eLifespaces

Season Greetings from eLifespaces

2010-12-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

To you and your families, please receive our best wishes for a peaceful and joyous holiday season.

This is always a jubilant time of the year. Not only is it a time in which we have given thanks for the many blessings in our lives, but it is a season which celebrates the joy within each of us.

Please pray for our brave men and women in uniform. We are grateful for their service to us and our country, and for the support and sacrifice of their families. During these next few weeks, we also hope that you will pause to reflect on the many contributions you have made this year in service of your faith, your family and your community.

Many opportunities are before us, and we look forward to what the New Year has in store. May the peace and goodwill of the season fill every heart and warm every home. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year ~ f

Babylonian Beatles

2010-11-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

Read a very interesting article by Curt Hopkins regarding archaeoacoustics (a/k/a acoustic archaeology), an emerging field of science which seeks to understand how sound influenced a given culture. Even more fascinating is how we too can experience these sounds from the past. For more, Acoustic Archaeology? Meet the Web

Hopkins leaves us with a “take-away” thought, “What does it all mean? … What sounds will our descendants find us to have valued?”

Wireless Impacting Trees

2010-11-20T17:36:00.000-05:00

An increasing number of electromagnetic radiation sources (WiFi, mobile phones, etc) could play a role in the deteriorating health of trees finds a Netherlands’ report conducted by Wageningen University and commissioned by the city of Alphen aan den Rijn. Trees were exposed for more than three months to six sources of radiation [frequencies ranging from 2412 to 2472 MHz]. Leaves towards the radiation source during the study period showed a metallic luster appearance, a discoloration of the leaves that appeared to result in the disappearance of the outer cell layer of the leaves. This metallic luster was followed by desiccation and death of a portion of the leaf.

For more insights, please read: Wi-Fi Makes Trees Sick, Study Says - PCWorld Business Center

Fort Sumter to be Energy Self-Sufficient

2010-11-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

NOVEMBER 9, 2010 – CHARLESTON, SC -- In a “first-of-its kind” collaboration, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), the National Park Service, Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), and the Center for Hydrogen Research (CHR) will work together to deploy a family of technologies that will establish Fort Sumter National Monument as an energy self-sufficient island...
Read more at... http://www.swampfox.ws/2010/11/09/fort-sumter-reassumes-national-focus-after-150-years

TV Cord-Cutters

2010-11-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

There's a trend out there - TV Cord-Cutting - and it is gaining momentum every week! Are consumers reducing the amount of time they watch TV in favor of other media like gaming, social networks, or other Internet-based media? And in this trend, are they cancelling their digital TV subscriptions altogether?? When a household bill to the cable company exceeds $150/month - something has to go.

Hordes of articles addressing the phenomenon:

Follow the discussion!

Analog Sunset

2010-11-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

As December 31st approaches, so does the unleashing of the Trojan Horse we allowed into our homes. Our mass acceptance of content in high-definition format was the seduction. But as quickly as “HD” came to the forefront of the electronic age (and into our lives), so too will be the void as content providers start restricting our access to it. In “great conspiracy” deduction, there were a few events this year that led us to believe that the Illuminati, Bilderberg Group, Bohemian Club, Club of Rome, Council on Foreign Relations, Rhodes Trust, Skull and Bones, Trilateral Commission, Freemasons, Elders of Zion, (however you wish to identify the conspirators) were hard at work.

This year multitudes of Avatar fans rushed out to purchase James Cameron’s blockbuster movie, only to be disappointed when their BluRay players would not play the movie. By loading the movie, the owners had inadvertently released a virus that impacted the function of the player. Keep in mind, this is all legal, using such terms as “digital token only” or “image constraint token”, to which the owners have agreed by purchasing the player (and “using” not owning the software that drives the device).

Even more interesting were anomalies that required ALL the devices [i.e. HDTV and AV Surround receivers], if connected with HDMI, to have firmware updates.

Technicians also documented cases where the players were totally disabled, unable to properly function, regardless of disc, until the updates had been performed. Welcome your Trojan Horse!

The next event which gives rise to the conspiracy is “sunset analog,” the first in a series of HD signal limitations being enacted at the end of 2010. Analog sunset refers to the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) licensing restrictions placed on the analog video outputs (anything other than HDMI) from BluRay players. Licensed BluRay players produced after 2010 and playing protected content must limit analog video output to standard definitions (480i/576i), and licensed BluRay players produced after 2013 will no longer have analog outputs at all.

Presently, the actions under analog sunset only pertain to BluRay. In fact, the US, FCC regulation 47 CFR 76.1903 prohibits the disabling of analog outputs on cable and satellite set-top boxes. That is until conspiracy event #3 when in May of 2010 the FCC granted approval of an MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) petition to modify this regulation so that analog outputs may be selectively controlled by the program content.

The final conspiracy event (or at least as of the time of this article) is the entertainment industry’s movement away from the physical media content [i.e. DVDs] to streaming and other cloud based access. What better way to excerpt control over the viewing of the content.

With the use of so many acronyms, it is no wonder that we all remain confused: AACS; NTSC; ATSC; HDMI; DVI; DisplayPort; ICT; DOT; 480i; 1080p; and more! What is certain is that the conspiracy will continue as the distribution of entertainment further evolves.

For more interesting articles, read eLifespaces' quarterly newletter, InFocus.

Talk Backwards

2010-10-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

“Talk backwards to me” is a favorite expression around our household. The jest of the expression meaning to tell me your purpose in speaking with me – then you may present whatever details you think necessary. This allows me to properly “tune in” and listen to details that are helpful to me in understanding. Even my recorded cell answering message ask the caller to please NOT leave a message, but to call me at my office or send me a txt message. Peer pressure ended that message, and yes – this approach lands me in the “dog house” with my spouse on many occasions.

It was a pleasure to read The New Yorkers article, e-Mail Auto Response, by Martin Marks this morning. ‘Spot on” in capturing how many of us really feel in receiving wordy, brain-dump email correspondence. Great read, please take a moment and visit.

In graduate school, a professor of strategic policy required that you provide case study analyses in 200 words or less, the consequences of non-compliance resulted in a failing mark. Another professor provided the basis for ‘talking backwards’ – write how you speak and let me know what you want in the first sentence; otherwise you fail.

Innovation and The American Dream

2010-10-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

Fight for the Great American Comeback

This week, the CEA (Consumer Electronic Association)’s Innovation Movement released a video that expresses the frustrations that so many Americans are feeling, that the economy is not on track and the American Dream is no longer within reach for many hardworking citizens. But it does not have to be this way. Our CEA has ask that we forward this message to all our readers!

It’s time Washington lawmakers take a page from American innovators and entrepreneurs to guide the nation toward a comeback. Americans, with their ingenuity, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, have the ingredients for success; we only need Washington to support an economy where entrepreneurs are free to compete and pursue their dreams.

Our vision is a Washington that:

Spends taxpayer money responsibly and prioritizes cutting the deficit.
Embraces international trade and open markets.
Modernizes visas to allow talented people, wherever they are born, to study and work in America.
Supports a free-market economy where entrepreneurship can flourish.

This video captures the spirit of change and the hope we have for the future. Watch it, share it with your friends, show it to your children, and send it to your congressional representatives. Ask them to join the movement as an outlet to fight for the great American comeback.

Popular Gadget Survey

2010-10-19T18:31:00.000-04:00

Pew Research has released a report from its Internet & American Life Project indicating that among all the personal communication devices, the cell phone remains #1 as the "gadget of choice!" This report examines seven key appliances of the information age: cell phones, desktop and laptop computers, MP3 players, game consoles, and tablet computers (including e-book readers).

“When it comes to personal communication devices,” according to the article, Gadget Ownership by Aaron Smith, Pew Internet & American Life Project Research Specialist, "the cell phone remains the "gadget of choice" among Americans in 2010 -- fully 85% of all adults (and three-quarters of teens) now own a mobile phone. Computers are the second-most commonly owned piece of personal technology, as six-in-ten Americans own a desktop computer and half own a laptop. Just under half of all adults own an mp3 player (47%) or console gaming device (42%), while e-book readers and tablet computers are each owned currently by around one-in-twenty adults."

The results in their report were based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between August 9 and September 13, 2010, among a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and older. For more information, visit http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1763/americans-and-their-gadgets-technology-devices?src=prc-latest&proj=peoplepress

Look – Jupiter

2010-09-26T11:11:00.001-04:00

Armed with my new iPhone app, Star Walk, a spotting scope and Celestron SkyMaster binoculars, the quest was on to view Jupiter in last night’s sky. This past week, the local channel meteorologists have been discussing Jupiter approach with Earth, the closest encounter between the two planets in more than a decade.

According to NASA, Earth-Jupiter encounters happen every 13 months when the Earth laps Jupiter in their race around the sun. But because Earth and Jupiter do not orbit the sun in perfect circles, they are not always the same distance apart when Earth passes by. On Sept. 20th, Jupiter was as much as 75 million km closer than previous encounters and will not be this close again until 2022.

Grab your spouse, your kids, and/or your significant other and go have some fun. Because Jupiter is so close, the planet's disk can be seen in rare detail--and there is a lot to see. For instance, the Great Red Spot, a cyclone twice as wide as Earth, is bumping up against another storm called "Red Spot Jr." Among all denizens of the midnight sky, only the moon itself will be brighter.

CEDIA 2010 EXPO BEGINS

2010-09-23T13:25:00.000-04:00

CEDIA 2010 Expo officially got underway Wednesday (9/22) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. CEDIA Expo is one of the largest tradeshows in the residential electronic systems industry. Highlights of this year’s show include sustainable lifestyles, residential communications, home entertainment, and home health. For more on CEDIA Expo visit http://www.cedia.net/expo/index2010.php

Sex! Hackers! Embellishment! The Inside Story of the Facebook Movie

2010-09-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

Sex! Hackers! Embellishment! The Inside Story of the Facebook Movie

Interesting read... enjoy. ~ f

The Information Dividend

2010-09-21T20:33:00.000-04:00

In the third and final installment of a global study from BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT, formerly known as British Computer Society, their report shows that access to information technology has a “statistically significant, positive impact on life satisfaction”. Which areas benefited most from access? Ranked in order of importance – Family (Home); Leisure; Health; Social Life; and Job.

May 2010 marked the publication of the first report, “The Information Dividend: Can IT Make You 'Happier'?” Building on the first report, “International Information Well-being Index” [published July 2010] looked at 39 countries and compares the level of satisfaction of citizens with their access to and use of information technology.

The reports segregated gender, socioeconomic and even marital demographics. For more on this: http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.35476

Adopt-a-Highway Weekend

2010-09-13T09:36:00.000-04:00

[CHARLESTON, SC – 09/11/2010] – Saturday, what better way to spend the morning on this day of remembering? Lifespaces, Inc. and its group of technology contracting companies, eLifespaces and eSecurity, continued its commitment in assisting the South Carolina’s Department of Transportation and the many other fine organizations involved in “Adopt-a-Highway.” Now celebrating its 22nd Anniversary (1988-2010), Adopt-a-Highway has been one of the most successful programs in combating litter along South Carolina highways ever enacted.

Beginning promptly at 8:00AM, individuals from the eLife family began sweeping the two mile stretch of King Street between Mt Pleasant Street and Summerville Avenue. Forty (40) orange bags of trash were collected, not to mention old automobile parts, railroad ties and assorted other disgusting items. Most notable find – an iPhone (the apparent aftermath of the loading iOS4.0 on the 3G device)!

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) provides all of the necessary clean-up supplies such as vests and trash bags, and requires organizations to pick up the clean-up supplies. However, SCDOT picks up the collected litter bags left on the road-side on the Monday after the collection. Groups may also email to Adoptahighway@scdot.org or visit their website at http://www.scdot.org/.

Falling LCD Prices

2010-09-09T12:24:00.000-04:00

News from overseas forecast falling LCD prices due to a variety of global factors including too much supply in a slower-than-expected European and U.S. economic recovery. LCDs are used in many of today’s electronics, ranging from computers and PDA to high-definition television sets.

When first signs of economic recovery were seen, LCD manufacturers increased [43% to $16 billion] capital spending, putting LCD-panel production in overdrive. When matched with a weak consumer spending world-wide for electronics, excess panel supply as retail inventories rise began (and will continue) forcing prices down. The weaker-than-usual prices are starting to hit margins of LCD makers, including LG Display Co., AU Optronics Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and Sharp Corp.
Highlights cited by Nikkei.com:

Taiwanese LCD companies' factory-utilization rates are down to about 80% to 85% currently, while Korean LCD makers' utilization rate is around 90% to 95%;
LCD TV retail inventories stood at six to nine weeks on average in July, which is on the high side;
Sharp, maker of panels as well as Aquos-brand LCD TVs, said it expects LCD panel prices to continue to fall as it sees uncertainty in the market;
Samsung had forecast that its average selling LCD panel prices are likely to remain flat in the third quarter compared to the second quarter, but there is potential for a high-single-digit percentage decline for various models, following a midsingle digit percentage increase in average selling prices in the second quarter.

Bottom line… lower panel prices on LCDs may hurt the manufacturers, but they are good news for set makers looking to lower overall component costs. If prices fall sharply, set makers are able to transfer the lower costs to consumers. And this is the basis for forecasting falling prices on LCD televisions.

Light Polution

2010-09-05T15:49:00.000-04:00

Until this weekend, the term “light pollution” was predominately unknown to our group of students and parents on a Labor Day weekend science field trip to learn about Loggerhead turtles. As we explored Botany Island under the supervision of noted wildlife biologist, Meg Hoyle, she explained the nesting habits of these reptiles – and more importantly the instinctive signals that lights triggers in their species.

Loggerhead sea turtles are one of only seven sea turtle species in the world and listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species. Loggerheads are the South Carolina state reptile and a species that nests along our beaches. From May until August, the females crawl ashore (a cycle that occurs every other year) to deposit their eggs. Hatching occurs about 60 days after nesting. During this time, artificial light causes specific behavioral patterns in both mother and hatchlings that are detrimental to survival.

Since the 1980s, the U.S. National Park Service Night Sky Team has determined that almost every park that it surveyed has noticeable light pollution (defined as any adverse effect of artificial light including sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased and visibility at night – not to address the energy waste implications).

