I support people with varying levels of technology smarts at work. And I get it, technology is a tool and some people need to use it more than others to get their work done. Technology is also for entertainment and people will use technology depending on their need or comfort level with it. Well at home, my technology support revolves around my family and whether at work or home it feels good when I get technology right. In this case it was the Apple iPad. My wife and I already use Apple iPhones for communication and a whole lot more. I’m not a Apple Addict, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to get iPhones and I don’t regret the decision despite some issues with AT&T’s coverage in rural areas. (listening AT&T?) In fact, my wife even mentioned that the iPhone was one of the best technology purchases that I made for her. Frankly, I would now have another WinMo phone if there was one available at the time that was competitive in the market the time, but I’m getting off topic. Well, after a few months I finally asked how the iPad was working out because there had not been the usual gripes and groans as with other technology. The response was “okay”. Mmm, I’m thinking what is wrong now? So, I probed some more, what about internet access, e-mail, apps? Same response, things were working fine and she is able to fit the iPad into her (rather large) purses. This response was not the same as when she had used the shared laptop. Granted, I like to change operating systems and applications versions on a whim, but she was a good sport and test subject. What is came down to is that the iPad tablet is all that she needed, and combined with her iPhone and MobileMe synchronization, it was the perfect combination for her and me. Maintaining the iPad is too simple and now I’m free to tinker to my hearts content on the laptop. Although now I no longer have my best test subject. Oh well, it just feels good when I’m able to get the right technology solution for someone, especially the wife.
I’ve been waiting for prices to drop on the dual-band wireless routers and today the price was right for a Vizio XWR100 Dual-Band HD Video and Wireless Internet Router. At Sams Club it was selling for US$69.98, which was less than half the price of the Cisco 3000 I had been eyeballing. Granted the XWR100 has 4-10/100MB ports, whereas the 3000 has 10/100/1000MB ports, but then I have a separate managed Gigabit switch for my servers. I’ll keep the old WRT54G with DD-WRT for a spare and test this Vizio unit at home for a bit. Setup was brainless, the unit only comes with a power adapter, a 1.5′ Ethernet cable, and a two page setup guide, which is mostly pictures anyway. It has a USB 2.0 port for external storage that I have yet to test. Time will tell how this device performs, but for the price I couldn’t leave the store without one.
UPDATE_20101203: So far, so good. The routers USB port works and presents an external hard drive as a share. Connectivity to the connected hard drive isn’t as fast as to my server, but it would work as a central storage location for a small network. The 5.8GHz network is being used for streaming video from my server to a couple rooms and that is also working fine, whereas before a room to room video stream was disrupted when an internet download was started. Overall, I’m happy with this router and feel that it was a good purchase.
My copy of the Network Field Survival Guide by Jay McGuerty arrived today!
http://www.networkrecipes.com
A perfect pocket reference for the IT network professional is now updated and available in 2010 release. http://www.networkrecipes.com
Today while reading about the patent wars and the “patent trolls” who contribute nothing, but instead collect patents and use them to sue others for profit, I was reminded of a childhood real-life hero, George Washington Carver. I wrote a report on Mr. Carter in middle school and the impact it had on me helped to shape the man that I am today. Mr. Carver discovered hundreds of uses for peanuts and other crops and improvements upon many other things. He only patented three things, and when asked why, he responded “”God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?” George Washington Carver’s epitaph reads “”He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.” He is still a real-life hero.
Not after viewing the documentary film Food Inc.
To my fellow veterans who have served and those still serving, I salute you.
Back in April of 2007 I first posted about my paperless geocaching solution. This solution has changed over the years from a Dell Axim with a handheld GPS and then with a bluetooth GPS, to a WinMo smartphone with the Cachemate software (a great little program) and a bluetooth GPS, to most recently an iPhone with Groundspeak’s Geocaching iPhone Application. The iPhone geocaching app rocks and combined with the iphone’s GPS, internet access and Google Maps it makes for a fantastic urban geocaching solution. I include urban because I haven’t tested this yet outside of the phones coverage area. My search continues for a great iPhone waterproof and protective case, something along the lines of an Otterbox 2600. The season is changing here in Michigan and protecting the phone while geocaching will be a priority. I have used zip-lock bags, but plastic bags lack shock protection and tear easily. My latest paperless is the best yet and I recommend the app to all Geocaching iPhone owners.
Ξ April 14th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Geek |
After fixing the gas trimmer motor last night I needed a geek fix. So, I installed Rockbox on an older 5th generation iPod that was laying around. It was a painless experience with the graphical installer that took only a few minutes. I even uninstalled the program and reverted to the Apple firmware just to be sure.
The added features over the original Apple firmware are what make Rockbox shine. Some of these features include: support for over 15 Sound Codecs, including OGG and FLAC, themes, tagging, plugins, and a spoken inteface. Oh, do I need to mention that it’s Open Source with constant improvement? Rockbox has breathed some new life into my 5th generation iPod and I want to extend my thanks to the the Rockbox crew.
Vermi what? Vermicomposting is composting with red worms. I decided to leverage the ability of the “wiggler” worm to help in my home composting. It’s incredibly easy to create and maintain a worm bin. There are five things that you need to create a worm bin: a container, bedding material, red worms, some table scraps, and a little time. All of the physical components of your worm bin should be free with a little searching so that you really shouldn’t have to spend any money on creating a worm bin.
- the container could be a simple plastic storage bin
- bedding material – I use shredded computer paper and cut up corrugated cardboard
- redworms, Eisenia foetida, get them from under leaves in the woods. Don’t use any other type of worm.
- food – there are good and bad foods for the redworm
good foods include: fruit and vegetable peels, pulverized egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds
bad foods include: meats, dairy products, oily foods, or lots of citrus.
Remember, it’s not a garbage bin!
This is a super project to do with your kids because is so simple and it teaches them about nature and sustainable living practices. The worms become pets for the kids and little compost makers for you.
I used a variety of resources, but started with the guide called Household Composting with Worms from the Purdue Extension office. This is a great way to recycle those table scraps, at least the ones that worms can eat, which provides some excellent compost material for your houseplants, landscaping and garden. I also recommend checking out the vermicomposting videos on YouTube if need a video howto on creating your worm bin.
Resources:
U of N, Vermicomposting: composting with worms, http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/Vermicompost107.shtml
Troublshooting Worm Bins, http://compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/troubleshoot.html
the book, Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof, 1997 – look for it at your local library
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