Kyle Ohme — In the life of a dot com

If you love technology and hacking everything you own, check out this little quick project.  Here you will find the scripts and tools it takes to mod / hack your wii-mote so you can use it on your mediacenter (no hacking required).

Thanks to this project and the information located on http://www.wisave.com/news/ you can use your wii-mote to control your Vista Mediacenter.

The Script can be found here

You will also need (http://www.wiili.org)
* GlovePIE version 2.4
* A Wiimote
* A Bluetooth enabled PC running Windows 2000 or XP.
* DirectX 8.0

You can also check out a video of it here.

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. 

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.

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!

Today I signed up for a new service that will allow me to share my home videos with other Tivo Series2 or Series3 users. Users can subscribe to the channel and download content every time something is posted from the associated user accounts.

The name of the service is One True Media and it can be found here:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/tivo

Here is how to set it up:

How to create:

1) Create a movie or video that you would like share (This can also be photos) and upload it to the service. You can use some very basic video edits once its updated if you feel that you need add some “flare”

2) Create a personal code that can be used to help identify the content.

How to watch:

1) Go to the Home Movies inside Music, Photos folder

2) Add the channel code that you created in step 2 above.

3) Set the preferences as needed / season pass and so on ..

That’s it – now give it a little time (up to 24 hours) to update and you can go to Now Playing and open the folder called “Home Movies by One True Media”

Problem that I have with this – I have a Series2 over Directv – I had the pleasure of hacking the Tivo to turn on the USB ports and allowing for my Tivo to live on the network. My Series one was hacked to the end, but hadn’t had the time to upgrade until this was released.

In the end, I think this may offer the average user a way to watch / share home movies with the family. It may allow for some family members to stay in touch better as its less complex and easier to use the a computer. Its cool, but how about an RSS reader for Tivo that you can subscribe to more than just this content – its bound to happen… Sore of a TVTonic for your Tivo. (If you have questions on the upgrade process you can go to DealDatabase.com and find what you are after.

It was fun to try, however I feel that if you can figure out how to run this service you can figure out how to use YouTube.

Its free to watch but a subscription fee is required to upload content.