Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Technology Page 2 of 14

Biggs’ Labs: Smart Home Phase I [Complete]

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On November 22, 2016

In Biggs' Labs, Technology

Smart Home

The summer presented some additional challenges which pushed back phase I of my smart home project. I am also adding another phase to the project. Every time we see some new appliance or module we immediately start to budget to add said module. Be that as it may, I have updated the project checklist:

In Home Network

MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS (DVR and Media server)

Home Automation Phase I

Home Automation Phase II – with Raspberry Pi integration (in progress)

Home Automation Phase III (in draft mode)

There are many flavors of home automation you can choose from and several factors you should consider before you choose one. How dirty do you want to get your hands? How user-friendly do you need the system to be? What other technology will you want to be able to integrate with (i.e. iPhone, Google, Echo, etc)? If you haven’t figured it out by  now, I’m not talking about professional installation of a home automation system; I’m talking about a Do-It-Yourself kind of project. When you are deciding on a product you should also be aware of which protocol it supports. The protocol is important when you are selecting additional modules and other peripherals.

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Tech Talk: Lateral Career Development

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On October 20, 2016

In Microsoft, Mobile, Tech Talk, Technology

Lateral Career DevelopmentThis Tech Talk is going to be a little different than prior posts in this category. I’m not going to talk about a new gadget, technology milestone or the latest news headline. I want to know what it takes to achieve lateral career development. You can advance your career along two axes. The common route is vertical by getting a promotion, perhaps a title change and some underlings. You can also advance your career along the horizontal axis (i.e. laterally). This is most often accomplished via some form of training. When you improve a skill set or acquire new skill sets, you are a better asset.

Depending on your employer, lateral career development will not necessarily render more money. I understand for many that is the motivation behind additional training, but usually its training that isn’t very interesting. I’m talking about the kind of training that not only enhances your career but it’s also fun and interesting. There are a plethora of ways to get the training you want; Pluralsight comes to mind. However, this post isn’t about where to get your training (perhaps that can be a future post).

How Do You Transition Your Career or Integrate Your New Training?

Unfortunately this post also will not answer that question. I’m legitimately asking. In some cases integrating your new training can happen fairly naturally. For example if you are a .NET developer and you completed training on Angular development. Those two technologies are so tightly coupled, finding an opportunity to implement your new skill is going to be easy. I know that because I have done it.

On the other hand, what if you are a .NET developer and you completed training on iOS or Android? These two technologies are obviously two completely different worlds. I’m not necessarily suggesting a permanent transition. It might be for some but personally I want to increase my skills beyond .NET (and perhaps even my value to my employer). The challenge is overcoming the pigeon-hole of so much time working in one technology.

This kind of lateral career development can be stymied by various factors. Priority, budget, opportunity or even employee perception can be a factor. Of course the obvious hindrance is experience. The developers with more experience are the first to be selected for the project. It goes back to that age-old conundrum “you need experience to get the job but you need the job to get the experience“. Your expertise is more cost-effective on a project where you can be the most efficient.

How Do You Get on a Relevant Project?

Again I’m legitimately asking! Obviously this is beyond your control. I imagine certain things have to align properly. First you need people who are willing to let someone with little to no experience work on a project. Then, of course, the right opportunity has to come along. It will probably have to be something that is low risk and has a flexible timeline.

I’m curious if anyone has had any recent success expanding into other technological paradigms. Working in the same technology every day for several years starts to feel pretty stale and mundane. I understand that mundane usually means job security but it kills ambition. I found this quote by T.S. Eliot – “If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” Sometimes you have to push yourself to get to the next level but it does help if there is someone willing to take a chance on you.

Perhaps that’s all it takes to make that lateral move; someone who recognizes your potential and gives you a shot. The greater the risk the greater the reward. I guess, in the meantime, you keep working on those projects at home. It will help keep your skills sharp and you have the free reign to push the envelope a little bit.