What are things that we can do to help:

Use lighting control systems, timers, occupancy sensors, or other controls to extinguish lighting when it is not needed
Engage the services of lighting design professionals to assess objectives
Choose better light fixtures and lamps that direct light to the needed areas
Better training for commercial building and property managers
Replace “older” fixtures with newer, efficient models

To learn more, visit http://www.ltlonline.org or contact Meg Hoyle with Learning through Loggerheads at their facilities on Edisto Island, SC.

NASA's Family Album

2010-08-31T20:05:00.000-04:00

Want to stroll down “Memory Lane” [or the Memory Lane of your parents and grandparents]? Images of more than half a century of NASA history have been posted on website Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons. Topics encompassing Launch/Takeoff; Building NASA; namesakes; and more can be viewed! As the shuttle missions come to their evolution, the folks at NASA promise more of these family album pictures.

Airplane, Pyramid, or Ponzi

2010-08-26T12:29:00.001-04:00

Enjoying the company of some old friends, last night was my first introduction terms such as “personal residual income,” “overriding residuals,” “balanced compensation,” and more. A notable celebrity (on the pre-recorded DVD program that led off the meeting) said to act now, professing the importance of “personal marketing.” According to the executive team trainer (the leader of our meeting), the time is right to get your piece of the revenues of the electronic age.
Sign up and you can receive commissions from the cell phones, telephone, Internet access, security, video conferencing – even power bills of those whom you sign up! And if they sign up folks, you get a commission from those! It is all a part of the overriding residual and balanced compensation that enable early retirement.

Before the “gathering,” a friend offered an informal “litmus” test to judge whether I was in the midst of cult bearing ‘pyramiders’:

The endorsement of a wealthy investor
Unshakeable faith and irrefutable evidence
The "associate" who makes thousands per week in his spare time
All training and promotional materials provided for free
No up front large investment
No inventory to carry
Weekly “shindigs” for support
Easy to use web site
Does your spouse desire the ‘good life’
Don't you want to retire early and live the life you have always dreamed about?

Sure enough – the introduction of our successful real estate celebrity, magazine articles aplenty, spotlights on television, involvement of local CPAs & surgeons, weekly meetings at an area hotel, investment of less than $500, sold out regional, national and international meetings for the several months, good life within reach with monthly income upwards of $3K/$7K/or even $25K! And to top it all off – our executive team leader retired only a few months ago to pursue this full time.

According to the Security & Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov/answers/pyramid.htm), a pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment primarily for enrolling other people into the organization, rather than from any real investment or sale of products or services to the public. Sure does skirt on the edge.

My bottom line, too many variables not addressed. They couldn’t address internet speed or bandwidth because it currently wasn’t available in our area. They suggested keeping your current ISP (Internet Service Provider) but sign up for other services and when available you could get this, too. Lastly, if there is so much money available for everyone to get a cut of everyone else’s bills, at some point the cards will fall. I think I’ll stick with the organizations who actually provide the service rather than those who are reselling them.

Irritating Cost Cutting

2010-08-17T16:18:00.001-04:00

In these economic times, cutting costs to keep prices constant is essential to survival – unless of course you diminish quality or product substance. In today’s Wall Street Journal mention is made of Toshiba Corp procuring components for its digital gadgetry from China and South Korea versus Japan will save the company in excess of $11 billion over the next three years. Cost efficiency like these are crucial, particularly in newly emerging markets, if Japanese electronics makers are to compete against Asian rivals. But I must draw the line when it comes to the recent cost cutting measures at my local Krispy Kreme.

Inserted as Exhibit A – a picture of my most recent purchase of a “Hot’n Now” dozen, depicting the largest donut hole ever seen in Krispie Kreme history.

Well… I guess it is for our own good; health, waist line, etc. Sure does make me sad that cost cutting has hit us so severely.

AppleTiVO-4K

2010-08-10T09:01:00.000-04:00

Much ado about computing, iPhones, and iPads, but nothing has been heard of late from our strategic powerhouse partners, Apple, regarding HDTV and home entertainment. Touted as a “hobby,” AppleTV may soon find itself the center of attention should rumors of next generation high definition resolution and cloud computing have any substance.

There are four forces at play – 1) Apple promoting the next generation video format “4K” (video resolution of 4096x2160) making BluRay quality look archaic; 2) cloud computing (a $1 billion investment by Apple for the famous data center, “Lala,” in North Carolina) and future home of ‘Keychest’; 3) speculation that Apple may included TiVO’s DVR technology in the next iteration of the Apple TV; and 4) finally in the spirit of “plug and play” merge this new AppleTV into a large 4K LED display and offer an iPad remote control and Bluetooth keyboard support. Why not even include in a built-in camera with FaceTime or Skype functions!

Apple, long known (and self touted http://www.apple.com/why-mac/) for quality, may be planning its entry into the HDTV market on the high-end. You certainly don’t need to splurge on a system in the Mac’s price range to be a happy customer. But with electronics, as with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for.

Electronic Use in Vehicles

2010-08-06T16:01:00.000-04:00

Using electronics while driving should be done safely and legally. In today’s briefings, there was an interesting article issued by www.DigitalTips.org which maps out laws state by state so you can reach your destination safely and easily. GPS, On-Star, cellular phones, and others can help you in an emergency. However, it's important to use electronics safely while driving and follow the law.

In S.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-4440 (2007) the Law states: No television viewer, screen or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast can be located in the field of view of the operator of the vehicle. Penalties are $100 or be imprisoned for not more than 30 days. Learn about your home state and those neighboring states around you.

Jeers Rating for HP8500

2010-07-28T15:59:00.000-04:00

Purchased only six months ago, our customer reports the HP8500 "All-in-One" printer is inoperable. Providing assistance to our customer in procuring a “return authorization” was met with a host of red tape. After several days of “finger pointing” between distribution and manufacturer, we got a hold of a customer service contact line and provided the data for our customer to contact HP support. Today, the customer sent me an email which read, “Finally – A$$ H@!& INDIA DUDE - is sending a new printer…”

“Finally - A$$ H@!& INDIA DUDE - is sending a new printer - will be delivered to your office by August 6th. Did trouble-shooting over phone with me - tried to tell me that something I did (like constant paper jams, putting ink cartridges in wrong, etc.) caused it - told him we never even had a paper jam - he said if the same thing happens on the new one he sends that HP will assume that it is us, not the printer. I told him it was more than likely a defect in the product - he said this printer has worked for years... - i said - "you mean to tell me that there have never been any 'carriage jam' problems with this printer?" Blah, Blah, Blah...He is sending me a new printer - let me know as soon as it comes in – we’ll have to send the old one back within 3 days of receipt - a return postage for FedEx will be on the side of the box. Thanks for your help.”

HP left quite an impression with our customer.

Library of Congress Impacts the Digital World

2010-07-27T10:43:00.001-04:00

Among the newest six classes of works (COW) additions which provide exceptions to copyright law, the Librarian of Congress said yesterday that it was legal to circumvent a phone’s controls to allow use of “lawfully obtained” software (COW 2) and to which service provider (COW3) you could connect.

Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, released the following statement:
“Section 1201(a)(1) of the copyright law requires that every three years I am to determine whether there are any classes of works that will be subject to exemptions from the statute’s prohibition against circumvention of technology that effectively controls access to a copyrighted work…
This is the fourth time that I have made such a determination. Today I have designated six classes of works. Persons who circumvent access controls in order to engage in non-infringing uses of works in these six classes will not be subject to the statutory prohibition against circumvention…
The six classes of works are [paraphrased for brevity]:
(1) Short portions of motion pictures on DVDs for the purpose of criticism or comment,
(2) Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute lawfully obtained software applications,
(3) Computer programs enabling wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network,
(4) Video games access circumvention for the sole purpose of good faith testing for, investigating, or correcting security flaws or vulnerabilities,
(5) Computer programs protected by dongles are obsolete.
(6) Literary works that prevent read-aloud function or text into a specialized format.
The purpose of the proceeding is to determine whether current technologies that control access to copyrighted works are diminishing the ability of individuals to use works in lawful, noninfringing ways…”

For more, visit the Library of Congress at http://www.loc.gov/

TechHome Ratings

2010-07-26T16:53:00.001-04:00

Which level is right for my house? According to the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA), TechHome-rated infrastructure in a home is only as useful as the products, data and applications attached to it. This is especially true for those homeowners now experiencing the limitations of Cat5 as video signals begin to hog bandwidth across the household networks.

Your home's digital network capabilities will depend on how robust your technology infrastructure is. But how much infrastructure is too much, and how little is too little? That's where the three TechHome Rating System (THRS) levels -- bronze, gold and platinum -- come into play. They remove the complexity from structured wiring and instead focus on what you can do and what you can enjoy at each level.

Find out about the capabilities of each TechHome level to determine your TechHome rating and then work with your electronics-systems contractor to connect and integrate the audio, video and networking equipment that will be used. Visit www.DigitalTips.org to learn how you can get started with simple upgrades.

Duly Warned About iOS4 in a 3G World

2010-07-23T18:58:00.001-04:00

Duly warned NOT to load iOS 4.0 on my 3G iPhone, Bill Read posted the following on FB which is “spot on.” Give it a view!

Watch

Now I feel compeled to go purchase the new iPhone 4. I guess this would be similar to loading Snow Leopard on my Apple Cube or Windows XP on a 386 (for those who remember).

3D Trickery

2010-07-13T18:32:00.001-04:00

The wide acceptance of High Definition Television has brought about changes in 3D technologies with the technology categories of AFS and Auto3D gaining a growing acceptance Merging polarization with interlace and progressive scan technologies has opened up a new set of technologies for 3D imaging through the use of LCD shutter glasses or parallax barriers with lenticular lenses.

Tricking our (binocular) brain into interpreting a 2D image into one with depth has been the goal of 3D imaging since it’s introduction in he early 1900’s. Since this origin, Anaglyphic, Polarization, AFS (Alternative Frame Sequencing), and Autostereoscopic (a/k/a Auto3D) are the four main categories with multiple sub-categories under these. While no consensus has been reached on a 3D standard, every manufacturer insists their standard is better than the other. The problem - these various technologies do NOT “play well” with one another; and from a technical standpoint – never will.

In the latest issue of the eLifespaces’ newsletter, InFocus, we discuss 3D technologies and their evolution.

FOB [a/k/a Freight on Board]

2010-07-08T21:28:00.001-04:00

FOB is the first of three items that potentially may derail our company from doing business with a manufacturer (or distributor). The term “Freight on Board” (commonly referred to as ‘FOB’) is often used when shipping goods to indicate who pays loading and transportation costs and the point at which the responsibility of the goods transfers from shipper to buyer. For our company, FOB Destination is the signature of a reputable company, a company who takes great care in the delivery of their product up until it gets into the customer’s hands. Alternatively, FOB Shipping Point is a company with a completely different set of agendas. Their mantra – as soon as it leaves their dock, it’s the customer’s problem.

In our negotiations with prospective manufacturers, we address the fairness doctrine, “Is it fair to all involved?” You decide. Written below is a recent series of emails discussing FOB with a manufacturer with a hidden agenda:

From: Sales Rep / To: Company Controller cc: Company Attorney / Subject: Dealer Agreement
Hey guys, I don’t have the legal background to understand everything below, but what Fred wants is: As a Prepay account, in the event that a unit is refused at his dock due to physical damage, he wants a new one sent without having to prepay for a second unit. It actually makes sense because we can verify with the shipper that the damaged one is on the way back.

From: Sales Rep / To: Company Controller / Subject: Dealer Agreement
Anything going back and forth on eLifespaces, my Charleston prospect? I REALLY need to get him going. The only thing he needs is to have, in writing, that if he refuses a damaged shipment - we will send a replacement piece without charging him again (while waiting for the original piece to hit our dock and be credited). In the grand scheme of things, he's not asking for much. PLEASE CONSIDER.

From: Company Controller / To: Sales Rep cc: Company Attorney / Subject: Dealer Agreement

While we are able to accommodate the other request to our Agreement by eLifespaces – the one request to put in writing “if Lifespaces refuses a damaged shipment – we will send a replacement piece without charging him again (while waiting for the original piece to hit our dock and be credited)” – we cannot put such a statement in the Agreement.

We have not done this with any other dealer.
Even if open account, and the same situation occurred, we still charge the dealer and offset it with a return credit.
From the accounting side, you have a debit (invoice), offset by a credit (payment). Having another debit (invoice) and wait on a credit (return credit) would raise issues about financial controls.

Legal and I have spent considerable time trying to come up with a way around this. I’m sorry but there is no way we can do this.

From: Sales Rep / To: eLifespaces / Subject: Dealer Agreement

Sorry it has been so long, but legal guys are slow, and our legal guys are extra slow.
This is what they have come back to me with. It’s killing me that a theoretical situation is holding us up from doing business and I certainly understand your point if shipping damage did occur, but our guys are very reticent to rewrite something for one dealer when they haven’t done it for others.
It seems that the worst that could happen is the damaged prodct would be refused and returned to our dock. This might be a 4-5 day delay until we could credit your account and get another piece rolling. In the 4 years I have been selling projectors for 9 states, I have yet to have this happen, but since product purchases are usually planned far in advance, hopefully a 1 week delay wouldn’t be a problem.
Would like to work my way down there next week and spend a few minutes with you, if you haven’t forgotten me.

From: eLifespaces / To: Sales Rep / Subject: Dealer Agreement

You’re always welcome for a quick visit – but I don’t think we’ll be doing business with as a dealer. It is apparent that they do not have any of the dealer’s interest in mind.

Teenage Employment Matters

2010-07-07T21:10:00.001-04:00

Teenage employment is important. Developing confidence tops the list followed by a sense of responsibility, contribution, time management, and business networking skills all of which will become essential tools in the years ahead. As an employer (founded in what might be considered “old school” thought), there are eight (8) valuable work habits that we would like for you to take back to school as you leave our workplaces.

Adhere to traditional business protocols. Be honest. Be on time. Be dependable. Be safe. Be loyal. Use manners. Dress appropriately. Pay attention to personal hygiene. Do not use profanity. Don’t participate in rumors or gossip around the water cooler.

No ‘texting’ or other cell phone activities while you work. Leave your phone in the car, a locker, a drawer, somewhere other than on your person. Your purpose at work is to make money for your company. In order to accomplish this objective, please provide 100% of your focus to the tasks at hand and during the hours in which you are engaged to do so. Texting your buddies (or family members especially parents) about you personal plans for the evening take you off task and out of focus.

