The Most Comfortable Gym Shoes
Jun/090
A couple of months ago my truck was broke into and everything was taken right down to my gym shoes and steering wheel cover. I don’t know who would want ware my used gym shoes but I do have to admit they were very nice shoes. New Balance shoes have always fit me well and been super comfortable. I like them so much I would use them for backpacking instead of hiking boots. I don’t tie the laces too tight so I can slip the shoe off and on real easy. Some shoes feel loose like they are going to fall off my foot, but these shoes fit like a glove.
New Balance Men’s MR1224 Running Shoe
There is no use dwelling on my old favorite pair of shoes since I doubt I will ever get them back. Even if I did, there is no way I could ware them after having them stolen by white-trash teenagers. I set out to my favorite DSW shoe store to see if there was a shoe that could live up to my new expectations set by my previous pair of shoes!
I tried on a lot of shoes but none of them had the "glove" fit and wouldn’t come off and on without me having to tie and untie the laces - every time! Just before I walked out the door PUMA Voltaic Running Shoe
It has the same fit like my old shoes but these are even more comfortable and I have always liked PUMA style shoes. They are a dream to run in, I feel my feel are floating on the ground. There is enough support so I can use them for weight training also. Usually running shoes are too narrow and don’t have enough support but these shoes do alright.
There is also Voltaic
Setup Wireless Network
Jun/090
Setup a wi-fi network for a company. I only used eight Cisco business wireless access points
I was spending some cash too! I bought four ViewSonic LCD monitors
Anyway, I think Vista is AWESOME! Why do you think Vista sucks so bad? When you buy the laptop make sure to upgrade to 4gigs of memory. Vista needs 4gigs, venders are just being bad business men selling computers with less than necessary requirements. Well… they meet the minimal requirements… resulting in minimal performance. The sad thing is memory is so cheap it would only cost about $80 to more than trible the speed.
My friend just bought the HP Pavilion DV6
What’s the best laptop to buy for business?
Jun/090
Business + E-mail + Internet
You wouldn’t buy a pick-up to do a dump trucks job and you wouldn’t buy a geo when you need a soccer mom’s van. So don’t buy a flashy media laptop to do the job of a solid stable business laptop.
Hopefully from the example above, you get the point that laptops are all made for different uses. I can’t count the times people have gone to BestBuy only to come back with a Media Center Laptop with Vista Home which is completely useless for business. Why?
- Vista Home cannot join business networks (Just keep your media center laptop at home, because that’s the only place it’s good for.)
- Media Center hardware is fugly and often expensive parts are replaced with cheap, expensive looking parts. (So you “get a good deal“)
- The laptop is going to weigh 20lbs! Trust me you don’t want to carry around 20lbs on business trips or to meetings.
If someone argues, saying a media laptop wont be that heavy. Take moment and do some simple speculative math.
| Media Laptop | 10lbs |
| A/C Adapdter | 6lbs |
| Laptop Bag | 5+lbs |
| Wireless Mouse | 2lbs |
| Camera | 2-5lbs |
| Phone | 1lb |
|
That’s already at:
|
29lbs |
Total weight of one huge sack of potatoes.
Carrying around 29lbs on your shoulder through the airport, through security and onto the plane will not be fun. But, don’t run off and buy that super lite mobile laptop just yet. Super thin, super lite can sometimes mean super useless and super slow.
HP
Check out the HP Probook line of laptops. These are cost effective, business ready machines. If you purchase with Vista there is no question - upgrade to 4gigs of memory and the laptop will run great!
Leveno
I bought the Lenovo ThinkPad T400
Perhaps the best feature - from a quality point of view - is the ThinkPad T400
If you purchase with Vista there is no question - upgrade to 4gigs of memory and the laptop will run great!
20 Technology Magazines Every Geek Needs
Jun/090
Recently I was looking to expand my information intake and looking for new sources. I couldn’t find much online featuring good sources of technology information, other than blogs. Sometimes, I just want to pick up that shiny magazine; and I never could replace reading in the “John” with reading blogs on my laptop. And hey, even if I don’t read all of them. At least it keeps my friends and visitors occupied with interesting stuff. Make sure to get your copy of Cosmo, People, and US for the woman though!
