daniel gray's shed of geekbooks

Spam Filters

A good spam filter can be a good thing. A bad spam filter can be a very very bad thing. Overzealous spam filters kill legitimate email as they seek to deep six the bad stuff. My business email host recently put a pathetic two-stage spam filtering system in place. I'm miffed, to say the least. I didn't find out the details until just this afternoon. The service provider, who shall remain nameless (at this point), put the system in place without any warning. Boom. They just turned it on and I started losing email ...

I first noticed it when my regular newsletters stopped appearing in my mailbox. I noticed less spam, too, but I was most concerned that my daily reading routine had been interrupted.

My long-standing personal ISP uses Brightmail for their spam filtering. All-in-all it seems like a much more intelligent solution when compared to the brain-dead sledgehammer spam filtering approach employed by my business ISP. With so many better alternatives out there, I find the current approach to be absurd.

When I spoke to the tech rep, he mentioned that a white-listing solution may be added by the end of the month. I told him that it was too little too late and that I just might not be able to wait around for it. I've been wavering about switching my web hosting provider for months. This overzealous spam filter may just push me over the edge ...

Email Monitoring

Email monitoring is a touchy subject among employees and employers alike. Many employees feel that email is a personal matter and that their employers have no right to take measures to monitor email. On the other side of the fence, however, a great many employers believe that it is fully within their right to use email monitoring measures. The thought is: if you're on the clock, you're on our time and anything you say or do can be used against you when you're called on the carpet.

I made the mistake of saying the wrong thing on a company email system once. I vowed to never make the same mistake. Of course, that was in the days before the Internet ... and long before I left the corporate nest ... I had no clue that my email was monitored ...

The issue is shaking out state-by-state. A bill (SB 1841) currently in the California legislature seeks to ensure that employers let their employees know--in writing--that their email is being monitored. While the email monitoring bill has passed the Assembly, it must also pass the Senate and before it can be signed into law by Govinator Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Law or not, it's just good common sense for employees to be given written notice if email monitoring is in place. Anything less is a betrayal of a common bond of trust. And if that notice is given with a return receipt requested, employees there will be no question whether or not the message was received. Something this important shouldn't be lost in the shuffle between notices for the company picnic and the cafeteria menu.

If your company is considering an email monitoring systems, you'll find no shortage of choices, with applications like DynaComm i:mail, IntelRex, Spector Pro, Tumbleweed, SurfControl, and many others.

Use them with caution. :)

Offshore Software Development

Given the current economic climate, I'm not a big fan of offshore software development. I've ranted and raved about overseas IT outsourcing before. I don't think it's a good for America, certainly not at this time. Offshore software development takes jobs away from the people and communities that deserve them. Sending programming jobs overseas hurts us. Before I get taken to task by the international community, please know I'm not completely against offshore software development ...

I absolutely believe that folks in other countries deserve a higher standard of living. But I don't feel that their jobs should come at the cost of jobs lost here in the states. While I believe in free trade, I also believe that companies shouldn't be encouraged by our government to use offshore software development shops while in a period of economic stagnation.

Unemployed programmers and other high-level techies deserve jobs that are appropriate to their level of expertise. We shouldn't expect them to have to take a job at Wal-Mart to stay afloat, while their old job is being done at an offshore software development house that under-priced the domestic competition. It's just plain un-American.

Once our economy is back on track and every programmer that deserves to be employed is employed, we can look at offshore software development as a way to keep the engine running at full speed. Until then, we need to apply a bit of choke until it's warmed up. If your company is considering an overseas software development operation, look closely at the companies that are after your business. Can they really deliver the goods? Will you save a few dollars but lose a whole lot of control?

Should I Build From Shed Plans or a Shed Kit?

Whether to build from a set of well-drawn shed plans or buy a storage shed kit; that's one of the most common questions for the newbie shed builder. It all depends on your needs.

On a limited budget? Building a shed from scratch uses your sweat equity.

Have limited time, but still want the D-I-Y experience? A shed kit will likely go up faster than a stick-built shed.

Looking for a very specific style? You'll have more choices with a unique set of plans.

Not that great with hand tools? A kit should be far easier to build.

Want the ultimate pride of ownership? Build it from scratch.

If you really want it fast and easy, you'll probably end up buying a quality ready made shed.

Appointment Scheduling Software

Setting up appointments can be a real pain in the neck. Thankfully, appointment scheduling software is designed to end all of the hassles. While these niche applications started out on the desktop, the new breed of appointment scheduling software uses the ubiquity of the Internet to make life easier for providers and clients alike. Imagine how nice it would be to schedule your next doctor's appointment without having to deal with that snippy office manager ...

