Cell Phone Reception

I think most of us would agree that owning a cell phone has become almost necessary in this day and age. Only a few years ago we considered it a luxury that only those with lots of spare cash could afford. However, just as we cannot imagine our homes without electricity, the cell phone has become a major source of our connectivity to the world.

While I enjoy the freedom the cell phone allows me when away, the signal strength at home in my next of the woods is pitiful. No amount of service provided assistance could help me boost the signal strength. Then too, with the economy as it is, I am looking to reduce expenses and consolidate redundancies in our home. Paying for a landline, plus a long distance service in addition to the cell phone seemed a terrible waste of resources. Thus began my investigation into signal boosters.

Over a year’s time, I hemmed and hawed over this model and that, researching their reliability and effectiveness. I finally settled on the zBoost. It was the CNET editor’s ratings that convinced me I should select this model.

(CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent Detailed editors' rating )

Yet I hesitated. The thought that I might be one of the unlucky folks that would need to run an external antenna kept me from spending the cash. While the rating is good, I couldn’t really find any information on the technology behind the “boosting.” The best I could come up with had information similar to boosting your old analog TV signal. It seemed archaic to me. Then I stumbled upon a suggestion to check with my own provider.

I went to my provider, Verizon Wireless, and discovered the “network extender.” This unit connects to your DSL line, and includes a GPS locator.

I still thought I would need to run the external GPS locator outside the window, but decided to try this anyway, being proprietary to Verizon equipment.

Not only was this the easiest thing I’ve ever installed, the unit was up and running in no time at all. The directions will say that it may take up to an hour to fully connect with the system and locate a GPS signal. My total time from installation to operation was a full 10 minutes. I am happily receiving five bar signal strength and taking calls at home. We will experiment for a while, and my intent is to drop long distance service on the landline first, saving $150 a year. When comfortable we will drop the landline as well. I am not concerned with loss of electrical power, as I can receive a signal in certain spots in the yard, and can charge the phone in the car. When comfortable, I intend to drop the landline saving an additional $300 a year.

That I am not alone in poor reception at home is a certainty. Check your own provider. Some charge a monthly fee, but if you are a Verizon customer, you will be pleased to hear that there is no monthly fee and your only investment is the purchase of this unit. If your company has employee discounts, you might even save $50 on the purchase as I did. Once I drop the long distance, the unit will have paid for itself in one year. That is the whole point after all.

Time Warp

Recently we headed to a nearby city to enjoy the annual Holiday Stroll. The festivities include a tree lighting ceremony, ice sculptures and cultural events that included singing, dancing and musical venues. The Stroll takes place along Main Street where all the vendors throw open their doors and let you wander to your hearts content. All the shops on streets that run a block east and west from Main open their doors as well.

Shopping in the downtown area is mostly conducive to foot traffic. Most people these days select the malls, online shopping or are just too busy zipping through traffic to be aware of all the fine shops you can find downtown. We visited the needlecraft store and watched them spin skeins of home dyed yarns. Then stepped into the hobby store to admire the elaborate train system traveling every square inch of the miniature world the proprietor had created. We were treated to house specials, coffees and tees of every variety. Baby specialty shops and even an exclusive “Made in New Hampshire” shop were some of the treasures we found.

The store front windows were delightfully dressed for the holiday and we enjoyed pausing at each to examine the intricate detail in each. Winter scenes or Santa with his elves hard at work all cleverly contrived dioramas. At the next window we stopped short, our mouths dropping open. Displayed in the window were products I have not seen in years. In fact some of them were products my parents used, or even my grandparents. Is this place one of those “we’ll help you sell your stuff on eBay places” I wondered? I lifted my eyes to the sign above the door. Oh my, it’s an old fashioned, never ever found these days, honest to goodness, Five and Dime.

I shifted my gaze from the window display and peered into the shop. It ran deep and narrow with shelves lining the walls and shelving along the floor creating a network maze of long forgotten necessities of the past. Thimbles, scissors, door mats, pots and pans, contact paper, egg timers and the most beautiful cookie jar you can imagine. It was certainly a relic from the 1950’s. The well preserved ceramic surface sill shined. It beckoned my five-year-old self to lift the lid and reach inside.

I wondered what the asking price might be, though what I would do with a cookie jar these days in the health conscious world I did not know. I wandered up and down the isles looking for a clerk. Way to the back I found two wizen individuals barely 5 feet tall. Each, sporting a head of snow white hair, and wearing clothing in keeping with the time period of the shop.

As I approached them I passed the cash register and again, stopped short. It was then that I knew the doorway I stepped through was a portal into another time. I stood admiring the beauty of this machine. The gold and guild work barely worn from the surface, unlike the keys that showed much use. I wondered if I would need cash? I didn’t see a card reader and keypad so typical in today’s transactions of debit and credit cards. Not even a credit card form was to be seen on the counter. Then again, even if they had the carbon copy variety of thirty years ago, would I want to chance such a thing in today’s world of identity theft?

