12.23.06
Posted in Broadband, Wireless, Money, Rant, Rural at 12:00 am by Randy
Nothing says “speed” like hauling ass to work during the week before Christmas. On Friday, I blazed to work, even after having stopped by McD’s for the #3 with coffee and a Sausage McMuffin “NO EGG”. The women who work the window there are relatively familiar with me, a distinction I don’t find all that comforting. We’re not on a first-name basis, mind you, but I’m sure that if I asked one of them for her name, she wouldn’t think I’m stalking. But socializing with the McDonald’s chicks will have to wait for another day.
It now seems that the pruning work is underway in Napa’s vineyards; more and more of the vines, now dormant after giving their all for the California wine industry this year, get themselves a little haircut. With the miles and miles of vineyards between home and work, I expect it will take a couple months to give all those vines a shave.
With a certain amount of trepidation, I resumed the research into how best to overcome the Wunderkind’s $16,000.00 barrier to our full re-admittance to the 21st century. The trench seems a fait accompli, with the acknowledgement of The Boss and TBB that the ranch will ultimately benefit from having it, and not just for data. And granted, the antenna is installed up at the vineyard, but without a suitable link between here and there, no bits will flow.
The bits must flow…
Thus, I bent my will to understanding what a fiber optic link would entail. Several terms swirl through the ether: multi-mode, single-mode, 50/125, 62.5/125, SC and ST connectors, zip cord, et cetera. After much gnashing of teeth and clicking of mouse, I struck up a chat with BIL (sister’s husband). As I may have mentioned, he does fiber optic as part of his work, and knows the ropes, as it were. After a half-hour, we concluded that we’ll buy multi-mode 62.5/125 fiber optic, 500 meters (around 1640 feet), BIL will pull the fiber through the conduit and terminate them (and I chose ST connectors), and we’ll use StarTech media converters. The fiber itself will cost upwards of 750 to 800 clams, whereas a pair of media converters comes to a mere $350.
Jeez, this crap starts to add up.
Tonight, The Boss and I talked about what’s next for our broadband lifestyle. Things are pretty decent with the new yagi installed, but I have some nagging gripes.
Me: “So, I’m tired of being the access point for the house.”
The Boss: “I can appreciate that.”
Me: “And I feel like I’m trapped, I can’t just dual-boot to Windows and play my games, since it doesn’t share the Internet as easily as Mac OS does. So now I’m looking at this WiFi router that you plug our data card into. It’d be just like the WiFi we used to have, and I can quit being tethered to the window because of the antenna cable.”
The Boss: “So, why haven’t you ordered it?”
[pause]
The Boss: “What?”
Me: “Well, it’s not cheap.”
The Boss: “Well, how much does it cost?”
Me: “Well… how much do you think it costs?”
[pause]
The Boss: “Four hundred?”
Me: [quickly] “No, it’s less than four hundred. But, it’s more than three hundred.”
The Boss starts to balk, the doubt is clearly there. We add up what we’ve spent on the data card, the yagi antenna, and realize we’re already over $300 into this “temporary” solution. If we keep pouring money into the Verizon broadband thing, we’re taking money away from Clueless Broadband (a good thing), but we’re not getting real broadband like Daddy wants (a bad thing). I go ahead and mention the possibility that maybe we stick with Verizon for the foreseeable future, and tell Clueless Broadband to go pound sand. The Boss observes that halting the trench/conduit/fiber project would free up money to start finishing off the porch (something that is a bit out of reach at the moment, due to all the spending we’ve done of late). A moment passes, then two.
Now, we both know that the amount of money we’re looking to spend on doing the trench, the fiber pull, and even the power (be it solar or a branch circuit from Hell up to the vineyard) is considerable, and we shouldn’t go blowing even more money on what we’ve agreed is our stopgap measure for Internet. The opportunity slips quietly away, and I tell her I’ll think on it for a couple days. We agree that there’s no hurry, and that since it’s Christmas weekend, nothing would get shipped until Tuesday at the earliest.
