TechnologyIQ

Technology isn't just computers, networks and phones. Technology has always been part of the human experience. All of our ancestors have looked for ways to help the survive and do less work for more gain.  Archive.org has a host of old technology books (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. Many of the technologies discussed within these books are being put to use again these days in the back to the land" and homesteading movements. You might even find something that could address one of your own garden or farm issues, but has been lost to time and history. Enjoy! --Douglas Historical Technology Books: Compute! Magazine Issue 001 (1979) - 8 in a series Another magazine I read from almost the beginning. I even typed in long program listings to build a game for a friend’s kids to play. Those were the days…NOT! There were always typos and bugs to be corrected and you often had to wait for future issues to find corrections in the...

One great way to interface WiFi to IR. I could see a couple of applications for this in my home, such as controlling the television and a couple of other IR devices in my media center. — Douglas With the advent of WiFi-connected “smart” devices, IR remotes are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Why sort through a coffee table-full of remotes when you probably have a much smarter, WiFi-connected device device sitting conveniently in your hand? The WiFi IR Blaster is designed to connect all of those old, legacy IR-controlled devices to a WiFi network – exposing them to a new method of control. Want to control your TV via a web-browser? Want to ask Alexa to mute your stereo? Want to schedule triggers to your IR-controlled LED strip? These are all applications that the WiFi IR Blaster is perfect for. Read WiFi IR Blaster Hookup Guide via SparkFun Tutorials Arduino Boards and Components via Amazon Arduino Boards and Components via eBay An interesting link found among my daily...

A bit of season fun using your Alexa-enabled devices! — Douglas You're likely leaning Amazon this time of year to buy holiday gifts. But did you know you can employ Alexa, Amazon's digital assistant, to help with the holidays too? In the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, you can use Alexa to set a festive mood at home, and keep party guests entertained.  Let's take a look at the Christmas tricks Alexa can perform: Read 8 fun Christmas things to do with Alexa via CNET   Looking for an Echo/Alexa Device? Check out these recent upgrades and additions to Amazon’s product line! An interesting link found among my daily reading

Technology isn ’ t just  computers, networks and phones. Technology has always been part of the human experience. All of our ancestors have looked for ways to help the survive and do less work for more gain.  Archive.org has a host of old technology books (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. Many of the  technologies  discussed within these books are being put to use again these days in the  “ back to the land" and  “ homesteading ”  movements. You might even find something that could address one of your own garden or farm  issues, but has been lost to time and history. Enjoy!  --Douglas Historical Technology Books: Text-Book On The Steam Engine With A Supplement On Gas Engines By T. M. Goodeve, M.A. (1887) - 7 in a series PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. The plan of this book is the following* : — The first chapter contains a sketch of the steam engine as it existed in the time of Watt, together with an account of the ideas ...

Excellent and detailed review of the new Echo products from Amazon. If you are thinking about buying or gifts an Echo, give this a read first! — Douglas Amazon may have defined the smart speaker category with the Echo and its successors, but many competitors have the company beat in one specific way: audio quality. Amazon says the No. 1 activity for Echo users is playing music, but anyone who has used an Echo knows that the sound quality is nothing to write home about. Amazon must have recognized this, because improved speakers in the new Echo Dot and Echo Plus were a major talking point when they were announced in September. Reading between the lines, it seems safe to say that Amazon believes its Echo speakers can be the centerpiece of a respectable home-audio setup. How else would you explain the new $129 Echo Sub, a device that does nothing aside from wirelessly pair with another Echo device to bring the bass? Read All of Amazon's new Echo speakers reviewed via Engadget ...

I finally picked up a box of these after meaning to do it for sooooo long. I first used these regularly when I worked in IT, but with today’s plethora of devices with their huge wall wart transformers they have become critical in the home. If you want to get the most use out of your power strips and cut down on the overall clutter in your home and office, pick up some of these. Giant plugs that cover up half the outlets on your power strip should be outlawed, but until that day arrives, these short extension cords will have to do. $17 gets you a pack of 10 (with code HKOYHBNX), which should be enough for even the most advanced home theater setups. Read Get Giant Plugs Out of the Way With a 10-Pack of Mini Extension Cords via Lifehacker * A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs An interesting link found among my daily reading

Some of the best technology projects are those that help make the invisible visible. In this case, it shows you the satellites orbiting  above your head and helps to give you a view into a dimension that is extremely difficult, if not impossible to see otherwise, — Douglas Whilst modern technology relies heavily on satellites, it’s easy to forget they’re there; after all, it’s hard to comprehend mostly-invisible lumps of high-density tech whizzing around above you at ludicrous speeds. Of course, it’s not hard to comprehend if you’ve built a real-time satellite tracker which displays exactly what’s in orbit above your head at any given time. [Paul Klinger]’s creation shows the position of satellites passing through a cylinder of 200 km radius above the tracker. Each layer of LEDs represents a specific band of altitude, whilst the colour of the LEDs and text on the screen represent the type of object. The LEDs themselves are good old WS2812b modules, soldered to a custom PCB and mount...

Technology isn ’ t just  computers, networks and phones. Technology has always been part of the human experience. All of our ancestors have looked for ways to help the survive and do less work for more gain.  Archive.org has a host of old technology books (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. Many of the  technologies  discussed within these books are being put to use again these days in the  “ back to the land" and  “ homesteading ”  movements. You might even find something that could address one of your own garden or farm  issues, but has been lost to time and history. Enjoy!  --Douglas Historical Technology Books: The Radio Antenna Book (Engineering Staff of Radio) (1936) - 6 in a series Available in PDF, Text, JPG formats, and more Collection   folkscanomy_electronics ;  folkscanomy ;  additional_collections Language   English     * Click these links for more books and magazine in that date or subject are...