Operation Gadget

  • Allicaver Outlet Shelf Frees Counter Space

    Allicaver Outlet Shelf Frees Counter Space

    Reading Time: 5 minutes In a previous article I mentioned that we currently have six HomePod minis installed in the house. One thing that you will realize if you install multiple smart speakers is that a well-designed outlet shelf frees a surprising amount of counter space that would otherwise be taken by the speaker. Lots…

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  • Why Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem?

    Why Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem?

    Reading Time: 7 minutes A couple of friends have asked, “Why is Operation Gadget’s subtitle ‘Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem’?” I guess they’re asking, why not cover all aspects of home automation? Or perhaps they mean, why not pick Amazon.com’s ecosystem, based on the Alexa voice assistant and Ring security products? Or even Google’s…

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  • Welcome Back to Operation Gadget

    Welcome Back to Operation Gadget

    Reading Time: 2 minutes Today I’m relaunching Operation Gadget, a website that will focus on Apple home automation. I originally launched Operation Gadget on November 17, 2003. At that time, it was a weblog devoted to electronic gadgets, software, and related products. Believe it or not, hardly anyone had a weblog about gadgets at the…

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  • Zip-It is a Better Solution for Slow Shower and Tub Drains Than Drain Opener

    Reading Time: 2 minutes I want to share one of the ways I quickly resolve slow shower and tub drains at my house. For the last few years, I’ve been doing a lot of the household maintenance for my family. One of the pain points we run into when my wife lets her hair grow…

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  • 4 ways iOS 11 will improve how you listen to podcasts

    Reading Time: < 1 minute Recognition of serialized podcasts Support for podcast seasons Support for extras, such as teasers, trailers, and bonus episodes Introduction of in-app podcast analytics Jason Snell does an impressive job documenting the changes to podcast feed formatting that Apple is rolling out in iOS 11. He’s one of the people who…

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  • Why calculating home run distances is like measuring sea level

    Reading Time: < 1 minute When a home run lands in the outfield stands– or perhaps hits a pole or façade– the ball stops moving at a point elevated from the field level, sometime by as much as 200 feet. To figure out how far a ball would have traveled if unimpeded— and therefore get…

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  • Team Cannondale-Drapac’s Approach to the 2017 Tour de France

    Reading Time: < 1 minute Business Insider tells the story of the Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team and their huge achievement of winning Stage 9 in the 2017 Tour de France with their General Classification rider Rigoberto Urán. First of all, writer Daniel McMahon is totally correct when he refers to Cannondale-Drapac’s strategy is akin to…

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  • Buying a Bus Ticket in Switzerland with Your Watch

    Reading Time: < 1 minute A company in Switzerland called Fairtiq has an iOS app with support for the Apple Watch that lets you pay for transit tickets using your Watch. The way it apparently works is you start the trip on your Watch as you board the bus (they also have partnerships with rail…

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  • A Glimpse of the Future from 15 Years Ago

    Reading Time: 2 minutes Fifteen years ago this week, Steve Jobs gave this pre-opening tour of the first Apple Store in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. If I said to you in 2001 that Apple Stores would become the fastest growing boutique store concept in retailing, that in the future the presence of an Apple Store would…

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