Moving into a new home comes with a lot of decisions. Which furniture to move and what to buy? Getting quotes and deciding on window coverings. Navigating the myriad of communication and Internet options. And today, considering smart home tech.

Well we're buying a house, and in the midst of all those decisions. Here's what's on our list for our upcoming move.

Internet

Internet is a key utility in the connected house. We stream a ton of entertainment and I work from home, so we need fast, reliable connectivity.

In our new home, we had really only one viable choice: our local cable company. Naturally, they want to bundle voice, television and internet but we opted for the basic internet-only service.

One expense that you won't see on their website is the monthly rental fee for the cable modem, but you can provide your own. In our case, they wanted to charge $7.95/month to rent a cable modem, but I purchased the same model from Amazon for $48.95 — the ARRIS Touchstone Cable Modem. Owning pays for itself in just over six months.

While many cable modems also include router functionality, I wanted to check out the eero wifi system. It promises dead-easy setup, top-notch control via their iOS or Android apps, and strong performance even from the furthest corners of your home, a real consideration especially in a multi-story home.

Sadly, because it's a new house the cable company has to schedule an “engineering check” to make sure everything is ready to go, and they can't do that until we close. Once the check is complete, then they can schedule the installation, but need an additional week.

Ugh.

Television and Media

The design of our home incorporates a space for a television above the fireplace — really the only place to put a TV in the great room.  I'm planning to get something like this Samsung 60″ LED television and mount it on the wall with an articulating arm from Mounting Dream. This will let us tilt and swivel the screen to suit our needs. This pairs with the Sonos PLAYBAR — an astounding speaker system that I've been hooked on since getting a PLAY:1.

Making a Home Smarter

Joan and I are both thoroughly plugged into the Apple ecosystem. I've used some of the connected apps on TVs, but prefer the simplicity of Apple TV — even with the lack of Amazon Prime video. Apple TV also acts as the hub for Apple HomeKit — their version of home automation. So a basic 4th-generation Apple TV will be part of our system, mounted on the backside of the flat-screen.

What else to add smarts to? With a busy travel schedule, I love the concept of keeping tabs on things when I'm on the road, so here's what we've cooked up:

We're adding an August Smart Lock and the accompanying August Connect WiFi Bridge at the entry. This lets us allow access to the home via an app, and see who comes and goes (and when). It works with Apple HomeKit and offers some interesting features like automatically unlocking the door for you when you get home, and locking it when you leave. And you can even use a plain old key, too.

To keep eyes on things inside, we will use the Canary Home Security system. This detects movement and can automatically record if someone is in the house when they shouldn't be.

Those are the first steps. As budget permits, we're looking at adding the Ecobee 3 wifi thermostat, the Chamberlain MYQ Garage Door Opener and Lutron lighting controls. All of these provide compatibility with Apple HomeKit, and often several other systems.

The Unconnected Appliances

Not everything in our new  basecamp will be wired up and connected. The home comes with all of the kitchen appliances, but will still need to buy a washer and dryer. There are connected appliances that will notify you when your clothes are dry or if the washer is ready to empty, they come at a premium price that just isn't worth the squeeze yet.

We're going with something closer to middle-of-the-road: the LG Front-control Laundry Pair. While they don't connect to the net, they are highly rated at actually cleaning and drying your clothes, which is pretty much the point.

What's Next?

We will be setting up the new abode this month, and will report back with details as we go.

Do you have any smart home tips or tricks to share? Let me know in the comments below.

Note that this article includes affiliate links for many of the products mentioned. Your patronage helps support BigBlueBall. 

I'm getting ready for a double move. First, moving everything from California to Oregon, followed quickly by a much smaller move to South Korea.

One of the common problems with moving is that once you get to your new place, it's a challenge to find everything. Typically I've labeled boxes with the destination room. These boxes go to the kitchen. Those go to the bedroom. But inevitably I'll end up hunting through multiple boxes to find that one thing that I need right now. It's like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack — with one “haystack” of boxes in each room.

This time, I'm trying something new, and it looks promising. It's an iOS app called Sortly that helps you inventory your stuff without a lot of extra effort. You can use it to keep track of your household inventory, your record collection, or –as in my case– your move.

The Promise of Sortly

I don't want to spend a lot of time typing in detailed inventory for my move. Instead, I'm grouping items in collections and boxing them up. Sortly allows me to create folders to catalog my stuff. For my move, I've got a folder for each location in my new place — kitchen, office, bedroom, garage, etc.

