Derail This Thread

[Hoosier]

They all run 1920x1200 - I could go higher but it gets a little small for me to see. ... I have six servers at my house

1920x1200 on anything larger than 24" means you're not driving at the monitors actual native dimensions, though, right? Do you have astigmatisms or other vision issues, or do you sit far back from the displays?

I have a couple servers in my house, but only one is powered up. It's a ubuntu machine which drives my Drobo for central storage. The builder of this house ran Cat5 in a star topography for the telephone lines, which is perfect for networking... I got lucky there.

I have three more servers scattered around the net, mostly in "cloud" environments now.

I remember seeing the pictures if your setup. Someday(tm) I'd love to get my house setup like that. I'd really like to design and have built a house that functions as a cohesive system instead of just a structure with a bunch of independent devices and wiring systems, like we build houses today. For example, sometimes I'll hear a noise and I'd like to know what it was. If my electrical system monitored amp draw on every outlet, I could check to see if there was a new circuit going hot that corresponded to time, and know that it was (for example) the sump pump that kicked on.

(This thread is for derailing, right?)

H.

[TFOGGER]

Server...that's the person that brings you your scotch, right?










How's THAT for a thread derail?

[Ranger]

1920x1200 on anything larger than 24" means you're not driving at the monitors actual native dimensions, though, right? Do you have astigmatisms or other vision issues, or do you sit far back from the displays?

No, that's a native resolution. I don't have any eye problems but sit far enough away from the monitors that I have found that to be comfortable for me.

The builder of this house ran Cat5 in a star topography for the telephone lines, which is perfect for networking... I got lucky there.

That's nice! When I bought the house I spent the first month before I moved in getting it wired and outfitted. I ran 3 CAT5e and 2 RG6 to each place I wanted to connect something. I'm glad I did, since then I've upgraded all my TV's to LCD wall mount, not a wire to be found .

I have three more servers scattered around the net, mostly in "cloud" environments now.

I do a lot in the cloud. My servers have certain purposes - like three are just for Windows Media Center and Plex (on Mac), one a general purpose server, one a Windows server for SQL replication and one for my home automation (Mac).

I'd really like to design and have built a house that functions as a cohesive system instead of just a structure with a bunch of independent devices and wiring systems, like we build houses today. For example, sometimes I'll hear a noise and I'd like to know what it was. If my electrical system monitored amp draw on every outlet, I could check to see if there was a new circuit going hot that corresponded to time, and know that it was (for example) the sump pump that kicked on.

It takes time! I've probably got around $12K in Insteon devices alone! What I like is that I can see and control everything from anywhere in the world via my phone or a browser (prefer phone, native apps). Since I travel a lot, my house does things like randomize the lights and drapes to give it the lived in look. Plus, my house knows when there is any movement and notifies me immediately. It freaks people out because my house talks. I'm working on a system now that when a motion sensor is tripped, a camera will do facial recognition to identify who tripped it and set the lights and music to that persons preference (a long work in progress).

The funny thing is that if you ever meet me I'll be the least geekiest guy you have met! Electronics and computers have always fascinated me.

[Hoosier]

That's nice! When I bought the house I spent the first month before I moved in getting it wired and outfitted. I ran 3 CAT5e and 2 RG6 to each place I wanted to connect something. I'm glad I did, since then I've upgraded all my TV's to LCD wall mount, not a wire to be found .

Nice setup...

one a Windows server for SQL replication

Oh many Windows SQL brings back such bad memories of circa 1999 and the performance bottlenecks it brought us. Nearly brought a well known .com to it's knees after a superbowl ad.

I'm working on a system now that when a motion sensor is tripped, a camera will do facial recognition to identify who tripped it and set the lights and music to that persons preference (a long work in progress).

Cool idea. I've thought about designing a pyramid shaped device that would sit flush in the corner of a room up along the ceiling, and having smoke detector, emergency light, camera, thermal infra-red camera (to detect fire without smoke), passive infra-red motion detector all integrated into one unit, that could then be powered via Ethernet for a single-cat5 hookup. Could be prototyped using Arduino, or the new Microsoft .NET hardware hacker kits.

Also, now that the technology in the Kinect is open and available, adding those sensors (structured light, 3d (stero) color camera, and 3 microphones for sound triangulation and noise filtering), you could begin to build in limited speech and motion recognition. For example, it would be possible for the structured light to determine you are pointing at a lamp in the room, and the microphones to hear you say "Turn on" and to know that this sound came from the person who was pointing, and actually turn on that lamp -- would be pretty amazing.

You're far more in tune with the housing automation market, would a product like that sell? Perhaps something that's in kit form or modular so that components can be added or removed as time goes on.

The funny thing is that if you ever meet me I'll be the least geekiest guy you have met! Electronics and computers have always fascinated me.

You mean you fake not being a geek. It's OK, let you geek flag fly. Have some geek pride. The geeks shall inherit the earth. I bet you like knowing how everything works, from a DI bolt assembly to the protocol your servers are using to share files to the various media centers.

H.

[Ranger]

Oh many Windows SQL brings back such bad memories of circa 1999

I actually use SQL quite a bit, I have five offices and network them together this way. I have some clients running 4K users that we set up like this!

You're far more in tune with the housing automation market, would a product like that sell? Perhaps something that's in kit form or modular so that components can be added or removed as time goes on.

Depending on the cost, sure, but I think its too far out there for my hobbyists - it would be the super bleeding edge guys like me that go for it so I think your market would be quite small.

You mean you fake not being a geek. It's OK, let you geek flag fly. Have some geek pride.

I'm doing that here, aren't I ? No, that's just not me at all! Besides, it's inner geek now since what I do is so vastly different. I still own a company that provides IT to the legal industry (in a very high end and different way) but I don't really get involved in that much these days. Most of my techno stuff is purely just playing with technology and keeping current with my own stuff - even though I have more tech certifications than I can count (MCSE, CCIE, CIC, MCD, etc).

I bet you like knowing how everything works, from a DI bolt assembly to the protocol your servers are using to share files to the various media centers.

With anything technological, yes, but most of what I know about weapons I learned in the Army (most of what I hate about what I know I learned in RS!).