At Home with Tech

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December 31, 2023

My Biggest Discoveries I Blogged About over the Past Year

Here’s my At Home with Tech year in review. Below are the links to my key learnings and tech discoveries.

So yes, these next few weeks can all be about looking forward. The fresh start. The resolutions. The turning over a new leaf. But I like to think of this time of year as the next chapter that builds on the past. It’s not so much ‘the new’… as ‘the next.’

I try to carry it forward. That way, I can greet these annual cycles with the perspective of my past years’ experiences. Said another way, it’s important to look back as you look forward. Otherwise, a lot can get lost across the years.

That’s why I think it’s critical to package up the story of your past year in an organized photo collection (digital or book) or perhaps an edited video-clips overview.

You might also want to perform a mental review and acknowledgement of your other notable actions and learnings.

Take it in. Then lock it in, or let it go if need be.

At Home with Tech Year in Review

As you know, I document my thoughts on technology and family life each week. So, I’ll follow my own advice and offer this summary of my blog posts that reflect my big learnings across the past year. Please check out the links below that most interest you!

My Growth as a Parent

Working in our Post-Pandemic World

My Journey as the Family Photographer

My Role as the Family Archivist

How a tiny film-to-digital converter brought new life to my father’s old analog slides
How to quickly turn a scanned negative into a positive image on a Mac
How to use SmugMug as a family photo archiving tool
How to prevent your family’s identity from being washed away by time

Maximizing your Family Video Clips

My Family Vacation Tips

Best Practices for your iPhone

My Evolving Understanding of Apple Computers

Here’s to a Prosperous 2024
As always, thank you for reading my blog. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in the year to come.

Happy New Year!

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December 17, 2023

Why the Worst Gift is the Best Gift for Yankee Swap

Don’t get angry the next time you’re stuck with a terrible Yankee Swap gift. Here’s how to even the odds for a happier outcome.

Many years ago, when I lived in Massachusetts, I learned about the fun but sometimes-unsettling holiday party game of Yankee Swap. Also known as Secret Santa, it’s essentially a group gifting game. But really, it’s a forced gift swap/stealing game. The item you choose is rarely the gift you end up with, because someone else can take it from you!

You can play it with family or work colleagues. I’ve done both, and I learned long ago that playing naughty makes the game much more fun. You just can’t allow yourself to get too attached to any of the gifts.

The Brutal Rules of Yankee Swap
Here are the basics: Everyone brings a wrapped gift, which then gets anonymously grouped with the other gifts. Often there’s a suggested gift cost, like $25-$30.

Participants pick numbers out of a hat and then each person gets their turn to choose a wrapped gift and unwrap it in front of the group. Then, they have the option to swap it with an already unwrapped gift that someone else has chosen.

Said another way, everyone gets their moment to steal away someone else’s gift. (Well, that’s not true for the first person to go.) And as you would expect, the last person can do the final swap. So that’s the best position to be in. (The number you choose matters in how well you can do in the game.)

The Ultimate Turkey
Obviously certain gifts appeal to different people. That said, there’s usually that one item that everyone wants and a couple that are stinkers.

Usually, a stinker is one that’s average and uninspired. Sometimes it’s a clear regifting moment. But one year from my Massachusetts days, I got inspired by a real stinker gift. It was hardly boring.

It was a 15lb frozen turkey! How absurdly wonderful was that? Everyone’s jaws dropped.

Sure… I suppose anyone could use a frozen turkey, unless you’re a vegetarian, but it’s a terrible gift… the ultimate turkey.

But it was still the star of the show. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about it for days.

You Can’t Stop Me
From that year on as I play the game, I’ve been drawn to the art of providing the perfect terrible gift. It wasn’t from a mean intent. Rather it was designed to maximize the fun.

But there were two problems with my strategy. First, my extended family eventually figured out my handiwork, and I got the reputation as a wacky gift giver. And then as a group response to repel my disruptive play, I would often end up with my own rotten gift. How ironic.

So, then I evolved my terrible gift choices to items that I actually liked, even if nobody else did.

I Like Terrible!
Here are a few examples of my past Yankee Swap gifts:

  • Star Wars Light Saber BBQ Grill Tongs
  • Red Lumberjack Winter Hat
  • Giant Angry Bird plush toy (This one was an unexpected hit.)
  • Huge diamond paperweight

Certainly, it’s an eclectic list. Not for everyone. That’s the point.

But I eliminated the downside, because I would still be okay being stuck with my own terrible gift.

Ho Ho Ho
So, the next time you go shopping for an upcoming Yankee Swap party, if you aren’t inspired to find a great gift, go in the opposite direction. Choose the absurd.

