I don't typically talk about my interest in "no surf" with my IRL friends but it actually came up this weekend.

One of our friends was using too much data so they deleted Facebook and Instagram from their phone. She has been without the apps for one week but commented on how much less she checked her phone. About 6 months ago, my wife also deleted Facebook from her phone and her usage has declined significantly. She still has the Instagram app and will mindlessly scroll for 30 minutes after work. I'm trying to get her to change this.

I told everyone what I did to reduce my usage of SM. So, if I were creating a step-by-step guide to using less social media it would be this:

1. Get a password manager and auto-generate a new password for all social media accounts. Make your "Master Password" extremely cumbersome (but memorable). My "Master Password" is like 40-50 characters in length. Personally, I use LastPass but I know there are other, possibly better, alternatives. I don't even know my Facebook, Instagram or Twitter passwords.

2. Delete the apps from your phone. This is the key step. If you are one button press from a social media dopamine hit it's going to be damn near impossible to stop yourself. Acknowledge that you don't have that much self-control and just delete the apps.

3. Only login to your accounts on the browser. Delete your browser history every night which will force you to log back in manually.

Those 3 steps will help a lot. I haven't had the social media apps for about the last 2 years and if you're anything like me your interest in them will disappear in a matter of a few weeks (2-4 maybe). Once you're out of the social media loop you might not have any desire to re-engage on a significant level.

Some smaller tips would be:

4. Make an effort to stay in contact with people via texting/messaging and set up IRL events/gatherings. FOMO is real but can be mitigated by doing something. Don't quit SM and sit around your house alone. Make plans to meetup with people, learn something new (cooking, guitar, studying, whatever interests you) or get out and exercise.

5. Go silent. Turn off vibrate and sound notifications. This makes it easier to check your phone when you want and not get caught responding to every buzz or ding. I noticed that the constant email alerts would sometimes cause me to delete the email but then immediately check another app. If I didn't get alerted to the email, I would have avoided picking my phone up all together.

6. Get rid of some SM "friends." Personally, I ask myself "If I saw this person in a grocery store would I go out of my way to spend 5-10 minutes talking to them?" If I say "no" they get removed from my friends list. I went from ~ 1,000 Facebook friends to about 150. Instagram, I'm even more ruthless because I ask "would I be excited to receive a Xmas Card from this person?" This has left me with ~70 Instagram friends. The effect is the SM pages have less information to send your way.

The result is that never-ending page gets less interesting and your desire to spend time there diminishes. These sites know this too. Whenever you "Unfriend" people on Facebook the site will guilt trip you the next time you log onto the page. They realize that "Unfriending" or deleting contacts is the first step towards leaving the platform altogether.

7. Rearrange the icons on your phone periodically. I have a bi-weekly calendar reminder to move non-essential icons around. I never move the phone, camera, alarm clock, texting or email apps. I use them way too often and don't want to search for them. Everything else is rearranged that way I can't "auto-pilot" myself directly to apps that waste my time, such as Feedly, Google News, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, etc. This isn't necessarily SM related but I noticed that when I first got rid of Facebook/Instagram/Twitter apps I filled the void by reading more news/using other apps.

I will typically go on SM for ~10 minutes a week. I never use Twitter anymore. Facebook usually get a quick glance (2 minutes). I spend about 5 minutes quickly looking at photos on Instagram. I never really got that into Snapchat so I never waste time sending snaps. I will look at the ones I receive as they come in. I get maybe 8 a week so this takes a total of ~3 minutes/week.

As an aside, I want to point out the book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles During. Not geared towards tech habits like the recommended reading but I think it's a good entry point into the realm of behavior change. Really easy to read and available at practically every library. The audiobook is ~8 hours long and usually available on OverDrive. The book really emphasizes how making a change to our habits is quite difficult but gets progressively easier. The website for the book has a few good resources as well.

One point that really hit home for me was the idea of "Keystone Habits". The premise is that some habits are so powerful that they can cascade into a positive feedback loop making many other positive habits easier. I've noticed that when I practice good "screen hygiene" I am able to cascade this into more productivity and better overall satisfaction at the end of a day. I'm thinking of making a few subtle changes to "force" myself to practice better screen time habits. It's a work in-progress for myself but I'll report back after I make some adjustments (analog alarm clock, ObiHai home phone).

tl;dr: YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON WILLPOWER. Use your current motivation to put barriers in place for when you lack willpower. Use the current "can-do" attitude to institute good habits that become second nature.

Your post is going to be removed due to rule #1.

🎧 Headphones

Personal recommendations:

• AKG K52
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, good imaging, clarity and detail retrieval and decent separation. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble. The bass can sound a little muddy in e.g. blasts and explosions. I've explained the sound characteristics further down.
  
  Build: Is closed-back and over-ear. Durable and very lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel, so they should adjust to the shape of your head nicely. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  Sound: Has a medium soundstage, good imaging, separation and detail retrieval and very good clarity. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble.
  
  Build: Is open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel and the cable detaches. The earpads have good quality and they're soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
• Superlux HD668B
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, I'd say 50% bigger than SHP9500. It has very good imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval. It has emphasized treble and a small boost in the mid-bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Sturdy and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have bad quality and are shallow, so I recommend replacing them with pads from HiFiMAN.
  
  
• Superlux HD681 EVO
  
  Sound: Has the same soundstage as HD668B. It has very good clarity and good detail retrieval, but has poor imaging and separation. It's warm sounding with deep bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and detachable, but they're shallow and the drivers stick out quite a bit, so I recommend taking out the loose felt inside the cups, unless you're sensitive to treble, and replacing the earpads with pads from HiFiMAN or pads from Brainwavz.
  
  

  
  

  
  I also compare to AKG Q701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HiFiMAN HE400i, HyperX Cloud, Monoprice Monolith M1060, Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD700. I strongly advise against HyperX Cloud / Cloud II / CloudX if you don't need closed-back. I recommend K52 over them for closed-back. My evaluations derive mostly if not only from gaming (so take it with a grain of salt for music listening). I can't emphasize enough that perceived performance in headphones is relative.
  
   
  
  Highly regarded alternatives:
  
  

• Audio-Technica ATH-AD500x (open-back)
  
• Status Audio OB-1 (open-back)
  
• Status Audio CB-1 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD681 (semi-open-back)
  
• Superlux HD669 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD662 (closed-back)
  
   
  
  Terminology:
  
  
• Closed-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with solid shells that largely isolate sound from passing in and out.
  
  
• Open-back / semi-open-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with perforations/grills that allow outside sound to freely pass in and sound from the drivers to freely pass out. How loud you hear outside sound and how loud people around you hear the sound emanating from the headphones depend on your volume, of course. The sonic benefit to open-back is generally a big soundstage.
  
  
• Soundstage
  
  Perceived space and environment of sound. It can be compared to virtual surround sound; both attempt to produce the same spacious, three-dimensional effect. VSS can sound more ambient and immersive, which depends on the processor (CMSS-3D, Dolby, SBX, etc.), but it degrades the sound quality and diminishes detailing due to compression from digital processing. You might also experience less accurate imaging and separation if the headphone already has good imaging and separation. Note that a deep soundstage is equally important as a wide soundstage.
  
  
• Imaging
  
  Determines how accurately sounds/objects are positioned across the soundstage. And I mean where they are positioned and not merely what direction they come from. This distinction is important because being able to tell only what direction objects come from isn't good enough to me when playing against people.
  
  
• Separation
  
  Separating individual sounds from a range of sounds. Good separation makes it easier to filter out or discern overlapping sounds from other sounds and track them.
  
   
  
  ---
  
   
  
  

  🔊 Microphones
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Attachable to headphones:
  
  

• Antlion ModMic 4
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Comes with and without a mute switch.
  
  
• Massdrop Minimic
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Has a mute switch and is modular. Is only available via drops on Massdrop.com. I recommend requesting it if you want to wait for it.
  
  
• V-MODA BoomPro
  
  Connects to the headphone's jack, replacing the headphone cable. Is compatible with Philips SHP9500 and Status Audio CB-1. Has a mute switch and a volume control.
  
  

  
  

  
  Alternatives:
  
  

• Neewer
  
  
• Sony ECMCS3
  
  
• Zalman ZM-Mic1
  
  
• Blue Snowball
  
  
• Samson Go
  

I hope this isn't condescending, but I'm also a Special Ed teacher and spend a lot of time creating systems for my students. Below is some information that might be helpful. If not, that's cool too!

Make a visual chart for her. Break it down like this:

DAILY (no more than 2-3 things)

• Make Bed
  
• Clothes - Hang Up or Put in Hamper
  
• Organize School Stuff (Like backpack, etc.)
  
  
  Weekly (Do no more than 1 thing per day - 7 days per week, no exceptions)
  
  
• Vacuum Room
  
• Tidy Nightstand
  
• Dust
  
• Tidy Closet
  
• Clean Mirror
  
• Get Dirty Clothes and Put Next To Washing Machine
  
• Clean Window
  
  Obviously, you can make these up however you want, but the idea is to have 2-3 "daily" things and 1 "weekly" thing that she does every day.
  
  Some other tips:
  
  
• Make sure the chart is visible!! Put it on the back of her door or (better) her wall. Be sure to put it in her room. Make sure she can check off each thing daily. Hang a pen next to the chart.
  
  
• Be sure that every drawer/closet/cabinet has an organizing system in it with a concrete place for everything BEFORE you start expecting her to clean up independently. Label each area. This is going to cost a little money to implement, but it's SOOOOO helpful once it's in place. The Container Store had good stuff, but Dollar Tree also sells a lot of things that can be used to organize stuff. Get a really good labeler.
  
  Great Organizing Videos to Help
  
  Inexpensive Labeler
  
  
• Get everything in place and CLEAN and then start the program the next day. This way it's not totally overwhelming for her to maintain everything. The first week she might end up vacuuming an already pretty clean carpet, but that's okay. She'll be creating a great behavioral pattern, and that's the most important thing.
  
  
  

• You barely list Kodi because of 3rd party pirate addons, despite it having most of of your requests for Roku already implemented. DTS-passthru, Passworded tv and addons and able to program remotes. The library is extremely robust and can handle searching your media in a bunch of different ways including by network. The Bluetooth headphones is reliant on you STB but kodi can deal with it. As a bonus with the yatse app you can cast youtube and other online services to the Kodi install as long as there is a Kodi addon for that service.
  
  
• Complaining about the Firestick you knew it was WiFi at time of purchase so you can't knock it for that. Also it sounds like you have some networking gear issues if it is truly 3ft away.
  
  
• You can build a HTPC and a few tools on the back end to get your all in one DVR box(https://tvheadend.org/).
  
  
• You can build a HTPC or buy something like the Wetek play for OTA and DVR
  
  
• Volume control is trickier but if you get a CEC enabled HTPC or Set top box you can just use your TV remote. The simpler choice would be just turn the TV all the way up and use the STB remote for volume. There are other Devices like flirc or Harmony remotes that can also solve this.
  
  
• CEC can handle turning the TV on and off. Harmony remotes can also handle this easily.
  
  
• Kodi again can solve your file type problems(http://kodi.wiki/view/Features_and_supported_formats).
  
  
• KODI, Just because 3rd parties have enabled streaming pirated content shouldn't be held against a solid Home Theater software.
  
  
• Keyboards Logitech makes the K400 usb keyboard that will work with HTPCs and some STBs. Also voice search on the Shield TV is pretty solid.
  
  
• Wifi based remotes are nice, if you like them just find a STB that supports them.
  
  In short a solidly built HTPC can fix almost all of your gripes. Also you should really look at kodi again.
  
  >Ok, so you mention my lack of paragraph and sentence structure (although I am hesitant to admit that you are very right) and also not mentioning a universal remote (which I don't want to buy [I wanna say the cheapest harmony is around 80$], rather I want a all in one solution) what are areas you find me to be confused or ill informed?
  
  There are plenty of perfectly capable remotes for much less the $80.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/LYNEC-Wireless-Keyboard-Infrared-Learning/dp/B00U78EKM4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459302520&sr=1-3&keywords=HTPC+remote
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Multi-Touch-Touchpad/dp/B005DKZTMG/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459302520&sr=1-6&keywords=HTPC+remote
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459302520&sr=1-2&keywords=HTPC+remote
  

I bought a Brother QL-700 and it prints amazing quality labels. It's a thermal printer, so no cartridges to buy, and no ink to smear, plus labels stay on the bottles really well. Only thing is that my labels are only one color, black currently, but I love the minimalist look. I buy label refills from a third party on eBay for dirt cheap. It prints in high enough quality to add images and make them super tiny, add warning labels, etc. Highly recommend it if you're looking for something to save time and money. It comes with software (Ptouch) to design your labels in a breeze and the printer even cuts them for you.

The printer I got is here for around $50-60
The labels I get are here - 800 of them with a reusable cartridge for $9


Brother is a great name in the printing industry and I knew I was making a good choice when I bought it. I LOVE it, such a breeze.

PS- didn't fully take in the post 'til now, but this kind of label making won't get you far and won't appeal to the masses, so skip over this, but I'll leave it up in case a small time DIY'er wants to make up some sweet labels for a super fair price.

Some of the flatbed scanners with film holders work well, as dtanist suggested. If you're looking for a "dedicated" film scanner, you can occasionally find the Plustek OpticFilm 7400 or even 7600i SE for under $200 on sale. I picked up a 7400 in October of 2012 for $170; it had very solid reviews on B&H, and fair (i.e. - "It's good-- for the price") reviews from various tech / photo blogs.