The list isn’t in order by rating because I can’t really rate one better than the other when they all fulfill niches. For staying up on technology these all are good!
1. Maximum PC
Every month this publication is packed full of PC upgrades, tweaks, tech specs and reviews of all the newest hardware. There is a massive amount of PC tech specs, perfect for the hardware geek.
2. Computer Power User
For advanced power users and those looking to get the most out of their PC. Full of cutting edge technical reviews and tweaks.
3. Tech Net
I love Tech Net! It is published by Microsoft for Network Managers and IT Pros supporting Microsoft networks. There are articles and how to’s for backup, security and network management. This magazine is really to help IT Pros make the most of Microsoft’s products. But there are also reviews of software useful to network managers. Tech Net is great for staying up-to-date on Microsoft small and enterprise business software.
4. PCWorld
PCWorld fills its space with how-to’s, reviews, articles and news about everything computer. This is the source for information on personal computers. If you are a seasoned computer user or professional Windows IT Pro
5. Computer Shopper
The don’t offer a paper magazine any more unfortunately. They have gone all digital! You can sign up for their newsletter, though. Personally, I’d rather have a magazine in the mail than more e-mails.
6. PC Gamer
Well, PC Gamer is by far the #1 PC gaming magazine in print. The latest game reviews, gaming industry news, tips, tricks and strats.
7. Official Xbox Magazine
I’m all about absorbing as much information as possible so I can look past the fact this magazine reads like a magazine I’d keep under my bed. It is your source of everyting Xbox: games, smart-ass & witty reviews and articles, tips, and Xbox upgrades. (I only get this magazine so I can point out to my friends how much better the graphics are on my PC games.) 
8. Smart Computing
It’s all bout know-how and this magazine covers a lot of it. What makes this mag important to me is it movies away from hardware and software specifics and focuses on solutions. I like to stay up-to-date on the latest bugs, workaround and there are tid-bits about free software tools. There is an active list of Daily Tips on their website.
Apparently, a subscription to Smart Computer will also get you full access to to, PC Today, Computer Power User, and First Glimpse publications.
9. Wired
I probably don’t have to even mention this magazine. Wired is practically an icon for technology; I’m trying to think of a CEO I’ve had who hasn’t referred to something in here. The magazine is popular with a lot of people and it is great for seeing what’s new and happening in the tech industry. However, I have never bought a product featured in here and little of the new technology is actually applicable to use in business or my life.
10. Game Developer Magazine
The source for seasoned and aspiring gaming programmers, developers and marketers. Game Developer Mag has really good articles authored by some of the industries top professionals. I’m not a game developer, but I love to see what’s going on in their area of the world.
11. MSDN Magazine
Another Microsoft publication. MSDN is for Microsoft developers and there are articles about Microsoft’s tools and technologies for Windows and the Web. This is where I get more in depth information about the Windows OS environment.
12. PCPhoto
I’m not a pro photographer but I am obsessed with collecting and organizing all the pictures I take. PCPhoto is great because there are tips on how to take advanced pictures with digital cameras. It was in this magazine I learned how to take a crisp clean promotional product picture with an all white background. But anyway, the title speaks a lot for itself as for the content it is both for pros and regular camera users. And it covers everything from the camera to the PC to the printer and everything in between.
13. Laptop Magazine
Laptop Magazine reviews a lot of mobile hardware products from phones, PDA’s, mobile broadband solutions, portable printers and projectors, MP3 players and obviously laptops in every issue. What I like most about Laptop Magazine are the articles and reviews; because they feature usable technology products and not so much futuristic gadgets like Wired magazine would have.
14. Circuit Cellar
You wont see this one as often but its a godsend for pros and advanced electrical engineers and technicians. It is really geared towards electrical and circuit geeks. If you are anything like the long bearded intellectuals I know; you’ll dig this publication! June’s issue featured articles about keystroke communication, autonomous vehicle design and SSI controller for linear-position sensors.
15. Windows IT Pro
I find, “Security Horror Stories” amusing as the featured article in a Windows magazine. But, putting aside the Windows jokes, Windows IT Pro is a good magazine. I found the articles and tutorials a little trite with all my experience with Windows most of the content seemed pretty simple. However, the publication is for helping professionals learn and understand more about Windows and SQL Server enterprises. I do subscribe, though, it keeps me up to date on Microsoft Pro products.
