My final hub configuration for home video conferencing


The previous posts in this series: How I chose a hub for better home video conferencingHub addendumA great USB-C hub rant I've finished reconfiguring my home office! I changed some of the connections as things came together. A first sketch of the hub I wanted Based on how I wanted to upgrade my home office, I … Continue reading My final hub configuration for home video conferencing →

Cultural musings


All of the Star Wars movies are crap. All of the Marvel and D.C. superhero movies are crap. Although I’ve previously read many of them, I’m going to start (re-)reading all of John le Carré’s books in order.

Solar power installer selected!


We selected A&R Solar to install our photovoltaic system and signed the contract. The broad elements of the system are: Thirty-one Panasonic EverVolt 410W panelsSolarEdgePower: 12.71 kWAnnual energy: 10,562 kWh in year 1Installation cost: $40,134...after Federal tax credit: $29,699Annual projected energy savings in year 1: $1,304 The runner-up was a proposal from Puget Sound Solar. … Continue reading Solar power installer selected! →

Three solar power proposals


I have three proposals so far for installing photovoltaics on my house. Proposal123Panel count, brand, power30 REC Alpha 405W29 Panasonic EverVolt 410W29 Q CELLS Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ 400WPanel efficiency21.9%22.2%21.4%Inverters30 Enphase IQ8M 330WSolarEdgeSolarEdgePower12.15 kW11.89 kW11.6 kWAnnual energy10,209 kWh10,450 kWh10,235 kWhPrice$35,770$38,413$35,579Price with Fed credit$26,470$28,426$26,328$ / Watt$2.94$3.23$3.07$ / Watt, with Fed credit$2.18$2.39$2.27 Some factoids I've learned from … Continue reading Three solar power proposals →

A financial model for residential solar power


After years of thinking about it, I've decided to have solar panels installed on my house. I’m talking to three local solar power companies. In a future post, I'll share the winning bid’s numbers. For now, I’ll share why I think installing residential photovoltaics is a financial win. This carries a bucketload of Caveat Emptors! … Continue reading A financial model for residential solar power →

Adhesive hook-and-loop tape is killer


My home office reorganizing includes moving things around. So I need to attach things (power bricks, cable tie-downs, hubs) to other things (laptop stand legs, desk legs) in new ways. I've fallen in love with adhesive hook-and-loop tape. Like this product from Black Box. You can attach anything to anything with this stuff. You need … Continue reading Adhesive hook-and-loop tape is killer →

A great USB-C hub rant


Seen on HN, a really good rant about USB-C hubs from last year. The HN comments are good too. Notable positive experiences with CalDigit.

Hub addendum


CalDigit got back to me about the iPhone power supply issue with my Element Hub. The hub supplies up to 7.5W per USB-A port and 15W per USB-C port. My phone draws too much power for the USB-A port to which it's attached. They were kind enough to offer a driver download that provides more … Continue reading Hub addendum →

How I chose a hub for better home video conferencing


Many home workers are fine with plugging cables into their laptops but are intimidated by buying a hub. The hub marketplace can be very confusing because of the semantics of USB and related standards. This is the story of my search for a hub: Why I needed one, how I spec’d it, and how I … Continue reading How I chose a hub for better home video conferencing →