My New Weber Grill

Weber Grill Assembly

My New Weber Grill!

The former owners of our home left us their Thermador natural gas grill for our backyard deck. We got good use out of it over the past four years, though we just parted ways with it. It was manufactured by BSH Home Appliances, a german company, which also is behind the high quality Bosch and Gaggenau brands.… Read the rest

Why Are Consumer Electronics Constructed So Cheaply?

I’m a gadget guy. I love consumer electronics. But there’s a critical flaw in the latest generation of devices: poor construction. Many devices I purchased in the late 1990s and early 2000s (and still own, believe it or not) still work like new, including video cameras, CD players, VCRs, stereos, tube televisions and answering machines — even an old Dell laptop.… Read the rest

Top Gadgets For Guys

There’s one thing which cannot be easily contradicted: guys love gadgets. So amidst the finale of CES, the world’s largest consumer electronic show, held in Las Vegas, January 7 through 10, the Cast of Dads dedicated podcast episode 5 to their favorite gadgets.… Read the rest

Keeping Warm On Bitter Cold Nights

Boiler

(Photo: Our Home’s Broken Boiler On Sunday Night)

People tend to take modern conveniences for granted — until they lose them. That was the case with the heat in our home last Saturday night through Monday, amidst one of the coldest cold-spells to hit the Northeast.… Read the rest

Bottoms-Up Innovation (Video)

I recently had a fascinating breakfast discussion with my friend Peter Semmelhack, founder and CEO of Bug Labs, on the decay of apprenticeships and grassroots innovation. We were lucky to feature Peter at Clickable’s Interesting Cafe last week, where he led a discussion on open-source hardware and “bottoms-up innovation”.… Read the rest