Author Archives: J.D. H.

Great tools for understanding, writing and testing mod_rewrite rules

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I have been writing some new mod_rewrite rules for my Pixensity website. The following tools and reference articles have been very helpful. 1st. Mod rewrite generator: http://www.generateit.net/mod-rewrite/ 2nd. Test your RewriteRules for Apache mod_rewritehttp://martinmelin.se/rewrite-rule-tester/ 3rd. Mod_Rewrite and Regular Expressions Apache Web Server forum at WebmasterWorldhttp://www.webmasterworld.com/forum92/4332.htm   4th. Cool question and answer from stack overflow (not the top answer, but it worked better for me than the top answer) ([A-Za-z0-9-]+) …which matches letters and numbers. I would also like to match on dashes and

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Cool Bluetooth Temperature Sensors: Android, iOS, Cloud

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2013 UPDATE with additional option: Here is a line of some wireless sensor products that are garnering rave reviews! They utilize a manager (ethernet tag manager) device which can communicate with low cost sensors then report the data to your device or the cloud, together it all forms a nice alternative to traditional Bluetooth sensors. Enjoy 🙂 Monitor and Find Everything in Your Home or Office from the Internet – Wireless Sensor Tagshttp://www.mytaglist.com/Wireless sensor tags connect events in physical world, e.g. motion, door/gate

Read more Android tips, iOS, Misc Links, tech tips

ViaSat-1 Flyaway mobile internet via SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable Terminal

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A while back I found this reference to the “Flyaway” portable satellite internet kit by ViaSat. It fit the entire dish, modem, and router into a large suitcase and it utilizes the super-fast ViaSat-1 satellite: How ViaSat’s Exede makes satellite broadband not suck | Ars Technicahttp://arstechnica.com/business/2012/01/how-viasats-exede-makes-satellite-broadband-not-suck/The home market isn’t the only target for Exede service. ViaSat is also going after mobile and remote applications, including a satellite “fly-away” kit that packs into a 25-pound, airline-checkable suitcase and can be used to transmit live high-definition

Read more Gadgets and Tech, Misc Links, Off the Grid, tech tips

Difference between original WildBlue and Exede [explained]

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Recently I had some people ask me what the differences are between the original WildBlue and Exede satellite internet plans. The answer: They utilize different satellites and offer vastly different speeds and usage experiences. Exede utilizes ViaSat-1, the most capable commercial communications satellite in existence Launched October 19, 2011 aboard a Proton rocket, it is the world’s highest capacity communications satellite with a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbit/s, more than all the satellites covering North America combined, at the time

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What is GoDaddy extended auto renew?

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It is a service they offer to renew your domain on an annual basis, even if you have a multi-year registration. Example: You register a domain name on July 2nd 2012 for 5 years. Your domain expiration date would be July 2nd 2017. With regular auto renew, your domain would renew on July 2nd 2017 for another 5 years. With extended auto renew, your domain name would renew after one year, on July 2nd 2013 and would be extended by

Read more Ask J.D., tech tips

Use your e-reader as a display for your computer

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Over at Pocketables (one of my fav tech sites) they posted a nice little article asking Why are ereaders still stand-alone only devices? It is a valid question and if the Pebble watch is any indication, there is a lot of pent up demand for ultra-long lived devices using e-ink displays. If Pocketable’s premise was e-ink is good for a lot more than just reading books, and that the current ereaders should do more… then this along those lines, here

Read more computer tips, Misc Links

Shipping container modular ceiling installation [video]

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[please scroll down for the video] Samantha and I are considering shipping container (ISBU) construction for our garage and possibly our new house. We currently have an 8’x20′ container that we mounted our solar (PV) panels on top of and inside we have our batteries, inverter, etc.  We also use it as a simple storage container. But when taking the container concept beyond storage/utility into a more advanced structure, there are some issues. One problem with building with ISBUs is

Read more Misc Links, Off the Grid, Remodeling