At Home with Tech

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August 30, 2015

More Vacation with Less Tech

For once, the rusted nut I found wasn't the one in my head. Although my noggin did slide into vacation mode about six hours earlier than I would have preferred...

For once, the rusted nut I found wasn’t the one in my head. Although my noggin did slide into vacation mode about six hours earlier than I would have preferred…

I’m just back from a ‘relaxing’ family beach vacation at a cottage in the North Fork of Long Island… And let me just quickly admit that along with my favorite pair of flip-flops, I accidentally left most of my tech smarts at home.
(It doesn’t help when you pack your tech at the last minute, and you’ve got a ferry to catch!)

Not to pass the buck, but some bad Tech Karma also played a role in what was to come next…

Movie Night Cancelled
I brought along our brand new Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter to conveniently stream videos from my iPhone onto the cottage’s resident HDTV. But it ended up being an older TV without an HDMI output. So my plan to project videos onto a big screen for a larger crowd was foiled…

No Rocking the House
Then, I realized I had forgotten to bring my portable Bluetooth speaker (Logitech UE Mobile Boombox) to stream Pandora tunes off of my iPhone.
(D’oh!)

That said, the house did have one of those formerly-cool clock radios with an iPhone dock, but again, it was an older model with the old 30-pin connector…not the current Lightning connection my iPhone 6 Plus uses.
(Foiled again!)

Dangerous Beach Exposure
I also forgot to bring my son’s cheap, but waterproof ‘family’ COOLPIX S32 Nikon camera to use on the beach.
(When a typical pocket camera with a motor-driven zoom lens gets exposed to a sandy environment, it can get destroyed by a single grain of sand jamming into the wrong spot.)

Instead, I threw caution to the wind and brought along my aging Canon S100 advanced point and shoot.
(On the upside, it survived and took much better pics than the tough but mediocre Nikon ever could.)

I should also admit my iPhone 6 Plus satisfactorily handled its share of beach-time photo taking… The camera functionality was amazingly zippy, which was useful when my five year old brought over the latest hermit crab he just caught!
(But I was careful not to go too close to the water with my iPhone… An accidental drop in the drink would have really ruined the day!)

Home Alone
Even though my limited vacation brain and a touch of bad luck sidelined a bit of fun, all of my smart-home gear thankfully remained fully on duty. Back at the homestead, this tech did a stellar job keeping me informed that our home was indeed comfortable without any resident humans.

Nest Thermostat Keeps Its Cool
I’m always conflicted about whether to leave the windows open or closed before leaving on a late August vacation. Warm days and cool nights can be a perfect combination for a few open windows to successfully ventilate your house. But if a thunderstorm rolls through, those open windows will welcome in some damaging moisture you’re not around to wipe up…

And if you decide to batten down the hatches, you have to choose between letting your house get all hot and humid without air conditioning or running your AC and feel like you’re throwing money out the (closed) window…

Unless…

With my smart Nest Learning Thermostat, I was able to monitor my house’s internal temperature on my iPhone and remotely turn on the AC at night for a couple of hours if I felt my home needed it.
Sure, any programmable ‘dumb’ thermostat can handle that directive, but I’ve got to admit that having the flexibility to manually control the AC from the Nest app on my iPhone felt amazing.

Nest Connect Glows Green
My Nest app also showed me the happy ‘green circle’ status of my Nest Connect smoke detector. So I was pretty sure my house wasn’t burning down in my absence…

Foscam Camera Keeps Track
And while we’re talking about managing a few ‘irrational’ fears while vacationing…
Remember that Foscam Wi-Fi BabyCam I installed when my now kindergarten-bound boy was just a wee lad in his crib? Well, I’ve given my Foscam a new mission…

Now, the BabyCam just serves as a resident pair of digital eyes (well, just one) when nobody’s home. The FoscamPro app on my iPhone allows me to quickly take a look about whenever I want.

No, I couldn’t see throughout the entire house while simultaneously viewing the beach sunsets.
(I could if I had multiple Foscam cameras set up.)
But it’s still another data point that my house was remaining healthy all by itself.

