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Review: Stem TimeCommand Clock-Dock

I’ve become a big fan of not having to physically dock my iPhone, iPod or iPad in order to get audio from it. That’s why I love using the Sonos system I reviewed a few weeks ago. At the same time, there is a lot to be said for a bedside dock/alarm clock. Sure, the Sonos system lets you set alarms, but it doesn’t have a clock nor does it charge your power-hungry iOS device. That needs to be covered by something else — something like a clock-dock (yeah, I wrote “clock-dock”!). The problem is, too often the available clock-dock…

Reviews

Logitech Alert Review: Makes Your iPad a Home Security Solution

Now that summer is here, you’re probably gearing up to enjoy some much-needed vacation time. Before packing up and hitting the road, one thing none of us likes to stop and really think about is how to keep watch over our home or business while away. Luckily, Logitech has come to the rescue with an easy and portable solution that doesn’t require us to own a private jet to maintain digital home security. Does it do the trick? Can Logitech Al turn an iPad into your private watch dog? Let’s jump right in and see.

Reviews

Vivint Adds Security and Automation to a 1970s Era Deckhouse, Part Two: Installation

A few weeks ago I wrote about the fact that we were going to be adding an alarm system and a nice degree of home automation to our residence in New Jersey thanks to Vivint. Well, the process is all but done and I thought in this second post we would take a look at what the installation process actually entailed. I set up a standard installation appointment with the company and was pleased to find out that, unlike so many companies, the guys actually showed up exactly when they said they would. And they were awesome. They explained what…

Reviews

Grooming Tool Review: Klhip “The Ultimate Clipper”

Do you really need to spend $70 on a nail clipper? ($95 if you want the attractive leather case specially designed for it.) Of course not! But, as my lovely wife often reminds me, you get what you pay for. In the case of the Klhip nail clipper, while you can get something that does the same basic grooming function for under $10, you really aren’t comparing apples to apples. Here is take a look at what this high-end nail clipper is all about. From the Company: BUILDING A BETTER NAIL CLIPPER: Why re-design something so mundane? Average nail clippers…

Reviews

Useful Things: The Plasma Bulb Night-Light Review

In the 1980s, the coolest accessory you could have in your bedroom wasn’t a lava lamp, it was a plasma globe. I can still remember ogling one at the Service Merchandise store in San Angelo; they cost $199, and I had to save up for several months before I could purchase mine. Before seeing my first globe, I didn’t know anything about plasma; that in “the world of physics it’s also known as the fourth state of matter, and is the closest we can get to “seeing” electricity.” [source] I didn’t know that the “plasma lamp was invented by Nikola…

Reviews

Vivint Adds Security and Automation to a 1970s Era Deckhouse, Part One: The System

Eight years ago we moved into a thirty-five-year-old Deck House fixer-upper. Deck Houses are post and beam “kit” houses that are built like a barn, offer huge open space and because they have no joists or crawl spaces for running wires and plumbing present numerous challenges when renovating. It is for that reason (among others) that eight years later, we are still working on it. On the “wish list” of renovations was adding some home automation, but the cost and the unique challenges of the design made it less enticing than it might otherwise have been. At some point, I…

Reviews

The CleanDr LCD/Plasma Screen Cleaning Kit and More Review

It’s been a while since I have heard from Digital Innovations. They have since released many updates to their cleaning products I have previously reviewed so they sent me a box of goodies to share here on Gear Diary. Let’s see if they are any better than the 2009 versions. First up is their 2 new products made for cleaning both high-definition TV’s as well as LCD’s of all types from desktops to laptops, along with a product line for mobile devices. Both of these are similar, but the mobile device screen cleaner is sized smaller. They both do an…

Editorials

Adventures in Cloud Computing Brought to Me by WildBlue

image courtesy of toothpaste for dinner Cloud computing. It is here. It is powerful. It is growing. It is a good thing? Had you asked me a week ago my answer would have been a resounding “Yes!” A week later, I’m not sure sure. Read on if you care to join me in my wireless nightmare … For many years, Dial-Up was the only way most people could get online reliably, and the two main sources of internet access seemed to be AOL and to a lesser degree, MSN; because I wanted to be different, I went with MSN, and…

News & Features

Click n Drink Bottle Opener Catches Your Caps and Protects Your Feet

How would you like to open your beer and soda bottles without having to worry about where those pointy bottle caps land? The ‘Click n Drink’ bottle opener allows you to do just that. Boasting the ability to hold up to 100 bottle caps with its strong magnets, the ‘Click n Drink’ magnetically mounts to metal surfaces or it can be drilled into others. I’m wondering if it would void our hot tub’s warranty to screw one to its side; if it means being able to pop a bottle of Spaten without worrying about stepping on a cap later, I…

News & Features

Onion Goggles Keep You from Crying in the Kitchen

I tear up when I am chopping onions, and even though sometimes it’s just a sniffle, there have been times — like when I am on a marathon chopping streak while making multiple freezer lasagnas — when the tears just started to flow. What in the world is happening? According to Mental Floss (a fantastic magazine and blog): 1. When you cut into an onion, its ruptured cells release all sorts of goodies, like allinase enzymes and amino acid sulfoxides. The former breaks the latter down into sulfenic acids. 2. The sulfenic acids, unstable bunch that they are, spontaneously rearrange…

Reviews

Review: Applecore Cable Management in Action!

