As you know, I'm a huge fan of smart home technology - well tech in any form for that matter! So when Cox invited me to stop by their event and see some examples of smart home technology powered by their Gigablast Internet at a swanky penthouse apartment 47 floors above San Diego I jumped at the opportunity.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lennox®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Everyone can do their part and while some things are easier than others, right now is a great time to think about doing "something" to save energy around the house. For me, August and September are two months of the year where I suddenly become acutely aware of the costs involved with keeping cool since I am generally forced to have my AC running full blast to keep cool. However, there are still plenty of ways to offset that cost, so let's check them out!

Travel can be adventure but the trick is figuring out how to manage the risk so that you have a great time but avoid disaster. In some locations, severe weather can occur almost without warning - and other places the risk is omnipresent. Unfortunately, some of the most exciting places to visit can also be the most dangerous. That doesn't mean you should avoid them, simply take precautions and make the most of them while staying safe.

I'm sure you've read about how technology is changing homes and maybe even you've lusted after devices I've talked about here. Unfortunately most of us don't have the ability to actually see all these things come together in a way that fully illustrates the potential of today's connected Tech Home. To hep fix that, Best Buy has brought to life the latest technology in a model home that they have set up inside the Mall of America.

Last night I got another chance to work with one of my favorite brands - Honor. They aren't the fastest, most expensive, best you can buy phone brand - but they know who they are... and they understand their customer. Instead of delivery phones that cost nearly $1,000 and lock you into contracts they believe in offering unlocked phones for half (or less than that), while still offering premium features.

As you know, we absolutely love the Travel Backpack from Standard Luggage that we received earlier this month. It's a great addition to our travel gear, but the person behind it is even more interesting. It's not often that we get to talk with the guys who actually create great stuff. After chatting with Ryan a bit through email it became clear that he was more than just a guy who saw a niche in the marketplace. Instead, while he is clearly a business person creating an awesome product he's doing it out of his personal passions, and experience as a seasoned traveler too.

I've tested a LOT of luggage over the years and most of it falls into pretty conventional categories and the result ends up simply being an aestetic choice determining which I use. Then there are those "innovators" that seem cool but simply fall flat. When I was approached by Standard Luggage to do a review of their new Travel Backpack during some upcoming trips I was a bit skeptical but I'm usually willing to give something a chance if it fits a need I genuinely am looking to fill. 

I get a LOT of headphones to review and this is a category that seems endless in the number of innovations. Usually though, the innovations are almost imperceptible to anyone without sophisticated equipment to test the sound quality while the rest are based entirely on style. What impressed me about VerveRider+ though is that the innovations are practical and it looks great as well as sounding good too.

Ok, I'll admit - when I first saw these cat ear headphones I thought it was an early April Fools day pitch. Nope, it's real. After a few moments I thought to myself - these are actually pretty cool... and it's just the type of thing that makes a perfect gift for the right woman. However as I discovered tonight, the appeal is much more broad then that as both guys and girls I met made comments and wanted to check them out. 

Are you planning a summer vacation this year? If you are, I'm sure one of the things you are worried about is keeping your house safe and secure. As you know, I'm a huge fan of smart home technology and so when I got the chance to check out some of the latest products from August Home it reminded me that while technology is important there are other things that are important things to remember too.

Tilt-shift photography refers to various techniques used to create special effects in photographs. Special tilt-shift lenses from makers like Canon and Nikon can be moved (shifted) and pointed at different angles (tilted) to achieve the desired effects.

I recently got a chance to check out an innovative new product that's a cross between a hoverboard and a skateboard but it's equally fun on pavement as it is on trails out in the woods. Sound fun? Let's check it out!

Back in March I was visiting the General George Patton Museum and was able to see some incredible tanks up close. It was really exciting to think of being able to drive a tank, feel the power of controlling one. I will probably never get to do that in real life but I could control many tanks in the video game World of Tanks. World of Tanks is an online free to play game where you pilot a tank along with a team in simulated warfare. The game was over 300 armored vehicles from many countries including the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Japan, China and the Soviet Union.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Escort Radar for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Pretty much all guys love cars and gadgets, so even though Father's Day is over this year, consider combining the two of those passions by getting the men in your life some awesome car gadgets! We've had a chance to use the Escort Max 360 a lot over the past few months, but there are some other awesome gift ideas from Escort's sister company Cobra as well. Of course, you could always just buy these for yourself too!

June is Employee Wellbeing month and while I have a home office, it's important to remember that there are things we can both do to make our offices a better place to be. Often overlooked is the importance of how we sit, but the folks at BackJoy are on a relentless campaign to help correct that, including their 10-Day Employee Wellbeing Challenge. 

Housework isn't my favorite task but I love technology, gadgets, and mobile phones. So I was super excited to review the new Samsung POWERbot Wi-Fi from Best Buy. It is the 6th generation robotic vacuum from Samsung and it departs from it's competitors (and predecessors) by introducing a design that looks just like a standard upright but without the stick. Additionally, like you would expect from any Samsung product it also packs in tons of features to make it that much more useful.

When you think of phone cases and OtterBox in particular, the first thing that probably comes to mind is "robust" - and that's a great quality to have of course. What I generally don't think of is a case that actually allows you to do other stuff to make your life easier and more productive. That's why I was so excited to hear about the launch of the new OtterBox uniVERSE line at BestBuy!

They say that "Dad Deserves the World" and while this is usually just something people say, you can actually get him the world now. Well, sorta... With Gear VR you can help dad escape into a virtual world filled with 3D games, and ability to explore landscapes ranging from the streets of Paris to NASCAR races.

If you are going to get dad a corkscrew for Father's Day then you had better get him a damn good one. Luckily the Vinturi Vertical Lever Corkscrew falls into that category and I'm thrilled to have it as part of my permanent bar tools collection now!

Dad deserves something custom that you made just for him this year. It's sort of like how you used to make that macaroni artwork in school, except now this is something that he will REALLY want to keep forever. OK, I kid - but serious, gifts that you make special for someone are always the best and now you can create a custom Wilson football for your dad or really any other person in your life. We recently got a chance to check it out and I personally love it!