I used to leave my computer on all the time. One nice thing about Linux is that it doesn't require the nightly reboot like Windows used to (and maybe still does). The only problem with never turning off my computer was how much electricity it used. I never really quantified the numbers until recently. I was amazed at what I found.
Since I work out of town during the week and am only home on weekends (except for that one week a month that I get to work from home), I started turning off my computer on Sunday nights and didn't turn it back on until Saturday morning. The next time I got my electrical bill, it was $5 less than the previous month. Now there are a lot of things that can influence electricity usage and so I waited with anticipation for the next bill to arrive. This time it was $20 lower. Then summer hit and my electrical bill goes though the roof because of my air conditioner. However, I noticed that my electrical usage was lower for the same time over the previous year.
So how much money am I really saving by leaving my computer off during the week? Looking at my current electrical bill, I see that I am paying between 8 and 11 cents per kilowatt hour. I know that my computer sitting idle draws about 2 amps at 120 volts. Multiplying those two numbers together will give you 240 watts. So running my computer for about 4 hours is equal to 1 kilowatt hour of electricity. Doing some more arithmetic shows that my computer is off for a total of 5 days or 120 hours. Multiplying 240 watts by 120 hours equates to 28.8 kilowatt hours of electricity. If I use an average cost of 9 cents per kilowatt hour, I see that I am saving myself $2.59 per week. This works out to about $10.36 every month.
So the savings are not as huge as I originally thought. How come my bill seems so much lower? There must be other factors such as a general concern for the environment. At about the same time I started turning off my computer, I may have started working harder to turn off lights that were not in use. Looking at the electrical bill for months that I use the air conditioner, I have noticed that even though the average daily temperature is the same this year over last, I have gone from 68 kilowatt hours per day down to 43. That is huge! Not only is my computer a work device, it is also a space heater. Sometimes being "green" is a great way to save a little "green."
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Virtual Private Networks
Recently I worked a deal with my current employer that allows me to work from my home in Utah one week a month. While my home is in the Salt Lake area, my office is in the San Francisco area and requires that I travel every Monday and Friday. This is the week I am home and I have to say it is a welcome change.
Computers greatly facilitate working from home. Since I spend most of my time in front of a screen in the office, it only stands to reason that I could just as easily spend that time at home in front of a similar screen. The only thing missing is the interaction with my co-workers. Fortunately for this week, that is a bonus as I have some software development to do and really don't want to be bothered by anyone.
Security is a key part of my job and so one of the technologies that allows me to work from home is a virtual private network or VPN. When I first start my computer in the morning, I have to run a simple program that asks for 3 different passwords. One is the usual password I use to log into the network when I am in the office. The other two are groups of numbers. The first number is a personal identification number that I have memorized and the second comes from a small electronic device I keep on my key chain. It generates a predictable-random number every 30 seconds. Once everything is entered, I click the connect button and my computer looks like it is part of my work network. My connection is only good for 8 hours. At the end of that time period, I get automatically logged off.
I like being able to work from home one week a month. It gives me more time to do those things that are normally done in the evening, like playing catch with my son, or replacing the fog light bulbs in my car. However there is a weak link with my VPN configuration, if I ever forget any of my passwords or lose my key chain FOB, I won't be able to work. OK, I don't really worry about my passwords, but I do worry about that little FOB. So far it seems fairly indestructible as I have accidentally taken it swimming and discovered it is waterproof. For the record, it wasn't an accident that the FOB was in my pocket, it was an accident that I went swimming wearing my street clothes. Sometimes that happens when you live part time on a boat.
Computers greatly facilitate working from home. Since I spend most of my time in front of a screen in the office, it only stands to reason that I could just as easily spend that time at home in front of a similar screen. The only thing missing is the interaction with my co-workers. Fortunately for this week, that is a bonus as I have some software development to do and really don't want to be bothered by anyone.
Security is a key part of my job and so one of the technologies that allows me to work from home is a virtual private network or VPN. When I first start my computer in the morning, I have to run a simple program that asks for 3 different passwords. One is the usual password I use to log into the network when I am in the office. The other two are groups of numbers. The first number is a personal identification number that I have memorized and the second comes from a small electronic device I keep on my key chain. It generates a predictable-random number every 30 seconds. Once everything is entered, I click the connect button and my computer looks like it is part of my work network. My connection is only good for 8 hours. At the end of that time period, I get automatically logged off.
