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Category: Tech Trends

April 12, 2026

Why I Couldn’t Stop Watching the Final Hours of NASA’s Artemis II Mission

I created this fictional NASA mission viewing room and AI generated people. But the center displays a very real moment. And it represents an important lesson I learned while watching the splashdown of Artemis II’s Orion capsule.

I spent Friday night glued to my TV watching NASA’s feed of Artemis II’s Orion capsule reentry and splashdown. I tuned in a half hour before Integrity reached the edge of Earth’s atmosphere and those six terrifying blackout minutes. Then, the multiple parachute deployments and splashdown! I stuck with the feed all the way till the two helicopters dropped off the four astronauts onto the flight deck of the retrieval ship.

My several-hour experience felt something like streaming a movie. As I got up from my couch and turned off my TV, I reflected on my Friday night flick.

One the one hand, it might be one of the more boring movies I’ve ever seen. There were long stretches where nothing really happened, and then the audio feed went entirely silent. 

On the other, it was perhaps the most stunning and gripping event I’ve ever watched.

Because this was no movie. This was reality.

Houston, Will We Have a Problem?

This was real drama. A space capsule hurtling into the atmosphere at almost 25,000 mph. Will the heat shield hold? Will all the parachutes unfold? Sure, we heard optimistic audio commentary from mission control. But anyone could read the room and understand the clear risks.

Forget special effects… Did you see that real-time video shot from Integrity’s window as the scorching plasma ring began to envelop the ship. Whoa!

And that spotter plane’s unbelievable broadcast feed that followed Integrity plummeting downward from 100,000 feet with no net before the parachute phase began. Such a crazy, cool shot.

If I had walked into our family room at that moment, I would have certainly asked what sci-fi movie was playing and commented on how realistic the special effects looked.

Better than Any Movie

That’s so ironic, because our visual understanding of space travel for the past half century has been primarily informed by Hollywood. So, when I’m exposed to the real thing, it’s entirely jarring.

And let me tell you, reality can still run rings around Hollywood.

Sure, every shot may not be as ‘cinematic.’ Some of the imagery was shaky and blurry. It’s raw. It’s real. And then other shots locked in perfectly to blow you away.

That chopper shot that showed the first helicopter returning the astronauts… It was a silky-smooth tracking shot over the water at golden hour… better than any movie. 

Then, there was the Navy ship’s robotic camera coverage that documented the helicopters touching down onto the ship’s deck… Yes, it was a little jerky, but also stunning.

Is This a Rerun?

You may feel like you’ve seen this all before, but you haven’t… not in real time. It’s one thing to watch a History Channel documentary on the space race. It’s entirely another experience not to know how the Artemis 2 mission ends.

And if you’ve only been peripherally paying attention to an admittedly not so compelling NASA program since the Space Shuttles, you might be blurring facts with fiction.

Don’t we already have a moonbase? No, that’s from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

How about Mars? No. Except for some robot rovers and an unlikely little helicopter, all the imagery you might recall is from Hollywood.

Even if you’ve got your facts straight, you may not feel the realty. So, spending a little time watching reality offers an important reminder that space travel is difficult and dangerous… and the real deal is always remarkable.

Powerful Storytelling

Nobody has experienced a manned Moon mission since 1972 and Apollo 17.  And the last act is always a doozy.

This little capsule-turned-into-a-fireball thing as it races through the atmosphere felt very “Project Hail Mary” to me.

I know NASA knows what it’s doing, and we’ve returned from the Moon before, but NASA has clearly evolved its storytelling game by simply sharing more of the visceral experience with viewers.

I think that has a lot to do with better camera tech. (More powerful lenses and advanced transmission technologies.) But it also demonstrates NASA’s commitment to better share its own story.

Class Dismissed… For Now

So, I watched each key moment as our Artemis II astronauts traveled from outer space to their big splashdown in the Pacific. And then I watched the Navy go to work. So impressive.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a Friday night. Sure, anyone can watch the 30-second recap the next morning. But it’s not the same. I got the full experience… the complete lesson on how it’s done.
(And I highly recommend it.)

I am inspired. I feel like a kid again.

Thank you, NASA. And congratulations.

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March 22, 2026

What Tech Should You Pack in Your Emergency Go Bag?

It couldn’t hurt to have a bag packed with essential items to take with you in an emergency. Here’s some tech gear to consider for your own go bag and why.

I’ve always tried to pay attention to home safety topics like fire prevention. So far, so good. But you never know where your blind spots might be. Recently, my wife and I had a complementary review of our house’s smoke detectors by two members of our regional Red Cross. 

They found a couple gaps and opportunities, which I quickly addressed the following week. While smoke detection and fire avoidance were the key themes to our discussion, they also talked about being ready to immediately evacuate in the event of an emergency.

And they brought up the important topic of having a ‘go bag’ packed and ready to take if the situation prevented returning home for a period.

Go Bags and the Cloud

Of course, there are different types of emergencies ranging from a stove fire to an extended power outage or natural disaster that could force you to leave your home. A go bag, also called a bug-out bag should contain items to help you get through this evacuation period. 

While emergency supplies are the priority, the Red Cross team also suggested we might want to think about taking important or irreplaceable documents and photos should our house burn down. (gulp)

They helpfully suggested that I could upload some of that to the cloud to mitigate the risk. 

As I nodded in agreement, my brain began to spin.

Are You Ready?

