Turn Your Dropcam or Nest Cam Into A Spy Camera
You are already using and enjoying your Dropcam Pro or Nest Cam but now have the need for a spy camera. Say you have someone watching your house and you aren’t quite sure you trust them. Use a spy camera to make sure things are on the up and up while you are away. Assuming […]
Flying R2-D2 Drone
On the same day that our “government” decides that everyone has to register their “drones” an R2-D2 drone hits the skies. The FAA is making it a requirement for people to register their unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Ridiculous in my opinion. I will rant alone loudly in my office about this while planning my move to […]
Jackfish Survival Tool
I love good survival tools. You can never be too prepared. The Jackfish Survival Card Holder packs quite a bit of goodness into its 8.5mm case. Heck it even holds 4 credit cards. We spent months designing the mechanism to insert and hold the cards. We went for the more costly option of carving the […]
Tokyo Drone Hunting Squad
In more irrational drone fear, Tokyo is joining the shenanigans with a drone that can catch/snag other drones. Basically they are flying what looks like DJI Spreading Wings 900 which carries a 3 x 2 meter net. And no, this isn’t a joke. It should be, but it isn’t. Tokyo law enforcement officials will have […]
Fusion Smart Guitar
Imagine an electric guitar with an embedded iPhone dock, lithium ion batteries, built-in Class-D 20W amplification, Peerless speakers, and loaded guitar app. You would be imagining the new Fusion Smart Guitar. The app allows users to control the amp effects, run a looping station, and record jam sessions over 8-tracks. I wonder why this took so […]
Roost Smart 9V Battery Solves Smoke Detector Nightmares
There isn’t a simpler way to make your dumb smoke detector smart. The Roost 9V Battery ($34.99) has Wifi built-in to the battery. This means it can alert you when the battery is low (about every 5 years), alert you when your smoke detector is alarming (even when you are away), and can be snoozed via […]
thingCHARGER = Clean Charging For Your Smartphone
There are plenty of smartphone chargers available today. Most of the chargers rely on a cable running across the table, counter, or desktop. This works most of the time, but there are other moments when a cleaner solution is in order. For example, if you wanted to charge your phone in the kitchen, work area, or even […]
Satechi Ventie Adjustable Vent Mount
These days I tend to rely on my iPhone for GPS directions when driving. I have a built-in GPS system in my car but like to see live traffic, red light camera data, etc… So who makes the best car smartphone mount? In my opinion, the best option today is the Satechi Ventie ($19.99). The […]
The Awkward Engineer AWK-105 Analog Voltmeter Clock
This might just be the best $140 I have spent this week. At first glance this clock looks like an old piece of test hardware with two analog gauges. Look a bit closer and you will see the left gauge is labeled “hours” and the right gauge “minutes”. While the youngsters among us might not […]
Netgear Arlo Q Cloud Video Recording
In the past I have said some nice things about the VueZone and Arlo systems. As much as I love the options you get from the battery powered wireless cameras that store video in the cloud, there are some inherent shortcomings. So, I have mostly moved over to the Dropcam Pro (Nest Cam) cameras but ever […]