I like being able to work from home one week a month. It gives me more time to do those things that are normally done in the evening, like playing catch with my son, or replacing the fog light bulbs in my car. However there is a weak link with my VPN configuration, if I ever forget any of my passwords or lose my key chain FOB, I won't be able to work. OK, I don't really worry about my passwords, but I do worry about that little FOB. So far it seems fairly indestructible as I have accidentally taken it swimming and discovered it is waterproof. For the record, it wasn't an accident that the FOB was in my pocket, it was an accident that I went swimming wearing my street clothes. Sometimes that happens when you live part time on a boat.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Disneyland
For the past two years I have managed to miss my youngest daughter's birthday. This year I needed to do something special and make it up to her. Instead of having a party or getting her a big gift, my wife and I took her to Disneyland for two days. There were no siblings, just her. I was surprised that a 17-year old would want to spend her birthday with her parents, it involved one of her favorite places and so I was happy to oblige.
I have to confess that it has been a decade since I have been to Disneyland. In 2005, I took the family to DisneyWorld in Florida for a week. It was fun, but the kids actually preferred Arches National Park two months later. After being gone for so long, it was a fun return. My daughter reverted to a pleasant 5-year old that loved Daddy, yet was old enough not to complain nor have to use the restroom every 5 minutes.
What does Disneyland have to do with computers? Well a lot has changed in the past 10 years. When it came time to get tickets, there was the usual Internet searching for the best deal. We determined that we wanted Park Hopper tickets so we could visit both Disneyland and California Adventure on the same day. The best deal for two days turned out to be at SweetVacations.org. You can pick up a 2-day park hopper ticket for $125. That is almost $75 off the price from Disney's ticket office. Basically you register on their website and they send you a confirmation e-mail. Bring the confirmation e-mail on the first day of your visit with cash to pick up the tickets. They don't take credit cards, but at those savings, it shouldn't be a problem. Our tickets worked great both days we were there. When we were done, we just returned the tickets back to the office where we got them.
The next change that I saw at Disneyland was with all of the smart phone apps. If you have an iPhone, go to the app store and do a search on Disneyland. You will get a number of free and paid apps that provide real-time information about lines in the park. Suppose you have just finished at Pirates of the Caribbean and don't want to wait too long for your next ride. Simply pull out your app and it will show you wait times for the Haunted Mansion or the Indian Jones ride. Of course these things only work if you are also willing to post your own wait times as you stand in line. However, that is a small price to pay for maximizing your ride times.
Disneyland claims to be the "Happiest place on earth." When you have little ones crying in line, it is tough to believe, especially when you are paying $100 per day to be there. Now that I have experienced Disneyland with an older child, never having to wait in lines, and having spent close to half of regular costs, I find it much happier.
I have to confess that it has been a decade since I have been to Disneyland. In 2005, I took the family to DisneyWorld in Florida for a week. It was fun, but the kids actually preferred Arches National Park two months later. After being gone for so long, it was a fun return. My daughter reverted to a pleasant 5-year old that loved Daddy, yet was old enough not to complain nor have to use the restroom every 5 minutes.
What does Disneyland have to do with computers? Well a lot has changed in the past 10 years. When it came time to get tickets, there was the usual Internet searching for the best deal. We determined that we wanted Park Hopper tickets so we could visit both Disneyland and California Adventure on the same day. The best deal for two days turned out to be at SweetVacations.org. You can pick up a 2-day park hopper ticket for $125. That is almost $75 off the price from Disney's ticket office. Basically you register on their website and they send you a confirmation e-mail. Bring the confirmation e-mail on the first day of your visit with cash to pick up the tickets. They don't take credit cards, but at those savings, it shouldn't be a problem. Our tickets worked great both days we were there. When we were done, we just returned the tickets back to the office where we got them.
The next change that I saw at Disneyland was with all of the smart phone apps. If you have an iPhone, go to the app store and do a search on Disneyland. You will get a number of free and paid apps that provide real-time information about lines in the park. Suppose you have just finished at Pirates of the Caribbean and don't want to wait too long for your next ride. Simply pull out your app and it will show you wait times for the Haunted Mansion or the Indian Jones ride. Of course these things only work if you are also willing to post your own wait times as you stand in line. However, that is a small price to pay for maximizing your ride times.
