Amazon Echo Dot

I resisted buying an iPad for a long time, because I wasn't sure how much we would use it. I'm quite certain we've gotten our moneys worth and more out of the iPad 2 over the years.

Likewise, I'm wondering if the Amazon Alexa voice activated personal assistant service would prove to be a good value over time. I really didn't want to pony up $180 for the Amazon Echo to try it out.

With the Amazon Echo Dot, I can dip my toes for only $50, so that makes it a little more tempting.

(If you wanted to really commit, you can buy 5 get 1 free or buy 10 and get 2 free with codes DOT6PACK or DOT12PACK.)

A Beowulf Cluster of TRS-80 Computers

Okay, not quite...

A table full of internet-connected TRS-80s…awesome! #VCFMW pic.twitter.com/zrBxqGCttC

— TRS-80 Trash Talk (@TRS80TrashTalk) September 10, 2016

Security Questions

Coincidentally, my first pet's name was 90 2e 04 70 1e 41 89 2b ad 53 96 86 99 d5 65 e5 83 5a 5b 51.

How to fill out security questions. pic.twitter.com/sOwxv9LgJO

— Chris Gilbert (@chriswithpants) August 30, 2016

Giant Vortex Cannon

Giant vortex cannon. pic.twitter.com/vDPegYIdQJ

— Alby (@Alby) September 6, 2016

Via @amyengineer

For Air Cooling!

@Pogue "Daddy, why did they put holes in computers?"https://t.co/WsXKjTs4De

— Rob Wensing (@RobWensing) September 6, 2016

GlocalMe

I'm not traveling internationally much at all anymore, but the GlocalMe device/service would have been really handy.

2nd year we have brought a glocalme device to Europe. Fantastic/cheap way to have good data. Highly recommend. pic.twitter.com/u0E8wHFJnb

— Michael Arrington (@arrington) August 17, 2016

Amazon, Sunspring, and Skynet

Apparently Amazon's algorithm doesn't know all of your deepest, darkest desires since no one bought anything yesterday.

That failure along with this movie created by an AI that was fed bunches of sci-fi scripts makes me feel like we are safe from Skynet for a while yet.

Raspberry Pi 3 Cluster

A very professional install (and video) of a Raspberry Pi cluster...

Emoji Gun Control

Because you can trace all gun violence back to the emoji?

Die Hard Reloaded

The bane of a real sysadmin. I will do anything for uptime. #xkcd #sysadminday #humor pic.twitter.com/SlZ6XQXdm3

— nixCraft (@nixcraft) July 24, 2014

La Plus Ca Change

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here's the true different between mainframe computing & #cloudcomputing #hackers #geeks pic.twitter.com/u4n6wWCE1C

— Mil Air Comms (@MilAirComms) July 27, 2016

Posting

Sorry, I would post more, but I got a new keyboard and it has really slowed me down.

Peak PC

I'm a dinosaur... I use a PC (or two or three) everyday: Peak PC.

Sysadmin Reprimands

I think I work with this guy.

SSID Ideas

Need a new SSID? Here is a small list a friend shared on FaceBook. I think from @nixcraft pic.twitter.com/8AcVDvZnLa

— Darrell DeRosia (@Darrell_DeRosia) June 30, 2016

Via @amyengineer

AVGvast?

Avast acquires AVG. Interesting.

Honeywell Thermostat and Amazon Echo

I can adjust my thermostat from the app on my phone - which is nice, but the real advantage is being able to build the schedule without having to wade through the menus on the limited physical interface of the thermostat itself.

So, I'm not sure how much I would use the integration with the Amazon Echo, but it's cool to see it is an option:

"Amazon Echo can now control your Honeywell Total Connect Comfort Thermostat. Use Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, to set the perfect temperature in your home by voice command. Simply say "Alexa, set my temperature to 72 degrees" and enjoy your home's comfort without having to lift a finger."

Also, you can get a cheap refurbished Amazon Echo today from Woot.

Ping "emoji"

I'm so short-sighted... I never thought about emojis for server names.

NMAP totally chokes on scanning machines when the hostname is just emojis. 💩💩 pic.twitter.com/IITtxse462

— Jerry Gamblin (@JGamblin) June 18, 2016

Gadgets

Gadgets are dead. Long live the (cheap) gadgets.:

"Amazon doesn't need to make money on the Echo itself, as long as it drives more commerce to its retail business. Same with Google: as long as the Chromecast gets more people to watch YouTube videos and download more stuff from Google Play, they don't have to make money from the gadget itself." 

"This trend isn't going to kill off the smartphone, or the PC, or the tablet. But it means lower-cost gadgetry that lasts a lot longer. We're only seeing the early stages of this shift now, but it has a lot of potential to shake up how we think about and how we buy our devices."

No More Headphones?

Great, but I want this solved for when I'm running...

Could headphones become obsolete? Learn what’s possible with steered sound #tech: https://t.co/kqcyn3SqDk pic.twitter.com/fMpJUIASfn

— Cisco (@Cisco) June 1, 2016