What is X10? The Wired Home Weblog

X10 has become a basis for many home automation projects, but most people still don't know what X10 is. Tony Northrup, co-author of Home Hacking Projects for Geeks has a great article that explains X10. He says:X10 is a communications protocol, similar to network protocols such as TCP/IP. However, X10 works across home power lines and is extremely low-bandwidth. X10 devices send about one command per second, and the commands [...] Read More


Universal Remote Control Handpieces The Wired Home Weblog

Tired of playing around with five or six different remote controls? There is the cable TV remote, the DVD remote, the television remote and so on . . . Forget about all these remote controls and get yourself a "universal remote". There is the Universal Remote FX1 which is perhaps one of the simplest remote controls to use (pictured above). This unit can be trained to turn several units off and on [...] Read More


Remote Buddy finds your lost remote The Wired Home Weblog

If you have a bunch of remote controls, then chances are you've probably lost one...or all of them at one point or another. The Remote Buddy is a remote control holder designed to hold up to four of your remote controls, as well as a refreshing beverage. If you misplace one of your beloved controllers you can buzz it from the base station in order to find it. Of course, [...] Read More


Universal Sells MP3s and Rebels From Apple P2P File Sharing

Universal Music Group jumped past rival EMI and juggernaut Apple to sell digital music without DRM (Digital Rights Management) to consumers. The files will be in open MP3 format that can be used on most computers and MP3 players, including iPods. This contrasts with Apple's EMI DRM-less files, which are in an open AAC format that is generally not found outside of iPods. The MP3 files will contain a fingerprint [...] Read More


Universal Sells MP3s and Rebels From Apple Digital Music - The Future

Universal Music Group jumped past rival EMI and juggernaut Apple to sell digital music without DRM (Digital Rights Management) to consumers. The files will be in open MP3 format that can be used on most computers and MP3 players, including iPods. This contrasts with Apple's EMI DRM-less files, which are in an open AAC format that is generally not found outside of iPods. The MP3 files will contain a fingerprint [...] Read More