My thoughts on the 7400: It lacks hardware dust & scratch removal, and it definitely isn't fast, but if your negatives are clean and you aren't in a rush, its image quality is good.

Actually, though, it looks like those two models were replaced earlier this year. There may be some still lingering around; the replacements are the OpticFilm 8100 and 8200i SE. I'd recommend the SE models over the 7400 / 8100, simply for the addition of infrared for dust & scratch removal (unless you take great care of your negatives and clean them before scanning; then it's not as much of an issue).

If you aren't in a rush, I'd recommend setting up price trackers at camelcamelcamel for Amazon, and camelegg for NewEgg (that's where I got my 7400), and perhaps a deal alert at SlickDeals (and that's where I FOUND the deal on the 7400).

EDIT: The Canoscan 9000F MkII that dtanist mentioned is ~$160 at Amazon right now.

I bought a boxee box for about $40 (shipping included in the price) only problem is you need to buy a usb remote. I would also recommend a USB 3.0 32 GB flash drive. All you have to do is root it and put the xbmc files on the USB flash drive.

Boxee Box on eBay

USB Flash Drive I bought

USB Remote

It comes out to be about $80. YOu can definitely find a cheaper remoe but I strongly recommend this one because it best resembles the boxee remote.

If you choose the boxee here is the rooting guide. It is really easy execute.

Tutorial for Root

XBMC Tutorial I recommend you run it off of the USB if you like the Boxee OS and/or have netflix.

EDIT: Forgot to add that it has been running perfectly smooth for me. And the design of the boxee is a bit different and I like the way it sits on the tv stand.

They do sell Internet alone. You may have to push for it, but they do it. I moved from NoVA to Central VA and had to get Comcast when I did have FiOS. I used this https://gethuman.com/phone-number/Comcast site as it caters to getting live people at companies. I got a concierge sales person who set me up with a sweet deal.

If you are with Comcast, they will try and upsell later. Be strong. Try and do the Internet deal on the phone.

I have a 150/24 speed on my net roughly and it sits about 100 a month. Much better than 300 plus for unused channels. If you need OTA channels, you can get a digital antenna that is cheap. Just have to be close enough to get them.

Also, I do not use the Comcast router/wifi. It is garbage. I bought my own that is approved for use on their system and for Wifi I bought this bad boy.

I have two Amazon FireTV boxes, not usb dongles. They are faster and more stable imo. There are other devices, but i went with these as they are android, but only semi locked down. You can sideload apps and there are many many there anyway.

I went SlingTV and OAN for paid things. That is 25 a month on top of 100. Obvs I am online a lot and I do game, so its what is important to me.

As to phone. I bought an ObiHai device and linked it to a Google phone number and have a 3 cordless set hooked to that. Base and two remote locations. It is free and works very well. I know its Google, but its free and you can get a local number or possibly port your current one.

Avoid satellite at all costs. Not worth it. You're paying more for less.

Verizon FiOS is where you want to be, ideally, just due to the technology being superior. Latency, signal quality and bandwidth are all excellent. I have coworkers who have the 300Mbps plan from them and love it (they're definitely power users!). The most basic plan of FiOS will probably treat you mostly well, some others might have to jump in and comment on this as I don't know this stuff personally.

Comcast is mediocre. Their residential side is very unfriendly if you're a power user. They have strict data caps, and violating the data cap three times in a row bans you from their service forever. If you consider yourself a power user (lots of streaming content, large downloads, steam games, etc), you might want to just go with their business level service. You don't have any data caps and if you have an issue with your internet someone to look at it will be out in hours instead of days. The plan isn't awfully expensive either (60/month for 12/2mbps in my area). The drawback is the 200 dollar installation fee and the minimum year-long commitment (or 100 dollar fee for 2 years, 50 dollars for 3). If you break the contract you pay 75% of the remainder of the commitment. So if I broke my contract right now two months into the contract, I'd pay 60 10 .75 = 450 dollars, ouch!

As for your other services...

I see you're bundling phone. There's a very good chance you can get by with much less expensive VoIP phone service (especially if you already use cell phones in your family) and drop the expensive telephone plans. Check out Google Voice; it's a free telephone number that does all sorts of neat tricks and features for you. Then, combine it with the OBi100 so that you have "landline" phones that use Google Voice's free telephone service. It's free calls to the US and Canada, and pretty low international rates. What's the catch? You need your internet connection to be on to get phone calls (but you can get these forwarded to your cell phones too), and you can't make 911 calls from your Google Voice powered phones.

As far as the TV... that's more tricky and I don't have a good answer for you, because I don't even have TV installed at my place and don't care for it. Try reading up in /r/cordcutters about ways to cut the cord. There's a lot of online media options available now with netflix and hulu plus, and many other streaming options too. They can help you with those.

Hey, I do theater lighting so I think I can help, though I'm not the best photographer.


Gel is pretty easy to get your hands on. Look on Google for a Theatrical lighting company in your area, any one that rents gear should sell gel, it goes for about $6 for a 2' by 3' sheet, most of which can be reused. Be careful putting it to close to particularly hot light because it can melt. Get a Swatch book while you're there to see all the ones they sell, Rosco and Lee are the leading brands. If you're in the Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh or Chicago area you can have some of mine, I've got too much.


In terms of lighting equipment, you don't need to spend much. I've lit entire (extremely low budget) musicals with lights from the hardware store. These lights are cheap and directional and you can tape gel right over it: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Zone-Clamp-Light-PZ-300/dp/B000KKLPOU


To control intensity with these lights you can either buy portable dimmers which aren't too expensive, use ND filters (another kind of gel) or different wattage lamps (light bulbs). They each have strengths and weaknesses but I wouldn't worry about it yet, just play with whatever is cheapest.


LEDs are nice because you can change color, but you don't need expensive ones. I believe Amazon sells some for cheap with RGB control, but for faces I would stick with incandescent light, tends to make the actress look better.


In terms of the photos, they look great. One thing I try to do is light the subject and the background separately. An amber model on a blue background really pops. Lighting the background or actor from two different angles with different colors also leads to a nice effect, you seem to have figured this out, but keep playing with it and try doing it with different lights for the subject and background.


Anyway, keep it up and let me know if you have anymore questions.

TV: Usenet, Netflix, and get an antenna.

You can hook up Netflix to your TV using a Roku or Boxee Box, or a smart internet-enabled TV if you have one.

Check out TVFool to find out what channels are available for free over the air in your area. If you live within 50-100 miles of the US border as the crow flies, you should be set to receive 10-30 channels for free in high quality HD, much higher quality than you can receive over cable. Pretty much anywhere in the Golden Horseshoe receives a great selection of channels for example, except maybe Newmarket and further north.

If you do decide to go the antenna route, check out this forum where people talk about reception results in different parts of Canada, and what antennas they had to install to get those channels. Best of all, this truly is a one-time investment, and it's totally legal. No need for multiple receiver boxes or any other nonsense.

If you set up usenet by following this guide, you can connect a Boxee Box to a computer that downloads things via usenet, and hook up Boxee to your TV. Your favorite shows and movies will be set to download automatically, and you can watch them on your TV.

Internet: Teksavvy. It's as good as they say it is. They still offer unlimited download plans and their standard plans involve a very reasonable 300 GB per month usage + no contracts + great support.

Home phone: Teksavvy offers phone service and long distance as well. They are a Bell reseller (in southern Ontario at least), but it feels good to not give Bell any money directly. For long distance, I make and receive calls for free using Google Voice, but I have used Teksavvy long distance occasionally and their rates are quite reasonable. If you set up a Google Voice account, you can get an adapter like this one that hooks up to your phone.

>The issue is that we have no idea if a regular developer will be able to get them developed.

If you can see them, they're already developed.

As for digitizing them, you'll hae a couple options:

• Any decent photo lab would be able to scan them in for you, but it can take a bit of time and money (it would be $0.65 to $1 a frame in my neck of the woods).
  
  
• You can do it yourself with any decent camera and proper backlighting. I was able to get this from the sample image you posted. If you were to hold it flat, with even light all across from behind, and use a high resolution camera. Some simple tweaking in photoshop will get you pretty desirable results (if you can't work photoshop, and want to go this route, let me know and I can do the tweaking for you).
  
  
• My preferred route is through the use of a film scanner. You can find dedicated ones for different sizes, but for archival purposes, I always recommend a flatbed with appropriate inserts. An Epson V600 or CanoScan 9000F II would be good models to look at. They'll come with template inserts for various types of film and have appropriate backlighting built in. The nice thing about these is they'll work with most types of negatives, in addition to regular photos and documents (it's always nice to have a scanner).

This is great. Hands are such a pain to draw well and you've done a great job. The story is relatable to anyone who's been high and experienced how weird your body is if you really think about it. 10/10, would read again.

If you're serious about moving from single illustrations to sequential art there are a lot of books and sites out there to help.


Fundamentals

Scott McCloud

Will Eisner


Writing

Jim Zub


Coloring

K Michael Russell


These are just a few. This may not be a popular opinion here but bittorent is your friend. Use it to torrent Photoshop, Manga Studio, and any drawing books you're interested in. Then you need to ask yourself what your end goal is. Printed comics? Web comics?

I've changed my workflow from originally doing everything with paper and pens to involving more digital elements during the process. It's made working quicker and most people want to consume comics on their laptop or tablet which means you'll end up converting to digital at some point in the future anyway.

Here's some examples of my stuff. I'm still learning so there's a lot here I'm embarrassed to show but it might be helpful context.

Web comic done with pencils and inks on paper then scanned. I did this for a year and you can see how much better my art gets towards the end from practicing every day. I wish I would have kept it up.

First try coloring something digitally.

Here's the second try doing a longer format comic. K Michael Russell's videos are awesome for learning the basics of coloring. Here's what the layers look like broken apart.

You can get a scanner relatively cheap, here's the one I use. The downside of a small scanner means you need to draw on paper smaller than 11x17 or draw on large paper and scan it in piece by piece.

I also moved to a Wacom tablet for inking/coloring. My next comic will be posted soon and was done 100% digital. I'm not in love with how it turned out but it helped me learn what you and can and can't do on a drawing tablet.

Hopefully some of this is helpful.

I scan all of my RGD drawings and primarily work in graphite. I use a canoscan 8600f but I believe they have updated the model to the 9000. It works pretty well. Sometimes the dark pencils (the ole' 9b) can get reflective, particularly when you mix media and they are drawn on a dark surface. The only way to avoid that is to make a whole elaborate setup. Black felt behind the art. Studio lighting. Then you can spread you light sources so wide they won't reflect as much.

By that point, if you aren't working to large, it's easier to just scan and use a white balance card. Just include that little guy into the scan and use the black, white, and grey eyedropper tools in the "levels" settings in Photoshop. Any reflections, you can edit out to make it match the real values of the drawing.

_Dead's suggestion with the shade is the best method for shooting on a larger scale and don't have the resources for a fancy pants setup. Cell phones won't have the best camera for shooting the art but you gotta use what you gotta use.

Just remember, even with a white balance card, the most important thing is making sure the lighting is EVEN. Try your best to make sure there are no hot-spots of light because that is the most difficult to adjust later.

I can go into more detail on fancy pants rigs if needed.

I use this: remote
I've had to change a few buttons around using autohotkey, but it's been the best solution I could find without spending a lot. It also has 5 learning ir buttons to control your TV, or sound system as well. The power button turns the TV on and off, one at the bottom changes inputs on the TV, and the last two changes the volume on my receiver. It's also an air mouse and has a keyboard. My wife is the same way, and she seems to like it. Good luck!

Honestly instead of a magicjack I would go with an Obihai...

I picked up the obi100 from amazon for $35 (http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1321670753&sr=1-2-catcorr) no referral link btw

It's awesome... first it's completely compatible with google voice.. so I can set google voice as service provider 1 (which enables free incoming and outgoing calls using google voice.. using a regular phone handset) then I used VOIP.MS for provider 2 (The device supports 2 providers).. threw $25 on the account and activated e911... programmed the obi100 to route 911 calls through provider 2 and everything else through provider 1... also picked up a toll free DID (in dial) number (just in case I ever have to use a payphone.. can use attendant to place outgoing calls on my voip through a 1-800.. and also for people to call me toll free) ....

So now.. for a total investment of $60, I have completely free phone service (until google ever changes it.. and even then I can use voip.ms for crazy cheap prices, less than 1c a minute).. fully functional 911 service going to my address, a toll free inbound number I can receive calls on or call to make outgoing calls from whatever supports toll-free calling...

One of the best investments i've made in a long time, you should check it out.. I have no idea how they got the device to allow outgoing calls using google voice (uses the gmail interface somehow.. but doesn't require your computer to even be on..)

Awesome piece of tech, the obi110 has an extra port to be connected to the POTS system as well, if you wanted to integrate that into it.. but that's not even remotely required.

Well there's far better resources for cooking on the cheap than me.

But some reliable cost savers that work for me.

1. Learn how to cook dried beans. (And rice too, but that's easy)
   Here's some recipes.
   More Recipies PuertoRican Style
   
2. Get a water filter, and learn how to drink mostly water. (If it's a pitcher, put a large container of unfiltered water near to it, and occasionally pour it into the filtered pitcher. Cuts down the hassle)
   
3. ^ In addition to this one, Crystal Light, Tang, etc etc some sort of water sweetener. Keep a cold pitcher of that in the fridge for the kids.
   
4. Eggs. They're cheap, and an easy source of protein and other nutrients.
   
5. Nature Valley granola bars in the 96 pack. If you can find a place to buy these locally, they can be as low as 12 cents each. A very flexible snack/breakfast item.
   
