humor? It makes him a bit more human to the rest of us. I

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Need to watch your mobile data use? Try the Datally Android app by Google

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Datally is an app created by Google to help Android users save on mobile data. “It blocks background data and lets you control which apps use data.” It also helps you find WiFi networks nearby and lets you know how other Datally users have rated that WiFi network before you connect. When you install Datally, you must

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Bacteria killing stainless steel of the future

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I love technological advances of all kinds and I loathe illness-causing bacteria. So when Professor Dennis Hess, Associate Professor Julie Champion, Postdoctoral Fellow Yeongseon Jang, and Postdoctoral Fellow Won Tae Choi at Georgia Institute of Technology developed a new nanotextured surface for stainless steel that kills common bacteria I was thrilled. This isn’t a coating that

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Keep it together with the Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll

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Cables and earbuds and batteries, oh my! I struggle to organize my tech gear especially if I have to travel. But with the Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll by Go Forth Goods, you can organizer these things easily. It combines two things that I love: organization and leather!! This leather roll is made with 6

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Fingbox review

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When it comes to home network security, I have a great desire to learn about the ways I can protect our home network devices and implement those protections. I recently downloaded an app called Fing to detect and keep an inventory of all the devices on my network. While doing so, I noticed that Fing had developed

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Get the best purchase price using the Slice app or the price protection features of your credit card

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Did you purchase something with your credit card only to discover a little while later that it had gone on sale? If it was only a couple of dollars, you may not be too worried about that, but what if it was $20 or more? The easiest thing to do is call and see if

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Deal: Sale on Jaybird X3 and Freedom 2 wireless headphones

Jaybird logo

I’m always on the lookout for great deals, especially during Christmas. So, if you’ve been thinking about purchasing some Jaybird wireless earphones or want to purchase some for your family and friends for Christmas, now is a great time. The X3 wireless headphones are on sale for $99.99 (they are normally $129.99) and the Freedom 2 wireless headphones are

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The Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation is on sale right now for $169.15!

nest thermostat 3rd

Quick! Get your 3rd Generation Nest Thermostat for $169.15 at Amazon (down from $249.99, Stainless Steel version)! I have one and am very pleased with it. During the first week of using it, it learns the temperatures that you like and uses that information to program itself (you can alter the program at any time). The

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Science + music = The Happy Song, to make babies happy (especially over the holidays!!)

the happy song

“YES!!!!” You say. “I need this! JUST GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!” Okay, okay! Here are the links to access the song: Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Music, and Spotify. For those of you who are curious about the background of the song, while I was reading my Curiosity app (which I LOVE, by the way), I stumbled upon

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Halloween sale on Netatmo security cameras (and HomeKit compatibility added too)

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Netatmo is having a Halloween sale on their security cameras so now is the time to purchase if you haven’t already. I reviewed the Netatmo Presence Outdoor Security Camera and the Netatmo Welcome Indoor Security Camera and was very pleased with both. The Presence camera can tell the difference between people, car, and animal motions

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TrackMeNot extension – a Confundus charm for Chrome and Firefox to obfuscate your online user profile

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If you are uncomfortable about having your online searches tracked (e.g. in order to provide you with targeted ads based on your browsing habits, etc.), you might want to check out the TrackMeNot extension created by the TMN Team (creators: Daniel C. Howe, Helen Nissenbaum; developer: Vincent Toubiana) for Chrome and Firefox. It does NOT

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