Life
moves on and while life began with mechanical toys, those old toys have
evolved away from the atoms of matter that toys were were made up of exclusively
toward and into the electrons that have become central to life in the twenty
first century... electrons of information and software but still including
a few of the hard pieces that are still necessary give access into that
universe while providing the fun of toys that you can still hold in your
hands... in spite of the irritations that they may also bring with them
such as repairs and spam.The key components of the images on this
site began with a Kodak DC20 digital camera and a Hewlett Packard 200LX
"palmtop" computer but have evolved on to an HP Jornada 548 and it's optional
"Compact Flash" camera.
Sometimes I envy those who only have to deal with one computer. One of
the major considerations that I have in maintaining this site is simply
tracking down the most recent location where I worked on the html code,
home, office, laptop, Rebecca's computer???
It's amazing that I no longer have any mental issues with putting off
editing and updating (when I have the time) since the final source is always
with me. Since it's in the Jornada, I can even add or edit text at a lunch
counter, while traveling or even in bed if the muse stirs.
What's an X-10?.
It's electrical magic. Although the concept is almost 30 years old and it's made home life a lot easier and even fun for me for most of those 30 years. It's a "building block" approach to the elusive concept of "home automation" by making automatic and remote control of lights and appliances possible without the need for running addition wires all over the place.
The concept is simple. There are two basic X-10 device types, those that respond to on/off/dim signals and those that transmit those signals. The signal is not transmitted through the air, but through the house wiring. Each "receiver" has a rotary switch that assigns it a "number" and once set, when a transmitter device sends a number and an action command such as "Number 3 ON" all of the units set to number "3" will turn ON.
X-10 has also become a "standard" Home automation switches made by Leviton, Stanley, Radio Shack, GE and many others all use the same system and concept, so componets from all of these manufacturers will work flawlessly with components from the other manufacturers.
The system is easy to expand. Additional plug in modules are available from local sources for under $20 each.
