At Home with Tech

November 17, 2024

How my Lost Amazon Package Led to this Walmart+ Discount at the Gas Pump

My missing Amazon order unexpectedly steered me toward Walmart+ with its promise to save me 10¢ per gallon when filling up my hybrid SUV. Here’s what happened.

Yes, my Amazon order never showed up. I’ve been patiently tracking the delivery of a new black belt. (My old belt wore out where my work badge clips on.) The package is way overdue, and the tracking number stopped posting updates a week ago. (It left Windsor Locks, CT at 4:56am.)

I think my belt is likely lost in transit.

Uncertainty Leads to Opportunity
No worries. My life will continue without disruption. I have other belts, and of course, I’ll buy another one. But I’m first interested to see what happens next. Amazon is now kindly offering me the opportunity to cancel my order. But that’s too easy. Will Amazon blink first? Will someone or something refund me or alternatively mail out another belt? We’ll find out…

The good news is Amazon has a delivery success rate of about 99.9998% to my house. Sometimes packages just get lost.

But these infrequent moments do remind me how much my online shopping has consolidated around Amazon. And that’s not always good. More choice is better. It would be nice if Amazon had a little more competition. Of course, they’ve run most everyone else out of business.

But there is… Walmart.

Time to Try Out Walmart+
Yes, I’ve shopped at walmart.com a few times across the pandemic. But its marketplace is often flooded with any number of third-party sellers with more expensive pricing. So, you’ve got to really know the correct price points. (To be fair, Amazon sometimes has that problem too.)

So, my relationship with Walmart has remained an in-store experience. Then, my new belt got lost and I happened to simultaneously find a discount opportunity to join Walmart+.

Walmart’s paid membership is like Amazon Prime in that you get free shipping and delivery, plus other member benefits.

Yes, I pay for Amazon Prime, and yes, I believe I’m getting value in the annual cost, mostly due to the Prime Video platform, in addition to the free shipping.

So, with an easy onramp to join Walmart+, I decided to give it a spin. Plus, I was especially attracted to one big perk.

Save 10¢ on a Gallon of Gas
I’ve always been interested in signing up for a fuel-discount program, and Walmart+ has one. I’ve previously hedged on other opportunities that are more complex than I really wanted to deal with. But the strong Walmart brand and the simple set up on the Walmart app gave me confidence to explore this discount gas deal.

The Walmart+ program saves you 10¢ per gallon at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart and Murphy stations. Again, you need the Walmart app on your phone to access the special pricing. Here’s how it worked when I drove into a Mobil station.

As soon as I opened the Walmart+ app, it asked if I wanted to gas up. It had already sensed the Mobil station wirelessly. I said, “Yes, please!”
As soon as I tapped in the pump number, it confirmed the credit card I wanted to use.
And that was really it. The pump activated, I selected 87 octane, and I was ready to go.
When I was done, I received a receipt on my app, which confirmed my discount, and I drove away.

Really easy. Never had to swipe a credit card at the pump.

So now, I’ve got a new hybrid SUV which needs less gas, and a new way to save money on the gas that I do buy.

Hallucination Vs. Reality
I have this silly vision that the Amazon delivery van with my belt ran out of gas, and the van is abandoned on the side of the road somewhere.

If only the Amazon driver had a Walmart+ account. That extra 10¢/gallon savings might have provided a little more fuel to get that van to my house.

Maybe my belt will find its way home in time for the holidays. Perhaps someone else is already wearing it.

Yes, it’s just a belt, but the butterfly effect from its disappearance has strangely led me to save some money at the gas pump.

Now, I’m even more intrigued with how my belt story will end.

November 10, 2024

How to Frame a Live Photo for Hogwarts or your Muggle Home

If you extend the wizardry of an iPhone’s Live Photo mode and add your imagery to a digital photo frame, you can transform your photography. It’s not so futuristic. Here’s how to bring more motion to reframe your photos today.

I’ve always been on the fence regarding the value of Live Photo mode on an iPhone. This feature appears to magically turn a still photo into one with three seconds of motion. Of course, the reality is these ‘magical’ photos are just little movie files (1.5 seconds before and after you snap).

Sure, creating a Live Photo is useful so you can later pick out a better ‘key photo’ frame. That’s especially helpful in a group shot if someone’s eyes are mid blink. But if you really want to capture a micro movie, I recommend just shooting in video mode for a few seconds.

But I think Apple is onto something that isn’t yet mainstream. And it connects with how you would want to display a Live Photo. I would offer that these moving photos are ideal in a digital photo frame.

The Perfect Moment can Take Longer than 3 Seconds
If you think about the Harry Potter films and all those ‘living’ paintings often seen in the background, the paintings are effectively digital photo frames magically displaying live portraits. Of course, the motion in each painting is specially curated to display a longer moment or a complete action from the character in the frame. If you went back and clocked them, they’re probably double the length of an iPhone’s Live Photo.

Often, a ‘moment’ in time that’s visually meaningful takes more than 3 seconds to complete. But as photographers (and aren’t we all?), we’re trained find that singular frame that captures it all.

But you can also just let the ‘live’ unfold. Sometimes, that’s so much easier. And Apple would say that’s exactly what a Live Photo offers.

Extended Live Photos are Better
However, I don’t think a Live Photo is entirely optimized for this task. It’s just too short, and you can’t be sure you’ll capture the complete end of the moment in front of you. Apple’s automation of its Live Photo process creates an imperfect crop of time versus how long the moment requires.

I feel you’ve really got to be running your iPhone in video mode for at least a few more seconds to ensure for that.

And in doing so, you’ll create what I’ll call an ‘extended live photo.’

Yes, it’s simply a seven to ten second video clip. But now your mindset should shift to still see it as one extended moment… with motion. (Do you feel your brain vibrating with this aha moment?)

