I have read way too many articles and watched way too many videos on the subject of hard boiled eggs. In the end it seems that there are a number of factors–real or imagined–that contribute to how easy it is to remove the shell, how to keep the shell from cracking, the firmness of the […]
There have been a few incidents over the years where my basement (cellar) has incurred water damage. The worst time was when the sump pump stopped working and the basement floor was covered by several inches of groundwater. While the basement is not a finished area, it is a recreational, work, and storage space containing
Automating Flood Detection Read More »
I have multiple Logitech Harmony Hubs (which I will call “Hubs” with an uppercase “H”), devices in my house that act as remote control transceivers. In other words, the Hubs can receive commands from a select set of Logitech-branded physical remote control devices such as the Logitech Harmony 950 and then issue commands to other
Integrating Amazon Echo With Multiple Logitech Hubs Using openHAB Read More »
This is a great side dish for a picnic. However, it also works as a warm side-dish. I prefer a sharper, more acidic flavor, so do not add any sugar to temper the vinegar. However, you may add some sugar to taste when making the sauce. If you are serving warm then the initial cooking
German Potato Salad Read More »
This is nice, earthy, cold-weather comfort food. I like to eat it over Basmati rice cooked with chicken stock instead of water, and with some added turmeric. The spices in the recipe can be adjusted such as reducing some of the more “earthly” flavors like cumin, coriander, and cloves, and adding things like thyme, sage,
Pork Meatballs in Curry Read More »
There have been a number of times in the past where the garage door has been left open all night or when no one was at home. This could be due to issues such as someone forgetting to close the garage door, or the door having problems closing without anyone noticing. I wanted to get
Automating Garage Door Monitoring Read More »
When I am getting ready to leave the house I like to be able to issue a single command such as “turn on leaving mode” and have the home automation perform the following actions: Then, after a certain period of time passes, do the following: When I am returning home through the garage, (meaning the
Automating Leaving or Returning to the House Read More »
As part of the changes to the Stein Home Network (see Stein Home Network – 2021 Edition), the core home automation server is being moved to a new virtual machine and a new version of the openHAB software I use. While it is the same software, it is a major change and it is recommended
Home Automation – 2021 Edition Read More »
In order to implement a cohesive way to control and monitor you home, you need some sort of controller to integrate with your devices. This can take the form of a “hub” hardware device (or multiple hubs) that you place in your home, or the use a third-party (or multiple third-parties) over the Internet. Since
Home Automation Controller – 2021 Edition Read More »
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a way to securely access a private network over a public one such as the Internet. For example, when I am away from home I may want to access and use my desktop computer located in my home study. But I do not want other people who may have
Virtual Private Network (VPN) – 2021 Edition Read More »