With your folders created, you can then add items to those folders. For my move, I'm not being super-granular. I'm simply creating an “item” for each box. I give the item (the box) a title that describes it's contents (i.e. “Books – Hiking”). I'm also snapping a photo of the contents of the box before I seal it up.

Where the Magic Happens

Having the boxes cataloged is fine, but next up, Sortly will generate color coded, sequentially numbered labels for your boxes using standard Avery shipping labels. Select the color and how many you want, and Sortly generates a printer-ready PDF and emails it to you. From there, I print to the label paper, and apply.

Each of the labels has a unique QR code that is associated with the box it goes on. I simply scan the QR code and Sortly will tell me what's in the box, along with my description and photos. Magic!

Sortly Screenshots

There's more…

Sortly uses the Freemium model, where the basic functionality of the app is free, giving you a chance to kick the tires. An extra $7.99 will let you create an unlimited number of folders and items, as well as integrating and synching to Evernote–one of my favorite personal productivity tools.

For now, I'm only using Sortly for organizing my move, but it can do much more, including keeping track of stuff that you've loaned out, warranty expiration dates and pretty much anything that you might want to keep track of from an inventory perspective. I'll give those features a try, but for now, Sortly is already making this move much easier.

Learn more about Sortly on their website.

What IM programs do you use today?

According to their research, the typical woman sleeps with two pillows; the typical man, one pillow. Women are three times more likely than men to sleep in socks. Men are twice as likely as women to sleep naked. And men are eight times more likely than women to have their beds made for them.

I haven't used any sleep tracking systems, manual or otherwise, mainly because I have always been a sound sleeper (knock on wood). It's not much of a concern for me. Do you have trouble sleeping? Have you tracked your sleep patterns with a device like the UP? What helps you get a good night of sleep?

For the record… I use one soft feather pillow. I sleep on my back, my side and my stomach at different times during the night.  I don't wear pajamas. And I've been told that I snore (but not all the time).

BigBlueBall began back in 1998 as a sandbox for web development projects I was working on. In 2001, I relaunched BigBlueBall with a focus on instant messaging and the introduction of the forums. It evolved in that form for many years, taking on new topics like social media and mobile technology.

And now it's time for BigBlueBall to pivot once again. 

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu

From the beginning, I've shared my passion for collaboration, communication and helping people make the most of technology. But that's not enough. Over and over again people ask me similar questions. What's the best smartphone? Which app should I use for GPS navigation? How can be more productive? How can I set — and hit — the big goals in my life?

In short, how do I put the community, technology, and the myriad of tools available to work for me? 

And so, out with the old BigBlueBall. And in with the new.

What kind of changes can you expect to see?

First, the old forums and content are not going away — at least not yet. I have, however made some structural changes to the site that make it easier to read on any device. Yes, now you can view BigBlueBall on your iPad, iPhone or Android and it'll look and work great — even in the forums.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Next, the site itself looks different. I'm using HTML5, so it'll render faster. Leaner. Meaner. Better.

The biggest change will be in the content. And this is where I need your help.

One of my pet peeves on the web these days is the ubiquity of lists. You know the kind, the Top 100 Music Apps for your iPhone. The 50 Best Mobile Phones. The Top Million Things That You Really Don't Care About. I don't know what it is, but lists are popular. Lists have become a “technique” used by websites to pull people in, without really helping them.

What I really want to know is the ONE app that will really do what I need. I don't need ten. Just one. THE one. The best.

I really want to know the ONE smartphone that I should own. Not five that are all kinda sorta good. Just the one that's going to make my life easier.

I really want to know how I can live healthier… build stronger relationships… meet my personal and professional goals. And I don't want platitudes. I want practical, actionable steps that I can start taking now. Seriously, I don't ever really need to know the top 100 of anything. Give me the best. The rest is just noise.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein

The New BigBlueBall is about lifehacking and lifestyle design. It's about eliminating the bullshit from your life, getting to the stuff that helps, and ignoring the noise. It's going to be a little dusty as we shift the focus, but I think you'll like the results.

Where do you come in?

Tell me what you want to know. What questions do you have about designing the life you really want? Tell me.

And tell me when I'm wrong. Sometimes I am.

But whatever you do, speak up, leave a comment or post a note in the forum and make your voice heard. And welcome to the new BigBlueBall. 

