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ABBAWorld, How Can We Resist You?
The music of four small-town Swedes has endured for nearly 40 years. Now, a new theme park open in London extends the appeal of the 1970s supergroup to a new generation.

Comedian Russell Peters Capitalizes On Indian Roots
As a small South Asian kid with a big mouth, Russell Peters found himself the victim of race bullying. To coax his bullies from rage to laughter, he used self-deprecating comedy. Decades later, he is still poking fun at his own ethnic quirks to disarm audiences, and in the process, he is becoming one of the highest-earning comedians.

 

 

Informative Articles

A Guide To Home Inspections
Any Sally and Sam Homebuyer can look at a home and decide whether it is attractive. They might notice it is freshly painted in pleasing colors, has the requisite number of rooms, a cook’s kitchen and is located in a location with top schools. But...
BUILDING PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS
Probably the most intimidating part of building your own house is the permit process. Not only do the the requirements vary from township to township, but at times the decisions made seem so subjective that we find ourselves seething in...
Home Security
Installing a home security system is becoming increasingly popular and easy for most do it yourselfers while saving money. Some home security companies require a three year contract trapping home owners in. More than half of Britons (58 per cent)...
Shining Some Light on Solar Energy
Without a doubt, solar energy is the way of the future. Solar energy production is an extremely simple process to understand. A solar, or photovoltaic, cell collects energy from the Sun. A solar cell is a semiconductor device that is...
The American Dream Home
Are you ready to starting building your dream home. House plan designs are abundant and easy to customize. Just getting started can sometimes be quite confusing. There's nothing more exciting than building your dream home. Take a look at your...
 
Schreiber, Johansson Build A 'Bridge' To A Classic
Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson are starring in a widely praised revival of Arthur Miller's <em>A View From The Bridge</em>. They tell reporter Jeff Lunden that as in all great tragedies, this one's clashes and catastrophes have something of the inevitable about them.

Stargazing At The Opera
The Hayden Planetarium in New York takes opera to the moon with a new production of <em>Il Mondo Della Luna.</em> Diane Paulus and Philip Bussmann talk about merging cosmos footage with music, how science can enhance the arts and the future of technology and theater.

Obama 'The Musical' Opens In Germany
A new theater production <em>Hope: The Obama Musical Story</em> opened this week in Frankfurt, Germany. It tells the story, in song and dance, of America's first black president. It is likely to be a big success in a country where President Obama is still immensely popular.



Log Home Automation? Excuse me?

On first hearing the term "home automation", most log home owners will say something like... I didn't build a rustic log home to turn it into a high-tech, silicon powered "smart building".

I couldn't agree more, the ever-changing technology of our fast-paced, hyper get-ahead world is one of the things most of us were trying to leave behind. But don't let misinformation (or misunderstanding) keep you from achieving your original goal of simplifying your life.

Most of us can recall the first time we felt the excitement of making a light turn on with a timer, or changed channels on our TV with a remote control. A home automation system is about automating everyday tasks like those while getting the most from our energy dollars and protecting our home. Further good news is that we don't have to call in the professionals to make it all happen.

Today's home automation products are effortless to set up, even for non-geeks, and the cost is amazingly inexpensive. A typical starter kit, which includes home automation software several modules, remote controls and sensors is less than $100. Also, one of the best features of these systems is that you don't have to leave your computer turned on for everything to work (additional modules for lamps and appliances cost as little as $15).

A company called X10 is the leader in inexpensive home automation products and offers a product called ActiveHome Professional (learn more here http://www.home-automation.us/).


White House To Coordinate Online Privacy Rules
The Obama administration announced a new effort to protect online consumer privacy Thursday. Officials will ask Internet companies and privacy advocates to agree on rules to protect people from deceptive practices. The "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" will apply standards — albeit voluntary — for companies to follow.



So you've made an offer on a home. What's next?
You’ve finally found the home of your dreams, 3 bedrooms, attached garage, great neighborhood. You fix sights on the freshly painted walls, new carpeting, beautiful cabinet and a huge back yard. What are you forgetting? Everything else! Don’t...




After programming by your computer, an interface box communicates with your appliances through your home's electrical wires. You can program the system to do amazing things using the ActiveHome Pro software. It is possible to lower your energy bills by developing schedules for lights and appliances.

You can download a plug-in from X10 that permits modules to operate on an "if-then" basis. For instance... if a room is dark and motion is detected, lights can be turned on in sequence, or music can play (or an alarm can activate). You are limited only by your imagination. In fact, X10 also offers a free software development kit that can interface with your e-mail. The point is, you can use the command modules to perform basic functions or get as creative as you want.

So, you may have chosen to escape the city by building a log home in the country, but inserting a little technology in the mix will help you achieve your dream of simplifying your life. Its never been easier or more affordable to put home automation to work. Learn more about the X10 Home Automation system at: http://www.home-automation.us/.

About The Author

Tom Heatherington is editor and founder of the Log Cabin Directory, a "human edited" directory of log home and log cabin manufacturers, contractors, dealers, plans and information for the United States and Canada. Visit: http://www.logcabindirectory.com/.