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DemolitionDomainProject & Tech Talk for the home, office, & of course the Xbox 360™ 5月26日 Spring Firmware Update for Xbox 360™...This is great news to hear. Check out the details on LionMarine's Space.
5月25日 FAQs - Structured Media CentersRegarding Structured Media Centers, here's some FAQs that I was able to dig up...
Q: What is a Structured Media Center (SMC)? A: Picture your electric service panel, which receives electrical power from a utility company and distributes it throughout your home. A Structured Media Center performs similar functions, except it receives and distributes multimedia signals, including the Internet, cable, VCR, DVD, satellite TV, phone and fax. Q: Where is the SMC installed?
A: The enclosure is usually installed in a basement, garage, or utility closet. Q: How do SMCs work?
A: The incoming multimedia services feed into the Structured Media Center. Wires and cabling are run through the walls from the enclosure to outlets and jacks in rooms, providing plug-in, multimedia access wherever you want it. Q: When should I install an SMC?
A: Installing one is much more economical when a house is being built, but it also can be installed during remodeling or when adding an addition. Q: What should be considered before placing structured wiring outlets in rooms?
A: Consider the function of the room as well as basic furniture placement. Outlets are usually placed at the same height as electrical outlets. Q: What are the main benefits of an SMC?
A: The flexibility to share video, audio and computer networking, in a system with room for growth, plus the ability to turn any area in your home into an entertainment center, home office or security zone. Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about wireless networks. Why install structured wiring when I can try wireless networking?
A: Wireless networks are less secure than wired ones, have a shorter range, and share frequencies, resulting in weaker signals. Structured wiring networks are secure and allow for simultaneous multiple use. Also, you cannot add additional phone or video lines to wireless networks. Q: What about SMCs and the Internet?
A: Whether it's for a home office or a student's room, a kitchen or a family room, your Structured Media Center is capable of high-speed Internet transmission to as many rooms as you choose. If you have more than one computer, you can set up a network to share files, printers and scanners. Leviton is a leading manufacturer of SMCs. Their website provides a lot of very useful information for those who are looking to educate themselves.
See my own SMC installation here.
5月24日 Demolition Sighting! Rumors Abolished...Even though most visitors would probably consider me legally dead (& deservedly so considering my total lack of posts here this past month) rumors of my soul passing the pearly gates or waking up 6 feet under are highly exaggerated.
I’ve certainly not abandoned my domain... I’ve just been swamped lately with work, home chores/projects, and what we’ll call ‘extracurricular activities’... & no you don’t get any details and no you can’t ask what her name is, lol.
I haven’t been gaming much lately either. I got my fill of GRAW, and then actually went back and played a good deal of COD2 following the updates, but since then not much has been happening in the online world. I guess maybe I got a little burnt or just needed a break like good ol’ Fenyx.
In any case I will start posting again... I’ll just have to come up with some tasty topics to make up for my absenteeism.
Peace out.
5月4日 My thoughts on 'United 93'...I mentioned that I saw the much anticipated 'United 93' recently in a previous post and I had a few friends inquire about the experience.
I was able to catch the made for TV version about a month ago portraying the same story ('Flight 93', premiered January 30th, 2006 on the A&E Network) so as you would expect I was anxious to see the feature film version.
I really enjoyed 'Flight 93' (I believe I even watched it twice). What I liked so much about was the fact that it was told from the families' perspective. Each passenger's experience (and their contact with loved ones) was a major part of the storyline.
My expectations were high going to see 'United 93'. I figured that with a big budget it could only get better. It ended up not being the case so much. 'United 93' was good... no question, but not that much better than 'Flight 93' (IMHO).
'United 93' was less about the passengers and their families and more about the bureaucratic chaos that ensued in the chain of command of both the FAA and the military's response to the crisis.
Here are a few key points to consider if you're planning to go see 'United 93'...
Finally, please relax, enjoy the experience, don't judge, don't make it into anything controversial... just exit the theater being very thankful of what the passengers of United 93 actually did... which was nothing short of saving our country's Capital Building as they... in the words of Abraham Lincoln... "laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom".
5月2日 'Contraband' Post!Holy crap! I can’t believe it's been almost a month since I've posted. Work has had me running ragged for weeks so the little bits of free time here and there that I value so much have been missing in action for sure.
As you would expect I don't have anything prepared so I thought I would steal a little inspiration from another poster. I was just dropping by over at PMS Kitty's place and she gave me just the inspiration I needed. So here's my version of the (stolen) post...
Right now I am...
Feeling: Very tired. Boot camp aerobics at lunch is fantastic, but makes for a long (worn out) afternoon sometimes. Reading: A tech note from Microsoft on creating custom forms with Outlook. Yee-hah! Working on: @ home, finally taking the steps to finish my custom Alpine install in my SUV. @ work, I really don't want to talk about that right now. Listening to: 'One' by Metallica. Man that song rocks! Loving: The fact that my Xbox 360 has functioned perfectly since launch. Anticipating: (movie) 'The Game of Their Lives', if it ever freakin’ comes out. Most recent purchase(s): Alpine KCA-620M Adapter (plays any USB music device through head unit). Last movie seen at a theater: 'United 93'. Last movie seen on video/other: 'King Kong'. Quote of the moment: "The daily battle (for me) hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing." - Deirdre Sullivan (NPR, 9 Aug 2005) Lyrics of the moment:
"…and I'll leave this life behind me" 4月6日 What is a Structured Media Center?Due to the high number of questions I’ve received regarding the Structured Media Center I just installed in my home, I thought I’d write a few posts about the subject here on my blog. So for my first entry I will try to answer the ever popular question...