Annotate. You will forget – period. Invest in the only timeless PDA and stylus known to man - the pen and paper. Use it. Get into the habit of writing things down! You will be given assignments, tasks, project details, and more so you need to be ready to act. This action is also a key principal in active listening and instilling a sense of importance in the information you are being given.

Communicate concisely. Let your brain engage in thought before your mouth’s motor skills begin. Rambling or an inability to quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly express yourself makes you the weakest link in the chain. This will also force you into developing better English skills, both written and orally. And when you do communicate, do so with a positive “can do” attitude. If constructive arguments are needed, do this by asking questions.

Show Initiative. Awaiting instructions is the same a being an “order taker.” The world has plenty of this resource, so don’t add to it. Look around and note what needs to be done. “Boss, I noticed that this stack of inventory is out of order. If you can spare me for a moment, I’d like to go re-organize it.” Statements like these certainly sound more professional than, “Boss, what can I do now?”

Develop a sense of community. It’s not all about you. It’s not all about the company. Most companies have philanthropic efforts focused in various areas. Your community is important and you should (with genuine effort) give of your time.

Pay attention to details. Learn to pay attention to details. This also involves follow up. This skill helps you become invaluable to a team.

Be yourself. Most folks have a genuine desire to perform well and provide a meaningful contribution to a work force team. We shall assume that you fall within this group. Be true to these desires and you will gravitate to the most valuable team members within a company.

CableCARD's Slow Death

2010-07-06T13:38:00.000-04:00

Most consumers don’t realize that a cable company’s set-top box is not required in order to receive digital and HD program content. For years, CableCARDs allowed the TV set itself or devices such as HD TiVO to bring provide these features without the need for a cable company’s set-top box. Greater conspiracy articles have been posted as to the failure of the market to adopt this device, but with all things evolution is on the horizon…

In response to a FCC April 2010 request for comments, consumer groups, manufacturers and the CEA filed responses on how to vitalize development of the retail set-top box market. Responses range from establishing interfaces governed by rules and regulations to engineering a new Internet pathway to cable headends that will handle SDV signaling from third-party devices. All suggestions have been opposed by the NCTA [National Cable & Telecommunications Association].

Bottom line is that all efforts will be fended off by special interest groups – none of whom carry the interest of the consumers. In the mean time, CableCARDs will continue to address the needs of the two (2%) percent of us who continue to demand alternatives to cable company’s set-top boxes.

CableCARD is a special-use PCMCIA (PC) card that allows consumers in the United States to view and record digital cable television channels on digital video recorders, personal computers and televisions without the use of other equipment such as a set top box (STB) provided by a cable television company. The federal government mandated (Telecommunications Act of 1996) that cable companies allow non cable company provided devices to access their networks. The card may be provided by the local cable provider; usually for a nominal monthly fee.

Riding the iPhone 4 Wave

2010-06-24T17:39:00.002-04:00

My phone’s text message fired off at 6AM this morning, “WOW! Line for iPhone 4 is so much worse that the one we tackled for the iPad. There have been people here since 10PM last night.” Our iPhone App development group, so anxious to test our Apps on the new iPhone 4, braved the crowd in order to achieve this objective. Hard work and dedication seldom goes unrewarded in that we were identified and interviewed this afternoon by ABC News Channel 4 regarding our iPhone/iPad App development efforts. News at (maybe 6PM), 7PM and 11PM…

Although we will be supplemental to the real news of the day, iPhone 4 deliveries to those who pre-order the newest PAN devices, nonetheless, we were excited to have been recognized for these efforts. Please tune in to the broadcast!

In a typical guerilla marketing effort, we pitched eController, HTA Designer Lite, and the future release of eNergy and eLx.

Network News Alienates Audiences

2010-06-22T21:47:00.002-04:00

CBS News, Ida Mae Astute/ABC, Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Losing more that 565 thousand viewers during 2009 (and soon the loss of our household in 2010), the “big three” network news groups appear to be out-of-touch with their audience. If the news weren’t depressing enough, we become bombarded with drug commercials more depressing than the news itself, discussing each drugs respective side affects (including depression, suicide, heart attach, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.). And if this weren’t bad enough, the sheer proportion of news versus commercials had grown out of whack. So tonight (6/22/2010), while the children were away at camps and other summer activities, we sat when pen and paper and documented the news broadcast. Here is what we found…

Locals news: 56% content / 44% commercials. National news: 64% content / 36% commercials. See table below.

At the local level, we were introduced to six (6) news stories, local weather, sports, and a human interest story. Unfortunately, this was mixed with 28 commercials (12 car/truck; 5 contracting; 3 real estate; 3 TV show promotions and 5 other). At the national level, we were introduced to five (5) news and one human interest story accompanied by 24 commercial (13 pharmaceutical; 4 TV show promotions and 7 other).

News divisions have failed for years to attract additional younger viewers to their evening programs. Reviewing the above, it remains to be seen how they will reverse this trend. By allowing such a heavy concentration of advertisements by automobile and pharmaceutical companies to their core demographics, the networks have alienated a younger viewing audience. Most 25-35 & 35-45 year old segments do not care about over active bladders, TTP (whatever the heck that is!), constipation, strokes, heart attacks, and more. And with younger children present, most will cut this programming off with discussing erectile dysfunction and other aliments. Allured by the big pharmaceutical advertising budgets, network executives find themselves on slippery slope – needing the money while loosing the audience. And then again, maybe this is by design.

Interestingly from 2004 to 2009, the median age of news viewers increased from 60 (in 2004) to 62 (in 2009). Keep in mind the entire audience grew five years older. The largest segment is the +55 group with ~ 850K viewers, followed by my group (ages 25-54) with ~250K, then the 18-24 with less than 100K viewers. Information obtained from Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism [http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/].

Each evening, better described in that of a Norman Rockwell painting, my family enjoys dinner with the evening news playing in the background. It is a way for my wife and me to help interpret world events with our children while allowing them a forum in which to develop their own opinions. After a pragmatic review of the content we have allowed into our home and into the minds of our children, we believe this household is due for a change.

While we are in a minority of viewing groups, the audience skew just shifted one more tick older. Although our move away may not represent a measurable difference in the audience composition measured by Nielson and other rating agencies, it hard to believe that we are not alone.

2010 Twelve Step Buying Guide for Purchasing a New TV

2010-06-19T17:36:00.001-04:00

Part Two
This is the second part in the Twelve Steps Buying Guide for purchasing a new television in 2010. We are often asked “how to” and invariably direct folks to independent rating services such as Consumer Reports, and others. Some industry magazines allow you to read about new features, but lack the resources to rate the set’s performance. When seeking advise from salespersons and others, ask for their credentials. Do they have experience in reviewing the sets? Enough of this, on to Step 7 and the rest of our 2010 TV Buying Guide…

7) Are control features important? This can be broken down into two categories, 1) the sets functional controls such as discrete control commands (“On” & “Off” versus the same button toggle On/Off; distinct source inputs, etc.), and 2) control interface such as IP based, serial [RS232], infrared [IR], radio frequency [RF], or others. These things may be hard to find in the CostCo and Sam’s (even BestBuy) environments and don’t look for help. Deer in the headlight images come to mind.

8) Let’s now look at some sets matching your requirements thus far against the functions and features of various manufacturers and models. This will start giving you a feel what type of set fits your requirements AND some preliminary feedback on possible budget limitations.

9) We’re getting close, just three more items - the first of which is performance. Whole training courses are built around the four criteria of a “good” picture: Dynamic Range; Color Saturation; Color Accuracy & Colorimetry; and Detail & Resolution. For those who are serious about these performance issues, engage the services of an ISF Certified Practitioner and rely on their assistance in proper set selection. For all others, go look at the set’s performance, preferably NOT in a highly lit fluorescent retail showroom floor. Select a few that perform well against your standards.

10) Will the set be aesthetically pleasing when placed in your room? All brands of HDTV look smart and granted some look smarter. If you place the design element too high on your criteria you may come to regret it later.

11) To get the full enjoyment from your new TV you may want to consider complementing it with surround sound, making it the focus of your very own home theater. Surprisingly, you may already have some of the components –A/V receiver, loudspeakers, DVD or Blu-ray player, cable or satellite box, or video game console. Some positioning adjustments may be required to get maximum performance from you system. For those who are serious about these acoustical performance issues, engage the services of an HAA Certified Practitioner and rely on their assistance in proper set up and calibration.

12) Last item, reality check. Let’s look at that piece of paper in your pocket. Balance the above to your budget and for goodness sakes – don’t overspend on things that are not important to you.

Professional system integrators and practitioners understand these steps and much, much more. Following the steps above will provide a solid foundation for a good, well-informed purchasing decision. If in doubt, seek an industry certified professional.

12 Step Buying Guide for New TV

2010-06-18T22:25:00.000-04:00

Part One

Resident in my “draft” emails is an ever evolving laundry list of suggested function and features for which one should look when purchasing a new television. Although the electronics industry would like for you to believe this process has become easier over the past few years, this assertion is simply not true. The answer to your best TV selection quest resides in your answers to a series of evaluation steps. Let’s begin…

Steps:

Write down your budget range for purchasing this television. Put it into your pocket, we will revisit this later.
Define the ambient lighting conditions of the room in which you wish to place the set. Can this light be controlled?
Let’s turn our attention to some geometry – How big of a set do you want? And, do you have the appropriate room to house this new set. There are several mathematical formulas we use when uncovering these answers, but it will ultimately come down to your preferences.
What do you enjoy watching - broadcast television, movies, sports, and/or mix? What is the primary media source - satellite, cable, and their respective HD capabilities? Built-in ATSC / QAM / NTSC tuners are standard. I am also a fan of CableCards, but find this feature harder and harder to find.
Have you explored “what’s out there,” what new entertainment options are available - 3D, AppleTV, Wii, GoogleTV, Internet, and more!?
Answer to steps 4 & 5 above drives determining what sources will “feed’ your new television - satellite, cable, respective HD of the before two mentioned, computer, DVDs, gaming, etc. Answers to these questions will drive the required number of input type connections such as HDMI, DVI, VGA, component, Ethernet, and more.
to be continued...

Visit us tomorrow for the conclusion of our 12 Step TV Buying Guide.

$119 Million Plus and Growing

2010-06-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

Nope, I didn’t go to the Apple Store in light of yesterday’s fiasco in my on-line ordering attempts. So Apple’s first day sales revenue of +$119 million didn’t include my $299 order. :-(

Reportedly, ten times higher in pre-sales than its predecessor, Apple was pleased with the first day results and apologized for “system malfunctions” recognizing many customers were frustrated (as was I) in the process.

AT&T reported that there were 13 million visits to its website yesterday by users interested in the phone. WOW! When you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.

For those of us unsuccessful in yesterday’s attempts, next allotment of iPhone shall be in July.

Yes, Yes, I Want a New iPhone

2010-06-15T20:35:00.003-04:00

Yes, yes!!! I want the new iPhone… so logging onto the www.Apple.com web site, the process of “pre-ordering” the new iPhone 4.0 began at 8:00AM, sharp. Encountering my first series of questions: new service or replacing existing? answer – Replacing existing. Next, Apple must check eligibility for my AT&T account. Answering the three validation questions, the spiral wheel began a turning. Turning it did for minutes, which then turned into five, which turned into fifteen, at which point the program was left running in the background as my attention turned to the work load of the morning. Occasionally checking… spiral wheel still turning.

Noon. Finally gave up! Decided to engage in Apple’s live chat.

Apple: Hi, my name is Gabriel R. Welcome to Apple! Good afternoon! How may I assist you today?
Me: Went through questionnaire procedd to pre-order phone, Was kicked out. How may I pre-order new iPhone?
Apple: We are currently experiencing very high traffic in the online store, and are working as quickly as possible to resolve the store issues.
Me: OK but waisted entire morning. Are there alternative means to ordering?
Apple: I am so sorry. I understand it’s very frustrating. And I do apologize for the inconvenience. We are working diligently as possible to resolve the issues.
Apple: I recommend you contact sales at 1-800-MY-APPLE or try back at a later time.
Me: 10-4

Next course of action – calling 1-800-MY-APPLE. To my surprise, a recorded voice played the following response, “Thank you for calling Apple. Due to extreme volume we are unable to answer your call. Please call back later.”

Two options remain… go to Apple store or give up. Let you know tomorrow!

iPhone 4.0 Forging Ahead

2010-06-08T20:59:00.001-04:00

eController App on the new iPhone 4

The new iPhone offers video calling, the latest evolution of personal area networking (PAN). With its brand new design, retina display, 5-megapixel camera with HD video recording, the new iPhone will be providing refuge to some parasitic players…

Several weeks ago, at the eLife MAC User Group, a lively discussion and subsequent email exchange began regarding Internet usage and related pricing. As the introduction to tiered Internet pricing begins in the cellular market, the position was asserted that all other pricing and access plans to Internet would soon follow. See the exchange below...

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred / To: Stewart / CC: Austin; Ed
Sent: Thursday Jun 3, 2010 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: Discussions @ Lunch

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/att-versus-the-data-hogs/?ref=technology

Stewart, this is what I was talking about. You watch - home service is next! ~ f

-----Reply Message-----
From: Stewart / To: Fred
Sent: Thu 6/3/2010 4:51 PM

Cell phones/wireless having unlimited plans I would have certainly agreed would take a powder. The home cable infrastructure is quite different and not subject to users moving from cell to cell -- changing the load demand on the fly. I'm just sad that I didn't have time to get an iPad with 3G in time to get grandfathered in. ~ Stewart

-----Follow-up Message-----
From: Ed / To: Stewart
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 6:53 AM

Stewart, Even if you had purchased an iPad 3G there is no long term contract available on them so it still would not have been grandfathered in. The reason I believe that AT&T is doing this now is because the next generation of the iPhone is due to be announced on the 7th and it is expected to have videoconferencing features which will eat up bandwidth making it impossible to use without incurring data overages. ~ Ed

-----Supplemental Message-----
From: Fred / To: Stewart
Sent: Tue 6/8/2010 7:17 PM

Ice has been broken... here comes Verizon with their "new" plan - following that of AT&T. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6536KL20100605?type=technologyNews ~ f

-----End Messages-----

Although we are saddened that the parasitic relationships of AT&T, Verizon, and others will continue to manipulate PAN evolution to their benefit; new technologies are emerging to breakdown even their stronghold in these service offerings. Yet, these are not the parasites, the real enemies of technical evolution.