Back to my gripe: one of the things I’m missing because of the antenna cable leash is that I can’t pick up my MacBook Pro and move around the house with it. I’m stuck with what amounts to a low power-consumption desktop replacement that has to be plugged in and left at home so The Boss isn’t driven mad by lack of Internet (or more specifically, by returning to dial-up). When time comes for me to play MMO’s, I’m in the same boat: stuck the sofa by the window, no suitable ergonomic setup to be had.
I start to mull the problem, then inspiration strikes. I remember that I’ve planned to be away this next Saturday for a friend’s birthday. I deliver the coup de grace:
Me: “You know, when I go out for the birthday thing on Saturday, I will be taking this notebook with me.”
The Boss: [not missing a beat] “Just make sure that router gets here by Friday then.”
Yes, ma’am; it’ll ship Tuesday, FedEx Priority Overnight, thank you very much.
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12.22.06
Posted in Broadband, Wireless at 10:38 pm by Randy
Behold, the Wilson Cellular PCS Yagi antenna. This is 13dBi of sweet, sweet microwave gain. 
When connected to the Verizon (Novatel) V640 data card, something magical happens. Before, when connected to the 800MHz Yagi that we bought many moons ago, we were treated to speeds around 100kbps down, peaking occasionally but rarely at around 300kbps. Not thrilling, but it easily beat the 22kbps analog modem we’d be suffering through.
The 1.9GHz range boosted by this glorious strip of machined aluminum changes the rules of the game, my friends. Instead of connecting with 1xRTT, we now connect with 1xEV-DO, and instead of peak speeds at 300kbps, we now enjoy 1+Mbps peak speed. Even our nominal speed is downright reasonable, coming in well over 400kbps.
The difference in online experience couldn’t be more glaring. With 1xRTT, you can scrabble out a meager existence. With 1xEV-DO, you feel alive.
When I connected to my MMO’s last night, my ping was under 300ms. I whooped, I hollered (or at least did so in my head, because everyone else was asleep). The data rate was such that I could run Ventrilo for my game-playing VoIP needs, and still had headroom to not be sluggish while logged into my games.
I tell you, it’s almost like having broadband.
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12.20.06
Posted in Broadband, Rant, Rural at 12:19 pm by Randy
Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for all of us gathered around the sweet, almost retro looking refrigerator we just received!
This GE Profile fridge is huge (22 cu. ft.) and basically uses less than a 1/3 of the electricity that the old propane/electric Dometic that we disconnected. Of course, as in all things, there was a story in its delivery…
Originally, we were expecting it to be delivered on Saturday by a freight company under contract by a Very Well-Known Home Improvement Warehouse. On Friday, The Boss got an automated computer recording letting us know that the fridge of our dreams would be delivered between 3:30PM and 7:30PM the following day.
Then we waited.
First 3:30 came and went. 4:30. 5:30. 6:00. Finally there’s a call from the driver of the truck. They were going to be there soon, but they informed The Boss that they were bringing a 26(!) foot truck up the road!
Now, speaking as someone who has driven a 16 foot truck up our road, I was extremely doubtful they would successfully navigate our one-lane road, especially where there are a couple nasty switchbacks. We’ve seen lesser trucks stranded going up it. But The Boss was hopeful, and not to be denied her prize.
6:45. The phone rings again, and I answer it.
Me: Hello?
Delivery Stooge: Hi, this is Delivery Stooge with Very Well-Known Home Improvement Warehouse. We can’t find your road. We saw Trinity Rd. and then Nuns Canyon Quarry…
Me: Ah, wrong road, keep going, you’ll see a sign for Atwood Ranch, we’re the street on the right after that.
Stooge: OK, thanks.
7:00. The phone rings again.
Me: Hello?
Stooge: Hi, this is the driver again. We’re not going to be able to deliver the refrigerator. It’s dark and we’re hitting branches with the truck.
Me: Ah. So what’s the next step?
Stooge: I’ll call our dispatch and have them call you back to reschedule.
Me: Right, OK then.
