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Amp Up Your Home Security With Gadgets You Have Lying Around

February 6, 2013 by Caren

Image via lidovky

burglar-and-laptop

Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. Oh wait – that’s Batman’s bit. What I meant to say was that criminals, as much as they might think themselves clever, are a rather simple bunch. Oftentimes they merely want to be able to steal something – anything – and get away quick.

 

Speed is often the name of the game when it comes to burglars. Get in, get out with the booty – hopefully without being caught. But there are simple ways to defend against burglars. You can actually use bits of stuff you may have lying around the house to improve your home security.

 

Broken Laptop

Leave a broken laptop lying around somewhere it may be the first thing a burglar notices upon breaking in, possibly on a coffee table in your living room. The reasoning behind this is that as a burglar, one would look around upon breaking in, and once they spot something that they may deem valuable – such as a seemingly working laptop – they would instinctively grab it and go.

 

Programmable TV Set

A TV set you can program to turn on and off can work wonders in boosting your home security – especially at night or when you are away. Any burglar casing a home will be wary of a home with a TV that is on – but isn’t turned on all of the time.

 

Lightbulbs

This is pretty simple – keep your home’s entry point well-lit. A well-lit entry point will discourage forced entries as criminals would not wish to risk being seen prying open your doors or windows.

 

About the guest author:

Mickey is freelance blogger who specializes in technical writing and as such often receives “technical support” questions from his parents. He gets all his security system needs from http://www.selecthomesecurity.com/

Filed Under: Security

Follow NATS’s Lead and Adopt Flash

November 20, 2012 by Caren


The UK-based air traffic control organization, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) recently announced they were making the leap to flash storage for their cloud-based infrastructure. The big idea is that by moving data to a flash-based storage array system they can increase flexibility, scalability and efficiency of operations. According to a representative over at NATS, the cloud infrastructure would improve collaboration within their organization, and reduce system failures all across the board. The thing is, they’re actually right. Not just that, but many companies are following suit. Why? Flash storage is both lightning fast and becoming increasingly affordable for both large and enterprise-level companies to adopt. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Peripherals, Computers, Security Tagged With: Disk array, Disk storage, Flash memory, Google, intel, National Air Traffic Services, Solid-state drive, storage

SmartGuard for The iPhone 4: A Case With Pepper Spray

February 29, 2012 by Rogue

The cases you buy for your gadgets, for example, your iPhone, may look ho-hum. After all, it’s just a case that protects your gadget from scratches and the occasional bumps. But you may not realize that case manufacturers can be quite the ingenious bunch. We’ve seen some really cool case designs before and some of them are so cleverly designed we just have to have it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: case, iPhone, pepper spray, Security

The Nooka Zizm Watch is The Perfect Conversation Timepiece

October 18, 2011 by Rogue

A watch is a great conversation piece. There are an innumerable number of different watch designs and whatever you wear actually kind of reflects on yourself as a person and reveal a little about your personality. If you want to show people that you’re cool, hip and intelligent then a watch like the Nooka Zizm will convey those traits to other people – and more.

The Nooka Zizm is a uniquely designed watch that boasts of great design elements that elevate it from just a plasticky looking timepiece to one that shines because of unique design decisions made in designing it. The first thing that will be noticed when looking at the watch is the cool facets on the crystal face. The facets will show you a refracted view of the watch dial. And what a watch face it is. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: timepiece, watch

How Will We Be Interacting With Our Video Games In The Future?

September 22, 2011 by Angus Shaw

In a season of price cuts and with the Wii U only a year away, people are naturally wondering what the next big thing is in the world of video games. And since controllers have been such an important element of the current generation, how are we going to be controlling our games in the future? Here’s my thoughts on the technologies out there:

Touchscreen Gaming

Hey, this is easy. Turns out that some elements of the present of video game hardware will probably be around in the future (no, really!). The DS brought us touchscreen gaming over half a decade ago now, but that technology looks especially primitive compared to the offerings from the current wave of smartphones (though the simplicity of smartphone games still leave something to be desired). What’s the future of this technology? Essentially, going bigger and better. Invest in a tablet pc and you’ll immediately see the difference that having a screen nearly three times the size of smartphone can make: precise control over the field of play, as well as far more superior visuals. With a large screen area, you also have more space to integrate input areas, allow for more complex games.

Nintendo’s Wii-U is the immediate future of this tech: a handheld display for a TV-based console providing full touch-screen interaction with the game onscreen (or alternatively, interaction with other information relevant to the player). For me, this is exciting because there are plenty of stagnant game genres that have been consigned to the PC because neither joypads nor motion control have been adequate replacements for the mouse and keyboard. The strategy game springs to mind instantly: games in the vein of Starcraft and Command & Conquer could be revamped for home console play (and touchscreen monitors may ensure that PC versions remain relevant).

