Remote, Programmatic Home Automation at its Best – the Belkin WeMo

Home Automation and Remote Controls are cool. Really cool. Think back to the days of The Clapper (which you can still buy, by the way). Clap on, clap off. We have come a long way though. Now we have Internet-connected gadgets, gizmos, appliances and devices, hopefully all designed to make our lives easier, safer or simply better. The Belkin WeMo is a perfect example of how this Home Automation technology has evolved to become mobile and programmatic.Recently I hooked up a Belkin WeMo Switch… [more]

Remote, Programmatic Home Automation at its Best – the Belkin WeMo Remote, Programmatic Home Automation at its Best - the Belkin WeMo

Using the Sun to Power your Gadgets & Light the Way – WAKAWAKA POWER

If you look up into the sky, assuming it's sunny and daytime, you will see a vast energy source that is incredibly untapped - the sun. Solar power technologies have been evolving a break-neck speeds and the size and costs have been reduced dramatically to the point where you can throw a solar panel, charger and battery into your backpack and never worry about plugging your smartphone or tablet into the wall again. The WakaWaka Power, is no exception. This small device, in my opinion, is critical… [more]

Using the Sun to Power your Gadgets & Light the Way – WAKAWAKA POWER Using the Sun to Power your Gadgets & Light the Way - WAKAWAKA POWER

14 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider – Part 1

You should all know by now that the cloud is here to stay. It may be in one form or another and in various flavors (infrastructure, platform or application) and it may not be called "cloud" in a few years, but the concept of on-demand, pay-as-you-go, Internet-delivery, scalable, as-a-service functionality will persist. It's efficient, it's cost effective and it is becoming better each and every day. However, when it comes to choosing a cloud provider, there are several things that you or your business… [more]

14 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider – Part 1 14 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider - Part 1

Wake Up! Mother’s Day is Almost Here!

In case you didn't know it already, Mother's Day is right around the corner. Heads up to daughters and sons everywhere, it's time to think about the person who hopefully nurtured you through the developing stages of your life and has provided you with ongoing support and unwavering love. However, I think it is important to not just think about moms, but also those female figures in your life who have given you guidance, a helpful hand, companionship and protection. These could be moms or mother-in-laws… [more]

Wake Up! Mother’s Day is Almost Here! Wake Up! Mother's Day is Almost Here!

Did You Miss Us? We’ve Been Licking Lemon Ant Butts! Cast of Dads Podcast #57

Yep, we're baaaack! Have you ever tried to organize the lives of 5 busy dads who are dispersed across the country and time zones? The image of herding cats comes to mind. The desire to record our Cast of Dads podcast is there, the free time, however, is not. Yeah, excuses, excuses. We did manage to all get on a call about a week ago and chat through a variety of topics though, and were able to record Cast of Dads Podcast #57, "Lemon Flavored Ant Butts."I always feel that half an hour is simply… [more]

Did You Miss Us? We’ve Been Licking Lemon Ant Butts! Cast of Dads Podcast #57 Did You Miss Us? We've Been Licking Lemon Ant Butts! Cast of Dads Podcast #57

Remote, Programmatic Home Automation at its Best – the Belkin WeMo

by Michael Sheehan on May 17, 2013

in Application, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Opinion, Review, Software

Post image for Remote, Programmatic Home Automation at its Best – the Belkin WeMo

Home Automation and Remote Controls are cool. Really cool. Think back to the days of The Clapper (which you can still buy, by the way). Clap on, clap off. We have come a long way though. Now we have Internet-connected gadgets, gizmos, appliances and devices, hopefully all designed to make our lives easier, safer or simply better. The Belkin WeMo is a perfect example of how this Home Automation technology has evolved to become mobile and programmatic.

Belkin WeMo Switch

Recently I hooked up a Belkin WeMo Switch and Motion Detector in my home. Before I go into the details of that process, I have to say that I’m a guy who hated when I saw a VCR (remember those?) with a blinking clock. I’m all about programming and using technology ahead of time or setting it up to make what you are currently doing better. I have placed wireless remotes for lamps around the house. I obviously set up shows to record on my DVR. I even automate a little bit of my social media sharing (not much, mind you). There are tasks that you can automate that can save you a few minutes during your hectic day here and there. That is what automation (and remote controls) are all about. And with all of this different technology, it allows us to be a bit more lazy (in a good way, hopefully).