6. Get some good portable tupperwares for packed lunches. (Probably some insulated lunch sacks too, given the heat)
   EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Food Containers
   EasyLunchboxes Insulated Lunch Cooler Bag
   __
   
   And of course, learn how to spend less on entertainment/phone.
   
   Depending on what cost tier you're going for.
   
   But I'm gonna guess a good internet connection, a tracphone, and maybe netflix should have all your bases covered.
   
   Everything else you can just get from the internet.
   (Although maybe Skype for another $3 a month... dunno how that compares to the cost of a landline phone)
   
   Although for phone, maybe buying one of these, and paying nothing per month would be better than skype.
   OBi110 + Google Voice = "Free" Landline phone, for nationwide calls.
   
   (Although granted, maybe even this is too expensive)
   
   __
   
   For even cheaper, a lot of libraries have free DVD rentals.
   And redbox kiosks, are $1 for a one nights movie rental for new movies.

I bought this awhile go but it looks like it isn't available: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07538XHNZ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

It works pretty good except some heavy pieces fall off, but overall super helpful. The label maker I bought is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005X9VZ70/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No, you can only use a Google Voice (GV) number. I'll add some more info in the event you're unfamiliar with GV, but you can quit reading otherwise.

Google offers free phone numbers to everyone (at least in the US). Normally you can get one in your local area code. Once you get the number there are some cool things you can do with it. First, it is a real phone number that people can call or text. You can receive the calls and texts on your computer either through Hangouts or Voice. When I list stuff on Craigslist, I always tell them to text my GV# since I can answer directly from my computer. I've used a Google Voice number as my landline for years in my house with an Obihai device.

On your cell phone, you can also make & receive calls & texts with your GV number via Hangouts plus Hangouts Dialer or the Google Voice app. The Voice app just got overhauled and it offers more comprehensive functionality that can also incorporate/merge your cellular provider's phone number with your GV #.

TLDR Get a Google Voice number--they're free, and VERY useful.

I use a URC-WR7 (http://www.universalremote.com/product_details.php?id=63&s=diy&c=remotes&p=URC-WR7), basically a very nice programmable IR remote. It's a bit bulky, but very versatile.

I also have a Logitech K400 keyboard, but it's a bit annoying. My PC is a bit further and in a cabinet, so the keyboard has issues connecting.

I recently got an air mouse (MX3/generic, http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Multifunction-Wireless-Keyboard-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY). I like it the most so far; the keys are very clicky, it's a very good size, it has a few programmable R buttons, it has a keyboard, the air mouse is very good. The only thing I don't like is that you switch from remote-mode to air-mouse-mode, and the switching button doesn't "take" unless you hold it down for a few seconds to lock it in. This is my favorite so far. Highly recommended, and very cheap to boot.

Oh yeah, I also have a Rii. It hasn't been very reliable for me, although when it works it's good. It's cumbersome as a "remote" though.

I actually just got this from Amazon on Wednesday, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K768DHY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00K768DHY&linkCode=as2&tag=rutgpacal-20&linkId=75NXKNY6KJIO3TPA . It works pretty decent on the ADT-1 except for the airmouse not being able to be fully disabled (or I haven't figured a way to do it). It seems that when it gets enabled and your on Leanback you have to disable it (just pressing the button).

Nonetheless it almost fits all your criteria.

My first recommendation is do not program the POWER button on the remote (if you leave it unprogrammed it can actually put your ADT-1 to sleep and wake [unfortunately I programmed it and now I cannot seem to get it to do that for the ADT-1]).

Secondly, I'd use the bottom 4 bottoms to control the TV usage. I programmed the bottom RED Button to turn TV on/off (via IR learning on the remote). Then I used the Blue and Yellow for Volume Control (again via IR Learning). I programmed the Blue to just change the input on my TV.

Ironically I think there is some sort of MIC on the device, but it does not seem to do anything (at least not on the ADT-1. I tried manually going to VOICE talking while it was listening and nothing.

It obviously has a keyboard, it is just fine for it's size.

I do use the number pad in the front with the HDHomerun TV input and that works too to change the channels!

Also if you use a keyboard remapper (I used https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=innerlife.keyboard.multilanguagekeymapredefiner) you can program a few of the keys to load certain applications. For example the little icon with the movie clapperboard actually with load up Google Music. So I decided to program a few of the buttons (the 4 squares) to load the tvinput, so it goes directly to that. I also programed the magnifying glass (to load Kodi). I say you can do this as some of the buttons will not do anything on ATV, so it's nice to make a few shortcuts to frequently used applications.

So overall I think it is actually a great choice for the ADT-1. I just wish that A) I didn't program that power button on the top to IR since it was nice to actually make the ADT-1 go to sleep (plus when I long pressed it, I had the option to actually shutdown). B) The Air mouse not being able to be permanently disabled (This being the biggest grippe).

Before you leave the US, transfer your cell phone number over to Google voice. Buy one of these and set it up with your Google Voice account. You can transfer your wife's phone number as well and add it as a secondary account. Incoming and outgoing calls to the US will be free.

Sign up for Amazon Prime. Your basic necessities can be found at the exchange and commissary, but they do a shit job in keeping their levels of stock maintained.

If you decide to go through a major provider for cell service, avoid Softbank. The coverage is garbage. AU is pretty decent and you can bundle with internet for a discount.

You should consider grabbing an international driver's license from your local AAA. You will need to take a short drivers ed course before you can get your base license, assuming you already have your stateside license. It's only offered on certain days, so if driving is an absolute necessity, you can rent a car with your international driver's license until you get your base license. Your sponsor should be able to take you around, so consider this tip low priority.

AFN satellite is pretty limited in their programming. If you want Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, you'll need something like a Roku or Apple TV and a DNS Proxy. I'm signed up for SMART DNS and I can access all the programming from those providers. I also have a Sling Box slinging cable from my brother's house to me over here. If you have family that is willing to pay for an additional cable box, you might want to invest in a Slingbox.

There is an auto resale lot on the base. You can find some good deals, but none of the cars have a warranty. If you decide to buy a car off base, you should avoid the places by the base that cater to Americans. A lot of cars are older and high-mileage. You should explore options off base. Try switching the language to English and browsing Crossroad. I'm sure the translation isn't perfect, but it will give you a good idea of what's offered here.

I have a similar handheld scanner, and while it does work pretty well, it requires a lot of practice to get a good scan. I've scanned things thinking I did a great job of keeping it straight and going the right speed, only to get back to my computer and find that someone's face is stretched out because I messed up ever-so-slightly.

Overall I like the scanner, but a photo of the item in question, taken with a good camera in decent lighting will be just as good. I'd recommend getting a good digital camera and portable tripod instead.

Miniature photography is one of my favorite hobbies, for the best results I suggest spending the money on a good light box with diffused sides and top such as this . After that got to lowes/home depo/ harware store get a few clamp lamps and some day light bulbs for them. Put one lamp over the top and one on each side. (I put mine at a 45 degree angle so half goes to the sides and half to the front of the box.) So for $70 bucks max you will have a perfect set up for shooting minis, just remember to do things like focus stacking to get fully focused shots. In my flikr pool is examples of this, almost 90% of the stuff here is shot in a light box with this setup.

Rollo Amazon Link

Rollo Printer

I like it overall. I ship a lot of 1st class labels and this definitely comes in handy. It can misprint labels at times. Also, if doing a good amount make sure you get the stand for rolls. The rolls aren’t the cheapest either but so much better then laser printer. I only use it for shipping labels, not sure if it could be used for anything else, kind of interested now with what else I could print. Nonetheless, let me know if you have any questions. Completely worth it and never have to worry about ink again! As far as wireless I’m not sure what’s the best and haven’t heard of any good ones. The Rollo has power plug and usb into back of computer. I have a Mac and was really plug and play. It’s small overall but the stand and labels take up more room than anything.

Most of my professors so far only allow Calculators that are allowed on the FE. as /u/DrJamaican mentioned, get a good calculator that is allowed on the FE and learn how to use that as you would breathe. I usually recommend the Casio FX991EX, it does spreadsheets and 4X4 matrices and the display and overall functionality is amazing compared to it's only real competitor the TI-36x Pro. The only thing the TI does better is keep memory of operations between power cycles. If you are gonna graph any for a class it is gonna be using MATlab or some other software package. So save yourself the money on a graphing calc and buy two great scientific calculators (always need a backup).

I always heard that the listening experience on a pair of open-back headphones is unparalleled, but never had the means to delve into the world of open-back headphones.

Recently, I decided to take the leap and experience open-back headphones. However, the wallet still did not allow it. Until I found these online.

While they are in no way comparable to the likes of Sennheiser HD600 or HD650s, they are a nice way to experience a more open listening experience on a budget.

Pros:

• Budget: Cost only GBP40 link
  
  
• Clear sound
  
  
• Good separation
  
  
• 10ft wire with a very strong audio jack and spring around the termination. Also, cable management included!
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Subpar, plastic build quality; They really do feel like they are going to break if I am not careful
  
  
• Very heavy on the bass
  
  In no way will I ever be using these as my primary pair of headphones, but these are a good option to experience the open-back listening experience on a budget
  
  {Driving the headphones using the 13 inch retina macbook pro. No amps being used }
  

20pcs Van Gogh's Monet bookmark AliexpressRs 115 per piece by /u/harddisc

Mini box/case/pouch Amazon Rs 190. Cheaper on Aliexpress but it's a long wait. By /u/harddisc

Koala-Tea pun coffee mug for tea lovers: [Amazon](
http://www.amazon.in/Teawery-Quality-Koala-Ceramic-Tassyam/dp/B01MUD7QNE/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1492318922&sr=1-3&keywords=Tassyam) Rs 279. I bought a mug and a cushion cover.



Fidget Cube: Amazon Rs 499 by /u/in3xorabl3 This is really cool.


Automatic Socket to turn off after set time: link Rs 596



Knife and
[Balaclava]
(http://www.amazon.in/One-Stop-Shop-Stretchable-Balaclava-Scooter-Driving/dp/B010EBAP18/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1492274974&sr=8-29&keywords=balaclava) Total price 495+140=Rs 635 by /u/desh_drohi


Amazon Umbrella With vent and one button open/close function [Amazon]
(http://www.amazon.in/AmazonBasics-Automatic-Travel-Umbrella-Wind/dp/B00WTHJ5SU/ref=sr_1_2?s=luggage&ie=UTF8&qid=1492318657&sr=1-2&nodeID=2454169031&psd=1) Rs 699



Panasonic TCM 125: one of the best budget sounding earphones. Around Rs 700



Harmonica Amazon Rs 839 by by /u/desh_drohi This might be a better choice than his other suggestion.




Casio FX 991-ES Scientific Calculator: [Amazon]
(http://www.amazon.in/Casio-FX-991ES-Plus-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B0034BAQS8/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys&ie=UTF8&qid=1492319686&sr=8-1&keywords=Casio+FX+991-ES) Rs 860 by /u/exxentricity^Confirmed ^engineer


100 DC Comics postcards: [Amazon]
(http://www.amazon.in/Art-Vintage-DC-Comics-Postcards/dp/0811876500?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_vyT8ybM44W7AA) Rs 908 by /r/PervyPanda

Other suggestions include a pollution mask,radio, swiss knife, health check up, liquid nitrogen and food!?






i could go on the whole day. ^i ^might ^have ^a ^weakness.
Please post more:)
ps: learning to format in reddit!

edit: formatting and including other users recommendations
Sorted by Price

I bought this handheld scanner and it works great. It's light, easy to pack, and scans very quickly. Like another poster said slight movements can be aggravating, but most of the time the scanner auto corrected the movement and the rescan I did was unnecessary.

No need for a computer as it uses a microSD card for storage, some would see this as a pro or a con since they can't view the image on a monitor. You can however inspect it on the small display of the scanner, it will at least help determine if it scanned at an angle or if anything was cut off. The quality is top notch and it saves in either PDF or JPG at Lo (300dpi), Medium (600dpi), or Hi (1050dpi). ($89.95)

Additionally, it works perfect when I need to scan large media, but don't want to use a camera capture. Take multiple swipes of the piece, a poster say, and then stitch the multiple files in Photoshop later. Viola, high resolution scan. The scans are limited to 8.5" wide, but can go on indefinitely as far as I can tell.

TaoTronics® 1050 DPI 1.44'TFT Color Display Colour & Mono Handheld Scanner for Document, Photo, Reciepts, Books + JPG/PDF Format Selection

.

I've also used Genius Scan+ through all of college and genealogy work in a pinch. It does a great job of preserving a book page, screen cap, or board, but I wouldn't count on it to preserve photos unless I had nothing else. (Free/$6.99)

Genius Scan+ by Grizzy Labs

.

