Articles by Zek


How Common Is YOUR Surname?

I have an unusual last name. Now, lots of people have last names that are unique, or hard to spell, but I doubt many people have the same claim to fame that my last name has … which is that there’s a 0.000004371% chance of someone in the United States has the same last name as me.



The Moon Ring Pushes Humor to the Cruel End

In the book “Stranger in a Strange Land”, one of the characters finally grasps laughter when he realizes humor is just laughing at someone else’s suffering. The logical, if painful, end to that theory has been realized in “The Moon Ring”.


Decluttr Turned My Crap into (a Little Bit of) Cash!

We’ve lived in our house for 3 1/2 years, so we figured it was high time we dealt with all the miscellaneous boxes that landed in our attic. Old clothes, baby items we don’t use anymore, the soundtrack to the TV show “Charmed”, and many other random items were all living up there. We made piles of “keep” and “give away”, and things were going well until we hit the DVDs. Luckily, a quick Google search led me to Decluttr, which saved the day!



SnapPower Guidelight Review

We’ve all had that moment in the middle of the night: the baby cries, you need a glass of water, you heard the unmistakable sounds of a dog about to puke on the carpet. So you rocket out of bed, only to start stumbling around because, well, it’s dark. And you don’t want to turn on the lights, but you need, well, a nightlight. The SnapPower Guidelight, to be precise.


The Onee Is a Terrible Solution to a Serious Problem

Look, it’s an unfortunate reality that the world can be quite unsafe. If you’re a woman out in a situation where you’re drinking, you need to worry about drugs in your drinks, assaults from your Uber driver, and what seems like a million other threats.


Power Toothpaste Goes Retail!

We had the chance to check out Power Toothpaste when they were first crowdfunding their product. Caffeinated toothpaste may sound crazy, but it’s actually pretty delicious and seems to offer a legitimate boost of energy in the mornings! I’ve used my sample toothpastes a few times when I didn’t have time for coffee and needed a boost to get to work, and found it really was fairly effective. Now everyone can have the same opportunity to get hyper while brushing their teeth, but it won’t come cheap. Power Toothpaste is retailing at $14.99 for one tube, though the five-pack brings…


Star Trek’s 50th Means So Much Because Star Trek Reflects Us

Earlier today, Joel showcased the ways Star Trek has influenced technology in the last 50 years, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what Star Trek has done for pop culture. Star Trek is so much more than just science fiction; from its campy beginnings onwards, it was an examination of humanity and culture, all wrapped in a big trojan starship. First, the most obvious one is that Star Trek aired the first interracial kiss on American television. This was a big deal in and of itself, but what I really love about the story is that the…


Will the Apple Watch 2 Kill Other Fitness Watches?

Apple had a lot of announcements yesterday, but the one that caught my attention was the new Apple Watch 2. It now includes GPS, waterproofing, and even a model cobranded with Nike, showing that Apple has the fitness market square in the crosshairs. These are all welcome improvements, but will it have an impact in the crowded fitness tracker/fitness watch market? Let’s start by eliminating one group that won’t be buying an Apple watch: the budget conscious folks have a plethora of options available to them that offer many of the same fitness benefits without the cost of the Apple…


Allergies Are Getting Dangerously Expensive Thanks to Mylan

The world can feel like a minefield when you have serious food allergies. If you eat out, you’re constantly worrying if the wait staff and kitchen understood your allergies, and if you make your own food, you still need to worry about undeclared cross contamination, whether by omission or accident.


Why Are Accessory Makers Consolidating Rapidly?

News broke this week that Incipio is acquiring Griffin, hot on the heels of Incipio also acquiring Skullcandy, Otterbox acquiring Lifeproof, Mophie being acquired by Zagg, and going back a few years, Sena being acquired by Targus and Speck by Samsonite.


Best Buy Caters to the Geek Crowd with a Wedding Registry!

The first thing most people do when they get a wedding invitation (besides RSVPing) is checking the couple’s registry. Are they looking for household items? Maybe new appliances? Those are the usual items, but Best Buy thinks there’s more to it, and is now offering a wedding registry service!


Styr Labs Tries for a True Fitness Ecosystem with Activity Tracking, Smart Scales, and Custom Vitamins!

Every company that’s remotely related to computing wants a piece of the fitness wearables business. There is a lot of data to be gleaned from activity levels, weight, and what we eat, and everyone thinks their solution is the one that will guide consumers to better health. Styr Labs has a creative plan that brings together activity tracking, weight management, and supplements, truly hitting the trifecta of hot trends in the fitness world! Their system comes in a few different combinations; you can buy the fitness tracker/vitamins starter kit for $68, or the scale/protein starter kit for $78. It looks like there’s…


Board Up Your Windows, Sharknado 4 Is Coming!

Ah, summer. Long days, warm nights, and storms full of razor sharp teeth…yes, Sharknado is back again! You may recall that the last segment opened with President Mark Cuban, Vice President Anne Coulter, and Ian Ziering fighting sharks at the White House, and ended with David Hasselhoff on the moon and a shark about to land on Tara Reid. If possible, the next segment looks even crazier!


Nintendo Makes Everyone’s Dreams Come True with the Mini NES Console!

I was never allowed to have video games as a kid. My parents felt there were better uses of our time, so my brother and I were always super excited to visit friends who had video game consoles, ESPECIALLY Nintendo. Super Mario was the greatest, and his appeal was only increased by how verboten he was. Nintendo has finally answered my childhood dreams, though, and they’re releasing a modernized version of the original Nintendo Entertainment System console, complete with 30 classic games! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! For real, Nintendo is releasing a modern NES, and they’re throwing in everything…



Misfit Wearables Offers Up a Huge Sale!

If you’ve toyed with the idea of getting a fitness tracker but didn’t want to pay a lot, or wanted to prioritize fashion, then head to Misfit’s website ASAP. They’re offering a huge summer sale, up to 50% off some of their models! The Misfit Flash is down to $14.99, and the Shine is only $39.99!


Is Your Wallet Ready for Prime Day?

Good(ish) news-Amazon is bringing back Prime Day tomorrow, July 12th! Prime Day was a bit underwhelming last year, but Amazon is hyping it up big time this year, so hopefully they’ve learned from past mistakes. In the meantime, they’re previewing sales across multiple departments, so it’s really more like Prime week!


Simple Workout Log Makes My FrankenWorkout Easy to Follow!

I’ve bounced between a number of different workout programs; I started with Stronglifts 5×5, then You Are Your Own Gym. Both programs had dedicated apps, so I didn’t have to think about how to track my progress. Since then, I’ve concocted a frankenworkout, but I needed an easy way to track the routine, and Simple Workout Log is my favorite!