Friday, July 3

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Black Friday just came early for the smart Instant Pot with Wi-Fi and Alexa

Well what do we have here, bargain hunters!? If you’ve been toying with the idea of getting an Instant Pot or you have an old model in desperate need of an upgrade, today is definitely your lucky day. The Instant Pot Smart Wifi 6 Quart Multi-use Electric Pressure Cooker is pretty much the cream of the crop, offering all the cooking modes you love as well as Wi-Fi connectivity so you can control it with an app on your smartphone or even with Alexa. It’s worth every penny and more at its normal price of $150, but it just got the biggest discount we’ve ever seen! Here’s the key info from the product page: REPLACES UP TO 8 KITCHEN APPLIANCES: Combines 8 kitchen appliances in 1 with 13 smart programs to save you space, including: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice/porridge cooker, yogurt ma...
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Xiaomi Black Shark 2 review: An affordable flagship gaming phone

Gaming phones are an ancient idea. Nokia released the N-Gage, which was like a phone built into a game controller, in 2003. And it didn’t do very well. But the concept has made a resurgence recently thanks to devices from Razer, Asus, and Xiaomi. Now, Xiaomi has launched its second-generation gaming phone called the Black Shark 2. The Black Shark 2 has a suite of features that make it a great way to play games on the go. It’s also affordable, starting at $420 for the version with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. But I’m less convinced than ever that anyone really needs a gaming phone even if this a great example of the form. What you’ll like Nice design for smartphone gaming I used the Black Shark 2 to play a variety of games, and it was comfortable relative to other smartphones. And a...
What to look for in a wireless speaker
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What to look for in a wireless speaker

Wi-Fi speakers connect to your home network; they usually run on AC power, so they require an outlet. Bluetooth speakers are paired directly with a device like a phone or a laptop. Wireless speakers come in all shapes, sizes, styles and strengths. The trick is to muddle through the many product options and discern the right wireless speakers to purchase. First, however, is information regarding distinction between the wireless routes: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Consumer Reports explained the difference in its “Choosing the Best Wireless and Bluetooth Speaker” report: “Wi-Fi speakers connect to your home network; they usually run on AC power, so they require an outlet. Bluetooth speakers are paired directly with a device like a phone or a laptop.” Planetwifi.org in December offered Bluetooth sp...
Going to a wedding? Expect these techy touches
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Going to a wedding? Expect these techy touches

A current wedding trend is to go big or go home and uniqueness is key. Weddings in 21st century America are certainly about more than the “I do’s.” Money.cnn.com conveyed last January that $35,000 is the average amount spent on weddings. The report further stated that a current wedding trend is to go big or go home - uniqueness is key. Technology helps to achieve a distinct experience, especially for guests. Theknot.com’s “10 Wedding Tech Trends Straight From the Future” provides fun and practical guest enhancements, including: - Live-streaming for individuals who desire to “be there,” but are unable to attend. Streaming goes right to a smartphone or tablet. - Cellphone charging stations so guests will not run of juice to take photos and videos for saving, as well as sharing on social m...
Becoming Your Own Celebrity
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Becoming Your Own Celebrity

Since we have become such a celebrity driven culture, I thought it might be amusing to imagine what it might be like to be a celebrity. Consider this like taking a vacation from your everyday life. This is not to advocate that you become a celebrity or pursue a lifestyle of glamour and fame, when simplifying your life may lead to more satisfying long term benefits in difficult economic times. Rather it is to enjoy thinking about being a celebrity, much as you might add an occasional celebration or fantasy experience into your life. It is like putting on a costume or mask so you become someone else on Halloween. Well, this is an experience of imagining yourself as any celebrity you want to be. To do so, you create or imagine events and activities to experience the celebrity lifestyle by yo...