While our company stands steadfast in the development, deployment, use, and electronic systems integration of PAN devices such as iPhone and the iPad, we continue to receive fire from the “order taking” segment of the systems integration industry. Easy to spot, these are the self-proclaimed “integrators” who use selling opportunity to deflate or diminish these new evolving PAN devices. Sad is their approach, sad is their destructive impact to their customers, and sad is it that they consider themselves to be "custom" when order-taking is a better descriptor. And although this group may lack the vision to evolve by resting their laurels on the hard work of others, our family of customers and trade partners will occasionally look back and snicker at their ineptitude and the ineptitude of those who follow them.

Future of AppleTV

2010-06-03T19:43:00.000-04:00

A “hobby” is how Steve Jobs still refers to AppleTV three years after its launch in 2007. The NY Times reports from the D8 conference, Jobs expressed his views on set-top boxes…

“The problem with innovation in the TV industry is the go-to-market strategy. The TV industry has a subsidized model that gives everyone a set top box for free. So no one wants to buy a box. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us…ask Google in a few months. The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everyone a set-top box, and that pretty much undermines innovation in the sector. The only way this is going to change is if you start from scratch, tear up the box, redesign and get it to the consumer in a way that they want to buy it.”

Rumors continue to circulate about “the new” AppleTV. The latest is the $100 AppleTV which holds sufficient memory in which to download (from the “cloud”) one movie into its RAM for viewing. This also may be the introduction of “Keychest”, a technology soon to be unveiled, which allows a consumer to own a movie or TV show by redefining ownership as access rights, not physical possession. [To read more about Keychest.] The new AppleTV may also allow more “gaming” opportunities by incorporating gaming “apps” for interaction on the family TV.

If I knew the future, I'd be as rich as Steve Jobs! Who knows... but as AppleTV butts up against the newly released GoogleTV – the game is on! May the best “mousetrap” win.

BluRay's Trojan Horse

2010-06-02T20:24:00.000-04:00

Having access to a Reference State-of-the-Art Home Theater has its rewards, among them being the ability to treat my family to a private viewing of the latest high-definition DVD releases – this past weekend being Avitar. But this long awaited viewing experience was spoiled when the BluRay DVD was loaded into our player which released a firmware upgrade requirement which crippled the player from further use until the upgrade was performed. Welcome to things to come…

Without naming component manufacturers, the BluRay disc planted a Trojan Horse (a virus) that disabled the BluRay player from generating a high definition output video signal (HDMI or component) while continuing to allow a composite signal (low definition – 480i). Facts that further confirmed our findings was the menu option (asked by the player during firmware upgrade) to purge the data residing from the most recent played DVD. After all system components (BluRay player, A/V receiver, and HDTV display) were upgraded, the system regained ability to properly display HD material.

This was our first real introduction to AACS, Sunset Analog and the things to come. The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management (DRM), intended to restrict access to and copying of the next generation of optical discs and DVDs. Developed by a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony, AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA) is the latest form of DRM to restrict access to and copying of content on Blu-ray video.

Now introduce Sunset Analog… effective December 31 2010, manufacturers are no longer allowed to introduce new Blu-ray players with component video outputs capable of HD output; they must limit those outputs to SD (480i or 576i). Existing models may continue to be sold until the end of 2013. However, this does not preclude media (Avitar BD disc for example) to upload data to your player to disable certain functions (such as HD resolution output). They gotcha!

Memorial Day

2010-05-28T15:45:00.000-04:00

Guardians of Freedom

Please watch over the men and women who serve (and have served) our community and nation, and keep dear in our hearts and in our memories those who have departed this life. Amen.

God Bless America! Have a great Memorial Day.

Please enjoy the attached performance of our

National Anthem

Caveat Emptor @ BestBuy

2010-05-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

Negative comments surfaced again this week regarding BestBuy’s selling practices and alleged misrepresentation of “sales” items as those having a discounted price. Last Sunday’s Post Courier included a sales circular from BestBuy (depicted above) offering for sale a MacBook computer at a price of $999.99. Visiting Apple’s web site, we noted that: a) Apple discontinued that unit for a newer model on May 11th, b) the replacement model with its newest features and design is available for the same price as BestBuy discontinued model, c) for about $200 less, the MC207LL/A is available elsewhere on the internet.

This isn’t the first allegation of these type practices. Several months ago, there was a flurry of complaints regarding ‘calibration’ services for $150 that offered among other things to “sync your 3D glasses for an amazing experience.” Elsewhere, Connecticut filed suit regarding alleged overcharging practices. In BestBuy’s defense, the larger you are, the larger the target you become. Additionally, the SKU’s for this company are voluminous so picking on them for a single item is not a fair representation.

On occasion, our company has suggested buying opportunities to our customers on selected items at BestBuy, CostCo, Sam’s, and others. In doing so, we pay attention to the make, the model, the small print, and the other “gotchas” that led us to our posting title today, Caveat Emptor.

Barclay Butera

2010-05-26T15:23:00.001-04:00

Barclay Butera Presentation to Charleston Area Designers

Kudos to Rob Leahy of Fine Rugs of Charleston and kravet for hosting a presentation by Barclay Butera, West Coast Interior Designer, on his insights regarding customers and the creation of “Living in Style” lifespaces.

About: Fine Rugs of Charleston strives to select and display the world’s most stylish rugs. Rob Leahy and his team’s objective is to help homeowners and decorators solve a common home furnishing dilemma—people often don’t start decorating with rugs and then later discover it’s difficult to find one that looks good with the colors and patterns in the draperies, the upholstery, the wall colors and other furnishings. At Fine Rugs of Charleston, customers can choose from more than 1,000 rugs, ranging from traditional to contemporary. For directions and additional event information please visit www.finerugsofcharleston.com or call (843) 577-3386.

About: Barclay Butera, Inc. is based in Newport Beach, CA, and entails the Barclay Butera collection showrooms in Newport Beach and Los Angeles, CA, and Park City, UT. Barclay Butera Home, Inc. products are distributed through over 300 showrooms, his own collection showrooms, and To the Trade nationwide. The Kravet products are available through Kravet showrooms nationwide. Butera designs and manufactures his bench made upholstery products in Los Angeles, CA. Please visit www.barclaybutera.com/media for a full introduction.

Good Sounding Bass

2010-05-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

by Gerry Lemay
Director, Home Acoustics Alliance

One of the hardest things for me to describe in words alone is the sound of good bass. Oh yes, the terms deep, tight and fast always come up but that's misses the mark for many non-audiophiles. Let's face it, for many folks bass is either loud and booming or minimized as much as possible. But whether you are a bass lover or hater, both can enjoy the same calibrated bass settings thus leaving the debate to instead hinge on their choice of listening material and sound level.

So then, how then do we achieve “good sounding bass?” The short answer, “Today, High End sound means 'Calibrated' sound.” As you tune a system to remove resonance either by speaker placement or equalization you are losing gain. This gain must be made up by the subwoofers inherent capabilities. Cheap subwoofers are a disservice because they depend on bad sound (boom) to play loud enough. Therefore, if you begin the calibration process by using a cheap subwoofer, you limit your whole system’s capability and performance. Similar to having a Mercedes equipped with a moped engine.

One technique now touted by THX and CEDIA is to place two or four subwoofers at the midpoints of a listening room. This placement actually reduces resonance mechanically by placing the subwoofers in the nulls of many of the annoying resonances (NOTE: this technique does not eliminate all resonances thus depends on EQ as well). The downside is that these resonances actually increase the apparent gain of the sub so calibrated adjustments are required.

An interesting sidebar is that good bass can actually improve the sound of high frequencies as well. Better clarity and focus (imaging) is always attained. Taking the time to properly place subwoofers and tune their equalization is one of the fundamental benefits of audio calibration. In addition, if one is willing to accept the reduced sound level even a lesser sub can sound better with the simplest changes.

Acquire the appreciation of “good sounding bass.” An old trick to this appreciation is to allow the listener to get used to the calibrated sound then return it back to the old boomy, uncalibrated stuff. Besides being seductive, calibrated bass can be addictive and they will want it back.

So a description of good bass is not as useful as experiencing it but in lieu of that your good advice should always encourage proper sub placement and equalization. In the long run, it will assure a professional result and it might just make the difference in mixed marriages; bass lovers versus bass haters that is.

About Home Acoustics Alliance® (HAA) - The HAA® is a professional training organization dedicated toward home acoustics. Its purpose is to promote the correct and most effective use of acoustical design and calibration techniques specifically for the home. The HAA® brings together Manufacturers, Audio/Video Professionals, and Consumers in the pursuit of excellence. It is a melting pot for ideas and techniques for achieving great sound through collaboration. Find more at http://www.homeacoustics.net/

Rumors, Accusations, and South Carolinians

2010-05-24T16:51:00.000-04:00

Descriptors synonymous to one another, Wikipedia will soon formally associate rumors and false accusations with South Carolina. Having battled against our own set of marketplace “dirty” rumors, we understand the challenges faced by Mrs. Haley as she defends against accusations of an extramarital affair. It can only be described as boxing match in which one of the participants is a ghost.

“Hang in there… Any lies told about you will strengthen your resolve… You and your supporters will grow stronger through things like this,” comments Sarah Palin. “Well, whaddya know? South Carolina’s conservative candidate, Nikki Haley, recently zipped to the front of the line in her state’s race for governor; and lo and behold, now accusations of an affair surface.” Haley said she received calls both from Palin and former first lady Jenny Sanford today to express their support.

Longtime South Carolina political analyst Neal Thigpen, a retired Francis Marion University professor, said the state has a long history of dirty politics. The Post Courier reports "Folks [the accuser] doesn't enjoy the best reputation in terms of that blog," Thigpen said. "Most times there isn't a whole lot of truth to what he puts out there.”

Posted on Will Folk’s (founding editor, Fitnews.com) blog, “Several years ago, prior to my marriage, I had an inappropriate physical relationship with Nikki. - That’s it. - I will not be discussing the details of that relationship, nor will I be granting any additional interviews about it to members of the media beyond what I have already been compelled to confirm.”

There are times when being a South Carolinian embarrasses me. Our society has taken on an “elitist” mentality then we have allowed rumors and unsubstantiated claims to be openly received as fact. Being the recent recipient of a malicious rumor spawned by “dirty” competitors, I empathize with Mrs. Haley. Southern gentlemen do not act this way, so I can only assume Mr. Folks to be a transplant to our community or an improperly reared scoundrel.

Regardless of one’s political views, this belongs on a magazine rack at the grocery store checkout line.

Adopt-a-Highway

2010-05-22T18:05:00.002-04:00

Saturday [once again!], eLifespaces and its group of technology independent contracting enterprises continued its commitment in assisting the South Carolina’s Department of Transportation and the many other fine organizations involved in “Adopt-a-Highway.” Now celebrating its 22nd Anniversary (1988-2010), Adopt-a-Highway has been one of the most successful programs in combating litter along South Carolina highways ever enacted.

Beginning at mid-day, individuals from the eLife family began sweeping the two mile stretch of King Street between Mt Pleasant Street and Summerville Avenue. Thirty-three (29) orange bags of trash (that’s 435 pounds!) were collected, not to mention the beer cans, railroad ties and assorted other disgusting items. Winner of the Most Notable find – Santa Clause’s hat and a box of Christmas cards!

More About South Carolina’s DOT Adopt-a-Highway: SC Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway Program helps cultivate public commitment to keeping our highways clean and litter free by involving volunteer groups in roadside litter pickup. Individuals, civic, church, business, school and employee groups and organizations, have made the Adopt-A-Highway Program an effective tool in keeping South Carolina clean and beautiful. Contact your local Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator, or phone the statewide Adopt-A-Highway office toll free at 1-888-226-9694. Groups may also email to Adoptahighway@scdot.org or visit their website at http://www.scdot.org/

Uncertainty Breeds Nasty

2010-05-20T20:59:00.002-04:00

Small businesses have an inordinate potential to inhibit its employees, particularly in tough economic conditions. With huge economic pressures to keep prices to down, employers cannot afford to increase employee wages without passing on these costs to customers. As employees seek wage growth elsewhere by going into business for themselves, they too will soon face the same issues which prompt this eternal cycle of stifling the American worker. Not us, not now, we are changing!

Recently, a custom home builder was discussing the challenges he faced with being a smaller enterprise, not too different than custom electronic systems contracting. He remarked that fundamentally, small business inhibits life-long career paths to any employee. It is damn near impossible to sustain the overhead to pay for good talent and keep your costs down. In tough economic times, potential customers (he referred to this group as ‘stretchers’) want what they can’t afford and are willing to take quality risk, if paying the price is something they can achieve.

As our eLifespaces team tackled these fundamental issues of high quality, low price, technological excellence in electronic fields too numerous to list, we developed a strategy to break the ever oppressive cycle of small businesses. This strategy, these oportunities, our path ahead is not for the faint at heart, for it requires individuals with true conviction. Since this is a competitive business strategy, the details of the plan will be omitted for now.

But what is interesting is the rumor environment in which we seem to find ourselves situated. My Dad use to enjoy gossip – true or not. Often described as a “little elderly church lady” he was the brunt of my teasing as much as those to whom he was gossiping. But unlike his humorous non-malicious rumors, uncertainty in our unstable and complex economy (not to mention the uncertainty of other competitors) serves as a precursor to rumor generation of a very nasty kind.

It remains our belief that those who are susceptible to rumors (and particularly those who facilitate them) possess high levels of personal and business uncertainty and anxiety. It is their way of explaining and giving meaning to events no matter how inaccurate while providing a stage to assert their self importance in the discussion.

While it may be true that…

we have reorganized our delivery system;
we have reorganized our personnel structure;
we have provided the means by which our people can financial succeed;
we have trimmed overhead by eliminating extra vehicles (along with gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.);
we have provided an more efficient method of servicing our customers' accounts;
and, we have ensured our continuation for years to come;

…don’t believe for a moment that we aren’t planning to kick some ass as we position ourselves in this recovering economy (while making those participating in the rumor mill look like morons). ~ fred

Trunk Slammers

2010-05-18T12:49:00.001-04:00

“Are ‘trunk slammers’ stronger than ever?” ask Jason Knott with CE Pro. The answer is unclear – but what is apparent is that the “times they are a changing.” As our company evolves to address this new economy, the CE Pro described ‘bottom feeders’ will stop at nothing (including malicious rumors) to attempt to capture work.

