Kyle Ohme — In the life of a dot com

When we built our office we mounted a few LCD TV’s to distribute HD, PowerPoint Slides and project stats.  Recently I have been asked by a few people what kind of wall mounts we used as they only stick off the wall by an inch. 

When we designed this setup I wanted to make sure we used a mount that sat as flush to the wall as we could helping to hide the wires and odd gap that you would see as you walk by.  (By the way, I did spend a good deal of time looking at mounts and ordered a few before we found the following)

The product that we used was from Ergotron and highlights the following benefits.

Installs in three simple steps.

Extremely slim profile, just over an inch from the wall.

Single-SKU design fits most screens from 32″?61″ up to 175 lbs (79 kg). .

Integrated security fasteners deter removal.

Sleek silver and charcoal grey design complements home or office decor.

Includes fasteners for mounting to wood studs or concrete.

Additionally we created 90 degree ends with snap-n-seal connectors to allow for the room needed for cables from the wall plates to the TV in conjunction with clock boxes to indent the power receptacle.

One thing to note - make sure the mount will not be in the way of the cables needed for the TV. 

How many times have you been staring at the search within your favorite registrar looking for that perfect domain name … you enter the name .. hit submit and wait .. .nothing, taken.  How many times have you searched for that perfect name only to give up as you don’t have all night to do it.

Try this site, Instant Domain Search - this will search for the name and display what’s available as you type.  No more having to hit submit over-and-over-and-over-and-over…..

Instant Domain Search

I realize this is not at all the most complex post but I have been amazed on how many times people are unaware of how to pull this off.

Here is the scenario - You have some people over and you want to just hook up your laptop to your Microsoft Media Center as you are all in a different room from your TV.  (You get the point - TV is in the living room and your in the kitchen or bar)

Problem becomes that every time you log into your Media Center it does two things.

* Logs you off of the Media Center and your TV now goes to a login screen.

* Pulls your audio from your house and now forces playback on your laptop or tablet.

Fix:

Log onto your Media Center by entering the following into RUN mstsc /console  This will open a remote desktop window and allow you to connect right to the console (note: Vista knows what you are doing and will not allow Media Center to run in this way - it will require a registry edit and I will cover this at a later time)

Before you enter the name of the computer change the following:

1) Go under Options
2) Local Resources
3) Select “leave at remote computer” for the Remote Computer Sound option

Just like that you are now using your Laptop or other PC for a big remote.

The IT world seems to be moving in the right direction.

IT suppliers launch green initiative aiming to double energy efficiency in three short years.

The initiative aims to improve efficiency with power supplies quoting;

Around half of the electricity used by desktop systems is wasted as heat. Servers are only slightly more efficient, wasting around a third of their electrical power. 

The article continues to state that the second strand of the movement is to encourage people to use power management strategies.

Simply turning on the power management function can cut PC electricity consumption by 60 per cent, says Intel vice president Gordon Graylish.

Its great to see steps in the right direction and backed by leaders that can make a difference.

The article can be found here:
http://www.vnunet.com/computing/news/2191959/suppliers-launch-green

Imagine being able to charge your laptop, cell phone and household robots wirelessly! The new concept is called “WiTricity” and it can essentially transfer electricity through the air. 

Researchers at MIT have figured out how to transfer power wirelessly, a technology they’ve dubbed “WiTricity.” Potential applications for WiTricity include powering cell phones, laptops, household robots and other battery-run devices. However, before WiTricity enters the mainstream, there is still work to be done, as the group’s tested device operated at only 40 percent efficiency.

You can find the full story here:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/57757.html

I wonder how well this would work on a hybrid or electric car.  Can you imagine pulling in to your garage and your car would be charged in the morning in time for work with no power plugs to worry about?

I always wondered when I was a kid if this would ever work someday - all I have to say is WOW - I want it!