Appointment scheduling software isn't just for medical offices. There are different flavors designed for professional practices such as tax preparation and accounting, as well as tutoring, contracting, dog groomers, and auto repair. The list is endless.

Speaking of auto repair .. I don't know about you, but I'm forever misplacing those little appointment cards. I try to keep track of the tiny critters, but I'll be darned if I don't lose every other one. A few weeks ago, I lost the appointment card for my car's scheduled maintenance ... consequently, I ended up missing the date.

And I know my son has a dentist's appointment scheduled soon, but I can't find the card, not to mention the date or time. I guess it's time to call the office to verify.

Appointment scheduling software can alleviate many of those problems.

Wake up at 3:00 AM with a horrible toothache? The best appointment scheduling software can operate 24/7--so you can set up a visit before the office opens their doors for the day.

Can't remember the date and time of an upcoming appointment? An automatic email reminder would sure be nice.

Unfortunately, none of our doctors or dentists use client-accessible appointment scheduling software, yet ...

If you're a (not-snippy) employee, imagine how nice it would be for the appointments to set themselves via Internet-enabled appointment scheduling software--without having to deal with those impatient patients. I'd reckon that the average office could saves hours upon hours, week after week.

Software developers in the appointment scheduling space include: AppointmentQuest, Appointment-Plus, Atlas Business Solutions, CyberMatrix, Elligence, e-MDs, PMSI, SpectraSoft, TimeTrade, and many others.

Contract Management Software

Does your organization manage a significant number of contracts? If so, a little automation can go a long way. Contract management software is designed to minimize the risks associated with contract compliance. By using contract management software, your organization can keep a watchful eye on each and every contract. These specialized databases are engineered to provide quick and easy access to contract information, with alarms to help to ensure that contractual obligations are met.

With contract management software, you won't have to dig through stacks of files--cutting down on research time and expenses. By centralizing storage, you'll reduce the risk of your contracts going AWOL. When your contracts are at hand, you'll be able to address the specifics with just a few clicks. No more "I'll have to get back to you on that" delays.

Contract management software should make it faster and easier to create new contracts, as well as manage existing contracts. A standardized system can provide more control and reduce the risk of inadequately prepared agreements. If your organization insists on consistency from contract-to-contract, the right contract management software will help make that goal a reality, as it provides control during authoring and through the negotiation process.

You can drive past a milestone at 120 MPH if you don't know its coming. That's why any contract management software worth its salt will allow you to set alarms for milestone dates such as renewal and expiration. Advance notification of service intervals and other important dates help keep customer relationships running smoothly. Important processes like renewal management become less unwieldy.

Contract management software software suppliers include: Accruent, ARM Group, Blueridge Software (ContractAssistant), CMSI, CobbleStone Systems, Covigna, Determine, diCarta, Ecteon (Contraxx), FieldCentrix, I-many, Ketera, OmniWare, Salesforce.com, and UpsideSoft.

Membership Management Software

Membership management software is designed to add time to a volunteer's hectic day. Whether it's handling sign-ups, dues payments, scheduling, or other functions, if you're the designated geek in your civic, industry, sports, or other organization, membership management software can make your life a whole lot easier. With the right membership management software, you'll be able to handle those tedious chores like event planning and management (including online registration) with ease.

Membership management software comes in all shapes and sizes, with most products running as hosted applications. Your organization's specific needs will determine the applications that make the short list. For example, email list management is considered an essential function by most organizations. But depending on the organization, there can be a great variety of additional requirements, from fund raising and donation management through polling, bulletin boards, e-commerce, advertising, and content management.

With so many applications on the market, sifting through the products can be a difficult task.

Pricing information on higher-end membership management software solutions can be hard to come by ... the developers typically ask you to fill out a contact form to request a quote.

MemberClicks is one of the handful of membership management software providers that posts their fee schedule publicly. With MemberClicks, you'll pay a startup fee and monthly fees, based on the number of profiles in the database. MemberClicks startup fees can range from $300 to $1,500+; the monthly fees run from $35 (50 members or less) through $340+ (15,001-25,000 members).

Other developers offering membership management software include: ARC Solutions (MAP), IRM Systems, Schipul (Tendenci), Advanced Solutions (iMIS), Avectra (netFORUM), Omni Solutions (OmniSAM), CSI Software (eMember), LocalVoice, 123Signup, and Sporg.

And if you're a FileMaker user, you may want to look into ebase, a "community-built and community-supported software" that was created by nonprofits for nonprofits" ...

