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DEL.ICIO.USMaking tech do double-duty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I may forget to make my weekly phone call to my mom. But I never forget to call my own voice mail when I park at the airport.
Over my long life, I’ve misplaced enough cars to start a used car lot. I am directionally challenged. So as soon as I park the car in a giant airport lot, I phone my voice mail and leave a reminder about where it’s parked. Unlike a note on some scrap of paper, the information is ready and waiting when I need to find my car.
These voice mail notes also work great for remembering meeting times or directions to an unfamiliar location.
That’s just one of the unexpected uses I’ve found for ordinary technologies. I make technology work for me in unintended ways. Some of these backdoor techniques may work for you.
Is the power back on?
At least twice a year, the power goes out for a day or so at my home. Sometimes ice storms are the culprit; other times winds are to blame. Once it was because a squirrel met an ugly death in a nearby transformer. I won’t tell the story of the time my wife forgot to pay the bill for two months running — I promised I would never mention it in print.
It’s nice to know whether the power is on or off at my house. There are times when, if I knew the power was still out, I’d stop to buy flashlight batteries or even to plan an evening in a motel. But what do you do when the house is empty and you’re at work?
I use an old-fashioned answering machine to find out. One call tells me what I need to know. Since the answering machine only works when there’s AC, I know that the power is back if it answers. If there’s no answer, I know it’s going to be a dark evening at home.
Now where does this go?
Memory often gets me in trouble, whether I’m working on a computer or trying to put parts back on a lawn mower.
Does this gizmo go on before that widget? Or should that little washer fit here? No matter what I do, when I rely on memory I get things wrong.
That’s why I use my digital camera to document each step as I disassemble a gizmo or even a gas barbecue grill. When it’s time to put the danged thing back together, I have a photo record of how things fit together.
Help from my Web page
When I’m traveling, I often need data that’s stored on my computer. Sometimes it’s a phone number that isn’t stored on my cellphone. At other times, I may need to see notes for a story I’m writing, or even a reminder about the date for a birthday or other occasion.
I keep a text file on my personal Web page with information like this. Since it’s stored on the Web, I can access the text from any spot on the globe that has Internet access.
I don’t password-protect the file — although I could. Instead, I give it a strange file name that would be almost impossible to guess. I mean, how often would you type in a Web address that ends with, say, x22myomss.html?
Most Internet accounts include some amount of Web space. So even if you aren’t interested in a conventional personal Web page, you may find this remote access system helpful.
I also use the Web space to store family pictures — that way, when I want to brag endlessly, I can show off my family without carrying a wallet thick as a brick.
Fixing DSL, electrical
I have some fairly fancy electronic testing equipment — everything from an oscilloscope to one of the few old-fashioned tube testers in Atlanta.
But one of my favorite pieces of test equipment is an old battery-powered transistor radio. It is a perfect tool for finding electrical dimmer switches that are going bad or other electrical faults.
Problems like that create interference that can knock out DSL service. Everything from the dimmer that cranks down the lights for dinner to an electrical dog fence that’s arcing enough to knock out DSL.
Even if the misbehaving electrical circuit or device doesn’t bother your DSL service, it can be a fire hazard. So locating the problem is a big deal.
To find problems like that, I simply tune the radio to a clear spot on the dial and use it like a geiger counter, walking around until the static reaches the highest volume. That sort of radio direction-finding is the quickest way to find electrical arcs.
The best uses for technology are often the unexpected and unintended ones. If you’ve found some unusual ways to put technology to work in your home, share them with me here.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
Comments
By gttim
October 27, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this
I used the answering machine trick one year when my parents were stranded here after a hurricane hit Pensacola. We just called every morning and every night until their answering machine picked up. The drove home the next morning.
I email myself stuff at gmail. I can always access that stuff anywhere in the world as well.
I like the transistor radio bit. I will have to try that.
By frank123
October 27, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this
Regarding “There does this go”, good ideas. I have taken my photos of my work project and showed the shots to the clerks at Home Depot and it has been very helpful.
By rissaMom
October 27, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this
i love the calling yourself with parking spot info idea. i’m constantly forgetting my parking spot, sometimes at the big malls too so i need to do that. for years i’ve been calling my self at home and giving myself reminders on what to do when i get home! thanks for your tips
By bc
October 27, 2006 04:28 PM | Link to this
Wow.
The text file idea is supremely dangerous. In the old days of the Web, I used to the very same thing. On my personal Web site, I had a list of phone numbers, random passwords & reminders.
However, these days any file on the Web (especially unencrypted, non-password protected files) maybe found by a spider, a sysadmin with nothing better to do or Google.
How? Let’s say you hit your file then visit another site. It’s entirely possible that the original URL (your file) may be sent to the next site Web logs. Another simple thing, would be the history file or auto-complete on the random PC you are using.
Long story short — not a good idea.
By Liz
October 28, 2006 07:45 AM | Link to this
I use one of those memory sticks to carry files around when I’m on the road. For short trips I can often do that - and use computers furnished in hotels - rather than take my laptop along.
By Paul Hippmann
October 28, 2006 04:01 PM | Link to this
When I try to printout your Technobuddy page(and sometimes others), the printout appears without the last inch of what is on the right end of the lines on the monitor, even though the right margin on the printout is no wider than the left one. The words are just missing. It’s as though the printout letters should have been reduced in size, to fit on the printout lines, the way they fit on the monitor’s lines. What can be done to get the entire text on the printout, the way it reads on the monitor? Paul
By Bill
October 29, 2006 09:03 AM | Link to this
Hi Paul, there are two ways to solve your problem.
Internet Explorer 7 - the new version will take care of it for you … shrinking the page to print.
Or, you can - instead of selecting Print - select Print Preview. You’ll see an option there to reduce it to fit the page.
By JW
October 29, 2006 02:23 PM | Link to this
Storing userids, PWs and other important info on personal web pages can be dangerous…another option is to put stuff like this in Word or Excel files (password protected), attach it to email to yourself. If you can check your email from a computer, you can get to this information.
By Bill
October 29, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this
I agree JW, although my lists don’t have user ids or passwords. What I store are directions to places in a strange city and telephone numbers. Or birthdays. Stuff like that. The telephone numbers are work numbers. So - truth is - there’s not much danger. But you’re absolutely right, had I suggested storing passwords or user IDs then it would be dangerous.
By Rushia C
October 31, 2006 11:09 AM | Link to this
Paul
Another way to print web pages as you want them is to select the items you want printed, click print. With the print dialog box open, click the radio button for selection. This is a neat way to customize or streamline your print. I teach this stuff. Good luck.
By Bryan B
November 1, 2006 10:00 AM | Link to this
I e-mail myself more than anyone else. When I’m at work and I need to remember to do something after I get home (pay bills online, perhaps), I send myself an e-mail to the home address.
Here’s something most people know, but I’ll share just in case: when traveling, your cell phone makes an excellent alarm clock (if it has alarm features), so you don’t have to worry about wake up calls.
Also, if you’ve never the manual for an iPod, it can operate as regular disk, where you can sync your calendar/contact info/.txt files…..a great idea unless your iPod battery is as unreliable as mine!