Articles by M Thorne

News & Features October 22, 2026

ePaper Fans, Rejoice! E Ink Just Announced a New Kaleido 4 Color Panel!

I love e-ink displays. I love them. I think they’re one of the coolest pieces of modern tech ever invented. Over the decades, huge advancements in the basic invention’s features and capabilities have enabled a pretty interesting spread of consumer and commercial devices. The color e-ink revolution has been popular with consumers, and E Ink has been hard at work, iterating on the Kaleido 3 panel, and they’ve just announced the new Kaleido 4.

Editorials October 22, 2026

My Descent Into the Seven Circles of Whirlpool: How a Defective Oven Became a Customer Service Disaster

Once upon a time, a man and woman lived in a house, deep in the mountains. When they moved in, their house had an old, mostly functional GE slide-in electric range. Then, one day, that range’s control panel failed, and rather than spend $300 on a replacement panel, they decided to buy a new oven. Oh, those sweet summer children. How naive and ignorant they were. Four months later (yes, really), the man and woman finally had a functional range. This is their story, and I really hope the Whirlpool Corporation pays careful attention to this article.

Reviews October 15, 2026

Graywind Motorized Blackout Roller Shades Review: Big Windows, Blazing Sun, and a Smarter Way to Beat the Heat

Once upon a time, reliable indoor lighting wasn’t an option. Before the modern power grid, people depended on something simpler: the sun. Older homes featured enormous windows to maximize daylight. Our rural mountain home, built in the late 1800s, is no exception. I love the huge 60-inch windows on both floors, but there’s a downside. The western side practically bakes in the summer, and none of our windows offer UV protection. So, when I was offered the chance to review the Graywind Motorized Blackout Roller Shades, I was eager to see whether modern technology could solve an old-fashioned problem.

Reviews October 8, 2026

Forest of Enchantment Tarot Kit: A Gorgeous Germanic Folklore Deck That Invites You to Read Beyond the Cards

I am a huge collector of cartomancy decks. I mostly collect tarot decks, but I’ve also expanded my oracle deck collection quite a bit. I’ve been into this scene for about a decade now, and I love it more today than when I impulsively bought my first deck while in line at a Barnes & Noble. Only a few years later, in late 2019, I picked up Llewellyn Publications’ then-new release, the Forest of Enchantment Tarot kit.

Editorials October 1, 2026

VPN: Verified Probably Not Necessary, but Here’s When It Actually Is

VPNs. They used to be something people talked about at work (and maybe university), and now they’re a consumer service hawked by pretty much every influencer on the Internet today. What are they? Do you need one? Are they worth adding yet another monthly subscription to your budget? This is a difficult subject to discuss without treading dangerously close to what some consider unsavory activity…but it’s just part of an academic look at VPNs and what utility they have, if any, for end users. So note: nothing in this article comments on the merits of the activities mentioned.

Reviews September 16, 2026

Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Power Station with Smart Transfer Switch Review: Serious Backup Power for When the Grid Goes Dark

I’ve lived deep in the mountains of the American West for nearly a decade, and while I adore our remote life, I don’t love the lack of running water during power outages! Our 20-kilowatt propane Generac generator keeps the party going when the grid goes down, but it doesn’t power our shared well, which is on its own meter. As quaint as bucket flushing might sound, it’s still gross, and I’ve wanted a way to keep the water running since we moved in. Enter Jackery and their Explorer 5000 Plus power station with its little friend, the Smart Transfer Switch.

Reviews September 1, 2026

Ultenic AC1 TriFlex Review: Sticky Messes, Pet Hair, and Grime Don’t Stand Much of a Chance

There’s really no way around it: I am terrible at housekeeping. There are reasons for it, but in the end, it means I’m always interested in technology that can make cleaning our home a little easier, faster, and more efficient. I was offered the Ultenic AC1 TriFlex cordless electric mop and vacuum, so I decided to give it a shot. Since I don’t clean often, I figured whatever I did with it would really put it through its paces. I’m impressed with the results overall, so let’s dive in. What Is This Thing? The Ultenic AC1 TriFlex cordless vacuum falls into…

Reviews August 28, 2026

iGulu F1 Smart All-in-One Home Brewer Review: High-Tech Homebrewing Gets Easier, but Not Quite Effortless

In 1993, American Michael Berstein dreamed of bringing microbrewing to consumers through small batches and foolproof kits. The result, Mr. Beer, became a profitable piece of countertop brewing equipment that’s still around today. Since then, advances in technology have inspired plenty of attempts at more sophisticated homebrewing devices, including the iGulu F1 in this review. But can it really perform as advertised? In short: kind of. Fermentation makes true one-step, brew-to-glass simplicity difficult. Still, the iGulu F1 is an intriguing device for homebrewers who value its features.

Reviews August 4, 2026

EPSON EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Review: Prosumer Printing at Prosumer Prices

Consumer printing is a funny business. Once ubiquitous, home printers have become less essential in our increasingly paperless world. Still, desktop printing remains important for photographers and artists who rely on high-end inkjets (and high-end ink) to create original prints—what “giclée” actually means. The EPSON EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is one such premium photo printer, with large-format support up to 13″ × 19″ borderless, or nearly 256 feet using the rear feeder and a paper roll. It’s EPSON’s premier photo printer, with a price to match. The real question is whether it’s worth it. Let’s find out!

Gear Bits August 2, 2026

OCOOPA Rechargeable Hand Warmers Recalled After Overheating, Fire Risk, and One Death

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of about 1.5 million OCOOPA rechargeable hand warmers because their built-in lithium-ion batteries can overheat and ignite, posing serious fire and burn hazards.

Reviews June 24, 2026

Huion Note E Review: The Little Tablet That Could(ish)

I’m a bit of a digital notepad aficionado. I have loved digital pen products since my first exposure to a Wacom tablet in the heady 1990s. I’m not an artist; I’m just a cheesy doodler. It doesn’t matter, though – I think the ability to directly input handwritten content is just amazing technology. I am also a big fan of e-ink and epaper. It offers certain benefits over a standard display but has its downsides. So, when Huion offered their Note E tablet, I was very curious to see whether the hardware lived up to the hype.