21st Century Security

My girlfriend’s house was broken into last week. Unfortunately, she didn’t have an alarm system (she does now, and trust me, between the desire to be safe and secure and my law enforcement background, it’s a DAMN good one) so the crime went undiscovered until we got home.  That night, we started looking at security system options.  The problem (well, the BIGGEST problem) was that she had gotten rid of her home phone long ago and we just use our cellphones (more and more people are doing this these days, so it’s not really uncommon anymore).  Most of the alarm systems out there rely on a home phone to “phone home” to the alarm company when there is trouble or a system update.  Now, since more homes are going the route of cell-only or VOIP-only home phones, the alarm companies are having to update their game plan.  You may have to look a little harder, but trust me, there ARE options out there for good, safe systems that don’t require a land line.  DownloadSquad has a good writeup on the subject today.

 Via DownloadSquad

DIY Pain Relief

Everyone has the occasional need for an aspirin or pain reliever at some point. We get headaches, we get fingers caught in the garage door (trust me, not fun, happened 3 days ago and they STILL hurt like hell) or our back hurts after a weekend of cleaning out the garage. Over time, you can wind up spending a ton of money on “targeted” pain relievers, “sinus headache”, “severe back pain”, etc. Thankfully, there are some things you can do with just the things that are probably lying around your house that will make you feel just as good, and don’t leave a nasty aftertaste.

Via LifeHacker

Hot or Cold

We all want to help protect the little ones.  One of the big dangers around the house is heat, be it from a stove, fireplace, or faucet.  To keep the faucet front covered, we have a DIY tip to help keep your little ones scald-free.

Via LifeHacker