Vacation Scoop
So I’m pleased to report my house had a wonderful vacation.
And as for me…?

I’m writing this final paragraph on my last full day away…

  • The sun is rising as I look out over the magical inlet in front of me.
  • The warmth of the sun joins the crisp morning beach air.
  • I’ve got my cup of Joe.

Perfection.
(I have found my Vacation Zen.)

Cup of Beach Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I’m happy to admit there was absolutely no technology connected to the moment above.
…Except for the little detail that I was tapping away on my iPhone…
(D’oh!)

It’s good to know that you can be at home without tech.
(Almost…)

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August 23, 2015

Coming Soon… A Movie Trailer You’ve Already Seen

Before this Marvel movie hit the streets, did you know who Ant-Man was? It’s a fundamental question that’s key to any movie’s success. And that’s what movie trailers are for. But the criteria for when and how you’re supposed to consume your movie previews has been upended…

Before this Marvel movie hit the streets, did you know who Ant-Man was? It’s a fundamental question that’s key to any movie’s success. And that’s what movie trailers are for. But the criteria for when and how you’re supposed to consume your movie previews has been upended…

Remember when the movie theater lights would dim, and you’d prepare yourself to get excited over a few movie trailers? Most of the previews you’d probably never seen before, unless you were experiencing the back half of a double feature. (Remember those?)

And what about the thrill you felt when that one amazing movie trailer hit you from out of nowhere? What an experience!

Whenever I bathed in that super glow of movie ‘geekiness,’ I would feel like I didn’t even need to stay for the main feature anymore. How could it get any better than the previous two minutes?

Of course the current availability of online movie trailers has ruined all that. And while I’ve got to admit that the sport of watching and collecting online trailers at home is fun, the experience pales to the purity of in-theater viewing…

No Surprises
Another byproduct of the proliferation of online movie trailers is you don’t need to show up to the movie theater on time.

I used to refuse to walk in even two minutes late…for fear of missing the first preview.
(Often a big one)

Today, I think it’s safe to say I’ve already seen every ‘major’ movie trailer they throw at me. Yes, it can still be more compelling to see it on the big screen, but the crazy urgency I used to feel on the whole matter has gradually evaporated.
(Yes, occasionally, a new movie trailer is first released on ‘day one’ in the theaters and then goes online immediately after… but that’s rare and something of a stunt.)

Movie Roulette
Now, all you’ve really got to do is skip the fifteen minutes of previews and commercials, (yuck) seat yourself just in time for the opening scene, and you’re golden.

Of course, if you play that game, you risk not finding a decent seat….

Plus if you lose, and show up a couple minutes into the flick’s opening sequence, then you become a major pain the butt for all the people sitting behind you.

And that’s really not cool. Nobody wants to miss the first scene of the movie, because you messed up your ‘movie roulette.’

I say it should be more like when you go to a theater to see a play. If you show up late there, you often can’t get to your seat until intermission.
Bravo!

The Rise of the Post-Credit Movie Scene
One type of movie preview experience that thankfully has remained intact (and in fact is becoming ever more popular) is the post-credit ‘surprise’ scene.
Most everybody has already left the theater…
(Who really wants to watch five minutes of credits?)
And then suddenly another scene pops up!

Often it’s something of a throwaway sequence, but sometimes it’s a significant moment that hints at a future film. Occasionally, it is a clip from the next related film!

A perfect example is the credit sequence from the well-reviewed
“Marvel’s Ant-Man.”
(Which I also really enjoyed…. Good talent. Great sense of humor. A story with heart. And a movie that enjoys living in the Marvel super-hero universe, but stands on it’s own. In fact, it was my favorite summer flick!)

“Ant-Man” actually has two separate scenes buried in the credits. The first one points to the evolution of one of the characters. The second appears to be from the next Captain America film- “Captain America: Civil War.”
(There’s no time like the present to begin seeding your future ticket purchase!)

