Stacey McGregor

When you’re in the market for new headphones, choosing which ones to buy can often be a tedious and stressful endeavor. What brand do you go with? Do you want wired or wireless? What functionality is important to you? Even if you’ve been able to narrow your choices down to say “Bose wired headphones with an in-line mic” you still have a number of options to consider. That’s where I come in. I was recently asked to review three different Bose wired headphones, and here’s the lowdown on how they stacked up against each other.

If you’ve ever tried to make homemade risotto, you know that to achieve the right consistency, you need to stir almost constantly for 20 or more minutes–time that could be better spent prepping other parts of your meal, or sipping a glass of wine and flipping through a magazine. That’s where the Breville Risotto Plus comes in. Not only does it make perfectly creamy risotto without the need to stir, but it also functions as a rice cooker, steamer, and slow cooker.

I have no idea where this year has gone. I swear only yesterday I was making my New Year’s resolutions, yet today I found myself thinking about snow, cold, blankets, the holidays, and all things associated with winter. Winter! Even though the weather is still pretty mild here on the west coast, now is the time to start thinking about the inevitability of its approach, and making sure you’re prepared for winter emergencies at home and on the road.

As Canadians, we’re no strangers to brutal winter weather. From bone chilling ice storms that knock out entire city power grids, to blinding blizzards and torrential downpours, to winds so fierce that merely crossing the street is a test of your core strength, coast to coast, we see it all. So with winter right around the corner, now is the time to prepare your tech for the inevitable change in weather.

Bose® is well known for its industry innovations and reputation for delivering high quality products with superior sound quality, so needless to say, I was pretty excited when I was asked to review the Bose® SoundTrue® around-ear headphones II. So, how’d they do? Pretty great! 

Technology changes so quickly these days, it can sometimes feel like your electronics are obsolete the second you walk out of the store. But buying the latest and greatest tech as soon as it becomes available simply isn’t feasible–or a priority–for the majority of us. The good news is you don’t have to break the bank to jury-rig your existing home theatre system so it’s functioning like the latest and greatest. All you need are a few budget hacks and you can put off upgrading your home theatre system until it suits your fancy.

Last weekend I had a moment. I was sitting on my couch, watching Sunday football, sipping a cup of tea, and flipping through a crockpot recipe book, when it dawned on me that fall has officially arrived. While I’d normally lament the end of my favourite season, we had such a hot summer here on the west coast that I’m actually looking forward to it, and to the prospect of meals that include elements that are actually served hot and not eaten on an uncomfortable chair on my balcony. However, when preparing for a new season, things don’t just “fall” into place—you need to put them there. So to prepare your kitchen and dining room for the chillier season, I’ve put together a list of a few key ingredients you’ll need (see what I did there?).

A smart home is only as smart as the products within it, so let’s take a look at some smart lights, smart plugs, and smart switches.

These days, it seems as though there is a smart version of almost every electronic device imaginable. There are smart watches, smart phones, smart TVs, smart appliances, smart fitness trackers, smart cars; the list goes on. But one category that really seems to be gaining momentum is smart products for the home, especially smart products that don’t necessarily require professional installation, like the Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Home Lighting product line.   I was sent two Lutron Caséta products to review: The Lutron Caséta Wireless Plug-in Lamp Dimmer With Remote, and the Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Kit. I started with what I knew would be the easiest to install of the two, the plug-in dimmer kit.  

It’s amazing to see how cameras have evolved over the last 20 years. Remember the days when you’d have to load a roll of film into your camera and then take that film in to be developed after only 12, 24, or 36 snapshots? Those days are long gone. Now we can capture the ins and outs of our daily lives with our smartphone cameras and share those moments with the world in an instant via the touch of a button. The Narrative Clip wearable camera takes this concept of chronicling our lives­—or “lifelogging”—to a whole new level by snapping a picture every 30 seconds, and I recently had an opportunity to take one for a spin.