Monday, April 07, 2003

A short note about polarity I've been talking about bridging our house with my parents using wireless for a while (we have one house between the two right now).  I have two cheap and correctly configured and bridging Wi-Fi access points (D-Link DWL-900AP) and have been working on ways to extend the range without plunking down bucks for two antennas.  After visiting my trusty store (Home Depot) searching for ideas, I decided to put the wireless units in a junction box.  All I need to do is string the CAT-5 outside and figure out the correct amount of power to send over it.  Take the power and the ethernet to the access point outside instead of degrading the signal from the access point to an antenna.  What you might call "Do it yourself Power Over Ethernet." I'm using multivoltage AC adaptor (so that I can adjust the voltage depending on the length of the cable run).  I'm still looking for a resistance calculator for CAT-5 based on distance.  Let me know if you know of one?  I could break out my Electrical Engineering books, but I'm lazy (Volts = Amps x Resistance) Anyway, the point of this story is that I didn't want to fry the access point and I knew about polarity previously, but started doubting myself.  Actually, I can blame this one on bad design -- Belkin does a bad job labeling which polarity is which and they don't use the standard form of the diagram. So, the " C " segment of the diagram represents the outer wall (or upper connector if you are using a headphone like plug).  The inner circle represents the inside or tip of the plug.  The diagram to the right is called "Center Positive" polarity. 11:27:39 PM    comment []  trackback []

To answer everyone's burning question: Do surgical masks stop SARS? "Ok, how about the Louis Vuitton ones?." (actually he didn't according to the press, however designer knockoffs are everywhere) "Short answer, no. They're about as effective a method for virus control as prayer/holding your breath/crossing your fingers is for birth control. Jon Cohen explains in Slate." [via Boing Boing Blog]   11:04:28 PM    comment []  trackback []

A little too cold... to be rowing if you ask me. My cousin Kerry has been braving the cold out with Women's crew at Michigan State.  She's 1st row, far right side. And there's lots more where these came from... 10:57:27 PM    comment []  trackback []

Useit.Com: "Alternative Interfaces for Accessibility. The key difference between user interfaces for sighted users and blind users is not that between graphics and text; it's the difference between 2-D and 1-D. Optimal usability for users with disabilities requires new approaches and new user interfaces." [via Tomalak's Realm] 8:29:21 PM    comment []  trackback []