Michael covers home improvement and smart home tech for OutsideResource, writing the guides that walk through a project or a device setup in the order you'd actually encounter it — not the order the manufacturer assumes. His home-tips pieces favor fixes you can finish in an afternoon over ones that require tearing out a wall, and his smart-solutions coverage focuses on what a device actually does differently day to day, not just its spec sheet.

Michael has a habit of installing every smart home gadget he reviews in his own house first, which has led to a garage full of hardware he ultimately didn't recommend. He figures a reader's time is worth more than his patience for a bad product.