More Backyard Tech - Rain Barrels

Rain barrels are about as low tech as you can get, but they're a very effective and time proven way to conserve water and save money.

I'd been thinking about getting a rain barrel ever since I saw a rebate program on my local DPW website. With all the rain we've been having here in the Northeast lately, I thought it was finally time to stop thinking about it and start capturing some of that free water.

I decided on a flat backed, faux wood grain, 50 gallon barrel from Clean Air Gardening. I got one barrel to start with, just to get my feet wet, so to speak. The plan was to test drive the first one before I got any more. I wanted to know if they were useful, how long it took to fill one, and I also wanted to use it as a template to see where else I could fit them. There are a number of sizes and types, even small ones that double as planters, so I wanted to be sure of what I needed before I bought multiples of any one size or type.

Once it arrived, setup was a piece of cake. First I wrapped the threads on the spigot with Teflon tape before I screwed it in place. I recommend screwing it in partially before you tape it, to get a feel for it, and to make sure the hole is threaded correctly. Mine started to go in crooked, and when I backed it out I saw a chunk of plastic in the threads. Once I picked it out, it went in straight and true. Next I snapped the bug screen in place, and that was it, done.

I took some quick measurements and then built up the area where I would be placing it with patio block. You want the barrel to be high enough so that you have clearance to use the spigot, and also to improve the water flow, but not so high that it looks ridiculous, or is a tipping danger. Once I was happy with the placement, I started work on the downspout. Remember, you’ll need to put your downspout back together after you put the rain barrel away for the winter, so don’t hack up your existing stuff, start fresh.

I removed my downspout all the way up to the elbow at the top where it comes into contact with the house, and stored it away for safe keeping. Then I replaced it with a 1 foot straight piece, a direction changing elbow, and then a flexible elbow, so I could shape it right down into the barrel opening.

There are diverters available that redirect the water back down the existing spout when the barrel is full, and they're a great solution in most cases, but my problem is that I live in a low lying area and I've always had issues with my downspouts dumping water too close to my foundation and aggravating the situation, so I decided to rely on the overflow valve at the top instead.

Once I was happy with the feed, I covered the concave top of the barrel with polished river stones that I had leftover from another project. You can find them in 5lb bags at most garden centers. I also added a short 3 foot hose to the spigot to make it easier to fill watering cans.

That’s it, I was ready to start collecting water, and boy did I…

We got about 2 inches of rain that first night, and it was still drizzling a little in the morning when I went out to check on it. At first I thought something had gone wrong with my plumbing, and then I realized that the barrel was full and water was spurting out of the overflow valve at the top.

50 + gallons of water in 1 night! Wowzers!

So, it seems like I have an endless supply of water now, and the backyard is much drier. How cool is that?

You won’t get a lot of pressure when you hook a hose up to it, but it’s great for filling watering cans or just letting the hose run without a nozzle next to ornamental trees and shrubs. You can also hook a soaker hose to it and lay it out in your garden. Plus, now you have an easy way to run excessive rain water far far away from your house. Just hook up a hose to the spigot and run it out into the yard. Bonus.

If you have the space, and the need for more water, you can daisy chain barrels together using the overflow valves. That would be the only criticism I have of the barrel I got, the overflow valve hole isn’t threaded for a hose, where some of the other models have this feature. I traded off the threading for looks and the space saving flat back as the barrel is in a high traffic area.

Clean Air Gardening had the best prices, hands down, and the barrel arrived when promised and in good shape. Check them out; they have quite a selection, plus lots of cool stuff like high quality reel mowers and compost barrels.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The Pats are back tomorrow night on WCVB @ 7:30pm. They'll be playing their first preseason game of the 2008 season against the Ravens at Gillette, and I'm glad they're back.

Although preseason games are meaningless, and don't amount to much more than a glorified practice session, I still enjoy seeing the team take shape. Watching the competition for roster spots and seeing the players develop (or not) into their roles is pretty cool.

