Tech Trends | At Home with Tech

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.

February 23, 2025

Timelapses from our Royal Caribbean Cruise to CocoCay and Nassau

Independence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas docked at CocoCay

I snapped this moment right before my timelapse that captured the Independence of the Seas’ departure from CocoCay during my family’s Caribbean cruise vacation. Below is the full video along with my other timelapses and the challenges I faced creating them.

My family and I have returned from a fun, four-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. Our itinerary took us out of Miami, spending the first full day at CocoCay and then another at Nassau. The next day, we were on the water, returning to Florida. And then back in Miami on the final morning.

We had a fabulous time, and I’ll be writing more about it and sharing photos in my posts to come.

If you’ve watched some of my timelapse photography in previous blogs posts, you might assume I would try capturing a few timelapse videos during our cruise. And you’d be correct. I brought along my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera and a Joby GorillaPod for the job.

I didn’t have a plan going in, but it quickly became clear what I needed to do.

Don’t Forget to Include your Ship in your Timelapse
I decided that cruise ship timelapses are optimized when they show your vessel moving through the water as it arrives at port or departs. Just capturing a timelapse at sea isn’t as visually dynamic (though if there’s good cloud action, that dance can be really interesting).

Ideally you should simultaneously see the hull of the ship, the water and the port in your framing. The boat anchors the whole shot (and the rest of the imagery moves).

But it’s hard to frame it all in, because that means having to somehow position your camera a foot or so beyond the hull of the ship.

Sure, it’s simple to stretch your arm out to capture a quick photo (don’t drop your phone). But it’s a different story when you need to use a tripod to steady an extended timelapse. Where are you supposed to place it?

Grip the Railing in the Right Place
The trick is to first do a walk around and review the top deck’s railing design. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a part that extends out a bit next to a low-enough glass barrier. (Shooting through glass doesn’t work.)

I found the railing around the Independence of the Seas’ main top deck (12) was not a perfectly oblong design. It did, in fact, jut out in a few places. I found a great spot by the aft, starboard side.

My GorillaPod gripped the railing there for one of my timelapses. Then, I attached the vertical Osmo Pocket, which enabled the Osmo to barely peek over the glass barrier.

My rig held together as it captured this timelapse which showed our arrival at the Nassau Cruise Port.

Find a Flat Surface for your Tripod
I also discovered that a section of Deck 12’s railing ran by two flat metal surfaces located towards the bow of the ship. These were the foundations for the two circular glass roofs covering the Solarium whirlpools a deck below.

Each provided a perfectly flat surface for my GorillaPod and Osmo Pocket 3.
So, when I positioned my Joby and gimbal an arm’s length out from the railing, it offered me the ideal perspective (as if my camera was hovering next to the ship).

Here’s my timelapse leaving CocoCay from that vantage point…
It really helped having another ship (Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas) docked there to provide additional visual context.

This next timelapse utilized the gimbal’s pan function, showing the view while we were docked in Nassau. (That’s the Disney Wish cruise ship in the shot.)

And here’s our departure from Nassau.
(I added a ‘Gaussian Blur’ on the left section in post to mask a couple of travelers who unknowingly walked into my shot.)

Safety Concerns
I ran these timelapses for up to 30 minutes Each frame was recorded at two second intervals. (I sped up some of my timelapses in post). That’s plenty of time to allow for Murphy’s Law to come into play. For the record, this little vacation hobby of mine was a great way to destroy or lose my gear.

There was a constant wind blowing throughout these timelapses. Gripping the railing with my GorillaPod was an unproven strategy under these conditions. Plus, standing my little tripod all on its own outside the railing on the Solarium roof offered no anchor solution (other than my hand nervously holding onto one of the legs).

A lot can happen with no net.

Tempting Fate for Creative Pursuit
My Osmo Pocket 3 could have easily blown over. A big gust of wind would have carried it overboard and into the drink. (I’m sure this would not have been the first time a camera or a smartphone fell into the ocean during a cruise.)

Happily, none of this happened, and my gear survived.

I’m not sure what it says about me that I put my camera at risk like this. I could say I took a ‘calculated’ risk. But that doesn’t change the variables. I think I just wanted the shot, and I felt compelled to try. Perhaps it simply comes from the creative fire that stirs in me and many of us.

So, should you also choose to try something like this, good luck and be forewarned.

And you might want to consider bringing along a roll of duct tape with you… that couldn’t hurt.

Don’t Forget the Basics for a Relaxing Vacation
Beyond the creative achievement and risks to create my timelapses, this simple exercise served another important purpose.

I had to slow down a few times to focus on this singular activity during our cruise, which offered a thousand other possible distractions. These half-hour immersions helped to focus me on the real star of the show… our majestic ship and its own journey. Strangely, this headline is easy to miss.

Some people hang at the pool all day to unwind. I apparently like to shoot risky timelapse videos to recharge.

All that matters is you travel your own path to relaxation… and satisfaction.

Category: Tech Trends

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