Motion Control

Motion control has sold millions of consoles (Wii), and shifted many peripherals (PS3 Move and Xbox 360 Kinect), so is there any doubting that it’s here to stay? Well, flying in the face of overwhelming evidence, I still completely believe that this has been a very successful gimmick. Wiis collect dust, and nobody seems to have the enthusiasm sufficient for developing games for the competitor’s systems. And it all seems like a bunch of daft flapping to me: gesture based control, rather than literal ‘motion’ control.

But in the long term, motion control has the potential to be a cornerstone of interactivity. Microsoft’s Kinect technology is most interesting, as it potentially solves the problem of interactivity solely being about our hands, bringing our entire body into play. But even this kind of motion will always be a source of detachment: objects we pretend to hold will have no weight, we’ll have to ‘pretend run’ to move anywhere. Visions of full-body robotic motion suits arrive in my head with B-movie gusto.

Virtual Reality?

We are, however, getting into the dangerous realm of controllers that would be incredibly immersive, but would be incredibly difficult to sell to people. For all of its motion control innovation, the Wii controller’s most intelligent feature was the fact that it was shaped like a television remote control. It gave consumers something familiar to latch onto when seeking a new experience. Even 3D cinema glasses have found success only by adopting the familiar Wayfarer design.

Full-body motion suits? Scary science fiction nonsense. And another classic idea we’re always going to have trouble accepting is the VR helmet. After decades of uncomfortable, daft looking products and bad science fiction featuring them, we just can’t take them seriously. Perhaps someday someone will develop something sufficiently lightweight and ordinary looking that becomes a mass market favourite. Sony’s new HMZ-T1 3D Virtual Reality Headset is part of the evolution, but don’t expect it to be a huge success. But how are we supposed to interact with games if we can’t see our hands whilst using these things? Motion control probably isn’t the answer, at least if you like not smashing expensive VR visors.

Gamepads

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Video game controllers have reached a sort of equilibrium in the last decade, and though the number of triggers and the position of the two joysticks will vary, there’s a definite formula. Any future console could take a cue from the Vita and feature a rear-mounted touch pad, and motion control seems a likely candidate for inclusion too. But the simple tactile feedback, durability and ease of use of a button has been grossly underestimated in the last few years.

Steph Wood is a copywriter and gaming blogger working on projects for Comet, a UK based retailer who stock cheap iPad 2s and other gadgets.

 

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: consoles, ps3, video games, videogames, Wii, xbox

Seneye Keeps You Posted About Your Aquarium

July 19, 2011 by Rogue

A couple of months ago, I was planning on taking a short three-day vacation out of town with my family. We were excited about the trip and were happily packing when we realized that we would be leaving our cats without no one to take care of them. That definitely put a damper to our plans. Fortunately, a relative came through for us and was gracious enough to agree to house and pet sit for us while we were away. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: Aquarium, pets, sensor

Keyless Entry System Using Bluetooth

July 18, 2011 by Rogue

Home security is a growing issue in this day and age. You just can’t be safe enough with the constant threat of burglary or home invasions. Home security systems are becoming the new gadget frontier for those who love to buy and acquire gadgets. And it’s actually a good investment of your gadget money because it goes into something that protects whatever else you own inside your home, not to mention it ensures the safety of your whole family. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security

Military Deploys Suicide Bomber Detection Machine

July 12, 2011 by Rogue

Gadgets are not only found within the realm of the consumer sector. The military is actually gadget heaven for the latest and most advance electronic equipment. And they need to be at the cutting edge of technology because we’re talking about defense and the protection of lives – not just the civilians but also military personnel as well. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Stuff, Security Tagged With: bombers, Military, Security

A Smoke Alarm That Will SMS You

July 11, 2011 by Rogue

Home safety is very important. For gadget lovers, gadget are not just the ones they bring with them and show off to the public. True gadget love will also extend to items inside the home, including things that help keep our homes safe for us. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Stuff, Security Tagged With: alarm, smoke alarm, SMS

Flashy Road Safety with LED Tire Bike Lights

June 28, 2011 by Rogue

Biking is a very healthy pursuit. I won’t say that it’s a sport, even though it is. I just think that biking is more of a way of life. I know of many friends who have come to rely on their bike not just as something to get fit with during the weekends but as a reliable form of transportation that is environmentally friendly. With so many pros, many people should really examine how they can incorporate biking into the lives. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Accessories, Cool Stuff, Security Tagged With: biking, LED, lights, safety

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