Disneyland claims to be the "Happiest place on earth." When you have little ones crying in line, it is tough to believe, especially when you are paying $100 per day to be there. Now that I have experienced Disneyland with an older child, never having to wait in lines, and having spent close to half of regular costs, I find it much happier.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Internet Music
Lately I have been listening to a lot of music on the Internet. It makes me wonder how much longer traditional radio stations will be around. While I doubt they will all disappear completely, I do believe we will see a number of them cease to exist. After all, how many "Top 40" radio stations do we need in one broadcast area?
I started going to the Internet for music because I was tired of listening to the same songs over and over on the radio. The first place I went went was Pandora which is like an Internet radio station. You can listen for a number of hours each month for free as long as you are willing to also listen to advertisements. One nice thing about Pandora is that you can specify what types of music you hear. If you don't like a song, simply click on the thumbs-down icon and you will never hear it again.
Pandora is great when you want to hear different music than you might already have on your iPod or in your MP3 collection. Many regular broadcast radio stations also have an Internet presence and allow you to listen to their content even though you are half-way around the world. However, what about those times when you want to hear a specific song? For that, my preference is YouTube. If you bring up another browser tab, you don't even have to watch the music video (some of which are really awful).
YouTube has been a lot of fun lately. There were some songs that I remember hearing on the radio when I was a young kid and I have been able to listen to them again. I was really young when the Bay City Rollers released "Saturday Night" but I remember that it was very popular. I also remember C. W. McCall's "Convoy." I can't help but laugh when I go back to listen to some of those old songs. Some are still good while I can't understand what I found appealing in others. However, it is fun to take a walk down memory lane every once and a while.
I started going to the Internet for music because I was tired of listening to the same songs over and over on the radio. The first place I went went was Pandora which is like an Internet radio station. You can listen for a number of hours each month for free as long as you are willing to also listen to advertisements. One nice thing about Pandora is that you can specify what types of music you hear. If you don't like a song, simply click on the thumbs-down icon and you will never hear it again.
Pandora is great when you want to hear different music than you might already have on your iPod or in your MP3 collection. Many regular broadcast radio stations also have an Internet presence and allow you to listen to their content even though you are half-way around the world. However, what about those times when you want to hear a specific song? For that, my preference is YouTube. If you bring up another browser tab, you don't even have to watch the music video (some of which are really awful).
YouTube has been a lot of fun lately. There were some songs that I remember hearing on the radio when I was a young kid and I have been able to listen to them again. I was really young when the Bay City Rollers released "Saturday Night" but I remember that it was very popular. I also remember C. W. McCall's "Convoy." I can't help but laugh when I go back to listen to some of those old songs. Some are still good while I can't understand what I found appealing in others. However, it is fun to take a walk down memory lane every once and a while.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Tablet Computers
When I first graduated from College 20 years ago, several computer manufactures announced tablet computers. None of them sold very well and it seems the idea was shelved. Then Apple announced the iPad. It was a huge success and now it seems everyone has a tablet computer, including the company where I now work.
Last night I found myself coming up with reasons to purchase a tablet computer. I have to travel once a week and would love to use one on the plane. The problem is that while I can rationalize all of the cool projects that I can do, the tablet would really just get used for games or watching movies. So that has me wondering if I should just get a portable game unit. I already have a Sony PSP and it doesn't get used much any more.
No, the appeal of a tablet is that it can be used for more than just game playing. That is why the iPhone and other smart phones have been so successful. You always carry your phone with you and to have it do more than one thing. On vacation with your family but left your camera at the hotel? Use your phone's to take a picture. On a long flight and are tired of reading your book? Watch a movie on the small screen or play a game. Maybe instead of getting a tablet, I should just get a newer phone.
Last night I found myself coming up with reasons to purchase a tablet computer. I have to travel once a week and would love to use one on the plane. The problem is that while I can rationalize all of the cool projects that I can do, the tablet would really just get used for games or watching movies. So that has me wondering if I should just get a portable game unit. I already have a Sony PSP and it doesn't get used much any more.
No, the appeal of a tablet is that it can be used for more than just game playing. That is why the iPhone and other smart phones have been so successful. You always carry your phone with you and to have it do more than one thing. On vacation with your family but left your camera at the hotel? Use your phone's to take a picture. On a long flight and are tired of reading your book? Watch a movie on the small screen or play a game. Maybe instead of getting a tablet, I should just get a newer phone.
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