I live on a ranch with about 7 acres of land. As such, I've got multiple buildings spread out over quite a distance and it becomes pretty clear that if you are going to compute in such an environment, you need a decent network to cover large areas of space.

So I started with a single Linksys WRT54GS speed booster access point and enjoyed the coverage the little wonder gave me for some time. Trouble was, it covered only about 200 feet in the house and, with a special Cantenna at my remote lab about 400 feet away, it gave barely acceptable performance.

So, I bought a second WRT54GS and ran a CAT-5 cable down to the lab. I figured it would be a cinch to hook up. Well... it was almost a cinch. It took some research to figure out how to get things to run. And to boot, I had to talk with one of my network guys at work who clued me into the simple fix. So, this article is being written to eventually find it's way to Google and to help others in the same boat. My initial research on Google into how to best hook the two together fell on the mutterings of network gurus who spoke in strange tongues and seemed determined to obfuscate the simple fix. My own network support person has the strange talent of speaking in english and being able to communicate concepts easily, so his expert support clued me in to what to do.

Are we getting closer to Star trek? Well, Purdue University researchers have developed a handheld sensing system, which they liken to Star Trek’s “tricorder,” to be used to study the chemical compounds of alien worlds.

Boasting an ultraportable weight of 20 lbs, the handy miniature mass spectrometer combines mass spectrometry with DESI (desorption electrospray ionization) thereby allowing chemical composition to be resolved outside of a vacuum chamber.

I had the opportunity recently to visit a friend at her home in a large upscale gated community. As my Mustang approached the imposing gates of her sanctuary, I couldn't help comparing the colossus before me with the gate to Folsom Prison, a mere ten miles away.  In fact I wondered if I had wandered into the prison grounds when the gate magically opened for the person who passed me by and I scooted my Mustang in behind the angry woman who must have thought I was crazy for not identifying myself on the intercom before I entered the pri... er... compound.

Moving forward, I entered the featureless plain that was the aptly named attempt at sounding California Chique. Not wishing a lawsuit, I can reveal that the community resides just outside Folsom and represents a huge blight to the land with it's *sameness" that removes all doubt that replicators have indeed landed and taken over the Earth with the soundex "ano" ending the horror that is the evil compound of Klingon/Russian black and white theater. The old commercial "Ticky-Tacky Houses, All The Same" entered my mind...

My mind rebels and Chris Issak saves the day... That dude sure can sing...