Tech Trends | At Home with Tech

March 30, 2025

Searching for Silhouettes on a City Street at Sunrise

People walking in Baltimore's Harbor East neighborhood at sunrise

The orange glow of the sun that floods the landscape at sunrise or sunset is a great time to photograph silhouettes and shadows. Here’s how I maximize that opportunity.

If you’re lucky enough to be walking on a city street facing due east or west when the sun is low in the sky, it’s time to take out your camera. That’s when you can easily find magical silhouettes and the shadows of people bathed in sunlight.

Your eyes may only sense a blinding fog of bright orange. But your camera can likely peer through that optical interference and capture enough detail to be later optimized in post.

When editing these photos, I find it ideal to focus on deepening the silhouette effect in a targeted fashion. I accomplish that using Adobe Lightroom with the AI-powered Masking/Objects tool. That allows me to easily select the silhouetted images in the foreground to darken them further without affecting the rest of the photo.

Here are a few examples.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Harbor East (2025)
I snapped this sunrise shot as two men walked to work by the marina.

Facing East at Grand Central Terminal (2012)
Though not technically a street, the Main Concourse at Grand Central channeled the morning’s rays onto New York City commuters as they rushed to their jobs. (I think some of these folks may already be late, as you can tell from the clock.)

Facing West on a Street in Barcelona (2008)
These two women were enjoying their sunset stroll.

Morning Stretch in Hong Kong (2005)
I captured this quiet moment as I explored the neighborhood during a work trip. Even if the sun isn’t in the perfect position, a shaded space with a bright background can offer your camera a similar silhouette effect.

The Power of a Good Silhouette
Whether you have your smartphone or a mirrorless camera to compose your photo (I used my Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200D for my Baltimore pictures), sunrise and sunset are perfect times to capture the landscape.

If you can frame the bright sun in your shot, that’s great. But for me, I’m often more interested in the dark shadows.

March 23, 2025

I’m Going Mad Trying to Find a Mystery Sound in my Kitchen

I used to recognize every sound throughout our house. Then, a faint digital tone began pinging. I can’t locate this ghost in our kitchen, and it’s challenged my very existence.

I grew up in an apartment in Manhattan. The background roar of New York City flowed through me day and night. Our apartment building also echoed the nosy lives of dozens of people living around us. Strange creaks, bangs, bumps and even occasional screams were just a normal part of existence. I mostly tuned it out, but every so often, a new alien-like sound would pique my interest.

Then I moved out of the city, and throughout most of my adulthood, I’ve lived in houses in suburban neighborhoods. Though not exactly the wilderness, there was always enough quiet ambience that allowed me to mentally catalogue the origins of every sound my home made.

The click of the furnace kicking into gear
The low rumble of our garage door opening
The high-pitch whoosh of water flowing to hydrate our lawn
The happy tune from our LG washer machine when it’s done with its cycle
The thump of the cat jumping off our LG dryer
The three pings from my new Behmor Brazen Plus 3.0 coffee maker after brewing

I knew our house’s every mechanical, digital and biologic whisper and where it came from.

Until one day recently… I didn’t.

Smoke Detector Madness
The only problem I’ve previously had with noises in my house was tracking down the annoying cry of my smoke detector looking for fresh batteries. Sure, I’ve got a more advanced Google Nest Protect monitoring the second floor by our bedrooms, but our first floor and basement still host old-school First Alert models.

And honestly, I could never tell which sibling puck was in distress. So, I had to painfully wait in front of one of them for 90 seconds until the next piercing chirp. And of course, that always happened after I’d been rudely awakened by this cruel (but necessary) warning at 2am.

Fortunately, even these basic smoke detectors have evolved over time, and the most recent First Alert model I’ve installed has a 10-year lithium battery sealed into the unit. So hopefully, my excruciating dead-of-night searches won’t be so frequent.

You Can’t Find Me
But recently, a ghost ping has cropped up in my house, and it is completely unknown. The sound is faint and just one ping. I hear the digital note only every few days, and there is no pattern to it.

It’s entirely infuriating, and I feel this brief tone is taunting me.

Sure, I could ignore It. (This innocuous accent isn’t loud enough to wake me up at night.)

But its existence challenges my control… my authority… my human dominance over our little kingdom.

The Digital Ghost in our Kitchen
The best I can tell, this evil ping comes from somewhere in our kitchen. The faint digital heartbeat doesn’t give me enough information, because it’s too infrequent. (I can’t stand around for a day waiting for the next one.)

Logic tells me the culprit is one of our newer devices… my Brazen coffee maker or perhaps our Instant Pot.

They’re both usually plugged in. Perhaps this is just a little friendly reminder that one is unnecessarily sucking energy in standby mode.

So, what’s the big deal?

Open the Pod-Bay Doors, HAL
Well, I can’t stop thinking about this silly audio ping that currently remains outside my control. I consider it a form of defiance.

As I’ve worked hard over the years to make our home ‘smarter,’ that also means I’ve bolted in more tech to track. Most of it is ‘set-it-and-forget-it.’ But that can’t last forever. So, isn’t this a problem just waiting to happen down the line?

Eventually, your home may take on a life of its own. It can start with a little mystery ping. But it probably won’t end there.

Life isn’t set-and-forget. Your tech shouldn’t be either. And now we’ve got AI to improve everything. See where I’m going?