/cheers

apple_logo-263x300The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do
– Steve Jobs

Tech Talk: Apple’s Decision to Remove the Headphone Jack

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On September 14, 2016

In Apple, Tech Talk, Technology

Apple's Decision to Remove the Headphone JackApple has, yet again, sparked relentless controversy on the Internet with their recent announcement of the iPhone 7. The new iPhone will not have the standard headphone jack. You would swear Apple is trying to abolish Twitter. Everyone lost their minds. The ironic thing is Apple isn’t even the first company to do it! Many are going to accuse me of being a fanboy because I support Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack. My reason is very simple: USB.

Folks are clamoring that removing the headphone jack is absurd. The 3.5 mm jack has roots that extend all the way back to 1878 when switchboard operators used 6.35 mm jacks. It is a technology that has withstood the test of time remarkably well. However, I pose this question for all those folks: do they still use the stereo jack for their headphones on your computer? I am willing to bet most people plug their headphones into their computer using a USB port instead of the 100-year-old 3.5 mm stereo jack.

USB Headphones Are OK but Lightning Headphones Are Not??

So this is what I don’t get. When the PC industry converted everyone over to USB headphones, nobody batted an eye. In fact I was rather pleased with the transition. It’s technological progress. The same can be said for using the Lightning Adapter for your headphones. What is the difference between using a USB for sound and using the Lightning Adapter for sound? Technically there isn’t. Sound waves are a form of data and both transmit data, ergo the headphone jack is superfluous.

There is one particular scenario I am curious about. What if you need to charge your phone but wish to listen music on your headphones at the same time? I find myself in this specific situation quite often, especially at work. The only solution I have seen Apple provide so far are wireless ear buds with Bluetooth. I’m not a fan of ear buds, they never stay in my ear so they aren’t a viable solution for me. So that issue remains unresolved and may just be a victim of progress.

in·no·vate(ˈinəˌvāt/) – verb – 
make changes in
something established,
especially by introducing
new methods,
ideas, or products.

“Times change and you have to adapt” – Jerry Cantrell

Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack isn’t completely leaving 3.5 mm headphones out in the cold. Apple has promised to include an adapter with all the new iPhone 7’s. I don’t know what that means for future iPhone versions but headphone companies have a year to engineer new lightning adapter capable headphones.

I think people just like to target Apple, especially the Android community. The soliloquy on “courage” may have been overly dramatic but it has merit. You can call it crazy. You can call it “courage”. You can call it “user-hostile and stupid”. It was bound to happen eventually and I think you are going to see more companies doing the same thing. Removing the headphone jack may not have been revolutionary but it’s certainly evolutionary.

However, I don’t know about those wireless ear buds …

minion_keboard_smThe people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do
– Steve Jobs

Biggs’ Labs: MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS [Complete]

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On July 30, 2016

In Biggs' Labs, Technology

MythTV, Plex and FreeNASI am crushing it on these tech projects I have going on at home, I just haven’t been very good at keeping up with posting about them. I can mark another item off the list as my MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS project is complete.  Here is the updated project list:

In Home Network

MythTV, Plex and FreeNAS (DVR and Media server)

Home Automation (in progress)

Home Automation – Raspberry Pi integration (on pause)

All of the projects I have on deck were all relying on getting the in-home network operational. I imagine I will be able to complete the remaining projects faster now that I have a proper network set up. In fact that was the case with my Home Media Server project. I have gone on a tirade before about how much I loathe doing the cable & Internet provider dance. It finally reached a point where I became tired of paying $130+ for hundreds of channels that I rarely watch. I do enjoy some of the specialty channels such as DIY, HGTV, Velocity and Food Network but sometimes those channels were more for background noise. Besides I think they will eventually be available through other media sources (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV).