If it raises eyebrows, you’ve succeeded.

And if the swapping process brings it back to you, this worst gift will still bring you some holiday joy. I say that’s how to play Yankee Swap!

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December 3, 2023

Is There a Wireless Charging Stand for iPhone SE?

Even though iPhone SE isn’t built with MagSafe magnets, you can still charge it wirelessly. But it won’t stick to a charging pad. Thus begins my journey for a workable solution.

By now, it shouldn’t be this hard to figure out how to charge up all your gear. But if you’re like my family, you’ve got different versions of the same device (like iPhones) running simultaneously. So, over the years, I’ve collected various chargers that could keep powering newer tech. That’s good, right?

But the charging equation is complicated now that the tech industry sells much of its gear with the ‘bring your own charger’ sales strategy. Then, you’re forced to figure out how to power your new device. You need to immediately run through the compatibility equation with your existing power blocks.

Yesterday’s chargers may not be strong enough to handle today’s power-thirsty tech. And in a family where the kids are likely using older gear than the adults, every charger won’t work across the board.

And the complexity doesn’t stop there. There’s fast-charging technology and wireless-charging to also consider.

Wow. Do you also feel it’s hard keeping up?

Barrett’s Recent iPhone Purchases
Some months back, I had a little kayaking mishap, and my old iPhone XS Max drowned only weeks before iPhone 15s came out.

So, I decided to buy myself a new iPhone SE to hold me over with the plan to later gift it to our 13-year-old son.

For that period, I stuck with the standard Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter and lightning cable. But when I ordered my new iPhone 15 Pro Max, of course I quickly upgraded to Apple’s MagSafe wireless circular charging pad.

No Click-and-Stick for the SE
When I had a moment to stop fixating on my new flagship iPhone, I turned my attention back to the scrappy but still totally capable new SE. I wondered whether it couldn’t also charge wirelessly. (Yes, I was totally enamored with the belated joy of wireless charging.)

Unfortunately, the basic iPhone SE doesn’t contain the magnets for MagSafe functionality. But yes, it actually can wirelessly charge if placed properly on top of a Qi charger.

That last detail didn’t thrill me. Without that magnetic ‘click-and-stick,’ you can easily miss the charging connection lock by a few millimeters and end up in the morning with a smartphone that’s not ready for the day.

Stand vs. Pad
But I figured if I could find a solution where the iPhone SE fit more snugly into place, like on a stand vs a pad, that could be a better system for charging success.

Unfortunately, Apple does not sell a wireless charging stand without a MagSafe connection requiring iPhone levitation. So, I had to turn to other manufacturers…

Fortunately, I found two brands I trust that offered what I needed.

Anker 313 PowerWave Wireless Charger Stand
Anker makes a Qi-certified, tilted stand that an iPhone SE can safely lean on without relying on MagSafe.

The stand is boxed with a Micro USB to USB-A cable that connects to a USB-A wall charger. But it doesn’t come with the charger. You’ve got to provide that separately.
Anker states that you can’t use one of your old Apple 5V/1A stock chargers (the original tiny white block). Not powerful enough. You need a minimum of 5V/2A output. An iPad charger will work if you believe in sharing one charger for different devices. (What could go wrong with that plan?)

So, I knew I also needed a new power block.

Anker PowerPort+ 1 with Quick Charge 3.0
I read the fine print on the Anker stand’s power requirements to maximize its capabilities. My mind started to melt.

I immediately searched for a shortcut and landed on Anker’s only small USB-A charger. (All of their other models are USB-C.)

With both stand and charger, the Anker price is $30.38.

Belkin Boost Charge Wireless Charging Stand
Belkin offers an all-in-one solution, which you may feel is more elegant that my MacGyvered Frankenstein Anker plan.

You don’t have to figure out which charger block to buy. A Belkin charger comes packaged with the stand (which is similar to the Anker model, though more rounded).

I Bought the Anker Wireless Charging Package
I think both the Anker and Belkin options are solid choices. That said, the Anker stand and charger is only 30 bucks vs $45 for the Belkin option.

Based on this pricing differential, I went with Anker.
Click.

Fast-Charging is Always Helpful
All I really wanted was an overnight wireless charging solution for our iPhone SE. And now we’ve got that.

But as it turned out, I’ve also put in place a fast-charging solution with the Anker 313 Stand and PowerPort Quick Charger for any number of our current and future devices.

As much as I prefer the overnight charging rule for our son, what could possibly go wrong with that rigid strategy combined with the complexities of busy family life?

We all sometimes need a little quick boost of power in the morning.

And so do our devices.

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