C. Crane Blog

October 11, 2019

October Podcast Friday!

We’ve been listening to Clark Howard on the radio for years, but now he also has a Podcast. He’s great for helping you save money, find good deals and avoid rip offs. He knows a tremendous amount about travel and has a ton of tips about that on his shows and his website. He also answers questions from listeners live on air.

Some of the recent topics on the Clark Howard show:

10.1.19 Schwab eliminates trading fees; Using your credit card overseas; Getting married in a diamond store

9.30.19 Another reason not to use debit cards; Payroll company scam; Hotel deals are coming

9.27.19 Grocery story happy hours lower costs and prevent food waste; Clark Stinks

9.26.19 Apple & Google get into gaming; New tax form for seniors; Negative interest rates

9.25.19 Open enrollment; Massive airline fees; Hot deals today

9.24.19 How to stop SIM swapping; Digging up dirt on Amazon; Your TV is spying on you

You can find all of his episodes here https://clark.com/podcasts/ and they’re even available to download.

He also has a great resource for his shows that provide links to much of what he discusses in his shows https://clark.com/clark-show-notes/

You can learn more about Clark’s background, credentials and why he does what he does here https://clark.com/about-clark/clark-howards-bio/.

If podcasts aren’t for you, you may be able to find an on-air radio show near you https://clark.com/find-a-station-near-you/.

We’d love to know – Have you used radio or podcasts to learn about money? Which one has helped you the most?

September 27, 2019

Words From Bob 2020 Catalog

From Bob,

This year our catalog cover is based on one of the most famous TV commercials of all time. It was the day Apple® announced Macintosh computers during the 1984 Superbowl. . . the first iPhone® was released in 2007. Now that we are all significantly attached to our brilliant pocket phones, maybe it’s gone too far? As a tool the Internet is hyper-revolutionary, but the pace of incoming polar information is intense and beyond anyone’s faculty to follow. . . radio is far less invasive and does not know who you are.

Radio continues to ring a big bell with a surprising percentage of dedicated listeners by reaching more people every week than any other media type. We all need reflective time to rediscover who we are. While a cell phone demands your focus, the simplicity of radio sparks creativity, regardless of the signal source. Walking, gardening or any activity that does not require conscious attention allows you to mentally focus on a specific problem to gain wisdom and promote insight. We are here to support you in your resistance to distraction with great radio products . . . including Internet radio. Please peruse our custom radios and earphones to see if one rings a bell with you.

It has become important to have WiFi available in every corner of your house and property including a guest house, greenhouse, barn or a garden. While inexpensive repeaters work in most circumstances, please check out our extended range WiFi repeaters to create a new WiFi zone up to 1/2 mile away. . . we love making weak signals strong and bringing radio everywhere YOU want to go.

September 5, 2019

September Podcast Friday

AT C. Crane, we LOVE to learn new things and to listen to shows that challenge our thinking and provide intelligent discussion. Big Picture Science does exactly that . . . as uncovered by our friend Thomas Witherspoon at SWling.com

Some of the recent topics at Big Picture Science:

Skeptic Check: Brain Gain – Separating pseudo from science in cognitive enhancement.

Looking to boost your brainpower? Listen in.

True Grit – We’re running out of sand.

Without sand, engineering would be stuck in the Middle Ages. Wooden houses would line mud-packed streets, and Silicon Valley would be, well, just a valley. Sand is the building material of modern cities, and we use more of this resource than any other except water and air. Now we’re running out of it.

Granting Immunity – Microbes, fungi, and T-cells.

“Diversity or die” could be your new health mantra. Don’t boost your immune system, cultivate it! Like a garden, your body’s defenses benefit from species diversity. Find out why multiple strains of microbes, engaged in a delicate ballet with your T-cells, join internal fungi in combatting disease.

Sci-Fi From the Future – Our future portrayed in film.

Are you ready to defer all your personal decision-making to machines? Polls show that most Americans are uneasy about the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence. The possible misuse of genetic engineering also makes us anxious.

Here is some background on the Big Picture Science podcasts:

They also broadcast on the radio in various locations and times around the country and Canada and New Zealand http://radio.seti.org/listening_options

Here are all the episodes: http://radio.seti.org/episodes

Their blog has additional links and information if you want a little more background before deciding to listen to a particular episode.

We would love to hear from you if you listen to Podcasts. What topics and podcasts are your favorites?

In honor of Preparedness Month, if you answer this survey in the comments on our blog, you will be entered to win our CC Solar Observer Emergency Wind Up Radio. Drawing to be held 9/30. Please only one entry per person.

August 1, 2019

August Podcast Friday!

The first Friday of every month we will be featuring a new podcast that we’re listening to here at C. Crane. Our hopes are that we expose you to something new that you may have not heard of before and something you may enjoy.

What we’re listening to — as recommended by one of our customers

The Today’s Homeowner Podcast Danny Lipford and Joe Truini discuss a variety of projects renovations. They have some call ins and some email questions that they answer. It’s real life challenges that most homeowners can relate to. Danny also has a television show. Their website has a lot of videos as well. They have a down to earth approach and an excellent way with their listeners along with tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your house. They get right into the show and don’t have a lot of discussion around unrelated topics.

Our new favorite podcast listening tool, makes it very easy to listen at your computer without having to download any apps or subscribe, but if you go to the website, it’s easy to subscribe and use your preferred app.

The weekly shows range in time 30 – 45 minutes and then they put out tips throughout the week that are one – two minutes.

