ronniesherard - Middleburg, FL @ 1255L: Winds from NE at 2-12 mph, T: 86°F, RH: 55%, A3004 #Florida #Weather 2 hours ago
formats

Weatherproof Camera Housing

So, I’m working on setting up a backyard weather station, complete with a Webcam. The problem? The camera I have is a Linksys WVC54GCA, which is NOT an outdoor camera. I looked at several other cameras, but I just couldn’t see forking out the money for them. Granted, it would be GREAT to have better visibility at night, but it’s night. Is there really much to see at night anyway? I then realized, I had some die cast cases in the garage. Problem solved!

I started with a standard, clear die cast case. On the first attempt, I tried to drill a hole through the back, which cracked a big chunk of the case out. I thought about it overnight and the next day, before I realized what I needed to do. Using the grinding bit on my Dremmel, I made an opening for the power cord in the bottom of the case. I then used double-sided tape to secure the base of the camera to the base of the case. For testing, I taped the top and bottom of the case and let the camera run for a full day.

The housing worked great, even with a few heavy rain showers and thunderstorms we had move through. So, I decided it was time to move on to the next step: painting the case to provide shade and reduce reflection. Last night, I painted the back and sides of the case with primer, hoping it would help to reduce the slight bit of glare I had and provide some shade for the camera. However, when I painted it, I could not get a signal to the camera from my router (in the garage on the opposite side of the house). I then removed the painted cover, put on another clear one, and the signal once again improved. Content with my setup, I decided today was the day to mount it in the backyard.

First, it took me about 30 minutes to tweak the alignment of the camera, as not to capture the house next door, too much fence, or any of the gutter. Once I had the alignment set, I put silicone sealant around the edge of the base and slid the top of the case on. Next, I mounted the camera to one of the pillars on my lanai using nothing more than heavy duty zip ties. I then ran the power cord along the lanai, into an extension cord, and then dropped the extension cord down to the power outlet. I used S hooks to hang the cords and used Velcro to keep the plug connection high enough to not get wet. The end result is what you see here! I am pretty happy with the setup, but time will tell if it is really a good housing for the camera. One thing that I noticed on the time lapse video yesterday was a bit of reflection from the sun later in the afternoon. However, the position it is in now has changed a bit from where I was testing it, so we’ll see. The camera faces to the NNW and is tilted just enough to get over the fence, but not quite enough to get the bottom edge of the gutter.

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

Golfing at Eagle Landing

Published on May 10, 2012 by in Golf

golf5102012I really like Eagle Landing. It’s a very nice course with a nice layout. It’s not too challenging, but enough to give me a hard run for my money! I didn’t do too bad today, considering it’s only the second time I’ve played in about 2 1/2 years. Still, I’d like to get better than a 96! Ugh!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

What is Wrong with America?

Published on May 9, 2012 by in Thoughts on Life

I’m really getting tired if seeing our country losing touch with its roots. Granted, we’ve had ups and downs, growing pains if you will, along the way. However, as a great nation, we have overcome so much and made great strides that, in recent years, spatter the face of this nation with disgrace.

We fought ourselves from 1861 to 1865 over differing ideologies. The Northern states wanted to halt the expansion of forced labor (slavery), while the Southern states felt that these slaves were a necessary evil. The North felt that slavery went against American values and, as such, felt there was no place for slavery in this country. After all, all men are created equal. It is an underlying foundation of the United States of America. Halting the expansion would eventually allow slavery to become extinct. Southerners looked at this like a slap in the face. Hence, we fought ourselves over these underlying issues.

We were able to abolish slavery, yet some American citizens were considered second rate.  Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were critical to the success in the fight against discrimination. They believed that, again, we are ALL created equal. Why should the color of our skin determine the rights we have as Americans? Has the country been able to fully rid discrimination? No. If anyone favors one side over the other, for good and just reasons, one side is almost always accused of being racist. Look no further than the fight over illegal immigration into this country.

The State of Arizona passed a law giving its law enforcement agencies the authority to verify a person’s legitimacy in this country. What happened at the national level? People cried foul. How on Earth can a state have the authority to do such a thing? It’s called the law. If people are here illegally, draining our resources and putting a strain on the law abiding citizens, why allow them to continuing doing so? If there is a reasonable doubt that someone shouldn’t be here, we need to enforce the laws he have in place. Yet, on the national level, people are afraid to offend a culture, race, or religion. It’s not discrimination, it’s the law! As we’ve seen in recent years, those laws do cross the discrimination line.

North Carolina passed an amendment to its constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and woman. Essentially, what the state has done, following other states, is discriminate against a group of Americans. This, in my mind, is NO different than passing a law that bans a specific race of citizens from occupying the same establishment. Can you recall racial segregation and where we have grown from as a nation? It’s sickening to think we have politicians in this country supporting such ridiculous laws.

When will Americans take a stand for what we KNOW is right, instead of trying to please one group or another? Your religion may think that gay marriage is a sin or completely unacceptable. You have that religious freedom to feel that way. But, folks, THIS IS AMERICA! We are built on a foundation that NO other country on Earth has yet to accept? We are a nation of many different races, cultures, and religions working together and enjoying unalienable rights that were granted to us by being born into a FREE society. When will we finally wake up and see how our country is being run into the ground and getting further away from the principles that set us apart from every other nation in existence? Today’s America is NOT America…

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

The Yahoo! Conundrum

I’ve been quite intrigued by the current situation Yahoo! is facing with its CEO, Scott Thompson. I read an article that posed the question, should he be fired? My first thought was, of course! The writer of the article came to the same conclusion.