It's also my favorite time of the year. Late summer, baseball and football overlapping, plus this year we have the Olympics to boot. It's a sports fan's dream. For me, it just doesn't get much better. As George Costanza would say, "It's like eating while having sex!".

I'm also hoping that the start of a new season will help me finally get "The Game That Won't Be Mentioned" out of my mind.

I was so bitterly disappointed last season, although I shouldn't have been. The ending was painful, no doubt, but the season brought so much pleasure to both my Dad and I, that I really shouldn't complain.

My Dad was sick, and even Hollywood couldn't have scripted last season any better as a tonic for a life long fan watching his last season. He hung with us until the AFC Championship, and left assured that the big game was in the bag.

Man, would he have been pissed.

Anyway, if the weather cooperates, I'll have the portable out by the pool, a couple of steaks sizzilin' on the grill, and a great big happy grin on my face. I recommend you spend your evening the same way.


Patriots schedule and broadcast info

Manny Goes To Hollywood!

And what better place for him?

Here's the details. Personally, I liked the deal the Nashua Pride were offering better. I'd love to see "El Guapo" back! (Thanks go out to my buddy Joe for that link.)

A new iPod Nano and iPod Touch on the way?

An article on AppleInsider would indicate so. Seems that Apple has advised resellers to stock up on the Nano and Touch so that they will have enough stock to last them through August, as they plan on ramping down production.

September is usually the time Apple rolls out the latest holiday must have, and there were references to a new iPod 2,1 in the iPhone 2.1 beta firmware. iLounge is also reporting a return to the "skinny nano", this one with an elongated screen that has a widescreen aspect ratio.

No word on the rumored touch screen nano yet, but at the rate they revamp devices, I figure we'll see one by January...

Free Public Wi-Fi?

Every so often when I refresh my available wireless networks list, “Free Public Wi-Fi” pops up as an available ad-hoc network. I usually don’t troll for signal unless I’m on the road, so seeing it pop up in numerous locations really piqued my curiosity.

Had I stumbled onto some great and noble geek humanitarian effort; a plan to give free Wi-Fi to the masses? Or, more likely, was it a diabolical plot by unscrupulous villains to steal my identity and trash my computer? I was intrigued, but as so often happens, I got busy, lost the thread, and never looked into it.

It popped up on my available networks list again last week while I was on vacation, then on my first day back someone asked me if I had ever seen a “Free Public Wi-Fi” offering and if I knew what it was. They even voiced my own fears that it was someone up to no good. Well, that was it. I started Googling and found a plethora of information.

It seems the phenomenon has been around for a while. The first reference I found to it was in 2006 on the Houston Chronicle’s TechBlog. It appears to be a Microsoft “feature”. When your laptop can’t find a wireless network to connect to, it will offer itself up as an ad-hoc node for others to connect to, advertising itself with the name of the last ad-hoc network it tried to join. I guess Windows is sending out an electronic mating call, in search of other offline geeks.

The Chronicle writer’s theory on the actual spread of the SSID name “Free Public Wi-Fi” is very good and is worth the read. After you finish this, of course.

The Fix:

To be done with it once and for all, open up your “Available wireless connections” screen, click on “Change advanced settings” and check the box “Access point (infrastructure) networks only” under “Networks to access”. That’s it. No more Free Public Wi-Fi. No more ad-hoc networks period.

It would have been much cooler if it really had been a great and noble geek humanitarian effort. I’m so disappointed.

My Take On The New iPhone

As you probably already know, the must have gadget of the summer of ‘08 is the iPhone. Whether it’s the original model or the new 3G version, everywhere I look I see people glued to the little screens. Of course, I’m at the Vineyard, one of the world capitals of conspicuous consumption, so it’s a slightly skewed demographic, but none the less, I’ve seen a lot of them lately.

