American Power Conversion was founded by three electronic power engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who were originally working on solar power. There wasn’t enough money to make a viable solar concern, but there was in power protection. They produced their first UPS in 1984 (the 750). Rodger Dowdell, Jr. joined APC as its president in August 1985, where he stayed for more than 20 years. Dowdell’s expertise was in manufacturing, and he was in the right place at the right time with emergence of the personal computer market, and a need to protect those computers from spikes and lags. He moved manufacturing to Peacedale, Rhode Island where there was favorable tax advantages, real estate was cheap and the local workforce was skilled. They became a publicly traded company in 1998. APC has numerous product lines, including models targeted for home, small business and even large datacenters. Today they’re a billion dollar company with worldwide sales and manufacturing and also a Fortune 1000 company.

When I was in college, I lost a seventeen page research paper when the power went out. This taught me a couple of lessons.

1. If it’s important, back it up. Twice. And print it too.
2. Get a good quality Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), they pay for themselves.

I used to just think they were useful when the power went out. Not true. Power in your house is not a smooth clean flow. There are sags, surges and brownouts, and when things *almost* go out, and they play absolute havoc with sensitive electronics. A lightning strike is not the only thing that will melt your computer’s expensive electronics. Years later, I lived in California and they were having rolling blackouts. My neighbor lost his TV (For that huge flatscreen TV and entertainment center in the living room, you might want to consider APC S15 UPS), and asked if I had any problems. Fortunately for me, I had purchased some cheap practical insurance in UPS, and didn’t have a problem. I have two of these particular UPS, both for a little over a year now. The main selling point for me (besides protecting thousands of dollars of equipment) is the LCD display. With the touch of a button I can see in the incoming voltage, and the load on the UPS. I used them to make sure I wasn’t overloading my breakers, and also to informally troubleshoot a power problem with the wiring in the house. Turns out when I turn on my treadmill it creates a load that drops the voltage on downstream electronics- the UPS solved that problem by smoothing out the voltage and cutting over to the battery as necessary. They also keep a simple log of outages and power problems, through the very easy to use Powerchute software. A common mistake people make is to buy the UPS and just plug it in. Make sure you install the software, and test the shutdown performance of the UPS. While running without the software is better than no protection at all, you’re not making the most of the technology, and you’re removing a safety net.

You can order here: APC BR1500LCD 1500VA 900 Watts 8 Outlets BACK-UPS

Sources:
APC
International Directory of Computer Histories
Funding Universe Company Histories

In the early years of the 1960s Celestron (originally Valor Electronics) was created when Tom Johnson, who couldn’t find a decent telescope for his sons, built one from scratch. What was labor of love for his children became his business. The company developed an inexpensive way to produce Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, and in 1970 started to market the Celestron C8. They moved on to larger telescopes, and various other optical products. In 1980 Johnson sold the company, and it almost ceased to exist when Tasco closed its doors. However some wrangling saved the company when the company’s senior executives banded together and bought it. They continued to innovate, went on to develop computerized equatorial telescopes. In 2005 they were purchased yet again by SW Technology Corporation. Quite a wild ride from a garage project for children to products used by colleges and even NASA on shuttle missions.

I first read about the Skyscout on a cross-country flight. It has a sighting system and a database that allows you to identify 6,000 celestial objects. While that sentence describes the core functionality, it just doesn’t do it justice. Imagine you’re in your backyard on a stary night with your child. “Daddy, what’s that star?” she says, and looks up at you expectantly. If you’re like me you can identify the constellations (well technically asterids, thank you Skyscout), but how about that star? Or that one over there? Click a few buttons, point the Skyscout at the object by sighting through the lens and it will tell you not only what the object is, but a little detail about it. Read it on the display, or listen as it TALKS to you. It even knows what is going to be most visible tonight, and can make suggestions on what to look for, guiding you using flashing arrows in the sighting system. Elegantly designed, and perfect for the child in all of us that wants to know what lies in the night sky.

Order here: Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium

Sources:
Celestron

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Live like a king”. For most of us the life the aristocracy is beyond our means, but there are small ways you can do that very thing. A Royal Warrant is issued to prove that a particular supplier provides goods or services to the royal family in England. William Francis Truefitt opened his barber shop’s doors in London 1805. In 1811, King George III granted Truefitt and Hill a warrant, which they currently hold today, now granted by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh. Every reigning monarch since then has used their services, and a few names you might know like Alfred Hitchcock and Sir Winston Churchill. They’re listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest barbershop still in operation. They even have a thing or two to say on how to shave.

Grace and I took our honeymoon over in the the Caribbean. White sandy beaches. Lush palm trees and sky blue ocean. And the little yellow West Indian Limes, rumored to have been indirectly introduced by Columbus a scant 500 years ago. Citrus aurantifolia is a key ingredient in much of the Caribbean fare, including drinks, marinades, and of course their Key Lime Pie. They readily substitute it for lemon juice in all recipes, make traditional candies out of it, and it even acts as a hand cleaner for the fisherman. Truefitt and Hill took this scent and made a delightful shaving cream, accurately describing it as: “Refreshing, effervescent, and zesty, West Indian Limes has lively top notes of lime, lemon, and bergamot combined with a heart of petit grain, neroli and citronella resting on base notes of orange-flower and clove.” The cream itself is light green and pearlescent, which dissolves into a thick and creamy foam with little effort. The formula appears to be a little thinner than 1805 or Trafalgar, and as such prepares a little faster. Typical of the Truefitt and Hill creams, this tub has lasted me a year, and I’m using about a half teaspoon per shave. This is a less serious scent, think of it as 007 on vacation. It’s a nice change from the standards, and a fun cream to surprise the lady in your life with a little variety on how you smell, while still using a classic, manly scent.

