Requirements Alarm system to qualify for home insurance discount Low monthly fees Remote access via iPhone Solution Honeywell Lynx 5100 kit – $300 Wifi module for Honeywell Lynx AlarmRelay for monitoring – $9/month OR SimpliSafe http://simplisafe.com/package?sku=23#utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=amazon&utm_content=Alarm+System+Wireless
The convertible roof has leaked on a 2000 BMW Z3 for years. Here are some considerations when choosing to replace the roof. 1. DIY or have it installed professionally. DIY can save $800-$1300 but the install is complicated and easier done by someone who has done it before. There are […]
Challenge All of those beautiful pieces of wood that don’t stack well can be quickly made into an tablet or smartphone stand. Technique My great lumberjack father provided some nice burl pieces. However, it was a struggle to find the right workshop tool to cut these irregular pieces. Finally, the obvious occurred; use […]
A day of volunteering for the Philadelphia Mural arts program resulted in a painted 1200 block of Pearl Street. 21-September 2013 1200 Block of Pearl Street, Philadelphia This is in support of the Pearl Street Block party hosted by the Asian Arts Initiative. Sweep, 3 coats of pavement paint, bollard painting, and painting a […]
Purpose Make DVD’s available to any TV in the house without the need for a DVD player on each TV. Background Don’t use this technique to steal content. Use this to backup DVD’s you own or for one-time viewing of rental DVD’s. Tools MacMini with external DVD player Handbrake – $0 VLC – $0 […]
Requirement Charge USB devices by the sun Capture energy during the day even if target device is not plugged in Materials Switching Regulator $4 Solar panel $70 (1/3 of $200) – had these laying around – could have gone smaller USB hub ~$2 USB battery pack ~$10 wire to solar panel (included in panel) USB cable to […]
Documentary about a small town in Siberia and the extreme yet fulfilling conditions they live in. Wikipedia IMDB Netflix
Background 20 year-old Huffy 18-speed bike purchased at K-Mart for <$100. Requires new tires every 5 years. Path forward This bike was green and purple with pink brake lines. I initially considered putting stickers on it. I then remembered I had some old spray paint including blackboard paint. 15 minutes of spraying and […]
Forget planning your trip. You can make it up as you go along! A smart phone is critical if you are a traveler who likes to “wing it”.Go to the app store and install all of these apps (most are free) and drag them into a folder for quick access. Booking Kayak – flights, […]
Background About a year ago I posted a article on reducing cable costs by replacing a landline phone service with GoogleVoice and replacing a DVR rental with a cable card. The voice system has worked well but the TV system never had a working DVR. This lead to more use of our 3 […]