Don’t Lose the Manual
I’m no Luddite. But it’s clear to me that as we continue to embrace technology in every part of our existence, we must pay attention and not lose too much control. AI is allowed to occasionally hallucinate, but we can’t afford to do that even once. (Humanity doesn’t come with that disclaimer.)

If you think my concern is only worth considering as a screenplay plot device for your next Sci-Fi blockbuster, please considering offering me a screen credit.

Otherwise, I’d recommend you always track down that next digital phantom that crops up in your house. Sure, it may just be an innocent ping.

But when your home talks to you, it’s always best to understand what it’s saying.

March 9, 2025

Vacation Tech Tips for your Next Cruise

Here are a few easy ways you can maximize your tech and spend less while taking a cruise.

Everyone likes to kick back on a cruise. It’s a total mindset. During my family’s recent cruise from Miami to Nassau, I especially enjoyed practicing…
my early-morning photography and timelapse skills.

But before you can settle into your groove, you’ll probably want to figure out certain nuts and bolts about life on your ship (especially if it’s your first time).

For me, that included a few questions regarding the tech I was bringing along. I’m sure different cruise lines address these topics a bit differently, but here’s what I discovered during our Royal Caribbean cruise on the Independence of the Seas.

Don’t Buy Separate Wi-Fi Packages for Each Family Member
No, I couldn’t survive without being connected to the world for five days. So, I decided to pay extra for the ship’s Wi-Fi plan. That strategy also covered a few Wi-Fi calls I needed to make along the way. And then I didn’t have to upgrade my AT&T cell phone plan to international coverage when we were in the Bahamas. (I just had to ensure our phones remained in Airplane mode.)

And yes, I ended up purchasing the ship’s Wi-Fi for all three of us. There were a few reasons, including cross-ship calls to our fourteen-year-old son, who would sometimes be doing his own thing.

The most cost-effective way to hook up all three of our iPhones was to buy just one Wi-Fi plan and then pay more to share it with our two additional devices. That strategy cost less than buying three separate Wi-Fi packages for each of our cell phones.

All I had to do is share a passcode with my wife and son via the Royal Caribbean app. And then their phones were instantly connected.

The Royal Caribbean app isn’t clear that all family members can tether to the one multi-device package. I think it’s primarily designed for just one person who may have a cell phone and laptop to connect. (Thus, the name.)

But buying this less-expensive option worked just fine for my family’s three phones.

Less Expensive Choices
Another way to save money is to purchase your Wi-Fi before your cruise begins using the Royal Caribbean app. (There’s a significant discount.) So, it’s best to figure this piece out ahead of time.

And for those who may not choose to pay extra for a Wi-Fi plan, the Royal Caribbean app (which is always connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi for free) offers free texting. So happily, that’s the way to reach your family members on the ship for no additional cost (but remember… it’s for texting only).

Bring Individual Chargers that Power Up Multiple Devices
Power usage is tightly controlled on a cruise ship. Packing plug bars and extension cords to help charge up all your tech in your room is forbidden. Allegedly, it will get confiscated… and then returned at the end of your voyage.

But I didn’t expect our cabin would have only two available plugs to work with. That’s certainly not enough for three people. So, we had to juggle the need to charge up our three iPhones and my Apple Watch (not to mention the battery chargers for my camera gear).

What I would bring instead is a single charger that can power up both my iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously. (I don’t think that would break any rules.)

For example: Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station (foldable 3-in-1)

Upload your Photo for your SeaPass card.
When you first board, you receive a ‘SeaPass’ card. It looks like a credit card and acts like one on the ship. It’s also your official ID, which you’ll need to get off and back on the ship during your day trips.

During the pre-cruise online registration process, everyone must upload a photo of themselves for their SeaPass card. And it has to meet certain visual parameters, much like a passport photo.

Originally, I thought my photo would be printed on the card. But it wasn’t. My picture simply popped up on a monitor after my card was scanned at the ship’s security station when I was heading off ship in Nassau and CocoCay. This process ensures you are who you say you are.

So, if you’re worried about uploading a ‘bad’ photo of yourself, don’t worry. The only people who see it are security.

Find the Free Coffee
Cruises are often designed to be an all-in experience with the one-package price. But there are plenty of exceptions and upgrades you can choose to pay for. And it starts with your morning coffee. Sure, you can spend four bucks for a Starbucks Grande, but if you open your eyes and look about, you’ll notice a whole lot of people walking about with ceramic mugs of coffee.

That’s the free coffee!

I didn’t realize that the free coffee station in the deck 5 coffee shop was set up directly to the left of me as I purchased my Starbucks at 6am on the first morning. For the remaining days, I hooked a hard left as I walked in.

(Okay, this is not technically a tech tip, but coffee has always been an honorary topic of discussion throughout my years of blogging.)

Try Not to Overpack
In general, the ‘less-is-more’ rule’ applies to packing for a cruise. Unless you need to handle multiple climates or pack for a more formal evening, a carry-on bag should really be large enough for all your clothes. (A bathing suit and t-shirt/shorts will cover much of your time.)

Of course, there are exceptions. You might spot someone not following the above guidance. He’d be in a sweatshirt, wearing a Havana Hat (made by Sunday Afternoon) and walking about deck 12 at sunrise. He’d have a small camera bag (Peak Design’s ‘Every Day Sling’) hanging off his shoulder, containing:

His GoPro
DJI Osmo Pocket 3
Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200D mega zoom
and his iPhone in his pocket

Yes… and that would be me.
I still have work to do on the less-is-more packing strategy.

That said, I still had a blast on our cruise.

Category: Tech Trends

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