Category Archives: Gnrl Bckt

Best Online Shopping

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As I am an expert on all things internet-y, it should come as no surprise that I am a proponent of online shopping. A staunch proponent, in fact. Don’t get me wrong…I am all about grocery shopping. One of my dream jobs is to work in a butcher shop; maybe I can make that happen when I retire from this code stuff. If I ever hit the lottery, it will be a tough call as to whether or not I drop of an application at Orange Julius or the Meat Shop. Time will tell.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Tracking down items online. It really isn’t that hard. One of my daily rituals on the webs is to check the deals at Savings.com. For those not in the know, Savings is sort of a hybrid between Woot and Amazon. Good stuff.

saving money

I need to spring for a better drawing setup

Instead of offering a limited deal of the day, a la woot, or a selection that is somewhat static, a la Amazon, Savings.com is an aggregate of deals from all over the place. Mothers Day flowers…you bet. JCP and Target…you also bet. The cool part of this is being able to associate a store’s deal with what you need. Take my t-shirt wardrobe for instance. If J C Penny’s is having 25 percent off of men’s ware, I can snag those suckers for two bucks per unit. Not too bad, right.

Hit that link up there to see what is available. Tell them Joe sent you.

Man Lamp

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My light needs were not being met in the lab. Garage, lab, whatever. Anyhow, I picked up a halogen work light at the hardware store, thinking that the base dimensions and output would make for a perfect movable lab light source.

This thing is a monster. Check this out.

Reference voltage:

base voltage

less than 1 point 21 gigawatts

Reference tempurature

base

+1 tepid

Voltage with 40W light bulb:

better

better now

Voltage with Man-Lamp: (maxed out)

boom

boom

Wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…TEMP NEAR MAN-LAMP

what

what the fuck is this thing

Incredible. I guess this could double as a goddamned heater. My digital thermo was still climbing at 145. FWIW, it is perfect for the lab. Just sort of confusing how brutish it is. Impressive.

Linux Systems Update

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Done, done, and done. All systems go.

I dropped Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on the 17″ Dell, via an old image-having CD I had in the man-lab. Updated via the manager to 10.10, on my makeshift table:

honda-y

Laptop Stand

No problem what-so-ever. Works like a champ.

I snagged the 10.10 image from Ubuntu, and created a bootable USB. I backed up my photos on said drive…so that sucker is one sweet USB. I have been packing it in my pocket, in case anyone needs some Linux on the fly…not holding my breath however.

Anyhow, my wireless card needed some update action…had to go manual on the little guy:

w2ires

hiding spot

So the secret is out…I keep my modem and router in a wire-jumble behind the TV. It works. As does Meerkat on my Mini 9…with which I’m posting this tale at this moment.

So, I have a Ubuntu trifecta going on right now. Seems like they should have me on the payroll or something. Free shirt, or something. Not having Windows is prize enough.

State of Affairs

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I’ve been busy. General business…not so much free time business. Here is a brief run-down of what is in the works:

Item: Environment updates

I am in the middle of re-purposing my computers. I have three flavors of Linux that I use on a regular basis. Gone will be that setup, along with all dual-boot machines. I am going to dedicate my Mini9 netbook as my ‘work at work’ machine…my old 17″ Dell will become my bench computer for my electronics projects…and my slick 15′-er will be my couch computer slash backup unit. All will run Ubuntu 10.10 with Gnome for the time being. I am toying with online storage options, so that I can drop files to and from my Droid without using swantron.com’s server space. More to come on that.

Action shot…updating the Mini 9 from Ubuntu 10.4 Netbook to Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop…

netbooky

little guy --------------------------------^

Bonus from above…real time apt-get Arduino V0022 action

Item: PIR sensor work on the Arduino

I actually had a little POC put together last week, before the system reboot. I made a generic little alarm, using the passive infrared module and a piezo. Once I can get the Arduino IDE up and running on all three boxes, I’ll snap some pics, clean stuff up, and let it rip. Stay tuned.

Item: General EE work.

I’ve been tearing apart all sorts of stuff. Two CRT TVs, some media players, etc. I didn’t document much, but managed to keep from discharging some big ass capacitors. For the win. The goal is to locate points of failure, and swap out components on the board level. This all stems from the flat-iron failure…for which I’m searching for a replacement switch and diode. Pretty cool.

That is about it. It looks like my wireless on the Mini is non-functional. Great. I’m off to track down an ethernet cord.

Time Wars…Watch vs Cell Phone

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If you would have asked me a year ago if I thought there was a need to wear a watch, I would have told you no. More specifically, I would have told you, “why would a person purchase a watch, when it is pretty much a given that there is a cell phone in the pocket of said buyer?” I would have had a valid point.

Well, I can give you two reasons. Reason number one: fashion. Yawn. Not my style. Reason number two: cell phone might die. Yawn. My BlackBerry lasts forever.

Flash forward to right now…I wear a wedding ring and have a phone that lasts about four hours on a charge. I need a watch.

If I was to head out watch shopping right now, there is no doubt that I would buy a Invicta subaqua watch. Without a doubt, the coolest looking watch I have seen to date:

subaqua

black, silver; beautiful

In all honesty, that thing is sweet. I really dig black and silver…cite my SS as evidence. Clean, subtle, and sophisticated. Not to mention the whole sub-aqua thing. Pretty much can’t kill this thing.

So, if I am to make a move to be on time, where should I look to buy my beloved Invicta subaqua? Easy. Blue Dial. Check out this price.

bluedial

beat that

Two hundred, sixty seven…down from nearly nine hundo. Beat that, I dare you.

Hit that link, see for yourself. Great watches at greater prices…while you do that, I’m going to put my Droid 2 back on the flipping charger. It has been three hours.

Let’s Talk Toner

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Where do you buy your toner? From a brick and mortar toner store? Get with the times…

toner

wait, what?

As with pretty much anything tech-based, the only practical way to buy toner cartridges these days is to buy them online. Not only do you save yourself a trip to the store, but a little shopping around will get you a far better price than heading down to the neighbourhood Staples to grab some toner.

Toner Tips

For the best toner selection, shop online
For the best toner price, shop online
For the best toner time savings, shop online

If I would have heeded my own advice, I would not be writing toner articles to keep the lights on. But, lo and behold, I am. For the loss.

Regardless, hit that hyperlink and buy some toner. When all things are said and done, it is, in fact, far cheaper to buy this stuff online than in a store. It is the same racket as HDMI cables…fairly certain that a 8-foot HDMI doesn’t cost thirty bucks to produce. But, I digress…

Home Security Chat

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When I think security system, my brain immediately jumps to a webcam. More specifically, a webcam and a couple of servo motors. Most specifically, a webcam, a couple of servo motors, and a slick web interface with which to drive said servos and see a live stream of said webcam.

I’m getting closer to making that a reality. Bear with me.

Here is the 20,000 dollar question: what happens when I see something awry?

freeze

*~freezing~*

I could take and save footage all day, but then what? I’ll assume that everyone has seen advertisements for ADT…they have the missing piece in the puzzle I laid out. Monitored alarm system…I can throw together a system to capture, but do not have the time to do the monitoring. I think I would sleep better, having someone on the other end of the line. ADT is, without a doubt, the best to have on the other end.

I would love to spend some time with one of their systems…they have a lot going on. Pet insensitive sensors? Yep. How do they do that? Must be one hell of an algorithm that goes into that infra-red sensor. Positioning and triggering would be very cool to tear into. Wireless keypads…ditto. Not sure how they keep that secure.

I’ll wrap this up. Check into home security, for sure, and more specifically into ADT. Go with the best.