So, a few minutes later the dispatcher calls us, and The Boss proceeds to tear into the person on the other end of the phone. However, her tirade was for naught, the delivery company is closed on Sunday and Monday, so the next delivery opportunity would be Tuesday. The Boss makes damn sure they will bring a smaller truck next time.
Bitter remembrances of Clueless Broadband started to seep into my mind. Must every friggin’ company be so brain dead?
Speaking of broadband (that is the thread of this serial, is it not?): Solar God, hallowed be his name, has gazed upon the fruit of Mr. Flaky’s efforts, and despaired.
Solar God: You gotta put a picture of this on your blog, man! I mean, after all the stuff that has happened, and this is what you have to show for it.
Me: Yeah, it is pretty incredible, isn’t it.
I couldn’t disagree with him. He had descended from the heavens (also known as Healdsburg) on Sunday to minister to my spiritual (and high-bandwidth) needs. And as he beheld the result of several months of suffering, he saw that it was not good.
Of course, I still have to take the photo and post it.
We discussed the options, including how much solar to put up there and how best to dig the trench. My preference is to have power run from the house up to the antenna, obviating the need for a separate solar and battery installation, until we’re good and ready to do it right. Naturally, due to the holidays, work couldn’t possibly be started until sometime in January. So that poor antenna will just sit there until we have something rigged.
However, not everything is gloomy on the broadband front. The Verizon data card has been a blessing, and even though my poor MacBook Pro is pressed into service as a makeshift access point for The Boss’ web surfing and email needs, I am still pleased with how it performs. Considering it’s 5-10 times faster than what we were doing with dial-up, the Web is once again someplace I can tolerate visiting while at home. Heck, I’ve even managed to VPN to work through it, so I count that as a win!
So, as Winter Solstice is upon us, we hunker down, throw some logs into the stove, and celebrate that the days stop getting shorter. Broadband is gimped, but working at the ranch.
Here’s hoping 2007 brings better broadband juju for us up here in the boonies.
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12.18.06
Posted in Rural Tech, Rural at 10:11 am by Randy
This little gem is now mine! We were at Friedman’s in Sonoma on Sunday to pick up various and sundry items for the house. Sitting at the entrance was this Weber Genesis Silver C with a price tag of $499. Considering that this grill goes for $599 on Amazon (plus the inevitable massive shipping charge), I did a mental scha-wing!! and bought it outright. Of course, they claimed they had one in a box, but were unable to find it. However, the drive to own this was so great, we opted to take the floor model, already fully assembled (bonus: it saves assembly time!)
Trouble was, we had brought the SUV down, and had the kids with us. So, after all the errands were done, we headed back to the ranch, and I corralled the ranch pickup truck and drove it back down to fetch my glorious new grill.
And good thing too. As it turns out, this grill is LONG (nearly 5 feet long), and I would’ve been hard-pressed to fit this into the SUV without completely disassembling it. I broke down as much of the grill as I could without resorting to tools, and with some help from a passerby, lifted this into the bed of the pickup. A couple of straps later, and the grill was good to go.
After getting it home, our dear Solar God (hallowed be his name) had descended from the heavens for a visit regarding The Street of Broken Broadband Dreams (his divine visit I will expand upon in a future post), and with his preternatural help we levitated it from the pickup to it’s final home next to the house.
That Solar God, he’s a handy deity to keep around.
I quickly reassembled the grill in the diminishing daylight, and as the last glimmer of twilight waned I fired that bad boy up and grilled me some top sirloin. Yeeeehaw! Of course, I burnt the heck out of one side of the steaks, but the instant gratification of clicking a button to heat up a grill more than made up for the carcinogenic crust that had been scorched onto that one side.
Now, this doesn’t mean I’ve foresaken my old Weber kettle and it’s charcoal goodness. It’s just that this new propane grill has a rotisserie accessory (sold separately, but still!), and you just can’t deny utility like that when living this far from civilization.
God bless Weber grills.
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Posted in Solar at 9:37 am by Randy
Nanosolar.
