Category: Tools

Scan something

Doxie Go Wi-Fi: A True “Take It With You” Scanner

James Floyd Kelly7

My fellow geek dads, friends, and family members know I am a scanner geek, through and through. This is a technology that continues to evolve and offer up more features to both home and office users. Armed with a personal scanner, you can get organized, reduce your clutter, and become more efficient.

I’ve got two scanners in my office, but they’re in no way portable. There are a number of smaller scanners out there that have a small footprint and are extremely light (in weight), but the one that’s been stowed in my truck and pretty much goes everywhere I go these days is the Doxie Go Wi-Fi. I’ve reviewed the Doxie Go in the past for GeekDad, but this new version has some improvements and now satisfies one of my biggest demands for a portable scanner — I don’t always have my laptop with me, but I almost always have my iPhone and/or iPad, and they both work great with the Doxie Go Wi-Fi and the matching iOS app.

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Calendar

A Geek Dad’s Year-End, Get-It-Done Self Review for 2014

James Floyd Kelly

I just googled a few items and discovered I haven’t done a year-end, get-it-done review since the end of 2012. I’d done one for 2011 and 2012, but somehow 2013 came and went and I have no idea what happened there. I’ll just blame it on my kids.

My hope is that some of the information below might be useful to you in your own personal and work lives. And trust me… for every item I seem to have under control, there’s a matching item that is completely chaos. I’m looking at my kids again.

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Hands-On With the $200 OneUp 3D Printer

James Floyd Kelly20

I first spotted the OneUp 3D Printer at the 2014 Bay Area Maker Faire (San Mateo, CA) this last May. What caught my eye was not just the simplicity of the printer but also the colors… a variety of colors of laser-cut acrylic made the little 3DP really stand out. Both kids and adults were gawking and squeezing in for a closer look. I made a note to myself to keep an eye on this company…

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Bitsbox

New Kickstarter Alert — Bitsbox Teaches Kids Programming

James Floyd Kelly

A few weeks ago my oldest son (age 7) came up to me and asked one of those questions that many parents dread — “Dad, can you teach me to program?” While I’m half-kidding, I’m also half-serous. I’m not a programmer! I have some training (mainly in college, but some self-taught) and I’m comfortable hunting down a book when I need it, but, when it comes to teaching my son, I’m really at a loss. What I’d like to do is find a way to make programming fun and interesting, but also something he can do on his own or at least with me watching over his shoulder but providing minimum assistance.

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Creative Soundblaster Roar

Geeky Gadget Roundup

Jonathan H. Liu10

I’m kinda slow with gadget reviews—it usually takes me a while to see how well (or whether) a device fits into my life and really becomes useful. There are some devices that immediately become indispensable, and others that seem incredibly cool but just aren’t for me. And, of course, there are some duds that just don’t live up to the buzz. Here are a handful of gadgets and gizmos that I’ve gotten to try out in the past few months.

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20v cordless vac

GeekDad Review: Black+Decker 20V MAX Lithium Flex Vac Is a Mighty Mite

Brad Moon1

When Black+Decker reached out to see if I might be interested in trying out their new 20V MAX Lithium Flex Vac, I wasn’t all that stoked about it. I’m not a big fan of handheld vacuums, and the kind of mess my household produces — highlighted by active kids and enough dog hair to assemble a new canine every week — is notorious for killing full-sized vacuum cleaners, let alone the little ones. But the high tech MAX Lithium Flex convinced me a cordless vacuum can make quick household cleanup a lot more convenient and proved especially useful on a three week trip to Cape Cod, where a vehicle continually subjected to sand and snack crumbs was in constant need of cleaning.

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