A few days ago I posted that I've been messing around with building my very own WiFi waveguide antenna, otherwise know as a cantenna. Allegedly the name comes from the practice of building the high frequency waveguide from a surplus metal can, something that amateur radio folks have been doing for years. The purpose of the WiFi waveguide is to increase the signal strength from distant WiFi hotspots. In principal the length and diameter of the can affect how much signal gain you can achieve. The can also provides a means to provide direction gain control, i.e. only receiving signals from hotspots you point the can at, which can be useful at times.

Few things conjure up such mixed emotions as an impending software release, at least for a programmer. On one had your tired and you just want to get the thing done, but on the other hand you know that launching your app will likely mean the inevitable call from co-workers that "the server's blowing up" or "I can't get to my email". To our friends outside the IT world, these little annoyances might seem very severe, but in reality they are just simple teething problems that every project has whether it's a new web app or a recently constructed building.

Over the years I've built a number of PCs from scratch and I have to say it can be one of the most rewarding do it yourself activities. Though it's typically thought of as the realm of the computer geek, building your own system is not an impossible task and can be completed by any hobbyist with a little time and self confidence. The real problem is choosing which "bare bones" system to start with. The following is an article I wrote a while back comparing two similar systems that I've built a number of times. Though some of the hardware is now obsolete, both companies continue sell very similar products. They are by no means the only two systems out there, so I encourage you to do a little research and find the box that best fits your needs.

If you’re like me you probably have tons of digital photos sitting on your hard drive at home. Digital cameras are convenient and easy to use, but they have one major drawback which is you can't automatically get hardcopy photos without printing them out or taking them to a development shop. I started looking around and found several websites that offer not only digital picture prints, but also a wide variety of customizable products. Below is a list of several I've found. I'll be doing more investigation in the next few days and will write a summary of what I find. In the meantime post your comments about these sites or suggest your own!