Document Management Software

Document management software is crucial for businesses that rely on fast access to their records. A comprehensive document management solution often combines scanning, storage, management, and retrieval. Whether they're accessing service records or medical claims, those businesses that live and die upon the fast retrieval of files have found their document management systems to be absolutely essential. "Where's that file on Fred's computer? I can't find it ... I hope he gets back from lunch ..."

Serious document management systems use automatic document feeder-equipped scanners to quickly digitize stacks of records. With an automatic document feeder, a scanner can scan page after page without operator intervention--at speeds up to 100 pages per minute (depending upon the scanner). High-volume document management systems are capable of using multiple scanners simultaneously.

Once the documents are scanned, they can be stored on a variety of media. High speed hard drives and RAIDs are among the most common document management storage options. Some shops depend on CD jukeboxes, while others are moving towards DVD storage. As DVD burner and associated costs have dropped, they've become an attractive option.

Scanned documents can be stored as images or as text. Advanced document management systems use optical character recognition (OCR) to convert the images into text. Once the text is OCRed, it can be indexed based upon the all the text within a document or by keywords within the text. Standardized documents can be indexed based upon specific fields within the document.

Of course, document management increasingly encompasses more than scanned images.

In most shops, unstructured data such as Excel spreadsheets, Acrobat PDF files, Word (and other word processing) files, and PowerPoint presentations all beg to be properly stored and accurately indexed for prompt retrieval. There's nothing worse to have that killer info stored somewhere, if only you could find it.

This is an ever-expanding field with touch points from the individual desktop to the biggest corporate setup. If you're using a document management software solution, and would be interested in sharing your experiences with your fellow Gnomies, we want to hear about it!

Basement Waterproofing

Basement Waterproofing is a big topic here at ranchero indebto. But for all the steps I've taken, our basement still isn't completely waterproof. When those big rains fall, I start to worry. Thankfully, I don't have much computer gear down in the basement (just a dusty old 386 tower that I use as the DOS-based timing system for Spaghetti Flats, our four lane 1/32 slot car track). But I'll bet that there are a whole lot of Gnomies that have a whole lot of hardware sitting in their underground home offices and dens of geek entertainment ...

Needless to say, that 386 tower doesn't sit on the floor.

I've learned a good bit about basement waterproofing over the years we've lived at the ranch. Tim Carter's AskTheBuilder.com is one of the best places I've found for basement waterproofing information. His articles on French Linear Drains are excellent.

Here are some of things I've done to make our basement drier:

• get the rainwater away from the foundation with extended drainage lines
• eliminate low spots next to the house by grading the dirt away from the foundation
• seal cracks and holes in the concrete block walls
• paint the basement walls with specialized waterproofing paint
• install a high-capacity sump pump
• optimize the sump hole liner for the high-capacity pump

All-in-all, our basement is much drier than it was. I've addressed most of the smaller issues--which (knock wood) keeps us high and dry for all but the biggest storms. But when the tropical storms and hurricanes take their runs up the coast each fall, I make sure the big squeegee and portable pumps stand ready ...

Can a SUV Get 36 MPG?

Want to save gas? Buy a hybrid car! With gasoline prices jammed at the $2 per gallon mark, these ultra-geeky vehicles are riding a wild wave of popularity. It's no wonder that hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid have become the hot ticket. So how much gas (and money) can you save driving a hybrid car? I've taken the trouble to do a little math to figure it all out ...

Lets take a fairly extreme example: if you drive 30,000 miles per year in a vehicle that gets 15 miles per gallon, you'll use approximately 2,000 gallons of gas per year. If you're paying an average of $2.00 per gallon, that'll cost you a tidy $4,000 per year.

Now lets say that you trade in that 15 MPG gas-guzzler for a thrifty hybrid car that pulls down an average of 60 MPG, like the Honda Insight. That same 30,000 miles per year would require just 500 gallons of gas and a mere $1,000 of charges at the pump. While you might feel pretty good about doing your part for national security by reducing our dependence on imported oil, you'll feel even better about saving $3,000 per year in gasoline costs.

Is 60 MPG a reality? The 2004 Toyota Prius has an EPA estimate of 60 city/51 highway/55 combined (and you can get it with Bluetooth). The Honda Insight boasts an EPA estimate of 60 city/66 highway.

Here's where the money thing gets even better.

If you take that $3,000 in savings and divide it by 12, you just found $250 a month that could be going to your car payments.

Want to make it even more attractive? Check this out ...

