“Tech” collection
Stay informed on the rapidly evolving world of consumer electronics, high-performance hardware, and digital innovation. This central tech hub provides a deep dive into the physical components and software ecosystems that power your modern life.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →October 25, 2010
Get Beyond those Home Video Style Webcams & Move to HD with the Microsoft LifeCam HD Cinema
Let's face it, when you buy a laptop, you don't usually think about the built-in webcam. But if you look at many of the laptops out there, you will see that the built-in webcams are dramatically underpowered and are pretty much like using a really old camcorder to do video calls or webcam-related actions. Many netbooks, for example, come with…
Read more →
October 20, 2010
Ok, I Bought A New Car, Now What? But First, A Little More About The Buying Process
A few weeks ago our 2001 Honda Odyssey died. The transmission on our 10 year old family shuttle that had "only" 130,000 miles conked out, for the second time. It had served us really well until the last year or so, and then it had developed an expensive habit of relentlessly having to visit the repair shop every few months.…
Read more →
October 19, 2010
Calculating Speeds of Objects On The Go with Pocket Radar
A few months ago I received a really cool and pretty useful gadget. About the size of a cell phone or a compact camera, the Pocket Radar is a nice gadget to throw in your bag, especially if your kids are in sports, or learning about physics. The Pocket Radar allows you to quickly and easily determine the speed of…
Read more →
October 18, 2010
An Interview with Ford: Understanding Safety Advances in Ford Vehicles & the Ford Focus 2012
Recently, I have been very focused on the car industry lately as I have been shopping for a new car. One of the primary items that made me want to consider a new (or newer) car as opposed to and older model is the advancement of safety features that many manufacturers have made. While many car brands have worked hard…
Read more →
October 5, 2010
Make Your iPhone 4 Suck Power Longer with the Exolife Battery Case
My iPhone sucks! Well, it doesn't actually suck in general, it sucks power like a sponge does water. Of course, I have practically every service running (e.g., location, push notifications, etc.) as well as 9 email accounts (a few of those with set to Push delivery), all fetching data every 15 minutes. I surf the web, check Twitter, read my…
Read more →
September 23, 2010
Blazing New Trails with the TomTom XL 340S GPS
Earlier this summer, my family and I headed out on a week long family vacation up to a Dude Ranch in Northern California. As part of the trip, we had a new traveler with us, someone who would guide us on our way, let us know when we were going to arrive and provide a source of tech for the…
Read more →
September 22, 2010
What Does “Silent But Deadly” Refer to in the Latest “Cast of Dads” Podcast #31?
We are still trying to get back into the regular scheduling of our "Cast of Dads" podcast. It's definitely hard to schedule 5 busy dads who are juggling family and work and play times (what's that?). But we did have our weekly virtual convention over the phone and managed to bang out another great episode titled "Silent But Deadly". Note:…
Read more →
September 20, 2010
Book Tour & Giveaway: The Klutz Book of Animation – Stop Motion Video Made Easy
Have you ever wondered about how Wallis and Grommit or Mr. Bill and Gumby or Davey and Goliath or Christmas shows like Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer were made? Well it's a pretty simple but incredibly painstaking process called stop motion animation. It is sometimes known as claymation if the objects are made out of clay. Regardless, the premise is simple.…
Read more →
September 17, 2010
Hey Brands & PR Agencies – Dads are Different than Moms!
When I started blogging about 5 years ago, I had no idea what direction it would take me, nor what type of success or lack there of it would have. I must admit, I'm pleasantly surprised at the result thus far. But it wasn't easy. Having a full time job and having a full time family are two things that…
Read more →
September 16, 2010
Parallels 6 is Some Serious Tech Mojo for Mac Virtualization – Run Windows on your iPad or iPhone
I was lucky enough to get early access to the new release of Parallels (version 6). To put it bluntly, I was and still am impressed. Let's face it, virtualization has been around for quite a few years. Currently on the Mac platform, VMware and Parallels have been playing a leapfrog game, one upping each other on features, performance and…
Read more →
September 14, 2010
Intel Inside the Classroom with the Classmate PC – a Tablet/Laptop for Kids
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Intel “Upgrade Your Life” Summit up at the Intel Campus in Oregon. During this day long event, the attendees got brief introductions to a variety of technologies that Intel has direct influence over or has been developing. But much of the meeting was focused on different initiatives that Intel…
Read more →
September 7, 2010
Giveaway & Review: Move All Your Remote Controls to the Logitech Harmony One!
I have long been an advocate and user of universal remote controls. I mean, who wants to have a drawer or table top full of remotes that you have to juggle around to control various devices. Nowadays, many remotes that you receive with a new TV or a cable box do have the ability to control a couple of other…
Read more →