Looking at the current prices of solar technology, I welcome them to come along and reduce the demand (and price) of silicon solar cells. Paying $5-7 per watt for solar modules is just freaking crazy.
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12.15.06
Posted in Broadband, Wireless, Money, Rant, Rural at 1:45 pm by Randy
Gloomy.
You know, I always used to snicker to myself when I lived in San Jose whenever I heard the weather report saying, “rain likely, in the North Bay.” After hearing that, I’d go on to have a nice winter day in San Jose; maybe it’d be overcast, but at least it’d be dry.
Well, those days are so very long gone. When the rains come to the Bay Area, especially this time of year, it comes straight for our area. In fact, earlier this week, it was so gloomy, the ranch (and indeed most of the Sonoma Valley) was completely enveloped in clouds for at least two whole days. I’d normally just say it was foggy, but this was middle-of-the-day kind of fog, and it was dark and, well, gloomy.
I’m sure someone in San Jose is laughing right at a weather report, and now I realize it’s at my expense.
Don’t get me wrong: today has offered somewhat of a reprieve. The sun has even shed some light on our solar panels (according to The Boss), and if we manage to get at least three hours of sun, we won’t need the generator tonight, which is a good thing in my book.
The Verizon data card has been working nicely, the external antenna that I shelled out for was somewhat of a bittersweet benefit. Whereas it made the signal a whole lot more stable, the antenna itself seems to only boost the 800-900MHz range instead of the 1.9GHz spectrum, meaning that it only supports Verizon’s 1xRTT service, which has a peak reported speed of 144kbps (Verizon calls this NationalAccess), instead of the 1xEvDO service, which claims 400-700kbps throughput (which Verizon dubs BroadbandAccess).
Bummer.
Anyhow, I discovered something else of note. The cellular antenna I bought way back when actually has a compatible connector to the pigtail that plugs into the data card. The downside is that it too only supports the 800-900MHz range. So now we have what I describe as a “rock solid” (if not blazingly fast) connection to Verizon’s broadband service. Heck, anything faster than 22kbps is gravy.
In fact, it’s fast enough that I actually was able to connect to WoW last night, only to discover that I’ve forgotten pretty much how to play it. The software for that game has been updated several times since I played, and the latest patch actually has broken lots of add-on “mods” that people have created. Since the game’s creator (Blizzard) kicked over the proverbial mod anthill, everyone has been scrambling to get their collective world back in order. The lag issue has gotten better; I find that if I let things settle down for a few minutes after connecting, my latency drops to a point where I’m actually able to play quite normally.
The downside to using the data card is that The Boss relies on it to keep her browsing experience tolerable too. Why is it a downside? Well, I don’t get to dual-boot into my Windows XP partition to play EVE, because I can’t seem to get Internet Connection Sharing to work (though I will admit I haven’t tried all that hard). The Boss says she’s willing to do the dial-up thing while I play online using Windows, but I think the mind control ray she uses has effectively prevented me from taking her up on that offer.
Everyone apparently wants to know what’s the plan with the “final solution.” Well, the plan is… there is no plan. We’re nearly out of spending money from the sale of the house (since we need to hold at least some of it in reserve to put down on an income property) and that is starting to limit our options. We still have projects in progress (read: fence) that need to be paid for, and then we will be discussing with Solar God (hallowed be his name) at some point about how to do the trench and conduit up the road. Throw finishing the porch into the mix, and suddenly we have don’t have enough money to pay for everything.
Hence, we now have to get picky (and if we’re smart, miserly).
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Posted in Geek Tech, Geek at 12:09 pm by Randy
So, with the arrival of my Blue Snowball microphone, I’ve eliminated the last possible excuse to not do the podcast thing. TBB and I have talked on multiple occasions about doing a wine country podcast, specifically profiling Sonoma County wineries, winemakers, and vineyards. What with all the friends and neighbors who are in the wine industry, TBB and I think it’d be useful to bring a vehicle to let folks learn more about Sonoma wine than just what the big names provide (if big names are such a thing out here).
I look at what Leo Laporte does with TWiT.tv, especially the production values of his content, and I hope he doesn’t mind too much if I take my inspiration from his podcasts.
