Want to Silence the Smoke Alarm After it Goes Off

Want to Silence the Smoke Alarm After it Goes Off

Smoke alarms are a wonderful security device, and we never expect to hear them, except when smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) is detected.

However, everyone I have talked to has had at least one incident when they double toasted the toast or fried something that made too much smoke… and the smoke alarm went off!

Normally that’s a good thing to know it’s working, BUT when you have resolved the problem and it’s still blaring (85 dB) at you for minutes it’s very annoying.

Automatic Flushing & Hand Washing

Your mother might be able to use the automatic toilet flusher and touchless water faucet described in this article Smart Bathroom Features for Older Adults These are easy to add on devices for a toilet and a sink        

Ask Alexa to “find my phone”

  The easiest way to set this up is to just speak to Alexa by saying “Alexa, find my phone” Alexa will verbally guide you through the setup process.   If this doesn’t work for you, there is another method to install the Alexa Skill You could set up the “Find my phone” Skill by … Read more

Automating Door Locks for My Parent

Automating Door Locks for My Parent

Explorer Frank wanted to turn a manual door lock into an automatic doorlock that could be opened with a person-specific code, and or controlled remotely. His reason was to be able to "check" that doors were indeed locked when they were supposed to be.

Other explorers wanted an automatic door lock so that if they pressed their emergency alert button, the emergency services would be able to get in (via the special "code") without needing to have an external "lockbox" containing a key.

Connecting to Parent’s WiFi

Connecting to Parent's WiFi

I want to be sure that the device I have configured for my loved one’s Wi-Fi will connect when they receive it. I can’t go and set it up myself.

Amazon Home Theatre for Personalized Sound

  Amazon has implemented an inexpensive couch-side audio system using a Fire TV Cube and Echo Dot speakers near where you are sitting. This is much better than trying to hear the TV from across the room. To set this up, you need to have your Fire TV Cube and Echo Dot speakers already configured … Read more

Descriptive Audio Tells You What is Going On

There is a little-known solution to this problem called Descriptive Audio. Descriptive Audio provides professional narration of the scene. It is available on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.

Computers and Me, Since 1968!

Unlike many of my age peers, I have been using computers since before they became small enough to become the popular tools that took us from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age. Now that I am retired they are still an essential part of my life. Here is a brief history of my life using computers, highlighting some of the ways they have made my life more interesting and enriching.