Indigo 3 Simplifies Home Automation

May 12 2008

The new version of Indigo, a Mac home automation program, offers many new features and improvements. But don't overlook some of the more obscure gems, such as the three that I find most interesting. read more

Home Office Envy

May 05 2008

If you've got a problem to solve, nothing beats seeing how others have tackled it for themselves. My question is how do I best configure a home office to accommodate multiple, large displays? The answer, it turns out, is found by peeking into the private workspaces of others. read more

Timely Travel Info in Your Pocket

April 28 2008

Summer travel beckons, and here's how to make sure your trips to the airport are correctly timed. read more

Cidney - Distributed Caller ID for Macintosh

April 21 2008

A new application for capturing Caller ID information from you phone line offer some very interesting advanced features. read more

A peek inside an automated home

April 14 2008

Curious about how advanced hobbyist-level home automation is accomplished? Two brief and well-written articles give you a peek into the types of things you can accomplish by combining logic and Macintosh know-how. read more

Relief for Mac-based Ceiva Customers

April 07 2008

The Ceiva digital photo frame is old school, but a simple way to distribute photographs to far-flung relatives. After a long period of neglect, Ceiva has recently released an iPhoto plug-in. read more

Meet Hazel

April 01 2008

Overwhelmed with URLs that friends, family, and co-workers had sent me to, I was shocked to find that my "to be visited" folder had over 150 items, some nearly two years old. So, I called Hazel. read more

Proxify your home

March 24 2008

Square one for automating tasks is to get acquainted with a powerful and flexible scheduling program. There are several to choose from, but a good place to start is Proxi, it's proven quite handy in my home and office. read more

Standalone Home Automation

March 17 2008

If you want to try home automation but dislike the idea of having a computer controlling your home, and turned on all the time, then a standalone controller is what you seek. The latest controller is supported on the Mac, so what are you waiting for? read more

Mac technology for "Aging in Place"

March 10 2008

As the baby boomers get older, an industry for using technology to monitor seniors at home is emerging. You can buy a packaged solution, or roll your own, but either way you might just find some peace of mind. read more

Remotely controlling your home from within

March 03 2008

You're resting comfortably on the couch at home. You need to do something on your Mac. Perhaps run an application or change to a different iTunes playlist. Can you do it without standing up and walking to your computer? Of course you can. Here's how... read more

Touch your home from the web

February 25 2008

If you have a home automation that you want to control while you're away, via the web, Mac software developers are ready to help you out. And can iPhone solutions be far behind? read more

One week with EyeTV

February 18 2008

I haven't tried EyeTV recently, but the newest version convinced me to dive in again, and the results have been quite good. But you'll want to purchase carefully if you're thinking of buying right now. read more

Sonar for your Home

February 11 2008

The availability of small, inexpensive sonar rangefinders creates new opportunities to make your home smarter. Discover two ideas for putting them to use, as well as how to use them with your Mac. read more

Quiet your Home with Ambient Noise

February 04 2008

Are you driven to distraction by noise? Software solutions promise to help you concentrate, and maybe even lift your mood, by generating ambient noises that mask what bothers you. I've been using one, with pretty good success. read more