And I use this scanner for when I have no carry restrictions. A computer is required and I need multiple power outlets, but it has the best scan quality by far. A huge plus is that it can neatly scan negative strips with an included accessory. ($174.84)

Canon CanoScan 9000F MKII Color Image Scanner

The Linx Derp Lab 0.5

• Modem: Arris SB6141 with 35Mb down 5Mb up
  
• Firewall/Router: Untangle installed on Zotac 323Nano with USB 3.0 to NIC added for WAN - 8GB RAM and 120GB SSD system drive
  
• Core Switch: Cisco 3750G 24port switch
  
• ESXi host 1: HP Proliant DL380 G6 Dual Quad core with 40GB RAM and 8x73GB RAID 5
  
• ESXi host 2: HP Proliant DL380 G6 Dual Quad core with 40GB RAM and 8x73GB RAID 5
  
• CentOS07-1: Whitebox embedded AMD Quad core with 4GB RAM and 60GB SSD
  
• CentOS07-2: Whitebox socketed AMD Tri core with 4GB RAM and 60GB SSD
  
• FreeNAS: Whitebox socketed Intel Dual core (HT) with 10GB RAM and 12 x 1 TB RAID Z2 + 3x120GB SSD cache
  
• Pi2: Raspberry PI2 running raspbian
  
• UPS: APC Smart-UPS 2200
  
  Others
  
  
• Home office AP/Switch: TP-Link WR 1043ND flashed with DD-WRT
  
• Office VPN: Arubba RAP-3WNP
  
• VOIP: OBi202 with Google Voice
  
• Gaming Rig: AMD FX-8350 with 16GB RAM and 2 x 500GB Samsung Evos with a dinky XFX R7-260X
  
  Planned purchases
  
  
• Third ESXi host, similar hardware, and hope to get a VMUG membership
  
• 2nd Cisco switch so I can do A side B Side (or 2 switches of something with easy GUI setup since I lack Cisco IOS knowledge)
  
• A rack that is better than a cheap shelf (and maybe some PDUs)
  
• 10Gb cards for FreeNAS and ESXi hosts (maybe white box servers)
  
• Maybe a 10Gb switch so I don't have to mesh the servers
  
• Pretty network cables
  
• UniFi AC Pro AP , for sure one, but may add a 2nd if it doesn't cover the whole house (2 stories plus basement)
  
• A real router like an EdgeRouter
  
  Plans for lab
  
  
• Play with various flavors of linux and linux services (like understanding LAMP stack)
  
• Host a blog to record my derps of learning linux (Hence the name)
  
• Stand up a windows domain with AD (possible MS certs, but not my focus)
  
• Figure out how to integrate linux with Win AD
  
• Host a generic webserver with the blog, just for experience sake
  
• Learn ESXi beyond my basic understanding
  
• Maybe Cisco CCNA, but its not my priority
  
• Kali/Hacking/Security Lab (this is my priority since I want to get my CISSP)
  
• Learn mysql or just SQL in general (I have just enough understanding to be dangerous at work)
  
• Learn how to use the Pi2 to automate backups or reboots, or controlled shutdowns when the UPS gets low (30 min run time currently)
  
• Stand up pfSense somewhere on the lab network to learn (I tried sophos UTM and didnt like it). I have untangle paid for a year since its GUI makes setup a piece of cake. That should give me time to figure out pfSense and see if I like it better.
  

Lab coats are provided by the department in 99% of cases in my experience. I wouldn't even be allowed to bring my own one. Safety glasses is not something biologists use the vast majority of times. Really most of the things biologists use on a daily basis are either too expensive or impractical to give as a gift to be honest. I personally love to have a proper calculator in all my labcoats (3x, this one) because there's nothing more annoying than these one-line calculators lying around everywhere. Maybe a nice new briefcase/bag with a good calculator? Hard to get more biology-themed and be useful at the same time I think.

In order to use google voice to bypass the cost associated with traditional sms messaging on ting I use the following setup. My phone number is actually on google voice not on my ting account. Using the google voice app I'm able to send and receive calls and text messages using my google voice. People don't even know that my number is on google voice and not on ting. All text message are sent over the data connection or wifi. Although there are data charges the amount of data used for messaging is quite small. Since data is used to send messages you would lose the ability to send messages while roaming. Another advantage to this setup is that messages can go over wifi. This is useful if you (like me) are sometimes in a college basement and can't get a signal but you still have access to wifi.

Limitations:

-this only works with android phones

-you will lose the ability to message non traditional numbers (ex 464411)

-you can't send or receive MMS messages


Setup:

When you set up ting you should move your number to google voice not to ting. This cost $20 one time. If your not attached to your number google voice will assign you a new number for free.

Log into your google voice account and add a forwarding phone that is the number that is the number assigned to your ting phone. This is not your google voice number but the number listed in your ting account. When you do this it will place a test call to your ting phone for verification purposes. I would also recommend turning off call screening and enabling the spam filter.

Next download the google voice app and start the setup process. It's important to skip "sprint google voice integration" because your using ting and not sprint. However google voice can't tell that your a ting customer and not a sprint customer so it still prompts you. You should select the following options while setting up the app.

-use google voice to make all calls

-skip voice mail forwarding setup (this is not necessary since your call are already going through google voice)

Next you should log into your ting account and select the line that your are setting up google voice for. Select the following options.

-disable the ability to send and receive text messages

-disable voicemail

Another cool thing you can do now that you have your number on google voice is send and receive text messages in a web browser on your computer by going to voice.google.com If you make a lot of calls at home and have a reliable internet connection you can purchase an obitalk voip adapter. http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1376716249&sr=1-1&keywords=obi100

This allows you to make unlimited calls with your google voice numbers while at home using a traditional phone.

I use this one for my shield: https://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468592272&sr=8-2&keywords=minix+a2 (it runs on two AAA batteries and has IR learning).

It's not perfect. Almost everything works out of the box except for the back button, which apparently is read as a right mouse click instead. The ESC key on the back sort of works as a back button but its wonkey. I had to download a key remapping app to make the ESC key the back button. The keyboard is also super wonky but maybe I just got a bad one. In my case, it will either work perfectly fine, or the keys are suddenly remapped to something ridiculous (the r key becomes a volume key or the i key becomes the back button or something stupid like that). The air mouse works extremely well and is great if you plan on side loading apps.

Again, I think I may have just gotten a defective one because the keyboard issue I mentioned also happened on an mxiii box I used to have (the back button worked perfectly fine on that though). I might look into some of the other ones mentioned in this thread as a replacement.

I am not sure this will work for you, but I use www.voip.ms for my business line. They have IVRs, voicemail, virtual extensions, ring everywhere, text, fax to email, and a lot of other services. I ported my Google voice number to Verizon, then to Voip.ms, and it works fine.

I do have an ObiHai 202 VOIP adapter which connects to my phone line in my house to a regular phone. However, you can have VOIP.ms just ring to your cell phone or any other number.

I am not sure how Air BNB will treat it, but the voip.ms folks are pretty nice if you email them for support.

I used a super fancy ti calculator (ti voyager, had a qwerty keyboard and everything) for my first two years of college and then my engineering profs banned it and told us we could only use fe (fundamentals of engineering exam) approved calculators. I then went and researched the best of those calculators and discovered the Casio fx 115 es.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007W7SGLO?pc_redir=1408869410&robot_redir=1

I'm not trying to get you something you don't want but after learning to use this calculator i realised how much of a waste of money graphing calculators are. You are never asked a question on any college level test that says "plot what this function looks like" unless it is something your calculator can't handle and for homework assignments you can just install x cas on your smartphone.

http://www-fourier.ujf-grenoble.fr/~parisse/install_en

There is also a ti equivalent of the calculator so noone here thinks I'm a Casio rep but imo the Casio is way more capable and user friendly (I'm personally fond of the button layout)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004NBZB2Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1408927322&sr=8-1

anyway what I'm saying is I'll get you either of those calculators (Casio fx 115 or ti 36) but not the graphing calculators because I don't own any and think they're a waste of money for over dependant math newbies. If that interests you let me know and I'll buy one for you asap.

Seriously these calculators can do vector math, dot products, derivatives and integrals, probability (ncr and npr) and list values of functions in a table format (as close to graphing as you need to get imo). Even the normal graphing calculators can't do all that!

I used two calculators in my algebra, trig, calculus, and stats classes:

(1) TI-89. I just got the most basic model I could find on craigslist. It cost me $50. I'll probably be able to sell it for $50 if I ever want to get rid of it. It's handy to keep around just in case. It is useful for calculus because it is the cheapest TI calculator that can solve derivatives, integrals, differential equations (etc) symbolically.

(2) Casio fx-115ES. This is a scientific calculator, and I find myself using it whenever I need a calculator. It has a pretty intuitive interface that can save you from dozens of parenthesis when writing a long expression. Also, it can do definite integrals and evaluate the derivative of an expression at a given x value.

I find that when I want to do graphing or statistics or whatnot, I usually end up using a computer. As such, I haven't touched my TI-89 in a while. I mostly use it to loan out to friends and other students.

I bought it and returned it. The air mouse function turns off every time you press a button. Fine if you only use xbmc but I wanted to browse the internet with it. I ended up getting this one and it works great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K768DHY

Takes some time to set up but once it's working it's good. I have the number keys set to shortcuts like full screen/tab.

The Logitech k400 is still my go-to. I use the remote if I feel lazy and want to use one hand.

As an option, you may consider doing what I'm doing: Internet + Google Voice.

I have Comcast HSI only, and a nifty box, the OBi110 VoIP Telephone Adapter and Voice Service Bridge. Those two with a free Google Voice account get you, in my experience, solid telephone service.

Since I have a home run situation in my house, the cable modem, router and OBi110 are in the same place. I've hooked existing telephone cabling into the OBi, and have regular old phones plugged in all over the house.

One downside is that you will not have accurate 911 geo location service. I'm not even sure where my 911 call would be routed if I do need to make the call.

The big upside with Google Voice is that you can route your one telephone number to your cell, home, work based on rules you set up.... plus other nice features.

I hope that helps a bit.

Also - with your 1.5 connection, you may consider buying a newer cable modem that supports DOCIS v3.0. That should help your speed a bit too, unless you have some other issues on your connection.

I started using checkout at the beginning of the year. It is a decent program. We do phone repair, so are SKUs are in the couple of hundreds. I would say it is a great deal for $500. I would definitely take as many notes as you can in the first two weeks and give them a call the third week to have them straighten out all of the kinks. Phone support is only free the first month and $30 a month after that, optional of course. I saved quite a bit of money by buying the hardware from Amazon, only needing the cash drawer and receipt printer. The [barcode scanner] (http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Barcode-Scanning-Bar-code-Adjustable/dp/B00406YZGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1368482901&sr=1-1&keywords=barcode+scanner+usb) is cheap enough if needed.

I've had my eye on this for a while. I have no idea how good it is, but if you buy one, please let me know what you think of it. Looks like it would be good for the simplicity of a media remote, but also useful for the versatility of a mouse and keyboard when needed. Plus the ir can be programmed to operate your TV too. Sorry, I know this is pretty much the opposite of what you're asking. I'm sure you already know, but there are apps for basically all devices that work as a remote. It's what I usually use.

Yeah, that's an OK one. /r/Collapse is bigger though, about 20k members. 2 MUST HAVE resources are CD3WD & The AT Library. CD3WD contains some of the AT Library and resources like Appropedia (which you can't get a dump of otherwise in html, though the XML dump for is here: http://www.appropedia.org/approbackups/ ) as well as other resources. The Appropedia (and any other MediaWiki wiki) backup can be used with WikiTaxi for viewing offline.

Main CD3WD Site: http://www.cd3wd.com
Download it: (24GB) http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd/index.html
Browse it: http://cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/cd3wd/index.htm


http://www.wikitaxi.org/delphi/doku.php/products/wikitaxi/index

You just need to download 7zip, ungunzip (gz) the xml file, the bzip2 the file (like zipping or rar'ing) then import it into WikiTaxi with the Windows WikiTaxiImporter.exe GUI. It's cake. Some wikis, like Appropedia don't start out on the right page. For that wiki specifically search for "Category" in the search box up to be taken to the index. For others, search for main, index or category until you find the right one.

There's probably 5+ great wikis out there you can get dumps for, including wikipedia. WikiTaxi can handle more than one wiki too. So once you import Appropedia, WikiPedia, etc you can choose which one you'd like to access from WikiTaxi's startup page.

Also, for things like http://practicalaction.org/hydraulic-ram-pumps
where Appropedia has sourced some of it's material ... or great forums (though both practicalaction.org and forums and other websites won't love you for this) you can use HTTrack to download entire websites of any kind for offline viewing.

Make sure you See options/spider/spider: robots.txt and set it to -> 'never' so if they have a robots.txt that tells Google or something not to grab their pages that you do. :) Poor Netiquette? Maybe. Survival skill? Definitely.

There's an offline WikiPedia handheld viewer that runs off of AA batteries that I'm getting.

For jailbroken Ipods/Iphones: http://www.haukap.com/wiki2touch/

Cheapest w/ touch screen standalone that runs on AAA batteries:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/pandigital-panreader01-wikipedia-reader-portable?ID=466909&cm_mmc=Google_Feed_pla_pe-_-adtype-pla-_-target-19586772875-_-kw-&gclid=CPCwntj_3KwCFeZeTAodo23EAQ

Same unit, $100 from amazon.

http://thewikireader.com/store/

Wiktionary, Wikiquotes and Wikitravel are also offered. This means you can adapt any wiki to work with it. It uses microSD memory cards.

http://www.amazon.com/WikiReader-WR-01-Pocket-Wikipedia/dp/B002N5521W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322628107&sr=8-2

Personally, I have a Kindle Keyboard w/3G.

Then, my Android phone with Moon+ Reader, Adobe Reader and a 32GB card.

After that, my laptop and netbook, external BluRay reader & 2x external 500GB USB-powered hard drive with exact same contents (I've had so many drive failures it's ridiculous).

For Power: Crank charger for USB Devices, solar power for USB devices, solar chargers for batteries, battery adapter to USB (cellular emergency chargers). Some of my chargers do more than one.

So, all my videos, CD3WD, e-books and much, much, much more.