What’s important (from my perspective) for podcasting is to run from a script. Yes, podcast interviews can be a conversation, instead of a purely scripted Q-and-A. But what I’ve learned from listening to Leo is that the intros and “out-tros” are all very tightly orchestrated, and can help to show people that you’re not a clueless jackass, but a professional who cares about his or her craft.
Other than podcasting the wine business, I had thought to do a podcast series with old friends, recounting and reliving the “good old days,” much in the vein of Story Corps. I find that, for whatever reason, my memory and recollection of even recent history is crappy at best. To have the opportunity to relive college days and high school would be a really interesting project.
Hmm, that’s an idea that might just be worth going after. I’m going to have to take a closer look at it.
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12.13.06
Posted in Rant, Rural at 1:16 pm by Randy
You know, humans are still widely adaptable creatures. Considering how much we as a species have moved the technological ball forward (no thanks to the Dark Ages, but I digress), there still remains the ability to regress to what one might call a “simpler life”. This really amounts to no more than turning off the electricity, unplugging the phone and relating face-to-face with those around you.
What would happen if the web wasn’t working or your cable? You might sit down and enjoy a book if you have any in the house.
I am both fortunate and cursed to have lived this lifestyle by certain degrees over the last several months. Granted, there is still satellite TV (which my daughters currently co-opt for their use), solar electricity has liberated us from the shackles of the propane generator, and dial-up Internet has provided some semblance of Web connectivity, but not much above reliving the 90’s. As I’ve posted in other articles here, without broadband in some form, I’ve resorted to reading books, but it only serves to scratch the itch for a short time. I’m too far gone as a geek to tolerate a world without broadband.
However, I’m not hopeless, inasmuch as I also get to step outside to a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty in eastern Sonoma County. Indeed, a different world whispers to you there, a voice that hearkens back to a time where you wake up long before the sun, worked the land, came in after a long day, ate an evening meal with your entire family seated at the dinner table, then share stories or play before heading off to bed. Hardly the story of our lifestyle now, but still romantic in the telling.
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Posted in Rural Tech, Rural at 10:14 am by Randy
Oh man, I’ve arrived.
This last weekend, we purchased a 
Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw. I tremble in its mighty aura, the unabashed masculinity associated with lording over the lesser creatures (like trees). Its gleaming teeth seem eager to wreak havoc over anything that is set against it. The Boss didn’t even flinch at the price, saying only, “if you cut a cord of wood, it’ll pay for itself.”
Sweet. Now all I need to do is learn how not to be killed while using it.
Take the fascinating owner’s manual, and it’s myriad warnings and cautions, chiefest of which is the notorious ‘kickback’, and area on the top front part of the chainsaw where, if you’re not careful, will grab a hold of what you’re trying to cut, launching the chainsaw back toward the person who wields it.
Never thought a tool could turn on its owner? Think again. When the owner’s manual has phrases like, “the chain might not stop before it touches you,” it’s sobering.
Happily, the manual also shows the correct way to operate the beast, so that any risks are minimized. 
For that, I’m certainly grateful. I also picked up a way-cool stormtrooper tree-killing helmet for use with the chainsaw. It comes with integral hearing protection, which are quite effective at even keeping The Boss’s aural transmissions out. I gotta say that I’m happy I live so very far away from the rest of civilization, so that I’m not observed wearing it.
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12.12.06
Posted in Broadband, Geek Tech, Money, Rant, Rural at 2:42 pm by Randy
It’s amazing when you find yourself involved in events that move so fast, you have almost no time to do anything but react. Such was the situation after my last installment. After the price tag of Wunderkind’s $16,000.00 shocker finally wore off, The Boss and I set to work figuring out either:
- How we were going to pay the ridiculous sum for broadband
- How we were going to get it done more affordably, but less timely
An interesting dilemma, to be sure. Luckily, we happened to be hosting our holiday open house last weekend. Among those in attendance were TBB (all the way from Japan) and Solar God, whose coming was foretold by the great prophet, The Boss. We also had several friends (some of which even read this blog, if you can believe it), but others begged off for various reasons, including one friend who decided that spending the afternoon with the regional president of his firm was more desirable than driving 100 miles to drink good wine in a really warm house. Climbing the old corporate ladder can be a noble pursuit, but come on now, this is wine country we’re talking about.