Being the gadget guy that I am, I can’t help feeling a little bit of electronic envy. It is a pretty sweet little device and I’d love to get my hands on one for more than just a test drive.

Apple has really outdone itself on both the iPhone and the Touch. In both form and function they have laid down the blueprint for the future of personal devices. They still have a ways to go as far as things like on board memory and device pricing, but that will come along with time and competition. It’s the basics that they’ve gotten right, as evidenced by all the copy cat devices popping up.

All that being said, the iPhone isn’t the device for me.

Here’s the deal. The first problem is the single carrier. I’m not with AT+T, and I don’t plan to be anytime soon. For a personal phone, I have a really great family plan through another carrier. I also have a Nextel provided by my employer. I don’t want or need a third phone, especially one that needs an additional $30/month data plan to be effective.

Second thing is that I don’t want or need email and internet access on my phone.

Would it be a cool thing? Yes, but I have a hard enough time stepping away from the keyboard as it is. I don’t need a phone that will blur the line I’ve drawn in the sand to try and keep technology from preventing me from participating in life.

I see too many people in the head down, phone up position, ignoring their families and everything else around them, texting or surfing as if in a trance. Nuh-uh, not for me.

It would also be a huge problem if I got an important call and the phone cut out because I’d squandered my charge surfing or responding to email.

While mulifunctionality is a good thing to a point, I don’t want my music player to be a phone. We’ve already got 3 iPods. The most recent addition is the 3rd gen nano with video. In the here and now, I think its Apple’s (or anyone’s) best media player entry in terms of storage, price and functionality.

When it comes time to upgrade again, I’ll seriously consider replacing it with the Touch. I hope Apple doesn’t forsake this device amidst the current iPhone frenzy. I think it actually has more potential than the iPhone. In my opinion a Wi-Fi enabled media player is the ultimate. No plan costs, no worries about staying in contact if you fall asleep on the beach with it running, and no being tethered to a PC for content.

Before I close, I want to apologize for the lack of recent entries. We’re on vacation and I just haven’t had the right combination of time and internet access to do too much. I will have more later in the week though, as I’m seriously considering a new toy, an electric viola bass (think Paul McCartney). I just need to finish convincing my wife that I really need it. Her mission right now seems to be to keep me out of Island Music until my urge passes…

Howdy Rex!

One of the best moments of a perfect July 4th was seeing Rex Trailer come riding around the corner on his trusty steed Goldrush. Of course, I rushed right up to the edge of the parade route and gave him my best "Howdy Rex!".

For me, he's the man. The last of the traditional cowboy heroes and a huge part of my childhood. I could see some blank looks on the younger faces in the crowd, and it got me me thinking. Who do the kids of today consider their role models?

Well, an informal poll (which has no validity outside of our family, as it was conducted entirely on family members) revealed that after their parents and grandparents, Marvel Comics heroes came next for all respondents.

Pretty good results. I was half expecting to hear Dog the bounty hunter or some gangster rapper. It gives me hope, but it's also a sign that there aren't many real life stars that actually live the life of the good guy both on and off the screen, or the playing field, anymore.

I think Kids lean to the animated characters for heroes because they know they won't be let down. You'll never see a mug shot of a disheveled Peter Parker on ET, or hear stories about The Hulk taking steroids and cheating on his wife.

Thankfully, Rex has been busy planting the seeds for a new generation of heroes through his teachings at Emerson College and at his own production company, and has released a Boomtown documentary and is working on a new one, "Voices From The Basement - Stories from the people who worked and shopped at Filenes Basement". Check out what Rex is up to on his website.

Strange but true postscript:

My Grandson had a gift for me today. A trophy cup that said "#1 Grandpa, You're My Hero".

Thanks Rex, you taught me well.



A Clip From The Boomtown Documentary. Enjoy!

Bobble Yourself!

Check it out, I've been bobbled. Wouldn't you like to be bobbled too?

