Marcus Hamaker is The Sleepy Geek

If you know me then you know that I have been cheering for the Dutch side in the World Cup because my dad is from Holland and I am one of three in the first generation Canadian on his side. Too bad we lost yesterday but it wasn’t their best showing in my opinion. The ref seemed to take the momentum of the game but if nothing else he was consistent!

What am I getting at with my gadgets? Yesterday while watching the game I was at the cottage up north with some friends and we caught the game via satellite. Since putting that thing up 10 years ago I have seen the dish cut out only 2 times and that was in VERY bad weather. Wouldn’t you know it in the cover of the blazing sun the satellite cut out in the 105th minute. “Please stand by while we establish a satellite signal”. AHHHHH! WTF is that?

Just lucky enough though to have my satellite radio with me. Slammed the XM on the home dock and tuned into ESPN to listen to the game. Well commented and for the 15 minutes that I was without video I was saved. Great to have it there for the music but even nicer to not have missed anything in the big match.

Now I get a chance to relax from sports for a while. I am a huge Montreal Canadiens fan and when the Euro or World Cup is on I am completely into that as well. We have fun as a family with it but it’s far to stressing for a passtime :)

What sucked? Not being in a sports bar downtown to watch the game where it wouldn’t have cut out.

What was awesome? Forgot about the game in 15 minutes because I was at the cottage and on the boat by then having a blast with friends and family :)

Geek on!

Me thinks I am mostly a 4, oh boy!

The 8 Most Irritating Types Of Gadget Owners courtesy of geeksaresexy.net.

Geek on!

There are a lot of ways to automate things in your home these days. Even appliances come with delays and timers built directly into them which is basic automation. But if you are like me, you want something more elaborate. There are the solutions that can run into 5+ dollar figures but what’s the fun in that? Nothing to set up!

I have used X10 in my house for some time but it seems that the Insteon boys have come up with a line that now completely blows it out of the water. You can now buy home kits that allow you to set up lighting and appliance switching for a low price. There is also very little to installing these units. Plug the module in the wall and then plug the lamp in the module. The rest is configuration – setting IDs and playing with the scheduling with the software.

I would recommend that you get a kit such as this to start with. As you see you get the modules for lighting and the software to run on a computer that allows you to turn on/off/dim the lights from your PHONE! How awesome is that? There are others that come with remote controls which is more similar to what I am used to and I find it handy to be able to hit one button as my head touches the pillow and all my lights go out :) Gadget mania!

Most of the things that I buy of this nature come from the mecca of home automation – Smarthome. They have the Insteon line but also carry many other products to make your life easier. I suggest you check them out.

Happy shopping, if not for real it’s a great window shop!

Geek on!

This is definitely on the top of my list this year. I have been in the market for a DSLR camera for quite some time, or should I say I have been drooling over one for quite some time. I really like the D3000 and the D5000 from Nikon. I am familiar with the brand due to a couple of buddies at work and their D60/D200. Photography is something that I have been really interested in since I was a kid. I love to take pictures and really have out-grown my Olympus point and shoot camera that my wife and I bought 5 years ago.

The D3000 and D5000 are both very good cameras but the D5000 has a couple of features that I am interested in as a family man. First off this model also does video. I really would suggest a flip camera for video if you can afford it, but if money is tight any you are trying to combine options then this is a bonus. I also like that the D5000 has live-view. This isn’t a feature that I would use very often but for most people this is the easiest way to take pictures and I appreciate that. I really see my wife using this as her main shooting method.

The 11 point auto focus and the upgraded sensor of the D5000 are something that are pure geek. These are things that only I would use in the family but when it comes to photography over taking pictures these would play a role.

I use a website called DPReview for most of my information. They have some of the most comprehensive hands on tests that I have seen of any product and their D3000 hands on with a D5000/D60 comparison can be found here.

Have fun taking cool pics, here is one of my shots from this summer when I borrowed my buddy’s D60 :)

Geek On!