The Cranking Widgets Blog

We’re Back!

For a reasons I don’t know, I decided to upgrade Wordpress (the software the drives this here blog) yesterday. Anybody in the software business knows that you don’t make any large changes (like big upgrades) on Friday because you don’t want to spend all weekend fixing it if (read ‘when’) it breaks.
Well, it broke. [...]

Google Maps Hack – Include the Journey Home

Written by Brett Kelly

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Being the total and complete Google fanboy that I am, Google Maps is where I typically turn for all of my mappy needs. I realize there are tons of other options, but Google’s directions are pretty consistently accurate – plus the application is just easy and fun to use.

Sidekick iD: Cell Phone Accelerated, But Somebody Forgot the Wiper Fluid

Written by Brett Kelly

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For the last year or so, I’ve been carrying around a Motorola RAZR as my primary mobile communication module (what mere mortals might call a “phone”). Honestly, it got the job done, but I was never in love with it. The form factor was awesome if you just kept in your pocket the [...]

It Only Comes Once a Year…

Written by Brett Kelly

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Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Turn Your Daily Drive From Madness to Manageable

Written by Brett Kelly

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Living in southern California, traffic is as common and everyday as the sunrise. Assuming normal “work” hours (9-5, so to speak), just about any freeway in the land will be packed to the gills with cars during rush hour (which is a funny name, if you think about it – nobody is actually rushing [...]

Friday Fun: Toddler Monster Beat-Down

Written by Brett Kelly

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This is a little girl. She’s going to tell you how she’s going to deal with any monsters that roll into her crib (no pun intended) uninvited…

No Will Power, No Resolve

Written by Brett Kelly

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So, for some reason unknown to me, I’ve taken a huge swig of the Twitter Kool-Aid once again (despite a rather poetic break-up). My head is hanging low, believe me…

How to Backup All of Your Data for Pennies per Month

Written by Brett Kelly

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Every so often when I’m out running errands on the weekends, I’ll catch a radio talk show dealing with technology (users call in with questions, etc.). I swear I can’t get through an hour of this show without the subject of data backup coming up at least once (or perhaps the entire hour will [...]

How to Deal with Babies (that Aren’t Yours)

Written by Brett Kelly

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Immediate after the birth of both of our two children, my wife and I would have family and friends pop by to take a gander and the new addition. The room would be billowing with “awwww”s and such, as you’d expect. But for 90% of the people visiting, the question “would you like [...]

How to Make Sure Nobody Gets Your PIN

Written by Brett Kelly

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A couple days ago, I was buying some groceries at a nearby supermarket. As I gently slid my bank card through the terminal at the register, I was prompted to enter my PIN. It’s something I do so often that I rarely consider the potential security risks. What if somebody were to [...]