I spent a bunch of time looking for fun virtual office backgrounds for video conferences, these virtual green screen software tools make it easy to add fun backgrounds to your online meetings and zoom conference calls. Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.
April 09, 2020
April 24, 2014
Best Wifi Extender Solution For Your Home - Read Before Buying a Wifi Extender
I have been searching for the best wifi extension solition for my home for quite some time and have tested a bunch of solutions. My friends have been asking about the solution that I ultimately settled on for my home, so I though I would turn it into an in home wireless extension tutorial blog post.
First let me say, I love my Verizon FiOs internet connection, it is fast and reliable and I am thrilled to be living in an area the has it. The problem I had is that even with their newest FiOs wifi router, there were areas in my home where I needed fast, reliable internet connections that the wifi just wasn't reaching the Kitchen with the quality of signal we needed. The wifi extenders I tested were "ok" but extending the wifi cut down on the speed and quality even more, so while I could get a connection, the speed was horrible and wasn't working for everyone in the family.
After researching and testing multiple solutions, I finally settled on an Internet over powerline solution to extend the internet from my office the kitchen. I bought a TRENDnet Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapter Kit from Amazon that has two adaptors. I plugged one into the socket in my office and connected it directly to the router via ethernet, and then I plugged the other one in the kitchen. After pushing the sync buttons I was good to go.
This is all you really need to do if the device(s) you are trying to connect to the internet accept an ethernet connection (DVD Player, Game System, AppleTV, etc...), but if you are still looking to get wireless connectivity, I suggest plugging in an access point device into the powerline.
I really liked the easy setup and touch screens of the Almond Wifi Extenders I had tested, and they have an easy option to put them into access point mode. Once I connected the Almond device set in access point mode into the ethernet port of the Powerline Adaptor, I was good to go with Wifi in the Kitchen.
Now everyone is happy and I am consdering purching a few more powerline adaptors to connect the kids Xbox in the basement and the AppleTV in the bedroom for faster streaming.
April 16, 2014
Derby Jackpot - Legal Online Betting in the US
Derby Jackpot has found their niche in the tricky US gambling market. With horse racing and off track betting legal in most states, Derby Jackpot has gamified the track online making it fun and easy to best on the horses, and watch the races live from the comfort of your home.
It is easy to setup a free account and use their practice mode before deposting real money. The deposit process is easy. (Min $10 deposit, but they match your first deposit with an extra $10 in free money).
Once the race starts you see the live stream. It's really fun, but be careful, it might be a little addicting to those of us who are missing our online poker betting sites in the US.
May 27, 2011
May 08, 2008
First Birds, then Squirrels, oh My!
I posted the video of the Bird that was driving me crazy, after getting shot at by a few tennis balls every time he came to visit, I think the Bird has decided to bother someone else. But, not that the Bird is gone, we now have a new problem, apparently some squirrels have decided to make a home in our attic.
Our pest control company recommended a local company, who came out, eyeballed the nest and decided it was going to cost us $4,000 to remove the squirrels and fix up our roof-line to insure that it wouldn't happen again.
Well, I wasn't so thrilled about the thought of paying $4k to remove some squirrels, so I went on to Angie's List, a service where you can find just about any service person and see unbiased ratings from others who have used the service. On Angie's List I found a company that was well recommended who is removing the Squirrels for $375. To be fair, they did recommend some other fixes to the roof, some needed now, and others as more future prevention. The other company only gave me one option, $4k.
So now there are squirrel traps on my roof and in my attic. They leave them open (un set) for a few days to let the squirrels get comfortable getting food from them for a few days, and then set them to catch them. I was able to get some pictures today, enjoy! (click on one to see it close-up).
May 02, 2008
Addison's Laptop Repaired! Great Job OnCall 25/8
It's not often that I recommend companies, but I wanted to let you know about onCall 25/8.
Addison's laptop was going on the fritz, he was having problems getting the computer to start charging when he plugged it in. You should have seen the incredible ways he would have to move, push and pull on the charget to get the computer to start charging. Finally it just wouldn't charge no matter what he did.
The laptop was out of warrenty, and Gateway said that they would have to replace the whole motherboard, basically saying the cost of fixing the computer wasn't worth it. BestBuy's Geek Squad wanted to charge me $80+ dollars just to send it out to be diagnosed and then they would let me know how much it would cost to fix, yuck!
I went online and and found a local company called onCall 25/8. They sent someone out the next day and created a case number for my laptop. They quickly diagnosed the problem and were able to replace the laptop's powerjack at a reasonable cost.
Addison is back online thanks to OnCall 25/8.
Thanks guys! If I have any computer repair issues that I can't resolve on my own in the future, you can bet that you will be the first ones I call!
Here is how to reach OnCall 25/8
Virginia: 703.250.2580
Maryland: 301.760.7222
DC: 202.625.2511
Web: http://www.oncall258.com/
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