Why not get get an all in one like the one I use or this one maybe this is more to your liking. A couple more essentially identical and awkward options are this one and this one. There's more choices too if you didn't like those, take this one for example or if you just want to have some fun (doesn't have keyboard, consider it an honorable mention). These are links to universal remotes with a keyboard on the back. Some have trackpads like those found on laptops, while some use an "air mouse" (think Wii control). Some use regular batteries (AA/AAA) while others use built in rechargeable batteries.

About a year ago I started looking around for a way to control my TV and HTPC with one remote. I originally wanted to go with a FLIRC paired with a Harmony control to use so that I could use WMC (with Youtube, Hulu+, Netflix and Plex "plugins"). Ultimately I decided against it due to the lack of a keyboard. After looking around I stumbled upon these. I went with the Rii due to the form factor and the WAF.

--Below is my review of the "Rii mini i13 4 in 1 Wireless Multmedia Air Fly Mouse Keyboard (Black)"--

I am mostly pleased with this setup but there are a few kinks, most notably the battery. At first it was great, no batteries to swap out and it held a charge for about a month before it was time to recharge. But now, a year later, I have to recharge it every couple days. It still works fine but I don't know if I should buy another one, try to replace the battery when it does die, or try something different. There is no way EASY way to open it, and honestly I don't think it could withstand to many battery swaps since it's made of this flimsy plastic. Truly think I'm lucky to have had it as long as I have.

Another thing is that the buttons themselves feel indistinguishable from one another which makes night time use/viewing a bit difficult, wish there was a backlight. I'd also like to mention that I have an issue with the mouse.

As mentioned earlier the mouse is similar to using a Wii, with one difference the Wii pointer only goes to where you aim the control. This mouse works with relative motion to move the cursor. Imagine you just scrolled the cursor to the far right corner of your monitor, you can keep moving your mouse further right but the cursor won't move any further. That means if you did a 180° then you'd still be controlling the mouse even though you are now facing the wall. This makes navigation a little frustrating. Add to that the mouse's sensitivity mixed with no stabilization makes clicking and dragging a chore. Never realized I had a shake in my hands until I held this remote. I remedied this by simply disabling the mouse in Windows. I realized I wasn't using it so I disabled it.

The last thing I had issues with was that there is no real concrete instruction manual. Just some small quick start guide. After spending some time with it, I rather enjoyed experience.

I literally just purchased the Rollo and I love it! I chose that over the Dymo because it doesn't require you to purchase proprietary labels. Other than that it may be a horse a piece. One ironic thing, as soon as I made my choice, I saw a notification that one of my Posh YouTubers was offering a fantastic deal on the Dymo. At least it looked fantastic though in reality once you saw the bottom line it wasn't that much savings. But anyway, I stuck with the Rollo. I didn't buy the label holder, I just keep them in the box behind the printer and it works peachy. This is what I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA3EYC5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I love that it doesn't need ink. Setup was super easy - it's not quite plug and go but the video is very easy to follow. Simple USB connection.

Know what speeds you're getting from your ISP and make sure the modem you want to buy supports or exceeds that speed. Usually getting a separate router and modem is the way to go, but if you want a single device, you'll be looking for a gateway. You'll get better wifi and save money getting your own devices.

You can also drop the land line and get an internet phone adapter which you can plug into your router and make calls for free over the internet. Only downside is that you'll need to pay something like 12 per year to upgrade your line if you want to be able to call 911.

:D

u/realised
Omg we LOVE the label maker! We may have labeled where every size glass and plate goes in the cabinet.
While I would have thought it was crazy two years ago - I am SUPER pleased with the purchase.

This is the one we bought : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005X9VZ70/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The best part, the replacement tape is $1.72 less than the actual machine! hahaha. So, we may just keep buying more machines, just for the hell of it.

Our Roomba (named Robby), and this label maker.........oh, and the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich maker..........best purchases we have made = D

I use yatse when I stream media to my tablet and when I have my tablet in my hand already.
For guests and pstvl I use This


It controls my android device running xbmc, my lg sound bar for volume, and turns my vizio tv on and off. Has a few quirks but I love it. And it looks and acts like a typical remote so conversion to a htpc has been easier.

You are absolutely right! One is used by a raid card and I think the other is empty at the moment on closer look... For the USB FXO ports, will there be a slowdown due to the USB 2 interface? Also what is the difference between this and say the Obi202?(https://www.amazon.com/OBi202-Phone-Adapter-Router-2-Phone/dp/B007D930YO) Is the main difference that if you use the Obi202 you cannot use the FreePBX and you have to use their software?

 

I would want to use VMWare as it seems easier to setup but what is putting me off is it seems hard to use with a free license? Are you using a free license, paid, or perhaps thru VMUG?

 

The only complication with my current VM is I had some help before in the setup and I have actually assigned two ips thru one ethernet device due to the way I wanted to mimic two devices. I just have to figure that part out...

Looking good! Pretty solid variety you have there. :)

Here's a cheap solution if you want to upgrade from duct tape lol.
https://www.amazon.com/DYMO-LabelManager-Handheld-Label-1790415/dp/B005X9VZ70/

This is the one that I am using: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00406YZGK/

I started with the one linked above by u/K1ngN0thing, but I like the one I just linked above as it will automatically scan items when you place them in front of it. It has a motion sensor that detects the item, and you can press the trigger as well if you don't want to use that feature. I have used several, and this is my preference for the price.

If you wanted to see any of the other tools I am using for my FBA business you can find them here: www.onlinesellingexperiment.com/resources. I will say upfront that some of the links are affiliate links, but they are all products that I personally use, and if you have any questions on them I would be happy to help.

In case of backing out to try Vonage, I would instead recommend you try an Obi200 instead. Pretty sure it works with Voip.ms if that's where you want to stay, but it also works with Google Voice, meaning you can grab a free number from them and make calls within the US for free.

Source: Just upgraded my Obi100, which I've had for 3 years, to an Obi200 doing the same thing. Conference call for work this morning was done over the Obi200.

I'd still say give the PBX thing a whirl; I mean, this is /r/homelab after all. But for actually getting stuff working fast, Obi200.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MA3EYC5/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_Q6XwCbBG37DV7
Here you go! So far, I really like it! I choose this one over a Dymo 4xl because it seems like it has better customer support and it was cheaper, haha.

For $39.00 I purchased this: ObiHai Obi100 and have attached it to my phone. It is now my primary home phone and works with Google voice like a charm. I get free calls to my family on the other coast, and I don't use up my mobile minutes. I also added an Anveo e911 account so that emergency calls route the police to the proper address. (it can do two SiP voice providers at once, in case you wanted one for international calling and google for just North America) Obi also has apps for android and iPhones that allow you to use your Obi on your mobile, so if I am on any wifi network, I can call from my mobile and not use minutes.)

It is the best Google voice accessory I have ever bought, and I haven't looked back since.

Not quite a pen, but you should be able to use a portable scanner like this.
It will save text as an image, and then there are any number of free downloadable OCR programs you can use to convert the image to text that you can put into a word document

If you have physical media I'd treat them like books and use something like LibraryThing or iTrackMine for inventory. Most of these programs are web-based and have mobile versions so you can check your collection from anywhere. Best of all, they have robust databases so you can ususally just scan the bar code on the item (book, CD, DVD, etc.) and the fields will self-populate. I have about 6K books and while I don't have them all online yet I can do a hundred in about an hour. I bought a USB barcode scanner for about $20, so I can just take a shelf of books at a time, scan them into the laptop, and add notes before saving. I do the same with CDs, DVDs, LPs, and other media.

For that, you may need to buy a separate phone modem. I believe it depends on which VOIP service you have. If you have comcast, I don't know if they let you use any old voice modem. I use a service called voip.ms, and they let you bring your own device. I have this one, and it works fine for under $30.

If you are going to be at a place where you are hooking up new phone service, you might want to consider other solutions which I hear are extremely easy to set up, and very cheap (basically free plus taxes) such as [Ooma free telephone service]
(https://smile.amazon.com/Ooma-Telo-Free-Phone-Service/dp/B00I4XMEYA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1512014457&sr=8-5&keywords=voip+adapter)

I am a sophomore cs student going into my 4th semester. Here's my experience with the calculator policies for tests in different classes:

• Math: No calculator allowed or only a 4-function allowed.
  
• Physics: Any calculator allowed except for those expensive TI Nspire CX ones with like LED screens. They never checked during exams. Also formula sheets were allowed for exams so you only ever needed the basic functions anyway.
  
• CS: Never needed a calculator for any cs classes.
  
  I always use a TI-84 cause that's just what I own, but I really only use it for the screen size. Any calculations can be done on a 4-function or scientific calculator like you have. When I don't have a calculator with me, I'm able to use my phone calculator app or try to always keep wolfram alpha or symbolab open in a tab on my computer which is helpful for explaining stuff and a larger range of calculations. In other words, you should be fine with the scientific calculator for 1035 that you have, but a more expensive one will make calculations easier, faster, and possibly more accurate (in my experience the keys on the scientific calculators don't register sometimes and are less sensitive than the nicer calculators, which can mess up a calculation - pain in the ass when you don't realize a button didn't register at the beginning of a multi step calculation until after the fact). There are a lot of ti-83's and ti-84's on eBay that are pretty cheap. I just looked and the first couple results were all under/around $40. Hope this helps!

I recommend getting an Internet only plan (the more faster & reliable the better) and for a landline, you can get an obihai device over here & here. Then, you need to sign up for a VoIP service called Google Voice, it's a free phone service that comes with a free u.s. number and once you're done setting up the account, connect that account to obihai by using Obitalk. Enjoy.

Interesting -- just curious if you've seen/heard of this beautiful device?

You basically buy it, hook it up to your LAN, configure it to use GV, and voila -- free VOIP without an asterisk/pbx box.

This thing is pretty good for what it is. It would be nice if it had foldable legs to make it more comfortable for the rare occasions you have to type a lot with it.

I prefer my gyro remote for HTPC use, overall.

https://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1466714107&sr=8-4&keywords=mouse+remote

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M20x-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466752971&sr=8-3&keywords=audio+technica+ath
This one should be pretty good, this whole lineup of audio technica is amazing. this one is probably over your budget, but I've heard great things about it https://www.amazon.com/Status-Audio-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B01BE1EEEG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466753028&sr=8-3&keywords=status+audio

I have a WDTV Live Plus that I use with SMB and the only time I experience dropped frames or whatever is when my network can't handle the bandwidth. I recently upgraded the weak spot in my network (an old powerline ethernet connection upgraded to the newer faster version) and haven't had any problems since. Try connecting your WDTV Live Plus directly (or as close as possible with just a switch between) to your PC and see if you have problems then.

My eventual upgrade path is either to my Ouya with XBMC installed, or probably maybe the Amazon Fire TV with XBMC/Kodi sideloaded. I also need ethernet because I just don't get the bandwidth I need with my current Wifi setup, but the powerline ethernet makes that simple where I live.

I already have a remote for my Ouya that works great with XBMC (http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Multifunction-Wireless-Keyboard-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) and the Fire TV comes with a remote too (I don't have a Fire TV yet but I do have a Fire TV Stick, but I wouldn't want to use that personally because it's wifi only).

If you ever land on a solution, I would love it if you shared it with me as we're on very similar upgrade timelines!

An OBi110 would probably be your cheapest bet. It's now discontinued, but works perfectly well.

It looks like it's cheaper from Amazon.com even with shipping to Canada and the currency conversion.

> or is there software that will use a Data/Fax/Voice modem?

Theoretically yes although I'm told the audio quality doing it that way is terrible.

When this popped up on my front page I assumed it was from /r/shittykickstarters.

I could get behind an initiative that, eg, sent out $20 wikireaders to poor villages loaded up with useful information in local languages, but something like this is a ludicrous waste of resources. How the heck do you go from "we need a cost effective way to make sure poor people around the world have access to information!" and have your end goal include building freaking micro-satellite networks and mass distributing devices capable of communicating with them? And you think you can do that for 100K because you can put in "sponsored content"? Why would companies be interested in advertising to people so desperately poor they would benefit from a crappier one-way internet? How much cocaine was involved while brainstorming this?

For those who don't know what a wikireader is:
http://www.amazon.com/WikiReader-PANREADER-Pocket-Wikipedia/dp/B002N5521W

This might be a good choice for an HTPC, but I almost feel like I type so infrequently that I'd be better off with something like this, which is smaller and has a remote built-in.

For a landline alternative at home, the choice is unbelievably easy. OBi100 and absolutely any modern cordpess phone. The OBi100 requires no subscription fee, only the hardware purchase. It ties to Google Voice for incoming/outgoing calls.

Google Voice on a smart phone sucks. GrooveIP and Talkatone are half-duplex, so you get cross talk a lot. They also kill batteries fast. And their quality is just not good enough. But GV on a OBi100 with your cable Internet/ethernet, and the quality is fantastic.

By the way, for my setup, I use this Gigaset cordless phone. It is expensive, at over $100, but it allows up to 6 VoIP numbers to connect to it (and regular twisted pair phone line if you wanted), plus lots of other features. I have a toll-free number for my business and a Google Voice number that connect to it. It is pretty hardcore VoIP, so I don't recommend it to many people.

Also by the way, I use Callcentric for a $4/month toll free number (1-888)

I have a ting account with 5 lines for people in my family that want a smartphone but don't use it enough to justify a major carrier sized bill. I make sure that everyone's number is ported to google voice so that all txt messages don't cost extra. I have not found a smooth way to switch between making call over wifi and cellular. Additionally any voip app I've used has always been a major battery suck since they depend on the wifi always being on.