As an aside, what made the party really work was the fireplace insert we had installed last week. It has given us a warm house in a way that propane wall heaters just can’t match. As it stands, we get more heat from each log of wood than we ever got burning them in the original fireplace. The amount of heat being pumped out of that stove is impressive, and during the party we even had to open the windows and doors to help even out the body heat from the guests and the heat from the stove.
Anyhow, when the harmonic convergence of minds occurred, something magical happened. We came up with a plan to thwart Wunderkind’s evil scheme to separate me from 16 large. Now the solution will be even better, very likely cost less, and even become an asset for the ranch. Here’s the plan:
- Digging the trench along the road to the vineyard, just as Wunderkind would pretty much do it, just not spending $150/hour to do it
- Laying conduit not only for the fiber optic run, but also a second, larger conduit for running copper wires for power
- Laying PVC pipe suitable for future water service
- Determining which is cheaper: buying and installing solar panels plus batteries, charge controller, inverter, wires, and all the trimmings for an independent solar installation; or pulling copper wire from the house up to the vineyard gate and providing power to the remote radio from the solar install we already have
- Bringing my other brother-in-law up from Arizona to pull and terminate the fiber optic
- Installing the media converters and other network equipment myself (as I’ve been known to work with such things in one of my former lives)
The only downside? This wouldn’t really get underway until after the first of the year. Suddenly, the prospect of tearing ass through web page after web page fades yet again. The joys of BitTorrent, VoIP, and MMORPG remain beyond my reach.
Nevertheless, this accomplishes a huge amount for us and the ranch. Simply put, running copper up to the vineyard (or even having the conduit there) provides future expandibility and facility to the vineyard. If we determine that buying solar is cheaper for the vineyard area, we leave the conduit empty so that, in the future, we can link the solar up above to the rest of our solar installation. If vice versa, we pull the copper now and add solar panels later.
Next, if we put water pipes in the trench, we have the option of pumping water up to the vineyard, or even providing plumbing in case we ever had to put a well somewhere up high on the ranch.
Finally, we have the conduit with fiber optic, our lifeline to the Interwebs and my sanity. The fact that I have a relative who works in telecom and is willing to pull fiber optic in exchange for good food and drink, I’m thinking sha-wing!
Oh, but that’s not all folks.
Solar God, hallowed be his name, spoke to me in a dream (or I suppose, at least, in our dining room) that The Boss and I should try a Verizon Wireless data card. Solar God, during a previous earthly visit to the ranch, used that service, and it did please him. Verily, I thus betook the pilgrimage yesterday to the Verizon Wireless store in Napa and layeth hands upon a brand new Novatel Merlin V640 1xEVDO data card. Returning presently to my domicile, I plugged it into my MacBook Pro and behold!
The light, with a happy green glow, blinked.
Could it be true?
I fired up the supplied software, and it connected!
I launched my browser, and my blog came right up!
I started World of Warcraft, and it connected! My little dude in the game appeared, and I cheered! I started to move around, and after a few moments, the world seemed to stand still. No, it wasn’t my imagination; other players quit moving, the little indicator in the game that tells you how “in sync” you are with the virtual world was red, and when I hovered my mouse over it, it gave me the bad news.
7000ms latency.
Hmmm.
So, I must temper my enthusiasm just a bit. The long Internet Hunger Strike seems to be at least partly concluded, but all won’t be entirely set to rights until we have the “final solution” in place. I feel a lot better about the prospects ahead however, since at least web pages and email are once again approaching 21st century speeds. My prolonged visit to Dialup Purgatory was nearly too much to bear.
[ring ring]
The Boss: “Hey, honey. The 90’s just called. They want their modem back.”
Whew. Just in time.
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