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Gadgets: These potential Father’s Day gifts won’t disappoint

Gregg Ellman | Tribune News Service (TNS) Your dad doesn’t want a new shirt, shorts or a tie for Father’s Day. It’s all about him. That’s why I asked some local fathers about two potential gifts — a new power drill or a prominent Bluetooth speaker — and they all approved. Some even asked me to tip off their families about them. DeWalt, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, recently launched a pair of tools to make any dad happy. The 20V Max Brushless 1/2-inch Drill/Driver (DCD793) is an amazingly small and powerful cordless tool. It’s built with a more petite body than previous models (about 2 inches shorter) but with 16% more power. The new light and powerful tool...

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How to identify insects that bite or sting – and avoid being bitten

With the arrival of warmer weather, people swarm in their hundreds to the great outdoors to soak up the sun and spend time with friends and family. But we’re not the only creatures coming out in droves to enjoy the delights of summer. While a nuisance to us as we try to make the most of the precious sunshine, insects are just trying to survive. Remember, most of these insects attack when they feel threatened. Be cool and calm (and maybe use an insect repellent) and you should come away bite free this season. Here is our guide to UK insects that bite or sting, with tips on how to protect against bug bites. Want to repel little biters? Stock...

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Set a Story ON FIRE from Beginning to End

The beginning of any story is, by far, the hardest part. Well, except for that sticky middle pain in the @$$ ACT TWO that goes on FOREVER. Total nightmare not getting stalled there. Then, we need to make sure to knock it out of the park at the END lest readers curse our names for giving them such high hopes only to let them down. Okay, let’s just say ALL parts of writing a novel are difficult and present unique challenges. Yet, a story beginning is the kindling that starts the fire that (hopefully) makes readers burn through a book like a wildfire through dry field. For the record, this post IS a bit long BECAUSE I am including examples...

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Upgrading my Chumby 8 kernel part 5: graphics

[ comments ]At this point in my Chumby kernel upgrade project (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 here), I had made a ton of progress but there wasn’t really much to show for it because I didn’t have the LCD working. Even though I had put a ton of work into the project, the display was still black. I knew it was time to get it working. I started out with U-Boot. As a very basic overview of the LCD controller in the PXA168, basically you just set aside some of your RAM for a framebuffer, copy image data into it, tell the controller the format and address of the framebuffer, set up the clocking and timing, and turn it...

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The Best Self-Defense Keychains, According to Experts

Our editors independently select the products we recommend. We may earn a commission on items bought through our links. Self-defense for an everyday consumer can be confusing and intimidating. Many options, like a knife or a gun, can be hard to justify carrying — or just hard to carry — in many situations. But few people leave their house without their keys, which is why there’s a flourishing market of pocket-sized devices that can give you a full-size advantage in a fight for your life.  Many of these devices are simple — they’re small lengths of metal that allow you to apply force to a small area, jabbing and stabbing an attacker in a way that neutralizes their ability to...

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