Belkin WeMo Motion & iPhone

Let’s start with what the WeMo is. It’s a device that you connect to your home WiFi network and to an electrical device that you want to control whether it is on or off. Once you set up your connection (which I will go into later), you use your mobile phone with the WeMo app, to turn on or off that electrical device. Let’s say you have a lamp connected to the WeMo plug, from another room or across the globe, once you have everything connected, you can turn that lamp on or off at will. Pretty handy, right?

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Using the Sun to Power your Gadgets & Light the Way – WAKAWAKA POWER

by Michael Sheehan on May 15, 2013

in Cellular, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Mobile, Opinion, Review

Post image for Using the Sun to Power your Gadgets & Light the Way – WAKAWAKA POWER

If you look up into the sky, assuming it’s sunny and daytime, you will see a vast energy source that is incredibly untapped – the sun. Solar power technologies have been evolving a break-neck speeds and the size and costs have been reduced dramatically to the point where you can throw a solar panel, charger and battery into your backpack and never worry about plugging your smartphone or tablet into the wall again. The WakaWaka Power, is no exception. This small device, in my opinion, is critical to have for camping trips or in your emergency kit or just quietly charging in a sunny windows somewhere.

WakaWaka Power - Lights on

WakaWaka Power – Lights on

I actually really like this little “gadget helper” for a variety of reasons. Let’s start with the name, “WakaWaka” which means “shine bright” in Swahili. WakaWaka is created by Off-Grid Solutions (OGS) which is a company that develops and manufactures solar-based portable charging and lighting solutions. They got their start via a Kickstarter.com initiative (which raised over $419,000 – 838% over their initial $50,000 funding request) and are now a global brand. In fact, in 2012 they made it their mission to deliver 1 million WakaWaka’s worldwide as part of a pledge to the Clinton Global Initiative.

WakaWaka Power - packaging

WakaWaka Power – packaging

But OGS and WakaWaka haven’t stopped there. For every WakaWaka Power charger that they sell, they are donating $10 to the WakaWaka Foundation which has been set up to finance entrepreneurial education, micro-loans to women energy entrepreneurs and also subsidies for poor countries like Haiti, Nepal, Nigeria, India and others. One of their goals is to replace dangerous, expensive and polluting kerosene lamps with their solar-powered solutions. You can read more about their mission here. With initiatives and dreams like this, what is there NOT to like?!

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14 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider – Part 1

by Michael Sheehan on May 14, 2013

in Cloud, General, HTD Tech Tip, Tech News

Post image for 14 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider – Part 1

You should all know by now that the cloud is here to stay. It may be in one form or another and in various flavors (infrastructure, platform or application) and it may not be called “cloud” in a few years, but the concept of on-demand, pay-as-you-go, Internet-delivery, scalable, as-a-service functionality will persist. It’s efficient, it’s cost effective and it is becoming better each and every day. However, when it comes to choosing a cloud provider, there are several things that you or your business should seriously think about before plunking down your credit card and signing up for a service.

14 Things to Consider when choosing a Cloud Provider - Part 1

Before evaluating a cloud provider, you need to think about exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking to replace an aging CRM system? Think about a SaaS provider. Want to enable your developers to code in whatever language they want and publish to a managed system? Consider a cloud platform offering. Or do you want to replace your data center so that you can take advantage of the scalability and cost-control that is built into the cloud? Then cloud infrastructure might be for you.

Also, depending on your organization’s needs, you may need a mixture of cloud services and that may result in having a variety of cloud providers. Just a little word of warning, while there are many standards emerging, not all cloud services are alike and just the way you would have to work on system integration with physical environments, you will have to do the same with clouds. You may have to work with different APIs or have to map business processes from one system to another. It can definitely get confusing.

But once you have focused down and identified your needs, you need to compile and short list some cloud providers. Listed below is a series of considerations when evaluating and choosing a cloud provider. Often it is hard to generalize when you span cloud types. But just the same way that clouds in general have common characteristics, your selection process should have similar requirements.

