Tips for Improving Live Broadcasts

From the outside looking in, news broadcasting seems like a simple task. You look at the notes, sit down, turn the camera on, and begin the entertainment. However, there are many different forms of technology that are necessary for the broadcast to run. Not only is that tech necessary, but it’s also evolving quite consistently. Take a glimpse at these tips for improving live broadcasts with the best and most efficient tech on the market.

Optimize Your Lighting Set Up

Like many of the production factors we’ll discuss in this guide, lighting is incredibly important to viewer engagement. If viewers are trying to watch a news broadcast, but the lighting is either way too dark or way too bright, why wouldn’t they stop watching and head over to a news station with better video quality? A great piece of guidance to use when buying a contemporary lighting setup is getting LED lights. The popularity of LED lights in broadcasts has increased for a bevy of reasons, including their low power consumption and flexibility in outdoor environments.

Use Modern Teleprompter Methods

Another key piece of technology used for live broadcasts is a teleprompter system. These long-used pieces of video equipment provide necessary talking points to presenters during the broadcast, often set up behind or beside the camera. Today, productions can obtain teleprompter rigs that have a slot for iPad use. An iPad can be easily transformed into a teleprompter with the right app and a compatible teleprompter system. These iPad teleprompter systems are recommended because they can be used for your normal broadcasting needs or can function as a quick back up if anything happens to your current system. Technical difficulties aren’t rare during live broadcasts, so having a Plan B for any production is a good idea.

Test Your Tech Before Broadcasting

As mentioned above, technical difficulties can occur during a broadcast. It’s not that rare but it can be avoided with the proper precautions. Before going live, test all of the essential equipment to make sure it runs smoothly. Proper lighting, camera functions, lighting arrangements, and all of the important production equipment make your show as great as it can be. That way, if something fishy is going on with your equipment or the broadcast itself, you can catch it early on and fix it. Whether it’s a loose power cord or a network connection on the fritz, you’ll be happy you caught it before the stream, as opposed to halfway through.

These tips for improving live broadcasts will help your production flow smoothly while staying up to date with the most useful production technology, and techniques, available today. By keeping a close eye on the shifting video production tech market, you can keep your broadcast relevant and functioning on a regular basis.

What to Do With a Broken Television


No matter how high end they may be, all products have a set lifespan. This includes televisions. While certain TVs may retain their quality and performance a bit longer than others, every TV will eventually break down. In addition to the excitement of shopping for a newer, better model, you will also need to consider what to do with the now unusable TV. There are several different options for what to do with a broken television, each which may better suit different circumstances. As such, take into account your TV’s model and the extent of damage when considering what to do with your broken television.

DIY Electronics Projects for Beginners

If you have a love for technology, you will probably come to the point where you want to learn how to make devices of your own. There are lots of things you can build with the right parts, some patience, and a quick tutorial search online. But what should you choose as you start out your journey into becoming a maker? We suggest trying these fun DIY electronics projects for beginners, each of which has many easy-to-follow tutorials on the web.

How to Care for Your Video Game Consoles

The days of Xbox’s circle of death might be behind us, but that doesn’t mean video game consoles are invincible. A video game console can be quite the investment, especially with the next generation of technology on the way, which is just one reason why you should take care of it. For some tips, learn how to care for your video game consoles ahead.  

Allow Air to Circulate 

A common mistake many gamers make with their video consoles is not allowing for air to circulate. Video game consoles require a lot of firepower to work properly and it’s important for them to remain cool. Therefore, place your video game console on a TV stand that has an open back. Also, avoid keeping anything on top of or underneath your video game, as this can also keep it from having circulating air flow.   

Remove Any Dust or Grime 

Another good way to take care of your video game console is to remove dust or grime by keeping regularly cleaning it. Simply use a duster, microfiber cloth, or Swiffer to carefully remove any dust that might have gathered on your video game console. As for any grime, you can use a conservative amount of cleaning solution to wipe the console down. Be sure to keep any liquid drinks away from your console at all times and use disinfectant wipes on your video game controllers too.  

Be Cautious When You Move It 

You are bound to move your video game console at some point, and this is when a lot of damage can occur. First things first, make sure your console is off and unplugged when you are moving it, as well as making sure there is no disc inside. Moving it while a disc is inside the console can make your game unplayable. If you haven’t thrown out the box your console came in, also keep on hand as well, or invest in a console transport case. If you are transporting your console in a vehicle, make sure to place it on the floor or on a flat surface and don’t pile items on top of it.  
It’s important to know how to care for your video game console so you can keep playing for a long period of time and potentially get a good price if you ever decide to sell it.  

How to Reopen the Offices After COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to wane and states start to open back up, businesses are making plans of their own. At least they should be. There won’t be a throwing open of the doors like at the start of the Kentucky Derby. State and local governments are slowly easing their lockdown restrictions and opening business a little at a time. Large companies and offices should take this time to prepare their reopening strategy so that, when they get the green light, they can bring everyone back. Here are some tips on how to reopen the offices after COVID-19 so your team can be successful going forward.

Change the Floor Plan

There is going to be a push for more space in the office, so get ready to shuffle things around. If you had the dreadful open office plan previously, now you can change it up. Look at some different concepts and plans that are effective. The multi-use office is gaining popularity among management and employees alike. It has different workstations for different kinds of work—couches, desks, long tables, and cubicles so employees can work and maintain distance in the ways that are best for them.

