Father’s Day is this weekend and that almost always means rushing to find a last-minute gift card or toolset for your dad. Dads tend to be a little difficult to shop for. They always shrug their shoulders when you ask what they want to do or what they want as a gift. Dads just enjoy spending time with their family. So, for this Father’s Day weekend, try hosting a nice cookout in his honor! Everyone here in Virginia loves some good quality grilling!

Grilling is a great way to bring family together and do something for your dad. He gets the opportunity to spend quality time with you and you get the benefit of doing something for him. And, honestly, is there anything that isn’t made better by the smoke and sear of a grill? If so, we want no part of it.

From ribs and shrimp to steak, clams and even cheese, you can grill all sorts of delicious concoctions that will impress your family and make sit on your rightful throne as the favorite child. Gain some serious family cred and the love of your father with these amazing summer grilling recipes!

Grilled Salsa Roja

In an effort to recognize the ever-increasing impact television has on people living all over the world, the United Nations General Assembly created World Television Day on November 21 back in 1996.

Ever since the very first televised images were produced in the 1800s, TV has obviously advanced by leaps and bounds, especially in recent years. Mr. Electric invites you to take a moment to appreciate the many services and capabilities having a television provides, particularly in a time of multi-screening, and all the advanced features available from today’s hottest technological offerings.

Education: Public broadcasting and other educational channels serve to educate the young and old alike. Television is an excellent resource for learning how the world works and getting people interested in math, science and other important fields.

Information: Whether you’re hoping to learn more about political candidates, receive updates on wars, learn what’s happening in your local community, or stay on top of breaking news around the world, TV is an excellent source of information. It’s faster than printed news because the latest stories can be broadcasted immediately.

Entertainment: There’s nothing like winding down after a long day in front of the television. Endless categories of entertainment are available, from comedies and dramas to horror and thrillers. Don’t forget the way TV has changed the way we watch sports. Football wouldn’t be what it is today with television.

Relationships: People can bond with one another based on what’s on TV. Whether it’s watching a favorite show together, tuning in to a political debate to spark conversation or watching your team make it to the Super Bowl, TV brings people together.

Inspiration: Just as people can be inspired by what they see walking down the street, television can also spark inspiration. This leads to new fashion designs, inventions and technological advancements.

Cultural influences: TV is a huge contributor to pop culture. Trendy shows become the talk of the town. People become excited about what happens to the characters in a particular TV show and an entire generation is impacted by it.

TVs are becoming more advanced and high-tech than ever before. These advancements help you get more out of your television.

“Smart” functionality: A smart TV has Internet features, making it an example of today’s popular convergence of computers and televisions. This functionality opens up an entirely new way to watch TV, allowing for on-demand video streaming, home networking access and social media interaction, in addition to the basic broadcasting media available on standard TVs.

Multi-screening: An increasing number of people have Smartphones today. This encourages multi-screening, when television viewers weigh in on what’s happening live on social media, particularly Twitter. This connects people who have never met and lets them discuss and debate topics they’re both interested in.

4K resolution: Also known as ultra high definition, 4K resolution is a relatively new technology that has yet to become the standard because compatible content is still quite limited. 4K televisions are equivalent to 2160p, as compared to 1080p for standard high definition. As this technology becomes more ubiquitous, the television-watching experience will become closer to real life than ever before.

Curved TVs: This new innovation attempts to mimic the way you perceive the real world. The result is a more immersive, realistic experience that gives the illusion of watching content in a wider field of view.

Celebrate World Television Day in style with a new media room in your home. If you’re interested in adding one, please contact Mr. Electric® for a professional installation. We’re here to power your home's tomorrow.

Well, they told us yesterday’s Super Bowl would be the greenest one to date, but they failed to mention that as part of the plan to save energy they were going to turn the lights out in the second half.

Just kidding. This year’s Super Bowl might go down in the books for its lighting “abnormality,” but certainly there were some “bright spots” about this year’s lighting as well. Today, I’m going to reflect on  both.

We were also enamored by the flashy lights in Beyonce’s halftime show. Seriously, this show was any lighting enthusiast’s dream. It had everything. A stage with insane video effects, a guitar with incredible pyrotechnics, and 72,000 fans wearing Image via USAToday.com

What actually caused this thing?

After the lights came back on and the game ended, Entergy New Orleans, the stadium’s energy provider, and Superdome operator SMG issued this statement in an attempt to “shed some light” on the situation:

“A piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system. Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. Entergy and SMG will continue to investigate the root cause of the abnormality.”