Recently a friend from the past was driving through our area on a road trip, so we invited him to stay the night. Almost two weeks later, his four month supply of personal belongings was still floating around the living room of our one bedroom apartment. He would check in sporadically, often around mealtimes or when he needed a shower; he stayed some nights and then disappeared for a couple of days. More

It's the season for leisurely Saturday afternoon drives under canopies of reds and golds, the windows down and the air damp with wood smoke and maple; the season for wandering through orchards, filling paper sacks with juicy apples, some to eat, some to turn into bubbling pies and creamy apple butter; it's the season for hauling home bright orange pumpkins to carve into funny, scary, or lopsided jack-o-lanterns. Oh my.

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Last week I got to jet into Berlin and then London for a mad dash through two amazing cultures while attending a remarkable launch event of Philippe Starck's new OS line with AXOR Hansgrohe and checking out London Design Festival. Here is the first of two roundup posts which chronicle - in pictures - the whole week.
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Next week I'm headed west for a weekend in Marfa, Texas. This is a big step for me, as it will mark the first time I'm actually going camping. Being the tech guy I am — and packing along a camera with a need to edit and offload photos — I need a way to dependably charge and use all my gear. Here's how I'm planning on going off-grid while staying connected.
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You can feel it in the air — fall is just around the corner. The nights are getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and the trees are starting to show their autumn colors… More

No, this is not an infomercial for an avian-themed special edition timepiece. However, it is a limited-time offer. Right now, thousands upon thousands of hawks, eagles and other large and interesting birds are migrating south. As a result, birdwatchers are setting up shop on mountaintops along migratory routes, diligently counting each one that goes by. Seriously, they literally count every single one. But just like the brilliant autumn colors, there is a limited window of opportunity to catch them in action. More

As someone who travels frequently, with a partner that travels even more than I do, the issue of which smartphone hardware to buy has become a tricky one with the advent of LTE. In the olden days, pre-LTE, for the most part phone choices were CDMA or GSM, and we would opt for the GSM every time, as that was the one that worked for almost every country we traveled to. Now, thanks to LTE, that decision is not so clear cut… More

The Apple fanboy next to you is squealing with delight, but not everyone is as excited at the annoucement of the new iPhone 5. You see, one of its new features is an unwelcome change for many hotels, gyms and other health and hospitality destinations. More

Utterly and completely ridiculous. A $2495-$2995 portable desk made for glamping (glamorous camping). Yet...I totally understand the appeal and want one of these for myself, the compact fold-open desk evoking fantasies of bring along the 37lbs desk to work up in the mountains amongst Douglas Firs, the desert surrounded by Joshua Trees, or at the coastline with only the sound of the keyboard and waves...my laptop powered by high efficiency GoalZero lithium ion batteries and solar panels, illuminated by a flexible desktop light when the sun sets... More

Ann and I had a 48 hour layover in Istanbul last year. Newbies to the country, we decided to make the most of it. We visited the Aya Sofia, drooled over the colorful tile, and ate some kofta. Unbeknownst to Ann, I also had a secret mission. I wanted a rug.
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