Visiting Hawaii

Many of us on the West Coast who’ve been isolating during the pandemic have been dreaming of finally returning to one of our favorite vacation destinations, Hawaii. But the state government has been cautious about opening up, even discouraging airlines from resuming their regular scheduled service. In fact, it’s been the only state that’s not […]

Only Apple can take features away and call it progress, then years later add those same features back and call it progress

Apple has the ability to wow and impress with its products beyond most any other company. Granted they do it with some impressive technology, but they also manage to impress when they both remove features and introduce new ones that competitors already have. It’s not a criticism, just an observation.  They do so many things […]

It’s easy to leave AT&T and here’s why you may want to

AT&T is in Hot Water It was revealed this week that AT&T executives played a key role in the founding of the far-right conspiracy television channel One America News (OAN). An investigative report from Reuters claims AT&T was involved in the idea for the network, its creation, and provides the network most of its revenue through a […]

The Facebook Files: Is this time different?

Facebook is on the defensive once again with new revelations backed up by Facebook’s own documents. Will this time be different? Past revelations, no matter how outrageous, elicited responses much like we see now: Lawmakers express outrage, call for new laws and new hearings, and threaten Facebook. But then nothing happens. Yes, I do think […]

Inventing new products: 3 books provide first hand accounts

Developing products has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve written two books about the subject: “From Concept to Consumer,” and “To Feel the Music” (co-authored with Neil Young.)  The books describe the process of beginning with an idea, and taking it all the way through development into manufacturing, marketing and selling; dealing along […]

Facebook gets caught once more

For years, Facebook has been criticized for the damage it creates because of its basic design that uses a set of rules and algorithms to bring people of like interests together. Originally it was intended to be used for advertisers, serving up ads to their most likely customers, based on their members’ interests. So, much […]

Take your car and avoid flying

Many are reassessing our priorities after living through the pandemic the past year and a half – everything from changing jobs to appreciating the simpler things and figuring out what’s important and what’s not. As a frequent traveler, air travel, something I did a few times each month, has lost its luster. Many trips can […]

Compassion Fatigue

The time has come when we need to stop trying to coax the unvaccinated to get their shots. They’ve been given endless explanations about the benefit of being vaccinated yet refuse to comply. Their refusal is causing the continued spreading of the pandemic and putting innocent people in danger. Enough is enough. We’ve past the […]

New digital license replaces physical license

At last we’re catching up with China and other countries and moving towards a form of electronic ID. China residents have had digital ID cards that identify themselves when they check into hotels or register for government services. It’s a replacement for a physical ID card. (Of course, China has also used these digital identity […]

News is hazardous to our health

I came across this terrific article republished in the Guardian a number of years ago, but its’ even more relevant today. It’s a subject I wanted to write about, but could not have said anything better than what Mr. Dobelli wrote. This is an edited extract from an essay first published at dobelli.com. The Art […]

Automobile audio needs improvement

Audio quality is finally getting more attention from the streaming services and now it’s time for the car manufacturers to pay attention. With Apple, Amazon and Qobuz now offering hi resolution audio, we need to improve the hardware in the cars to hear the music at its best. Streaming has become the default source in […]

Living in America

If you’re a normal sane human being, you’ may be as frustrated as I am about how people are reacting to protecting themselves and their neighbors against Covid. We see so many exhibiting a total lack of logic and common sense. What seems obvious to us, wearing a mask and getting vaccinated, is not to […]

What the best phone case?

What’s the best case for an iPhone? Like most things, it depends. Do you want something slim, something rugged, a case with a cover?  After trying many cases for a variety of iPhone models, I return to one case over and over again that I consider the very best. It’s the wallet case made by […]

What’s new in the world of travel tech?

New Travel Bags The new WaterField Air Travel Backpack is a new type of carry-on travel bag designed for these times where our office might be most anywhere – a coffee shop, a backyard, or a park. It’s a large bag, 22.5 x 16 x 7.5 inches, with a dedicated office compartment for two laptops and other work necessities, […]

Back on the Road

My wife and I just returned from our first vacation since 2019- a 1200 mile driving trip in the Northeast- bookended with flights on Southwest and United from and to our home in southern CA. Bottom line: I’d rather be driving than flying, even with the costly rental cars. The trip was to visit friends […]

Gadgets for traveling

Here are some gadgets that are worthwhile taking with you on your next trip. Many of them relate to keeping your devices charged in as simple and efficient manner possible. iWalk Portable watch charger – This pocket size battery is designed to charge an iPhone and Apple Watch without the need for any cables. The […]

Apple’s costly and confusing accessories

This is the 14th anniversary of the iPhone, a product that has had more impact on the consumer than most any other product in the last three decades. Who would have imagined a device with so much impact? But the brilliant engineers that work on successive generations of the iPhones must be far removed from […]

Prime Days have exploded with the help of affiliate fees

This week we were barraged with promotions for Prime Days, an event created by Amazon for their Prime members, but now adopted by other online and physical retailers. Prime Days is one of the special times of the year when products go on sale for a few hours or a few days at deep discounts – […]

Big tech’s failure to anticipate

This week, Amazon removed products from RavPower, an online manufacturer of electronic chargers and backup batteries, citing violations of its review policy.  RavPower was accused of offering customers gift cards for those leaving positive reviews of its products. Enclosed with the product was a card with instructions to submit their review once it appeared on […]

Traveling the world from your living room

Not being able to travel for the past year was something I missed a lot, second only to not being with our family. Just prior to the shutdown of travel in early 2020 we had visited Portugal, New Zealand and Taiwan. We commented at the time on how much international travel we did and need […]