The other day I e-mailed Judie and asked, “How do you keep all your various charging and syncing cables organized?” Her answer was short, to the point, and said everything that needed to be said. “What makes you think that my cords and cables are organized in any way shape or form?” Yes, if you have multiple devices, cable overwhelm can be a bit of an issue. So how does one deal with it? I have tried a host of different solutions which include everything from having specific cables taped underneath my desk and available if I simply reach for…

News & Features

Craig Turner Solves the Cat Pee Problem (and Yes, There IS a Problem)

I love my two (fixed) female cats, but for a while we had a third — a stray we named Bobby because when he showed up more than 3/4 of his tail was missing. That’s him in the picture above. Cute little guy, right? Unfortunately, something else wasn’t missing; he was still a fully intact male. We never leave our windows down, so we didn’t discover his disgusting habit of peeing in people’s cars until he had done it to my friend Lisa’s jeep and my cousin Dusty’s work truck. Bad kitteh. I don’t know about you, but there are…

News & Features

Blue Canary Night-Lite Makes a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch Who watches over you Make a little birdhouse in your soul Not to put too fine a point on it Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet Make a little birdhouse in your soul Who didn’t sing along with this song in 1990? Thanks to Think Geek, now you can have the night-lite that They Might Be Giants were referring to. $12.99 gets you this 4″tall night light with its light-sensing white LED. I’m ordering one now. Think Geek’s Blue Canary in the Outlet by the Light Switch (who watches…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Unruly Cables and Cords? Take Two Apple(cores) and Call Me In the Morning

Cords are a pain. Seriously. They are a royal pain. You got your headphone cords. You got your sync cords. You got your power cords. You got your… Never mind, you get the idea. The list goes on and on. Well here is one solution that is inexpensive, effective and a lot of fun too. The Applecore is a simple system for getting your cords in line. They come in small, medium and large so that headphones, sync and computer cables and power cords can all be effectively tamed. Better still they comes in a variety of colors. AND, and…

Reviews

The Swingline Stack-and-Shred Cross Cut Shredder Review

This is my husband’s and my pile of things that needed to be shredded; it started in a drawer, was moved to a shelf, and eventually ended up in a bag under our bed. What’s in it? Everything from those “convenience” checks that credit card companies seem to think we can’t live without, to credit card applications that simply need a signature and mail-back to be approved, to health insurance settlement statements, to all those bit of paper that have numbers, names, addresses and other information that get scribbled down when we are trying to be efficient. Why were we…

News & Features

Orb’s Mod1 PLUS Home Theater Speaker System: Big on Style and Sound

Here’s some exciting audio news: Speakers Do Not Have to be Square! Shocked? I’m sure you are but after years of being limited to boring square speakers it is now possible to get big sound from your home audio system without having to sacrifice style. Orb’s Mod1 PLUS Home Theater Speaker System is leading the charge by bringing aesthetic interest AND great sound to your den or theater room. Sure, Orb’s system doesn’t come cheap, but as the company explains, We know some of you are trying like crazy to keep your system under $1,000. The problem with that plan…

Reviews

Review: DYMO LabelManager PnP

Labels. We get them when we are young. Sometimes we earn them. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes they are flattering. Often they are not. Labels. Once they are there, they are difficult to shake. Oh, wait, this isn’t about that kind of label is it? No, this is about those labels that you print up and then attach to items you want easily identified. For example if you are sorting the various cables that go with the various gadgets you have collected over the years labels help you know what is inside each box without even opening it. Or if you have…

News & Features

Going Bananas for Banana TV

Apple’s AirPlay is getting a lot of use in our home these days. I have a number of Airport Express units around the house and each is attached to a set of speakers. With them I can now start music playing anywhere I want from any iOS device by simply starting the music and selecting that room’s AirPort Express from the AirPlay menu. It is simple, it is quick and it makes great use of our WiFi network. That’s why I jumped at the chance to buy the new program, Banana TV. What is Banana TV, and why am I…

Gear Bits

Building the Perfect Drink Just Got Easier with Palette Coasters

When we are up in the country we all have our “roles”. Elana is the “food maven”. Her dad, when he is up, is the “grill master”. As for me… well I tend bar. 🙂 Over the years I’ve collected a nice selection of different barware. Margaritas have their glasses, martinis have theirs and the list goes on. Having the right glass for the right drink just makes everything a bit more festive. Same goes for the coaster the glass sits on. And these “palette coasters”… They look kinda fun. Yes, these simple but amusing coasters do their job but…

Gear Bits

Proven True! Lightning Doesn’t Strike the Same Place Twice

photo credit: Kuzeytac You know the old saying that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice? Well, now I have definitive proof that this is absolutely true. Yup, Lightning Does Not Strike The Same Place Twice! Years ago our house in the mountains suffered a direct lightning strike. How do I know that is the case? I know because it was the middle of the afternoon on Saturday and a huge storm front was coming through. Our golden retriever (she was still with us) and I were taking an afternoon siesta in the den; I LOVE afternoon naps when a…

Reviews

Review- NIX 8″ Hu-Motion Digital Picture Frame with Motion Detection Sensor and Rechargeable Battery

I have a tremendous number of photographs sitting on my MacBook air. They range back more than 15 years and have various members of my community involved in many different activities. The problem is they sit there and they don’t get enjoyed by the community at large. Yes, I’ve taken to putting series of slide shows up on the synagogue website but people still need to go to the website in order to see them. As a result I’ve been looking around to try to find the right digital frame solution so that I could put the frame in my…

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