Articles by Joel McLaughlin

Last Man Standing’s Tim Allen Earn’s His Ham Radio License

I love the show Last Man Standing. One reason why I love it is Tim Allen’s character, Mike Baxter, is also depicted as being an Ham Radio operator like me. Well, last week at the Hollywood Hamnado special event sponsored in part by the show, it was announced that Tim has truly earned his license and is now KK6OTD.


Things We Used to Care About: the Graphing Calculators Edition

When I started college in 1989, I was going to school to get my Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. Graphing calculators were brand new; before that, we had Texas Instrument calculators as well as Casios, and my first weapon of choice for busting out math problems was an HP 28S. Do you remember?


Traveling with the Chromecast or Any Other Set-Top Box

Two weeks ago, I went on another business trip.  Since I had just bought the Chromecast, I thought I would take it with me to have something to watch in my down time. While I was able to get it to work, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do, so that might be enough to make you rethink taking that tiny Chromecast. It’s not impossible, though!


I Bought a Chromecast and Completely Changed My View

It’s hard to believe it’s been just a little over a year since Google released the cheapest set-top “box” there is, the Chromecast.  Initially, I wasn’t too enthused.  After hearing how my friends liked it, I figured why not make the jump?  It would give me some entertainment when I was on the road as well. Since picking it up, I’ve completely fallen in love.


A Conversation with Adam Curry thanks to Amateur Radio

One of the things I always say about Ham Radio is that you never know who might have their license; there are even famous people who do.  An example of this comes in a short conversation I had via Amateur Radio with former MTV VJ and one of the hosts of the No Agenda Podcast, Adam Curry, call sign KF5SLN.


Icom ID-51A D-star Radio Review

It’s been a while since I entered the D-star world of amateur radio with the ID-31A. Unfortunately, it gave up the ghost — mostly because it took several baths in iced tea. So what was its replacement? The Icom ID-51A D-Star, which is in every respect one of the best and most advanced handheld radios I’ve ever owned.


Is NatureBox Worth Subscribing to for Healthy Snacks?

If you listen to a lot of podcasts on Leo Laporte’s TWIT network, you may have heard of NatureBox.  The premise is that the service will deliver healthy snacks to your home for as little as 20 dollars a month. That seems like a lot, but this could be a godsend if you, like me, work from home.


Laptop Shopping with Linux in Mind

For the first time in many years, I was in the market for a new personal laptop You would think that buying a laptop to run Linux on would be easy, but with recent changes it’s more difficult than it has to be. With some research, and a few preparation steps done ahead of time, it won’t be a huge challenge.


Car2go Adds Parking for Port Columbus Airport

I recently reviewed Car2go, the convenient car sharing program that has taken Columbus by storm. Today they have added a convenient option for Columbus users in that they can now jump in a car, drive to Port Columbus,  catch the shuttle to the terminal, and then catch their flight with only a $10 additional cost.


What Do You Do When Paid-For Android Apps Disappear?

After purchasing my Galaxy Note 3, I did what most people do — I loaded all of my favorite Android apps. One of these was the paid app Weatherbug Elite,  which I had originally bought for the G1. Unfortunately, it is no longer supported or in the Play Store — the only available version is the unpaid (and ad-riddled) version.


Samsung Galaxy Note 3 First Impressions by a Linux Geek

Michael reviewed the Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note 3, and he liked it.  I bought one over the weekend instead of the HTC One (M8) that Carly bought, because of reviews like Michael’s and my experiences with using the Galaxy Note 2 for a month.  I feel that this STILL is one of the best phones on Verizon.



How Do You Save RadioShack?

I remember when I was a kid going to RadioShack with my grandpa to get coax connectors, batteries, or some electronic device. It was my grandpa’s second favorite store. It troubles me to hear that RadioShack is closing even more stores. At this point, what can be done to save them?


Cameraman go! Lauched by Panasonic

Panasonic has launched Cameraman go! which is a cloud based video surveillance system targetted at small to medium sized businesses. this solution consists of a wifi camera and a bundle of cloud storage.  The downside? It will only be sold by large telecoms in Europe, Asia and the Americas.  For more on this check out the full press release.


Bear Motion Premium Folio Case with Bluetooth Keyboard Review

When I got my 2013 edition of the Nexus 7, the thing I needed most was a keyboard. I loved using the keyboard on my EeePad Transformer. When I came across the Bear Motion Folio case that includes a Bluetooth keyboard, I picked it up and it has made a world of difference in what I can actually do with my Nexus 7.


What is the Oldest Piece of Tech That You Still Use?

You’d think we’d use nothing old with the pace that new technology moves, which got me thinking: What is the oldest piece of tech that you regularly use? Mine is my Azden PCS-6000 2m mobile amateur radio, which I use at home; it was released in 1989. There’s no reason to replace as it still works well! How about you?  


Amateur Radio Goals for 2014

It’s important to have goals.  The new year is an excellent time for new goals, and I thought I would share them here on Gear Diary, as they are oriented around emergency preparedness as well as new radio gear. This year I am planning 2 radio purchases with the second helping me to better serve the community.


When the Weather is Bad, Do you have to go to Work?

With much of the country in the grip of some of the coldest weather we have experienced in years I thought of one thing: Do you have to go in to work? With current technologies allowing you to work almost anywhere with no issues are snow days a thing of the past? For myself and many like me that is the case.



Can You Blog from a Nexus 7 with a Bluetooth Keyboard?

I recently purchased a new case with a bluetooth keyboard for my Nexus 7. After a while, I really started to like using the keyboard.  There will be a full review of the case coming but I wondered: Could I use it to write posts here on Gear Diary? The answer is yes!  However, it does have some quirks.


Can the New Intel Based Tablets run Linux?

I was at Staples the other day and saw some of the new Windows 8 based tablets that have recently been released. Specifically, the Dell Venue 8 Pro. It is based on the new quad core Atom chip and uses a whole lot less power than the chips they used in netbooks. The question is: Will it run Linux? The answer is complicated.