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When I was growing up, I loved watching those “House of the Future” shows where everything was controlled with the push of a button. I’ve recently been working with a company in CT, Cyclone Home Systems, that provides a number of things to homeowners very similar to the things we saw when we were growing up. Of course, they have now-conventional offerings like home intercoms, but the future of companies like this one lies in the futuristic structured wiring, security and automated window treatments offered.

The average consumer can always implement the basics of home security and automation through products like Internet cameras for home security, MPEG capture cards and plug in modules but this new generation of professional automation solutions are another story altogether. The structured wiring system’s combination of media, security and thermostat controls can

…distribute music and television to every room in your house, to control lighting everywhere in your home, to sound a security alarm when an intruder lurks outside, or to remotely monitor areas of your property where security cameras are set up.

Now that’s what those future-thinking shows promised when I was a kid! I haven’t had the pleasure of using any of Cyclone’s products/services, but their description of this “smart” house system is definitely interesting. Two questions: one serious, one not. Serious: whatever happened to those Internet-equipped refrigerators that were supposed to order groceries for us? Not so serious: where’s my jet car?

Technorati Tags: home automation

It’s hard to pass up a capable PC at under $250. The uses are almost endless: a print server, web server or thin client are just a few. Enter the refurbished eMachines T5082 - for just $249.00 USD, this box boasts a P4 3.0 GHz Processor, 512 MB DDR2 RAM (expandable to 2 GB) and a 160GB hard drive. Even at this low price, it comes with a licensed version of Vista Home Basic, a 16x DVDRW Multi-Format dual layer drive and 15-in-1 Digital Media Manager.

Take a look at the eMachines product summary and you’ll see this retails for $399, so it’s a good deal at $150 off. Browsing the web, CNET.com has a few user reviews of 8, 8 and 5 out of 10. Yahoo Tech gives it 4 out of 5 stars, so you know it’s a quality buy as well as a cheap one. An important note: for Windows Vista, 512MB is not much memory at all. I would definitely recommend upgrading for any serious application around your home or office.

Technorati Tags: eMachines

Psst, hey buddy… want an used Apple computer for cheap? I mean really cheap - under $200.00. Yes, yes, they’re perfectly legal.

If you’re willing to go with a used machine and limited drive space, our catalog’s section featuring Apple computer systems has nine desktops at the cheapest price I’ve ever seen for Macs: just $149-$189. Here are a few examples:

• Power Mac AGP G4/50 - priced used from $169, this is a system with 512MB RAM, a 10GB HD and OS 9.2.2 installed.
• iMac G3/400 - for $159.00, you can get one of Apple’s most popular computers. Perfect for kids. 128 MB of RAM ; 10 GB internal drive; internal CD-ROM. OS 9.2.1 installed. No keyboard, though. Ugh.
• Apple iMac DV - there’s only one of these systems available at $177.77 right now, and I think this is the pick of the low-cost list. It’s one of those friendly, one-piece units but it’s loaded with features: 400MHz G3 Processor, 64MB RAM, 10GB Hard Drive to start… Here’s a great features assessment.

Pros and Cons: While these aren’t this year’s models, each of these has plenty of power for every day computing tasks. As I’ve said in previous posts, the small hard drive should not be a major black mark simply because external storage is so fast and cheap. For those worried about these being used Apple computers, I did note that some distributors (like that of the iMac G3/400 listed above) provide a limited warranty with the purchase, so that should provide some quality assurance. It is curious that these sale models come with the OS installed, but they do not include the OS install discs. Since you Apple guys always talk about having a superior OS, the install disc shouldn’t be a deal breaker, right?

The major advantage these used Apple computers give is that they often include the monitor (for under $200). You can get new PC systems for under $400 through Dell™ Home and, of course, there are PCs available for this price without a monitor, but that’s only if the Mac OS doesn’t matter to you. Is there a certain satisfaction in being part of the Cult of Mac? Maybe so…

Technorati Tags: used Apple computers, cheap Apples

This week, I thought I’d post a basic article on buying a new computer. Without delay, here are the top considerations:

• Mac or PC? What’s used in your office? If you’re a very basic user or perhaps a graphics pro, you’ll want to shop for something with an apple on the front. If you are like over 90% of the rest of the world, stick with a PC with a processor from Intel or AMD.
• Enough RAM? If your new machine comes with Windows Vista, make sure you’ve got at least 2GB of RAM. Importantly, consider whether the new system can be expanded beyond 2GB; with new applications rolling out every day, it’s a good idea to be ready with available space. In my opinion, RAM is far more important that processor speed in buying a computer.
• Hard Drive Space? Are you a media mogul? Meaning, do you download lots of videos or take thousands of high-res photos? If so, look for at least a 120GB drive. The good news is that storage is so cheap, if you have to, you can settle for a smaller drive and just add another one on later.
• Price Include Monitor? This is one of the reasons why I like Dell™ Home
  computers - the great deals they have usually include a great monitor in the bargain. Conversely, if you already have a monitor sitting around that you’re happy with, you can find good deals on base systems through discount retailers like www.pcmall.com
  and TigerDirect.com.
• Buy Refurbished? I know, I know - buying a refurb machine isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re buying a second computer or a box for one of your kids to learn on, consider a refurbished desktop from a major manufacturer like IBM or Compaq. These reconditioned computers often include a full factory warranty.

So that’s it, quick and easy rules of thumb for the novice computer buyer! What am I forgetting? You tell me!

Technorati Tags: new computer, buying a computer

Browsing some of my favorite tech blogs, I came across an article from 2005 on The Six Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security by Marcus Ranum. This is the sort of IT discussion I like to see - advanced topics tackled in a way the modestly-informed reader can understand. In short, the article outlines the absurdness of:

1. The Default Permit - “…the computer security equivalent of empty calories…”
2. Enumerating Badness - “…around 1992 the amount of Badness in the Internet began to vastly outweigh the amount of Goodness…”
3. Penetrate and Patch - “…the problem with ‘Penetrate and Patch’ is not that it makes your code/implementation/system better by design, rather it merely makes it toughened by trial and error…”
4. Hacking is Cool - “….I find it interesting to compare societal reactions to hackers as ‘whiz kids’ versus spammers as ’sleazy con artists’..”
5. Educating Users - “…like ‘Penetrate and Patch’ if it was going to work, it would have worked by now. …”
6. Action is Better Than Inaction - derides “…product-purchasing decisions by reading Gartner research reports and product glossies from vendors…”

Between the lines, Ranum is saying that computer system security should be addressed through predictive systems rather than permissive & reactive technology or training. What can average at-home users take from this? Realize your computers have vulnerabilities with people dedicated to exploit them. For tech professionals, it seems to be a much more urgent message: adapt the way you think about your world or face security as an endless, sisyphean task.

Technorati Tags: computer security, Marcus Ranum