GeekPi

Solar PV gets sexy at Geekpi

Steve Allwine — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:00:27 +0000

There’s been a lot on my plate as of late, but I thought you may enjoy this initial rendering of my next solar project/expansion of the office’s 10kw PV array. An integrated green screen & 2.8kw PV awning system that’ll shade the building’s south face during the hot summer sun. Even more interesting is that we’ll [...]

Home Energy Update: Mini-Split Heatpump Rocks My World

Steve Allwine — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:54:59 +0000

Back in May, I declared an end to oppressive electric bills, never wanting to see another > $100 bill. Since then a lot has happened, and a lot more is about to be done to help reach the goal. To give an idea of what I’m up against, I have a fairly typical 1970’s wood framed [...]

Solid Microsoft ‘Pink’ phone rumors

Steve Allwine — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Being that I work in the Seattle/Redmond area, I have a number of friends who either work close to, or within Microsoft. Over the past few days, I’ve heard some interesting details on the clandestine ‘Pink’ phone – including from people who work within the mobile division. I’ll be interesting to see which one of [...]

GeekSpeak – “Photogaffe”

Renee Allwine — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:09:59 +0000

Today’s geek lexicon expansion lesson: PHOTOGAFFE -verb DESCRIPTION: Using a mobile phone camera in a discreet manner to take non-socially acceptable pictures, including private property where photography is not allowed, or of an attractive person without his or her knowledge. USED IN A SENTENCE: “Take a photogaffe of that hot chick in the string bikini over there so I can add [...]

Thermal Imaging

Steve Allwine — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:40:59 +0000

So the lastest scientific instrument (aka. cool toy) to arrive at the GeekPi headquarters is a Fluke Ti25 thermal imager. As the cost of equipment continues to drop, and they’re used more energy auditing, expect to start seeing more of these in the future. What Does It Do? So what is a thermal imager? Think of it [...]

Solar Flashlight Review

Steve Allwine — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:59:19 +0000

In my last post, I described the weakness of LED lighting in the home and for general illumination – this product is what I see as an excellent implementation of the light emitting diode technology; low power consumption and rugged capabilities. Mid last year, the company SunNight Solar (www.sunnightsolar.com) sent me one of their first [...]

The Real Dirt on LED Lighting

Steve Allwine — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:02:02 +0000

LED! LED! LED! When it comes to lighting technology, that’s what I hear on an almost daily basis. The thing is though, most of these writers know next to nothing about lighting, and are taking all of their facts from a press release; which of course always puts the product in a positive light (pun intended). The [...]

GeekSpeak – “Twitterpated”

Renee Allwine — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:54:29 +0000

Today’s geek lexicon expansion lesson: Twitterpated -adj. DESCRIPTION: A feeling of intense infatuation with Twitter that causes an individual to spend large portions of time posting, updating, retweeting, surfing and checking Twitter on their computer or mobile device. One who is obsessed with the social networking site Twitter. USED IN A SENTENCE: “I can barely go an hour without checking Twitter. [...]

The Sorry State of Tech Blogging

Steve Allwine — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:16:45 +0000

I really wish I could dedicate more of my time to covering events and technology, because when it comes down to it, most of the ‘big name’ tech blogs out there just straight up suck. They enjoy being treated like journalists, but then hide behind the term of blogger when they post rumors and conjecture everywhere. [...]

Windows 7 Official Release Date

Steve Allwine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:12:40 +0000

After an unforeseen Microsoft leak to the media, one day early, the official Microsoft word is they are firm on their release date for Windows 7: Thursday, October 22nd, 2009. They also say it will likely Release To Manufacturers (RTM) in late July. The question is, when will people start lining up? Share on Facebook

High Tech Utility Bill – A Call to Action

Steve Allwine — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:54:29 +0000

Most people don’t give a second thought about their electric utility meter, other than just taking a look at it to make sure it’s still spinning. The same goes for their utility bill. It’s just another, likely ever increasing bill to dread each month. The Bill My inbox this morning held my latest electric bill from Puget [...]

Super Lights – How to Light your Office Efficiently

Steve Allwine — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:34:56 +0000

The new lights are in and they’re spectacular. Now most folks can’t really get too excited about lighting, but when you’re a geek pushing for electrical grid ‘Net-Zero,’ this is a big deal. Now before you get into this, I just wanted to reiterate that this is a personal blog, and that I do not get [...]

Geeks Unite To Save “Chuck”

Renee Allwine — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:20:40 +0000

Not even the CIA can save Chuck this time Rumor has it that the NBC show Chuck might not live to see its third season. If television die-hards have taught us anything, it’s that they aren’t going to let their precious show go down without a fight. Usually when fans of a particular show try to [...]

The Economics of Efficiency Proposal

Steve Allwine — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:30:43 +0000

My proposal: Cut energy consumption of existing buildings in the USA by 50% It’s not that hard to do. Plus the investment will even pay you back. In recent years, there is a greatly renewed interest in renewable energy and efficiency upgrades. As a geek, I’m not into this as a us/them or democrat vs republican debate [...]

A little fun inside Exchange Web Access

Steve Allwine — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:27:30 +0000

After a long while, our office is now changed over to exchange 2007. We’ve been having some trouble getting people used to the new access portal, but overall, it’s quite the improvement. While poking around in the web interface control panel, I was quite surprised to find a pair of interesting Exchange 2007 web interface [...]

GeekSpeak – “Jawbonehead”

Renee Allwine — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:53:47 +0000

Today’s geek lexicon expansion lesson: Jawbonehead -noun Description: A person who wears a Bluetooth headset as a fashion accessory opposed to its intended purpose as a communications device. Used in a sentence: “Look at that jawbonehead. He’s wearing his headset but he’s not even talking on his phone.” Share on Facebook

Livin the 64-bit life

Steve Allwine — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:22:51 +0000

All windows power-users have faced it. Long boot times, wierd slowdowns and hangs, or even, the dreaded bluescreen. The real bloat lurking behind any installation of your computer, what I like to term ‘age induced snail bloat.’ Depending on how much you add and remove programs, along with what type of programs, will affect how [...]

GeekPie Challenge: The Final Breakdown

Steve Allwine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:16:07 +0000

So, it’s been 2 weeks since the last post, and the conclusion of the pie challenge. I have yet to weigh myself to see how many pounds I’ve gained back, as Renee and I have been making up ground for all the meals we missed. In total, I lost 0.57 lbs per day, for a [...]

The Final Day of the Geek Pie Challenge

Renee Allwine — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:20:28 +0000

By: Renee Allwine It’s finally here. The 14th day of pie. We made it. As much as I disliked eating the same thing day after day, there were actually a few upsides to this diet. For instance, I didn’t have to make dinner. I like cooking, but I love not cooking. Also, making lunch was a breeze. [...]

GeekSpeak – “Ballroomba Dancing”

Steve Allwine — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:40:42 +0000

Today’s geek lexicon expansion lesson: Ballroomba Dancing -verb Description: Hacking and reprogramming a robotic vacuum to make it perform dance sequences. Use in a sentence: “His Roomba’s ballroomba dancing routine could almost put Fred Astaire’s moves to shame” Here’s a little inspiration: via engadget Share on Facebook