TechnoGeekGuy

Sarah Palin is a pleasant surprise for those of us who had hoped that Senator McCain would pick a principled and authentic conservative pro-life leader. Sarah Palin is both principled and authentic. As a Governor, she also brings an important balance of understanding of the critical domestic issues that is needed and that the Democrats have ignored with their ticket. Governor Palin is smart, authentic, tough, and a dynamic choice that will remind women that they are not welcome on the Democrat’s ticket, they have a place with Republicans.

[Huck PAC - Blogs - Sarah Palin]

photo credit: d4rmy

… while I do look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ’s coming for His church … Maranatha! … this post is not about the rapture. It _is_ about living in the Internet cloud.

We have just moved into a new house, which means means new utility providers. I decided to try something new. No phone lines and no TV/DishTV. The only thing I have is Internet. (Yes, I do also have a Blockbuster subscription).

And so, we are using Skype with unlimited calling to the US and Skype-In and Skype voice mail. All for about $5/mn. That’s a savings of $65/mn.

And so, we are using Hulu.com and other Internet video sites to provide our “entertainment”. So far so good. One _bad_ thing is I had to install iTunes so I could purchase eposides of Stargate Atlantis. Shocking I know! The next I’ll be doing is buying a Mac — I hope NOT! All for about $0/mn. That’s a savings of $60/mn (DishTV).

My Internet costs are about the same, so no different there. All-in-all, I figure I am saving about $120/mn just on those two items alone.

Now to figure out how to conviently schedule shows to watch — from one interface.

…. and my wife and I are leaving Outlook and using Google Mail’s web interface. This way we do not have to be tethered to just one computer. With four computers in the house (and growing) it is nice to be able to walk up to any of them and check your email.

… and we are also giving up Microsoft Office. I have begun using Google Docs more and more. Now that I can store PDFs in Google Docs, I am compiling a library of PDF manuals for all my applicances and electronic devices. I still need to purchase a good page scanner so that all my bills and other documents can easily be “PDF’d” and placed in Google Docs. It would be nice if they could be encrypted _before_ I upload them. Need to keep the Google Hive out of my personal documents.

And that’s it … for now.

 vs

With a video library hitting close to 1TB, a photo library a little over 30GB and a music library close to 25GB, I need some space!! I also cannot be always backing this stuff up, so something that will withstand a single failed drive is needed as well. AND I want it accessible from anywhere on my home network.

Two obvious choices are:

• the Drobo
• a Windows Home Server

Which one to get? Both offer reliable storage of data over multiple hard disk drives. It will come down to cost and features.

The Drobo is essentially an external drive enclosure that can hold up to (4) drives. It connects to a host computer via USB2 or, in the more expensive model, Firewire 400/800. A DroboShare add-on can also be purchased that allows the Drobo to be connected to a network, and, therefore, no host computer is needed. The Drobo has an excellent User Interface for installing or upgrading the disks. Everything is plug and play.

Microsoft’s Windows Home Server is just an operating system that has to be installed on a computer. It can support upto as many drives as the computer’s case and motherboard can support (plus USB2 and Firewire). Since the WHS is a server, it needs to be connected to a network.

Okay, so that’s a brief overview. Which is better? Well, that depends on what your need is.

If you need is high-speed, reliable data storage, then the 2nd generation Drobo is your best bet. It offers data transfers up to 800Mbit/s and is the easiest to setup and maintain. The Drobo acts just like a BIG hard drive and can be treated as such. For example, you can share out the entire drive on your network or any number of combinations of folders. A maximum of 16TB (4x 2GB) is supported at this time. A 1TB Drobo will cost about $650 ($499 for the 2nd gen Drobo + $150 for 2x 500GB HDD).

If your need is a reliable network-based file server, then Microsoft’s Windows Home Server (WHS) might be the better way to go. WHS needs only a Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM and at least (2) disk drives for data redunancy. Installing or upgrading hard disk drives is not anywhere as easy as the Drobo. The WHS server must be shutdown and HDD installed. This complexity of this procedure will depend on the computer case you decide to purchase. A 1TB WHS will cost about $450 ($150 barebones kit + $150 for 2x 500GB HDD + $150 for the WHS software).

And the winners are:

• for easy of use: Drobo
• for cost and expandability: Windows Home Server (DIY)

HP MediaSmart Server

Note: A pre-built WHS, like the HP MediaSmart Server, can be purchased and offer many of the conveniences of the Drobo. A 1TB (2x 500GB) HP MediaSmart Server from TigerDirect.com is currently $699.97. Very comparable to the 1TB Drobo.

Note 2: WHS offers far more functionality that the Drobo. Built-in backup agents for the computers on your network, remote access to your networked computers from the Internet, and much more. Go to the link above for the official Window Home Server site at Microsoft. There are also many add-ons to extend the functionality of the WHS server.

As for me … in writing this article I have removed any doubt from my mind that I will be building a WHS for myself in the very near future. I’ll write more about it when that time comes.

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In a 3-0 decision the California Court of Appeal for the
Second Appellate District reversed its earlier ruling which would have
required homeschoolers to be certified teachers in order to homeschool
in California. “This is a great victory for homeschool freedom,” said
Michael Farris, one of the team of attorneys who argued the case before
the court and Chairman of HSLDA

Check out www.HSLDA.org for more information.