http://www.househacker.com/ Recent posts from Househacker.com
All of them involved taking the laptop apart completely and generally rendering it useless for any other activity. The screens were also smaller than I wanted - equivalent to an 8"x12" photo, and varied considerably in contrast, brightness, and general image quality.

For my project, I wanted a desktop quality LCD screen of a size equivalent to an 11"x14" photograph. I also wanted professional quality matting and framing.

So, the author opted to use an old LCD monitor along with a hidden laptop. The trick is using two holes in the wall; an upper and a lower. The VGA and monitor power cable is fed through the upper hole and fished out through the lower hole, which is where the laptop sits, still accessible for maintenance and whatnot, but, in the author's case, hidden by a piano and usually controlled wirelessly.

Se also: previous post on DIY digital frames.

WiFi enabled digital picture frame on Amazon.com. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Slick-DIY-Wall-Mounted-Digital-Photo-Frame Making Every Pixel Count", which is about the importance of properly photographing your home for online real estate sites.

From the article:

When selling properties online, agents and Web designers say that the pictures buyers see of houses and apartments for sale are often the first - and sometimes the only - chance for a seller to make a good impression. Less-than-flattering pictures can turn buyers off and lead to lonely open houses.

So why is this so important? Well, some stats, from the piece:

Eighty percent of people across the country who bought a new home last year used the Internet while house hunting, and they rated photographs as the most useful tool in their search, according to a survey of buyers and sellers by the National Association of Realtors. The survey also found that 24 percent of home buyers got their first glimpses of their new homes on the Web, up from a mere 2 percent in 1997.

And let's face it, this number is probably going to continue to tend upward. If you've ever searched for a house or apartment online, you've probably been surprised and/or frustrated at the lack of pictures some listers provide. As many people will tell you, all the details in the world are still taken with a grain of salt when pictures aren't provided. Unless listers are trying to hide something, why not give web searchers what they want?

And although the mere act of posting pictures is crucial to attracting web-savvy prospects nowadays, the variance in the quality of the pictures can change the buyer's impression drastically. Be sure to see the audio slideshow that accompanies the article for examples of this.

Via 37Signals]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Taking-Better-Real-Estate-Photos
This how-to walks you through the process of modifying a mower as well as creating the solar panel/charging station that provides the power. The mower does take a while to charge up (40 hours by the authors calculations, assuming a half-charged battery), but since most lawns don't require mowings of any greater frequency than that (or anywhere near that, one would hope), the solar solution seems like a perfect fit for the task.

The author provides a lot of detail, including a couple of schematics and a parts and costs table. The final price tag was $699, with the bulk of the cost going towards the motor ($312), solar panel ($120) and battery ($90).]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/DIY-Solar-Charged-Lawnmower
This article by George Ou should help sort things out. He covers the advantages and disadvantages of:

Projection: Pro: price. Con: viewing angle.
Plasma:Pro: resolution, colour, viewing angle. Con: price.
LCD:Pro: picture quality. Con: expensive large size sets.

George also advises, bluntly, against getting suckered into buying so-called high end cables:

Consumers need to get the concept of "monster cables" out of their minds since they DO NOT apply to the digital world. There is zero difference in quality between the cheapest $12 HDMI to DVI cable versus the $100 gold plated "monster cable".

He also makes available some colour gradient graphics and explains how to use them in testing the colour quality of an HDTV.

This is a great piece for anyone in the market for a new HDTV, and it's especially useful for those of us that may be more than a little confused and/or overwhelmed by variations in HDTV technology.

Also see this previous post on HDTV resolutions. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/ZDNet-Offers-Thorough-Rundown-on-Numerous-HDTV-Options this article on CNN, the technology uses radio frequency and has a range of about 3 feet, making it suitable for charging mobile phones on desks or keeping wireless mice and keyboards charged. Thanks to the tiny receiver chip, electronics manufacturers can implement the technology into almost any device.

Powercast won CNET's Best in Show for Emerging Tech at the 2007 Consumer Electronic Show, and they describe the technology thusly:

While it's presented as wireless power, Powercast isn't just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it's meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need for them altogether.
It works like this: a transmitter can be placed anywhere--in a lamp, for example, that is plugged into the wall and sits on a table. The transmitter in the lamp sends out a continuous, low RF signal. Anything with either AA or AAA batteries set within its range--and equipped with a Powercast receiver, which is the size of your fingernail--will be continuously charged.

