DIY Baby Monitor

Well, our video baby monitor hit the skids and stopped transmitting, which has lead to some long nights for Susan (while I sleep away...sorry!). It will work for a few hours then "SCREEEEEECH" it loses the feed. I checked for interference, overheating - you name it, and could not find the issue. Sooooo...I'm building my own as a replacement:

1) Wireless 2.4ghz camera system - $45 via Amazon marketplace - this is a step up from the 900mhz of the old setup, but it might interfere with the Wifi in the house...it also has nightvision....sweet...

2) 22" LCD HDTV - $115 via NewEgg - not content to go with a 6" or 7" screen, we're now rolling on 22" in HD. We are going to be able to see the individual hairs on his head. I love the Viewsonic products - they are relatively cheap, well made, cool designs, although sometimes lacking in the contrast ratio....

So for about $20 less than the going rate for baby-specific video monitors ($160 versus $180) I now have a multi-use setup that can grow with more kids. When Willameana comes in a few years I can just add another camera and we can watch both of them. Will post pics of everything once it's up and running.

Update - everything is hooked up, had some interference from the wireless network, but a bigger antenna solved the issue. Here's the final product - or BabyVision as Sue calls it:

ebay selling guide

For anyone who would like to dive into the eBay world and start selling stuff, I found this guide, and it's free for download (for now, so save it to your computer). Overall, I found it to be the most realistic and practical guide to selling on eBay. It's aptly titled "The Stay at Home Mom's Guide to eBay".

One rule of thumb I will share if you are purchasing items for resale - don't pay more than 33% of the retail price, otherwise you will not make any money. For example, if the watch retails for $100, don't pay more than $33 including tax, because on eBay it will only sell for $50. This works for the vast majority of items.

Fatherhood pt 3

We're getting close to 6 months with William, and here are three more observations...

1) I almost accidentally put Mylicon in my coffee today while preparing his bottle. Then I reconsidered, then deconsidered it and went on my way.

2) Putting a breast pump together is like putting a rifle together. Always treat it with respect and keep the safety on.

3) You only taste baby food once. Then you never ever try it again.

Car rankings revisited

While watching my weekly installment of a PBS show called Motorweek, I saw a very cool opportunity to get on the race track for cheap. I have always been intrigued by amateur racing, and part of my current motivation to buy a manual transmission vehicle is to improve my driving skills. BUT, racing is expensive. Usually very expensive. After tires, gas, entry fees, and the proper equipment you were looking at $1k-$2k for a Saturday afternoon at the track. But Motorweek featured a racing group called NASA that gets you on the track for about $50. All you need is a track capable car and a helmet.

In lieu of this, I may need to add a "track-ready" factor the the fun-with-v8s spreadsheet. Here's a prime example of a car that would rank high - a 2002 Z06 for $19.5k.

Cool Stuff on DealNews

The following caught my eye this past week:

1) South Park Poker Set - when we were in college we would either a) watch South Park or b) play poker. We should have invented this. I am peeved.


2) iPod dock+toilet paper holder = the true genius bar


3) USB rechargeable AA batteries - what you say? On the road and need to power your [insert mobile device that still uses AA batteries]? Very elegant solution

Home Theater PC Installed

In the never-ending crusade for free (or near free) video content, the Home Theater PC has now been installed. Here's the list of what I needed:

1) PC with lots of USB connections, decent processor (i.e. no more than 3yrs old), and preferably a small form factor. Also check that the onboard video card supports widescreen (see the comments for a discussion on resolutions), which comes close to filling a 16:9 screen. Cost - $112 from PacificGeek.com

2) Wireless network adapter. Cost - $10 from Amazon.com

3) DV to VGA cable - my TV only had VGA available, so I had to make the adjustment. There's every cable you could ever need on ebay. Cost $4 from ebay.com

4) Wireless Keyboard/Mouse - I wnet optical, but suggest you go with a laser mouse for better tracking across flooring/coffeetables/legs AND check the rated distance. My setup said 15 feet, but I only seem to get 5-8 feet. Cost - $30 from Amazon.com

So, here are the pictures. The PC is 8x11x4 inches, very small, with a p4 2.4ghz and 256 DDR RAM. Connections were easy, and very clean looking. I could even put it behind the flat screen if needed, but figured it better to keep a Windows system within reach for any hard-resets.




Pros - lots of content from the network sites and Hulu, plus if you have Netflix (base $8.99/mo) you can stream some movies from your queue (about 12,000 titles) including full seasons of The Office and 30 Rock....very nice. Add Pandora radio and you have the full package.

Cons - wireless keyboard/mouse don't go the distance, network could be faster - we seem to be at the end of the range

Overall, for a one time cost of about $150 you have a very cool setup that in itself nearly replace pay-to-play cable/sat/fiber options.

Fav Jan/Feb posts

A couple favorite posts from Jan/Feb

You know how Capital One let's you customize your card's picture? I had a hypothesis that they probably had to reject quite a few pics based on corporate standards, but it seems one got through...
Favorite SuperBowl ad was for the Hyndai Genesis Coupe. Good strategy showing a majority male audience 3 seconds of your new sports car. It's like getting a taste of a nice steak, and then having the entire meal removed. Well played. Most funny had to be Conan for Bud Light...





Speaking of superbowl ads - Cash4Gold did a fun spot with Hammer and the Mac ("a gold medallion of me wearing a gold medallion"). I had heard from some blogs of how this is a huge scam, and indeed consumerist has a tell-all up. Must read if you want to understand how to run a shady business

We met online?

This is how Susan and I met.....



credit consumerist