Do you need to keep track of hundreds or thousands of different items? Maybe you have a CD collection that has been growing for years and constantly trying to remember what you own or where the CD is currently located is taking up your time and money. You may want to create a database of everything you own but how do you track the physical items? RFID tags can help.

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is an method of tracking physical materials through a small flat transponder attached to the item. You can apply an RFID tag to an object and use radio waves to read and track the item. A standard RFID tag contains an integrated circuit for storing the information you can read and an antenna for transmitting the signal. Many companies and manufactures use RFID in their supply chain management process. The companies apply RFID tags to the items to track and they are able to track their supply easily. You can use the same ideas behind large supply chain management to your home.

You may have heard about RFID tags tracking our every move and are aphrenrsive about tagging the items in your home. After all, you really would not want someone with an RFID reader to be able to see what you have in your home. Labeling your home inventory and collections with RFID will not announce to other people what you own because the tags will actually not have any specific information on them. To begin labeling your products at home, you should purchase passive RFID tags. Passive RFID does not actively broadcast a signal, the RFID information is only readable by a RFID reader in close proximity. If you are cautious about possible exposure of your inventory to others you can test your reader and your RFID tags before applying the labels to your products.

RFID tags are so small now that you can actually purchase labels that contain a RFID chip embedded in the paper. The chips are also very thin so you may not even notice the chip at all. If you want to make labels for a collection of products or to mark your home inventory, choose a label that is not too large and fits your budget. The paper labels are so easy to use that you may start to label everything you come in contact with. You can usually find these RFID labels at stores that sell products to warehouses or online. If this is your first purchase of RFID labels, you may want to seek out a store in your town and discuss your options with a sales clerk. Many companies will try to sell you a printer, labels, and an elaborate RFID reader but there really is no need to over purchase your supplies. All you need are the labels and a RFID reader, which can be purchased second hand through Ebay or other website. If you visit a local store, you may want to request a demonstration of different readers and different labels in order to choose the right labels for your needs.

You will need to purchase an inventory database program for your computer, of if you have the time and the desire, you could make your own. There are many different database programs available online, it is simply a matter of finding the program that meets your needs. To keep your work down, choose a database program that can store the RFID information in them. This allows you to enter all the data pertaining to the items you want to track into one location and scan the RFID label you attach to the product. Also, you may want to spend a little time thinking about why you are labeling the items in your home in order to purchase the best database program for your needs. If you loan items in your collection out, you can use your database to track which items you have loaned out. If you want to create a home inventory in case of loss or theft, your database program can be much easier and simpler.

Because of the demands of many large companies, RFID tags have become very thin and very cheep. You really do not need to do anything special to create a useable RFID label for your home, just slap a pre-made paper label on the items you want to track. With the proper database program and reader you will not need to write anything on the label, just attach, scan the chip, and record the data on your computer. The hard part of this tracking process, will be collecting the data into a database you can use. There are several companies that sell a database and RFID reader package to allow the home user to start an RFID inventory. And who knows, once you begin using RFID tags in your home, you may start to discover additional uses for these handy RFID tags.

C-band satellite dishes were used to receive satellite television signals during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. These satellite dishes were usually about 10 feet across and were a constant complaint for homeowners and neighbors wherever they were installed. Because of changes in television signals and advancements in technology, these large satellite dishes have been replaced with a smaller and less costly dish. However many of the big satellite dishes still work and can be used for new technology applications. If you have a big satellite dish and want to continue to use to watch television, there are many free-to-air television stations still accessible through these satellite dishes and some stations periodically open their scrambled feeds which can be picked up with the satellite dishes. But if you want to use this dish for a bigger project, you can also use the dish as a wifi internet antenna.

To convert your satellite dish into a powerful wifi internet antenna, you will need to purchase several items including an N-connector and a pigtail connector with the necessary connector for your internet access point on one end and an N-connector on the other. You can find the N-connector and pigtail cables available for purchase online and in case your not sure where to purchase all the different parts needed, you can find several different kits available for purchase. The most important part for this entire project is the N-connector so you may want to purchase more than one. You also need a thin copper sheet, plastic for the base, and a soldering iron.

Using standard solid-core house wire you need to build an element for the wireless signal. Cut a piece of wire 244mm long and bend the wire into a double diamond or bow tie shape. You want to make each diamond in this element symmetrical so this may take a little bit of practice. You should have extra wire available incase you want to stop and start over several times. If you find the wire too hard to bend, try using two pairs of pliers as it can be very firm. Next, you need to cut a 110mm square of black plastic to use as a base for your new wifi reflector. You should drill a hole in the center of your plastic to allow the N-connector to fit properly.

