Year: 2018

Welcome to the Flock!

By Sean Christopher On In Fun Stuff

I’d like to introduce a new member to the Birds Family. Before you ask, no, Kerry isn’t expecting a baby. We got a puppy! His name is Wesley, and he’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. You can follow him on Instagram. Yep, he’s just a little guy (Laura has referred to him as a toy dog 😐) but I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s a big dog because the bigger the dog he meets the more he wants to play. He’s very courageous, to say the least, and perfectly-sized for our Chicago apartment.  

My Rant: eSports

By Laura Jean On In Misc

No one who knows me would ever consider me to be a bonafide sports fan. I keep up with 1 sport, and root for 1 team… That’s about it. I don’t check player stats, team stats, or participate in any events, with the exception of major ones pertinent to the sport I care about (World Cup). Outside of that, I don’t know (or care) about sportsball.

DIY Smart Home with Home Assistant

By Michael Gregory On In Tech Tips

I’ve been on a bit of a quest to find ways to link all the various smart devices I’ve acquired over the years. I have IKEA Tradfri lights, Osram (Now Sylvania) RGB bulbs, and BroadLink SP3 wireless outlets. Unfortunately, they all use different and not totally compatible solutions. Previously, I’ve used my Google Home to control my RGB lights in my bedroom and office, an IKEA Tradfri remote for my IKEA lamps in the living room, and an app on my phone to control my Wifi outlets.

Small Business Solutions – On-Prem Virtualization or Offsite Cloud?

By Sean Christopher On In Tech Tips

Are you starting a small business? Are you retooling your infrastructure? If so, maybe you’re trying to implement the best tech solution, and have heard these buzzwords: Cloud Computing and Virtualization. They are similar strategies, but not interchangeable. And their definitions definitely blur together. So let’s take a minute to simplify them a bit. Afterall, they each have benefits, so it’s worth learning how they work.

Relieving Stress: Don’t Forget to Breathe

By Kristin Imperio On In Misc

breathe

It may not be so obvious that you can relieve stress without any outside tools, medicines or mind-altering substances. You have it within you: your lungs (and your brain).

Have you ever been in a stressful situation (computer not working?) and the first thing you do let out a big sigh? That’s your body relieving stress in an unconscious manner. Part of your nervous system is made up the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic, or Fight-or-Flight response, is responsible for increasing blood pressure and releasing