It’s time for our annual ITS Gift Guide! As the gift-giving holidays approach, the ITS team have once again come together to share our nerdiness with the campus.

If you still have questions about your technology purchases after reading through our recommendations, give us a call! Click here to contact us.

Joe Kalinowski, CIO and VP for IT, has found that Apple TV has helped he and the family (mostly) cut the cord. After trying competitors such as Roku, Smart TVs and Google TV, he has found that Apple has the snappiest interface, and an easy to use remote. If you have an iPhone or iPad it’s also easy to stream content from the device to your TV.

While the wealth of streaming apps available (Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, Peacock, and more) means that the hope of spending less on TV doesn’t seem to be a reality,  an Apple TV has proven to be a good device to bring all those services together. Click here for more information about Apple TV 4K.

Tess Walsh, Technology Trainer, is a die-hard Google Pixel fan when it comes to her phone. She’s excited to see if she gets a Pixel Watch this holiday season, as Pixel users finally have a quality smart-watch option. The Pixel watch has deep integrations with FitBit, YouTube and the full Google suite, a sleek round face and lots of watch strap options. Click here to learn more about the Pixel Watch.

2022 is clearly the year of the watches, with Jason Trinklein, Director for Infrastructure, also excited about his new Fossil Hybrid Watch. It combines the classic elegance of a traditional analog watch with many of the features you’d find in a modern smart watch. The battery lasts for up to a month between charges, which is far more convenient than the nightly charging requirements of other smart watches.

Jason suggests that if you find that smart watches are more computer than watch, then this watch might be for you, with a low-distraction design paired with modern features including reminders, heart rate monitoring, exercise tracking, text message receiving, and many others. There’s a plethora of Fossil Hybrid models to choose from, so click here to see more options.

We’ve highlighted Wi-Fi cameras in previous years, but their popularity continues to grow!

Mark Pemburn, our new Web Application Administrator, recommends the Wyze V3 Wi-Fi camera and shares that he uses it in his chicken coop. The coop has an automatic door that is supposed to close at night and open again in the morning. However last year he found that it can sometimes be unreliable so instead of having to go out every evening and morning to check, with a Wyze camera Mark can now spy from his phone. This works even in the dark, because the Wyze V3 has night vision. It’s also a nice calming break in the middle of the day to check in on the chickens, as the view from the coop above shows. Click here to see the Wyze V3 camera.

If the Hoverboards that you bought last year are gathering dust in the basement, a Go-Cart attachment could give it new life. Wanda Rouillard’s (ITS Operations Manager) grand-daughters, aged 7 and 9, loved these over the summer.

A hoverkart attachment is an addition to your hoverboard with one wheel, a seat, an undercarriage connecting the two, and two steering rods. You steer the hoverboard go-kart using the two rods on the side. If you understand the basics of hoverboard riding, it’ll be easy to pick up.

There are many brands out there, but Wanda and her family had luck with Pelliot – click here to see their offerings.

Alex Magid, Information Privacy and Compliance Analyst, is true to his title in again recommending security technology.

While we’ve all used USB ports in cafe’s, airports, and other public spaces, Alex reminds us to be cautious. Hackers often infect USB ports with malicious malware that infects your device as soon as you plug in. To help minimize the risk of your device being compromised, it is best to use a USB Data Blocker. A USB Data Blocker is a device that plugs into the charging port on your phone and acts as a shield between the public charging station’s port and your phone. USB data blockers restrict hackers from accessing your phone’s data.

There are so many types of USB Data Blockers, all of which accomplish the same goal of protecting your device. Some however utilize a stronger level of security, and this is why depending on the type of data on your device, it is always best to do your homework and see which industry prefers what type and why. Alex’s recommendation is the 4th Gen USB Data Blocker, Juice-Jack Defender. Click here to learn more.

It’s time for our annual ITS Gift Guide! As the gift-giving holidays approach, the ITS team have once again come together to share our nerdiness with the campus.

This year, similar to most of our community, we’re hopeful that we can spend the holidays with family and friends in ‘real-life’. As a result, we’re excited to highlight the techy, low-tech and even no-tech gadgets that we’ve bought this year or have on our holiday wish lists.

If you still have questions about your technology purchases after reading through our recommendations, give us a call! Click here to contact us.

Joe Kalinowski – CIO, VP for IT and our fearless leader – recently got an Oculus Quest 2, a virtual reality headset, and he and his family have been loving it. It’s been a great source of entertainment for those using it, and just as much for those watching. At its most basic, the headset is an Android cell phone with special glasses to allow for an immersive experience for the user.  Additionally, the visuals can be cast to other devices so that a larger group can watch along. One thing to make sure is that you have a large enough space to move around freely when using it.

This year, Ben Gardner, Business and Data Analyst, is excited to go no-tech instead of high-tech. Staying local, he’s planning to go on a shopping spree at That’s Entertainment, Worcester’s “Pop Culture Emporium” which sells comics, video games, card and board games, collectibles, and decorations. He has his eye on some new board games with the hopes to play in-person with family and friends. New to board games? Ben recommends Codenames, Spirit Island and Tsuro.

Another low-tech item on the ITS wish list is the Solo Stove. Dan Meyer, Enterprise Systems Engineer, is eager to gather around his new Solo Yukon. Solo is one of a few companies now offering portable stainless-steel smoke-free fire pits for a cozy backyard experience. In addition to the award-winning pit, the company offers a range of accessories – from stands to allow you to use it on any surface, to smores kits, grill stands and color packs that change the color of the flames.

Wanda Rouillard, our Operations Manager, is always on the lookout for gifts to wow her two grand-daughters. This year, the Kindle Kids has been a hit with kids, parents and Wanda alike. Available with fun covers, the Kindle Kids comes with 1 year of Amazon Kids+ that allows unlimited access to thousands of kid-friendly books, movies, tv shows, educational apps and games, including the complete Harry Potter book series.

Jason Trinklein, Director of Infrastructure, moved into a new home this year, and is excited to fully-embrace the smart-home concept. While there are many options for creating a networked home, Jason has been exploring the TP-Link’s Kasa Smart product line. Using your existing Wi-Fi network, Kasa provides smart switches, plugs, bulbs and cameras. While simple to use, Kasa also provides advanced options for those who like to dabble in APIs and services like IFTTT (If This Then That) all at very reasonable prices. As Jason said “At this price point, your imagination – rather than your wallet – is your only limit!”

For those of our community excited to get their hands a little dirty with technology, Melvin Vargas, our Endpoint Administrator, is very interested in Framework. The company is built on the ethos that computers should be easier for you to build and fix, and therefore better for the environment. Instead of retiring a laptop because of a broken screen, dying battery, or old connector, Framework makes it easy to repair devices that are sleek, well-designed and customizable. Additionally, the company offers a robust support section to help you learn as you go.

True to his profession, Alex Magid, our Information Privacy and Compliance Analyst, is eager to get his hands on the Tapplock Lite. When using this smart padlock, there’s no need to remember numeric codes or find that teeny-tiny key. Instead you can use the finger print scanner, unlock it using the Tapplock app, or even set a Morse code combination. The lock can allow you to store up to 100 fingerprints and manage multiple users access via the app.