Creating the Cliffhanger Moment
So it’s interesting how the placement of impactful movie-previews has taken something of a 180 and found a new favorite home at the end of the flick you’re watching…. instead of at the beginning.

And in the age of movie blockbusters built on a model of an ongoing story over multiple installments, it’s important to set the stage for the next sequel…

And that’s something of a nod to the cliffhanger model used in the old action and sci-fi movie serials like 1939’s “Buck Rogers”.

Yes…what’s old is new again…

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August 16, 2015

The Best UPS for Your iMac

"Uninterruptable Power Supply Interrupted." My APC UPS failed its own self-diagnostic… and my iMac began operating without a net. A power net, that is… Time to buy a replacement!

“Uninterruptable Power Supply Interrupted.” My APC UPS failed its own self-diagnostic… and my iMac began operating without a net. A power net, that is… Time to buy a replacement!

A moment of Tech Zen is often a fleeting one… Last week, my Home Zen was shattered by a piercing series of beeps coming from under my desk.

It was my lowly UPS unit… I mean to say my uninterruptable power supply… You know… that big, heavy battery backup box that my iMac plugs into for protection against a power outage.

Computers hate unstable power or the sudden loss of power mid sente

(…just kidding)

Time to Replace My Uninterruptable Power Supply
But seriously, unless you have complete faith in both your electrical grid and Mother Nature, you should expect the occasional brown out or total black out. Providing stable, emergency power for a few minutes, a UPS battery system can really save your computer heartache.

But any battery only lasts for so long, even if you’re not using it. My five-year-old APC UPS (XS 1200) decided it was no longer fit for duty while I was enjoying my morning cup of Joe.

It performed a self-diagnostic and apparently failed the test. That activated a red light in the front and the irritating 30 seconds of its beeping red alert.

Yes, the APC had my attention…

#33
So I jumped onto Amazon to see how much the replacement battery would be.
I tracked down the right model, which was named ‘Battery Cartridge #33.’

#33 was selling for over eighty bucks!

That’s already half the cost of a band new UPS, but many of you would probably still say, “Click” and be done with it.

Not me…
I decided I didn’t want to mess around with tech that’s already a few generations old.
(You know how I get when it comes to reliable power.)

So I began my search for a new UPS.

APC Vs. CyberPower
APC appears to still be the dominant manufacturer of consumer UPS units today, but after a little online research, I found lots of folks talking about how much they liked their CyberPower UPS systems.

So for no rock-solid reason, I decided to go with ‘the other guy.’
(And now all the APC marketing folks are throwing their hands up in disgust with my fickle positioning.)

True Sine Wave Vs. Modified Square Wave
If you’re still reading this paragraph, I congratulate you for your insatiable search for knowledge… or you have my condolences for being such a massive geek…

Either way, you should know, the ‘Sine Wave’ conversation is apparently a controversy in certain tech circles. And it could point to a huge risk in the health of your computer when running off the ‘wrong UPS unit.’

It would be best if you found an electrical engineer to explain,
(Because I barely understand it)
…But here are the basics…

It has to do with the quality of electricity a UPS generates.

Most consumer UPS systems don’t give you a ‘true’ or ‘pure’ sine wave electrical current. They give you something called a simulated sine wave… or a modified square wave… or a stepped-approximation sine wave.
(My body is starting to shudder uncontrollably just trying to type all these words.)

And yes, simulated sine wave UPS systems cost less than the ‘pure’ ones.
(Think of it like organic juice vs. a GMO liquid.)

And that’s fine for lots of computers. Apparently, they can handle the cheaper juice.

However, certain computers use ‘Active Power Factor Correction’ power supplies (Active PFC). And those units are designed to work with true sine wave current.

Active PFC power supplies don’t like the cheap stuff.

Some say those computers audibly buzz as they struggle with the wrong kind of power.
(And that can’t be good.)

Others insist an Active PFC computer won’t run off of a simulated sine wave at all.

But there’s another camp that says not to worry…
Unless you’re planning on running your computer for extended periods on a simulated sine wave UPS, (like with a home media server) there’s no problem. For those few minutes it takes to power down your computer, you’ll be just fine.

