Screensaver Power Strip

I have always been interested in saving electricity in my home especially in these hot summer months. While the air conditioner is by far the greatest consumer of electricity in my house, especially in the summer, the most constant user is my computer or I should say my computer setup.

Installing Security Cameras

Sadly today not everyone can be trusted and security is a must.  I have started on the venture of increasing security at my home in several ways, first off cameras. Luckily it is rather easy to install security cameras but there are a few things to keep in mind.  I give this a difficulty factor of 2 on a 5 point scale.  if you can work a drill and a screwdriver, you can do this.

World's Cheapest Noise Canceling Headphones

When I'm in the shop I usually like jamming to my music but the tunes don't sound good over the buzz of saws, routers and vacuums.  I do what I can to keep the noise down for my neighbors so turning the volume up to eleven is out of the question. Besides being rude to the neighbors, extreme decibel levels can be quite damaging to your ears.

I've tried wearing ear buds or headphones in the shop but even though you can still hear the music, you can also hear the tools and the two don't mix.  I looked at noise cancelling headphones but they can be insanely expensive.  What I needed was inexpensive headphones mixed with great noise cancelling capabilities.  I saw these inexpensive hearing protectors and when I ordered them they actually worked quite well, but still no music. I had some inexpensive headphones laying around and wish the two could be combined somehow.  Once I started playing, it was amazingly simple.

Desktop Air Conditioning

There's heat and then there's heat.  Usually when I get too hot I go inside, but some heat is inescapable, like at work.  I work in a building who's age has come and gone. The on again off again air conditioning system is older than I am and I've been around since man first landed on the moon.  It is not too infrequent that temperatures in the office get in the 80's and one hellish day was 98F.  The only relief on days when the temperature rises, without burning a sick day, is a tall cup of ice water from the ice dispenser. Jokes fly about knocking holes in walls and sticking in window units but as you know they have to vent heat somewhere.  If only I could build an air conditioner that didn't need to exhaust heat.  hmmmm...I thought.....ice.