I first started using Instagram in November 2010, and it's one of my favorite photo apps. The fact that it's on my iPhone home screen is a testament to it's draw. The clever filters designed to make photos look old-timey draw the ire of many photographers, but people love'em.

One of the overlooked qualities that set Instagram apart from other photo sharing sites like Flickr was that it was a mobile-only site. You could only upload photos from the app on your iPhone or Android smart phone, and you could only view and browse photos from others through that same app. There was no web-based interface at all.

That changed over time, and third-party developers like Statigram and Webstagram filled the gap, building web sites that used the Instagram API to let you browse photos and even like or comment on them.

Instagram has finally relented, introducing the Instagram Web Profile. This gives you an official web interface to Instagram photos, letting you browse, sign-in, like and comment on photos all from your web browser.

You can get to the web profile for any Instagram user by browsing to http://instagram.com/[username]. For example, http://instagram.com/jeffhester will bring up my profile.

When you click on an individual image, it opens the full-size image in a light box. If you've signed in, you'll see options to like or comment on the photo.

You may notice that these new Instagram Web Profiles bear a striking similarity in layout to your Facebook profile. Not surprising, considering that Instagram is now owned by Facebook.

Is Facebook slowly killing Instagram? Does the new web profile signify the “end of mobile?”

https://twitter.com/gahlord/status/265577735970242560

Maybe. Or maybe it's just a new path.

Microsoft purchased Skype in October of 2011 for $8.5 billion, and the consolidation has been anticipated by many. Both Skype and Windows Live Messenger share many of the same features, including instant messaging, and voice- and video-calling. The advantage Skype offers is a clear path to monetization, particularly for expanded features like a dedicated phone number to accept incoming calls, voice mail, and international calling plans.

But what really tilted the scale in favor of Skype is the broad device support. Skype is available on just about anything you can connect to the Internet — Windows, for sure, but Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch, Android, and other devices.

What's the impact to you?

If you use Windows Live Messenger (or Microsoft Messenger on a Mac), prepare to transition to Skype. Sometime during the first quarter of 2013, your WLM program will no longer connect.

Download and install the latest version of Skype and you'll see an option to login using your Microsoft account. Use this, not your Skype account.

Next, you'll be prompted to sign in to your Microsoft account. Use your Windows Live Messenger login information.

Now you have a choice. If you're already using Skype, you can sync your contacts with an existing Skype account. If you haven't used Skype yet, first crawl out from under that rock you've been hiding under, then select New to Skype. You could also use the “New…” link if you simply don't want to merge your WLM and your existing Skype accounts.

In my case, I had two Skype accounts, and had to choose one of them to merge my WLM contacts into.

Once you've logged into your Skype account, you're given one last chance to either confirm or cancel the merge. Note that once you've merged the accounts, you cannot “unmerge” them. 

Once the merge is complete, you'll see a new Messenger contacts group. Curiously, mine is empty. Hmmm…

Once your accounts are merged, you now sign into Skype using your Microsoft account information (username and password) and not your old Skype account info.

This is where it gets a little screwy. For me, I was unable to sign in to Skype on my iPhone or iPad using my Microsoft account, but my old Skype account info was still working.

On top of that, while my Skype and Facebook contacts were still showing up, my Windows Live Messenger contacts (and the new group) have gone AWOL. Just for kicks, I signed into Microsoft Messenger on my MacBook Pro and it signed me out of Skype. But in Messenger, it shows zero contacts.

Now it's entirely possible that I didn't have any contacts in WLM under that account. I haven't used WLM in ages, and it's not critical either way. Are there any brave WLM & Skype users out there who want to test this merge process and let me know if it works correctly for them?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Is it true for you? Leave a comment!

via xkcd

Those of you are (or were, or had) teenagers who could sit for hours in front of their Xbox or Playstation playing the same game over and over. That was game mechanics at work. You do well, you get rewarded. You gain skill. The game gets progressively more difficult, but not at a rate that discourages you enough to give up entirely. And you keep at it until you've mastered it.

Games don't attract all personalities, but for whatever reason, I love'em. And gamifying my personal health and fitness? I'm all in.

Earlier this month, I made a commitment to train for the LA Marathon in March 2013. And as part of my preparation I need to shed some excess pounds. So here are a few of the iPhone apps that I've been using.

