Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  STEM toys for kids made relatable for children of color.  That’s what a company called Brown Toy Box has created with kits focused on subjects like coding, astronomy, chemistry, robotics and more.  Founder Terri-Nichelle Bradley…says no screens necessary….just engaging activities and characters..

“Maya is our coding and app genius kid and we are teaching some of the fundamentals, right.  So they’ve got like a logic card game in there that really focuses on physicality, but learning some of the functions of logic.  And then also binary coding, right.  They’re making a bracelet using binary coding.”

Smart and fun.  The Brown Toy Box kits are available at Target…and sell for about thirty dollars. The company is working with schools too.   You can find more info at www.browntoybox.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Larry O'Connor ....who built a business help Mac users as a teen...is still at it.  OWC's new Mercury Elite Pro Mini lets you add needed storage to Macs and PCs and the company's docking solutions are first rate too.   O'Connor chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Safe and easy control of your outdoor holiday decorations.  The Lutron Caseta Outdoor Smart Plug is new to the company’s reliable and high quality line up this year.  We’ve been long time fans.  VP of residential products Matt Swatsky…says it allows you to control the outdoor decorations and lights from anywhere..and it is versatile year round..

“With this plug in module you can plug it in and you can integrate it with different things.  So we have sensors that you could use but you could also tie it to your Ring doorbell as well so that when someone taps the doorbell  it can turn on lights outside or your inside foyer or anything like that.”

You can find the Lutron Caseta Outdoor Smart Plug…designed to last…for under eighty dollars.  Find more at www.casetawireless.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination Week is a compilation of this week's Techstination reports with tech journalist and host Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  It can be hectic getting around over the holiday season.  Many more people are headed back out for shopping and visiting family and friends.  At Google Maps…there are new features designed to help.  Google’s Justin Burr says a new feature can help you save money on gas…

“Gas prices are a little high right now.  Everybody keeps caring about the environment more and more and so there’s like a little green leaf next to whatever route is the most eco friendly.  And beyond that when you’re searching for restaurants or grocery stores and trying to avoid the crowds, you can see how crowded a business is at a specific time and you kind of plan your trip around that.”

You can also check how busy a shop or restaurant usually is on a certain day and time.  Useful tools designed to make things….maybe… a little less stressful.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.     Rescu is the name of an app designed to help you get assistance…in the event of an emergency…more quickly.   How does it work?   After signing up…the app brings up three large icons on your phone…police …fire…and ambulance…and says CEO Paolo Piscatelli ..you are connected to a private dispatch center…which already has your name and address or addresses…

“We streamline the information.  When you’re on the phone with 911 you have to answer questions like what’s your closest cross street, sir, mam.  On a scale of one to ten what’s the severity of your pain?  You often have to repeat the same information that you are already giving.”

Rescu…spelled R e s c u…costs 59 dollars a year.  It can also be used by loved ones remotely to get the appropriate help…and can use the GPS in your phone.  Find more info at www.rescusaveslives.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin

No dealers needed.   Lower costs.  Car maintenance and repair comes to you.  That's what #NuBrakes founder and CEO Walker Drewett says the company delivers with plans to go nationwide.   Drewett chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.  I’m Fred Fishkin.  Owl Labs is a company that has been bringing smart innovations to video conferencing to make remote connections feel more natural.  We’ve been impressed with the Meeting Owl Pro….a stylish cylinder that has a 360 degree camera…microphone and speaker…that can automatically zero in on whoever is speaking without distortion.  It works with many video conferencing platforms.  Now the company is out with the add on Whiteboard Owl…that makes sharing a whiteboard smarter …even making a person standing in front of it transparent.  CEO Frank Weishapt..

“It creates a much better experience for that remote participant because they are able to see all the details on that whiteboard and participate as though they are in the room.”

It does require a subscription in addition to the hardware.  You can see a demo and find more info at www.owllabs.com.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.

The #MakerX line from Worx brings innovation and remarkable versatility to cordless tools for making and crafting.    Such as?   The company's Meg Butterly chats with Techstination's Fred Fishkin.

Cooking can really get you in hot water.  In fact it should...says How to Sous Vide author Daniel Shumski.  And there are new gadgets that make it easier than ever.    Shumski joins Fred Fishkin for a Techstination interview.