So what exactly is a ‘trunk slammer’ – by origin it is believed to be a sole proprietor who operates out of the trunk of his/her vehicle. Characteristics predominately include items such as the business phone number is cellular and a post office box number is used for a mailing address. Their showroom is located in their home where they demonstrate their version of "cutting edge" electronics. They compete solely on low price.

Depth and field of service, limited by 2,080 hours, incapable of keeping pace with the dynamics of the electronic industry, unable to provide adequate guidance for shopping customers, are just a few of the limiting factors inhibiting these trunk slamming participants. Basic elements of audio and visual principals elude the ‘trunk slammer’ should ground differentials exist, near field measurements need to be taken, or other testing or problem solving item be required. For example, most 'trunk slammers' have recommend against HDMI because they lack the a knowledge base to install it correctly much less make it work.

A custom integrator in San Diego described ‘trunk slammers’ as “running rampant. It seems as if every guy/gal who used to work for Circuit City, Tweeter, Good Guys and Comp USA are all out there…” In tough economic times, potential customers (referred as ‘stretchers’) want what they can’t afford and are willing to take quality risk, if paying the price is something they can achieve.

Often asked, “Who are our competitors?” The answer is simply “ones who have committed to certification and continuing education by independent organizations in the industries in which they compete.” Anything less only serves to degrade the reputation of those who provide that level of commitment.

In my next post, we’ll discuss the evolution taking place at eLifespaces and the opportunities that may exist for those ‘trunk slammers’ who want to be more.

Facebook Privacy Woes

2010-05-14T20:33:00.000-04:00

“Dumb f#*&$; they ‘trust me’; I don’t know why” reports BusinessInsider are extracts from Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s IM exchange about privacy issues after launching the social networking site. Suddenly Facebook is facing a storm of criticism and scrutiny about their cavalier attitude toward user privacy, so much so that search engine inquiries into ‘how to’ delete FB are on the rise.

But the $22 billion company company's attitude toward privacy appears to be “its better ask for forgiveness that to ask for permission.” Plagued by Beacon and Instant Personalization issues then frequent changes to their privacy policy has given rise to this cavalier descriptor.

More interestingly was a report earlier this week Growing On Google, People Asking “How Do I Delete My Facebook Account” on Search Engine Land by Danny Sullivan. Facebook has especially taken fire on privacy issues over the past two weeks. Has that had even more of an impact? Google trends graphs the following results based on “delete facebook” inquiries:

You be the judge.

I liked Facebook. We still use it - maybe a litle more guarded. Big money always seems to destroy those simple pleasures we enjoy

Should Integrators Create Their Own iPhone Apps? – from CE Pro

2010-05-14T10:13:00.000-04:00

CE Pro: Should Integrators Create Their Own iPhone Apps? eLifespaces created iPhone apps for own home control, home theater layout and energy monitoring — they don’t make a lot of money but they pay off in other ways. Tom LeBlanc reports, Should Integrators Create Their Own iPhone Apps? – CE Pro Article from CE Pro.

Forecasting Abrupt Changes

2010-05-12T20:28:00.000-04:00

eLectronics will change everything (if you haven’t figured that out already)! In an online USA Today Article, Tech CEOs try to predict who'll win tomorrow's Tech Race, these enlightened few reflect on the companies of tomorrow. It is only appropriate, that this “great conspirator” contribute to the good of the cause with two items. Be aware of…

Noetic sciences and the backing organizations that will quietly stand in the shadows. Today we observed SAP purchase Sybase for $5.8 billion, a few months ago Oracle with its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun. Striving to capture the ability to determine the mood of a group, a community, a nation, or the world by tapping into microblogging services and social networks would be power the likes of which we have never before encountered.

Cloud computing in which tapping information is more obvious. Most notably today’s official launch by Microsoft Corp. of the latest version of its Office, adding new Internet features aimed at fending off a challenge from Google Inc. The new release includes social-networking features embedded in its Outlook email program. People will also be able to run word-processing software Word, spreadsheet-maker Excel and other applications through Web browsers and edit documents together with other users. This can best be likened to writing a “Dear John” letter with the whole world watching or preparing your personal finances using a spreadsheet with the quiet observation of the credit bureau.

Of course we will be assured that this information is confidential – but do NOT be fooled. Litigation is abundant where online companies continue to violate this confidentiality by providing your data to outside parties. It equates to making $100 thousand, then being fined $500 for the violation.

CE Pro of the Week: Fred Fabian, eLifespaces

2010-05-07T14:16:00.000-04:00

CE Pro of the Week: Fred Fabian, eLifespaces. Learn about this “technology contractor,” Apple-embracer, app developer and blogger in Tom LeBlanc's interview: CE Pro of the Week: Fred Fabian, eLifespaces - CE Pro Article from CE Pro.

Computer Hiatus

2010-05-06T20:23:00.000-04:00

Computers taking recess (a break or interruption in the continuity of a work or action) is on the rise. Look at the headlines… “Facebook applications being added to profiles without users' knowledge,” “Markets Plunge, Then Stage a Rebound,” “Google Calendar Crashes for Most Users,” all blamed on computer glitches. Have we become so reliant on technology that common sense gets thrown out with the bath water?

A very dear friend once told me, “you need to know how to do the transaction with pencil and paper… all that a computer does is make you ‘mess’ [cleaned up for publication] up faster!” There sure is a whole lot of truth in that statement, particularly after reviewing today’s headlines.

So who was at fault? The person who programmed the system, or the person who provided faulty data to the programmer? Personally, one of my favorite sayings… “I’ve never made a bad decision; but, I have certainly been given some BAD data in which I have made my decision!”

So who was at fault? The person who programmed the system, or the person who provided faulty data to the programmer? Personally, one of my favorite sayings… “I’ve never made a bad decision; but, I have certainly been given some BAD data in which I have made my decision!”

There is another thought... like a naughty child, these events allow corporations to push the boudaries until caught, at which time they quickly apologize and cite system malfunctions. Something to think about. :-)

One Million iPads Sold

2010-05-03T15:20:00.000-04:00

A press release from Apple this morning says the company “sold its one millionth iPad on Friday, just 28 days after its introduction on April 3.” For Apple stockholders… that equates to roughly $200 million in gross profit. Cliff note translation: iPad kicks out $7.14 million per day in Apple gross profits! OMG!

But wait… add this to the more than 12 million copies of Apps downloaded to the iPad. Before you know it > iPad will exceed the GNP of smaller developing nations!

The New York Times comments, “The news puts new context on last week’s reports that Microsoft and HP have both canceled tablet computer projects they had in the works. Did they decide that there’s no market for a tablet, or did they more likely decide that their own tablets would not do well against the iPad?”

SCE&G - Potato Head Recipient

2010-04-27T20:55:00.003-04:00

Today’s Potato Head Award goes to William B. Timmerman, SCANA Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (parent to SCE&G) for requesting a rate increase in these economic times. Quick highlights of SCE&G’s 2009’s financial performance: $2.569 billion in revenues yielding $547 million in income. [Information derived from SCANA 10-k report found at http://www.scana.com/NR/rdonlyres/40FE6283-D1C3-4560-804A-3670F0F7C22B/0/200910K.pdf] Translation > for every $1 in revenue, SEC&G makes a profit of 21¢. WOW! Wish we could generate a return like this in these economic times. The irony, they need more!!!

Along with the Mr. Potato Head Award, we present for membership to the “Big Cojones Club” Messrs. Timmerman and Addison, (Jimmy E. Addison, SCANA Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) whose annual compensation [http://www.scana.com/NR/rdonlyres/E406F1AF-30DC-4EAC-8919-F7B4CFFEB422/0/2010ProxyStatement.pdf] is over $5 million and $1 million, respectively. We would be bigger fools than they to think they could relate to us, just as we can’t relate to them. When these folks get so removed from the customers to which they serve, these type issues will arise.

As a compromise might I suggest the following resolution: Identify the average household income of your (SCE&G's) customer base. Compare it to last year. What ever the delta (change over last year) whether up or down, let’s adjust the utility rate to match that percentage change!

Earth Stands Still Possibility

2010-04-26T14:44:00.001-04:00

The most interesting thought of the day came when reading Stephen Hawking claim that intelligent alien life forms almost certainly exist — but warns that communicating with them could be "too risky." OMG… he has a point. My thoughts turn to the movie The Day The Earth Stood Still, but with a dramatically different ending!

Citing a MSNBC article (Hawking: Aliens may pose risks to Earth), "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet," Hawking said. "I imagine they might exist in massive ships ... having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.”

In his new documentary titled Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking, the 68-year-old British physicist said a visit by extraterrestrials to Earth might well be like Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas, which he adds "didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

Most extraterrestrial life might be similar to microbes, or small animals. These beings might exist beneath the Martian surface or on Europa. Expanding outside our solar system, mathematical probabilities strongly favor life’s existence elsewhere. "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," he said. “The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."

20 Years with Hubble

2010-04-24T20:28:00.001-04:00

Twenty years ago, the space shuttle Discovery (the STS-31 mission) roared into orbit April 24, 1990, with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a devise that would memorize and ignite our imagination for years to come. Celebrating this milestone, NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are releasing stunning new pictures…

These Hubble photos are of a small portion of one of the largest known star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula. Three light-year-tall towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. The scene is reminiscent of Hubble’s classic “Pillars of Creation” photo taken five years into its mission.

Newborn stars are emerging as dense, compact pockets of interstellar gas called evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs). Hubble found the "EGGs," appropriately enough, in the Eagle nebula, a nearby star-forming region 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens.

These striking pictures resolve the EGGs at the tip of finger-like features protruding from monstrous columns of cold gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula (also called M16). The columns — dubbed "elephant trunks" — protrude from the wall of a vast cloud of molecular hydrogen, like stalagmites rising above the floor of a cavern. Inside the gaseous towers, which are light-years long, the interstellar gas is dense enough to collapse under its own weight, forming young stars that continue to grow as they accumulate more and more mass from their surroundings.

Hubble will not be around much longer. Until then, we will continue to be amazed by the images sent back to us on Earth. To learn more, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Background(ers)

2010-04-23T16:03:00.001-04:00

“Background, Camera, ACTION!” were words heard throughout yesterday during my self indulged day-off as I joined our neighbors, Lifetime’s Army Wives, as a “background” extra on the set of an upcoming episode. My stage name, “the professor”, because that was the part I was to play across from Harry Hamlin (my fellow law professor) in the courtyard of the law school. Truly, this was one of those life experiences…

Beginning at 6:15AM, we were to report to the set for wardrobe review and approval. Three dress changes were needed throughout the day. Once blessed, we were treated to a well balanced breakfast after which we were led to the set and given our first set of ‘background’ instructions. Most sacred of instruction, no talking – you must fake talk. Move your mouth, but under NO circumstances may sound leave your body! This became fun throughout the rest of the day.

By 11AM, I had the opportunity of discussing “no-see-ums” with Kim Delaney, explaining that one of the only successful remedy that I knew was Avon’s Skin-So-Soft. (And let me tell you… a gallon of this was needed by day’s end!) Later, Mr. Hamlin shared a delightful “ghost” story regarding an engagement ring, prompted after our discussion of various Charleston “ghost” walking tours. My ‘take away’ from the limited encounters with these two actors was simply awe inspiring. My nerves were racked with simply standing there and fake talking. Ms. Delany and Mr. Hamlin had lines, had to convey emotions, and had to convey a realism of the scene in which they were portraying – all under the microscope of the multitudes of onlookers.

Side note for those met… the Director was very pleasant and very good at moving things along. ‘Frankie’, her dog, was known by all and who provided warmth that only animals can do in a work environment. The ‘backgrounder’ handlers had fun with us. The two ladies in wardrobe were very accommodating to us all.

Next (not that I wasn’t having an awesome time already), we were treated to an incredible lunch including BBQ, fried chicken, shrimp & grits, collards, etc! During lunch, fellow ‘backgrounders’ shared previous AW set engagements, life experiences (including the earthquake in Chile), work pursuits, and more. What a great and interesting group of folks.

But all good things must come to an end… for it was soon explained (by my fellow ‘backgrounders’) that my morning actions were ‘faux pas.’ Having not fully understood the non-written rules, ‘backgrounders’ are not allowed to speak to the cast or actors. We’re not allowed to be in proximity to the food or drink or enjoy a cushioned seat. We were only allowed to hang out in the hallway on hard wooden benches (or on the floor) if our services were not needed outside in the blazing sun. Being Southern (and an outsider looking in), I might suggest that next time, they provide a cooler of bottled water in the hallway. And if feeling generous, a plate of cookies or even a vending machine from which we could pay for some interim snacks should the shoot spill over into the evening.

But what a fun day – faux pas aside. What a pleasure it was to have met everyone and to have experienced a “day in the life” of our neighbors down the street. The one thing us ‘backgrounders’ hated to hear – “Reset!” Music to our ears at the end of the 14 hour day, that’s a “Wrap!”

Monitoring (electronically)

2010-04-21T20:34:00.001-04:00

TED (The Energy Detective http://www.theenergydetective.com/index.html) beta testing began today. It took about an hour to complete the hardware installation, the another hour or so for software and program setup. So far – so good…

It has been extremely interesting how often my wife and my eyes are drawn to the “real time” metering device which lets us know our level of energy consumption. We tested the oven, chandeliers and other light fixtures, the HVAC units, and more.

Having the resource of a brilliant computer guru (and business partner) our efforts will soon be publically visible as we (the eLifespaces’ staff) attempt to provide online monitoring of our energy consumption and more! Talk about “checks and balances.”

Stay tuned...

Logging BIG Brother's Discrete Inquiries

2010-04-20T16:16:00.002-04:00

Today, Google unveiled a tool [Google Government Request Tool] that shows the public how often individual governments around the world have asked for user information. For years, search engines and ISPs have refused to publicly disclose how many times the law enforcement agencies have forced them to turn over information on users.

Breaking this unwritten code of silence, Google posted the following comment, “Like other technology and communications companies, we regularly receive requests from government agencies around the world to remove content from our services, or provide information about users of our services and products. The map shows the number of requests that we received between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009, with certain limitations (addressed separately).