Prep your N-connector by soldering a piece of copper wire to the center pin and to the outside of the connector. In order to save time, you should solder the outside wire first as it will take longer to heat and attach. After your N-connector has cooled attach it to one side of the plastic base using epoxy and epoxy the thin copper sheet to the other side of the plastic base. After the epoxy has cured, solder your copper bow tie to the two vertical wires, the bow tie can not directly touch the copper plate below it so you may want to prop it up with a couple pieces of excess copper plating. Once all your solder points are cooled, trim the excess from the vertical wires and relish in the fact, you just made an antenna.

Now it is time to connect your antenna to the satellite dish. Connect the N-connector to the feed horn on the satellite dish remembering to point the copper side of your antenna towards the satellite dish. This antenna is going to pull in wireless signals from your area and you will need a converter for your computer to take the signal being sent down the coax. This could be another access point or a cable internet box. The type of converter used will vary upon your computer and your available hardware. You can also convert your new satellite dish antenna to project your own internet signal in order to boost your wifi range.

After you have the antenna connected, you should set your satellite dish to point in a direction you expect to find at least one wifi signal. You may want to use a software program like kismet to search and find wifi signals in the area and test your antenna. You should be cautious with your new internet antenna as it may be more powerful than allowed by the FCC. Building these large wifi satellite dish antennas is a little complex and time consuming but for people who live in areas where it is hard to get broadband internet this is a viable and cost effective solution. If you live in an area where you have a large amount of open space and need or want to access the intent in these open areas, you can pick up satellite dishes for free from people who want to get rid of old equipment and build your own network of wifi antennas.

Do you have friends who are constantly telling you that you should switch from Microsoft Windows to Linux? Have they gone as far as providing you with a Ubuntu CD to install on your computer? Are you starting to dread hearing the word Linux because your very happy with your current operating system? Well, to be honest, you are not alone. If Linux is so great why are only 3% of the computers currently being used running Linux? The reasons for such a low percentage of use is not really relevant because what is interesting is this — even if you have no interest in switching your computer operating system, Linux is in your home and effecting your computing life in many different ways.

Linux is not a new operating system, there has been a lot of talk about the operating system in the last couple of years so you may have just started to hear about Linux but the operating system has been around since the early 1990s. This means that Linux has been time-proven and thanks to the open-source community Linux is constantly being improved. This very reliable operating system is running many of the servers we connect to every day. Most internet service providers use Linux as the operating system on their servers. Highly visible web sites such as Google and Ebay use Linux-based servers as well. Think where you would be without Google or Ebay and how often do these websites go down? Companies that stake their reputation and their profit on a computer usually choose Linux as the operating system of choice.

Linux does not have the layers of bloat that other software operating systems are notorious for. In fact, Linux is small enough and reliable enough to run many of the electronics in our homes. Do you have a Tivo in your home? It’s running Linux. Do you own an Audi? It’s running Linux. The software is highly configurable which allows electronic manufacturers to build operating systems that contain only the necessary information needed to run the device. Linux is also free which can keep the manufacturing costs down.

There are relatively few viruses in the world that are designed to attack Linux. Linux may be solid and virus free but the community is still at the forefront of providing free security upgrades on-line. Before Linux started proving free upgrades on-line, upgrades were provided by either ordering a CD or going through a knowledge base of information looking for a download link. One click software upgrades were created on Linux first and when first rolled out in the mid 1990, the process was considered invasive to personal privacy. The success of Linux’s upgrade center led to Microsoft and Apple building their own free software download center that do the same thing.

Linux has shown that freedom of choice of software is important to consumers. Open-source software is fairly inexpensive to create which means new manufacturers can enter the market easily. If the programmers working on software solutions are not creating software to address the needs of their customers another programmer can step in and make a better product. With the abundance of choices, you can select the tools and software that meets your needs. Linux is proving that customers need and want more than one choice in their software because one company can not meet the needs of everyone.

Linux brought us interoperability. Before interoperability became standard, you could not connect a Mac to a Windows based network and you could not share files between different software programs. Linux users wanted to share files with other computer users and connect their computers to home and work networks which has caused interoperability to became a necessity. Once Linux users paved the path, Microsoft and Apple were not too far behind and now it does not matter what type of computer you are using, you’re able to interoperate with others.

Linux can also be thanked for the ideas of individual configuration. Linux was the first operating system to offer the option of individual profiles and user configuration. Each user can have his or her own individual profile on the same computer. This includes the look of the desktop, which icons you see, what programs start and even what language the desktop is in. Before Linux caused the individual profile and configuration ideas to be become popular, everyone had the same desktop look and all configuration processes effected everyone who used the computer.

