Here is a little test to see
If this thing works. Maybe I will even upload a picture.
Testing testing. Is this thing on?
April 8th, 2011A quick experiment in new media
September 13th, 2010I didn’t start off today to do this experiment it just sort of happened. I was heading out to cut the grass at the farm when I heard a call for “all available manpower” on the Lafayette volunteer fire channel. There was a big warehouse fire out in Scott. About the same time it started to rain so that got me out of grass cutting.
I drove by the fire along with several dozen other spectators. They all had their phones out taking photos and video. That is when I remembered loading the ustream broadcaster app on the phone. Now I never used the app but I was lucky enough to remember my ustream credentials and in short order I was logged in.
I sent a text to Adam Melancon to check out the stream. He twittered it to the local tv station who in turn twittered it. I watched the numbers go from 1-3 to 60 people watching in a matter of minutes.
There was nothing special about the footage. Most of the time I didn’t even have a good shot. For added effect, I had my scanner next to the iPhone so the viewer got to hear the fireground audio.
After about a half hour, I decided to “go mobile” and took the scanner/iPhone combo and walked around. I guess I should have done some interviews but I am a geek and not a journalist. I did find it ironic however that one of the local news crews was not that familiar with ustream.
I will say that times are changing when there are 4 different media outlets represented and the only live shot is from a yokel with a camera phone.
HELLO…Hello…hello…
August 15th, 2010
The Echo Circle at the old Lafayette Natural History Museum
Back in the day, my family would go to the old Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium on a regular basis. Most of these trips were at night however. Because of this, I never knew about the echo circle near Girard Park Drive until later on in life.
For those not familiar with the echo circle, it is pretty cool. It is a 30′ circle with a raised hub in the center. If you stood on the edge of the circle and yelled towards the center, it would sound like you were in a huge tank.
Today, the circle is falling apart. I went out and measured it the other day because one day I am going to make one of these in my back yard. Yes, I AM that much of a geek.
Echo Circle Wall
Echo Circle Hub
Here are some more pictures…
The old Lafayette Natural History Museum
Rhino 5200 Labeler
May 13th, 2010
Rhino5200
Why didn’t I get one of these sooner. If for no other reason other than it prints on heat shrink. The heat shrink is a bit on the expensive side but you are after all printing on heat shrink.
The unit makes beautiful cable labels in a few different formats. It can write multiple lines on a wrap around label that is easy to read. Also does symbols and barcodes as well.
Vera – Zwave Home Automation Controller
May 13th, 2010
Vera Home Automation Controller
I have been using “Vera” since we moved back to LFT in August of 2009. I started with a few lamp modules, an appliance module, thermostat and a door lock. It has turned out to be one of the best home purchases I have ever made.
Vera has a very simple web interface that allows a user to setup various scenes to control devices. Examples include: Turning on a variety of lights at dusk and off at dawn. When the lights come on, lock the door. Check once an hour and relock the door if it is unlocked. At 8am, it raised the thermostat a few degrees and lowered back to normal when our daughter entered her code in the door lock (which also sent us an email telling us she was home).
A great buy but the modules can get a bit pricey. Great for renters or someone who doesn’t want to run wires everywhere. The modules are connected through a “mesh network” based on the Z-Wave wireless technology.