What is a Structured Media Center (SMC)?
An SMC (also referred to as a Structured Media Enclosure) is a centralized wiring hub much like that of your home’s circuit breaker box, but is instead meant for your home’s low-voltage wiring (cable TV co-ax, phone wires, Ethernet cable, etc.). The SMC is linked (by your wire runs) to multimedia outlets (aka wallplates) that provide individual room connections for voice, data, video, audio, security, etc.
The SMC itself is just a steel enclosure that is usually powder coated in a white finish, with top and side knockouts for cable entry, and most importantly a mount grid on the back for the addition of snap-in modules to allow easy installation, customization and future-proofing. Structured media centers/enclosures can be surface mounted or recessed by mounting between wall studs. Hinged doors/covers are also available.
Use an SMC to bring all low-voltage cabling to a central point where connections may be made quickly, inexpensively, and modified if needed without disruption of the fixed wiring within the walls. Unlike electrical wiring, individual cables from each wallplate run directly back (called a “home-run”) to the central wiring point in the SMC.
Use the SMC to terminate all of your home-run wires and provide a whole-house distribution point for integrated voice and data utility services to provide multiple phone lines, cable, satellite, and fax/modem capability for home office, whole-house Internet access, and in-home networking for computers and shared peripherals, like data storage vaults, printers, etc.
SMCs allow virtually endless configuration of component modules, such as cable amplifiers, phone distribution, network gateways, modulators, surge protectors, etc (install however much or however little you want to). The modules can be mounted left, right, vertically or horizontally due to the integrated mounting grid system. Side knockouts accommodate cables for flush or surface mount applications while heavy-duty bushing rings provide additional cable protection. Most SMC manufacturers share the same grid specs, so modules of different manufacturers can be mounted without problem.
Here are some of the lifestyle enhancements that Structured Media can bring to your home...
More to follow! 3月29日 Well I Just Couldn't Resist...How nerdy are you?
I was catching the latest over at TriXie's blog and noticed the little nerd test that she took. My usual morbid curiosity and an extra 10 minutes left at lunch gave me little choice.
My score or 27 was higher than I expected, but at least I'm not in the total nerd category! I'm an engineer by degree so it shouldn't be too big of a surprise.  3月23日 Have Some Pride... Earn Your Achievements!GR:AW has been out a while, and like any other game you'd expect glitches and cheats to be spreading like wildfire by now. Yes, I've already been presented with cheat codes that do almost anything including making your campaign character invincible. Shockingly enough these codes can be used in the campaign in both normal or hard mode and you STILL get the corresponding achievements and points. WTF! Hey now... that stands for 'what the frack' of course (get your head out of the gutter, and yes I watch too much BG).
Come on people, have some respect for yourself. Don't use these codes. Earn your achievements. I am almost done completing the campaign on hard mode and I wouldn't even think of using the cheat codes to do it.
If you use the codes then don't bother even talking to me about it. You won't get an ounce of respect from my direction. It's just the principle of the matter. If you don't get it then it wouldn't be worth the time trying to explain it to you.
To think of it, maybe this will be good for me because those slackers who don't hone their skills doing the hard mode the right way will probably get their butts owned by me in multiplayer!
Game on. Suddenly, I’m Worried...I've had fantastic luck with my 360 thus far (knock knock). It has worked perfectly from the day I purchased it (at launch on November 22nd)... and yes, that was the same day that I waited 8 frackin' hours in line to get it (please save your ridicules for later). But now I'm extremely concerned about reliability of my box.
My brother Jason (aka TangeloPearl) and his brother-in-law Elliott (aka Elliott Ness 5) both bought their systems at the same time and place that I did. All 3 units came off the same skid, so I guess I can assume that they were all manufactured at the same time and place. Here's the kicker... over the last 6 weeks both Jason's and Elliott's 360s have failed (the dreaded 3 red lights coma). Jason's has since been repaired but Elliott is still waiting on his to be returned.
Should I be worried or not? I've heard all the '3%' stories out there, but I haven't heard any rumors about 'bad batches' or anything like that. I guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best. Is there an Xbox god out there that I can pray to? If so what's his email address? I need to have a little chat with him.
I guess now I'm not so pissed about that 50 quid I dropped for the extended warranty.
To all my readers out there, how has your box (and your friends') stood the test of time? 3月15日 Few 360 Disappointments, But…I was just thinking the other day about how much I like the 360 and some of the things that make it great. Convenience, ease of use, and the little thoughtful things (like the remote power up/down, etc) that make me think that they really worked hard on the usability factors. There's a lot there that I use and enjoy every day. Props for that. As you would expect I also thought a little about the things that I thought they missed... things that I feel would really put the 360 over the top. In using my 360 since November I've discovered a couple things of convenience that should be there. It's never too late to add these, so Microsoft (are you listening) here are my two top requests...
1. A wireless headset. The 360 headset just sucks anyway. I'm almost constantly using my original set nowadays. The controller is wireless, so it seems rather anti-conducive to have a wire to the headset. It doesn't allow me to get up and run to another room without removing the set over and over again. I've heard rumors about such a thing, but rumors don't satisfy me. I use a modified bluetooth headset of mine every once and a while, but it's just not all that comfortable.
2. An upgradeable hard drive. Come on Microsoft, it can't be that hard to allow users with any brain power to format a large capacity drive to your specs and install it in the removable case. I've already taken the thing apart anyway so I know it can be done easily. I don't want to hack into it or start messing up your structure... I just want the extra capacity and the ability to burn my DVD game disks to the drive so I don't have to keep switching disks. This is the next generation of gaming, so disk swapping seems so old school to me.
Anyone agree? |
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