Awesome…

What a bad hard drive looks (and sounds) like…

I had the opportunity to work with the Chesapeake Conservancy, National Park Service and NOAA to design, develop and launch an interactive multitouch exhibit in the NPS Jamestown Visitor Center in Jamestown, VA.  This was an exciting project for me because of the time I have spent on the Chesapeake Bay, James River, Chickahominy River and Potomac bass fishing in BFL events.

This project incorporated content developed by NPS that focused on the John Smith Trail.  Content includes question/answer combination for over two dozen pieces of content that can be explored by navigating the touchscreen kiosk.

The challenges:
1)  Visitors will primarily be elementary school students who will spend less than 1 minute at the exhibit.
2)  Content needs to be displayed in Q&A format.
3)  Content needs to be visually engaging and manipulated in a modern way.
4)  Content needs to be updated or added to on a regular basis.

The solutions:
1)  Minimize the menu tree.  Exhibit consists of a home screen and a primary map interface of Captain John Smith Trail and The Chesapeake Bay.
2)  Content is based on actual photographs and artwork.  Questions are clearly displayed on each piece of content and answers can be reached with one touch.
3)  Using multitouch technology (like an iPad) and GestureWorks, an exploratory mapping interface was developed that allowed us to overlay content, KML trail and buoy data over a Google Map.
4)  Content is hosted in the cloud and can be modified anytime by those with permission (like any modern CMS.)

Hardware and Software Credits:
HP TouchSmart
Ideum TouchStand
Ideum GestureWorks

In December 2009, I did some analysis and I found that it was possible to cancel cable and purchase a new TV and media center equipment every 3 years (assuming OTA and internet TV stays free)… so I did.

This idea was driven mainly by frustration with the ever-changing Time Warner Cable bill and the fact that we had paid over $480.00 over 5 years for a rented HD DVR box (how much do you think TWC is making renting these boxes?).

Requirements

• HD TV with DVR
• Major networks for live events and prime time programming (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX)
• Additional programming (like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Food Network, etc…)
• High speed internet
• No installation or equipment rental fees

Budget

• $100/month (average Time Warner Cable bill)

I decided to go with over-the-air HD for network television (41 channels in Raleigh, NC).  I went through a couple different antennas, but found a good one with Terk.

I went with an amplified Terk for our main TV and a cheaper RCA for the bedroom.  Tivo HD (now Tivo Premiere) with the service plan got us the local guide for OTA programming and DVR.

Samsung 50″ 720p Series 4 Plasma (PN50C450)
$799.99

Tivo HD +Antenna (Now Tivo Premiere)
$299.99

Tivo Service plan
$10.75/month ($129.00 annual payment)

Over-the-air high definition
“Free” – does anyone know how to calculate how much per taxpayer goes to support free OTA programming?

Terk Omni-directional amplified flat digital antenna
$59.99

RCA Basic flat antenna
$29.99

Additional Programming

To get traditional “cable” shows like “Dirty Jobs” or “Man vs. Food”, I decided to get a Mac Mini.  The Mac Mini consumes low energy, has a very small footprint for our single tier entertainment center and has additional functionality (beyond just internet TV) like iPhoto for slideshows, iTunes for music and DVD.  We also subscribed to Netflix for movies which is available on Tivo and Mac Mini.  We have found that internet TV content is updated and allows us to watch stuff that we would have missed anyway.

Mac Mini
$599.99

Monoprice Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter
$8.55

Monoprice 3.5mm to RCA
$3.40

Netflix (streaming, DVD delivery and Tivo integration)
$8.99/month

Hulu.com with Hulu Desktop, TV.com, Boxee
Free

High Speed Internet

I tried Clear.com for high speed internet; but it didn’t work for me (after a 2 week trial).  I’ll save this for a separate post.  Ended up going with Earthlink for cable internet (this is actually served by Time Warner Cable, but I felt better ordering online with Earthlink.)

Earthlink Cable Internet
$29.95/month

Summary

Total equipment costs:  $1,801.90

Equipment over 36 months:  $50.05
Total monthly recurring:  $49.69

Approximate total monthly:  $99.74

We watch mostly network TV (CBS, NBC, etc…) so this works well for us.  OTA HDTV is very reliable with a good antenna, but does fall apart some on very windy days.  We’ve been using this setup for 6 months and OTA HDTV has ~98% availability.

OTA Resources

http://yourfreedtv.com/Raleigh/
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11249_7-6264597-1.html
http://www.nab.org/
http://www.dtv.gov/

I fished Warriors on the Water at Jordan Lake, NC on Friday 4/23.  Weighed in 3 bass for 11lbs 5oz.  Read more

Flew into KLGA (La Guardia) for work and got a good view of the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan.  Thought I would share.  Maybe one day I’ll fly myself.