Go to xmbaseball.com to create your own, or better yet, use a picture of a friend and send it to them.

Don't forget, game 2 of the Sox and Yankees series is on @ 1pm today. Beckett's on the mound.

We've got baseball, a parade, plus a concert and fireworks on the agenda today. Not to mention good grub. Could it get any better?

Not much. What a great country we live in.

Have a safe and happy 4th!

The Switch to All Digital Broadcasting Is Coming, Will My TV Explode?

No, and it won't stop working either, although you might experience some slight discomfort.

I've been getting asked about the switchover a lot lately, and it really points out how little people understand about the change, and how poorly the message is being disseminated.

The whole thing is a bit convoluted, but in a nutshell, on February 17th, 2009 all full-power TV stations have to turn off their analog signal and begin broadcasting in digital only. In theory,this will only affect people who currently get their TV reception via antenna, and they will be able to add a digital converter box to tune in the new digital signals.

Kind of.

See, here's where it gets convoluted. Notice the wording "full-power TV stations". There are also low-power stations out there that will not be switching over to digital. These are community access and educational channels. Here's the FCC's description of Low-Power, Class A and TV Translator stations.

There's also Canadian TV that's received in some of the border states. That won't be changing over to digital just yet either.

So, people who depend on antenna service, and are planning on getting a digital converter box, should look for one that supports "Analog Pass-Through". This will allow you to use the converter to tune in digital broadcasts, or use the TV's tuner to continue receiving analog broadcasts.

The digital changeover may also affect cable subscribers, depending on the system you subscribe to, and here's why:

Right now most cable companies are sending out both digital and analog signals. If you don't have a cable box and plug your cable directly into an analog set, the TV's NTSC (analog) tuner searches out only the analog signals your cable provider is sending you, and displays them on the proper channel. You need a set top box to receive the digital channels.

If you plug that same cable directly into a new set with an NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner, you'll get all sorts of channels you didn't know about.That's because the cable companies have already begun the switchover to digital.The NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners in the new sets allow you to tune in both the analog and the digital channels, including some High Def programming, without a set top box. You won't get ESPN or any of the other high end channels in High Def, but you will get all your local affiliates.

QAM tuners are to cable what ATSC tuners are to antenna, they both allow you to receive digital signals. Here's a great explanation of QAM tuners.

Because the analog channels take up more bandwidth than digital, the cable companies need to dump them so that they will be able to send us more digital (both Standard and High Definition) channels. They're not under a mandate to switch, but they will. The only requirement the FCC has imposed on them is that they have to support customers with analog sets for 3 years. Here's the FCC's take on it.

The way they'll do this is to require analog users to purchase or rent a cable version of the digital converter. They've already begun ordering them from suppliers and are well on their way to turning off the analog channels. Check out the story here.

All right, here's the facts you need to know:

Analog TV sets that use an antenna for reception will continue to work after the changeover with a digital converter box. They run about $50 or $60 a piece and you can get two $40 coupons per household to be used towards the purchase at https://www.dtv2009.gov/. Be sure to get a converter box that supports analog pass-through.

Analog TV sets that are hooked up to a cable box will continue to work after the changeover with no issues.

Analog TV sets that are hooked up to cable without a box may continue to work for a while, but will all require some kind of box, sooner rather than later.

Digital TV sets with an antenna will continue to work . They should have an NTSC/ATSC (analog/digital) tuner so that you will be able to pick up any legacy analog stations as well as the new digital ones.

Digital TV sets with cable, with or without a box, will continue to work . To work without a box the set must have an NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner.

If you're gonna make the jump to a new TV, always look for a set with an NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner. It will give you the most flexibility. Beware of digital monitors, as they don't have any kind of tuner. Be sure to check out our HDTV buying guide on berryjooks.com for more info before you make a purchase.