Not disclosed by Google was how often the respective governmental groups have asked Google to remove content from their sites or search index, for reasons other than copyright violation. The numbers also do not include the number of people named in the requests, whether Google fought the request, or which products the requests apply to.

Ryan Singel (Wired.com) [Google: U.S. Demanded User...]reported that now that Google has taken this first step, ISPs and other large tech companies no longer can hide behind the excuse that they don’t publish this information because it is not practiced in the industry. This would include companies like Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon and AT&T.

Blue Angels in the "Holy City"

2010-04-19T19:39:00.000-04:00

What a combo! Blue Angels in the Holy City of Charleston, SC.

To see the video.. Blue Angels in Holy City Video

The AV Professional's theme song

2010-04-18T20:35:00.002-04:00

Ever wonder what AV Professionals do when business is slow? Apparently this one makes rap videos. Worth checking out!

Green Certified – So What

2010-04-15T20:10:00.002-04:00

Recently, a joint effort by two electronic industry groups released a “Home Technology Green Certification Reference Guide.” The report covered 17 different certifications programs, outlining their respective geographic constraints, dwelling type eligibility, independent testing, and costs. Ironic that this formalized structure (self authenticated in its importance) has been embraced by so many, so many willing to pay the price tag for certifying themselves.

Business Week’s Michael Arndt (Gehry's Take Two on LEED Architecture) writes that Frank Gehry (an instructor this term at the Yale School of Architecture) dismissed efforts to win a leadership in energy and environmental design certification because of the posturing around the LEED seal of approval. Continuing, he stated that he had never designed a building just to gain a LEED tag. Citing from the article, “I’m not against LEEDs at all,” Gehry said. “I think it’s wonderful. I think we’ve got to do this.” However, “it’s become ‘fetishized’ in my profession. It’s like if you wear the American flag on your lapel, you’re an American. That’s what I was trying to say. You get people who are holier than thou. I think architects can do a lot, but some of what gets done is marketing and doesn’t really serve to the extent that the PR says it does.”

Kudos Messrs. Arndt and Gehry. We agree. Shouldn’t we be doing this (“green stuff”) regardless of having others certify that we are in fact doing it! Our very definition of green [defined > In our becoming more and more cognizant to the effect we (the human race) and our lifespaces are having on the planet, adaptation of new behaviors are learned for the preservation of life] reveals that 'green' motives are selfish and self serving. Actions are louder than words… we should be doing these things.

And for goodness sake, the thought of praising and recognition for these efforts speaks multitudes (and in not a complimentary fashion) about our prior actions.

Uncle Sam Is Looking for Big Ideas

2010-04-14T20:56:00.003-04:00

Muster the courage to submit your idea(s) in addressing society’s challenges. Be apart of setting important national goals in areas such as health, energy, national security, education, and others. Let your idea be addressed by The Grand Challenges.

After reaching out to the science community and “think tanks” for their views on what ideas the government should tackle, the White House is seeking input from U.S. citizens about national priorities. Offering similarities to President Kennedy’s challenge of placing a man on the moon, the initiative hopes to harness the expertise of the American people.

Thus far suggestions have ranged from the obvious [cure cancer, develop hyrdrogen fuel, construct a high-speed rail network across the U.S., repair or reconstruct the ozone layer] to colonization of uninhabitable places such as the ocean floors or other planets.

For more information, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/04/13/grand-challenges-21st-century-your-ideas-welcome

Potato Head Award

2010-04-13T19:52:00.000-04:00

Honoring those who came to work but left their brain at home, the Potato Head Award has had a dubious evolution originating some two decades ago at the company, IVS Media. Unlike the Darwin Awards where honors go to “those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it,” the Potato Head is typically donned upon one to whom we admire, respect, and even love, but had a moment where their intelligence simply alluded them. The winner today is…

Funny how each of us can come up with a name or two – some publicly known while other less known. Challenged by those around you not to do so, it is also interesting how one can be hesitant to call out the action of a public figure - a figure that has so much influence in our local economy. Fearing reprisal, you start asking, do they (the recipient of the jest) have the self confidence to be entertained by their action? But I think it is one step deeper… do I have the courage to laugh at myself, to call myself (or be called) when I make those momentary lapses in thought. How can I expect it of others if not willing to accept it of myself? Well, I can because humor, hope, and faith helps moves us forward.

Without further adieu - Mayor Summey, you are the recipient of my Potato Head Award for your public announcement to reward all North Charleston City Employees with a $1,000/year raise. In this economy, with schools under fire, with unemployment still high, your announcement (while certainly justified for the staff’s performance this past year) is premature. You and North Charleston are kicking ass, a performance worthy of recognition and reward (in due time).

Net Neutrality What?

2010-04-08T18:28:00.001-04:00

Net Neutrality got defeated > struck down by a US Court of Appeals. “Too complicated!” “I don’t understand computers.” Well, America – bend over. Citing excuse after excuse you are ignoring an issue that will significantly impact you in the not too distant future.

The FCC in 2008, in response to customer complaints, cited Comcast for blocking users from peer-to-peer applications (jargon speak for distributing large files such as television shows and movies) and ordered the company to stop. Law suits ensued [Comcast Corp v Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, No. 08-1291]. Tuesday, a U.S. appeals court dealt a setback to the Federal Communications Commission's authority to oversee the Internet, tossing out an agency ruling that forced Comcast to change the way it managed its broadband network.

Proponents of Net Neutrality claim that communication companies seek to impose tiered service levels in order to control the “pipe” that delivers the Internet to your home or business. Concerns are that this action would remove competition, create artificial scarcity, and obligate subscribers to buy their monopolistic services. Many believe Net Neutrality to be primarily important as a preservation of current freedoms of information, speech, and assembly.

Net Neutrality opponents characterize its regulations as the government (FCC) overreaching its authority, arguing that broadband service providers have the right to control traffic over their respective proprietary lines. Professing that they have no plans to block content or degrade network performance some companies have acted in contrast by beginning begun to use deep packet inspection to discriminate against P2P, FTP and online games. Implementing new service and billing packages, these same companies are now charging for data overages.

For years the FCC, Internet providers and public interest groups have squared off over potential regulations for governing access and management of high-speed Internet service. The decision issued Tuesday will likely have major implications for future regulation of Internet access in the United States.

Apple announces Summer Release of 4.0 for iPhone

2010-04-08T18:19:00.001-04:00

Today Apple announced the newest iPhone / iPod operating system - OS 4.0 due to be released this summer. 4.0 boasts over 100 new features such as Create playlists, 5x digital zoom, tap to focus on video, gift apps, geotagging, places in the photo app, change the homescreen wallpaper, bluetooth keyboards, and spell checker just to name a few.

However, the main focus of today's event was on the 7 biggest new features of OS 4.0

Multitasking - includes seven services (Task completion, Voice over IP, Background audio, Local notifications, Fast app switching, Background location, and Push notifications). Until now, you could only use one app at a time, if you wanted to listen to your Pandora radio app, while playing a game or sending an email, you couldn’t do it. Now with 4.0 you can have multiple apps running in the background. To switch back and forth between apps, you just press the home button twice and a new dock appears showing the apps which are running in the background. Apps such as Skype can now be used much more effectively. Before, when you navigated away from the app, it would go offline, now with 4.0 you can receive Skype calls even while using other apps.

Folders - Now you can make a folder which contains a group of apps. For example, if you have several games and you want to keep them together, you can make a folder by just holding down an app until it starts to jiggle, and then just drag one app on top of another and it instantly makes a folder. It also automatically names the folder based on the categories of these apps, or you can rename it yourself.

Enhanced Mail - Now you can consolidate all of your email accounts into one inbox. Mail now has the ability to have more than one active Exchange account (although I would personally be happy with just one working Exchange account since I could never get my iPhone to work with Exchange). Apple has also added the ability to organize email by thread and to open attachments with apps on your iPhone.

iBooks - Now your iPhone is a mini ebook reader - nuff said (Oh, and you get Winnie to Pooh just like the iPhone’s big brother, the iPad)

More Enterprise features - More than one Exchange account (already mentioned), better data protection, wireless app distribution, support for Exchange Server 2010, VPN support

Game Center - Think of a gaming service like Xbox live for the iPhone / iPod. Includes Social gaming networks, Friend invites, Matchmaking, Leaderboards, and Achievements.

Mobile Advertising - This is a feature the developers and especially Apple are going to love while the end users are probably going to hate it. Apple is allowing developers to put annoying pop up style ads right in the App you are using so that you can click on them and see the advertising without ever leaving your app. Apple provides the advertisers and serves up the data from their servers while splitting the advertising dollars with the developers 60/40. As a developer, I should be more supportive of this feature, but I just see it as another annoying pop up ad that the world could do without.

Well there you go, those are some of the new features announced this afternoon by Apple for the summer release of the iPhone / iPod OS 4.0. The iPad will have to wait until the fall to receive a new OS. Unfortunately, not all of the new features like multitasking will work on the original iPhone or even the 3G, so if you want to take advantage of the new OS, you will have to have a 3GS .....or maybe a 4G by the time the OS is released this summer.

Check out this video of the new features from engadget.

Actions Predetermined Based on Internet Search

2010-04-07T19:16:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back, an old high school classmate committed suicide. The whole story was very sad. In my attempts to wrestle with the issues that surrounded his actions, I naturally (in our technology era) sought information from the Internet. Was suicide on the rise? Did socioeconomic issues play a part? Age? Gender? Should I worry about family members? A host of questions flooded the left side of my brain.

Typing a few words, my inquiry was immediately met with a suggestion that I call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for assistance. OMG – they think I want to commit suicide. My “great conspiracy” thoughts immediately leaped into action thinking that Google was at that moment notifying my health and life insurance carriers to cancel my policies. These insurance companies would then notify the financial institutions to cancel my credit cards and other revolving debt. The financial institutions would notify the credit reporting agencies to have my credit score lowered to single digits. The “butterfly effect” was in motion!

Google implemented a feature last week that automatically displays a bright red, eye-catching telephone icon and the phone number for a suicide hotline atop search results for some queries that contain the word "suicide." When users type some suicide-related queries, Google guides them to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. On the surface, admirable - public service - looking out after us and the ones we care.
BUT, this should be worrisome to us on many levels. First, suicides must be on a rise if these actions are needed. Secondly, “Hal” [from 2001 Space Odyssey] can attempt to predict our actions based on typed inquiries – even more so if they begin to share that data with anyone (internal or external of that organization). Remember these are organizations that are constantly being brought up on charges for releasing personal information about us to others!

I know… what about terrorist? What about those seeking to harm others? Catch them - any means possible! Oooppps - just violated the very actions I condemn. Well, not sure of the answers to these questions… just concerned about the “slippery slope” on where we seem to have landed.

eNergy

2010-04-05T23:11:00.002-04:00

eNergy, the latest app by eLifespaces, was overlooked by Google last week as they and 45 other companies sent a public letter soliciting support from President Barack Obama suggesting federal support for technology that gives utility customers access to information about their energy and utility consumption. Seeking to tear down barriers posed by multitudes of local utility companies, the letter seeks to allow utility customers access rights to their individual information.

Currently in development, eNergy, provides a homeowner or business facility manager the ability to monitor and manage their energy consumption via an iPad, iPhones or computer (Apple or PC). These devices will act as your personal remote monitoring tool. Sending codes over a secured WiFi connection in your home or office, eNergy receives consumption data directly, allowing the user to monitor and, if required, modify energy consumption behavior.

Evolution in this application has already led our development teams into system integration with other electronic systems such as lighting / energy control, security, and motorization (including light harvesting). Unfortunately, may of these efforts may soon “die on the vine” because funding innovation becomes more costly than the smaller and more innovative companies can endure.

Our hopes are to continually be recognized by our community (as we were today in our Post Courier - http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/05/05memosdistinct/) in providing real solutions to the real challenges that we face.

iPadness (iMadness)

2010-04-03T19:00:00.002-04:00

The atmosphere was similar to a “Dismmercial” concert (i.e. Miley Cyrus and the ones before her), wherein the staff appearing before the concert’s start begin leading the crowd with cheers, hi-fives, and other celebratory efforts. Placed in two lines (those having pre-registered and those wishing to purchase), you were introduced to your Apple Store salesperson and escorted into nirvana where an iPad purchase was possible. Coffee, water and constant staff contact was provided while future iPad owners stood in line.

Stories were not so pleasant elsewhere in the country. My sister who lives in Panama City, Fl. wrote, “Did you have them today? Nobody had them for sale in Panama City – not even Best Buy! Any still available? And what are your thoughts?” Those who scheduled delivery of their “pre-ordered” iPads had no complaints. Delivery times were similar to the 9AM to 3PM window had you elected for in-store pick up.

My daughter and nephew spent a good portion of the morning having fun on the iPad. They were most fascinated by iBooks app. My business partner (and lead programmer in our company) spent the majority of the day uploading our company’s apps and testing developer versions of app variations for deployment in the coming weeks. My brother-in-law spent the day trying to instill some levels of “buyer remorse” citing Apple’s trend of reducing pricings soon after a products release. Whatever.

The next few weeks will deliver the public’s verdict. Personally, I think it is a very cool device. I hope that it will technically hold up the rigors to which it will be placed by my family, partners, and customers.

"Green" products should come in "Green" packaging

2010-04-03T08:37:00.002-04:00

"Crestron is dedicated to the "green" initiative, providing the most energy efficient and environmentally safe systems on the planet." - Crestron website.

Crestron makes some of the best automation products in the industry, which is why we are very proud to be associated with them as dealers. However, I just could not help but comment on the huge package I received from the Crestron engraving departement today containing 24 very small keypad buttons.

I actually laughed out loud at the absurdly large box sitting on my desk when I walked into my office today. Keep in mind that Crestron problably has every "Green" rating in the book, but obviously has overlooked their own inefficiency in packing the vary products that they so proudly proclaim as "Green".

Census Day

2010-04-01T20:49:00.003-04:00

OMG - let’s talk about something other than the iPad! Census Day, April 1, 2010. The U.S. Constitution requires it; a requirement that every 10 years, the country recalculates which states gets how many representatives. Disgusted with politics and lawmakers in general > if it weren’t for the $400 billion per year in federal aid (from jobs to roads to schools) proportionately allocated to the population, I would trash the dumb thing. BUT, this thing is important!

