Techish

HOW TO: Keep your pets safe this summer – tools to deal with fireworks, heatstroke, and more

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It was one of my darkest days. My beloved Malamute, Nik, was old. She had no patience for the outing on my agenda, preferring the shade of her favorite tree. So, I left her in the yard with plenty of water, snacks, and toys. It was early summer and the day was cool. By the time I got home, though, she was unresponsive. Heatstroke. I rushed her to the vet, where she spent several hours on an IV and languishing in an ice bath. She recovered. But I could have lost her. And the emergency bill was huge. “Dogs are not people,” says Paul Brazzell, veterinary consultant, and JustAnswer pet expert. “They function very differently. Heatstroke is at the top of my list of summer pet hazards.” But his ... Read more

Road Trip Ready? Here’s what to bring – and do – to stay safe!

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After four months of staring at the same four walls — walls you have scrubbed, painted, and the kids are climbing — literally(!) — you’re ready for a change of scenery. You and everyone else too. Arrivalist’s Daily Travel Index shows nearly 40-million Americans plan to hit the road this Fourth of July weekend. Even though air travel is on a steady climb back up in recent weeks, MMGY Global’s Travel Safety Barometer also predicts road trips and RV travel to National Parks and “less crowded destinations” will dominate summer, while AAA shows Independence Day as the biggest road trip event of 2020 so far. If you’re feeling the need to be anywhere but home this summer — remember we’re ... Read more

Ready to travel? I flew during a pandemic–here’s what I used to stay safe!

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I fly around 10,000 miles a month for work. When COVID-19 grounded non-essential travel in mid-March, I did what I had to do: Hunkered down, followed shelter-in-place orders, and researched tools to help make it safe-ish to travel again. I also worried about work. As a freelancer, I wondered how many jobs I could turn down before feeling like I absolutely needed to get on a plane for work again. The answer to that question came earlier this month. I didn’t venture more than 20-miles away from my home in Oakland, California for more than three months. Then, on June 11th, with a big project at stake, I stepped out of my house, into a mostly empty Oakland International Airport, and onto a ... Read more

How to Meditate: A Beginner’s Guide

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Meditation doesn't have to be scary, or complicated, or even difficult. It can be exactly what you need it to be in any given moment once you realize just how simple and straightforward the practice really is. Here are a few things I've learned that may help you start your own meditation journey, and some resources to help you get started. You're not fixing anything I started meditating because I thought it could fix me. Fix my anxiety, my rumination, my mood, or whatever else what so out of whack inside my head. You'll learn quickly, as I did, that practicing meditation isn't an exercise in correcting thoughts but accepting them. I know how ridiculous that sounds when you feel like all ... Read more

HOW TO: Be an ally to the cause

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 By Christina X. Wood We are all angry, furious really, about the injustice, the lies, the intimidation, and the brutality we see unfolding in the news and in our social media feeds daily. In the wake of the George Floyd murders, our collective fury erupted into the streets. And when we got there, it was dangerous. My daughter (21) went to a protest and, while trying to be an ally to a black man there who was being threatened by an armed police officer, was thrown against a wall, threatened, and “gassed.” (According to news reports, this was inert gas.) She wasn’t hurt. The black man, though, was arrested at gunpoint. “He was saying the same things as me. ... Read more

Tele-Trends? Virtual services boom, including auto mechanics, baby-sitters, and summer camp

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Tele-what? You know all those services that have always been in-person – but then weren’t for a while due to the coronavirus and sheltering-in-place? Things like going to the dentist, getting your haircut, getting your car fixed, going to a lawyer? Well, you won’t believe how many of these – and more – are now available online. I’ve been covering Telemedicine apps that connect people to doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, and therapists over via text, phone, or by video chat for more than a decade now – but they’ve only gone mainstream in the past few months. Lately, we’re seeing a 500%-to-800% uptick in traffic across most telehealth sites since the pandemic began. People still need to see ... Read more

JENN’S PICKS: June’s Best Gadgets

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We made it through June (almost)! Yes, celebrations are hard right now — hard to pull off and sometimes difficult to enjoy — but we don’t want to forget about our amazing dads, equally awesome new grads and all the summer fun the best gadgets around can make even better.  If pandemic times have taught us anything about our gadgets, it’s that we don’t need every new-fangled techy-toy to come along. Just the ones that help us stay healthy, connected, and having a blast, no matter what. Here at the 10 best gadgets you can still get in time to help with all of those goals. KEEP IT CLEAN Monos CleanPod UVC Sterilizer One of the hottest new gadgets around is a hairbrush-sized, ... Read more

HOW TO: Get Cash For Your Trash!

