Author Archives: J.D. H.

PV photovoltaic skylights: energy production & UV reduction together

Leave a comment

Image source: OnyxSolar, please visit their site below… My long time buddy, and most excellent architect, John Odom forwarded me an interesting email about PV skylights. He tries to keep me abreast of the latest architectural trends and while “BIPV” or Building-integrated photovoltaics has been around for a while, it is DEFINITELY a popular topic today! Here’s a brief intro to the subject of BIPV and its components: Skylights – an integral feature of modern architecture We are probably all familiar with skylights

Read more Daily Updates, Gadgets and Tech, Household, Remodeling

Where is the location of my VM in VMWare Server 2?! [solved]

Leave a comment

Q. Hello, I have a VMWare Server 2 setup that I am trying to administer. I cannot find the folder/directory where the VM (and the .VMX files etc.) are located. Can you help me find the location of the VM? Thx. A. Certainly! I can understand your confusion. The VMWare Server 2 web-based admin interface is much different than the original VMWare Server 1 and the various VMWare Workstation interface. This screenshot will show you the screen that you need

Read more computer tips, Work

Sample Off the Grid Solar Power Systems and Costs

Leave a comment

Going off the grid A friend’s dad is serious about going off the grid and doing it with solar. This man has worked hard for a long time and is ready for a new challenge, I think part of that challenge is to be more self-sufficient and independent. There is definitely something to be said for being self-sufficient. 🙂 I am not going to get into the merits of on-grid vs off-the-grid, but I can say that for particular situations

Read more Household, Off the Grid

Antique secretary laptop desk and cool retro PC mod!

Leave a comment

I routinely use my laptop setup in my grandma’s vintage secretary. It is a gorgeous piece of furniture. Every time I sit down at it I think fondly of her. The secretary is very functional with its fold out desktop surface. I would eventually like to build (or have built) a slightly larger version that could accommodate a full PC but keep the old-school antique look. 🙂 Curious about what exactly a secretary desk is?! Secretary desk – Wikipedia, the

Read more Building, Computers, Daily Updates, Gadgets and Tech

Difference between SATA (II) 3Gbs & SATA (III) 6gbps CABLES? [solved]

12 comments

UPDATE #2: I now have a definitive answer to this question (whether you need new cables for 6GB/s SATA)… see below. UPDATE #1: make sure to checkout the first comment to this post, as John posted some great additional info! Q. Hello, I just got a super fast new Intel 510 SSD drive (and I have a C300 too). I’ve got a bunch of old SATA cables (back when SATA I/II 1.5 gbs 3 gbs was the max) and now

Read more Building, computer tips, Computers, Gadgets and Tech, Misc Links

Dell laptop keyboard backlight control & timer [solved – ControlPoint download]

19 comments

Q. I recently did a clean install of Windows 7 on my Dell laptop. I love the fresh and clean feel, but I can’t find where to adjust the duration on my keyboard backlight. Can you help?! A. Sure! Backlit keyboards are one of  my favorite options on Dell laptops. My previous Dell M4400 had a nice one and now my Dell M6500 (pictured has one too). I will hardly purchase a laptop unless it has a backlit keyboard, they

Read more computer tips, Computers

Best StarCraft 2 Gaming Keyboards

Leave a comment

UPDATE: 2011.09.17 Corsair enters the gaming keyboard and mouse arena:   AnandTech – Corsair Enters the Gaming Keyboard & Mouse Market with Vengeancehttp://www.anandtech.com/show/4815/corsair-enters-the-gaming-keyboard-mouse-market-with-vengeanceThe MMO/RTS targeted products are called the Vengeance K90 and M90. The K-series are for keyboards while the M-series refer to mice. The K90 is backlit with over 90 individual… […] . It uses Cherry MX mechanical red switches for each key which have a 2mm actuation travel (4mm total travel). UPDATE 2011.06.24: evaluating two new keyboards that arrived.

Read more computer tips, Games, Misc Links