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Tech Talk: Apple Watch (vs Fitbit & Frivolity)

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On July 18, 2016

In Apple, Tech Talk, Technology

Apple WatchI used to wear a watch all the time. I had a Fossil watch so it wasn’t a luxury brand, but it wasn’t a bargain brand either. When I lost weight, the watch no longer fit and would need links removed to make it fit again. I waited so long to get the appropriate tools to remove the link that the battery died. I was unable to open the back to replace the battery, so I continued to go on without a watch. In the fall of 2014 Apple announced their latest gadget, the Apple Watch. I was skeptical, a watch is such a mundane accessory, what could possibly be cool about a watch. By the end of the demonstration I knew I would definitely use the Apple Watch. There was no doubt in my mind. Alas, the frugal part of me knew that I could not, and would not, pay the $400 price tag for a watch.

A little over 8 weeks ago, I was shocked to find an amazing, and rare deal on Apple Watches at Micro Center. After combining coupons and price matching, I saved about $150 on an Apple Watch. I knew that Apple will likely be releasing Apple Watch 2 this fall, but I didn’t care. I was more willing to pay $250 now rather than wait to see what I wouldn’t be buying in September. Granted $250 is still a pretty hefty price tag for a watch. I did some budgeting and some math and slept on it a few nights before I pulled the trigger on it. It was probably still a frivolous, luxury commodity, but most Apple products are.

There are two things that have really stood out after having bought and used an Apple Watch for about two months now. First, I use it a lot more than I thought I would. At first I was honestly worried that I may have just spent frivolously but the more things I discovered I can do the happier I became with the purchase. I think the most telltale sign was the fact that I only take it off when I’m going to bed. When I was wearing a normal watch, I would always take it off after I came home from work and I rarely wore it on the weekends. Now its the first thing I put on every morning.

It’s nice that I don’t have to take my phone with me any time I want to sit somewhere else in the room or go into an adjoining room. My watch can tell me if I have any messages or email I need to check, as long as I stay within Bluetooth range of my phone. I can even reply to text messages, if the reply doesn’t require an extensive response. I can quickly glance at sports scores, check the weather, control music, even access our smart home modules. I’m sure I have barely tapped the surface of what I can do. It is important to note though, that the more notifications you send to your watch the more it eats up its battery. On the other hand (no pun intended), I don’t have to use my phone as much for menial tasks like checking the time or a text message which saves the battery on my phone.

The second, and probably most peculiar, everyone thought I would be giving up my Fitbit now that I have an Apple Watch. I have been a loyal Fitbit user for over three years (i.e. I was using Fitbit before Fitbit was cool), a mere watch was not going to tarnish that relationship. Second, its alarming that people automatically associate an Apple Watch with fitness and health. Apple should be concerned about how they are marketing the watch if that’s what people are primarily using it for (which is simply ludicrous).

Also, I don’t really like the Activity app on the watch. I find the Fitbit app on my phone much easier to use for tracking my exercises and, of course, participating in challenges with my friends. My intention was never to replace my Fitbit with the Apple Watch, they serve their own purposes, independently. So, despite my initial concerns, I am more than thrilled with the Apple Watch and I highly recommend it to anyone who has already invested in the Apple family of products.

/cheers

minion_keboard_smI could get so much more accomplished if I only had minions!
Home Network

Biggs’ Labs: In Home Network [Complete]

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On April 28, 2016

In Biggs' Labs, Technology

tosche_title_headerSo here is my original list, slightly updated to reflect all current status:

In Home Network

MythTV – Plex – FreeNAS DVR and Media system (in progress)

Home Automation (up next)

Home Automation – Raspberry Pi integration (up next)

I can finally check something off my list. I was very excited to start plugging in computers and televisions and see it all connect to the Internet. Granted this is only Phase I, which was just wiring the main entertainment and computer area with enough network drops to plug everything in. Phase II will be to run it up to all the bedrooms (but that’s for another time). It’s nice that I don’t have to run a 100 foot network cable across the room so I can plug the XBox into the Internet; now its just a short 4-6 foot cable.

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