In the end, since I’m not a cash carrying individual, I chatted with the ancient ones, and asked politely if I may take a photo of their cash register. If I often feel as if I’m being left behind in the technology world, this indeed was a good example of how not keeping up with the times can become a liability. The old folks could probably supplement their income nicely if they could access the Internet. Still on a smaller scale, I would now own a great cookie jar had I carried cash. For a brief moment I straddled two periods of time, yet the distance was too great for either of us to fully reach across. The lesson I came away with shouted volumes in my ear, that the effort need to keep up in this fast paced world is not an option.

Today’s Clicker

Most of us know what someone means when they’re looking for the clicker. That right it’s the TV remote. The contemporary terminology for the remote control became popular because the first remotes from the 1960’s actually clicked when pressed. With the clicker came the popular sport of channel surfing. For all you channel surfers out there, hang onto your hats, because Clicker.com has just taken surfing to a whole new level!

Clicker.com has just gone live after two months of invitation only beta testing. I just finished watching one of my favorite shows online. It was fantastic! No remembering to set the VCR or DVR, not programming conflict, plus the shows have a limited amount of commercial interruptions letting you enjoy more of the programs you love.

Your favorite TV shows aren’t the only thing you can find easily on Clicker.com. The website catalogs broadcast programming online along with TV shows, web originals, movies, and music. You can search for content or keep up with trends.

Clicker.com is definitely the ultimate programming guide. You can browse over a 1,000 categories. Clicker is part directory, search engine, wiki, and entertainment guide. If you can’t find something on Clicker, you can suggest it. You may also want to register at the site as some content requires unique identification. What these days doesn’t?  A good portion of the content is free, however Netflix requires a subscription and Amazon.com sells or rents video downloads.

If watching your favorite content or listening to selections of music isn’t enough, then visit their blog or keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter. Want to know more about an episode or show? That’s what the Wiki is for. It includes pictures, descriptions, cast members; you name it. So why am I still writing? I’ve got some stuff to watch. Check it out for yourself. If you’ve got a husband like mine from whom you can’t pry the remote, the answer to your viewing troubles is only a click away.

Electrostatic Speakers

A friend of mine calls to tell me about his recent purchase of Martin Logan’s. At first, I can’t understand what the big deal is about a pair of boots. Oh wait, that’s Doc Martens. Phew, I really don’t see him as the skinhead type. I am given a clue as he continues on.

“You have to come and listen” he says.

Ah ha! Let’s see; a radio, stereo, headphones? Not quite. He is talking about a pair of speakers. The next thing I know he’s tossing about words like electrostatic and high-performance. All I can summon to mind with electrostatic are those plasma lightning lamps. Just when I realize my friends aren’t talking about their pets when they mention woofers and tweeters, here comes something else I have to learn about, or get left behind in the technology age.

We make our way to his home and he seats us in the center of the room so we can enjoy the full effect. My husband and I smile politely and nod our heads as he spouts technical terminology. The speakers themselves look odd. The top portion resembles something my husband might rig together with leftover chicken wire, but the sound coming from them is incredible, and we are enveloped in pure harmonic heaven. At the end of our concert we go home and I boot up the PC for some schooling.

I learn that electrostatic speakers use a light weight diaphragm, usually made from polyester film, sandwiched between two electrically conductive grids. This is the part that reminds me of mesh wire. The polyester film has been impregnated with a conductive material like graphite. The diaphragm operates with a constant charge (rather than voltage) on its surface. Both grids, one on either side of the diaphragm, are necessary because the force exerted on one grid would cause harmonic distortion. The diaphragms must be driven by an external source of high voltage. This explains what my friend was going on about when he pointed to the new amplifier to go with his speakers.

The advantages of electrostatic speakers are that they are extremely light weight and produce exceptional sound, because the generating force and pressure is not prone to resonance. The down side is the lack of bass response. This is why Martin Logan’s are considered hybrid. They incorporate a subwoofer to handle the lower frequencies.

Electrostatic speakers have been around since the 1920’s, so why is it news to me? It seems the earlier versions were fragile, and with advancement in traditional speaker design, and inexpensive materials, enjoying music in the home became more affordable. However, if you enjoy purity of sound without the crackle and pop that traditional speakers sometimes deliver, check a pair of these babies out for yourself. While a bit on the pricey side, the concert quality is pure enjoyment and well worth the investment.

Tech Talk in Plain English

I am tired of giving blank stares and appearing slack jawed when folks start talking about their new toys. They are so full of enthusiasm that I hate to burst their bubble by telling them I’m clueless.

If you were born with a joystick in your hand, move over. This is Baby Boomer territory. If you or someone you love hesitates, refuses, or downright rejects the idea of keeping up with the times, then follow me as I explore ways to understand what all the fuss is about. No generation X or Y need follow.

Let the journey begin.

Glossary:
Joystick: An input device generally used to play video games.
Baby Boomers: Post WWII offspring.
Generation X: Post Baby Boom generation born between 1960 to mid 1970’s.
Generation Y: No specific dates for when Generation Y starts and ends. Dates range somewhere from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. Generally offspring of Baby Boomers