Tip: Use a TV stand or cart to hold train transformers
Once your train layout outgrows a single 80- or 90-watt transformer, finding room for a larger transformer (or bank of transformers) gets difficult. A TV stand suitable for a CRT television (remember...
View ArticleAdvice for upgrading from a CRT to an LCD
Like a lot of people are doing these days, my brother- and sister-in-law replaced a CRT TV with an LCD. I helped my brother-in-law hook it up last weekend, and we got it working, but probably could...
View ArticleMy household’s energy usage dropped 19% in 2011
I got a letter from my utility company Saturday morning. Inside was a chart, comparing our household’s energy usage from 2010 and 2011. It dropped 19 percent. Considering our total bill for 2011 was...
View ArticleHow to clean your LCD monitor or TV cheaply and safely
I found a nice trick this week. If those microfiber cloths that came with your LCD monitors and TV(s) have all wandered off, you can use a dry eraser instead. They’re bigger, so they’re easier to keep...
View ArticleExceptional–as in exceptions–budgeting
Consider the following scenario: In [a consumer finance] study, the authors, Abigail Sussman of Princeton University and Adam Alter of New York University, ask you to imagine that one of your favorite...
View ArticleHow to be a hero next Christmas (or your next family get-together)
My mother in law didn’t have wifi set up, but she picked up a smart TV this year, so she asked me if I could help her with it. So I picked up a D-Link DIR-615 on sale, brought it with me and set up...
View ArticleAn update on the shortcut to wiring a house with Ethernet
Last week, I presented a shortcut for wiring a house with Ethernet using cheap keystone couplers. I’m happy to say I’ve done it twice now, and it all works, but I wanted to follow up and share a little...
View ArticleA contrarian (but defendable) view of e-books
Tech author Nicholas Carr has some interesting statistics that led him to state that perhaps e-books will complement printed books, rather than replace them. It’s not hard to find history to support...
View ArticleHow to save money on tech
CNN offered up some good tips on saving money on tech. But of course I want to analyze and comment on it myself. Anything else would be out of character. Use smart strips. Getting one or two of these...
View ArticleNew Raspberry Pi this week
The Raspberry Pi Model A (the cheaper, stripped-down version) was just released for $25. How is this news? Well, I thought the Model A was already available. It has half the memory of a Model B, and no...
View ArticleThere are several things to like about the Television Consumer Freedom Act of...
The Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013 is coming soon to a Senate near you, and there are several things in it worth paying attention to. 1. Unbundling. It’s not uncommon to have to pay for...
View ArticleWhat you should know about your first credit card
Lifehacker asked what a first-time credit card owner needs to know. As someone who first got a credit card at the age of 20 and is still reaping the benefits of using one correctly from the start, I...
View ArticleWebcam spying gets more attention
So, apparently Miss Teen USA’s computer got infected with a webcam-spying remote access trojan. So someone got some sneaky pictures of her, and tried to blackmail her. Fortunately, instead, she decided...
View ArticleNew media in Cuba
I read an ingenious article this week on Slashdot, talking about how Cubans evade Internet censorship (not to mention lack of access) by passing contraband material around on flash drives. It’s so old...
View ArticleHow to help the tornado-struck community of Moore, Okla.
I’ll put what I was going to write about this morning on hold for a few days. I was writing about something that disappoints me, but it’s nothing compared to a mile-wide tornado hitting the town you...
View ArticleBrief first impressions of the Hisense Sero 7 Pro tablet
I picked up a Hisense Sero 7 Pro tablet this evening. I’ve only spent about 90 minutes with it, but my first impressions of it are very favorable. It’s fast and smooth, the screen is sharp, and the...
View ArticleNow that Microsoft is IBM, it needs to avoid IBM’s big mistake
Whether Microsoft likes it or not, it’s turned into IBM. The biggest difference I see is that when Microsoft makes a mistake, it catches up with them much faster than the same mistake did to IBM. But...
View ArticleWatch your embedded security
If there’s a theme I’ve heard over and over again this year, it’s that it’s time to pay attention to security in embedded devices like routers, other network equipment, televisions, and the other...
View ArticleI got a Chromecast. I think you should too.
So, I read about the Chromecast, wondered how it could possibly work, and thought it might be too good to be true. But, since it costs $35, I thought I’d take a chance on it. I’m glad I did. Think of...
View ArticleSmartphones and tablets… What’s the point?
A longtime reader who asked to be anonymous got his first tablet and smartphone a few weeks ago and was underwhelmed, to say the least. “What’s the point?” he asked me privately. To be honest, I...
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