One potential solution you may be interested in is to purchase an obitalk voip adapter.

http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372562300&sr=8-1&keywords=obi100

This would allow a corded phone to make and receive calls on the same google voice number the android phone uses. There wouldn't ever be voice charges for call made from the obi device as long as google keeps call to the US free.

Hardware:

• Yealink T46G
  
• Cisco SPA112 (For a couple ATA handoffs around the house)
  
  SIP Software:
  
  
• Linphone
  
  VoIP Server:
  
  
• FreePBX 13
  
• QubePBX - Been playing with it, haven't deployed in production. Very nifty though.
  
  Trunking:
  
  
• Questblue - Best provider I've used both professionally and personally. Highly recommend them.

>Hardware units available to literally plug a home phone directly into GV without using a computer.

Big GV fan here. This is definitely one of my favorite tech toys, and a perfect complement to my $30/month plan from T-Mobile.

You could try something like https://smile.amazon.com/OBi200-1-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B00BUV7C9A/

That way you could use the google voice number when you were home.

Otherwise Sprint is offering a year free service if you bring your own device. https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/offers/free-unlimited.html

And then there is Google Fi which is fairly cheap assuming that you keep your data usage low and just use WiFi https://fi.google.com/about/plan/

Then there is also republic wireless, they are currently offering a free month and free sim card.

https://republicwireless.com/

I'd be wary buying a $40 printer with a 3-star rating from 10 reviews. Before I bought a label printer I researched pretty heavily and decided that the Zebra LP2844 was the best option for me. Brand new they are very pricey, but I was able to get one on eBay for $60 (which is a steal...lowest they usually go is $80-100). Pros: extremely easy to use (plug it in and install the drivers and you're ready to go), compatible with both eBay/Amazon, no ink, can handle multiple label sizes. Cons: I occasionally have to turn mine off and back on again before it will print, but I think this is either from me doing something wrong or just because this printer is old. It isn't a huge issue for me as it doesn't happen very often.

I use these 4x6 labels which you can also find cheaper on eBay.

The best part of the thermal printers is that they do not require ink as they just burn the image onto the label. If you can't find a cheap Zebra, I'd go with the Brother QL-700. That was going to be my backup option.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $343.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler | $56.60 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $150.88 @ OutletPC
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $59.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage | Sandisk Ultra II 960GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $228.60 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $117.99 @ Micro Center
Case | Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case | $109.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $126.99 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor | Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor | $259.99 @ B&H
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1455.02
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-14 11:38 EDT-0400 |

So seeing you have a headset, the A40s. They aren't very good compared to price equivalent Of DT 990's and as well as DT 770s now I would highly suggest upgrading to a headphone and a modmic or blue yeti.

Comparisons

Headsets are generally really bad, the A40s/A50s are ok, they aren't great but not bad. What I would do is move to headphones and a modmic. People have made this switch and love it. The DT 990s are stupid comfy, same for the DT 880s and DT 770s and any Bererdynamic headphones. They are so comfy, huge pads, deep cuffs, comfy, so much.

Open vs closed back

Headsets are generally closed back, however they have some issues with that. They tend to have bad audio positioning in the headset. They don't give spacial awareness and such.

Open headphones leak sound, so people around you can hear. The drivers are directly exposed or slightly covered. However they offer a lot better experience, much larger sound stage, much better audio positioning, and everything better overall.

Mics

Now for headphones, they don't come with mics so you have a few options. You can get a Blue Yeti mic, a modmic, Audio Technica AT2020, or similar. I'll list a few

Modmic 4.0

Blue Yeti

Snowball

Headphones closed and open

Open, DT 990

Closed, DT 770

Open, AKG q701

AKG 7xx, open

Closed, Status Audio CB-1

Open, Status Audio, OB-1, Hardware Canucks did a video on this

AMPs/DACs

Magni 2

* Aune T1 Mk2

Finals words

I would visit /r/headphones for a 2nd opinion too. Also feel free to ask any questions regarding this or the build. I included a 1440p monitor if you wanted to upgrade instead of the headphones.

Sure, or you can use clamp lights as well. They sell them at hardware stores. However both lights are impossible to focus (flood/spot) and difficult to shape. If you buy these lights you'd definitely also want some light-shaping materials to make them usable, like bounces, diffusion (this is a good kit, but foamcore is widely available too as a bounce) black wrap, and gels for color correction. Some solid flags with C-stands would also be a very useful investment but if that's outside your budget you might have to improvise. I'd also get some dimmers for those.

Ive ditched the phone cord for a prepaid cell phone that I use on the go, and for most calls I use a Obi110 and Google Voice. (4 months ongoing now)

Its lets me route all my calls from GV into the Obi for free (at least until Google decides its time to charge for it). You can use a normal landline phone with the Obi, or configure it to just use a smartphone as your "landline" phone via wifi or even plug in your existing phone system into the device and have the option of either. Obi -> Obi calls are free and you can even (with permissions) dial another Obi device and use THAT phone system to make calls from.

Anyway, I probably use my cellphone for maybe 100 minutes a month and the rest of my phone use is at home. Pretty cheap and I don't feel limited by minutes. I also don't need to have a computer running 24/7 in order to recieve calls.

I purchased the Rollo Thermal Printer and love it. So easy to use, works with any standard 4x6 thermal labels, prints fast, and support was good too.

​

I was hesitant to take the plunge but glad I did.

Google Voice might go a long way towards getting you your fantasy solution. I use it daily.

What I did was port my cell phone number (the number everybody has known me by for 15+ years) to Google Voice. I then got a new cell phone number and an Obihai VOIP thingy. Total cost was a one-time $20 to port my number, $35 for the Obi thingy, and basic cell phone service.

I configured my Google Voice account with my new cell phone number and set up my Voice account on the Obihai. When you call my 15 year old phone number, both my cell phone and any land line phones I have plugged into the Obihai ring. Whichever picks up first gets the call. Simultaneous ring! When I pick up on an Obi phone, I'm not charged any minutes and the sound quality is far superior than cell and delay much reduced.

On my android phone, I set up Google Hangouts for text and the Google Voice app for voice calls. When I make a call on my cell phone, Voice spoofs my 15 year old phone number so people I call only ever see my Voice number, not my new cell phone number. NOBODY ever sees my cell number whether I text or call. They always see my Voice number, which is the number they've always ever seen from me.

Also, if you have Voice open in a web browser, calls and text ring through there too. So if you were to set up a PC with a set of speakers, keep Google Voice open in a web browser and calls will ring through the speakers.

I have a number of phones connected to the Obihai throughout the house. I even have a few antique rotary phones connected with a pulse to DTMF converter so I can dial out.

3 or so years ago I bought a Wikireader off amazon for sheer curiosity sake. It's a simple touch screen interface with backup of Wikipedia saved to it (sans pictures) so you can look stuff up without an internet connection. You can also use it to hold The Gutenburg Project, turning it essentially into a $20 e-reader. Also you can hack around with the software if you want, though I'm not aware of any really ambitious projects written onto it other than what it already does.

It seems kind of really useless, and for the most part it is for a lot of people, but it can be useful if you don't have a steady internet connection but still want to look things up on wikipedia, and the unlit screen reduces strain on my eyes when I'm about to go to sleep when I'm suddenly hit with grand curiosity about how rap music evolved or something.

Do this, I did and it was a good idea.

Port your number to GV or get a new one.

Buy this: Obihai OBi100

And set it up to use your GVoice account. You can continue to use your phones as you are accustomed to, and GVoice will serve as your Voicemail/Answering machine. You can get the messages on your smartphone, Gvoice website, or call for them from the phone.

The Obihai is supposed to have a really high REN rating (5) so you could conceivably hook it directly to your house wiring and run all your phones with it.

I bought one of these a few months ago and then dug up my old cordless phone and now it's like I am living in the 90s again. Awesome.

the idea with kodi (XBMC has been renamed) is that the user interface allows for opening those files via remote (another example), in a way that is easy to do from the couch. Hence a high wife acceptance factor. And since Kodi can be installed on a cheap android stick, apps can sit alongside your PC's saved content. example

Some other UI's

Is she using a smart phone or a flip phone? If its a smart phone you could just transfer her number to google voice and use the hangouts app over wifi.

Theres also the tmobile line link device for $10 per month but at that point you would be better off with the obihai + google voice solution others mentioned.

http://amzn.com/B00BUV7C9A

Yeah, I have this one myself. I use it in conjunction with my laptop to save space. It's great.

Phone+Tone to Pulse Converter+VOIP box+Google Voice=My daughters first and only phone I provided.

For all other tech; people need yards raked, poop scooped, dogs walked, babies sat.....

BTW she loves it her friends can call her, she can call them, the old who gets to the phone first game is live. And yes slamming the phone is the only way to hang up.

your cable bill will spike too.. there is no way triple play is going to cost your $140 after the trial period expect it to go up about 30%

Since you are in north jersey you can get a ton of Antenna broadcasts. I would suggest that you get the 50/50 from Verizon and then install an antenna then hook up your own VOIP service using Google Voice/messenger and a obi device and get a Vtech link to cell phone that will let you use either your voip or your cellphone to make and receive phone calls

these things let you plug your phone in and use it over the internet over your google account and you can get a free phone number or port one in for a small fee.

https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-VoIP-Phone-Adapter-T-38/dp/B00BUV7C9A/


I got this from amazon for $32 about a month ago not sure why the price went up but I would wait until it goes down again.. you can add phones to it if you need more in your home

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P8DLR4/


So you would have voip cellphone service so you don't need the triple play for phone.. then you have a low end data package .. and then you can get sony vue or sling or other services to watch special TV offerings like sports networks and kids channels whatever you need.

you end up only paying for your data plan but verizon needs to setup the Ethernet port in your home.. don't let them install the data plan on the coax ont port or you get screwed with rental fees for device you can't install on your own.. anyway..

If you eval yourself of those options you will save about $100 a month once the trial ends.

I am using an Obahi box with Google Voice. The Obahi box is pretty easy to get going, and Google Voice is free.

https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-1-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B00BUV7C9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523231427&sr=8-1&keywords=obahi

Headphones:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GWU8FTK/

I really wanted one with a boom mic, I feel like they are superior.

Obitalk:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUV7C9A/

So what I do with this is it's connected to my router via Ethernet and then via RJ9 (regular phone cable) to a wireless phone base. I have three wireless handsets, just traditional phones. For the cost of $50 bucks for the hardware you basically have free VOIP via Google Voice for life.

>And they do not produce enough light to be of use.

I disagree here. I use a pair of clamp lights like these with daylight CFLs for various things:

• Background lights
  
• Tabletop photography
  
• Cheap rim lights
  
  I wouldn't imagine using them as your only or main source of light, however with quality daylight CFL bulbs, you've got some pretty handy lights. Kind of how some working pros use torches(UK)/flashlights(US) in some situations to help light things.

The Canon Canoscan 9000F Mk II is probably one of the best you'll get in that price range. Slightly better resolution than the v500/v600, though probably not noticeably better. It does a good job on medium format and it's passable with 35mm, although you'll probably need to do a little sharpening in post to bring back some of the detail.

For general number crunching I use my trusty TI-36x. It's $20, does definite integration and derivation and pretty much everything else that a TI-84 does (minus the graphing). It's also solar powered and rather small.

For heavy duty calculations I use my TI Nspire CAS

TI36x Pro: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-36PRO-TBL-1L1/dp/B004NBZB2Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407807454&sr=8-1&keywords=ti36x

CAS: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Nspire-Graphing-Calculator/dp/B004NBZAYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407807472&sr=8-1&keywords=NSpire+CAS

CE here (4th year). Had an 84 Plus coming in, bought the nspire cas a year ago and extremely happy with it. It's honestly not that much more $ than a new 89 (get CAS because complex number math). Really nice functionality, matrix solvers, statistics stuff. Didn't need it for first year but later math courses it has been quite helpful. My EE buddy is always stealing my calculator for his exams :). If you have questions feel free to ask.

http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Nspire-Graphing-Calculator/dp/B004NBZAYS

Google voice + Obi 200 = free phone and GREAT control. Also it saves all voice mails.

I have mine set to not ring between 10pm and 7am (10 am on weekends) and my own JNMIL is WHY I have this set.

I got a Canon 9000F MKII and I love it. It's super fast and you can do 35mm, slide and medium format film.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-CanoScan-9000F-MKII-Scanner/dp/B00AGV7TQG/

If you have any interest in a simpler solution... the OBi200+Google Voice is a popular option. $50 box and free thereafter

https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-1-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B00BUV7C9A/

$420 - 1 year 30/5 cable Internet

$80 - Cable modem

$90 - 1 year Netflix gift certificate to myself

$100 - 1 year Hulu gift certificate to myself

$70 - Over the air antenna

$180 - Prepaid CallCentric

$46 - Cisco ATA for CallCentric

$986 for one year of high speed Internet, 1 year of Netflix, 1 year of Hulu, all the over the air HD broadcast stations, near unlimited telephone calls, and all the equipment needed to make it run. No monthly payments or bills for one year. Accessible from my smart phone, smart TV, and computer.

I use GV in conjunction with this little box for my small business.

https://www.amazon.com/OBi202-2-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B007D930YO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520529020&sr=1-2&keywords=Obihai

I have 2 GV numbers, so I have two lines to my business. I have it set up so if line 1 is busy, it rolls over to line two. Pair this with a two line phone system (I recommend Panasonic cordless) and you have more then enough for a small business. I also point GV to my cell phone, so I can take calls after hours, or if my business internet goes down, I can still take business calls.