Give Employees Time

Don’t rush anyone back to the office. Different people have different views on the pandemic and what should happen next. Some will be ready to get back to work and out of the house, while others want some more time and prefer to work from home. Give them that option, or create a flex schedule of coming in or staying home until everyone feels safe being in the office. There is always the option of leaving full-time remote working on the table for those that want it.

There’s No Time Like the Present

If you were planning an office renovation, now is a great time to get that done. With the entire team working remotely, use the time to get rid of that open office concept and create a new workspace. This will allow you to create more space between employees and disinfect the office from the studs to the workstations. A new workspace will revitalize the team and allay some of their fears in the process.

Increase the Cleaning Budget

Whatever you are spending on office cleaning, double it. If the custodial staff was only cleaning the office twice a week, increase that to daily. Encourage the use of hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes, and provide them for anyone who wants them. Tell the team right away what steps you have taken to keep the office as clean as possible. When you’re considering how to reopen the offices after COVID-19, you’ll want to give your employees a sense that the company cares for and is concerned about their health and wellbeing.

Newest Technologies in Medical Devices

Wearable and disposable medical devices use advanced methods in their design, manufacturing, and operation. From diagnosis to treatment, the newest technologies in medical devices pave the way for faster testing, safer sampling, better usability for patients, and better educational methods for medical students.

Wearable and Mobile Technologies

Far beyond counting steps, wearable technologies have advanced to monitor data on pulse and blood pressure. Some can even track irregular heart rhythms and message doctors. COVID-19 made everyone aware of the need to monitor blood oxygen levels, and some smartphones already can do just that. Mobile ultrasound scanners help in areas that can’t afford or access the big machines. They aren’t as good at imaging as the larger machines found in medical suites, but they are a great improvement on no scanning at all.

Augmented and virtual reality are already in use in medical schools and surgical environments. Soon, it will come to rehabilitation, offering an alternative to boring, repetitive exercises and more ways to re-engage injured areas of the brain and encourage the development of new neural pathways.

Wearable devices are now extending to headsets and implantable devices that target certain areas of the brain to deliver stimulation meant to treat mental illness.

Diagnostics and Disposables

Developers of disposable diagnostic devices use advanced prototyping with advanced 3D-printing, stereolithography, and computer numeric control to save time and increase precision for new diagnostic medical devices.

Digital inhalers can measure inspiration (inhalation) and track how often a patient uses the inhaler. They can then send the data to a smartphone app, and the patient can share the information with their doctor. Hearing aids can now detect when a wearer has fallen and offer assistance. Stick-free glucose monitors have sensors that can measure blood glucose levels without puncturing the skin. They can gather and compare data to display trends and even work through clothing.

New technologies in medical devices include devices still under development that show promise, like cyborg eyes and smart tattoos that flex with the skin, are waterproof, and can detect and transmit medical data. Artificial organs, bioresorbable electronics that report data wirelessly, and 3D-printed prosthetics are in the pipeline of advanced medical devices. Each year is sure to bring new advances that improve the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

Holidays Science Aficionados Celebrate

Everyone can grasp what National Donut Day is all about. But for STEM nerds, there are some special days that are all their own. Check out these holidays science aficionados celebrate, fire up your calculators (or, for you purists, your slide rules), and glory in geekhood for a while.

March 14

You already know, right? National Pi Day. This one was so obvious, but did you know that this day even has its own website? March 14 is also Einstein’s birthday.

April 25

The Human Genome Research Institute touts National DNA Day on April 25. This is a day to study and celebrate the pursuit of genetic research. Scientists encourage non-scientists to learn more about what makes each person unique at the genetic level.

May 20

National Metrology Day celebrates the science of measurement, which, as any STEM nerd worth their lab scale knows, includes the study of uncertainty. Two, four, six, eight—everybody calibrate! Seriously, metrologists and calibration professionals keep the scales honest and know the answer to “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” Well, maybe not the “Kenneth” part, but still.

October 9

Get small with National Nanotechnology Day. Selected in celebration of the nanometer scale (10-9 meters), this day celebrates advances in the science of tiny things. Celebrate with a 100 billion nanometer dash! Check Nano.gov for more fun activities at the nano level.

October 23

Speaking of measurement, let’s hear it for Avogadro’s number (6.02x1023)! Without this measure, chemistry simply wouldn’t happen. This is a day of celebration for anyone who can recite the periodic table from memory. Give yourself bonus points for knowing the atomic weight of each element. The magic happens when elements combine into compounds with a calculable molecular mass. Wow, we could do this all day!

May 5, 2025

Math fiends, this is a day for you, and you will already have deduced that this is National Square Root Day. You’ll probably get a few of these in your lifetime, but to celebrate them all, you have to live for at least a century.

Black Hole Friday

NASA wants to take your mind off shopping on the day after Thanksgiving for long enough to contemplate the mysteries of the universe. Take a break from spending this Friday, November 27, and instead look for interesting discoveries about the most confounding astronomical phenomena on NASA’s website.

Computer Science Education Week

Anyone can organize an Hour of Code any day of the year, and computer science education is so important it gets a whole week. This year, the event takes place December 7-13. If the pandemic teaches us anything good, it is that the world working from home (and working anywhere else) runs on code. Celebrate computer science and engineering in December, and help the world have a better year in 2021.

There are several online calendars where you can find holidays for science aficionados and events devoted to multiple STEM pursuits. Check your birthday, or just tomorrow, to see if you were born on a science-related day.