Backing up my important photos to the cloud is a fundamental file maintenance practice I’ve been following for years. But was I ready for this kind of moment? Plus, was this just tip-of-the-iceberg thinking?

I asked myself if I was really prepared to handle a big emergency, leave my home and perhaps not return for a long time.

I don’t think I am. No, not really.

So, it was time to begin closing that gap.

Mountain Bike Duffel Bag

I started by first getting a dedicated go bag to fill up. After doing some research, I decided I liked the structure of a mountain bike duffel bag. 

These duffel bags have lots of pockets for organization and easier access than a standard knapsack. 

I ended up buying one made by Wildhorn. 

Important Tech to Pack

Next, came the packing part. Of course, safety and survival come first. And while I’ve brushed up on which emergency and medical supplies I should include in my go bag, I’m admittedly still a student in this space. So, I’ll leave it to the experts to offer their recommendations.

That said, you’ll likely want to also take along some tech. You might find yourself partially off the grid, but that doesn’t mean you have to cut yourself off without the right tools.

Here’s my tech list that you might want to consider for your own go bag: 

  • Portable power bank(s) to keep your phone and other tech going
    (A solar-charging model is optimal.)
  • Charging cables
  • Wall charger with USB ports should you be able to plug into power
  • Portable power strip
  • Solar or crank-powered radio
  • Analog watch that can keep ticking more than 24 hours without recharging
    (My Apple Watch wouldn’t be up to this task.)
  • A portable hard drive with important files 
  • And of course, a rechargeable flashlight and headlamp

Just Like a Camping Trip?

While I was creating this packing list, I began to realize that the process felt a lot like packing for just another trip, but one that you hope you’ll never go on.

Another, more positive take is this is like prepping for your next camping trip. (There’s a fair amount of crossover.)

On the one hand, you may already have some of this gear at home. But it’s probably best to purchase a duplicate set and then dedicate this ‘emergency’ tech to a permanently packed go bag that you wouldn’t borrow from under normal circumstances. 

Get Organized

So now that my go bag is packed, I’ve set it aside and hope that I’ll never have to use it. (It’s like spending money on insurance.) One ongoing detail will be to make sure battery power remains charged up.

Yes, completing this project has provided me a little peace of mind.

But I also know I have more work to do on a variety of fronts. There are many chapters in the book of Organizing your Life.

How prepared are you?

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March 1, 2026

My Ode to the Fading Winter

There is an upside to this year’s brutal, wicked-cold winter. Simply that it’s coming to an end. And now it’s time to start looking for spring.

Yes, there are colder places on this planet with more extreme winter conditions right now. But let me just say as I don my weatherman’s hat from the greater New York City area… it’s been a brutal winter. 

Blizzard. Ice. Single-digit temperatures. Yeah, lots of fun.

I like to say it’s been “wicked cold.”

That line harkens back to a past life when I lived up in the Boston area and just about every winter was brutal. “Wicked cold” was simply… winter. 

But I’ve softened considerably across years of experiencing coastal Connecticut’s gentler winters. And now, it’s been something of a rude (re)awakening.

I will say, however, that shoveling all the snow hasn’t been quite as difficult. Why is that? Well, we’ve got the power of a high school sophomore on our team. And that’s made a huge difference. #TeamLester #grateful.

Power Up

I’m also grateful that we haven’t lost power across these winter storms. Sure, I charge everything up, including my portable power banks. But… as we all know, without a full generator back-up system, portable power banks will only cover you for so long.

Plus, I know we’ve got an exit strategy. #thankstofriends

Wicked Fun

But here’s the really good news. Wicked cold doesn’t necessarily have to mean wicked bad. Winter can be wicked fun.

  • Plus, I’ll always take the bite of brisk over summer humidity.
  • A fire in the winter fireplace is always a special experience.
  • And I’ve got admit, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with surviving a certain amount of adversity.

And suddenly, spring is right around the corner.

Hello Spring?

Yes, it’s early, but I hope we’re close to that tipping point. Not to predict, but I see early signs beneath the retreating snow line.

And to celebrate this pending seasonal shift, I present to you yet another
Barrett poem.*

Ode to the Fading Winter

My weatherman’s hat is placed on my head, 
To report on single digits I dread. 
From cold New Yorks streets to the Norwalk shore, 
It’s wicked cold, like Boston days of yore. 
Though I’ve softened in the years in between, 
This brutal frost is a rude, chilly scene.

The shovel goes fast, I’m happy to say, 
With my high schooler’s strength to lead the way. 
Go #TeamLester! We have strength in the snow, 
Using three shovels and stacked in a row.
With an exit plan and friends close at hand, 
We’re weathering storms across frozen land.

But wicked cold days can be wicked fun, 
More than humidity and summer sun. 
Fire in the hearth and pride in the soul, 
When you’ve survived the freeze and reached your goal. 
The struggle stings, but the win is so sweet, 
As we clear ice and the slush on the street.

Now snow retreats and the sun starts to climb, 
We’ve reached the tipping point, it’s about time! 
The signs of the green are starting to show, 
Peeking from patches of melting white snow. 
Goodbye to the ice and winter’s sharp sting, 
I’m ready to say a “Hello” to spring.

*Editor’s note: I prompted the videos and structure of this poem into existence using a little GenAI assistance via Google Gemini and Flow. Thank you!
(My ice photos are still the real deal.)

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