My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

Memories of a simpler time

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Everyone that knows me knows I that love technology, and I love it a lot.

I’m the type of person who is always chomping at the bit to see what new innovation pops up next to make our lives easier or more fulfilling.

But truth be told, as awesome as modern technology is, it has some serious downsides as well. And in my humble opinion, one of the most serious downsides of the bunch is how it has impacted the lives of today’s children.

When I was a youngster the world of technology revolved around a “dumb” TV that had no remote and picked up just two channels, a staticky AM radio, a “turn-table” record player (or if you were lucky, a cassette tape player/recorder) and a landline rotary telephone that was tethered to the wall by a short cord…  [Read more…]

Video: Relaxing sights and sounds of a Redwood forest

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As you probably know, most of the videos I feature on this blog are relatively short.

In fact, it’s rare that I feature one that’s longer than about 30 minutes in length.

But every now and then I’ll find one that’s a lot longer, but well worth the time it takes to watch it. This is one of those rare occasions.  [Read more…]

How (and why) to use an electrical outlet tester

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I frequently feature a super-handy electrical outlet tester as my Daily Tech Gadget Pick on my tech blog, but it just occurred to me that I have never explained how (or why) to use one.

In a nutshell, these devices tell you whether any of your 120V electrical outlets are wired incorrectly and are unsafe to use.

An incorrectly wired outlet can cause all kinds of problems, ranging from surge protectors that don’t work all the way up to a serious fire hazard.  [Read more…]

Did you know there are smoke alarms for protecting the deaf and hearing impaired?

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Most everyone nowadays knows how important it is to have working smoke alarms in our homes.

But have you ever wondered if there are smoke alarms that are designed to protect folks who are deaf or otherwise hearing impaired?  [Read more…]

Awesome Video: Highlights of one man’s “thru-hike” of the Appalachian Trail

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At roughly 2,200 miles in length, the Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only foot path in the world.

Thousands of adventurous souls take to the trail every year, but only a relative few have the stamina, will and desire to make the hike all the way from the AT’s trailhead at Springer Mountain in Georgia to its end point at Mount Katahdin in Maine (or vice-versa).  [Read more…]