Childhood Dream Job: To Be Penny From Inspector Gadget

Hey There! My name is Jillian. If you had met the 7 year old version of me, I would have told you that I wanted nothing more than to be Penny from Inspector Gadget. Her “notebook computer”, her satellite watch, her super smart dog named Brain.. and oh those sassy pigtails!

Fast forward (cough) a few years, and although I am not a spirited sidekick to a whacky Inspector, solving crime in 22 minutes, I finally have my “notebook computer” and all of the clues necessary to solve the mystery of using technology to save TIME and MONEY.

Technology is Your Friend, Not Your Foe

How many times have you asked yourself, “Did I leave the [insert appliance] on?” It is the question that has caused us all to be late for work at some point in our adult life. The iron, the coffee pot, the hair straightener, the list goes on. These devices, although coveted, cause us to inevitably turn the car around. Well what if I told you that Belkin has created a device that will eliminate the U-Turns on your way to work in the morning? Enter Belkin WeMo Switch!

Belkin WeMo Switch is a wi-fi enabled switch that plugs into your electric socket of choice. By downloading the free app (Android and IOS) you can turn the switch on or off, from anywhere, using your smart phone! Think of all the possibilities!

You’re on your way to a fancy dinner and you can’t remember if you turned the iron off? WeMo! With a few taps on your smart phone you can rest assured that you will not be returning home to a 5-alarm blaze.

You have to work late and you don’t want your four-legged fur-child to be sitting home alone in the dark? WeMo! Turn on a lamp for Rover and make sure that you don’t come home to a dark house. 

The WeMo switch is available on Belkin's website, as well as other online retailers that offer free shipping, such as Amazon and BestBuy.


The Key to Technology

There are so many aspects of your life that can be monitored with wireless devices. One of the coolest things I’ve seen lately is Lockitron. It’s a door bolt device that fits over your current door bolt and is controlled by your cell phone. You can lock and unlock your door from anywhere in the world with the tap of a button.

You can grant anyone access to your home, for any length of time. Housekeepers, maintenance workers, dog walkers..you name it! Living in a beach community in Los Angeles, I don’t have any trouble convincing my friends from the East coast to come visit me during the winter. Devices like Lockitron will make it more convenient for me to grant access to my apartment while I’m at work. Lockitron will even send you a text message when someone has opened your door, either with the app or with an old fashioned key, so you know what’s going on at home while you’re away.


Belkin WeMo Switch and Lockitron are two devices I think would receive the Inspector Gadget & Penny stamp of approval. These devices help you control and protect your Home Headquarters….guard dog with blue-tooth enabled collar not included.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what Technology mystery you'd like help solving. Cloud storage? Organizational apps? Smart phone tips? I'm here to help!