My Daily Smile

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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…]

Q&A: Has there ever been snow on the ground in all 50 US states at the same time?

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Question from Melissa:  Several of my friends and I were talking about all the snow we’re getting this year in upstate New York when someone said they can remember a time when there was snow on the ground in all 50 states at the same time.

None of us believed him when he said that. Is it true? That just doesn’t seem possible.  [Read more…]

Q&A: Why are there so many Russian dash cam videos on YouTube?

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Question from Tina:  I really like watching the dash cam videos on YouTube and I’ve noticed something strange. Most of those videos appear to be from Russia.

I’ve always heard that Russia is a very poor country compared to the United States and other western countries so how can all those Russian drivers afford to spend money on something like a dash cam?  [Read more…]