16. Videomaker Magazine
Video has only recently been brought to the web full scale; Youtube IS only a few years old. This magazine features all the in and outs of video making. I get this magazine because I’m not a pro videographer and its packed full of good reviews, products and tips & tricks. This is great for staying up to date on consumer video technologies and diving into the world of professional video production.
17. GamePro
GamePro is for the 1337 and exclusively for the serious gamers who have the micro skillz. Each issue is loaded with reviews, previews, strats and tips for Xbox, GameCube, Playstation, PS2, PS3, Gameboy and the rest!
18. Network World
Maybe it’s because I am a networking freak! This is my favorite subscription for IT pros, execs and mangers. Keeping networks hot and running smooth is no easy task and all the networking product, design, infrastructure, troubleshooting information and I can consume the better. Switches, routers, servers, analyzing, troubleshooting, managing, designing… it’s all in there.
19. Custom PC
We all get thos calls: The user with an OEM Dell desktop wondering why its running (or walking) slower than ever and falling apart. It makes me feel like falling to my knees wailing and crying in pity for the end-user. It really is a no brainer why so many people hate computers when they are constantly fed the idea a cheap desktop from Dell is a good idea and “a deal.”
Anyway, this magazine is a guide for advanced PC users obsess with performance. Packed full of tricks for maximizing performance and customizing appearance.
20. Computer Music
The computer experience would not be the same without music. Not only is my computer an operations machine it’s packed full with my own music library!
Don’t get the wrong idea this isn’t about iPods, MP3’s, or the newest hottest Internet Myspace star. First of all this magazine covers everything associated with computer based music. From how to’s, hardware & equipment reviews, tips to troubleshooting and upgrading your setup. The content is also quality, there isn’t a better magazine for computer base music.
A great big thanks to Greg De Santis for helping me find some of these awesome publications.
How to Setup a Wireless Hotspot to Earn Money
Jun/090
It is possible to share a wireless Internet connection and charge people to use your service.
The minimal initial investment includes:
- $20 monthly for a Captive Portal (billing and user authentication)
- $60 per node
- $19.99 monthly for 256Kbps Internet connection
This article will cover information you need to start your own business providing Internet service through Wi-Fi hotspots or mesh nodes. I will also cover what you need if you are a small business looking to add paid wireless service in-house for customers.
For example: you own a café, restaurant or cigar shop and want wireless available for customers to login and pay $2 for an hour Internet service.
Another example is a school or church providing wireless
access to staff while also providing access for the public to pay for Internet.
Forward
There are five main parts to cover and I will address each
one in this order. I recommend you read through them entirely in order.
- Firmware Options
- Hardware Options for Wireless Nodes
- Node Management
- Billing and Account Handling
- References
1. Firmware Options
Flashing the wireless routers with different firmware opens up customizable options allowing devices to be used in all kinds of cool ways. 3rd party hotspot and mesh firmware generally offers far more advanced features for customizing the operation of the wireless router.
1.1 Standard Firmware
This is the default firmware, the software you would see from Linksys, Cisco, Netgear or a Airlink101 router.
Linksys WRT54G |
Airlink101
|
| Linksys Firmware
|
Airlink101 Firmware
|
| NETGEAR
|
Cisco WRV210
|
| Netgear Firmware
|
Cisco Firmware
|
1.2 Hotspot Firmware
Hotspot firmware gives you more advanced networking features for configuring a hotspot ideal for small business, a café, bookstore, church or around home. If you know how to setup VPN’s, program your own user and accounting software then these firmware options will work for you. If you don’t know what a RADIUS Server is then stick with Mesh Firmware. I think some of us want to spend my time growing the wireless ISP business not programming. Know what I mean?
- DD-WRT is probably the best out there and is my favorite and has all the advanced settings. It’s free, and open source. [Wiki: Documentation]
- OpenWRT supports the most hardware models and is the most advanced and requires the a lot of networking and wireless know-how. OpenWRT is also free and open source.
- Sveasoft is a little different from the other open source offerings, as they charge $20 a year for access to firmwares and support. If you are deploying the modified routers commercially, then having paid for support may be what you’re looking for. Their firmware runs on a range of Asus, Belkin, Buffalo and Linksys kit.