Linux has been on the forefront of new ideas. The open-source community has been able to keep Linux free and evolving. And of course when something becomes popular it will eventually end up in the next versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X operating systems. Even for those of us that have no desire to run Linux as our operating system, we have a great amount of computing and software ideas that we should thank Linux for.

Throughout history there has been a need to create a secret code in order for a small group of people to communicate with each other. A cipher is an advanced secret code that codes each individual letter instead of focusing on the words. These secret codes can be very simple rearrangement of letters or numbers into a code or something more elaborate. Many ciphers are impossible to break because the codes are based upon unknown mathematical formulas or substitute symbols for letters and numbers. Most famous cipher’s are used during periods of war with one side creating the cipher and the other side trying desperately to decode the messages but ciphers

Probably the most well known cipher of all time is the German Enigma of World War II. German military and diplomatic information was encoded using an typewriter style machine called “Enigma.” This device had three wheels which would type a different letter than the one you choose on the keyboard. To further complicate the encryption, after each character, the wheels would change so that a different letter would be produced for repeated characters. This made the classic style of decryption and code breaking impossible to complete on an Enigma created document.

To decrypt an Enigma code the receiver only needed to know which wheels to use and which position to start them in. Eventually, England was able to break the Enigma code but they kept the information highly confidential until thirty years after the war. In order to break the Enigma code, computers were used. It would have taken years for some to sit at the Enigma typewriter and try every wheel and every position but computers were able to run through ever different combination as quickly as possible in an attempt to decode the words.

During World War II, the Japanese military had their own cipher. While not as detailed in creation as the German Enigma code, the Japanese Navy cipher consisted of 33,000 words, phrases, and letters and was the primary code used for all military operations. Using a series of mathematical analysis, IBM punch-card computing machines, and a cipher machine, a team of American’s was able to crack most of this cipher before 1942. The Japanese cipher was much easier to break because many of the intercepted messages started with the same phrases and constantly repeated information that was easy to verify. The Japanese also failed to change their cipher key often enough to keep ahead of the code break efforts.

Not ever famous cipher was used during a war, for many people creating and decoding ciphers is a hobby. Recently a cipher called the Smithy Code was embedded into the legal judgement from Justice Peter Smith on The Da Vinci Code copyright case. As the book The Da Vinci Code was based upon the idea of a cipher being included in art and information around the main character the justice presiding over the case included a cipher in the court documents. The letters of the code were actual text of the written judgement, but were italicized to stand out from the rest of the text. After the letters were extracted from the text and several hints were followed, people were able to decipher this amusing challenge.

The Beale cipher is another fun cipher created to challenge people to crack the code. This cipher is a set of three texts which allegedly state the location of a buried treasure claimed to be worth over 30 million US dollars. It is claimed that the texts in the cipher were written in 1885 and detail a treasure being buried by a gentleman named Thomas Jefferson Beale in a secret location in Virginia. Beale left the box with the encrypted messages with a local innkeeper and then disappeared. After the innkeeper’s death, the paperwork was taken by a family friend who was able to decode the first text. People have spent the last 100 years attempting to crack the codes in the however until the second and third texts are decoded the treasure remains a mystery.

Today, we use ciphers for internet security and personal privacy. Encryption software created a cipher based upon the guidelines set up in the program. Many encryption programs allow you to create your own security code which is required by the receiver in order to view the data as unencrypted. Encryption can make our personal information safer from casual theft but nothing is completely safe if someone really wants or thinks they need the information. We must never believe that our codes cannot be broken, even codes created by computer programs and personal keys. History has shown time and time again that with the correct equipment and a meticulous though process, any code no matter how complete or crack proof we believe it to be can be broken.

Are you tired of struggling with your computer’s operating system. Do you want to try a program where you do not need to be constantly on the look out for viruses or security attacks? Have you considered giving up your computer because software is becoming too expensive for you to afford? Do not give up, you are not locked into Microsoft Windows, there are alternate operating systems available.

Linux is the open-source alternative to Windows. Linux has been around since the early 1990s and for many people moving to Linux is an easy switch. Linux is considered to be a stable operating system which many businesses choose to run their mission critical computers and websites. Much work has been done to create versions of Linux that can aid people in switching from Windows. Linux is open-source which means many versions of the software are available for free. There is a lot of software available for Linux and many of the documents created are compatible with Microsoft Office. Linux users also see themselves not as customers but as a community. If you decide to switch to Linux and you need assistance or help, you can find someone online who is willing to assist you. No need to contact customer service or pay for expensive in home support.

