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Tech News & Commentary
Benjamin in Keithville, Louisiana listening on KEEL 710 AM asked us: “I’d like to know how to set-up my surround sound; we just bought a new house and I don’t know whether to run it up the wall or come down through the ceiling. Its the first time we’ve had an attic to work inside of. What’s the best way to run that and how would I be able to run it into separate rooms and through the house.”
Benjamin, The attic will probably be easier, but it won’t look as finished.
If you’re going for the clean, totally cable-free look, running wires through the walls will get you that, but it requires an awful lot of work, and in-wall rated cables.
Since you bought this place and you’re not just renting for a short time, it may be worth your trouble to do it once and have it look nice forever.
You can always look wireless systems too, they do exist and they would free you of the hassle of having to run any wires at all, but you will have to pay more upfront when you get them.
Now, if you want to wire a house-wide entertainment system, you may benefit from looking at options that are made for that specific purpose, rather than to have to start from scratch. Here at our studios we use a system by HAI by Leviton that allows us to play audio from different sources on speakers in different rooms, we have it running 24 hours a day and it works well. There are similar systems by companies like Sonos and Pure too, we haven’t been able to try them ourselves yet, but some of them offer wireless and wired speakers, so you can install what makes the most sense for each particular room.
You can also look at ceiling speakers, those would be very easy to wire from your attic and you wouldn’t have to worry about hiding cables, since they would just stay in the ceiling.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Facebook Participation: With patient permission, Google Glass is making its way into hospitals and clinics to help with documenting. What are your thoughts and would you be okay with them using the Google Glass during your doctor’s visit or surgery?
Amy in Holcombe, WI said surgery, yes. during physicals…NO, no.
Sal in Miami, Florida shared I hear that the younger set of new interns and residents are using it in droves. This was told to me by a late 30s-something MD who just graduated med school and did well there. But, he says he can’t keep up with these kids and their gadgets.
Samantha said This seems like it could inhibit patients HIPAA rights! Don’t you think so? We can’t even email people’s own info without encryption!
Alonzo stated I would say this would violate HIPAA and HITECH laws especially as revised last year. Many previous loopholes have now been closed along with adding larger fines. Google Glass would have to design major security protocols to secure the data which probably means an iris scan to confirm the right person is accessing the data. This is a BAD idea.
Elissa in Lake Wissota, Wisconsin who is a nursing student shared I don’t know how they would help with documenting, but I do not see it working in a hospital setting due to so many privacy issues… But it’s interesting because I don’t know much about google glass. We have what are called scribes that help do the documentation for doctors and they also use other software that helps them record their notes and documents faster but just speaking. So I guess anything is possible.
Amy shared again That is going to take time to get use to! A bunch of people running around with those stupid things. Aye aye aye. Youtube is going to get more interesting.
Edgar in West Palm Beach, Florida said: In many cases video is being used in the O.R. but during a doctors visit thats another issue. How Does this fall under the HIPAA Law on Patient confidentiality, now you have audio and video images of a patients visit so how will this media be secured in a world where a 10 year old can hack any computer system? Seems like there will be some legal challenges to this practice.
William in Ontario, Canada and listening via the Podcast asked us: “What is the difference between AMD and Intel?”
William, Believe it or not … tho the 2 companies would argue … Not really all that much. They are 2 companies that have cornered the market on building the processors for your computer. Of course, Intel has been doing it a lot longer and is a lot bigger.
Now, while the processor is the brain of the computer and a very important aspect to consider, the difference is negligible between the 2 for most users. At this time, the Intel processors outspeed the AMD versions. If you are looking for high performance for gaming or graphics applications, go Intel. If you are looking for a good value, AMD is great, and probably all you will need if you are an average computer user.
We have found a benchmark test of high end CPUs updated on December 24th, 2013 that lists 25 Intel processors above the most powerful AMD processor they’ve tested, an 8-core AMD FX-9590.
Again, this may mean very little to you if you’re not a very power hungry user, for day to day stuff you’ll like barely notice a difference, but right now, Intel is offering more muscle and less power consumption for a higher price, and AMD is offering more modest performance (though enough for the majority of users), and higher power consumption, for a smaller price tag.
All that being said, here’s what we would give as the bottom line. Intel is faster, AMD is cheaper. If you can afford it, go Intel. You will be glad that you did. But if you can’t afford it, AMD will work.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Kannyn MacRae, VP of Product Development – TYLT
CEA Update with Krista Silano
The International CES is the home for 3D printing. And in 2015, the show floor area dedicated to 3D printers will double in size! Krista Silano with the Consumer Electronics Association explains…in this week’s CEA Update.
Product Spotlight
We frequently have the opportunity to check out a few accessories for your mobile devices that typically have a lot of competition, but some are also a little unique and useful. These particular products on this week’s PS come from a company called giik … sounds kinda GEEKY and with an unusual spelling of giik. Michael gave us a little more insight on these helpful products.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Kanex: GoPower Pack – 6,000 mAh and 11,000 mAh battery packs with built-in stands for smartphones
Other World Computing (OWC): NUGUARD KX – Kinectic Energy X-Orbing Case for iPad Air
Bits Limited: Mini Squids — Travel-Sized surge protected power strips
Tylt: ENERGI Sliding Power Cases for iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4.
“Into Tomorrow”: Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!