So which side should you believe?

Looking for a Sign for the Right Sine
Well, the next question I had was whether my iMac has an Active PFC power supply…

It does.
(gulp)

So I decided to head down to my local Apple Store and speak to the Apple Geniuses. Surely they would have a point of view…

First off, there were no UPS units on sale anywhere in the Apple Store.
(That would have been an easy clue.)

Then, I found an available Apple Genius and posed the question…
A perplexed look slowly spread across his face as if I had asked him about Windows 10.

Can the Apple Genius Save my Sanity?
He did not respond to the words, ‘Active PFC.’ He didn’t chuckle when I mentioned ‘sine wave.’ However, he did act like I might have just teleported over from a different timeline.

Finally, he acknowledged that he didn’t know what I was talking about, but he warned me that some UPS manufacturers have been known to use bad batteries that can expand. So I should be careful…

I looked around for someone to recognize the irony of that comment.
(By the way, my old MacBook Pro’s replacement battery is still behaving and hasn’t grossly expanded like my first one did.)

Am I the only nerd in the universe who wants to buy the proper battery back-up solution for his computer?!
(This shouldn’t be so difficult…)

Pure Sine Wave Creation isn’t Actually that Costly
My original web research suggested that pure sine wave UPS systems cost ‘significantly’ more. But when I came home and sat back down to check out the CyberPower models, the Pure Sinewave Series wasn’t that expensive. Only about $35 more…

Really?

I’d say throwing away thirty-five bucks is worth the peace of mind that I’m feeding my iMac ‘quality’ backup power!

From there, this annoying tech rabbit hole began to quickly disappear…

Choosing my CyberPower
I zeroed in on-

  • CyberPower PFC Sinewave Series CP1350PFCLCD
    1350VA/810W Pure Sine Wave UPS
    $189.95 on Amazon

It’s slightly beefier than my old APC UPS, and it sports 5 battery back-up plugs and 5 surge protection plugs without the back-up power.
(Yes, UPS units are great for surge protection too.)

Depending on how much power you need, there are less expensive choices-

And there are also a couple more models in between these two.

But remember… Reduced power is going to give you less time to maintain and shut down your computer equipment during a blackout…

How Much Power Do You Need?
Of course, the next question is how much juice do you really need…?

I admit that even with a few extra external hard drives and my iMac, I’m supersizing it with the 1350VA/810W model, but you never know what kind of hungry tech might come home in the next five years…
(Plus UPS batteries do lose capacity over time.)

Click.
(I actually did the deal with B&H with the free ‘expedited’ shipping…which is usually next day for me!)

A Smart UPS
I unboxed the UPS, slid it under by desk, plugged it in, and tethered my iMac to it. All done?

Not quite…

When you plug in the included USB cable to your iMac, the CyberPower’s status is automatically recognized by the computer. You can find it in your Energy Saver’s settings in the System Preferences icon on your bottom menu bar.

Without installing any extra software whatsoever, you can schedule when your Mac should sleep or power down while running off of the CyberPower unit.

And if you want, you can choose to show the UPS’s battery status in your top menu bar.

Sweet!

Suddenly this UPS had become more than a soon-to-be forgotten troglodyte battery gathering dust by my feet. Now, it had become an integrated member of my desk’s tech team.

Drum Roll Please
So it was time to do a test. I unplugged my new UPS… and as soon as I di

.

.

(…kidding again)

iMac UPS Alerrt

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was fine.

  • My iMac warned me that it was running on battery back up.
  • The remaining battery time popped up on the UPS’s front LED panel.
  • And the battery percentage indicator on my iMac’s top menu gave me oodles of confidence that my digital companion was in good hands with its new CyberPower friend.

CyberPower in Action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sound of Silence
I plugged my CyberPower UPS back in, sat in my chair, and took a deep breath…

  • I looked around
  • Listened for any unusual sounds
  • I cleared my mind…

Tech Zen restored.

…And then my printer ran out of ink.

D’oh!

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