The U.S. Government may even pay you to drive a hybrid car. That's right. Money from the Fed. If you qualify, you can claim a clean-fuel vehicle federal tax deduction of up to fifteen hundred smackers this year. $1,500 to buy a new car? It might sound crazy ... check out the IRS web site ... but act quickly, the tax deduction for hybrid vehicles falls to $1,000 next year.

If the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, or Honda Civic Hybrid aren't your cup of tea, sit tight. A whole new crop of hybrid cars are about to make the scene. Honda has announced an Accord Hybrid and Ford has something that should set the market on its ear.

Ford is the first American automaker to put hybrid propulsion into a SUV. The new 4x2 Ford Escape Hybrid promises to deliver 36 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway. That same 30,000 mile commute should cost you half as much in the Escape Hybrid as it does in a gas-guzzling SUV.

For folks that love their SUV but hate the lousy mileage, the Ford Escape Hybrid just might be aptly named ...

Ford Escape Hybrid Links
Honda Civic Hybrid Links
Toyota Prius Links

Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop — why it's cool

Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop isn't a how to book. If that's what you're looking for, you should look for something else. This isn't a click here, do this, click here, do this, drag that kind of book. Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop is an inspirational book.

I've taken the liberty of borrowing the text from the back of the book. I think it explains things pretty well ...

Add Another Dimension to Your Portfolio—And Move to the Top of Your Craft

Professional artists who strive to bring a new look to their illustrations are using Alias' premier 3D software in tandem with Adobe's prominent digital imaging program to create cutting-edge graphics. Now, with Maya 6, this remarkable combo is even better integrated than before.

Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop—brought to you from Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Sybex and Alias—is a dazzling introduction to the vibrant world of 3D and Maya. Graphics wiz Daniel Gray, with help from an elite group of pros, will inspire you to incorporate 3D into your graphics and think more artistically when approaching your creations. And if you're already familiar with Maya, you'll learn how Maya 6 makes it even easier to work between both applications.

First you'll get the essential Photoshop user’s introduction to Maya and learn how to make the leap from 2D to 3D. Then, you'll discover how high-profile artists use Maya and Photoshop together in real-world scenarios where 2D and 3D collide in a burst of creativity. Through a series of interviews that address a variety of 3D applications, you'll discover how:

• Maya Master Meats Meier depicts Mother Nature with otherworldly success

• Michael Elins combines photography and classical painting with the 3D world

• Damon Riesberg cranks out a daily comic strip by posing and rendering his cast of characters

• guru studios crafts beautiful 3D cartoons with a cool retro feel for TELETOON

• Meteor Studios brings ultra-realistic prehistoric creatures to life for the Discovery Channel's Dinosaur Planet

• IBM painstakingly re-creates ancient artifacts, such as the Sphinx, for the
  Egyptian Museum in Cairo

• Meshwerks digitizes automobiles for use in movies, advertising, and video games and creates the ultra-cool chopped and channeled Honda EleMENTAL Woodie!

Featured on the CD

The enclosed CD features your own copy of the Maya Personal Learning Edition software plus some support files to help get you started.

You'll find more info on the book here.

Call Center

Do you work in a call center? If so, I want to hear from you. I'm developing a series of articles about call center life. I'm looking for first-hand stories about what it's like to deal with predictive dialers, unhappy callers, and unreasonable mangement. Whether you're working in an inbound or outbound call center, whether you're on the help desk or in sales, here's your chance to share those horror stories with the world ...

I've heard some absolutely eye-popping stories, so far. But I can't start sharing them just yet ... this project is going to take some time to simmer. I need a good cross-section of input from both in-house and outsourced call centers.

I'm open to hearing just about anything. Tell me about the crazy Windows help desk support calls. Share the nutty stuff that folks have said to you (as long as it's printable) in order to get off the line. The wackier, the better.

You can submit your stories either with attribution or anonymously. We'll want to avoid calling attention to specific company or personal names, but you can feel free to include information about the type of business where you've had your call center experiences (be they good or bad).

Send your call center tales to: timeisonmyside@geekbooks.com

RFID

I've come up with the killer RFID app. This hits home like nothing before. The act of tracking packages in transit or at the discount store pales in importance. The killer RFID app seeks to solve a very simple, yet pervasive problem that affects us all. And it seeks to help us where we need the help the most: at home.

RFID (Radio frequency identification) technology provides a means to store and retrieve data using RFID tags. RFID tags are tiny antenna-bearing transmitters that are built into or affixed (using a label) to a host object. These tags are designed to receive and respond to RFID transceivers. RFID systems are increasingly used as inventory control methods, and can be found tracking items as diverse as family pets, beer kegs, shipping palettes library books, and airline baggage.