Photographic Magic
Okay. So now, you’re creating something entirely new. Congratulations. You’re a wizard.

But what are you supposed to do with these extended live photos? Well, as I mentioned up top, they’d look great on a digital photo frame. All of your longer visual moments would still be short, but entirely complete without being abruptly cut off.

So, you’ve just got to bring a new mindset to your photography with the goal of finding and capturing these extended moments and then showing off your short videos on your digital photo frames. Soon your home will start to resemble the hallways at Hogwarts.

If you want to give it a shot, here are some ideas on where to spot perfect visual moments for this.

Opportunities for Extended Live Photos
First off, any moment for a still photo can also make for a great extended live photo.

People hugging
Blowing out birthday candles
Vacations
School reunions
Outdoor activities
Your pet simply staring at the camera

Find the Highlight from a Longer Video
If you’re already planning on taking a longer video, later selecting a five to ten second highlight will probably make for a great extended live photo.

Create a Living Group Portrait
We’ve been trained to think of a group shot as a still moment where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

I would offer that’s only part of the picture. The energy and motion that surrounds that one perfect frame is often as interesting, if not more so. In a group, the interpersonal dynamics are usually on full display (people talking and laughing together).

I’ve seen the New York Times use this visual strategy online when presenting people features. (It’s quite compelling.)

Enjoy Nature’s Beauty
If you’re a nature photographer, why not simply capture 10 seconds of that beautiful scene?

Adding in the ‘live’ will totally bring the still moment to life.

It’s a similar strategy as creating a live portrait, but much easier as nature is always strutting its stuff.

What About the Audio Track?
Technically, you don’t need the audio if you’re displaying your extended live photo on a digital frame. Sure, some of these frames can play sound, but I don’t expect you’ll use that functionality. (Photo frames are meant to be seen and not heard.)

But your extended live photos should still be optimized for the sound to heard. That’s because the clip may later be used with its audio track for a future use. So be mindful to trim these short video clips accordingly.

Keep it Moving
Digital photo frames are hardly new. I wouldn’t even call the product line that exciting anymore. But if you feed them with your own ‘extended’ live photos, that can be a real game changer.

And sometimes, you might naturally just shoot a video for only 10 seconds. Later, you’ll ask yourself how you might use it. Well, now you know!

I’m just a mere Muggle, but using this photographic trick for your digital photo frames will always look like magic.

November 3, 2024

Updated Safety Gear for Your Car

It was time for me to update and replace the decade-old emergency/safety kit items I had happily never had to use in my SUV. Here’s where I upgraded.

Taking a road trip without a spare tire is my new standard, now that I’ve bought my Honda CR-V Hybrid. As I mentioned last time, many new vehicles no longer come with a spare. (They’ve been replaced with tire repair kits.) But driving about without a net doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for the unexpected.

When I said goodbye to my old Toyota RAV4 and traded it in, of course, I first cleared out all my stuff. (Don’t forget the E-ZPass puck that’s stuck to your windshield and erase your personal information from your car’s voice prompt computer.)

I also found my ‘emergency gear’ that I had packed in the back of my RAV4 years ago and thankfully never had to use.

My first thought was to simply transfer it over to my new CR-V. But when I looked closer at some of the aging items, it was clear some of it needed replacing, often with next-generation tech.

So, I proceeded to do a bit more shopping, and here’s my list of updated emergency gear for my hybrid SUV that I hope I’ll never need.

LED Flares
Long gone are the days when you need to use actual flares or clunky emergency blinking lights powered by giant type C batteries. Now, you can buy packs of compact orange LED circular pucks that blink brightly. I recommend you buy the ones that are rechargeable. Older models are powered by AAA batteries, which are more expensive to maintain and bad for the environment. (That said, you still need to test the rechargeable pucks occasionally to make sure they’re ready to go.)
Compact Flashlight
It’s always important in an emergency to preserve the battery on your cell phone and not drain it on illumination needs. It’s your lifeline to the outside world. Give that job to a separate flashlight.
Portable Cell Phone Charger
If your car battery dies, having some extra juice onboard for your tech is always a good idea.
Small Cargo Bag for Break-Glass Hammer
I didn’t have to replace my break-glass hammer, but I wanted to place it in a small protective pouch that would be placed in the bin under my elbow when I’m driving. (I didn’t want the sharp tool to scratch the interior.)
Warm Blanket
It may be cold out there, and having a warm blanket as an extra layer can make all the difference.
Jumper Cables
This is standard protocol, though my Honda salesman did warn me not to use jumper cables on my CR-V hybrid’s battery.
First Aid Kit
Hopefully, you’ll never have to break the seal.
Duct Tape
Yes, there was that time when a wild turkey flew into my car and obliterated my side mirror.
Enough said.

Don’t Pack It
Sometimes less is more.

I threw out my old collapsible traffic safety cone, because the base was leaking sand. Even collapsed, it still took up a lot of room in the back of my old RAV4, and I figured my blinking orange LED pucks would now be sufficient for my CR-V. So, I didn’t replace the orange cone.

Decades ago, my father told me to stash a big bag of sand in the back. (That’s still a best practice on certain auto emergency kit lists.) I did that for my very first car (Honda Accord), but that was it. I know sand can get you out of a slick spot, but I’ve got an AWD SUV. Hopefully, that will be enough.

The back of my old RAV4 eventually looked like a messy corner in my attic. So, I’m trying something a bit different this time. Yes, I think it has to do with not cluttering up a new vehicle. But throwing the kitchen sink in the back “just in case” is no longer my standard practice.

Pack what you really need and then hope you’ll never have to touch it ever again… until you move it to your next car.

Safe travels!

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