As simple as it gets – what your washer and dryer used to look like. You won’t see this unit unless you’re shopping for the bare bones machine tucked away in the back.

Single button too simple? How about this missile control dashboard? It’s too bad floor units weren’t powered. I was hoping the light sequence was color coded from green to red. DEFCON 1 Extra Hot water!

This one was interesting. The manufacturer included hidden functionality enabled by pressing and holding each button individually. Check out a few of the other machines:

Which machine would you pick based on the control layout? Any of the above units or something a little simpler? Imagine advanced functionality minus the complexity…

When AT&T announced their signal boosting femtocell a.k.a. the 3G MicroCell, I knew it was the answer to our coverage woes. Essentially, the MicroCell is a miniature cellphone tower which increases indoor coverage by utilizing your existing internet (Cable or DSL) connection. The idea sounds awesome until you start to digest the monetary details.

So the current situation looks like this:

• $150 – One MicroCell plus taxes so that I can enjoy an iPhone.
• $180 / mo. – Two iPhones sharing minutes, unlimited data and unlimited messaging on AT&T’s Family Talk plan.
• $60 / mo. – Comcast internet connection which AT&T is going to use to improve our cellphone coverage.

Ok, that’s a decent chunk of money going towards communicating on a cellphone via AT&T Wireless. But it’s hard to let go of the iPhone. I’ve tried.

I’m tired of having poor service. I’m even more tired of friends who come over with their non-AT&T service who are able to use their devices without fuming. I actually walked into an AT&T Wireless Store on the way home from work today with the intention of purchasing a 3G MicroCell. I was so close to pulling the trigger until I asked the sales rep:

What do you think about a customer having to pay $150 for a piece of hardware that piggybacks on a home internet connection to fill AT&T service holes?

The answer that convinced me that today was not a day to give AT&T more money:

We’re actually doing you a huge favor by subsidizing the MicroCell. The actual price of the device is $500. $150 for reliable home service is a great deal.

No AT&T, I would be doing you a favor by staying on as a contract customer and reducing your wireless network load in the area. Wouldn’t it be great if AT&T has some kind of system in place that would provide 3G MicroCell towers to customers in order to maintain quality service?

Streamd.in – Anytime, Anywhere

Streamd.in is a little project that I’ve been tinkering on with @raulraja, @justinelsberry, @nickelsberry and @edwardsuh. The app is now live for testing. The bare bones original idea was to display Twitter updates from around the world on a Google Map – nothing more. As development progressed, the basic idea turned into a basic web based Twitter client mated to Google Maps. With Streamd.in, users can:

• View status updates from people they follow
• View updates originating from a specific location in the world
• Create, reply, retweet, view user profiles or follow / unfollow users
• Manually set a specific location with each message or remain hidden

For now, Streamd.in focuses on content originating from Twitter. However, future layers will include updates from Foursquare, Brightkite and Flickr. Follow @streamdin on Twitter to find out when new features roll out. For ideas, feedback or questions feel free to get in touch.

What are your thoughts regarding geolocation?

With the recent attention that Please Rob Me received and the increased risk of openly sharing your location, where do you stand on the popular trend of openly sharing where you are?

Google. Openly embracing and sharing your info with the online giant… Or trying your best to keep your data hidden from Vader? After you watch the clip, check out this infographic of Google by Pingdom.

I experimented with LogMeIn but really wanted to leave the web browser for browsing and remote control of a computer to a VNC client. Having previously setup my computers for VNC access / control on the local network, the changes for remote access were minimal. In short, setting up remote VNC access requires:

1. VNC server running on the host (home) computer
2. Your home router forwarding required ports to the host computer
3. Helpful: Easy to remember dynamic hostname instead of memorizing an IP
4. VNC viewer (client) for your remote computer or iPhone

I wanted to document the process here for Mac OS X 10.5+ users with along with some helpful screenshots for curious minds.

First, enable Screen Sharing on your Mac. Open System Preferences > Sharing and tick the ‘Screen Sharing’ option. In the screenshot above I’ve added the password requirement for controlling the screen (Computer Settings…).

In order to access your home computer remotely, you’ll need to forward the necessary ports appropriately. To do this, log into your Airport Extreme. Select Manual Setup. Inside the Advanced tab, select the Advanced tab then Port Mapping. Inside of this dialog, select the small ‘+’ (plus) button. The port mapping setup assistant will slide into view. Select Remote Login – SSH & Apple Remote Desktop. Each selection will automatically fill the correct ports. Select Continue after specifying each service.

You Port Mapping window should now look like the image above. Ensure that both checkboxes are checked then proceed to update the new settings to your router.

DynDNS to save you from remembering your IP

To keep the entire process of accessing your computer remotely easy, setup a free account at DynDNS (create account). Once the account has been properly setup, return to the main dashboard and look for My Services.

What you want to setup is a new Host Service > Dynamic DNS Hosts.

Select Add New Host on the following screen. DynDNS will request some basic info related to your home Mac.

The first field – Hostname – will be your "memorable" URL to access your computer remotely from outside of your home network (select from alternate domains using the dropdown). Select Service Type: Host with IP address. DynDNS can automatically fill-in your location IP address (click on the link). The rest of the settings can be ignored.

Chances are your location IP will change every so often (without you knowledge). Unless you’re paying your service provider for a static IP, you’ll want to install the DynDNS Updater (free). This handy daemon runs in the background and updates DynDNS with your current IP.

Connecting to your home Mac with a VNC client

Now that VNC is enabled on the home Mac, the appropriate ports forwarded and DynDNS setup, it’s time to connect remotely. The first option is to use a VNC client like Chicken of the VNC. The alternative (my preference) is to use the built-in VNC client provided by Apple as of 10.5 Leopard – the same client use for Back to my Mac. To access the client, go to Finder > Go > Connect to Server or CMD +K.

Upon successfully connecting, you will be prompted to enter the previously setup credentials to control your remote Mac. The beauty of Apple’s integrated VNC client is the fact that larger remote screens are automatically resized to fit. For MacBook / MacBook Pro users, the iMac or Apple Cinema display at home will be resized to fit (with the option to view at full resolution).

Do you use VNC? What method to you use to manage / control your computer at home?