- CoovaAP is an OpenWRT-based firmware designed especially for HotSpots. It comes with the CoovaChilli access controller built-in and makes it easily configurable. CoovaAP is perfect for just about any HotSpot application - from WPA Enterprise (with RADIUS accounting) to Free WiFi with Terms of Service acknowledgment to commercial HotSpot captive portal applications
| DD-WRT Firmware
|
OpenWRT Firmware
|
| CoovaAP Firmware
|
SveaSoft Firmware
|
1.3 Mesh Firmware
This firmware takes a multitude of hotspots and creates a mesh topology linking them all together like a web. You can cover vast areas like a campus, town or city in mesh mode. [Wiki: Mesh node network]
Wireless mesh example |
|---|
Open-mesh
Open-mesh’s firmware is proprietary so you will need to sign up for their services and then visit the dashboard for configuration options. You will use the web based dashboard for configuring all the wireless node’s options. The broadcasting name, Captive Portal, passwords and other options propagate to each node automatically.
Dashboard Edit SSID #1  |
Dashboard Edit SSID #2  |
2. Hardware Options for Wireless Nodes
It depends on what firmware you want to use. Some hardware comes with proprietary firmware and you will have to buy the wireless hardware from the company themselves or a retailer.
Ready to Run vs. Do it yourself
Benefits of using proprietary firmware and hardware are it relieves the responsibility from your company of managing and troubleshooting hardware and software. That can add up to lots of money and time.
However, doing it all yourself allows for maximum customization of the “system.” I think you will find operating costs much higher because you find your business having to maintain servers (think backups, accounting, legality, hardware replacement, patches, fixing bugs, etc).
2.1 Do it Yourself
If you decide to install your own firmware, you will need to check for compatible hardware.
- Hardware supported by DD-WRT
- Hardware supported by Seasoft
- Hardware supported by OpenWRT
2.2 Ready to Run
I use Open-mesh because unlike other options the firmware comes preloaded and it saves me time and money not having to tinker with hardware and firmware. However using Open-mesh means you cannot use other firmware or your own hardware. [Open-mesh Store]
Open-mesh offers ultra low-cost zero-config, plug & play wireless mesh network solutions that spread an Internet connection throughout a hotel, apartment, neighborhood, village, coffee shop, shopping mall, campground, marina and just about anywhere else you can imagine.
Open-mesh Professional Router |
|---|
3. Node Management
Managing wireless nodes is done using captive portal solutions. All five listed blow support management functions in their web based “control panels.” Really all of the captive portal solutions share the same features, the difference is in how well the features work and how clean the products is. Common features are payment gateways, landing pages, bandwidth control, pre-paid printout cards, whitelisting and monitor logs and usage statistics in graph form. You will want to check each one of these companies because one may fit your ideas and needs better. Most of them offer free trials.
- CoovaOM, is both a FREE and low cost service specifically for Open-Mesh networks. Brought to you by Coova, a premier provider of open-source and commercial Hotspot solutions.
- WiFi-CPA Enterprise Server, a comprehensive user management, monitoring and billing platform designed for FREE or Paid HotSpot Access.
- WifiGator, captive portal billing solution for user authentication, Paypal and prepaid tickets. Hosted and Enterpise versions available. WifiGator also has a tool for creating your own WRT54G Firmware based off the settings you choose.
- Wifi-soft, carrier-class operational support system (OSS), monitoring and billing solutions for hotspot operators, wireless ISPs and network operators around the world.
- WorldSpot.net, hosted solution for user authentication and billing.
4. Billing and Account Handling
Billing and user accounts are handled by the captive portal in most cases you will find billing handled by Google Checkout or PayPal. You will wont need to sign up for a merchant account PayPal will take their cut out of each transaction.
5. References
- DD-WRT - How to flash Linksys WRT54G/GL/GS/GX - A guide.
- DD-WRT - How to flash Linksys WRT54Gv8 - A guide.
- Wiki - Learn about RADIUS.
- http://www.streakwave.com - distributor of Wireless Networking Equipment featuring a complete like of some of industries top manufacturers.
- http://wimax.com
- http://open-mesh.com
- http://dd-wrt.com
- http://www.wallwatcher.com/ - Collect, view and analyze router logs.