The first Powercast devices will be hitting the market in 2007, according to the Powercast website. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Powercast-Wireless-Power-Transmission
The antennas supplied with your router are designed to be omni-directional, meaning they broadcast in all directions around the router. If your router is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside your home, and much of your router's power will be wasted. Most routers don't allow you to increase the power output, but you can make better use of the power. Upgrade to a hi-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals only one direction. You can aim the signal in the direction you need it most.

and also changing the router's wireless channel:

Wireless routers can broadcast on several different channels, similar to the way radio stations use different channels. In the United States and Canada, these channels are 1, 6, and 11. Just like you'll sometimes hear interference on one radio station while another is perfectly clear, sometimes one wireless channel is clearer than others. Try changing your wireless router's channel through your router's configuration page to see if your signal strength improves. You don't need to change your computer's configuration, because it'll automatically detect the new channel.

Check out the rest of the tips to ensure your wireless network is running at it's optimum level.

Link: 10 tips for improving your wireless network.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Microsoft-Offers-Ten-Tips-on-Improving-your-Wireless-Network Decluttered.com demonstrates one way to get a handle on the situation by making clever use of a pegboard and wires. A pegboard is mounted on the underside of the desk and any routers, powerbars, modems and the like can be lifted off the ground and secured to the pegboard, bringing the plethora of associated cabling along for the ride.

The site has a lot of pictures of the process and results, and has recently added pictures sent in by people who've tried the pegboard method on their own desks.

Total cost: $33.42 CDN.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Better-Cable-Management-through-Pegboards tree of knowledge bookshelf by Italian designer Matteo Casarosa would fit right in to a children's bed or playroom. It's not clear as to whether the bookshelf is weighted down or supported in some manner, because if not, it looks like one would have to be careful not to place too many books on one side or the other, causing the shelf to tip. It's probably not an issue - just something to think about, as no one wants a branch across the noggin.

Via Design Milk]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Clever-Tree-Bookshelf
Sort of related: Love-Hate shirt.

Via haha.nu ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Doormat-with-Direction-Dependent-Message Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy is an interesting guide on maximizing your home's energy efficiency by modifying various aspects of its immediate environment, or "Microclimate".

A microclimate is any small, local area within which the effects of weather are both relatively uniform and easily modified. Microclimate modification involves the best use of structural and landscape design elements to maximize or limit sunlight, shade and air movement. Structural modifications involve the design of the house and associated construction (walkways, fences, patios). Landscape modifications (enviroscaping) involve the use of plants to further increase or decrease the impact of sun and wind upon the local environment.

This site, which applies mostly to homes in hot weather climates such as Florida, offers a lot of interesting ways that a home owner can creatively reduce energy usage. Some of the suggestions apply to potential home builders, such as home orientation (a house is more energy efficient if it is oriented with the long axis running east-west), however the majority of the tips apply to existing residences.

There are many examples of "enviroscaping" strategies on the site, such as optimal tree placement for maximum shading, tree type (In winter, the sun is low in the southern sky. Southern exposures of a home in north and central Florida can receive free benefits of passive solar heating, provided that deciduous trees are used along the southern exposures. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, and are bare during the coldest months of the year.), fencing options (fences vary in amount of air circulation), shrub and vine placement along walls, increasing air conditioner efficiency and much more.

Link: Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: a Guide to Microclimate Modification]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Enviroscaping-to-Conserve-Energy
...outfitted with a lens ring that emits a bright glow in the dark. The new generation photoluminescent material in the plastic absorbs the energy from any light source - fluorescent lights, the sun, or even the flashlight's own beam

As useful as charging the photoluminescent matierial on the flashlight with the beam from the flashlight itself sounds, one might be better off storing the flashlight in the garage rather than a broom closet to expose the material to some light, both natural and artificial, during the day. The description suggests the material is 'new generation' - and it would have to be, as the stuff found in toys and trinkets never lasted long enough for any practical purpose. Perhaps Pelican used something along the lines of this material that is both brighter and longer lasting.

Something to think about before the next late night power outage.

