Technology Archives - Emusements by Randy Parker

Stockpile: A Fun Gift Idea for Kids But a Bumpy Signup Experience

January 20, 2019

After I started listening to personal finance podcasts about a year ago, I began hearing mentions of sites which allow consumers to buy fractional shares of stocks and ETFs. I don’t invest directly in individual stocks myself, so I did not give these services much thought. But in December, I had the idea that Stockpile gift certificates might be fun and novel Christmas gifts for my two middle school-age kids, especially since personal finance and investing have been big themes…

How I Tamed Peak TV with EpisodeCalendar

December 28, 2018

Randy Parker

Entertainment, Technology

I’ve always been an avid but discerning viewer of both movies and television. I have gone through periods where I’ve focused more on one than the other, but for most of my life, I probably would have named movies as my favorite art form. In the past ten years, however, television has arguably become more compelling than movies, as we have moved into an era of “Peak TV” where the number of “must-see” shows (especially scripted dramas) has far exceeded…

My Favorite Underrated Websites

September 27, 2018

Randy Parker

Technology

One of my favorite blogs, Lifehacker, recently wrote about a Reddit thread where users answered the question “What is a website that everyone should know about but few people actually know about?” Lifehacker offered a summary of their favorite entries from the thread, several of which I already use regularly (including GetHuman, Charity Navigator, JustWatch, and Fakespot). This got me thinking about which websites I would have nominated for the Reddit thread. Here are a few. EpisodeCalendar EpisodeCalendar is by far my…