HTPC at Meeting

I'll try to bring my HTPC for next week's meeting - will demo some software.  HTPC is a good use of an older laptop.  Let's talk.  Take a look at this site for a little software info - http://goo.gl/v6nC

Santa Claus Is About to Release a Christmas Present

A few weeks ago I received my Kindle Fire. A very nice computer, but the touch screen began to fail this last Friday. Saturday morning brought a few hours of Fire-goodness, but then the screen started acting up again. A search of the web resulted any many sites complaining about the Fire's screen problem. Enough of electronics with problems - today I returned the Fire and ordered the grand-daddy of all tablets - The Asus Transformer Prime. What a machine! I hope I get it before Christmas. 


http://goo.gl/F6kjS

Popular Cloud Storage Services

Lifehacker lists the top five cloud storage services.  Take a look here - http://goo.gl/AtrXf

What a Camera!

Have you read about the new camera technology?  Go here - https://www.lytro.com/camera

Disaster Recovery

The December issue of Maximum PC has some great tips on recovery from disaster. Look at the article here.  Although Maximum PC does spend a lot of issue space regarding high performance, it does have many articles that can be applicable to the everyday user.  You might want to read a copy sometime.

Backup with Dropbox

If you haven't investigated all the "cloud" backup solutions, start by taking a look at Dropbox.  "Google" dropbox and you'll find many, many links.  I just read a nifty way of backing up with Microsoft's SyncToy.  Go here.

And while we're at it, this site deserves a read, as well.

Google Plus Videos

Here are some training videos on the google+ features. http://goo.gl/agR3U

Wind Power Technology

Take a look at this site - http://goo.gl/EA1Bi.  Very cool power generating system!

Weatherspark

Just found a new weather program - WeatherSpark.  It is VERY cool.  Make sure you watch the help video - it provides sufficient information to make the site work for you.  Enjoy.

Harris Hawk

Today I was able to hold the camera a little steadier.  Here are some shots of our neighborhood watcher.

The Hunter

This guy (or gal) is perched on a palm tree about a block away.  Much screeching!  He (she? - can anyone tell?) does spend a good deal of time soaring.  We have plenty of food for him in the neighborhood.  Don't let your small pets outside!

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon

I missed it.  Maybe you missed it, too.  Yesterday was International Bacon Day (http://goo.gl/gKqcf). Take a look at Lifehacker's Bacon Hacks.  I haven't eaten breakfast today - I'm thinkin' bacon.

Great VoIP Product

Several years ago, we spent a year in Branson, MO.  It was the first place I had access to cable internet.  It seemed so fast that I HAD to have a "telephone" line using this internet - Voice Over Internet Protocol.  The service I chose was Vonage - if I remember correctly, it was about $49 a month.  This included "free" long distance phone calls.  Wow, what a deal.  Fast forward to present day --

We have high speed internet once again.  At least it's high speed to us - 10 Mbps.  This high speed has permitted the use of voice, video, and music.  I've always thought there ought to be a cost-effective solution that would allow us to keep our land line and add a voip, as well.  However, early hardware devices (i.e., ATA - analog terminal adapter) never quite seemed to work, so when Google Voice came along, I was hooked.  Until today, we have used the call-back feature of Google Voice (GV) to make all of our long distance calls at home.  The service is still free!  We rarely use our cell phone minutes because call quality (especially when talking to other cell phones) is usually poor.  Our normal procedure is/was to access the internet via a pc, set up a call with GV callback, then resume the call with our house phone.  This has worked well, but I'm always looking for new technology, and yesterday I stumbled upon (no pun intended) the OBi110.

With the OBi110, I can attach my land line and an Ethernet connection so that either one can be accessed from the house phone.  I can make GV calls directly from the house phone - the OBi110 is setup so that, by default, every phone call initiated utilizes GV.  But, if needed, I can set up a call using our resort's phone system, instead.  And, there's more!  This device will allow incoming calls from either the land line or GV.  The best of both worlds by utilizing a single VoIP device.  There are many other features available with the OBi110 (http://goo.gl/5iqub).  It cost only $49.99 at amazon.com, and with free shipping.  Now, with a one-time cost of $49.99, I get free phone calls all year.  I'm finding several good reviews of this technology.  Try this one -http://goo.gl/deM3D.

Times sure have changed.