If your interested in moving to a new computing platform, Apple Macintosh offers an entire line of computers and products for your computing needs. Apple computers are seen as high end computers that will last for several years. Many of the differences between Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are old and outdated. Mac OS X is a fully fleshed operating system with an community of software developers and users behind the product. You can share files between the two operating systems and network both operating systems together. Mac computers are seen as products used by artistic and creative people. While the high end computing games available for play on Windows computers is not available for the Mac, there is plenty of software to keep everyone happy. If you choose to switch to the Macintosh you will not have the same virus and security concerns that Windows users have but you will need to keep up on security updates as there are security holes in the operating system.

Solaris 10 is a little known operating system that you can replace Windows with. Solaris is based upon the Unix code base. There are two versions of Solaris. Solaris 10 is the professional enterprise level operating system that is designed for companies to use for their servers. Many system administrators see Solaris 10 as an upgrade to Linux. The other version of the software is OpenSolaris. OpenSolaris is the open-source operating system designed for individuals and college students. OpenSolaris is still very rough as the community is still working on the software’s potential. If you missed the early years of LInux and want to be on the ground floor building a new operating system and a new computer community, you may want to consider checking out OpenSolaris. Many of the same features you will find in Linux are available or planned for OpenSolaris. The open source community is working diligently on this operating system so chances are if you try OpenSolaris one month and do not like it, if you return the next month the operating system will look and feel very different and you may like the new version.

If you do decide to move from Microsoft Windows to one of the alternative operating systems available, you may want to try the new software out before you commit your computer hardware fully. Both Linux and Solaris have CD bootable versions of their software available which will allow you to try the software out without erasing anything from your primary hard drive. You also want to take some time to determine if the software you use on a daily basis or an approximate substitute is available for your new operating system. There is nothing more frustrating then switching to a new operating system and discovering that you can not longer use software that helps you run your life.

In the early 1990s there were very few choices in computer operating systems and the alternative at that time were not as robust the alternatives today. Before you start to dismiss one of the alternative operating system with the ideas that they are not interoperable or do not have any software choices, take a second look because you may be surprised on the changes all operating systems have undergone in the last 15 years. You now have choices in your computing and the best part is many of those choices are free or low cost and still have the support and help that any new user needs and desires.

Are you tired of constantly having to spend money on software to keep your computer running? Do you want to change up your computing style and learn new methods of handling your data? Or maybe you have tired of the constant need to fight off virus attacks and are looking for a better operating system. If so, it is time to take the plunge and replace your computer’s operating system and software with Linux.

Even after you switch operating systems and begin to run Linux, you will still be able to run all the software you paid for in the past. Using a program called Wine, you will be able to run many of the software programs that you find vital to your life. Wine is not powerful enough to run high end programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. In order to run high end Windows programs you should consider installing a professional virtualization programs such as VMWare. Using VMWare you can even run programs written for the Macintosh. With Linux you can get the best of all the computing platforms, you can install extensions to your Linux operating system that make your desktop look and feel like a Macintosh and still have full Windows compatibility.

Linux users already understand the need to be able to search for new software in a quick and efficient manner. Linux users have created a searchable repository of all the great software available for use. This database has been used by Linux uses for over five years now and it is constantly being improved. WIth one click, you can install new software and update the software you have installed on your computer. No longer will you need to search for hours just to figure out if you have the current version of a piece of software. With Linux’s one-click software installation program you keep up with the latest versions of all your software without hassle.

When installing software for your new Linux computer, you will be shocked on how many programs are available for free. No longer will you be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on an email program or word processor. Instead, you will find many different programs available to you that will meet and exceed your requirements. If you find a program that you like but it does not meet all your needs, it is often very easy to contact the programmer and ask that the features you need be included in the next release. Many linux programs are created by individuals or small groups of people who love to engage with their customers and improve their software. No calls to unknowledgeable customer service representatives, you will be able to talk to the actual programmers and developers of the software programs you love.

In addition to the cost savings, you will find that you no longer find yourself breaking copyright laws when you use your software. If you have ever resorted to either gray-hat or black-hat methods of gaining software because of the high price of quality software, switching to Linux and using open source software may help you to rid your computer of anything gained inappropriately. The programs you once had to get illegally have comparable Linux operating system programs that you can get for free.

Whatever your computer security concern, you will be able to find a Linux application that can solve it. It you have data that needs to be encrypted, emails that need to authentic, or instant messenger chats that you want to protect, you will find easy to use encryption software and add-ins available for free.

