Articles by Joel McLaughlin

My Data Was Breached by Char-Broil

Last Saturday, I got up and my wife asked me about a $700 charge on our account.  I’m like uh-oh, so I go through the motions to fix it. It happens to lots of us, and sometimes we don’t even know how.  A week later I find out: my card was breached when I ordered parts from Char-Broil.





AER Duffel Pack Is the Perfect Work Backpack for Non-Tech Workers

When I used to commute to work, I would frequently take my work laptop in a backpack and another bag of clothes for the gym.  The AER Duffel Pack tries to solve this problem by combining a gym duffel and a laptop backpack. It will not work, though unless you are lucky enough to have a 15″ MacBook or smaller.


Accessorize Your Echo Dot

Amazon’s Echo and they latest Echo Dot have taken off with them becoming mainstream as of late. The Black Friday special on the 2nd Generation Dot being only $39.99 is what triggered me to finally order one. After you get the Dot, it’s time to accessorize as it’s virtually made to be a hub for your smart home.



Harry’s Shaving Update: 10 Months In, and I’m Still a Fan!

It is now November, and it’s been about 10 months from when I started receiving regular shipments from Harry’s. Since I started, not only has the price gone down, but the blades and the handles have had an update, and Harry’s has made the first push into brick and mortar stores, namely Target.


Dario Health Blood Glucose Management System Review

My wife has type 2 diabetes. Keeping track of blood glucose levels over time is something all diabetics should do, but many of the meters don’t have a good way to connect to a smartphone; until now. Dario’s Health Blood Glucose System attaches to your iPhone via the headphone jack or the lightening port.


Pyle Compact ACTION! Cam Review: 4K for $60, but Is It Any Good?

I’ve been shooting more video for personal enjoyment and for my church. It’s for this reason I bought a GoPro Hero 4 Black a few months ago; it has since become my favorite camera. When given the opportunity to take a look at Pyle’s new Compact ACTION! Cam, I thought: Cold this possibly be as good as a more expensive GoPro?




The Tech Holy Wars Need to Stop

Unless you were buried under a rock you know there was an Apple event this week and the debates about who is better have reared their head yet again. Who did this first. Who did what first. I won’t ever buy a phone without X. Most of them are complete crap. The tech holy wars need to stop.


DarioHealth Has Announced the First Blood Glucose Meter to Work With the iPhone 7

With the elimination of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 a whole host of peripherals will need to be re-implemented to work off of the lightening connector. This includes medical technology. DarioHealth made the Dario that works with the iPhone 6’s headphone jack and now they have added a lightning connector version designed to work with the iPhone 7!


Star Trek: Predicting Technology for the last 50 years

Today marks an important event in the world of pop culture and for many geeks. It was 50 years ago today that Star Trek premiered on TV. Ever since then Star Trek has inspired technology from the communicator to the PADD (Personal Access Display Device) Star Trek has inspired many people and much of the everyday tech we use today!


How to Live Without the Headphone Jack

Now that the yearly iPhone announcement has become real let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the 3.5 mm headphone jack. If we are to believe the rumors Apple will be eliminating it. Motorola did with the Moto Z and Z Force. Today I am going to give some good things and some bad about losing this ubiquitous jack.


A Force to Be Reckoned with: Moto Z Force Droid Edition Review

I have had my Nexus 6 for over a year, and while it was still good, I really like the fingerprint reader on my work’s iPhone and wanted a MicroSD card. So I upgraded to a Moto Z Force Droid Edition  from Verizon. Is it a worthy replacement to my trusty Nexus 6? So far, it has exceeded my expectations!


The Jide Remix Ultratablet: Finally a Tablet for Productivity

I’ve been a fan of Android since the beginning. While the phone experience has been solid lately, the tablet experience hasn’t been. While I thought it was ok, it really wasn’t. Jide has gone a long way to help this out with their version of Android, titled RemixOS with the Jide Ultra Tablet.  It’s a winner.


MRE and other Ration Reviews Are a Thing

Since the invention of YouTube Red, I’ve been sucked in to various YouTube channels and themes throughout YouTube. One that I find really interesting is MRE or Meals Ready to Eat Reviews. There are also YouTubers that review the former Meal, Combat Individual ration otherwise known as the C ration and those are by far the most interesting!


Skeye Nano Drone with Camera Review

Quad copters were all the rage last Christmas. I’ve been wanting one, but I wasn’t willing to drop the cash on a DJI Phantom until I flew something else first. That’s why I jumped at a chance to check out the Skeye Nano Drone with Camera from TRNDlabs, which happens to be the hardest thing I have ever flown.


Nanoleaf Bloom LED Lightbulb Review

As time goes on, and my CFL bulbs are popping, I’m gradually replacing them with LED bulbs. I can get LED bulbs at Lowe’s for around 9.99 each. When Nanoleaf sent me the Bloom, I was impressed as it will also add dimming features to any lamp or fixture you have, and it looks pretty cool as well.