Alan Buckingham

If you haven’t been marooned on a desert island for the past couple of years, you’ll be aware of the Colin Kaepernick saga. As a refresher, the quarterback was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. He started for them as a rookie and had a good season, though he dropped off slightly in the following seasons. When his contract expired it was not renewed.

You can have your own views of why he is no longer in the NFL. It could be his play, though he’s more than qualified to, at least, get a second string job on many teams. However, most think it was his protests that did him in. When he chose to stay on the bench during the National Anthem it caused an outcry. People claimed he hated the country, hated the military and all sorts of more bizarre things. The fact was, he was protesting violence and, after talking to a military officer, he learned to get up from the bench and take a knee.

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Regardless of whether you’re completely lost or getting your kicks on Route 66, music has always been a staple of driving. Thanks to more modern technologies, like GPS, getting lost is harder to do than it was in the days of our parents.

Also, in this current generation, music has become easier than turning a dial and trying to tune in whatever radio station happens to be in the area you're passing through. Now we have our phones, SiriusXM and other options.

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It’s that time of year where we look for cookies outside of stores. The prices of those sold by Girl Scouts have gone up over the years, but we all continue to buy them. Regardless of whether you like Thin Mints, Samoas or any of the several other brands available, there’s something for you.

Right now, however, the Girl Scouts have more problems to worry about beyond their fundraising campaign. The Orange County, California branch of the organization has warned 2,800 members that their personal data could have been compromised. You can view the letter here.

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While Firefox, Opera and even Internet Explorer and Edge have their fans, many of us stick to Chrome as our primary browser. There are good reasons for that -- features like built in translations, autofill, and syncing across computers and other devices, all work really well.

One of the browser's biggest faults, however, is losing tabs. You’ve likely experienced this annoying problem. Let’s take a look at the easiest ways to get that missing site back in your browser.

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You've no doubt heard of Ring -- there’s near constant ads for it on TV these days, some featuring Shaquille O’Neal.

Ring became famous for its video doorbell that shows you who is outside, without you needing to open the door. The company has since expanded into video security cameras and full security systems, complete with camera, doorbell, sensors and all. Coverage runs you $10 per month, much cheaper than the big names that tend towards $30.

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Ciao. Hola. There are many ways to say hello around the world, even in dead and nearly dead languages. If you own a smart speaker, there's a good chance you greet it by saying 'Alexa'.

Amazon's Echo products have been a huge success, bringing the retail giant's smart assistant to millions of homes around the world. Amazon isn't resting on its laurels though. As well as rolling out new versions of Echo Dot, Echo Plus, and Echo Show it has expanded the list of countries where you can buy them.

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The world has a number of less-than-bright criminals, from those who become stuck in their exit route (think vent pipes and the like), to those who get caught through use of a stolen device. Facebook has even led to a few arrests of people who bragged or posted the video evidence online.

Although this story is courtesy of Facebook, one alleged criminal took an interesting approach to outing himself. While the whole situation is sad for the victim, the end is shocking.

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We all have lots of different devices that need charging on a regular basis, often at the same time, placing ever increasing demand on our plug sockets, and resulting in companies attempting to deliver different solutions to the growing problem.

Cheap power strips and USB hubs offer a solution of sorts, but if you're after something more advanced, there's the Chargehub Powerstation 360 Surge Protector Power Strip. Quite a mouthful, huh? It’s made by Limitless Innovations, an Illinois-based company.

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It’s getting to be that time of the year where people look to the tropics for an upcoming vacation. While some seem born for the snow, many feel the same about warm sunshine. One excellent location is Mexico, and it has many vastly different areas to explore.

However, if you have something more permanent south of the border -- a beach bungalow you invested in, or a full-time residence -- then your entertainment options just got a little better.

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If you weren’t already familiar with Sling TV then you’ve likely had an amusing introduction thanks to recent "Slingers" ads. If you’re still lost, Sling is a live TV service that provides many mainstream channels such as ESPN, CNN and an estimated 100 or so more. If there’s one you want and don’t currently get then there are addon packs you can choose from.

While Sling has been around since early 2015, it still has some growing pains. None, at least so far, have been game changers, more minor annoyances than glaring mistakes.

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The pro-cycling season is well underway. Things kicked off early with the Tour Down Under way back in January, but now it ramps up with the Spring Classics. The most well-known of those is Paris-Roubaix, better known as "The Hell of the North". The cobblestones that lead through the forests can be deadly, especially when wet.

That race commences April 8, and if you don't get TV coverage, fear not. There's a way you can watch the action and possibly a bit of carnage, although we hope there is none of that this time. NBC Sports Gold will be carrying the race online.

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Amazon Echo is amazing. That's my personal opinion of course, but I use it for various things every day. And yes, I know that some of you who wear tin-foil hats will say Amazon is listening to everything. It may well be, but I don't really care, I've accepted that trade-off in exchange for functionality.

I regularly use it to set a timer for cooking or baking, checking sports scores, game schedules, playing music and much more.

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Tonight is the annual music extravaganza known as the Grammys. It's a long-standing awards show and many prominent artists are up for receiving one of the coveted trophies, most notably Jay Z who is nominated for eight of them.

Artists set to perform include Lady Gaga, Pink, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Little Big Town. There will also be a tribute to the victims of the shooting in the Las Vegas nightclub last year.

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Streaming media sticks have become an in-thing these days, with big releases from major players like Amazon and Roku. They plug into an HDMI port on any TV and bring you all sorts of entertainment goodness. The one drawback is that they aren't exactly mobile.

Now one company aims to change that, giving you all of your media on the go and just in time for a big travel season.

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There are multiple ways for people to communicate these days. Pen and paper have largely gone the way of the pony express as the world graduated to the telephone and then moved on to text messages and, these days, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

The electronic age has not necessarily alleviated problems but has simply led to new ones that can be even more frustrating.

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