![Holiday Gadget Gift Guide 2 of 5 - Outdoor and Travel Tech with Guest Scott Jordan]()
December 23, 2020
With outdoor and travel in mind, we welcome guest Scott Jordan, the charistmatic CEO and Co-Founder of highly successful travel-tech lifestyle clothing company
SCOTTeVEST. In a candid interview, he reveals the:
- Core SCOTTeVEST feature he may get rid of
- Huge compliment Guy Kawasaki paid him
- Biggest misconceptions about the pockets
- Mistake (in hindsight) that made him infamous
- New TV show that'll feature a lead character wearing SCOTTeVEST
As a courtesy, time stamps are listed for when particular products from the gift guide were mentioned in the show, along with direct links to where you can get more information about them:
(22:30) Qalo silicone rings
(23:08) Trova personal smart safe
(23:39) Ekster Parliament recycled wallet
with trackability
(24:16) Pitaka Mag EZ Wallet UE
(24:53) Luno Air Mattress 2.0
(25:25) Biolite portable firepit
and lighting solutions
(26:14) Meater+ wireless thermometer
(26:40) GoSun Brew
(27:00) SPOT Gen4 satellite messenger
(27:26) GL iNet Beryl travel router
(27:48) Eggtronic Power Bar
(28:35) Goldenerre smartwatch bands
(28:53) Mujjo insulated touchscreen gloves
(29:26) ACBC zip apart travel shoes
(30:12) Link Flip-shoe
(30:40) Loop earplugs
(31:17) Nanobag 4.0
December 11, 2020
Whether you're just curious to discover cool tech items or actually shopping for that special grandparent, kid or pet in your life, you'll want to listen to this targeted gift guide episode--especially if you have a tween or teen on your list. Because they likely have a cellphone on their list, you'll want to hear the story of how real-life mom and Gabb Wireless brand ambassador Anne Marie McDonald gave her son a phone that actually unzombified him. In addition, we discuss 20 or so super-fun gadgets they'll definitely go crazy for (in a good way):
December 2, 2020
This holiday season will likely test our resolve more than most. But perhaps tech can play a role in offering us at least some peace of mind. In this episode of The Family CTO, serial entrepreneur Christopher Allen (CEO of iCleanse) and Dr. Jim Malley (professor from University of New Hampshire's Environmental Research Group) each offer their perspective about the roles, benefits and limitations of UV-C technology, as they help us to answer the questions:
What is UV-C (ultraviolet light) capable of?
How safe and reliable are UV-C sanitizing devices?
Can they actually kill the Covid-19 virus?
What's the difference between the devices being used by businesses and consumers?
And how can we avoid a false sense of security in them?
Companies and products discussed in this timely episode:
iCleanse
University of New Hampshire
HoMedics Sanitizer Bag
Mophie UV Sanitizer with Wireless Charging
Otterbox antimicrobial phone cases and screen protectors
Whoosh screen cleaner
![Let There Be Light and Other WFH Essentials with guest Trevor Farrow from Lume Cube]()
November 19, 2020
Although being well lit meant something very different back in college, nowadays it speaks to our ongoing need to actually be seen while attending video conference calls. And to our ability to create compelling, stylized, artistic photos and videos. With both of those in mind, we explore the science of lighting as we chat with a revolutionary company called
Lume Cube that's been producing highly portable lighting solutions for several years. This is a great episode to hear if you want to:
- Understand the terms and common misconceptions behind lighting
- Improve your image on video conference calls
- Take your photography to the next level
- Differentiate the pros and cons of ring lights, box lights and those fancy umbrellas
- Figure out which lights best suit your particular use case(s)
In addition, we discuss a whole slew of new and cool gadgets to help you find balance, stay productive and keep your sanity as you get work done at home:
Logitech C920s webcam
(By the way, Logitech's site offers a cool configurator tool that asks you questions about you and your setup to help determine which desktop accessories fit best for you.)
Uncaged Ergonomics WorkEZ Executive
Humanscale Quickstand sit/stand converter
Accell's power accessories
HP S430c ultrawide monitor
Vissles and SideTrak portable monitors
Pixel Eyewear clear lens blue light blockers
Anker and Beyerdynamic portable conference speakers
Jabra Evolve2 65 headset
GuruNanda Tower XL 2.0 Essential Oil Diffuser
November 11, 2020
If you're still up in the middle of the night when this podcast is posting, you may want to hear about the great sleep technology it discusses! Our guest Tim Antos, Founder and CEO of Kokoon Technology, chats with us all the way from the U.K. about how necessity forced him into creating headphones that help folks fall asleep. And how his company's second product, called NightBuds, is about to wrap up a successful crowdfunding campaign. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence, rest assured that these second generation earphones go way beyond simple sleep tracking devices that don't really solve the problem keeping you up at night.
Non-affiliate links to other products mentioned in this episode:
My previous articles on alarm clocks that:
November 6, 2020
This episode wraps up the week's podcasting theme...in style! Guest Anthony Mattana of Hooke Audio shares his journey in producing his company's second product--a clever, disruptive microphone--which you can preorder on Indiegogo at a discount. And we review a mindblowingly intuitive piece of software that makes transcription and audio editing accessible to the average user. Really, anyone who listens to podcasts or is a fan of what's technically possible in the world of audio will enjoy this show.
![How to Start a Podcast with guest Jordan Rich]()
November 3, 2020
Veteran voiceover artist, radio host, producer and prolific podcaster Jordan Rich joins us to discuss the philosophy, content and equipment that goes into creating a podcast actually worth listening to. In the gadgets segment, I review VocoPro's Streamer Live and Shure's MV88+ Video Kit, two handy kits worth looking into if you're considering doing audio and/or video creation. Although, even if you don't plan on being a rockstar podcaster or up-and-coming YouTuber, you may want to listen anyway, because this episode was recorded on three different microphones. You can clearly hear the difference between Blue Microphones' Yeti X; VocoPro's condenser mic--for which I probably should've used a screen, so all my B, T and P sounds didn't pop across the mic as offensive plosives; and Shure's impressive little MV88, which did very well in my otherwise echo-laden kitchen.
Other products and services Jordan mentioned in our conversation:
AKG professional headphones for monitoring your recordings
RODECaster Pro mixer for all your podcast production needs
GMP Music production libraries for honestly owning the rights to the music you use
October 30, 2020
A new kind of gadget site is launching! Instead of simply hyping up the latest, shiniest tech, The Family CTO takes a practical, solution-first approach towards the consumer electronics you may/should be considering for your digital household. In this initial episode, founder Scott Tharler explains more about what that means, desribes the five technology categories the show will cover and gives a sneak preview of upcoming episodes.