Amazon.com link: Pelican Big ED 3700PL Flashlight w/ Photo Luminescent Shroud

]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Pelican-Emergency-Flashlight-with-Photoluminescence previously). Essentially, Paul deems this device everything but a dream:

Ok, let's take another approach. Mag-Wind says its wind turbine will produce 5 kW at a rated speed of 28 mph (12.5 m/s). To produce that much power at that wind speed it would need to be 281% efficient! Yee ha. That's some windmill. Modern wind turbines, at best, can deliver 40% of the energy in the wind at any specific wind speed. This turbine has a specific rotor loading of 3,360 W/m² of rotor area. Let's compare that to the over rated AirX. The AirX is somewhat smaller so we won't compare actual production, just rotor loading. Remember, the AirX doesn't even deliver what is promised. The specific rotor load for the AirX is about 400 W/m². The Mag-Wind claims to produce from its rotor almost ten times more power than the AirX which can't even meet its performance claims. Ouch. I've never seen such outlandish claims before-and I've seen a lot of them.

Link: Wind-Works.org

Via TreeHugger]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Update-on-the-MagWind-Levitated-Vertical-Wind-Turbine software based cousins, can run widgets. Widgets are displayed on the unit's dual 2.5 inch LCD displays (one colour, one mono).

From the site:

WidgetStation is a desk clock which can run various "widgets". Widgets are small, user-friendly applications that can perform a variety of tasks. Users can even create their own widgets and share them with other WidgetStation users!

And also:

WidgetStation is a standalone device, with services available via Wi-Fi or Ethernet Internet access, without being connected to a computer. Alternatively, users may choose to interface their WidgetStation with a computer via USB connection.

According to the hardware specs, the device will run Linux and will be available in either black or white. The price has not yet been set. See the FAQ for a little more information. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Widget-Friendly-Desk-Clock Kill-a-Watt, the Watts-Up electricity monitor sits between the device whose energy you would like to track and a wall outlet. Both devices present you with a handy display of power comsumption, but the Watts-Up Pro (not the standard) has a USB interface, which allows you to download the stored data onto your PC for further analysis. The data can also be exported to Word or Excel. Conveniently, the Watts-Up displays the cost, in dollars and cents, on the unit's LCD screen.

See also:

Watts-Up and Kill-a-Watt at Amazon.com
The Gadgeteer's review of the Kill-a-Watt
]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Watts-Up-Electricity-Consumption-Tracker
Start with a base coat of store-bought black chalkboard paint, and then mix in varying amounts of white chalkboard paint for lighter squares.

The effect is nice and the calendar would probably be quite handy, although it might be tedious painting work to ensure straight and clean lines.

Via Lifehacker ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/DIY-Chalkboard-Wall-Calendar page lists some of the features of the device, which include the ability to adjust the rotation speed through a tension controller.

This picture gives a better impression of the width of the unit (dimensions are here) than the pictures on the home page do.

Price: 65 bucks, but currently sold out (January 2006).]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Ferris-Wheel-Shoe-Storage-System-by-Rakku
Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky will jump off of your nightstand and wheel around your room looking for a place to hide. Clocky is kind of like a misbehaving pet, only he will get up at the right time.

The unit is also available in a few colours as well as in a brown shag and can jump (fall?) from a 2 foot height.

Via Reddit ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Alarm-Clock-that-Runs-Away-and-Hides-Unless-You-Wake-up previously) for the kitchen. There are 64 pics in the set so you get a pretty good idea of what's involved in the project, including the mixing, pouring, grinding and subsequent application of a finishing sealer/enhancer. It at least looks to be a doable project for the brave novice, but the authors seem to know a lot of the tricks and techniques that usually come from experience (or maybe just a lot of pre-work research).

See also:

More slick examples of what people have done via the concrete countertop tag on Flickr.

This couple is making a countertop that will have an embedded 'stream' of glass in the shape of the Mississippi River which will be lit via fibre optic cables running below!]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Making-Concrete-Countertops-Flickr-Set http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Festive-Lighted-Glass-Block-Howto Brondell Swash, the Harmony toilet seat seems like a pretty ingenious product. The seat makes use of a small connector that runs from the bottom of the toilet seat latching mechanism to a float that you place in the toilet tank. When the toilet is flushed, the float lowers with the water in the tank which triggers a lever on the connector under the seat, which in turn releases a latch that activates the seat closing action. The seat closes very slowly for, as the company refers to it, a pinch-free close.