First of all, let’s forget about whether or not he is qualified for the job. There’s little doubt that Mr. Thompson has proven he can lead. He did so with PayPal prior to moving to eBay. However, his education qualifications, a.k.a. degrees were inflated. Stating you have a computer science degree when you took one, maybe two, classes in computers is ridiculous. You have an accounting degree. Yet, he inflated his degree to make his resume stand out above the others, and won. Well, now it’s time for Yahoo to say good riddance!

I’m working on my MBA and, unless I’ve misunderstood something thus far, there are certain moral and ethical obligations we have in the business world. Well, if Yahoo can’t see that this guy is in violation, I’m beside myself. How difficult of a task is it for a major corporation to hold its top executive responsible for his or her actions? If this was anyone else, would there be a second thought? Come on Yahoo, do the right thing and send Mr. Thompson packing. Shareholders have EVERY right to be upset!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor

Published on May 7, 2012 by in Thoughts on Life

I arrived home from work on Friday to find a small, dark blue package waiting for me on the counter. It was a Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor from the folks at Proctor & Gamble, free of charge to me. Normally, free things that come in the mail go in the trash. However, after receiving some positive feedback from a friend on Facebook, I decided this time might be a bit different.

I’ve been in the military for almost 13 years now, and shaving every day with a non-electric razor took its toll early on. My neck was so irritated, I finally had to switch to an electric razor and have never really looked back. In fact, the only times I’ve used a non-electric razor in the past 12 years or so have been when a) my electric razor is dead or b) when I’m on leave and shave down to a goatee. Even then, I normally try to use my electric. So, you can get a sense of why this razor almost ended up in the trash.

This morning, sporting a two-day beard, I decided it was the right time to test out the razor. Quite frankly, I’m pretty impressed! While shaving, there was to rough feeling on my face and neck. Afterwards, my face didn’t even feel like I had any kind of irritation. Simply put, it was the best non-electric shave I’ve ever had! If you’re looking for a new razor that won’t tear up your face and neck, give the Gillette Fusion ProGlide a shot. I think you’ll love it!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

The Dyson Test

Last weekend, I was cleaning the house. I used my Dirt Devil vacuum on the family room, but it just didn’t seem like it was getting everything. I had been toying with the idea of purchasing a Dyson for several months, but just couldn’t bring myself to spending nearly $600 on the DC25. I decided, however, to check Home Depot and see what they had in stock.

While at Home Depot, I looked over all of the vacuums. The Dyson DC33 was sitting there smiling at me, but even its lower price of $400 was hard to imagine. I looked over the Hoover Pet Rewind model, which looks like a very nice vacuum and, priced at $149, it was quite attractive. We have a Hoover SteamVac, which is a phenomenal machine for deep cleaning, so I do like the Hoover brand. Torn with a decision to make, I pulled up the Home Depot app on my Razr Maxx and was turned off by the most recent reviews at the time.

The first review of the Hoover indicated that the vacuum completely quit working after what appears to be a short time. The second review said that, after only five months, they have had six belts put on it and the pedal to turn the brush off and on no longer worked. I didn’t go past those two reviews and went to look at the DC33. The DC33 has review upon review of praise. One even said they replaced an aging Kirby with the DC33. Knowing what a Kirby is capable of from being the recipient of a demonstration, I had made up my mind.

I told my wife I bought a new vacuum. Knowing that I wanted a Dyson and how expensive they are, she did not sound thrilled. After we returned home, I assembled the DC33; a rather easy process. I then proceeded into the family room to test all of the praise the DC33 had received. Nevertheless, my jaw hit the floor after vacuuming the same area I had done just one day before. Needless to say, I am a VERY happy Dyson owner. Quite frankly, I will most likely never own another brand of vacuum. If you’re on the fence, take the leap and spend the extra money. You won’t be disappointed!

image

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

NASCAR on Android Update

For those looking for NASCAR races on Android, I have an update to iHeartRadio stations. The Big 1070 (search for it) carries the races! The station I had blogged about before doesn’t seem to carry them anymore.

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

Rebuilding…

Please forgive the mess. I was getting tired of WordPress erring out when I post from my phone, so I backed up my posts and deleted everything. Unfortunately, that removed all of my posts. But, I’m working on cleaning everything up!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

OneNote Mobile Meets Android

OneNote for Android

I received an email this evening, notifying me that OneNote was now available in the Android Market. I thought that was pretty sweet, so I decided to check it out. After reading some comments from others in the Market, I decided I would write a blog about it.

You can sync your notebook from your phone to your Personal(Web) notebook on SkyDrive. Yes, you have to have a Windows Live ID. After all, it IS a Microsoft product. I think the complaint about requiring a Microsoft ID is equivalent to someone complaining that they have to have a Google account to access Google Analytics. The two go hand-in-hand. The program is neat, but it lacks.

What is it? OneNote Mobile is a scaled-down version of OneNote. It allows you to create notes that sync to your SkyDrive. Yes, you can create notes on your desktop, laptop, or phone, and sync them all together. I like it a lot, but it lacks in certain areas. For starters, you can’t create a new section, nor can you file your notes. These, to me, are important. I typically have a work, school, and few other notebooks to update. Being able to file pages under each one on the fly is a must. I gave it three stars for this. It works, yes, but I need that additional functionality for it to be a great program!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
formats

MotoCast vs. HTC Sync

I am pretty happy with MotoCast. I never had much luck with the HTC Sync working after about the third or fourth sync. I finally just gave up on it and used other means to sync my files. I have not had a single problem with MotoCast syncing my music from iTunes or my pictures and contacts in Windows 7. So far, so good!

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
No Comments  comments 
© Ronnie Sherard
credit