Population Clocks – According to the U.S. Census web site http://www.census.gov/ the U.S. population has almost reached 309 million people compared to the World population of 6.8 billion people. [22:56 UTC (EST+5) Apr 01, 2010: U.S. 308,983,091; World 6,812,183,474]
More census trivia:

Census comes from the Latin censere (roughly meaning to estimate versus to count).
Many centuries ago, the penalty in Rome for refusing to reveal how many people were in your household, your slaves, and livestock was forfeiting it all and becoming a slave yourself.
Our U.S. Founding Fathers realized that if you are going to have government by the people, you need to know who and where they are.
In 1790, 650 federal marshals on horseback began going house to house. It cost $45,000 and took a year and a half to count 3.9 million people.
Today, the Census is estimted to cost (according to some estimates) about $15 billion or about $48.55/person.
Census ads are produced in 28 languages.
Census workers can be fined up to $250,000 for inappropriately disclosing information to any outside party, court, or governmental agency.
Participation is mandatory; failure to comply is a misdemeanor and subject to a $5,000 fine

For help in completing the census form, call the toll-free Telephone Questionnaire Help Line at 1-866-872-6868 or visit www.2010census.gov.

Apple Signaling WalMart iPad Availability

2010-03-31T20:59:00.005-04:00

“It appears that authorized Savant dealers will be able to resell iPads after purchasing them from Savant, based on the company's status as an Apple Authorized Reseller and part of Apple's Proprietary Solutions Provider Program,” reports CEPro in a 3/30/10 article. What was perceived as a tightly controlled initial release (Apple Store & BestBuy) may be showing signs of loosening as April 3rd approaches.

Apple has very strict reseller guidelines on which it rigorously enforces. To observe early allowances or modifications in Apple’s guidelines signals distribution allowances to larger chains like Wal-Mart and others.

So we ask, why the tightened release policy? Does the iPad require special handling? Are there technical concerns to which we should be aware? Isn’t the device classified, “plug and play?” It makes no sense!

Apple is a very customer oriented company, the likes of which one could feel secure in purchasing an Apple product from any of its resellers. Also, if you buy a device from Wal-Mart and get Apple Care, you can take it to a local Apple Store for service. Wal-Mart is nothing more than another reseller. The only difference, WalMart will ensure the price of the iPad stays in check versus BestBuy, who have (on occasions) surcharged for other Apple products (i.e. AppleTV).

Can a huge house be "Green"?

2010-03-30T17:33:00.003-04:00

Can a huge house, however efficient, really be green? This question has dogged several prominent eco-minded people who live large, including former vice president Al Gore, who has a mansion located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville that has been reported consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year.

More recently in ultra-green Berkeley, California, controversy has surrounded a prominent software designer / philanthropist who's donated millions to environmental groups and currently has plans to build a sleek 6,478-square-foot house plus an attached 10-car garage which comes in at over 10,000 square feet.

The proposed project has enough green features to score 91 on the Berkeley Scale that calls anything over 60 green, but the neighbors think it's too big to be green calling it “greenwashing” and "absurd" that a house that large could ever be classified as green.

Does size matter?

There is little basis for the claim that it is better to have a large house built with green materials than a small conveniently built home that uses more conventional materials. Energy modeling shows that a 1,500-square-foot home with poor insulation can still use less energy than a house twice its size with good insulation

According to an article in E-Magazine, a 3,000 square foot house uses 40% more energy than a 2,000 square foot house. So why is a 4,600 square foot McMansion considered green? Because it has an Energy Star rating that states it uses 15% less energy than a comparable conventional house. It's a perfect demonstration of the battle between two major trends in American housing. In the past few decades, houses have gotten greener, but they've also gotten bigger too, leaving lingering questions: Is super-sized housing defeating conservation efforts? Can McMansions truly be green?

The Day the Music.....

2010-03-30T12:29:00.002-04:00

The lyrics of Don McLean’s America Pie reverberate as news of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s decision to suspend its season spreads throughout our area. In a report posted by the Post Courier, “A significant drop in fundraising dollars, exacerbated by the recession's "strong headwind" has forced the Charleston Symphony Orchestra to suspend its operations, effective immediately, board president Ted Legasey said Sunday.”

The article went on to say; “It is the first time in the orchestra's 75-year history that a performance season has been disrupted because of acute financial difficulties, and next season's fate is far from certain.”

“Bye, bye Ms. American Pie… I met a girl who sang he blues and I asked her for some happy news, she just smiled and turned away. So, I am headed down to the sacred store, where I heard the music years before” because the men there say the music will play again. Every little bit counts, and I plan to send my little bit tomorrow. Our thoughts and wishes are with Mr. Legasey, Maestro Stahl, and the musicians and staff of the CSO.

eLifespaces wins four Mark of Excellence Awards

2010-03-29T18:28:00.002-04:00

[ORLANDO, Fla. – 3/26/2010] – The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA®) announced that Charleston, SC based eLifespaces captured four top electronic integrator awards in the 2010 Mark of Excellence Awards presented by CEA’s TechHome Division. The winners were recognized at an awards banquet this evening at the eleventh annual Electronic House Expo (EHX) Spring 2010.

Competing among technology companies nationwide, eLifespaces was awarded Home of the Year Project, Integrated Security Project of the Year, Lighting Control Project of the Year and the Luxury Home of the Year Project categories. “We’re speechless. It was our privilege to have served our customers so well, thank you,” said Fred Fabian, eLifespaces’ President.

CEA's Mark of Excellence Awards honor excellence in innovation and achievement in custom home electronics products, services and installation technologies. These industry leaders are the ones instrumental in changing the shape of the connected home.

Judging Mark of Excellence entries is by a four-member panel comprised of systems integrators, manufacturers, members of the trade press, and industry consultants. Each entry is given a numeric score and the entry with the highest score in each category is named a TechHome Mark of Excellence Awards winner.

Over the past several years, eLifespaces has been awarded multiple CEA Mark of Excellence awards. Later in the evening, Fabian had a few more comments, “Our team has some truly wonderful homeowners and is incredibly honored and thankful to them and our industry. This year we were also honored to be considered with the larger companies in a new category, ‘Software Application of the Year.’ Being Apple iPad/iPhone application developers, we have embraced this new frontier for integrators, a frontier that demands expansion of skills beyond our traditional role in electronics systems contracting.” Over the years, electronics have become much more complex and customers' options have grown exponentially, but eLifespaces’ focus on personal attention and evolving service remains the same.

Sickest Ship on the Sea

2010-03-25T15:44:00.003-04:00

In the secret dark corridors of Florida’s state capital, lobbyist and politicians alike hire rogue operatives to contaminate the Celebrity Cruises' cruise ship, Mercury. “That’ll teach them to abandon our port of calls in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Cape Canaveral.” This has the makings of a great novel… fact or fiction???

ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) captioned the story, “Sickest Ship at Sea - Can Cruise Ship Be Cured?” and explains how norovirus can thrive on cruise ships. The Mercury has been hit with three continuous outbreaks of sickness which has plagued hundreds of passengers.

The Mercury returned to Charleston following that report. The CDC issued a "no sail" advisory for the sick ship. “Why do you keep on letting people on this ship when people continuously get sick?” asked one passenger.

Meanwhile, back in Florida, some big money was being deposited into overseas “numbered” accounts. The damage was done.

Locking Down the Customer

2010-03-24T14:54:00.002-04:00

Communication giants are strategically aligning themselves to “lock down” their respective customer base. Proven… the more services you have with a particular company, the less likely you are to move your relationship with that company. Keep this in mind as you purchase that “package” from Comcast, AT&T, Sprint, and others.

Today, Sprint Nextel CEO, Dan Hesse, said that by next fiscal year’s end, monthly cellphone bills will focus on the amount of data used, away from the number of available voice minutes. This movement has been expressed by almost every other communication giant.

In an effort to mitigate erosion of their respective customer bases, other service offerings (even those possessing “loss leader” characteristics) will be offered to customers as these financial changes are implemented. Theory should hold that customers will be less likely to change if the perceived irritation value (hassle to change) outweighs the actual cost to change.

DVD "Release Gap"

2010-03-23T15:01:00.001-04:00

DVD sales account for almost one-half of a movie’s domestic revenues; yet, the release of a DVD trails (on average) about 2½ months AFTER the movie’s “run” at the theater. As momentum gathers for digital movie downloads, industry executives are being afforded a golden opportunity to redefine (and control) post theater distribution.

“Release gap,” the time between the initial movie’s release and that of its DVD. Movie theaters count on this as part of their competitive advantage in attracting ticket sales. However, the very core of this distribution model begins to erode as technology breaks the differentiators between the movie theaters and entertainment at home.

In 2009, the Top 10 Grossing Movies were shown in the theater 53 days. This was up a week over their counter parts for the prior year. However, the release gap in 2009 was 71 days compared to 80 days in 2008. This signals a trend that movie executives are trying to get their DVDs to market while riding the coattails of “sunk” marketing expenditures made on the movies original release. There are a host of other financial objectives far to boring to cover herein, but simply stated to cut this “gap” period in half represents millions of dollars.

In order to eliminate the “gap,” faster methods are needed to bring their movies to market. More and more technologies (partnered separately by Disney, Sony, and others) will soon be introduced, which allows the consumer to own a movie or TV show by redefining ownership as access rights, not physical possession. Consumers pay a single price for permanent access to a movie or TV show across multiple digital platforms. The devices (utilizing Internet access) transmit content to mobile gadgets like iPhones and cable services that allow on-demand viewing. It could also facilitate other services such as online movie subscriptions and more.

As the film industry become more receptive to digital distribution that protects the ownership rights of the movie, another dynamic is altered in the entertainment system.

3D's FIrst Passing Grade

2010-03-21T15:08:00.001-04:00

Friday’s premier of IMAX Hubble 3D (http://www.imax.com/hubble/) is not for viewing in the comforts of your home (although the TV manufacturers would want you to believe this is possible). For a full immersive experience in worlds you never thought possible, put on some 3D glasses and enjoy the program on 72ft x 65ft IMAX screen - not the 50” TV in your house.

Hubble telescope takes about 100 minutes to complete a spin around the Earth. During these rotations, some of the most spectacular images are transmitted to Earth. In 2009 the space shuttle Atlantis crew embarked on a journey to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The astronauts brought an Imax 3-D camera on board to document the trip.

The stunning space vistas and intimate moments with astronauts make for a fascinating immersive experience. And what’s more interesting – this is reality, not Hollywood’s special effects.

Kudos CofC Department of Physics and Astronomy

2010-03-21T15:05:00.000-04:00

Another event this past Friday (19 March 2010) - College of Charleston’s Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted an Open House, welcoming the public to their observatory and observing deck. Many activities were in store...

We were treated to views of Mars, the Orion nebula, Venus, a more while on the observation deck. Then observing through their 16” DFM telescope, we saw (with incredible definition) craters on the moon!

In addition to the astrological observations and the physics demonstrations, there was a very special treat for me… seeing once again my astronomy professor, Bob Dukes, Professor Emeritus. It’s been some 385 moons since I have had the pleasure of his company.
Through his guidance and those of his colleagues, the Department is the proud recipients of a Commendation for Excellence from the SC Commission on Higher Education. The College of Charleston holds more of these awards than any school in the state.

Paying the Piper

2010-03-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

According to media researcher Knowledge Networks (www.knowledgenetworks.com) viewers have tripled their use of watching TV shows via the Internet since 2006. For those builders (or owners) absent the foresight to have correctly cabled the house or facility, it’s time to pay the piper.

Viewing of complete TV shows from streaming or downloaded video has climbed to 22% from 8%. This also has climbed faster for younger 18-34 viewers, rising to 30% from 12%.

There has been some erosion of traditional TV viewing from all of this, the study says. “Value engineering” of household expenses have given rise to reducing services by cable and satellite service providers. Those that have reduced or canceled TV service in the past year (or expect to do so this year) have done so due to their online viewing of network TV programming.

The fact that over one-third of TV homes now have a bundled TV/Internet service package is no doubt accelerating this blurring of boundaries. Couple this with the FCC’s Broadband Access initiative; the conditions are aligning to optimize this movement.

As recent as today, a request was made to us to play PC content over the owner’s television, wirelessly. How regretful they were when presented the estimate to retrofit the cabling necessary to accomplish this functional request because wirelessly was not an option.

Blockbuster’s Buggy Whip

2010-03-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

The bricks and mortar of Blockbuster are proving to be far more burdensome for the movie rental giant. In the wake of the FCC’s initiative to expand broadband access nationwide (a major distribution channel for Netflix, iTunes, Redbox, and others), the Blockbuster distribution systems appears to be replacing the “buggy whip” a symbol for anything that is hopelessly outmoded.

On Wednesday, Blockbuster released its annual report, a document that made its investors react by sending the company’s stock down almost one-third of its earlier trading value. The video-rental chain said it needed to figure out a way to deal with its debt load and competitors or face a future in which it "would not be able to continue as a going concern and could potentially be forced to seek relief through a filing under U.S. Bankruptcy Code." With 6,500 stores worldwide, Blockbuster reported a $435 million loss for the fourth quarter and has about $964 million in debt.

For small merchandisers, please read this as the missile across your bow. It is NOT about your product, it is about the value you add.

iGroups: Apple's Latest Patent

2010-03-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

United States Patent & Trademark Office [Application #20100070758] reveals an iPhone App (“iGroups”) in which a number of these type devices co-located at a geographic location can broadcast and receive “tokens” (tokens - legalese or technospeak for social networking stuff).

Apple’s iGroup will be a service that will work on your iPhone(R) (or iPad) and likely work with a number of other Apple proprietary apps (e.g., calendars, address books, email, and instant messaging). iGroups would automatically detect that a group of users is in or around a specific location. The concept is to allow groups of friends attending an event (family get together, concert, meeting, tradeshow and more to stay in communication with each other as a group to share information to live events as they unfold.

Further descriptions such as, “In some implementations, the tokens can be stored with corresponding timestamps to assist a trusted service in matching the tokens with tokens provided by other devices” gave it a ‘Big Brother’ feel, particularly in light of recent Internet privacy concerns.

Fallacy of Internet Privacy

2010-03-17T15:22:00.000-04:00

A California federal judge approved a $9.5-million settlement of a class-action lawsuit over social networking site Facebook’s program Beacon that published what users were buying. This on the heals of outgoing Federal Trade Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, who said that Facebook, Google, and other major U.S. Internet companies need to better protect the privacy of their users.