The unit is currently only available in Home Depots of the American Midwest.

Also: Froogle Search gives a price of about $80.
Promo Video of the seat in action.

Link: Harmony Toilet Seat]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Harmony-Flush-Activated-Toilet-Seat flickering LED candles before, but none were quite as clever as this set that can actually be blown out (and back on).

From ThinkGeek.com:

The LED Blow On-Off Candles still have a waxy coating and a natural-looking, flickering light just like normal candles, but they have one magic feature. Regular candles will blow out if you blow on the flame, but these LED candles will also blow on. All you have to do is press the master on/off switch on the bottom, and these candles will turn on and off with just a puff at the "flame." From the proper distance and height, these candles will fool everyone into thinking they are the real thing; they are a fantastic way to put candles where it is too dangerous to have open flames. And, they won't drip wax all over your mithril armor either.

Unfortunately the candles are not rechargeable, but they do, however, light for 300 hours off of two AA batteries.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Flickering-LED-Candles-that-Can-be-Blown-Out
One of the more interesting things in this piece is how the author used the hard paper columns that builders use to pour concrete along with some marble paint to create some faux marble columns for $20. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Thorough-Home-Theatre-Construction-Howto
From the site:

Grasp the handle and with a squeeze of the trigger the bristles open. Once you have surrounded the spider quickly release the trigger and the bristles close gently around the spider, catching it safely and soundly. Now you can safely release the spider outside by pressing the handle again and the bristles open up and the spider falls out.

But wait - there's more!

We know that you maybe apprehensive about using the Spider Catcher that's why we provide you with a practice plastic spider with every purchase of a Spider Catcher to show you how safe and easy it is to use.

See also: Video of the Spider Catcher in action. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Friendly-Spider-Catcher
Here's a YouTube video of the product in action.

Since 30% of electricity used in the US is for lighting (the number grows to 45% in retail), the product would theoretically have a huge potential market, especially commercially. The commercial version will light about 1000 square feet at a cost of about $10,000. That may sound expensive, but that's really only because that's a lot of money. However, if the (hard to believe) claims in the video of retailers seeing a 40% boost in sales when using natural lighting is true, then the $10,000 is largely irrelevant when viewed over the long term. According to the video, the company plans on launching a residential unit in 2008. No word on pricing...

Here's an interview with Duncan Earl, CEO of Sunlight Direct, that's also worth a look.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Sunlight-Direct-Hybrid-Solar-Lighting DigitalLife show (New York, October 12-15) asking if I would let the readers of this here website know that they will receive free tickets for the event, should they choose to attend.

Quote:

We would be thrilled if you would let your community know that we are offering FREE tickets to this year's event (regular price is $15). To redeem these tickets, just use the source code "INSIDER" on this page, where you can print out your own tickets: http://digitallife.com/tickets.html

I have no relationship with the people running the show but after checking out the site (looks ok, might have a few interesting things) I thought that if anyone was planning on attending anyway, they might as well go for free.

/psa ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/DigitalLife-Consumer-Tech-Expo Cydus' has addressed the dearth of residential RFID access controllers in the marketplace by releasing a pair of modern electronic deadbolts. The locks operate as you may expect RFID proximity access controllers to, however, this unit, the MyKey 2300, unfortunately requires that a button be pressed before the unit is ready to read the keychain RFID tag. The higher end unit, the 4000, only requires the card to be in close proximity to the reader for activation. Besides it's raison d'etre; the convenience of keyless entry through small RFID cards, the deadbolts have some interesting features, including this backup battery system in case the unit's batteries die:

Simply touch a 9v battery to the built-in battery terminal and your MyKey 2300 is up and running. The MyKey even stores all of your existing security keys, so even if it's without power, when you turn it back on your access cards and pin combination are fully intact!

Lost or forgotten RFID cards aren't the end of the world either, as the unit comes equipped with a nicely hidden keypad for which to enter your password.

See also: RFID Enabling your front door. This is a homemade RFID entrance controller with a PC backend. The author shares a parts list, source code and cost breakdown (see author's comments ).

Previously: DIR RFID Access to your Front Door
]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Cydus-Home-RFID-Deadbolts
From the site:

Keep necessities within easy reach. You don't want to waste precious time during dinner prep looking for things. Make a place in the hot zone (around the stove and the sink) for the essentials: oil, vinegar, knives, cutting board. Move special-occasion cookware, like a fondue pot, out of cabinets in the zone so what's left can be neatly organized and easily spotted.

