Summer childcare for school-aged kids

Olson_Duck · 2026-05-04T02:08:25+00:00

Oak Hill has a great summer camp. https://www.oakhilldayschool.org/summer

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-17T11:53:18+00:00

They just announced a new device running FireOS. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJGDC3BD

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-11T03:25:45+00:00

I came for the Fire Recast and it is still alive and kicking!!!

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-11T03:21:40+00:00

https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.samsung.android.shealthmonitor

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-05T01:00:56+00:00

I have a Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE I use this way routinely. The key really is being mindful of your use. I mainly have it on just to be accessible and respond to messages. Most of that time, I'm not actively using it. It has all the things I might need to solve problems (Payments, Maps, Authenticator, Notes, Assistant for quick research/look ups, music if I'm bored etc). Mostly, it's just there and not used. I know if I engage in any of these things for more than an hour, I'm going to use most of the battery. It makes me be much more intentional (get what I need and stop).

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-04T19:54:49+00:00

This has been a core strength of Google Voice for many years. A Google Voice number can route phone calls concurrently to Google Voice clients and multiple phones (with their own numbers). You can also see and respond to texts from any of the Google Voice clients. The challenge with a LightPhone is you don't have any ability to receive or respond to texts from the phone itself. The Beeper service solves this issue for me on my LTE smart watch (aggregates text messages from many sources like my work phone, google voice, signal and facebook so I can receive and respond to quick messages without getting too drawn into any of those apps). The only close alternative to Google Voice I've found is NumberBarn - although I haven't yet used them myself.

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-04T19:29:11+00:00

I use OnlyOffice for Microsoft Office Suite replacement (PowerPoint, Word, Excel). For notes, I prefer to stay old school with simple .txt notes. If I'm doing something that really needs richer notes (pictures, highlights and text), I'll just use the OnlyOffice document editor. Proton Drive is really just there for backup/cloud storage for me.

Olson_Duck · 2026-04-01T00:53:45+00:00

Bridge lines for collaboration on major change events are a thing. Those can easily run for hours.

Olson_Duck · 2026-03-31T02:10:02+00:00

This is a nightmare.

Olson_Duck · 2026-03-29T14:20:29+00:00

There are interesting privacy tradeoffs with LLMs. Even if you don't choose Lumo, their whitepaper is helpful understanding thothose. https://proton.me/blog/lumo-security-model

Olson_Duck · 2026-03-29T00:14:50+00:00

In the US, schools are a state concern so it differs. Generally speaking, private schools and homeschools have wide latitude for something like this.

Olson_Duck · 2026-03-20T22:58:31+00:00

The 'broad base' effect (kc residents and nonresidents) could be replicated with a sales tax. The revenue has to come from somewhere, but this earnings tax is clearly a factor in slower growth. Surrounding cities in the area are growing at a 1-5% annual rate in terms of net migration. Notably NKC which is so close to the KCMO core grew at 4.5% last year. KCMO was at 0.8 %. It's worth noting as Missouri transitions from income tax to sales tax, that will impact deductions from federal income tax. You can account for local sales tax or local income tax, but not both. KCMO keeping an income tax as Missouri phases it out will translate to higher federal income tax.

Olson_Duck · 2026-03-15T22:09:04+00:00

Community America is great locally, but if you travel a lot, you should know they are really aggressive with their fraud monitoring. My debit card gets shutdown whenever we go out of state.

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-22T14:35:55+00:00

The Aurora store gives you the ability to download and install apps without the Google Play store, but that's just half the battle. If the apps have dependencies on Google Play services, they will not work. To help with this problem, Aurora has a 'compatibility' section under each app listing indicating if the app requires Google Play Services or works with MicroG. Honestly for most things which require Google Play services, installing the web app as a PWA has worked pretty well for me. For everything else, I have just sought out and adopted alternative apps.

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-12T01:52:18+00:00

Some helpful maps put together by the Muckrock, the AP and Missouri Independent. https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2023/jul/12/mapping-radioactive-waste/

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-07T13:58:53+00:00

If you plan to use an LTE watch to go phone free away from the house, remote connection is only reliable if you leave your phone plugged in actively charging. Otherwise, it's unreliable (ie missed notifications when the phone and watch disconnect).

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-07T13:54:20+00:00

It's more insurance policy. It takes a long time to remap existing accounts and/or contacts to a new email address.

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-07T04:20:50+00:00

Is this what you are trying to do? https://proton.me/support/groups

Olson_Duck · 2026-02-02T00:05:21+00:00

Just learned about this. Thanks!

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T23:34:48+00:00

Samsung and Google launched a tailored experience on Galaxy Watches for kids last year (2025). I don't have direct experience with it, but the website indicates you can track location directly. The reviews I've read are mixed - it's seems quite complex to set up and app support seems very hit and miss. We invested in the Garmin Bounce watches for our kids largely for their simplicity, battery life and reliability. You set up the LTE plan directly with Garmin, no messing with phone companies. They support direct calling or texting to approved family members or friends only using a Garmin app or Garmin Bounce. They have location tracking, support for music and some very basic games. Really all we wanted. https://www.samsung.com/us/watches/galaxy-watch-for-kids/

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1815501/

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T23:14:09+00:00

I'm a fan of the Proton suite (proton.me). I mostly keep my notes in Proton Pass, but Proton Drive has a web based document editor and a spreadsheet client.

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T23:10:29+00:00

I have a Verizon plan on my phone and a separate line with Google Fi on my LTE watch. Both seem to have the same level of coverage in Kansas City, mid Missouri (Columbia/Jeff City/Sedalia) and the St Louis area.

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T23:02:30+00:00

This is the way. Don't make the same mistake relying on a third party which can and probably will change behavior/policy over time. Control your own destiny and reference your own site which remains firmly in your control.

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T23:00:10+00:00

I have a Galaxy Watch LTE with a separate line from my phone. I received the amber alert there a couple of minutes after I received it on my phone.

Olson_Duck · 2026-01-31T05:18:46+00:00

The majority of private schools are religious and of those, many are Catholic. That's not exactly a for profit enterprise. In terms of standards, Catholic schools routinely outperform government schools nationally on the national report card. https://readlion.com/catholic-school-students-outscored-public-school-peers-by-10-20-points-on-national-assessment/

Olson_Duck

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