According to PC World and other accounts, Harbour said during an FTC privacy workshop, "I am especially concerned that technology companies are learning harmful lessons from each other's attempts to push the privacy envelope. Even the most respected and popular online companies, the ones who claim to respect privacy, continue to launch products where the guiding privacy policy seems to be, 'Throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks.'"

Privacy advocates are exploring whether the Facebook settlement can be appealed describing the settlement as a “sweetheart deal.” Harbour, who is leaving the FTC next month, says she advocates "intolerance" toward companies that push the privacy envelope only to backtrack when consumers protest that their data has been publicly exposed.

“If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place,” commented Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt during an interview with CNBC. These are the guardians of the secrets. Keep this in mind when making your next post!

Builders (Re-) Offering “Daisy-Chain” Communication Cabling

2010-03-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

According to an article posted on 3/12/2010 by CEPro, homebuilders are turning up their noses on almost every discipline of home technologies, seeing it as a passing phase. What do you expect?!?!

To think the majority of homebuilders in the market have the homeowners’ interest in mind is moronic. The majority of homebuilders desire to produce a home as cheaply as they can and sell it for as much as they can. Quality is disguised, real function is masked, and “hype” is the name of the game. The latest trend, “green,” is the calling card – so green is what they profess to deliver.

For years, the homebuilders’ business model has engaged cheap “providers” that lack knowledge and certification to provide quality electronic system deliverables. This has resulted in poor customer satisfaction and “transference” of poor value to the industry. There are exception, as with any group.

In the "8th Annual State of the Builder Technology Market Study" conducted jointly by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, fewer builders plan to offer structured wiring, security, and other electronic features.

So homebuyers beware! Best advice > seek direct dialog with a certified electronic system contractor or practitioner. Ask for their credentials. Engage their services directly, so not to be influenced by a broken homebuilder business model.

Safety Reminder

2010-03-14T15:26:00.000-04:00

“Spring forward; fall back” The season of time change (March 14, 2010) is a call to action

for my family; reminding us to change the batteries in our smoke detectors. NBFAA (National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association) recommends that thorough alarm system inspections be done on a regular basis. Do it now! Take every step you can to keep your family safe.

National Internet Access

2010-03-13T15:29:00.001-05:00

The Federal Communications Commission [FCC] is preparing to submit to Congress next week a 10-year plan that will redefine the nation’s media and technology priorities by establishing high-speed Internet as the country’s dominant communication network. Highlights include:

100 million households at access speeds of 100 megabits/s
$12-16 billion for public safety, connecting police, fire and other first responders
Subsidies for Internet providers in rural parts of the country
A universal table-top box connecting cable and Internet
Wide Area Access to health care information
Online classrooms
Reduction in telephone subsidies

Recognizing broadband Internet is becoming the common "connection" of the U.S., (displacing the telephone and broadcast television industries), the FCC’s plan envisions a web-connected nation. According to Julius Genachowski, the FCC chairman, the U.S. trails other countries in broadband access for its citizens. About one third of Americans have either no access to high-speed Internet service, cannot afford it, or choose not to have it.

Influencing billions of dollars of federal spending, the plan has already brought resistance from the broadcast television industry. Likely to generate many debates in Washington and a lobbying battle among the telecommunication giants, the plan will also spark battles regarding Internet pricing and speeds and the federal government's oversight. There are already questions surfacing about the extent to which the FCC has jurisdiction over Internet providers.

"Ye who controls the pipe." Believers of 'Great Conspiracies,' to which I am one, will have field days with the above. For example, the elimination of “bricks & mortar” for our school system; “big brothers” access to our private health information; and more!

Ye Who Controls the Pipe

2010-03-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

Reciting a conversation between me and my broker [some +15 years ago], “Ye who controls the pipe, controls the world.” My comments were made after returning from a project where the corporate client’s objective was to connect their world-wide operation over a single integrated network. This included, voice, data, and audio visual media (the early years of video teleconferencing). How times have evolved…

Over the past 10 days we have heard two of the biggest players in U.S. telecommunication industry (Verizon and AT&T), chime the bell of change - the days of unlimited Internet access are numbered.

A week after AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said the telecom industry would transition to "variable pricing," Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone chimed in to support the idea. He added that the companies need to offer a transparent way for customers to track how much data they're using.

Memories of the cable company bill should provide insight for the changing future. The average cable company bill use to range about $30/month. Blistering over the $100 to $150/month is the norm these days. Get read, the times they are a changing…

PAN's Reach

2010-03-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

Two news releases from the Los Angeles Times caught our attention today; first, social networking (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) applications growing acceptance into the mobile phone markets. Secondly, was the introduction of applications that allow parents to stay “connected” with family events when obstacles (work, travel, and more) prevent attendance at these functions.

For more on these articles please go to: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/

Quick background... a personal area network (PAN) is a digital network used for communication among electronic devices, including telephones, controllers, personal digital assistants, and remotes in proximity to an individual's body. PAN can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves (intrapersonal communication), or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet (an uplink).

While technically only reaching a few meters, the reach of PAN devices are being felt world-wide, just look at mobile phones today versus a decade ago. The latest issue of In Focus (the eLifespaces' Newsletter) features PAN devices in the forward looking article, “Decade Ahead.”

In many ways these technological advances will improve life. In many ways, they will not. My children's generation will tell. In retrospect, did “TV Dinners” screw up my generation? Looking at the current state of affairs, at least economically – yes. Was it related to TV Dinners – not sure!

Apple announces iPad release date of April 3rd.

2010-03-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

According to the release, the Wi-Fi models of the iPad will be available starting April 3, with the Wi-Fi and 3G models rolled out by late April. Starting on March 12, U.S. customers can pre-order the device. The device will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April. Pricing has remained the same, with the basic Wi-Fi enabled model starting at $499. Pricing is as follows: $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB.

The iPad will debut with 12 apps specially designed for it including Apple's iBookstore, which isn't expected to be compatible with the other e-books already on the marketplace. In keeping with Steve Jobs' distaste for Adobe's Flash, that feature will be left out. Apple said most of the 150,000 applications available for its iPhone will also be available for the iPad - including our own eController and HTA (Home Theater Assistant) Apps.

eController- The engine behind the iPhone remote

2010-03-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

eController was the “app” used by eLifespaces in integrating the multiple electronic systems contributory in the Finalist recognition with CEA’s Mark of Excellence. First things first, the direct link to the applications is:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/econtroller/id318803149?mt=8

Like a warning sign notifying the dangers of swimming in the deep end, or “No Lifeguard on Duty,” eController is FOR PROFESSIONAL ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS ONLY. Before downloading, please visit: http://www.elx.me/how. The “app” is not for beginners, “wanna-be’s,” or self-proclaimed AV technicians. Additional programming is required for custom use.

eController is a revolutionary software product developed in part by eLifespaces and its other over-seas development partners to expands your iPhone and iPod Touch to control everyday electronics, including:

Televisions
Satellite or cable box receiver
DVD players
Surround sound receivers
HVAC thermostats
Lighting control systems
Security keypads
and more!

In 2007 recognizing the evolution of Personal Area Networks (PAN) and it's far reaching benefits to individuals; eLifespaces began R&D efforts into the development of these new products and devices. Having decades of experience in the audio visual industry, eLifespaces was uniquely qualified for this endeavor.

Over the past two years, a multitude of electronic manufacturers have been modifying their products to integrate with iPods and other PAN devices. Although these product modifications have taken on a more physical element, eLifespaces has captured the essence of these PAN devices by maintaining their mobile nature and allowing you to control the world around you!

The eController allows remote control of hardware or software capable of TCP/IP and UDP communications directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

How it works… utilizing a “black box” sold separately by eLifespaces, GlobalCache, or a system controller (AMX, Crestron, Vantage, etc.) unit, your iPhone or iPod Touch will act as your personal remote control. Sending codes over the WiFi in your home or office, eController transmits instructions to the system controller to execute your commands -- a stylish (and inexpensive) alternative to other touchpanels.

The free starter App is provided to allow you see the application on your iPhone or iPod Touch. This App is supplied with traditional GUI (graphic user interface) templates which will later enable you to get a jump start using your eController. As you explore and expand the functions of your eController, have fun and use the guiDesigner to create more of your own GUI masterpieces!

Visit http://www.elxcontrol.com/ for more information.

Snapshot Report on 3D Television

2010-03-03T16:26:00.001-05:00

The CEA forecasts that 1.05 million 3-D TV sets will be sold this year (2010), translating to $2.05 billion in revenue generated by all those sales. This figure is lower than earlier CEA forecasts of 4 million units.

According to an article posted by DealerScope [www.Dealerscope.com] on 2/25/2010, “Manufacturers are counting on 3D to accelerate the replacement cycle the way HD did,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. “Early adopters will look past significant price premiums and limited optimized content in the name of bringing home even more of the cinematic experience as they find 3D capabilities included among other premium features.”

The NPD Group [http://www.npd.com/] survey found that around one-third of consumers are at least "somewhat interested" in purchasing a 3D TV. No details were provided in the definition of “somewhat interested.” According to the article, “concerns remaining among consumers… cost, convenience, and content availability.”

Skype TV [http://elifespaces.com/blog/2010/02/27/is-your-home-network-ready-for-skype-tv/] looks much better than this 3-D!

Is your home network ready for Skype TV?

2010-02-27T17:15:00.000-05:00

Forget all the hype about 3D enabled TV's, I think the real advancement coming from the new crop of LED Televisions is the ability to connect a web cam and make video calls right from your living room TV set. (Didn't I see this in "Back to the Future part 2"?)

These days it is hard to find a new TV, blu ray player or even audio receiver that does not require a connection to your home network in order to communicate with the internet. At first it was a convenient way to make sure your device always had the latest firmware, usually pushed out by the manufacturer and automatically downloaded to your device via the internet. However, now those network connections have evolved and are doing much, much more by affording the electronic makers the ability to incorporate high tech advancements like surfing the internet, checking weather, watching YouTube and now even video chatting with friends right from one central location, your TV set.

We actually saw this coming years ago, and that is why we have always been firm believers that a well designed home network was a necessity when wiring a house. Long gone are the days when a simple Linksys or Netgear 8 port router and a well placed access point would be sufficient for the one or two computers or the wireless laptops in the house.

Today, nearly every electronic device needs a network connection, from phones that use voice over IP, or video streaming devices like the Apple TV and BluRay players enabled with Netflix and Pandora, to third party control systems that use the home network to communicate with and control your home appliances and environmental systems such as HVAC and lighting control. A well designed network with a properly managed gigabit switch is imperative to controlling all of that data traffic. A good network switch will assist in maintaining your network and can keep it running smoothly by limiting those bandwidth hogs like streaming video downloads, and giving preference to devices such as a VIOP phone, or a computer needed to VPN back to your office so you can work from home.

If you could just monitor your network traffic in real time, you would be amazed at all of the chatter going on between the networked devices. Honestly, your devices are all communicating, pinging each other, querying weither this or that device is still online, reporting back to the router saying, "Yes, I am still here". And that is just the traffic going on when you aren't using any of your networked devices - and it doesn't stop while you are using the network, it is always there in the background.

Finally, wifi is very convenient, but it just does not have the bandwidth to handle the new demands put on home networks by the latest generation of electronics. Wired ethernet jacks are a must! If you don't believe me, just try to download a movie on an AppleTV using only the wifi connection, then go back and download the same movie using the hardwired connection. The result will speak for itself.

Check out the following video demonstrating a Skype enabled LED TV shot at this past CES show, courtesy of engadget.

Boeing’s Chairman Voices Concerns About U.S. Work Force

2010-02-27T12:06:00.001-05:00

According to a report by BusinessWeek, Boeing’s Chairman and CEO James McNerney voiced concerns last week regarding the quality of U.S. education, warning that the nation is producing too few STEM graduates [science, technology, engineering, and math]. According to the report, he believes we are experiencing an “innovation deficit” inhibiting our ability to compete against China, India, and “places in the Middle East.”

Ironically, Boeing (that same week) sent layoff notices to another 1,000 employees. These actions were confirmed by a company spokesman, stating that the workforce cuts were primarily in IT support. The irony continues in that these laid off STEM employees could be hired as “freelancers” in the company’s R&D areas.

In his speech, McNerney said: “We face a global skill shortage. The problem is growing acute in the U.S. We face a skill shortage, not a labor shortage.” At the time of this post, we were unable to seek the rebuttal of the 1,000 former Boeing employees.

I REALLY don't care if it is foggy outside - I just want to watch TV.

2010-02-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

The other night I was trying to watch one of my favorite TV shows, "The Big Bang Theory" and once again I had to endure one of our local TV stations plastering the bottom half of my TV screen with weather warnings.
This time they felt the dire need to inform me at 9:30 pm that it was foggy outside. Foggy?? Really?? It's annoying enough that they intrude on my TV watching in order to warn me everytime it clouds up, but now they feel they have to save me from the fog as well? What's next? A great big sun logo beaming in the corner of my screen alerting me that it's going to be a hot, sunny day - better wear lots of sun screen! And of course, they will need to make sure that we notice the icon, so I suggest they make it big enough to at least cover any subtitles that might be on the screen, and it needs to be animated, with sun rays beaming across the rest of the screen. Finally, have you ever noticed that no matter how terrible the weather is outside, it is never so bad that they need to leave the weather warning up when the station goes to a commercial?

No more Component Output

2010-02-18T08:34:00.001-05:00

BluRay players will no longer have component outputs on models introduced after December 31st of this year. Yes, that this year! We keep talking about “Sunset Analog” but is anybody listening?

After December 31, 2010, manufacturers will not introduce new hardware with video outputs supplying more than a standard definition (SD) resolution. So, resolutions like 720p; 1080i; or 1080p will no longer be accessible through any connection other than an HDMI cable connection.
Don’t read the “new hardware” as a loop hole, thinking your old gear will be ‘OK.’ After January 1, 2011, software manufacturers will also be able to insert something called an Image Constraint Token into any Blu-ray disc. This data feed will turn the high-definition component video output OFF on the player.
Custom electronic desigers and installers are already addressing “work around” solutions including send/receive units, wireless HDMI transmissions, internet appliances, and more. But, when the dust settles, your interest would best be served to have planned for HDMI - NOW!
Keep in mind, that this is true today for BluRay players, but it does not currently apply to other high-definition sources, including satellite and cable boxes – at least not yet!