My older daughter Lilly has been playing music for many years, and in elementary and middle school she did recitals and even a solo guitar performance. Lilly is extremely musically talented and she works hard. …

The only #NoNutNovember credo that matters — 6. Walnuts These nuts are trash, lacking the juiciness of a cashew, the sweet flavoring of a pecan, or the roasted deliciousness of a chestnut. Walnuts are impossible to crack and aren’t worth all the trouble. In fact, the only good walnut ever was Paulie. 5. “The Nutcracker” The 1892 ballet is still super popular…

I mean, that’s what we heard… from other people. Not because we did it. (Ahem.) — Welcome to Dear Omar, a weekly Debugger column from tech expert Omar L. Gallaga. If you have questions for Omar, send them to debugger@medium.com with the subject line “Dear Omar.” There was a kind of boredom that happened during the pandemic shutdown in 2020 that we may never feel again…

Ring doorbells see all, but know nothing — Do you remember, way back about six or seven years ago, when Ring just made video doorbells? This was after the small startup company competed on Shark Tank but before it was swallowed up Amazon, which made the now-ubiquitous doorbells the center of a universe; last time I checked, that…

Where do you see yourself by the end of this article? — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. 6. “Why did you leave your previous employment?” They couldn’t pay me enough to avoid having a nervous breakdown due to incompetent middle management, scheming co-workers, sexually harassing executives, all while making an unlivable wage that made treating said…

In its highly experimental 2021 edition, South by Southwest shows how Zoom conferences can be done — Welcome to Dear Omar, a weekly Debugger column from tech expert Omar L. Gallaga. If you have questions for Omar, send them to debugger@medium.com with the subject line “Dear Omar.” It must have been around July 2020 when I decided I was officially done with virtual conferences. They were a…

And what to do about it — Welcome to Dear Omar, a weekly Debugger column from tech expert Omar L. Gallaga. If you have questions for Omar, send them to debugger@medium.com with the subject line “Dear Omar.” A little over 10 years ago, when I worked as an entertainment editor at a newspaper, I learned firsthand the…

To number one — and beyond! — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. 6. “Toy Story That Time Forgot”, “Toy Story Toons”, and other shorts/specials They’re always great, but the various Pixar shorts and half-hour TV specials from the Toy Story franchise are largely interchangeable and never quite as satisfying as the movies. …

Honey, Rakuten, and Capital One shopping could help you find a better price — Welcome to Dear Omar, a weekly Debugger column from tech expert Omar L. Gallaga. If you have questions for Omar, send them to debugger@medium.com with the subject line “Dear Omar.” My kids, who are 11 and 13, are too young to buy things online, so when it comes time to…