Products to checkout
DD-WRT supports the new Linksys WRT54G2.
Magazines for Small Business & Residential Tech
Jun/090
I subscribe to a couple magazines in particular because they contain articles about hardware beneficial to small business and home users. These two magazines I think are the best around for those topics.
Laptop Magazine reviews a lot of mobile hardware products from phones, PDA’s, mobile broadband solutions, portable printers and projectors, MP3 players and obviously laptops in every issue. What I like most about Laptop Magazine are the articles and reviews; because they feature useable technology products and not so much futuristic gadgets like Wired magazine would have.
PCWorld fills its space with how-to’s, reviews, articles and news about everything computer. This is the source for information on personal computers. If you are a seasoned computer user or professional Windows IT Pro
8GB SD Memory card for my phone
Jun/090
Have you seen this? An 8 GB Micro SM card, you can store 1,000’s of pictures on this card. I put one in my Blackberry Curve 8310
If I get a phone call and need to remote to a client’s network I can whip out my EEE and remotely connect. That is priceless when I am physically 30 miles away from my office and my client who needs my help.
Check out these comparisons.
2GB MicroSD |
4GB MicroSD |
6GB MicroSD |
8GB MicroSD | 16GB MicroSD |
| $1.76 | $5.25 | $78.99 | $14.02 | $72.24 |
Amazon must have an influx of 8GB MicroSD cards because they are going for really cheap right now.
Small Business Computer Backup Solution
Jun/090
I believe this is the best solution for small businesses computer backups.
A tape backup system at this level would cost $4,000 or more for hardware alone and you still wouldn’t get the same quality of operations Barracuda offers. HP and Symantec’s tape and disk library options are expensive and take hours of troubleshooting to keep them running.
Other online backup solutions don’t offer the incremental backup option so you have to upload the entire 90 GB every backup or they don’t offer a local backup solution. Also none of them compete with the e-mail message-level backup that lets you backup and restore e-mails individually. Not only that, it is not required to run a client on every system backing up like Symantecs Backup Exec does.
BARRACUDA ONLINE BACKUP
DATA TO BACKUP
| Main Server | User Files, Program Files,
Database, Payroll |
80 Gigabytes |
| Secondary Server | Exchange, Database, User Files | 10 Gigabytes |
| (Overall maximum capacity of 300GB) | Total Backup | 90 |
SOLUTION
Barracuda Networks’ local and remote backup. Data is backed up onsite on a rack mounted Barracuda Backup unit. Backups on the unit will upload to Barracuda backup storage facility and then replicate in two geographical
locations: in the states Missouri and California. E-mail backup is supported so e-mails and files are never lost. Several models are offered scaling and storage capacity and advancing in features; the model 100 fits SMB needs best.
FEATURES TO NOTE
- Local storage capacity of 250 Gigabytes
- Full local backup and restore
- Choose which data to backup offsite
- Message-level e-mail backup
- Supports Microsoft Exchange
- 256-bit AES encryption to offsite locations
- Backup scheduling
- Incremental backups
COSTS
UPFRONT
| Backup Unit | $999 |
| 1-Year Instant replacement | $219 |
| 3 labor hours | $240 |
| Total | $1,458+Tax & Shipping |
OCCURRING
| Rate Total | ||
| 200 GB | $0.50 per 1 GB | $100 a month |
What you get:
Peace of mind and a quality backup solution practically running itself.
How to Synchronize Blackberry with Outlook for FREE
Jun/091
You can synchronize your Blackberry with Outlook for free using a little workaround with Gmail. Google provides software for synching Outlook calendars with Gmail calendars and Blackberry software for synchronizing your Blackberry with Gmail.
1. Sign up for a Google E-mail account
Signing up for a Gmail e-mail account is free and not only that you get over 5gigs of free storage! If you already have an account with Gmail than you just need to download the Blackberry client and the Outlook sync client.
2. Download Google’s sync client for Outlook
Download Google Sync for your PC. Amazing how a synchronization client can be such a small download in comparison to ActiveSync and Blackberry Desktop Manager.
3. Install Google Sync on your Blackberry
Google makes it really easy for you. Go to http://m.google.com/sync and enter in your phone number and click on your device type. Google will text your phone a link to install the software. You can also go to http://m.google.com/sync using your Blackberry browser.
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