Over the weekend, a college student got into a car she thought was an Uber, and tragically she was murdered. This is an awful story. Somehow, the folks at invisaWear, jewelry that offers emergency GPS beacons, thought this tragedy was a good opportunity to promote their product.
Technology runs in cycles. We all know that, but it seems lately like we’ve hit the low end of our current cycle, and whatever the “next big thing” is, we’re spinning our wheels until it gets here.
10 years ago, people were predicting the physical book was dead. eBooks were the rage, and everyone was predicting Kindles and Nooks would replace physical books on our shelves, in our backpacks, and on our nightstands. Instead, the physical book launched an unexpected comeback, the Nook is dying, and eBooks are back to being a niche; but they’re not dead.
There’s a cliché phrase, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try again”. Apparently, that’s how Apple feels about publishing, because they’re convinced their prior explosive failure at eBooks was a one-off, and they’ve got a great new subscription plan in the works. I’m sure publishers will love … wait, giving a 50% cut to Apple? Does Tim Cook have a head injury?
I don’t spend much time on social media anymore, but one of the things guaranteed to make me grit my teeth whenever I did was #boymom. Gillette razors apparently agree, with their controversial new ad asking men to be better. #bemoreliketheGilletteAd is a little awkward, but it’s way better than #boymom.
We want to believe we are an evolved society, but the reality is that evolution is always incremental, not revolutionary. We can accept sexuality, but only to a point, and apparently, CTA, the ruling body behind CES, thinks women’s self-pleasure crosses that line.
Smart homes have moved from the realm of tech geeks to mainstream America. Even if you don’t set out to have a smart home, the various ways to connect devices and everyday items have become so easy it is impossible to avoid. It’s a bit tougher when you rent, but there’s plenty of ways to make your apartment smarter!
Cybersecurity is becoming an increasing concern for businesses, individuals, and even governments. The average cost of a data breach is now $3.86 million, and with more of our personal lives being tied up in a digital format, the stakes for any cyber threat are incrementally growing higher.
I love the iPad – no really, I LOVE it! Since 2010 I have bought a new iPad with each release, and have often written about my experiences and called the iPad my ‘90% Computer’.
In case you haven’t heard, the Apple Watch Series 4 has been released – and it is getting rave reviews, which it deserves because it is really an excellent smartwatch. I will detail some of the features I love about this watch later, but first I have to express some annoyances.
I recently gave my Grandma an amazing gift for her 90th birthday; I took photos from throughout her life and using a combination of Google PhotoScan, PicStitch, iMovie, and iTunes, I made a slideshow featuring friends and family. It only cost me some time, but the look on my grandma’s face when we showed it to her was priceless.
Before we get into Apple’s Keynote announcement where they didn’t announce new Airpods or the elusive AirPower (because it’s indeed in the “air” at this point), let me just say that I plan on getting the iPhone Xs Max, the 512GB version, in Gold. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… here we go.
I stopped visiting Facebook about 2 weeks ago. It wasn’t a conscious declaration, it was just that I felt like Facebook was becoming a crutch to distract me, and it wasn’t something I enjoyed. I probably would have drifted back sooner, but Facebook has been inundating me with emails like a needy ex, and it’s starting to creep me out enough to not want to return.
There are a lot of ways to become fit and healthy, and some give your wallet as much of a workout as your body. There’s a new startup, Tonal, that aims to be the “Peloton” of strength training. But you can get the same or a better workout for significantly less.
Earlier this week, Elon Musk tweeted out that he was considering taking Tesla private and indicated he had funding available. Tesla stock flew up only to fall when it wasn’t clear if this was really happening. Within just a few days, lawsuits were filed against Musk for manipulating Tesla stock illegally. Musk’s tweet may have opened an enormous legal issue.
I was lost in Target yesterday. This is a common occurrence since they recently remodeled my local store, and apparently also rearranged the alphabet so the aisles go A, B, Q, D, C. In any case, I turned a corner in search of blenders and instead found a cassette player.
A couple of notable anniversaries have come and gone quietly this past season, the first marking 10 years that I have been here at Gear Diary. The second commemorates the 20 years I have been involved in automotive journalism, and what a “ride” it has been.
I’ve recently moved, and it taught me a very important lesson-never go anywhere without a small multitool. I used my cheap-y Craftsman 10-in-1 multitool for both normal and way out of the box solutions, and I don’t think I could have survived the moving process without it.
There is a seemingly endless list of things to teach your kids as they go through life, such as how to show kindness to others, why it’s necessary to have discipline while tackling boring tasks and of course, how to be responsible with money. People have had piggy banks for generations to help with the last necessity.
I moved recently, and let’s be honest, I wasn’t as stressed about moving my furniture as I was about getting internet and cable up and running. We had Verizon FiOS at my old place, and I was able to transfer it to my new location easily. Getting it set up was less easy, but I was blown away by Verizon FiOS customer service!
Cable and satellite television companies have long had the practice of setting high rates for their services because they had no one to compete with. But now that online streaming services are growing swiftly in popularity, the situation is changing. These trends threaten the kingdom that cable companies have reigned over for decades.