The best part, is once you buy the hardware, there is no monthly fee. Im going on 6 months usage and its been rock solid.

Hope this helps.

> *EDIT: Than an Ooma VoIP with a wireless adapter at $120 package on Amazon (sweet, sweet Prime pricing)

You can certainly do better than that.

I really don't understand why people pay for home phone anymore. Just get an OBi, connect it to Google Voice, get free home phone service with call waiting, transcribed voicemails, ability to send/receive SMS/MMS from the number, have that number also ring up to 5 other numbers, etc.

If you want 911 service that's like $3/mo.

Actually, I don't know why people even want a home phone anymore...

Edit: Here is some more info

The reason I needed to use a usb dongle is because I am buying an air remote mouse(https://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/) and it has its own bluetooth dongle to work.

That is nice, I am also planning to do the same because I have Buffalo Snes USB controller. I am planning to install retroarch in it :)
So will a USB hub like this suffice?(https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-Port-Individual-Switches-HB-UMLS/dp/B00BWF5U0M/)

And also I have one last question. Is it normal to lag on 60fps videos on Youtube? I thought this box is strong enough to handle 4k 60 fps o.o

You: it's like... the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Wow.
Me: a potential new hobby.

I love Kevin. Thanks for gifting!

This still probably won't beat your current solution, but check out this remote. Got it today and it's my favorite HTPC peripheral so far. Can do basic mouse gestures fairly easily and has 5 buttons to map to any other IR remote function.

Just a bit of advice, start early in your degree getting used to a NCEES approved calculator. HP35s is my favorite and I still use at my job and the Casio is another good choice.

I've got this one and I love it!
http://www.amazon.com/CASIO-Scientific-Calculator-FX-991ESPLUS/dp/B0034BAQS8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1465072255&sr=8-2&keywords=Casio+FX-991

It's also pretty cheap

Google voice +Gtalk + Obi100 = free land line

I have it and it works great!

http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-VoIP-Voice-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O

I got one of these Wireless Keyboard Mouse for my PlexPi. Works GREAT! It's got normal remote keys, keyboard keys, AND it's a gyro mouse ala wiimote almost.

Edit: Two additional things. It's RF so you don't need line of site like FLiRC and it costs about the same.

Same here I'm staring my 3rd year in ME. I've got a TI NSPIRE CX CAS (my school allows it during exams). It does 2D and 3D graphs, it s rechargeable, in color, programmable and does pretty much everything. There s a nice solve function to automaticaly solve equations (even with multiple variables). It also comes with a desktop sofware.

If you want VoIP telephony, you can get that for free with the Obi200. Yes, you need to buy the box, but after that cost, it's free.

Fit Desk - this would really help me considering how much time I spend at my desk with studying. Also, I am not supposed to walk a lot and I'm supposed to bike and swim but biking on city streets is not a good idea for me.

C'mon...gimme.

You guys throw the best contests!

So you need something like this : Cisco SPA112.

The rest of your plan seems to be really good. It will be a much better network than what it is now.

I use Callcentric and a Obi200 for my landline, the device is $47 and Callcentric is $3.47 month. I ported my landline to Callcentric and use google voice to make calls. Callcentric is very rich with automated call handling as is GV. What sorts of call handling are you looking for?

I set mine up to not ring unless the number is whitelisted all others go to voice mail (I then get an email notification along with the msg) and those that are in the Telemerketers list get a disconnected msg.

Anvio is another service provider which I'm sure has just many options for call handling as well.

I would recommend against using a fulfillment service - they cost money and just aren't necessary for a lot of smaller projects. Comics have such small margins that it doesn't make sense to cut into your own bottom line.

Buy padded envelopes in bulk ( Uline or Amazon are fine, but there's probably a local supplier who's cheaper ), and a label printer. The Brother label printers come with a program called P-touch, which allows you to import data sets from Kickstarter into customizable templates.

We're based in Canada, so we used ChitChatsExpress, a US broker to do international shipping. In Canada, Packages below 500g and a within certain sizes can be mailed as a letter instead of a parcel, which is vastly cheaper. If you're states-side, there's probably a broker or service that will help reduce the cost of international shipping.

Not really able to help on your question, but why not go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SPA112-Port-Phone-Adapter/dp/B00684PN54

with a sip carrier or:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUV7C9A

if you really want google voice. Not sure that the second one is still supported.

If you are just doing this split, go with USPS flat-rate.

Also, DO NOT trust the self-adhesive, use tape to ensure a good seal.

If you are planning on truly getting in on the box split game.

This is what I have:

• Scale
  
• Small boxes
  
• Large boxes - Whatever I find, mostly reuse Amazon boxes
  
• Labels - I will be moving to a this in the near future.
  
  I mostly ship First Class.
  
  

Any comments on this label maker? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA3EYC5/

Also, it mentions free UPS labels, can you really get free thermal labels from UPS?

Google voice with this works great for me I use it as my home phone and is free.

I've been thinking of getting an Obihai ( http://www.amazon.com/OBi110-Service-Bridge-Telephone-Adapter/dp/B0045RMEPI ), but I'll see what the service is like in my apt first.

Also, apparently if you go over it's 10 cents a minute, which would work out to 45 dollars for 450 minutes, and $75 (45 + 30) for 550 minutes is still less than I'm paying per month right now.

I'll look into your recommendation, thanks!

I set a relative up with two Google Voice lines on an Obihai 200. The cost to make the switch is:

• Obi200 = $50 (one time fee)
  
• T-mobile phone port = $10 (one time fee)
  
• Google Voice port = $20 (one time fee)
  
• Anveo e911 service = $15/year
  
  If you do this, you can configure the Google Voice number to ring on the ObiHai 200 device and mobile line. In other words, anyone can call the original landline number and it will ring the home phone and mobile phone.
  
  Before you do this, you need to make sure you meet the following requirements.
  
  

1. Verify that the landline number can be transferred to Google Voice. Go to this page and enter the landline number. If you get this message "Ooops! This number appears to be from an area we don't currently support," then there is no way to port the landline number to Google Voice. However, if you get this message "Ooops! We currently don't support porting from your carrier ..." then you can port the landline to Google Voice (by way of T-mobile).
   
   
2. You must have a reliable Internet connection. I don't know if there is a required minimum speed, but I've used the GV/Obi200 device on plans as low as 5Mbs down/1 Mbps up.
   
   If you meet those requirements, then you need to buy the Obi200 and a T-mobile pre-paid sim card (don't get a post paid sim card). Once you have them both, then you will need to port the landline number over to the T-mobile sim card (you might need a T-mobile compatible phone to do this). Once you've done that, you can go into GV and port the number from T-mobile over to GV (use grandma's google account; if she doesn't have one, then open one). Then you just need to setup the Obi200 including setting up Anveo e911 service. Viola! You have reduced the monthly bill from $50 to a little over a $1. Congratulations.

I get my soap labels from https://www.onlinelabels.com/

I use free boxes from USPS. Order them online from their website. I use regular butcher paper for packing the boxes.

The one expensive item I laid out for was a Rollo thermal printer. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA3EYC5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and I get my 4x6 thermal shipping labels from Amazon as well.

Also, I ALWAYS use https://www.pirateship.com/ for pricing and creating the shipping labels.

Have you tried a service like this? I use it as a backup landline and it works great!


OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter and Voice Service Bridge
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LO098O/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

This Rocket Jump Film School video on harnessing sunlight might be immensely helpful to you. All you really need are a little planning, some foamcore, and a white bedsheet, and you can get all kinds of lighting effects out of plain old sunlight. I've also seen a lot of people recommend clamp lights, which should be readily available at your local hardware store. Those bedsheets and foamcore boards will be useful with these lights too.

Other idea [organizing]: gift cert to https://www.containerstore.com [even if you don't have one near you, they deliver - it is an organizer's dream] or giftcert to poppin.com.

In terms of label makers, as someone who has spent hours typing on one of those traditional ones with the keyboards on them, I recommend NOT doing that. If you want to get one, get something like this https://www.amazon.com/Brother-QL-700-High-speed-Professional-Printer/dp/B005TJMC0S/ that she can use w/ her phone or computer (so you do the design or typing for the label on a device you are more comfortable/faster with).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor | $49.88 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard | $69.98 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $57.99 @ Newegg
Storage | SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $83.88 @ OutletPC
Case | Cooler Master - Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case | $38.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA - BV 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply | $12.98 @ Newegg
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $333.70
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $313.70
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-31 16:59 EDT-0400 |

Would also suggest to consider connecting it to a TV with a $5-10 wireless mouse, this keyboard - https://www.amazon.com/JETech-Wireless-Keyboard-Windows-Vista/dp/B0173QNVT0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504212510&sr=8-1&keywords=jetech+keyboard - and maybe this keyboard/mouse remote (I own this, it's awesome) - https://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504212588&sr=1-1&keywords=pc+remote . Bigger screen, maybe a little less intimidating if they're funny like that about technology, and the remote might come more natural to them. Keyboard is only 27cm so less than a ruler, and about 5mm thick (apart the power bar at the top which is maybe 2cm thick) so it and the mouse are really, really easy to tuck away when not in use and take up no room at all even when being used. Mice also work fine either on the arm of the sofa or even the leg of your jeans.

(then go get a 1050 TI, a copy of DOOM, and a wireless gamepad for them for Christmas and record the results for us :D )

As a working engineer, I disagree. In my opinion the TI-36X Pro is slightly harder to use and less suited for engineering that the fx-991EX (which also allows you to easily grab and use previous expressions and answers). Not that the TI is in any way bad, but I think the Casio is somewhat better.

$17.28 for the Casio

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZZ93346/

18.57 for the TI

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NBZB2Y/

Another good choice:

Sharp EL-W516TBSL at $20.49

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS6V17P

None of these are bad choices, but I think the Casio is the best.

I would skip the phone service and go with a VOIP solution. You can get an ObiHai 200 and port the number to Google Voice or Anveo and spend less than $5 a month including 911 access. https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-1-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B00BUV7C9A

You want to get the e911 from Anveo and use Google Voice for calling. That combo gives you unlimited calling and multiple 911 calls per year. I have this setup right now with a Panasonic wireless telephone set in all the rooms of my house and it works great.

I've never used a scanner - does it needs to be a particularly expensive one to scan it in and be able to read the text? For example, would this cheap Canon one do the job?

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Office-Products-LiDE120-Scanner/dp/B00LN0NUOO/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416776382&sr=1-2&keywords=CanoScan

Cheers!

Edit: Sorry, and assuming I do each page slowly over a few weeks (got a job so can't do it all in one), it's then an easy process to combine all the pages into one Word document or PDF?

Yes, I use this setup for many years now.

You can create a Google voice number (or port one in from a cell phone. You can even port your landline to a prepaid sim and then port that to Google for less than $10) then connect that to an [Obhai ATA](obi202 2-port voip phone adapter with google voice and fax support for home and soho phone service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D930YO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YRG5CbNRNJKSN)

You can also get any ATA device and connect it to a cheap SIP provider, I use Anveo

This works! Not sure how it compares to others in its price range, but I have an older version that does great. https://www.amazon.com/Canon-CanoScan-MKII-Negative-Scanner/dp/B00AGV7TQG/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

Well, if you decide to go that route, this is the one I bought. It worked quite well. :) $30

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Barcode-Scanning-Bar-code-Adjustable/dp/B00406YZGK/ref=pd_sim_op_3

Just an FYI I have this scanner and it works great. You have so much awesome history to preserve.

have you looked into air mice like https://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Wireless-Keyboard-Multifunctional-3-Gsensor/dp/B00K768DHY it has a few keys that can be IR and the rest act like a keyboard and the mouse portion can control the cursor like a wii mote or deactivated. I use mine for kodi on my raspberry pi and I have it programmed to turn the tv on/off and volume +/- and change inputs.

Easiest is just buy a reader: truly a hitchhikers guide in your pocket.

Here are the wikipedia dumps if you just want to download them to your machine.

I'm guessing you're not a programmer so here's a tool that will just go get pages, called wget. You can get it for most platforms. Look at the recursion options and limit the depth to a very small number like 3 or 4 maybe, or else you'll be retrieving the whole wiki.

Yup. It's an extremely powerful calculator that very few people know about because everyone would just go buy TI stuff. Honestly felt like cheating sometimes when I took exams with it.

​

It looks like the FX-991EX ClassWiz is the newer model though.

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-FX-991EX-Engineering-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B00ZZ93346

Have you considered porting your number to Google Voice and then just forwarding to whatever random number you get from T-mobile?

That's what I did (left Sprint for T-mobile on straight talk). I like it because it means YOU always have control of your number and you're not at the mercy of the cell provider.

And of course you get to use Google Voice which is awesome. Text from your desktop, read / listen to your messages, block spam calls / texts, and my new favorite feature I just found: present a "this number is no longer in service" message to folks you don't want to hear from again!

Plus, if you pick up an obi100 and have an old cordless phone lying around, you get a free home phone w/ unlimited minutes (through 2012 at least) and it uses your same google voice number so you can pick up calls on either your cell or your home phone.

Seriously awesome stuff! And on the cancellation, it "just worked" for Sprint (account showed no service right after port completed which took about a day). You WILL get charged an ETF if you are in contract though, so be aware of that.

Just a normal scientific calculator??