And also:

Make recycling efficient, too. Having a bin for bottles and cans right next to the one for regular trash, instead of out in the garage or in the mudroom, streamlines end-of-meal cleanup.

Link: RealSimple.com ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Keeping-an-Organized-Kitchen
From the site:

This design can be applied to just one wall and can completely alter the focus of the room. In just a few hours Wallter adds life to walls. The effect can either be stunning or subtle, you decide. For easy, no fuss installation these lightweight pieces have a peel-away 3M adhesive backing. The applications can be applied to almost any interior wall or door.

Via Constructiondeal.com]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Unusual-Wall-Treatment Sunset magazine has a lot of cool stuff on their site, not the least of which being this huge home decorating idea gallery, viewable by room type (within kitchens, for example, there are small kitchens, eat in kitchens, etc) or style (contemporary, retro, exotic, etc). There must be thousands of beautiful room images online to serve as inspiration for those of us that tend to know what we like when we see it, but can't come up with much from scratch - or perhaps the gallery is most useful for those just suffering from some sort of temporary design block.

The site also has this 25 item smart home piece, as well as an interesting before and after gallery.

Definitely lots to explore.

Link: Sunset Design Assistant]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Huge-Gallery-of-Home-Decorating-Ideas some nice examples. From the site:

Fixtures may be cut and shaped to exact size right on the job, and all lamps are easily replaced to keep things in perfect working order.

One could probably make great use of this sort of lighting in a home theatre or in a modern basement bar setting.

See also: Flexible LED Lights by Mule Lighting
]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Tokistar-Flexible-Lighting-System
Use this lightweight burner to clear weeds and their roots in driveways or walkways in summer, or to melt dangerous ice patches in winter. Adjustable regulator valve lets you control flame intensity. Durable, nickel-plated steel and brass burner uses widely available standard 14 oz. propane tank (not included).

These aren't new though: here's a heavier duty unit and a video demonstration of another one in action (although not on weeds, but whatever - you get the idea).

Would it safe to say that people that use these probably aren't the same people that sit on these?

Weed Burner at Amazon.com

Via Toolspotting]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/eXtreme-Gardening-via-Weed-Burners Gutter Stuff and still have to manually clear your eavestroughs, then this tool called "Gutter Tongs" might be something to consider. From the site:

Eliminate the danger of climbing ladders and crawling along roofs. Efficient, safe, and easy to use from ground level: extend your reach to approximately twelve feet! Manufactured with lightweight, anodized aluminum shafts, generous pliable rubber hand grips and fiberglass ABS jaws, hinged with a steel pin: Gutter Tongs are 60 inches in length, durable, and made to last!

And for those of you confused by this tong-technology-of-tomorrow-today, the site offers a breakdown:

To use the tool: merely spread the arms apart and slide the open jaws either from left to right or right to left along the inside of the gutter. Once sufficient material is collected, swing the arms together, lift upwards, and remove the debris.



Via Toolmonger]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Gutter-Tongs-Eavestrough-Cleaning-Tool
Skills and materials honed and tested in the demanding boatbuilding industry mean you don't have to worry about your bath ever springing a leak. Indeed, keep the stopper firmly in and you could probably paddle your bath quite safely. And because our baths rely on marine technology they are designed for a far more ravaging environment then your bathroom.

Furthermore:

Each wall is built using a strip building technique where narrow wooden strips are locked one to the next using a boat building technique called cove and beading. This technique means the walls behave as single sheets of wood. Each strip is individually cut, placed and bent to perfectly shape and seal your bath. The floors of each bath are built from over 25mm (1 inch) of wood. This might sound excessive but it prevents any possibility of creep and sagging with age, ensuring your bath floor will always remain sound and true.

The baths must be quite a hit with people as the site is closed to new orders, according to a notice on the homepage. That or it just takes them years to build one.

Via Trendir]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Nice-Handmade-Wooden-Baths-by-Driftwood
Link: CNN Money: 4 renovations that kill a home's value

Previously: Best Bang for the Buck Home Remodelling Jobs, Best Return on Investment Home Improvement Tips

]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Renovations-that-Kill-Home-Value