Nike+ Fuelband

This is a free app, but only useful if you've sprung for one of Nike's $150 FuelBands. I got mine when they first came out in February, and have been wearing it every day since. I love it, and it really has helped motivate me. What's so great about the FuelBand? First, it's dead simple. The inconspicuous wrist bracelet is comfortable and holds a charge for an entire week. It tracks steps, calories, and Nike's “secret sauce” — Fuel Points. You can upload the data to your personal Nike Fuel website via your computer or iPhone, and it tracks your activity throughout that day, minute-by-minute. Over time, you get a clear picture of how active you really are (or not).

As an added bonus, it can automatically post my activity to another of my favorite apps, Path.

RunKeeper

So what is it? Runkeeper is essentially a GPS-powered route-tracker. Most of the time, I simply use the GPS-tracking, select my activity (hiking, running, walking, etc.) and press Start. Runkeeper keeps track of where I go, how far I go, and my pace at every point along the way. If I want, it will even help pace me, telling me to speed up or slow down to stay within my target pace. And when I'm done, I've got a complete breakdown of the workout and a map to boot.First, I should note that you can use RunKeeper even if you're not a runner. I've used it for walking, hiking, biking and yes, even running. RunKeeper helped coach me through my training for the La Jolla Half Marathon this spring. And I use it to record my hikes, many of which end up posted on my hiking blog.

Runkeeper has way too many features to cover in a short period of time, but it's a pleasure to use and my go-to app for tracking runs, walks and hikes.

GymPact

GymPact is interesting only in how it uses the “carrot and stick” approach to workout motivation. You create a “pact” defining how many times you commit to working out each week, and (here's the kicker) back that up with cold, hard cash. I've committed to working out 4 days a week, and if I miss a workout, I am automatically charged $5 for each missed workout (the minimum stake, and an effective “stick”).

You may be questioning my sanity at this point, but there is a “carrot,” too. If I successfully complete my pact, I actually earn money. No, it's not as much as I could lose, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a stick. There are some curious rules to how it works. You have to check-in at a recognized gym (it uses your phone's GPS) and workout for a minimum of 30 minutes for it to count. And they recently enhanced this to also allow you to use GPS runs tracked via RunKeeper (again, they have to be over 30 minutes long).

The combination of the threat of loss with the promise of gain is actually helping me stick to my goals.

Lift

This little app is not just for health and fitness. Lift can be used to track and motivate you to perform any activities that you want to “bake” into your life. Tim Ferriss used Lift to get him to floss more regularly. Plenty of folks use it to get them to read more. I'm using it this month to help me with the 4-Hour Body Challenge. You define the daily habits you want to repeat. For now, I've got five that all support 4-Hour Body (FHB) concepts: measure weight and body fat; eat 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking; following a strict, slow-carb diet; exercise; and cold showers (lowers body temperature and increases metabolism).

Lift is simple to use and gives you an easy way to track your progress in the activities you care about. It's free, and there's no betting or money to win or lose. Just good ol' data to use as you see fit. Oh, and the opportunity to give and get props from other Lift users.

DietBet

Lastly, comes DietBet. This app is specifically for losing weight. Like many other weight-loss challenges, you are pooling your entry fee with other competitors. But with DietBet, the kitty isn't rewarded to the person with the single greatest loss, but shared among everyone who meets the stated goal of the game. My game is tied into Tim Ferriss' 4-Hour Body Challenge, and the goal is to lose 4% of our starting weight over four weeks.

Like GymPact, DietBet uses a similar “carrot-and-stick” approach but with a social competition element (and of course, the focus on diet, not workouts). Since 90% of weight loss is controlled by diet, this has been a huge motivator for me to stick with the slow-carb diet.

Conclusion

I've tried dozens of iPhone apps and these are all pretty good. I'd recommend them, but suggest that you think about what makes you tick and whether gamification and quantification is really something that will help you achieve your goals. If so, check these apps out.

Have you got an app that you think kicks the ass of one of these? Leave me a comment and tell me what makes it so great.

March 14th is annual Pi Day, commemorated the three most significant digits of pi — 3.14. Although I'm not currently eating pie (or pi, for that matter), I wanted to share what has to be the ultimate pie chart.  And if you are in the mood for something a little headier, consider this pie chart which diagrams what you don't know that you don't know (among other things).

How are you celebrating Pi Day? I'll be hiking with a group of friends on our first of many planned Wednesday night hikes up Roller Coaster Ridge in south Orange County. Maybe we should have pie afterwards…