Five Ways Tech Can Make This 4th Of July Easier On You

The Fourth of July is coming up, and you know what that means. Grilling, relaxing, and trying not to blow digits clean off your hands while lighting off fireworks. Before you head out to a fireworks show run by pros (and thus better than yours), be sure to check out some of our favorite tech, which will make your holiday easy and fun.

Look, I know you think you're the grilling master, but you're not. Come to terms with it, already, for the love of steak. When you've got a giant slab of meat on the grill, give it a poke with the iGrill thermometer. It will monitor your meat for you, so you can just relax with family. Best of all, it links to your iPhone, so all you have to do is give a cursory glance at your screen now and then to know when dinner is ready. Man the cooler instead, will ya?

Do not forget the plants. It's #literally one trillion degrees outside, and they've only got you to keep them alive. You forget, we know — it's alright. Parrot is here to save you from being the one who has dead plants all over while you're trying to host a party. Alerting you to what's going on in the garden, the Parrot can give you peace of mind while enjoying your party.

You know what sucks? Cleaning a grill. It is the worst job after the party is done. All that char tastes great on some grilled chicken, but is a pain to clean. If you would rather keep guarding your cooler instead of cleaning the grill, get a grillbot. Like a Roomba for your grill, the grillbot scrubs away while you relax. Oh, technology — we love you.

If you're all done with celebrating at home, it might be time to venture out for a big fireworks display. If you're not sure where to find a show, check out the Fireworks Locator on Map Muse. It's a free website that will tell you where shows in your area are. It's especially great if you'll be out of town for the Fourth, and don't know your new surroundings that well.

Not into having someone set off the fireworks for you? Running around with a lit explosive in your hand is risky, so we suggest you let technology take over. If you're game, there are a few DIY Arduino Fireworks controllers out there, which let you "set it and forget it". Just make sure you're able to set fireworks off in your area ahead of going through the trouble to get one of these up and running. The great thing about these is that they're good for years to come; with a little work, you'll have a great Fireworks show for quite some time.

Hey, it's the fourth of July; celebrate our freedom from those pesky Brits comfortably! Let tech do some of the heavy lifting, then sit back and relax. From finding a fireworks show to watering the plants, this tech will get you off to a great start this weekend, and hopefully for many weekends to come.