For the most part, inexpensive Ethernet switches are interchangeable. You buy whichever gigabit switch is cheapest and has the right number of ports for you. And they're amazingly cheap - I picked up an 8-port D-Link gigabit switch the other day for under $40! They're all the same inside anyway, and they're all merely adequate at sending packets hither and yon. But … [Read more...] about Review: TP-LINK TL-SG2424 Smart Gigabit Ethernet Switch for Home or Office
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How I Eliminated Over 2 kW of Lighting at Home
The average home is incredibly inefficient, and nowhere is this more obvious than the ubiquitous electric lightbulb. Compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED lights are an order of magnitude more efficient at converting electricity to lumens rather than heat, but making the switch is not simple. The limitations, pricing, and sheer variety of lighting options are daunting. 1 kW No One … [Read more...] about How I Eliminated Over 2 kW of Lighting at Home
My 2009 IT Industry Predictions
It's that time again, when everyone who thinks they're a pundit (that would be everyone with a blog or Twitter account) has to make predictions for the coming year. But predictions are perilous: Get it right and you look like a mere trend-watcher; get it wrong and you look like a fool. It's such a hassle! So I'm doing something different this year: I'm going to make predictions … [Read more...] about My 2009 IT Industry Predictions
iPhone and Exchange: Push Email? Great! Switch to Mac? Priceless!
Here's a surprise benefit from the iPhone 2.0 Exchange ActiveSync ability: I was able to finally move my iPhone's "home" sync from the PC to the Mac! I'm a long-time iPhone user and new Mac switcher, but since I use the phone for business (read Exchange) email, contacts, and calendars, I was stuck syncing it to the (work) PC instead of the (home) Mac. This really … [Read more...] about iPhone and Exchange: Push Email? Great! Switch to Mac? Priceless!
Switch Day 58: Ten Pros and Cons of the MacBook Pro
I've now been a Mac user for two months. Since I switched primarily to get access to Apple's excellent hardware, I thought I would issue an update on my observations about it at this point. I should note that I'm limiting this post to the hardware (maybe I'll cover OS X some other time), and that I'm using a maxed-out Late-2007 2.2 GHz MacBook Pro. Although some shortcomings … [Read more...] about Switch Day 58: Ten Pros and Cons of the MacBook Pro