Join Us at Your Home & Garden Show

Winter never really settled in to our area, so homeowners ALREADY are in the mood to upgrade their homes.  Perfect time to visit your local Home & Garden show!

We'll be at two and would love to have you visit us there and check out some of the most fascinating technology available.  Not only do you get to meet some of the area's top contractors and suppliers, but extremely educational seminars are available to all who attend.  Learn some of the latest trends in home improvement and adding comfort to your lifestyle and value to your investment!

Naturally, we'll be at the Habitat Home & Garden Show in Baton Rouge, March 2-4.  This one is presented by the Capital Region Builders Association.  They always do a great job!  Each year, Habitat has a specially-featured aspect of home ownership showcased for the event.

This year, Habitat is showcasing technology for the home and Acadian Home Theater and Automation has the distinction of  being a featured exhibitor along with LALEDWireless IQ, and Shield Security & Monitoring.  We'll be located fairly central to the exhibition area so be sure and look us up!

But one week prior to that show, we'll be in Lafayette, February 25 and 26, for the Lafayette Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show at the Cajundome Convention Center.  This one is hosted by the Acadian Home Builders Association and in addition to exhibits, offers demonstrations, seminars for do-it-yourself projects and the bonus of the Healthy Living Pavilion sponsored by Regional Medical Center of Acadiana.

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Your Cloud-Connected Car

The latest technology as revealed at CES 2012 includes apps for your car's media center.  Think of your Smart Phone as being imbedded in your car's dash.  Imagine the capabilities now found on your phone to now be available hands-free in your cloud-connected vehicle and in gorgeous, ultra HD audio clarity.

We're resuming our look at CNET's "Best of Show" list from CES 2012 in Las Vegas earlier this month.  I'm gonna spend a little time on this emerging technology because the marriage of automotive and digital is well underway.  The morphing of the car as a vehicle of communication and not simply transportation is practically here already!

QNX showcased a new mobile app platform they call CAR 2 based on HTML5 with an infotainment system that car manufacturers can use with a flexibility that adapts to the needs of any OEM.  In fact, CNET called it QNX's "vision for the future of dashboard technologies."

The concept Porsche Carrera they outfitted for the show had an innovative application that instantly and automatically pairs a Bluetooth smartphone. It also included ultra HD voice technology that brings stereo CD quality to phone calls. Apps integration for both front and backseat added another layer of coolness to make this car a pretty sweet ride.

The concept car offered flexible integration between tablets and in-car systems, with front-seat control of rear-seat tablets and the ability for any device to play media stored on any other device.  Automakers could begin to incorporate CAR 2 in their designs beginning mid-2012.  This video by CNET will give you the grand tour.

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What Tebow Has to Teach Us

Whether you're a Tim Tebow fan or not, he is teaching us something all of us should take both personally as well as on the job.  And it has nothing to do with football!

I already admired Tebow for his drive to make it in the NFL; for his candor about his faith; for his unwillingness to yield to public mockery; and for his determination to be himself.  But then an article by Rick Reilly appeared on ESPN.com and I was hooked!

This guy is amazing.  While most professional athletes live, eat and breathe their sport--not true of Tebow.  Despite his long hours spent in overwhelming devotion to training, self-discipline and leading his team, he will be the first to tell you football is not who he is.  Football is what he does.  And that is clearly evident in Reilly's article!

Reilly knows a thing or two about sports.  He has the distinction of having been voted National Sportswriter of the Year--not once--but ELEVEN times!  Here's how he put his take on Tebow:
There's not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I've looked everywhere for it.
Why is Reilly almost forced to that conclusion?  Well, I invite you to read his article linked here: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow and then what I'll say about what Tebow has to teach us will become abundantly clear!

What Tebow Teaches UsFirst, stay true to your own values.  Always get the job done, but at the end of the day you are the one who has to be able to look yourself in the mirror and be able to tell yourself you did things the right way.

Second, remember that what you do is not who you are.  Its easy to get that backwards.  Who you are should define what you do.  Let your occupation be an extension of your life and values.

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The Newest Products to Watch in 2012

The International Consumer Electronics Show for 2012 (CES 2012) is now history. And it truly proved to be “historic” in the process. Get this: Record attendance…more than 153,000 industry insiders (NOT open to the public!) Record show floor space…1.86 million square feet (that’s 37 football fields!) Record number of exhibitors…more than 3,100

You can see the official CES recap video here which is a brief teaser.

But I thought I'd give you a quick run-down on some of the products that were considered "best of CES" by CNET.  If you've ever surfed for reviews on technology then you know you've already been to their site.  So while LOTS of media will walk away with their own take on the show, CNET's list is gonna provide a pretty good take on what earned buzz.

At the top of the list is their "Best of Show"...LG's 55-inch OLED TV.  Just gorgeous!  First, it is the slimmest and lightest anywhere.  It weighs only about 16.5 lbs and measures (get this) only 4mm thick...that's just 0.16 inches!  Its little more than a sheet of plate glass.

And picture?  Engadget called it "crazy sharp" and Gizmodo said this: "OLED is no joke. Acronyms are often hype, but damn does this set look killer. The wafer-thin screen is terrifically bright, small details pop, and colors are gorgeous, making the rest of the panels on display already look like old tech." The first model ships out Q3 of 2012 so don't go hunting stores looking for it just yet.

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You Have to Begin Somewhere

I have to admit that writing is not really my thing...but technology and home electronics IS.

So while some people might love to sit down and pour themselves out onto a blog, I'm not one of those. More likely, this will be a source of frustration for me. In fact for me to sit and do anything for very long is just not me. I'm too ADHD for that. Give me something to do...and I'm all over it. But don't make me sit down!!

Hmmm...maybe I can pay someone to do this for me.

Brain fart. That happens when someone's mind is going different directions all at once. Maybe that's exactly what helps me do what I do. Tell me what kind of media system, for example, you want in your home and its almost like I'm invading the problem from different directions all at one time. You might think I'm not listening to you, but I'm already processing solutions to what you were just telling me.

I've created so many electronic systems for people over the years that when they're explaining what they want, I already have a fairly clear picture of the kinds of equipment they will want to rely on.

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