Some of the recent topics:

Ep 28. Paint Plight & Repairing Chipped Baseboards
Tips: Cooling off on a Budget
Ep 27. DIY Privacy Wall & Pool Noodle Storage
Ep 26. Widening a Doorway & House Ventilation Strategies

Danny Lipford is America’s home improvement expert. Danny hosts the Emmy-nominated, nationally syndicated Today’s Homeowner TV and Radio Show as well as this podcast.

Joe Truini is a seasoned contractor and an accomplished author. He is a handy guy, who’s always on the lookout for ways to make the job easier and more efficient.

If you already listen to this and are looking for something similar, here’s a curated list of some similar podcasts

We’re interested – do you prefer to listen to podcasts on your phone, your computer or some other device? Please tell us in the comments and you could win one of our new CC Buds Solo earbuds. Drawing to be held Friday August 23rd. Please only one entry per person.

July 16, 2019

Pros and Cons of WiFi and Internet Radio

We’ve received a lot of emails and several comments about the confusion surrounding “internet radio”. What is it? How does it work? How do I pick the right radio? So we put together some of the pros and cons and then a few additional considerations. In this post, we aren’t recommending one particular radio over another but rather giving you some points to consider when making your decision so you can pick the right product for you.

First, let’s establish that there is a pre-requisite to using WiFi Internet radio –

You need to have a high-speed internet connection. Most internet radios will work on WiFi. Some have an option for a direct Ethernet connection (that network jack on the back of the radio that provides a connection to the router. Sometimes a USB to Ethernet adapter might be necessary.).

Let’s jump into the benefits for you as a listener – Continue Reading

July 3, 2019

Podcast Friday

What we’re listening to — well this time it’s not actually a show, it’s a tool to help you find shows to listen to

Listen Notes

The Best Podcast Search Engine^TM. It’s like Google, but for podcasts.

This is THE BEST place to find any kind of podcast you want to listen to. No more scrolling through the internet trying to find something new or trying to navigate multiple apps an platforms to listen to a show or host.

June 24, 2019

Radio Buddy for the Garden by Bob Crane

20160311_081649_007 I’m not able to weed eat my yard like I used to so my long time gardener, Bill, comes in every two weeks and helps with the grueling part. He is as bad as I am about the necessity of having a radio to listen to while he works. He is also a fantastic radio tester for me. He has broken about eight radios and radio headsets over about as many years. It has been over five years now since we built him a chest harness to hold the CC Pocket, a heavy duty audio cable and a set of noise cancelling headphones. And nothing’s broken! If you are a hard working gardener then you will understand the gravity of a long lasting radio setup you can depend on!

For myself there is a certain educational show on Sunday I hate to miss. Unfortunately I am always running around the yard on Sundays trying to catch up with plants, weeds, leaks and “fall aparts”. With my hands full there is one radio I can clip on my pants… The CC Pocket! All AM radio signals are directional so I occasionally need to crab walk down the driveway to keep good reception. I try to arrange my chores so I am somewhat stationary between commercials so I can stand the little guy up next to me. The CC Pocket is a small, convenient go-to radio when nothing else does the job!

June 6, 2019

June – Podcast Friday!

What we’re listening to — The Michael Harrison Interview

Michael Harrison interviews some of today’s top contemporary thinkers in every realm of conversation. He talks arts, science, politics, philosophy and pop culture. He provides unique insights every week and thought provoking content.

A master interviewer and industry insider – We’ve been friends with Michael for over 20 years. We met originally at an early Talker’s Magazine Talk Radio Event in New York City in 1999. He along with very few others know what makes radio tick. He has an amazing gift to traverse and bring together diverse groups of talent and present varying sides of a topic. It’s rare to find someone who can moderate discussions and debates with opposing opinions without judgment and keep it on an intelligent trajectory.

Some of his recent guests and topics

May 2, 2019

Welcome to Podcast Friday!

The first Friday of every month we will be featuring a new podcast that we’re listening to here at C. Crane. Our hopes are that we expose you to something new that you may have not heard of before and something you may enjoy.

What we’re listening to — The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

If you’re tired of debate and posturing, here’s someone who’s so down to earth, tongue and cheek, and actually talking about things that matter, but even more importantly – doing something and giving you a way to do something too!

You may recognize the name Mike Rowe from the show he hosted Dirty Jobs on Discovery Channel. His podcast is 10 minutes and it’s kind of a Paul Harvey “rest of the story” about a real person, place or thing with a little twist. You can listen directly on the link below, or subscribe and listen through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher.

A shameless ad for his podcast.

Mike is also great in other ways. He has a Facebook show Returning the Favor where he travels across the United States in search of people who are giving back to their communities. At the end of each episode, those being profiled get surprised with a reveal that allows them to do even more of whatever kind of good work they are doing.

Here’s something that might resonate with some of you Video of Mike Rowe exposing the scam of college and student loans. We’re not looking to debate whether education is important, we believe in education but we also believe in fiscal responsibility and we believe that hard work is important and college isn’t necessarily for everyone (especially if it means being burdened with a debt you could never repay).

He has a great foundation too, Mike Rowe Works Foundation to help support folks who want to go into skilled trades and labor.

If you listen to podcasts, we’d love to know what you are listening to please comment on our blog post. If you comment you will be entered to win a pair of CC Buds Pro. Drawing will take place 5/29/19 only one entry per person.

Congratulations to awenner1 for winning a new pair of the CC Buds Pro! Thank you to everyone that participated and good luck with any contests we do in the future!