Linksys Media Center Extenders Discontinued
Posted by Dave Hanford in Hardware on May 16th, 2009
When one of the leaders in home networking, Linksys, bails on a product set; you have to wonder what they know that we don’t. According to a few websites & forums, Linksys (Cisco) has discontinued production of their Media Center Extenders. Read the rest of this entry »
The Foundation
Posted by Dave Hanford in How To on May 4th, 2009
My first few How-To blog posts dealt with setting your goals & limits, now for the fun stuff… getting started. With the popularity of digital music (ala iTunes and Windows Media Player), I thought it made sense to begin our journey by setting up a digital jukebox. The goals of the jukebox will be (for starters):
- Ability to play ALL of your digital music tracks
- Ability to play music through your home stereo or receiver
- Ability to control your music from anywhere in the house Read the rest of this entry »
Wireless Power – Isn’t That Called a Battery?
Posted by Dave Hanford in Hardware on April 27th, 2009
When I first read about the concept of wireless power, I thought to myself… How cool! I can use a device anywhere I want without plugging in a cord. Then it occurred to me, Isn’t that how Energizer has been making a living for years? Turns out, wireless power is much cooler then a copper top. Read the rest of this entry »
Wireless HDMI From Your PC to Your TV
Posted by Dave Hanford in Convergence, Hardware on April 21st, 2009
Using your PC to play video back on your snazzy large screen TV or projector is a lot more fun than being stuck in front of your computer monitor. One hurdle for many people trying to assemble this A/V convergence is the wiring. It is not always easy to convince the home aesthetic police (your spouse) to let you put a computer by the TV. If that is your case, or you just hate new wires, Atlona may have a solution for you. Read the rest of this entry »
Faucets Save Water and Charge Your Toothbrush
Posted by Dave Hanford in Just For Fun on April 15th, 2009
One often used device in our home, the faucet, gets very little attention when it comes to technical advancement. For as long as I can remember, there are two handles and a spout… OK, sometimes there is just one handle, but you get the idea. However, recently I have come across a couple of cool innovations to update our sink buddy. Read the rest of this entry »
IP Network Camera Baby Monitor
Posted by Dave Hanford in Hardware on April 11th, 2009
With a new born baby (Carlin the little champion) sleeping in his nursery upstairs and our Master Bedroom being downstairs; we had two choices… Install an elevator or find an easier way to check on our sleeping bundle of joy. I tried a few traditional baby monitors and was underwhelmed by the quality and flexibility. The biggest draw backs are that the Radio Frequency (RF) monitors are highly susceptible to interference and usually can only be displayed on the monitor they came with. I needed another solution. Read the rest of this entry »
1,000 Gigabytes for under $80
Posted by Dave Hanford in Hardware on April 8th, 2009
If you use your computer for more than playing solitaire, you most likely have found yourself pushing the limits of your hard drive’s storage. Whether you have loaded up several gigs of music, you have 300 pictures from every event you have been to since you got that snazzy new digital camera, or you have entered the world of digital video (self filmed or ripped); drive space is at a premium. You’re in luck! Amazon is offering a 1TB (or 1,000Gig) hard drive for just $79.99. Read the rest of this entry »
Philips Jacket Lets You Feel the Movie
Posted by Dave Hanford in Hardware, Just For Fun on April 7th, 2009
Apparently 3-D movies do not go far enough for Philips Electronics. They have decided that viewers may also want to feel the action. Philips is describing this actuator laden jacket at the 2009 World Haptics Conference. How would you like to take a punch from Rocky in the next sequel? Read the rest of this entry »
Netflix Killed Kenny… and Spongebob!
Posted by Dave Hanford in Convergence on April 6th, 2009
One of the criticisms surrounding the Netflix streaming video service is the delay in getting new releases online. This is completely understandable when talking about blockbusters, but I think the folks at Netflix have made a content capture that may quiet the cristics. MTV Networks has just penned an agreement with Netflix streaming to offer many of their popular programs, such as Spongbob Square Pants and South Park. Read the rest of this entry »
Myro:Home Offers an Automation GUI
Posted by Dave Hanford in Automation, Software on April 1st, 2009
A Home Automation system is only as good as the controls you and your family have to use to operate it. If you have an HAI automation system, you may be interested in the front end GUI from Myro Control. The makers say it is the first simple to set-up automation interface… Looks like they missed Home Maestro. Read the rest of this entry »