Overall Linux is considered one of the most stable operating systems available and there are hundreds of computer programs who work on the operating system constantly to make sure it continues to be stable. There is a large community of people who are happy to help you with any issue that you have. If you have questions on installation of Linux, you will be able to get immediate assistance through many of the Linux users forums. Linux users are a community and they want to include you in that community. Using Linux is a constant learning process for everyone and new tutorials are being produced to help new users get up to speed very quickly.

In the end there is only one reason to choose Linux as your computer’s operating system, it’s cool and fun. You can find many different versions of Linux and chances are there are at least two versions that will meet your current computing needs. Once you have linux installed on your computer, you will find that there really is no learning curve. You’ll understand how everything works very easily and soon you will be showing all your friends. Be careful, you may end up installing Linux on every computer your friends and family own as well.

Many people use technology to communicate with their friends and love ones but never give a thought to how technology has improved their lives. Technology surrounds us every day, the grocery store is dripping in technology, the buses run on computers, and even the dentist uses digital cameras and computer imaging systems instead of x-rays. While we live our lives surrounded with technology, have you ever stopped to consider how society can be changed through technology?

The internet opened up forms of communication that we never thought were possible before. Today we have hundreds of social news sites where individuals can write and post news reports pertaining to the world around them. People can also comment and respond to ideas through forums and commenting systems which means we can share ideas and knowledge with anyone in the world at any time. Imagine if we created a forum where this open communication path was used to create social policy and laws? No longer would social policy be created by the elite few who find themselves governing others but by the masses.

Open source software allows many people to provide their own input and knowledge towards the creation of useable software. There are still many societies where the exchange of ideas is not open or acceptable. We should bring open source software to these societies and help to teach that sharing ideas and knowledge with others can be a profitable endeavor for everyone. We can also take the ideas of working together to create other open source projects. Using the ideas of open source will increase the eduction level of people around the world, teachers can and are releasing their lessons and knowledge the world through the internet. Children who live their whole lives without access to teachers can now learn by listening to audio recordings or watching a television show.

Many employers area already using video technology to connect their office locations together and avoid large travel expenses. What if we connected employers with possible employees around the world through video communication? Technology could help raise the level of earnings for many people who barely make enough money to survive. A new form of work would be created through the use of video communication. Some workplaces already communicate mainly through email, why not expand this idea and hire the most qualified person no matter where they are located in the world.

Another method of sharing has been created through creative commons. We can improve society by releasing all forms of art under the creative commons licensing structure. Allowing other people to spread our art and use as they see fit can help spread the ideas behind our creations and challenge others to create as well. Time and time again society has been changed by the artistes within and today we have the ability to spread art to every corner of the world by using the internet and technology. Of course, all of our ideas towards using technology and the internet to improve society can only succeed if we have net neutrality. Individuals need to be able to choose what they access on the internet without the interference from an internet provider or their government.

The ability to share knowledge and information with anyone in the world through the internet is one of the best ways we can improve society. However, without a computer hardware infrastructure the internet is nothing but a communication idea. The One Laptop Per Child Initiative (OLPC for short) is a great example of how we can get computers into the hands of people who need them. Computers do not need to be top-of-the-line gaming computers designed to produce high end 3D graphics. We can provide low cost equipment to people who have never owned a computer before. These low end computers are able to connect to the internet and therefore connect to the world.

With an OLPC style computer and a webcam, individuals will be able to document the horrors inflicted on people in third world countries and post the information to the internet for all to see. No longer will one man or one government be able to hide behind their silence and abuse people in their countries. When a society is under siege by a despot, the truth can become societies best weapon. That truth can be recorded on computers and posted to the internet. Even if we can not get a computer in to the hands of every person in the world, there are other technologies that work just as well. Digital cameras can store thousands of pictures on a chip smaller than a postage stamp. If we arm people around the world with cameras we can still communicate and learn through the photos.

Cell phones are also a great technology that will help to improve the lives of people around the world. Even something as simple as a voice conversation can change a person’s life. If all you have is a cell phone that makes voice calls, you could connect to voice recognition software and communicate with the world. People could use cell phones to listen to educational recordings and expand their knowledge. We could teach people new skills and give them training all through a cell phone conversation.

Finally, advanced in manufacturing technology should be shared with all the countries of the world to help improve not only society but the environment as well. By training people on high speed manufacturing processes we can improve the working conditions of millions of people around the world. Clothing manufacturing will not longer need to be completed through sweatshop practices instead high-tech cloth cutters and sewing machines could be used.

Many times technology surrounds us and we fail to notice how our lives are improved. We have become so immune to how improved our lives are because of technology that we often fail to see that there are other people who need assistance. We need to spread our technology to all countries of the world and help to improve their societies as well.