I often get asked what I use or what I recommend for a specific need or device. I setup this page specifically to answer those types of questions. I have personally used these products myself.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means if you purchase something using the links I may receive a commission however the links have zero effect on your price.

Audio & Video Production

Camtasia

Camtasia by TechSmith is the software I use for video editing and screen recording. I think it has a great balance between being easy to use while being very powerful. I haven’t run into anything I wanted to do that the software hasn’t been able to accommodate yet. Here’s some examples of videos I have made with it.

Setup An Out of Office Message in Office 365

I Can’t Use This; A Chromebook Parody

Snagit

Snagit is also made my TechSmith and does screen captures. It also can do video captures. I primarily use it to annotate on my screenshots and to blur info in images I do not want shown.

Canva

Canva is an online tool for making images. The interface is very easy to use ans works on a Chromebook. They have templates for most social media images sizes so you don’t have to guess whether or not your image will fit. They have a paid subscription, but right now I’m using the free version.

Home Entertainment

I describe many of the products below in my Cut the Cord: Cable TV Alternatives with Roku and PlayOn post.

Roku Express 

The Roku Express is currently the cheapest current Roku model. The base model works great in most situations. I prefer Roku over Apple TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire Sticks.

PlayOn DVR Software

PlayOn records shows directly from websites like CBS, NBC, Hulu, & Netflix. Recording shows from streaming sites allows you to watch them even when they are no longer available online. Also, some basic streaming subscriptions only allow you to stream one show at a time. Using PlayOn you can manually or automatically record shows and family members can watch different shows on multiple TVs, phones, or laptops at once.

RC Helicopters

For the past several years I’ve been into flying RC helicopters. I have a few criteria when choosing a helicopter. It needs to be maneuverable. Secondly, it has to been inexpensive enough that if when I crash it hard enough that it breaks, I won’t cry.

Syma S107

The yellow Syma S107 is the first helicopter I ever bought. It is a fun indoor infrared helicopter. The remote can be set on one of two channels so two can fly at the same time. They are mostly made out of metal so they are very durable and can take an impact. My kids love flying these. My daughter was 6 when she first tried it. Her first flight was a full throttle rise into the vaulted ceiling followed by a free fall back to the ground. The helicopter lived to fly again. It can be as easy or difficult to fly as you want. Do you want to land on a table or on a ceiling fan blade? You can get pretty skilled at flying these.

WLtoys v911

After many many hours of research and watching YouTube bought a WLtoys v911 helicopter. I have bought a few of them now. I bought my first one with a remote control. I have bought two others and I used the same remote for all three. I’ve been impressed with how well they fly and recover from a crash. These can be flown inside and outside.

Tip: If a part breaks it is often just as cheap to buy a new one (without remote.) Save the damaged one for parts.

WLtoys v912

The WLtoys v912 is a great starter copter when you want to move up in size. You’ll want to make the Tim the tool man sound when you start it up. You can feel the air move when you fly it overhead. It comes with a nicer remote control than the v911. The cool thing is the remote can be used with the v911 and the v912. You definitely want to fly this one outside and away from any cars, building, power lines, etc… until you get the hang of it. It is powerful enough to fly in the wind.

Syma X5SW

I also have a quad copter. Like with the helicopters I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I bought the Syma X5SW. It has a camera that will stream video to your mobile phone or tablet via a free app. The app saves the video to your device. With the included blade guards, its safe to fly almost anywhere. It does not have a GPS or gyroscope. Its simple, but fun and will even do a flip in the air.

Don’t Buy this Type of Helicopter

This is an example of a large 3.5 channel helicopter. They are sold everywhere. Some of them are even bigger. There are two sets of main blades. Each pair of blades are angled opposite. This keeps the body of the copter from spinning in circles. The main issue I have with this type of helicopter is the tail rotor. Notice the blades are pointed vertically. Unlike 4 channel (and above) helicopters, this one uses the tail rotor lift the rear boom up and down slightly. This is how the helicopter moves forwards and backwards (slowly).

My issue is you can only fly them in limited places or conditions. The large helicopters aren’t great for flying inside homes. This is especially true if you are just learning how to fly it. These do not fly outside in any type of wind very well due to its design. It can work well inside a gymnasium, but I’ve even have problems maneuvering when the air conditioners turn on. I did start learning to fly on a 3.5 channel helicopter, but I quickly was ready for something more maneuverable.

HobbyZone Champ RTF Airplane

I have one airplane. It’s a HobbyZone Champ RTF. Here’s some quick terminology, RTF stands for “Ready To Fly”. You can take that literally. The whole plane sits in its box all put together. This is great for storing or traveling with it. One thing that might surprise you is it is almost completely made of Styrofoam. The second surprise, it can actually fly. It doesn’t have to be a completely windless day to fly either. However, I don’t recommend trying to land on a hard surface in the wind.

This is a great plane to learn on because it is also a glider. If you get yourself in a jam and are quickly headed for a meteor type impact with the ground, just let go of the controls. You heard (read) me right. If you get into trouble, let go of the controls and it will level itself. That feature has saved me many time!

Training Resources

Google’s G Suite Learning Center

Below are direct links’s to the G Suite Learning Center.

• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Google Slides
• Google Forms
• Google Sites
• Google Keep