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Amanda Blum

Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation.

Previously, Amanda has worked as a technology strategist specializing in problem solving and processes. She holds a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and has spoken about content management systems and technology strategy all over the world, and run a number of popular tech conferences, including TwilioCon, WordCamps, RailsGirls, and Twestival.

She has written for publications like Oprah, Good Housekeeping, Gastronomica, xoJane, Eating Well and Taste of Home, and has been writing for Lifehacker since 2017, covering topics like cheesemaking, how not to cook a goose, how to use technology to help rear chickens, and every kind of robot on the market.

Amanda lives in Oregon where she runs a microfarm and raises chickens (Marsala, Kiev, Korma and Cacciatore), a doberman (Blueberry), and hundreds of smart home devices (unnamed).

MORE BY Amanda

several plants sitting on a table in sunlight
Five Smart Tech Gifts for Anyone Who Loves Plants
 
various tech gifts
Five Last-Minute Gifts Under $50 for Your Techy Friends
 
Screenshots from the Bird Buddy app
The Bird Buddy Is the Best Smart Bird Feeder I Have Tested
 
Product collage
Five Smart Tech Gifts Your Parents Will Love
 
Dreame L40 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop
The Dreame L40 Ultra Is Better at Vacuuming Than Mopping
 
close up of a smart home device with smiling elderly woman in the background
All the Smart Devices That Can Help Make Your Aging Parents’ Lives Easier
 
Both vacuums on floor
Which Is Better: The Dyson Gen5 Detect vs. Samsung Bespoke Jet AI
 
Woman misting plant
Four Ways to Keep Your Houseplants Happy in Winter
 
Moen Flo installed
The Smart Home Devices I Use to Protect Against Leaks and Electrical Fires
 
An illustration of a woman sitting at a sort of control center that has different sections covering different aspects of smart tech that can help manage life with a chronic illness
I Live With Chronic Illness, and Smart Tech Helps Me Manage My Life
 
person adding biocompost to hugelkultur bed
Why Your Garden Needs a 'Hugelkultur' Bed (and How to Make One)
 
A collage of breakfast foods (an egg casserole, a coffee with whipped cream, and a plate of cinnamon rolls
Three Ways to Get a Hot Christmas Breakfast on the Table With Minimal Effort
 
Garden in winter
All the Gardening Tasks You Should Do in December
 
Aqara M3 hub
Aqara's M3 Brings Every Smart Tech Protocol Under One Hub
 
Roborock Q Revo Max V Ultra
Roborock’s Qrevo MaxV Is the Ideal Robot Vacuum for Daily Upkeep
 
A product image of the Pura 4 Smart Diffuser on a blue background
The Pura 4 Smart Diffuser Answers the Question, ‘Why Would Anyone Need a Smart Diffuser?’
 
Govee Permanent Lights Pro
These Smart Holiday Lights Are Designed to Stay Up All Year Long
 
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra in a bathroom
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Is the Best Robot Vacuum I've Tested
 
Eufy Omni S1 Pro robot vacuum
The Eufy Omni S1 Pro Robot Vacuum Doesn't Live Up to the Hype
 
thief wearing hooded sweatshirt stealing package off a porch as seen through video doorbell
How to Choose Between the Ring or Blink Video Doorbell