Casio FX-85 GTPLUS is a good calculator.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00364NNU6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iqiKybN458YPN

Even better, a Casio FX-991ESPLUS, it's even silver!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0034BAQS8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KqiKyb5W2A10F

FWIW, I had bad luck getting the Zebra I bought to work, and even worse luck with the crappy Dymo. I returned both and bought a Rollo label printer and have been incredibly happy. It's fast, reliable, and works with any size and brand labels (I only use 4x6, but the fact that it lets me use off brand labels without empty warranty threats is nice).

The one downside to it is it does not integrate a spool mount. I rigged up my own, that worked well enough, but the last time I ordered labels I switched to fanfold labels and find them much nicer.

Edit: Rollo does offer an optional spool holder also. I didn't like it because it was pretty huge-- bigger than the printer it self. It is designed to be compatible with extra large rolls of labels, but it was a bit big for my tastes.

If you want an absolute beast of a calculator, I recommend the TI-nspire CX Cas.

It can do anything and everything. It has gotten me through many classes. It can do Complex/Imaginary matrix operations, can graph 3D functions, can solve ODE's, and you can program it to accomplish various tasks.

My suggestion was to dump the home phone. You are spending $80 between the two. I would get internet and then purchase something like this

Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4XMEYA/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_IlUBxbQAHWR00

or this

OBi200 VoIP Phone Adapter, T.38 Fax https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUV7C9A/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_9mUBxbYWV6XAQ

You would have an upfront cost of $50 - $100, but you would save about $10-$20 a month.

If you don't mind a quick and dirty DIY job buy one of these (there are models with more sensors if you need them) https://www.amazon.com/Fortress-Security-Store-Wireless-Detectors/dp/B00A1D907U/

and one of these -
https://www.amazon.com/OBi200-1-Port-Adapter-Support-Service/dp/B00BUV7C9A .

It's super simple to setup the system for google voice for the obi. Afterwards you run an analog cable from the obi to the security system and program the security system to call whoever. My setup was around $160 total and it's rock solid.

If I had known how easy it was, I would have done it years ago.

I bought an Obi200 interface box for about $50. It has 3 sockets: power, phone, and ethernet. I plugged its wall-wart into the power socket, my old home phone into the phone socket, and used an ethernet cable to connect it to my home router.

I used the router's configuration web-page to make the Obi200 visible to outside world.

Next step was picking a phone service provider. Obihai lists a dozen vendors that provide phone service through the device. I went with PhonePower at $33 per year. I paid $15 to port my old phone number away from AT&T. So, for better phone service, I'm paying $33 per year instead of the $545 that AT&T was charging me.

Just recently bought the new nspire cas. Still getting used to it but man is it sweet. Much more modern and easier to use than my 89 that went missing one day

Ok peoples two secrets.

Both share the same services. The Obi adapter runs on Google voice is easy to setup and frequently updates the firmware.

http://carlosurreta.com/2011/04/25/how-i-reduced-my-69-cell-phone-contract-to-2-99/

How I Reduced my $69 Cell Phone Contract to $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Obihai-OBi110-Service-Telephone-Adapter/dp/B0045RMEPI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/182-6152060-8778354

Obihai OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and Telephone Adapter

let me introduce you to the best calculator i've ever used,
http://www.amazon.ca/Casio-FX-115ES-Plus-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B007W7SGLO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457070600&sr=8-1&keywords=casio+115es+plus

it can do complex arithmetic, definite integrals, matrix calculations.
anything you realistically need to do, this calculator does it for me.

You can use a ATA box to convert the fax phone signal to VoIP.

This will allow you to connect to a SIP network via static IP or by registration.
I've used ATA boxes to test fax over SIP with my companies software and it worked fine. I've not used the cisco boxes linked above and can't remember the model I used. It supports G711/T.38 either way so should be fine.

I bought a flatbed scanner from Amazon a few months ago for ~$60 and used it to clear out an entire 4-drawer filing cabinet. I minimized everything to fit in the built-in file drawer of my desk and it was a WONDERFUL feeling when it was all finished! It was definitely a labor of love but I listened to a bunch of podcasts and broke the scanning sessions into segments so I didn't get too overwhelmed. This scanner only fits up to letter-sized documents so that was a bit of a challenge, but larger scanners are so much more expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LN0NUOO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't know what major you are but if you are in engineering I would strongly recommend one of these for a little bit more:

http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Calculator-N3CAS-2L1/dp/B004NBZAYS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377704507&sr=1-3&keywords=ti+89


http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI-89-Titanium/dp/B0006HBQ96/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377704507&sr=1-1&keywords=ti+89

The Canon 9000F MKII is an excellent, highly-rated scanner and will handle your 35mm film easily. The 110 negatives might be more difficult as few scanners exist that will handle this old film format. The 9000F does not have a film holder designed to hold strips of 110 film for scanning, and the scanner will attempt to detect the presence of the film holder during scanning.

Some users have been able to work around this by placing strips of 110 film inside the larger 35mm holder, and turning OFF the thumbnail view mode in the scanning software and cropping the resulting preview manually prior to scanning. There is some additional information at the link below. Hope this helps.

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-CanoScan-MKII-Negative-Scanner/dp/B00AGV7TQG

http://community.usa.canon.com/t5/General-Printer-Discussion/Can-I-scan-110-film-negatives-on-the-canoscan-9000f/td-p/4421 (Scroll to the middle of the page and read the post by "smaricic".)

There is also a non-Canon 110 film holder for this scanner that can be used:

https://www.amazon.com/Film-Holder-CanoScan-Flatbed-Scanners/dp/B00MLN195O

For a labeler I was thinking about something like [this](http://www.DYMO LabelManager 160 Hand-Held Label Maker (1790415) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005X9VZ70/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_FMH9wbJRA15M0)to start. Nothing fancy just something to label juice flavor and ratios.

And from what I've gathered lurking in /r/diy_ejuice, Amber bottles are the best bottles to use and won't cost you anything extra last I checked.

Yes exactly.

As for the label printer I've been very happy with the QL-700 but many others will do. Any label of ~62x35mm is ok.

Do some research on the Obihai for VOIP calling. All you need is a Google Vouce account and 50$ for the Obihai box. It's not hard to setup and it's free after the price of the hardware.

OBi200 1-Port VoIP Phone Adapter with Google Voice and Fax Support for Home and SOHO Phone Service https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUV7C9A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YQaeBbD6WXWXY

I have this Vupoint Magic Wand.
It uses MicroUSB and also has a MicroSD card. It's pretty good. $70.

I agree with rosi91 on the most minimalist communication tool. As for my minimalist telephone setup, I have this: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/KX-TS500B
and this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LO098O/

Simple, easy to setup, and unobtrusive.

EDIT: remove "?ref=" from amazon link

i have 2 calculators, the first casio 115ES is allowed on the FE exam (Fundamentals of Engineering) that you take upon graduation so its good to be familiar with it

Casio 115ES has a natural display thats unbelieveably good, much better than other 115 series casio.

$14 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A3IAHM/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i01

the seconds is a TI N-spire CX CAS (Computer Algebra System)
it allows you to solve any equations symbolically ex: integrating from x to infinity using x and infinity as terms..

it will probably not be allowed on exams but for $144 from amazon it has a color screen and touchpad mouse cursor and is within 2 years old and will be relevant for the forseeable future

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NBZAYS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00

If you're looking for advanced I would recommend a ti-89 though most courses may not let you use something with a CAS. You might like this: (https://www.amazon.com/Casio-fx-115ES-Engineering-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B007W7SGLO)[Casio fx115es] or the ti34 multiline

Casio FX 115ES Plus. I've been using it for a while its saves me a lot of time when doing multiple cross products and solving simultaneous equations (because you know, aintnobodygottimefothat!). It also has more features that you would find helpful. Another contender is the TI-36X Pro (recommended here quite often although I've never used it).

FYI if you have "hundreds" to do, you should think about spending a little more -- what's your time worth, anyway -- and get something like the CanoScan 9000 which does several at a time and would have muuuuuuch higher quality.

I might also recommend an air-mouse, or something similar. I use one for my HTPC and it's fabulous

I have this for my wife to use. Very easy to use with simple button choices that she can understan. Not too my functionality but still nice for everyday use.

the PS3 and 360 both had blackberry keyboard style attachments. They could definitely use a remote like that for good netflix searching. Surprisingly nothing official for the PS4, but I did find this which should supposedly work.

Just installed an Obi:

http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371821467&sr=8-1&keywords=obi

Free phone service if you already pay for internet. Nice to have when your cell phone dies or you are in the basement with 1/2 bar.

An ATA is a device that will register a SIP extension and hand it off to a normal POTS phone.

Like this:
Cisco SPA112 2 Port Phone Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00684PN54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_br3.AbJJCV8X5

This way you don't need to replace all your phones.

Also a great addition: A stand alone wikipedia reader that runs on standard batteries.

Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/WikiReader-PANREADER-Pocket-Wikipedia/dp/B002N5521W

They sometimes can be found for a few bucks on eBay.

I used this for applied calculus Casio fx-115ES PLUS Engineering/Scientific Calculator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007W7SGLO/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_eTKxwb9D86A41

I've since recommend the calculator to friends and most of them concerted to Casio because of the calculator.

This doohickey will allow you to connect a traditional landline phone, fax, or whatever you like for use with a variety of VOIP services, many of them free or low cost. Works with any broadband connection.

You can use a simple scanner like this or any other one you may have lying around.

I've never really used movie maker but it should be able to do the job perfectly. Just look up videos explaining pan/zoom.

This is the right answer. OBi is even cheaper for upfront costs.

It uses your internet connection for VoIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol. You can even set up a Google Voice account to use with it, so you can give clients/whoever else one number, your Google Voice number. Then you can setup (and dynamically change) rules for forwarding calls to your house phone, cell phone(s), work phone if applicable, etc. You can vary it by number (friends/family always ring your cell, other numbers by default ring home phone), time of day, day of week, it's incredibly flexible.

If you get one of these, you can connect any house phone and make outgoing calls over gmail for free. I use mine all day.

Fair enough. I suppose I could use the existing cabling with an Obibox or similar, but everything would be on the same line (which truly is the norm in a home).

If she doesn't give credit because there isn't any scanner warping I could always show her my magic wand. Absolutely SFW.

My favorite thing about the whole anti-plagiarism thing is a good portion of the teachers just steal their assignments off the internet nowadays. It's so easy just to google the question and get easy to copy (and adjust, so I don't get busted by the scanners) answers.

Google has offered VOIP for many years through Google Voice. You were even able to use it as a standard landline using hardware made by companies like Obihai. They make these adapters that you can connect to your landline phones and get free phone calling. Google Voice never supported 911 and these Obi boxes can't call 911. (They do sell a 911 service separately.)

Bunch of used one on Ebay under $20. Free shipping too....

A new TI-36 is $18 on Amazon. What can the 85 do what the 36 can't?

Or just switch brands:

http://www.amazon.com/Casio-fx-115ES-Engineering-Scientific-Calculator/dp/B007W7SGLO/ref=sr_1_11?s=office-electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426431440&sr=1-11&keywords=calculator

This.

But CaffeinatedGuy, that's just a stupid little wikipedia reader. Who in their right mind would want that?

Anyone who wants to be ready for the Apocalypse (or similar large-scale catastrophe).

What is this geekery you ask? Well, with the addition of a small memory card, I can download the entirety of Wikipedia's knowledge, Wikiquotes, and several other websites, preformatted for viewing on a portable device that runs on, you guessed it, AA batteries.

When civilization collapses and you can't figure out how to extract iron from rock, you can't look it up online. I'll have it in my pocket.

When I'm rebuilding civilization with hard work, dedication, and leadership (assisted with details on famous generals and leaders), women will beg to bear the fruit of my loins, for I am the greatest leader they have ever known.

For these reasons, and many others, this little tiny hackable electronic device shall from this day forward be known as:

The manliest item on Amazon

I've made do with cell phone photos, which (as you noted) are not ideal, but very portable.

There are small portable "bar" scanners where you feed documents through them. For old, possibly delicate photos this is not great - the rollers can damage the original photo. You really want a flatbed scanner.

In the end, your best bet is probably just to get a compact flatbed scanner - there are a number of models (like this Canon scanner ) that are about the size of a laptop. You can carry it in a regular laptop bag.

You most likely only need the Obi100 which is $44. The Obi110 has some extra features that most people wouldn't use. As for your other questions, while it's possible Google will charge in the future, it probably won't be much compared to the cost of a land line. Also, it's possible Obi will go out of business. However, for $45 I was able to cancel my phone service, which saves me around $20/mo. I've only had mine for 2 months and it has already practically paid for itself. In 10 years who cares if it works, there will probably be tons of free VOIP options in 10 years.

I use a label printer, this one. It's worked pretty well for me.

I bought an OBi200 VoIP Phone Adapter. I got a phone plan with Phone Power for $59.99/year. Ported my number to Phone Power for a $15 fee. Quite happy.

Buy some sort of separate VOIP device and attach it to your internet if you're not attached to your phone number. I just had the same issue, cable modems with phone ports are crazy expensive, but I was looking to cut back from Time Warner. I bought an Obi100 and set it up with Google Voice, but may look into a different provider if Google makes it not free, depending on the rates they charge. Obi100 on Amazon. Otherwise, you'll need to pick up a modem that has telephony ports on it like this one - the key is to look for the word telephony and see if it mentions VOIP and has phone slots on the back: DOCSIS 3.0 modem with telephony. Depending on your internet speed you could maybe buy a DOCSIS 2 modem, but the minor savings won't buy you much future forward time. I think any of the Motorolla surfboard modems are valid with TWC's service, truth be told anything should work but they do have some compatibility lists somewhere. All you have to do is call them and give them the MAC address and it's ready to go.