For a while now I have been working on a desk with at least 2 computers (most of the time more).  Each computer runs a different OS.  (Linux / OSX / Windows)   While over the past few years I have upgraded my desk a few times, going from the door on saw horses to the long tables you get at Samsclub really cheap to a really nice desk, still a table top, but a bit nicer looking.   I’ve always preferred these type of desks because of what they can hold – monitors!     I learned a while back that having a keyboard on my desktop for each machine was a lot of clutter.   Enter an app I’ve grown to love over the past few years.  Synergy.   It’s over due worthy for a post.    Synergy allows me to take a number of computers and use 1 keyboard/mouse combo for them. 

Basically the setup is easy:  

Say I have 2 computers at my desk.   My work Mac Book Pro and my beloved linux box (in this case it’s running Ubuntu)   I really like my Apple hardware, the famous flat keyboard and the mighty mouse and I use my Mac Book Pro a majority of the time.   So I pick my MPB to be my “server” for synergy.  My linux box will be the client machine.   I setup the server with a quick configuration: 

mbprover-2:synergy-1.3.1 jhigley$ cat synergy.conf 

section: screens

       mbprover-2.local:

       jamesh-desktop:

    end

    section: links

       mbprover-2.local:

           right = jamesh-desktop

       jamesh-desktop:

           left = mbprover-2.local

    end

Now I run synergys (the server) on the MPB and on the linux box I run the client, you guessed it, I run synergyc and tell it to connect to the server.  There are a few tricks, be sure to use the “hostnames” of each box in the config.  You can customize the config all you want, I just wanted to show you how to get it up quick.  

Visit the synergy website for more info:  http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

Price:  Free!!  (this is why opensource software is so cool.) 

Now your getting confused.  A couple weeks ago I bought a Tomtom 720, I even write a review on it, now today I’m writing a review on the Garmin Nuiv?  That’s right!  As I had mentioned in my review of the Tomtom 720, we where going on a trip up to Michigan.   A driving trip with two small kids, requires a few more stops than the norm.  So we needed a GPS.  

I had first purchased the Tomtom 720 because of the feature set it has over the Garmin Nuvi 750.  The tomtom has bluetooth, is very customizable, and your able to apply user modified maps. (error corrections) So on the day we where leaving the MI, I applied updates, added some fun points of interest, synced my iPhone phonebook, added route and was ready to hit the road.  The tomtom took a few minutes to grab satellite positions, and off we where, well just the kids and I to AAA to get our paper maps and state books. (With Hotel info and such)   On the way, the tomtom put us about 20 feet off the road,   I decided it was an update I applied, so on the way, I reset the unit to factory defaults, this took about 5 minutes, it acquired the satellites again, and had it positioned correctly on the road.    I stop, get my stuff from AAA and return, turn the unit back on, and we are again miss positioned on the map again.  So on the way out, we where passing SamsClub, where I bought the unit, and I decided to take the tomtom back. 

Welcome the Garmin Nuvi 750, I traded in my tomtom 720 for the Garmin Nuvi 750, and so far could not be happier.   Yeah, the nuvi does not have bluetooth, or lacks some of the features of the tomtom, and was $15 more expensive.   But it’s a solid GPS.  Has tons of features, and works like a champ.  Spot on addresses, and updated maps.  Both tomtom 720 and Garmin Nuvi 750 are about the same size. 

So we had the Garmin Nuvi 750 on the trip and it performed like a champ. On the way up we stopped to get Pizza for the kids, salads for us, so we wanted a Pizza place, and no not Pizza Hut or anything common, we wanted a good local place and we did not want to eat in, it was a beautiful day out and the kids had been in the car all day, we wanted to our dinner at a park so we could run around and play in the swings, the garmin helped us find both, (and both with in 1.5 miles of each other ) As a treat the park was next to the local high school and it was home coming weekend, and the band was outside practicing. 

A GPS greatly improves a long driving trip.   I highly recommend one for those long trips, granted, they are not cheap, this was around $300, and they help you spend money, where are the Starbucks on the route?  :-)

Over the past month we have been trying to conserve energy, be more efficient, and do all the good stuff we should to be “green”.   Please note that I am not on the Al Gore bandwagon, while saving planet earth is not a bad thing, my motives are probably more selfish than honorable, but that’s ok, we can all work towards something “green” right.   I personally like green paper bills. 

Back on track.  We lowered our energy bill almost $75 in one month.  Here is a list of goodies we have done: 

• turn lights off behind us (simple) 
• set the a/c to run a better schedule  (73-75 in the day, 69 at night, we had it at 70 in the day and 67 at night) 
• get our whole a/c unit and ducts cleaned (http://www.enviroductcleaning.com/) please see my prior post on this
• use less a/c  - we had a couple of cool night that we didn’t use the a/c at all
• turn computers and monitors off when not in use, since I mostly use a mac book now, my other box are off more than on. 
• watch less tv – now that Elliana is getting very mobile, we have a lot less sitting time. 

Ok, so that’s it.  I really think cleaning the air ducks and a/c unit out helped with it’s more efficiency.   Now to see if this is a trend or a lucky month!   Good luck to you on lowering your bill, please do share how you did it!

This weekend we went out shopping for a GPS Navigational unit for our car.  We are about to go on a small road trip to Michigan to see my grandmother and we wanted to a device to help us on the way.  Our wants in a GPS is, something with exceptional mapping, get me from point A to point B in the best way possible, we wanted something loaded down with POI (points of interest), we want to know where all the Starbucks are, and on a lessor note, something that is easy to sync up, to get new maps, updated POI, and such.

Well as the title suggest, we went with the TomTom GO 720.  I took my daughter out to Best Buy and found it there for $399.99, I thought that seemed a tad higher than I wanted to pay for a GPS, so we waited and went to SamsClub the next day.  I found the same unit for $284.00 (and I bought the bumper to bumper 3 year warranty for $39.00)

The unit itself is a great size, not so small that everything is cramped, and not so big that you can’t see out of your windshield.   The screen is 4.3 inches big. It has great options, like Bluetooth, iPod connector (uses built in FM transmitter to play though car stereo), has a 3 hour battery life (or car adaptor), docking station for your desk. 

One of the other options I really wanted in a GPS unit would be that it would work natively on OSX.  TomTom does this.   They have software for the OSX and it works great.   I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. 

So far I give this unit high ratings, until I take a trip and really test it out, I won’t know for sure. (I can tell you the speaker phone through my bluetooth work great)