Order it here: Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes Shaving Cream 5.8 oz

Sources:
Cayman Net News
Truefitt and Hill

Tivo, (originally named Teleworld) was founded in 1997, by Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay. They extended the idea of a VCR to recording on a hard disk, and the new feature set revolutionized watching TV. Started in the San Francisco bay area, testing began in 1998, and they had their IPO in 1999. As of 2005 they became profitable. The Tivo takes what was a natural extension of the VCR to the next level. It’s difficult to explain unless you HAVE one, and once you do you’ll never watch TV the same way again. I know, sounds like a big claim, but I have THREE in my house, and I’ll explain why.

>>> Time Shifting- Watch what you want, when you want. Okay, VCRs can do a primitive form of this via scheduling, but using the scheduling feature is time consuming and somewhat complex. How many people did you know who had a VCR flashing 12:00 perpetually? With Tivo, you pick a show, say Mythbusters, and get a Season pass. I can tell it I want all the shows, only first run- or only shows on channel 5. I can also tell it start five minutes early, or record however long beyond the time slot to make sure I have the whole show (say the game runs long).

>>> Fast forward through the commercials- Tivo lets you skip the stuff you don’t want to see, and rewind the good stuff. Slow motion? No problem. Phone ring while you’re watching live TV? Just press pause and it will buffer until you have time to watch it. And here’s a little tip. On the remote, if you press: Select>play>select>30>select you can enable a 30 second skip ahead feature, so you don’t even have to fast forward through the ads!

>>> Networking capabilities- I know, you’re thinking why do I need that? Well several reasons actually. First off, you don’t have to use your phone line to download scheduling information (did I mention the guide has all your current channels and shows for the next week or two automatically downloaded?). Next you can download cool Tivo content like music, or there’s even a new service from Amazon called Amazon Unbox- you can rent movies and watch them without ever leaving the house! Check the movie theaters for showtimes, or how about the weather? Got two Tivos in the house? Swap shows between them. Want to watch House on your computer? Copy it over with Tivo’s software. And if you have pictures or music on your computer, your Tivo can bring them to your TV. Imagine showing the grandparents the kids pictures on the TV instead of those 4×6 pictures!

>>> Wishlists and suggestions- Like Dirty Jobs? Then give it three thumbs up when it records, Tivo will find similar content and make suggestions on things you might like, based on the anonymous data of one million Tivo subscribers. Like John Wayne, but don’t know when his movies are on? Set up a Wishlist item including him, and when you get home you might find She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, or any of his other movies waiting for you. It’s like having your own personal TV butler.

There’s a very loyal following for Tivo, and with good reason. They make a great product. There are a couple of things you’ll need to know. There’s subscription service for the schedule (it will work without it, but part of the cool thing about it is all the functionality it enables). This particular Tivo allows you to watch one show and record another, hence the Dual Tuner moniker. However, this only works if you’re using analog cable and don’t have a cable box. If you use digital, then you’ll only be able to record one show at a time. The new Series 3 models will fix this shortcoming. If you get one, drop me a line and let me know how you like it!

Purchase: TiVo TCD649080 Series2 80-Hour Dual-Tuner Digital Video Recorder
Or find a great deal in our Auctions Section.

Sources:
Tivo
Wikipedia
ACM Queue

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Live like a king”. For most of us the life the aristocracy is beyond our means, but there are small ways you can do that very thing. A Royal Warrant is issued to prove that a particular supplier provides goods or services to the royal family in England. William Francis Truefitt opened his barber shop’s doors in London 1805. In 1811, King George III granted Truefitt and Hill a warrant, which they currently hold today, now granted by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh. Every reigning monarch since then has used their services, and a few names you might know like Alfred Hitchcock and Sir Winston Churchill. They’re listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest barbershop still in operation. They even have a thing or two to say on how to shave.

Basenotes component scents for Trafalgar can be found here. It’s the perfect combination of a fresh, yet rich scent. It’s not overpowering- the scent is almost like baby powder, yet far from feminine or childish. If you sat next to a gentleman on the train who had shaved with it, you would think here’s a man of means, who appreciates the finer things in life, but does not overstate them. The cream itself is white and pearlescent, with pleasing flakes of blue, which dissolve completely into a nice thick lather. The formula appears to be a little thicker than 1805 or West Indian Limes, and as such takes another 30 seconds or so to get to the ideal “foam zone”, but it is well worth effort. As with my other Truefitt and Hill creams, this tub has lasted me a year, and typically I’m using about a half teaspoon per shave. If you like 1805 you’ll like Trafalgar, and I would be hard pressed if I had to choose one over the other. Order it here: Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar Shaving Cream 5.8 oz

Sources:
Truefitt and Hill
Basenotes