You’ve probably seen QR (Quick Response) codes on magazine ads and elsewhere. Essentially a square barcode composed of varying sizes of black squares, QR codes were originally developed for the automotive industry, but have become increasingly popular for in-store and print advertising, commercial tracking, and ticketing. QR codes are a great way to get URLs, [...]

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Regular readers know that I’m mildly obsessed about leaving my garage door open overnight; that concern lead me to devise a garage door open indicator last year. That approach works great – if we leave the garage door open, a small red LED mounted to the ceiling light in our master bedroom is illuminated. That’s [...]

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Kevin on December 29th, 2010

As each year draws to a close, I find myself in a reflective mood, reviewing how the year went, what I achieved – and didn’t – and my plans for the following year; I imagine many of you do the same thing. I usually have several days off during late December, and take advantage of [...]

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If you’ve seen this, my apologies; it’s making the rounds on the interwebs and it very well might have appeared in your Inbox.  Despite being broadly circulated it contains some useful information, so I thought I’d pass it along.  Coincidentally enough, I realized there’s a simple solution to hiding a key outside your home that [...]

Continue reading about “21 things a burglar won’t tell you” & a follow up to an earler post

Kevin on March 16th, 2010

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective and most relied upon weapons in the traveler’s toolbox.  Inspired by Till’s thread on the Practical Hacks Forum entitled Small Hacks – Big Effect, I’ve been assembling and researching [...]

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Kevin on November 5th, 2009

Canister stoves have become popular with backpackers for a number of reasons: they’re compact, lightweight, easy to use, durable, and reliable. One of the most compact stoves is the Optimus Crux, yet it puts out an amazing 10,200 BTU. Weighing in at a mere 83 grams, the Crux is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand…

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Labour and Wait is a British business located in East London’s  market district, dedicated to offering “timeless and functional” products.   The firm’s founder is a cabinet maker by trade, and one of the products he created for the store is a handsome set of two screwdrivers made with beech handles: The original set was [...]

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