Bear in mind that not all digital broadcasts are high def. Digital comes in 2 flavors, Standard Definition and High definition. The term digital is only a reference to how the signal is broadcast, not the picture quality, although standard definition is a cleaner signal than analog and will look better.

Also bear in mind that digital signals do not "travel" as well as analog signals, so antenna reception may not be good in your area, even if you were getting great reception of analog signals in the past.

Told you it was convoluted.

The only real casualty of the digital conversion is going to be the small battery operated TV's with analog tuners. Most people buy these little cheapos for power failures or camping, and there are no plans for a battery operated converter box. The FCC suggests getting a generator, I swear. You can read it here.

Stupid advice. If I had a generator, I wouldn't use it to power a converter box and a 5" TV, I'd just switch on one of my LCD's hooked up to rabbit ears. Hopefully, someone will tap into this niche market and release an affordable battery operated LCD with a digital tuner. There's a few out there now, but they're all around $200. It would be nice if the portable DVD player manufacturers would begin incorporating tuners into their products. My Dad used to really depend on his during Florida's hurricane season. Sometimes he would be without power for days.

So, you're either going to need a box or a new TV pretty much any way you look at it.

Here's how I plan to approach it. I have cable, both with and without boxes. I've already replaced two analog TV's with LCD's that have NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners, so they're all set. I won't replace the rest of my sets unless/until they die. For now they'll work fine on cable, and if that changes I plan on using a cable box. There needs to be better and cheaper models in the 20" and below range before I jettison the 20" and 14" flat tube analog TV's in our spare bedroom and workshop. Talk about missing out on a market.

I'm also going to purchase at least 1 digital converter through the coupon program. Sometimes the 14" comes outside with us. If the Sox are on Fox, an antenna will do the trick. It will also come in handy if the cable goes out.

Here's a decent review of whats available now for converters. So far I like the DTVPal the best. It has analog pass-through and a nice program guide, and it's a little sleeker in design than some of the others. I'm going to hold off for a while though, as more will be coming out and the coupons are a 1 shot deal and only good for 90 days.

Backyard Tech - Part 2, Bugs Bug Me

It's hard to enjoy your backyard on those warm summer nights when you're getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. The little pests rule from dusk to dawn, and even with bug spray on, they buzz around your head and drive you nuts!

I'm a skeptic, and I was slow to embrace mosquito traps. They sounded like a good idea, but there wasn't a lot of information on results, and they were a bit pricey.

Well, we finally got tired of being chased out of the pool at night by the little blood suckers, and decided to take the plunge. We looked at them all, and ended up getting the Skeeter Vac by Blue Rhino.

To my surprise, the thing actually works! Click on the picture above for a close up of a recent night's catch. When we first started using it, the haul was much bigger, but after a couple of seasons of operation we've effectively reduced the mosquito population in our backyard.

The reasons we chose the Skeeter Vac over the Mosquito Magnet were price and ease of operation. The Skeeter Vac models run entirely off of propane, there's no power cord required. Being able to locate these things where you need them is crucial to their success, so this is a huge factor. Plus you can get a top of the line Skeeter Vac for the same price as a mid level Mosquito Magnet.

Now this isn't an overnight cure, but after a few cycles, you'll really notice a difference. Placement is key, so spend the money and get a wheeled one if you can. It will make life a lot easier.

The unit needs to run 24-7 to be the most effective. A 20 lb tank of gas will last two weeks, and I usually change the bait and the tack paper every other tank swap.

I've noticed at the start of each season that it doesn't seem to perform at it's full pest killing potential until it's been running for a few days. I guess it has to warm up to the job. If you're still not catching much after the break in period, try relocating the unit. You want it near the source areas, and away from you.

Northline has a 30 day free trial program on some models. They carry both brands mentioned, as well as a few others, and have a nice comparison chart.

Backyard Tech

Here's a backyard gadget that will help to make your summer a breeze.

the Pool Buster is a rechargeable self contained pool vacuum that attaches to a skimmer pole or can be hand held. This thing is great and has cut down on my pool maintenance time considerably. Check out the video.

