TechyDad, Author at TechyDad

The Bleeding Edge

April 30, 2014 TechyDad Technology

With a name like TechyDad, you would think that I’m always getting the latest and greatest technological toys to play with. At one point, this was true. Years back, before I was married and had children, I loved getting new technology. I obtained the first MP3 CD players (mistakenly backing them over their more limited-at-the-time flash-based rivals). I got a DVD player when they were fairly new. I loved upgrading my own computer.

As time passed, however, I fell behind. I began to realize that my money needed to be spent elsewhere. Providing for my family meant using money that might have otherwise gone to technological toys. I still loved technology, but I became a bit more conservative in my purchases.

Today, I find myself falling behind the curve. My laptop is over five years old and the screen flickers so much that I can’t see anything unless it is angled just right. (Where "just right" is at an angle that I can barely read it.) It is a serious strain on my productivity, but I find myself hesitating over buying a new one. After all, money spent on a new piece of technology is money that could be spent on other things my family needs. (Even though I earned more than enough for a new laptop from a recent freelance project.)

Furthermore, our TV in our living room is a standard definition set. While everyone else watches high definition programs, we are keeping our standard definition set until it dies. We have an HD set in our bedroom only because the standard definition one there died a couple of years ago.

It can be hard at times. That old love of technology still runs strong in me. Part of me longs to get every piece of shiny new tech to play with. The other part of me realizes that doing so would cost more money than we can afford. So I must get my technological fix in small doses and find innovative ways of spreading my "tech dollars" such as focusing on cool freeware.

How do you balance budget and a love of technology?

NOTE: The "tech scales" image above is made of "Scales of Justice" by johnny_automatic, "Dollar Symbol in 3D" by vijayrajesh, "Cartoon Computer and Desktop" by DTRave, "HDTV" by jgm104, and "Smartphone (English Version)" by zorro. All of these images are available via OpenClipArt.org.

Making Foam Lightsabers

April 28, 2014 TechyDad Crafting, Geeky Pursuits, Star Wars

Star Wars day is coming up on Sunday, May 4th. (May 4 = May the 4th = May The Force.) Given that the boys and I are such big Star Wars fans, we figured that we just had to do something special for it. (Plus, B had to do a freelance article about the day.) We decided to tackle something we’ve seen and had been meaning to do for awhile now: Foam Lightsabers.

The supplies are easy:

Foam pool noodles – You should be able to find these for $1 each. We found ours in Christmas Tree Shops. Make sure they’re just think enough to wrap your hands around (as if they were lightsabers).
Shiny silver duct tape – You can get this in Target, Jo-Ann, or another craft shop. This should only cost about $3.50 depending on the store, sales, coupons, etc.
Black electrical tape – You can get this in Target or a hardware store. This should only cost around $2.30.

The rolls of duct and electrical tape should provide enough materials for quite a few lightsabers. We wound up making 6 and had plenty left to spare. I’d wager we could easily make another 6. If so, this means that each lightsaber costs about $1 in materials. That makes this a very inexpensive craft. (Always a very good feature in a craft.)

Once you have your supplies, measure your pool noodles and cut them in half.

Now, you have two…

No, not two lightsabers. Not yet.

No, not two rabbit ears either. You have two foam tubes to make into lightsabers. (Yes, each foam pool noodle makes two lightsabers.)

Next, use two strips of duct tape to cover the end. Careful of photobombing Yoda, you should be.

After this, wrap the bottom of the lightsaber with four lines of duct tape. Make sure to always start at the same section to keep a consistent seam. Also, wrap the tape while facing the end of the lightsaber head-on. Doing it from the side may cause the handle to wrap unevenly. You now have a bare-bones lightsaber.

Of course, we want more than just a barebones lightsaber. We want a full fledged Jedi weapon. It’s time for the electrical tape. You can vary this portion to customize your lightsabers however you like. You can even give your kids some lengths of tape so that they can customize their own lightsabers. One tip is to use a strip of tape to hide the duct tape seam on the back of the lightsaber. You can also use electrical tape squares as buttons.

Now, your lightsaber is complete. As I got more practice in making them, I found I could turn out a new lightsaber in a matter of minutes.

It’s time to go outside and battle some Sith.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Surgery Results

April 21, 2014 TechyDad JSL, Medical

On Friday, I got up, dropped NHL off at Aunt S’s house, and then went back home to pick up JSL and B. It was almost JSL’s surgery.

We packed some toys for JSL to play with and a stuffed monkey to keep him company and went to the hospital.

There, JSL sat nervously while we had our information taken and waited our turn. They gave JSL an armband and let him fill one out for his monkey as well.

Finally, JSL’s name was called and in we walked. They weighed JSL and checked how tall he was. Then they showed us to a bed.

Here, JSL changed into a hospital gown and had the procedure explained to him. He was given a medicine (versed) that helped him relax. Pretty soon, JSL was curling up with his stuffed monkey, ready to go to sleep. At this point, the nurse came over and wheeled his off to surgery.

We waited anxiously for news and soon enough learned that the surgery went well and he was in recovery. Once he was conscious again, we were allowed in. He was still tired and complained that his throat hurt (from the tube that went down it).

He ate some popcicles, took some medicine for the pain, and eventually got to ride a wheelchair out.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the story ends. He has developed a low grade fever and a stuffed up yet somehow leaky-at-the-same-time nose has kept him (and by extension us) up all night long. The doctor said this is normal and recommended some medicines to help alleviate the symptoms.

Hopefully, he feels better soon and sleeps through the night. Otherwise, we’ll seriously test just how little sleep I can get and stay coherent.

Surgery Day

April 18, 2014 TechyDad JSL, Medical, Parenting

Today’s the day that we’ve been nervous about for some time: Surgery Day. Today, JSL is going to go under general anesthesia to have his adenoids cut back, his turbinates cut out, and to have his tongue tie taken care of. JSL is understandably nervous. So is NHL for whom surgery is an anxiety trigger.

Truth be told, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t nervous either. I keep saying it is a routine procedure. I keep telling myself that it will only last an hour at most. I keep saying that the doctors do this all the time. I keep remembering that two of my nephews have had this done with no complications. Still, I can’t help but be scared over what will happen. It’s all I can do to hide my nervous feelings from JSL and NHL since I don’t want them getting even more nervous.

Have you ever had a child go in for surgery? If so, how did you handle the nerves?

Note: The "gloved hand with scalpel" image is by johnny_automatic and is available from OpenClipArt.org.

Matzah Time Is Here

April 14, 2014 TechyDad Holidays, Judaism

I’ve spent the past few days in deep-cleaning mode. You see, Passover is coming so this means I need to clean the kitchen up. The stove and oven needs to be scrubbed. The fridge and microwave must be cleansed. Cabinets and countertops need to be washed down. All non-Passover foods must be put away and the Passover boxes (pots, pans, etc) need to be taken down from the attic. It’s an involved affair that leaves me exhausted with little time for anything else.

Add in that I’ll be offline for the next few days thanks to the first couple of days of Passover being a holiday, and you’ll see little in the way of posting from me this week. Rest assured that I’ll be here happily munching matzah. (For some values of "happily.")

To those that celebrate Passover: I hope you have a fantastic Pesach.

To those that don’t celebrate Passover: I hope you have a great week. And please try not to flaunt any bread you might be eating in front of us that are matzah-bound.

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