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There’s nothing like being stuck at home to force you into finally doing something about the clutter you’ve been stashing in closets and under the bed for years. Deep cleaning our homes – like baking – has emerged as one of the universal human responses to this pandemic, according to recent data. The JustAnswer Art Appraisal team has been fielding something like 4,000 questions a week from people wondering if any of their clutter qualifies as vintage, collectible, or – better still – rare art. JustAnswer antique appraisers get 4,000 questions a week around hidden treasures have uncovered in their own homes. Some are worth millions. Often, the answer is a startling, “Yes!” One man in ... Read more

HOW TO: Use this tech to find a local demonstration + stay informed and safe at a protest

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I have covered more than 100 protests in my tenure as a general assignment news reporter, before turning my focus to tech. Most were peaceful, but I’ve been caught in the midst of the melee, too – pelted with rocks, tear-gassed, and attacked by extremists co-opting nonviolent marches to create chaos nonrelated to the cause. What I learned early on, long before the days of smartphones and social media, is that keeping track of what’s going on – even along the same city block – can be next to impossible. Just gathering information, law enforcement would often tell me one thing, the protest organizers another, and dozens more leaders, marchers, and watchdog groups would say something ... Read more

Unemployed because of coronavirus? How to make money from home right away

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If you know your way around a sewing machine, can quick-fix a washer/dryer, fridge, boat or car, have an eye for antiques or possess some other random – even quirky – expertise, you could make tens of thousands of dollars working from home within the next month or two. True story.  Unemployment rates are at the highest peak in decades, and 1 of 6 people in America are out of work. Families are trying to figure out how to survive the pandemic and look for a new job. Here’s something very few of the newly unemployed realize: There’s work out there. A lot of it. And it might be just a few clicks away.  In-demand experts earn as much as $70K+ a month A handful of ... Read more

Feeling lonely or isolated? This tech gives you an instant connection

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In the movies, living in the midst of a pandemic means dodging zombies or hiding out in an underground bunker. Here in the real world, it’s been a little different — for most of us at least. Sure, some of the super-rich jetted off to swanky doomsday shelters, complete with underground swimming pools, rock climbing walls, and wine tasting rooms. The rest of us? Well, we ate too many carbs, drank too many quarantini’s, and tried to remember to put on pants before video calls.  As the country eases back into life outside our own homes, daily routines remain a shadow of what they once were. Travel to exotic locales? Ha. But if we’ve learned anything these past few months, it’s that we’re ... Read more

Don’t have a Peloton budget? No sweat. You can still get a workout without hitting the gym

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You don’t have to have a Peloton lifestyle or big budget to afford virtual fitness training. Here are 10 ways to use your smartphone to get a great workout. Gyms might be starting to open back up across the country, but that doesn’t mean people are ready to dive back into them yet. Even though most facilities will have new cleaning protocols in place, gyms tend to be germy. In a study published earlier this year, researchers found drug-resistant bacteria, flu virus, and other pathogens, on a quarter of the surfaces they tested.  If exercising in an enclosed space where people sweat, breathe hard, and share equipment with strangers isn’t your cup of Kombucha right ... Read more

HOW TO: Spot Fake News

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by Christina X. Wood The term “fake news” has, lately, been tossed around like confetti by everyone from politicians to relatives to random people on Facebook to propagandists. The term is used so often and with such intent to deceive that it has, in itself, become a form of disinformation or propaganda. Spotting fake news is difficult because information is complex. But when you proclaim an idea – especially if it’s from a credible source – “fake” because you disagree with it, that’s misinformation. If you are confused and troubled by these terms – fake news, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, deep fake, etc. – and the effort it takes to discern what’s real and what’s not, ... Read more

HOW TO: Support Small Businesses

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Social distancing dramatically changed all of our lives, and one of its biggest impacts is on the way we shop. Walking downtown and stopping by your favorite stores, restaurants, and coffee shops is a thing of the past — at least for now — and even getting groceries is an exercise in ordering online and then waiting for a delivery or pick-up window. Through it all, small businesses are hurting the most.  Think about it: Sure, your local “Mega Mart” can offer things like curbside pickup and local delivery, but the dozens of Mom & Pop shops scattered around your neighborhood just don’t have that option. The good news is that if you’re a small business supporter, there are still ... Read more

Don’t fall for these COVID19 Scams

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The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping the globe, affecting just about every industry you can imagine. Many legitimate businesses are falling on hard times, but scammers? Oh, scammers are loving every second of it, exploiting our fears and anxieties in the hopes of cashing in.  Their tactics are frightening. With so many of us working from home, our personal computers lack some of the protections that offices with full-time IT staff have by default. Now more than ever, we have to be picky about what we click, the sites we visit, and who we trust online.  “The Cure” The Scam: A COVID-19 cure has been discovered, and wouldn’t you know it, you can order it online!  How It Works: Emails ... Read more

Free “Corona Consults” with a doctor and other tech tools you should know about right now:

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Meaningful connection is everything right now, whether for critical health information or just to ease a little stress. Here are seven new tech tools that need to be on your radar.  HealthTap  This telehealth site is offering a free virtual "COVID consult" with a U.S. based, board-certified doctor for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms including cough, runny nose or fever. Sign up and connect with a doctor in less than a minute to get the answers and care you need immediately. GetSetup  This new site (free for now) teaches seniors fundamental tech-based life skills including filling prescriptions online, setting up online banking and bill pay, and enrolling ... Read more