I enjoy cleaning the pool, it can be a relaxing way to spend a summer morning, but the setup is a hassle and the whole thing is very time consuming. With the Pool Buster, I just pop it on to a skimmer pole and I'm off. No hoses, no bot to lug around, and I'm usually done in about 20 minutes. I'm also backwashing much less frequently, which not only saves time, but also money.

I'm not just being green by not pumping out all of that water (and chemicals), I'm saving green. Al Gore would be so proud of me!

A charge lasts me through 2 or 3 cleanings of a 16' x 32' in ground pool. It comes with a 1 hour rapid recharger, but works best on a full 4 to 5 hour charge. I've seen some complaints about battery life, but I haven't experienced it myself. I have a buddy that has one also, and neither has he. It's important to give it a good initial charge of 5 hours, and to not keep it in your pool house. The temperature extremes will wreak havoc with any battery powered device. It's also recommended that you give it a full charge before you put it away in the winter.

The product was renamed this year to Pool Blaster (a little trouble with the folks at Dust Buster, perhaps?) and can be found advertised both ways. There's also a smaller Catfish model for spas and small above ground pools.

Windows Media Center - Black Screen Syndrome

I recently went to start up Media Center on my PC and instead of getting the expected Microsoft sound and the familiar blue window... I got nothing.

Actually, I got more than nothing. I got a black screen, and a little acid reflux.

I use the Media Center PC for all my video processing. It's one big ass Tivo, with all kinds of inputs and tuners, just perfect for recording and mixing all kinds of media.

Personally, I think Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 was Microsoft's best work, and they should have stopped there. It was the step before Vista, and it's the best of both worlds. It boots up in XP and allows you to start up the Vista-ish Media Center when you need it.

So anyways, the PC is a pure work horse and I try to keep it clean. No careless surfing, no installs of anything until I've done my homework.

But as I'm sure you know, it's not always easy to keep a networked computer clean. I went to a site that I thought belonged to a university, but soon discovered it was a spoof, and blam!, I picked up a downloader.

I struggled with it for a while, and hopefully I won the battle. I'll chronicle that little adventure in another post. What I want to talk about now are the after effects.

Shortly after the downloader incident, Media Center stopped working. Whenever I'd click on the green desktop icon I'd get a black screen.

At first, all I could do was Ctrl+Alt+Del and stop the process, with no idea what was going on, and even that wasn't easy. The screen would briefly show the Media Center window and the Task Manager, then revert to black. It took two or three in a row to get control over the window.

I couldn't find anything obviously wrong with the system. It performed just fine as long as I didn't try to start Media Center.

So, being a natural born rock head, I opened Media Center again (and again, and again), until I found that if I hit Ctrl+Esc I got some control. The Media Center screen would appear and I could click one option, and then I was back in black. The next Ctrl+Esc showed that I had advanced to the Videos screen, and now I had a valid error message: "The video decoder has either malfunctioned or is not installed".

A Clue!

After a little searching, I found this site: Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility. Once the great and powerful Microsoft determined that my copy of Windows was on the up and up, I downloaded DECCHECKSetup.exe. Running the setup installs the Video Decoder Checkup Utility under Programs, Windows Media.

When you fire up the utility, it goes off and checks for installed video decoders and reports back on what you have, which ones are Media Center and Media Player compatible, and which one is set as the "preferred decoder". Nice little utility!

Right away I saw that my InterVideo decoder had been deposed by a pretender to the throne.

The utility allows you to change the preferred decoder after it finishes it's check, and just like that, I was back in business.

The wrong video decoder will also cause similar problems with Windows Media Player 10 and 11, so the Decoder Check Utility is a handy tool to have even if you're not running Media Center. The fact that Microsoft has a utility specifically for this problem indicates that it's pretty common.