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Wake Up! Mother’s Day is Almost Here!

by Michael Sheehan on May 10, 2013

in Family, General, Opinion, Parenting, Video

Post image for Wake Up! Mother’s Day is Almost Here!

In case you didn’t know it already, Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Heads up to daughters and sons everywhere, it’s time to think about the person who hopefully nurtured you through the developing stages of your life and has provided you with ongoing support and unwavering love. However, I think it is important to not just think about moms, but also those female figures in your life who have given you guidance, a helpful hand, companionship and protection. These could be moms or mother-in-laws or mother figures or step mothers or foster mothers or simply mentors who are women.

Happy Mother's Day 2013 - From HighTechDad

Happy Mother’s Day 2013 – From HighTechDad

Mother’s Day may be a commercial day, great for cards and flowers, but it is important to take a little bit of time to honor these women, all gifts aside. The mother or mother figure pretty much across the human (and animal kingdom) is the protector. In my family, my wife is the “mama bear” – the one that will throw herself in the way of any type of physical or psychological danger to protect her offspring. The mother takes on various forms in our society, and I must admit, I don’t know each and every mom personality-type out there. Heck, there are probably dads or other caregivers who assume the “mom” role. Regardless, this is their day, and you should thank them for their efforts, love and encouragement.

I do have to mention the dads out there (but obviously we have a day as well). Without dads, there would be no moms. But those moms are really great reality checks for us dads. They keep us in line. Heck, my wife calls me her fourth kid…perhaps because I act like one so often? Who knows. What I’m trying to say here is that it is important for dads to recognize their family counterparts as well on Mother’s Day. (Hey dads, did you buy your wife a card yet?)

I’m not sure if Father’s Day gets the same type of treatment. But that is fine in my book. On Mother’s Day, mom gets to be queen for a day, instead of indentured servant, slave, project manager, cook, chauffeur, cleaner, organizer, tutor, doctor, psychiatrist, fashion consultant, mentor, entertainer, social coordinator…need I go on? Of course there are professional moms who add “day time bread winner” to the mix as well. Back in 2007, I figured out that if my wife, a “stay at home mom,” were to earn a salary based on the “jobs” that she does running the household, she would pull in over $240,000!

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Did You Miss Us? We’ve Been Licking Lemon Ant Butts! Cast of Dads Podcast #57

May 8, 2013
Thumbnail image for Did You Miss Us? We’ve Been Licking Lemon Ant Butts! Cast of Dads Podcast #57

Yep, we’re baaaack! Have you ever tried to organize the lives of 5 busy dads who are dispersed across the country and time zones? The image of herding cats comes to mind. The desire to record our Cast of Dads podcast is there, the free time, however, is not. Yeah, excuses, excuses. We did manage [...]

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How To Easily Remove, Install & Replace an Apple iPhone 4S Battery (Video)

May 7, 2013
Thumbnail image for How To Easily Remove, Install & Replace an Apple iPhone 4S Battery (Video)

I’m such a heavy user of my Apple iPhones that it really seems like about a year after I get one, I’m doing a how-to article on replacing the iPhone’s battery. I now have an iPhone 4S and this past weekend, I replaced the battery. Other smartphone users may scoff at the fact that Apple [...]

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What Has Happened to Continuity?

April 29, 2013
Thumbnail image for What Has Happened to Continuity?

Was it something I said or did? Why aren’t you talking to me any more? Did I not do everything you asked? No, I’m not talking about dating here, although, in some way I sort of am. I am talking about being “dumped” by a brand. This is particularly painful if you are a blogger [...]

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Comfortable, No-Frills, Good Performing, Family SUV – 2013 GMC Acadia Review

April 26, 2013
Thumbnail image for Comfortable, No-Frills, Good Performing, Family SUV – 2013 GMC Acadia Review

The 2013 GMC Acadia is an SUV turned crossover (I still think of it as an SUV) which I believe is a bit of a sleeper. Probably the most aggressive features of it is the bold front grill with the GMC logo on it. It’s strong, as if to say, get out of my way, [...]

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