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House
& Home
Links to House & Home On-Line
. Links
to House & Home On-Line The
amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. And, to put it all in context, best estimates say
that only a fraction, maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there is actually making its
way to the search engines.
Well ...
Here at DownStreet, we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we
post a few links in House & Home to sites that might interest you.
Sometimes the links will be related to one another ... sometimes
we'll just offer up a somewhat random sampling. In either case, we think
we might be able to help you find the kind of site you've been looking for.
Of course, while we can't vouch for the fact that every link we provide will be
of interest to everyone, we do our best to filter out the noise and the
bustle. ... Let
There be Light: Xmas Lighting Sites
We're hooked on light, especially
this time of year. So we're running the following links for those with a
similar passion, present or potential, for lighting up the night around the
holidays. ... Ok? Ok ...
Let's go.
PlanetChristmas
 Planet
Christmas boasts of itself as "the center of the universe for
computerized Christmas lights!" Once you visit, you'll understand
why Chuck Smith's site is so popular with the Xmas lights set. For
starters, you can check out last year's Planet Xmas display ...
"143,268 lights, 52 reindeer, 352 strobes, Santa in a helicopter, three
singing penguins all controlled by a computer that blinks all the lights in
sequence using 540 electrical circuits." Got your curiosity
aroused? Good. The site is fairly quick, with home page links to
a Chat Room, Best Links, FAQ's, Cool Stuff, and Tech Stuff -- a collection
of specs about Smith's house, X10 & strobes. There also a link to
a section called Showing Off!, as well as one to 'Olive' {as in, 'Ol-ive the
other reindeer -- don't blame us}. On a more commanding note, there is
also a link to How to Photograph Christmas Lights, and one rather bizarre
one called Danger, which is a mini-photo essay on someone who grabbed the
16.6k voltage line above a power tower crossbar and lived.
.
One last
note: The Best Links section takes you to their collection of links on
Xmas lighting. But there's also one at the bottom called Christmas
Site Links that is actually a different page of news links. If you're
into Xmas lighting, this is a must visit.
Rating: **** [4 stars]
. Home
Automation Knowledge Base
Ok.
Let's assume you've been bit by the Xmas light bug, so now you want to know
what this X10 business is all about. Look no further. ... The
HAKB site is an absolute compendium of X10 knowledge, including tons of
stuff on Theory, Modifications to X10 modules, Applications {in case
you'd like to do something other than or in addition to Xmas lighting with
your new X10 equipment}, a currently blank Tips section, and a Site Search. In
case you didn't read the article on Xmas lighting in this month's Weekend
Warrior, do it. That way you'll know that it's the
tech-of-choice for Xmas lighting, and you'll also have some idea of what X10
is if you don't already. {Hint: It's the beginning of whole-home
automation.} Ok. So X10 Xmas lighting isn't your thing.
{Mine either. We actually still use candles on our Christmas tree!}
But the X10 site is still worth a visit, just to see what this
household wiring-based and wireless communications technology can do!
Rating:
****1/2 [4-1/2 stars]
. Kron
Lume: Tree-Top Lights
Our
last site is a Scandinavian lighting specialty outfit. They have all
sorts of lamps and lighting, including literal head-lights for their Saint
Lucia Day celebration. {In case you didn't know, Santa Lucia is the
patroness of light and vision.} Kron Lume lists only three
tree-top stars. But each and every one looks glorious. Besides,
it might give you some ideas. And if you do decide to make a purchase,
there's a dealer right here in Vermont. {Simply enter your zip when at
the site, and it will bring up the name and address.} There's got to
be something a little more ... more ... I'm not sure what. But I
remember hearing a feature on the radio last year about a community in the
upper reaches of Scandinavia where everyone stops whatever their doing one
day in early February and goes outside to sing to the sun ... which makes
its way above the horizon there in February for the first time since
November. Let's face it. It's the darkest time of the
year. And anything that can bring a little more light into the world
has got to be a welcome addition.
Rating: ***1-2 [3-1/2 stars]
*******
******* If you know of any
links that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
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