This takes it a step further ...

How much further? How about into your sock drawer?

How many times have you misplaced a single sock? You have five minutes to get dressed and get out the door. You're running around the place, completely stressed out. You have one sock, but its mate is nowhere to be found. "Where's that #$%&@! sock?"

Just where those pesky AWOL things go, it's impossible to say. They might fall into a black hole behind the clothes dryer. Or maybe your little brother or significant other likes to play cruel tricks by hiding them.

The cause doesn't matter. The killer RFID app would solve the age-old problem of the missing sock.

Here's how it would work:

Each item of clothing (say, a sock) would have a special encapsulated RFID tag sewn into an unobtrusive place. Encapsulated RFID tags use a protective coating to prevent damage, ensuring that they survive harsh environments (in this case, the clothes washer and dryer). Wireless battery-powered active RFID transponders would be positioned throughout the house.

Your PC would run a program to pull inventory information from the household RFID grid. You would know where each and every RFID tagged item is located at any given moment.

The missing sock dilemma would be solved. Collective blood pressures would be lowered. Peace would reign in the land. And your little brother or significant other would have to find a new way to irritate you.

Of course, it's not just about socks. It's about those missing keys, remote controls, favorite shirts, and dog leashes. With the right setup and a RFID tag, everything could be located within your household matrix with a few clicks.

Science fiction? Or just a few years away?

Corporate Gifts

Call them what you will--schwag, trinkets, or (yawn) promotional items--corporate gifts are a mainstay of the business world. I may be stuck in a time warp, but the Internet Boom (with caps ... just like the Ice Age!) surely seemed to be a high point in the world of corporate gifts. My desk drawers overflowed with wacky stuff scavenged from trade shows from coast-to-coast. Software developers scattered their t-shirts to the throngs with great abandon. Hardware manufacturers showered their customers with fine corporate gifts. Brightly burning dotcoms shared their oh-so-temporary wealth with insanely great promos.

We all rejoiced at the fine bounty as the bean-counters overlooked the costs and poured another drink for the road ...

Just as it seemed like the corporate gifts would flow forever, they dried up.

Poof!

These days, fine schwag rarely shows up in the mailbox. It's been ages since a big software developer has sent an unannounced goodie box. Alas, my collection of geeky t-shirts is finally showing its age, carbon-dating to the late 90's.

When I really wax nostalgic for the trinkets, I browse the multitude of corporate gift websites. Armed with a valid credit card, one can order up just about anything possible ... emblazoned with a corporate logo, of course.

You'll find it all, from the practical and obvious like pens, polos, and sweatshirts, through glittery glassware, jewelry, and watches, to the ever-useful flashlights, luggage, and ubiquitous Swiss Army knives ... there's a corporate gift for everyone, if not every budget.

Friends, Romans, Countryfolk ... send me your schwag!

Carving Tikis

I've launched into a new artistic exploit: carving Tikis. It all started after reading a few back issues of Tiki News. Well ... it didn't all start there. I've been fascinated with Tikis for years.

I had a bit of time after finishing up my latest book, Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop ... which just happens to have a bit of Tiki influence, as you can see:

I'm focusing on bar top carvings for now. I don't have the tools or patience to carve huge Tikis. Yet.

Online Stock Trading

I couldn't care less about the Google IPO. Funny that I say that now. I used to be hooked on online stock trading. (Well, maybe that's a bit strong ... lets just say that I was overly enamored with it.) But I ended my online stock trading exploits when the bubble burst. While I had some nice runs over the years, 2001 brought my stock trading to a horrible screeching halt. Oh yeah, I made money on some stocks. But oh yeah, I lost even more ...

For many folks, online stock trading is as exciting as gambling. Those who day trade can expect to make or lose hundreds or thousands of dollars in a single day. It takes an iron gut.

Overall, I did really poorly picking Internet stocks. I fell into the trap of believing they hype. I thought I was buying good companies. Alas, many were not.

When I look back on it, I realize that I did better with tech stocks in the days before the boom and the advent of online stock trading. I did well with Iomega, for example, back in the day. But those days are long past. I honestly can't remember the last time I made a trade online. (Sadly, half the companies in which I made my meager investments no longer exist. Don't look to me for investment advice.) ;)

Down here it’s just winners and losers and don’t
get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well, I’m tired of comin’ out on the losin’ end

-- B. Springsteen/Atlantic City

While the stock market boardwalk is filled with hucksters, a little fireworks show might not be a bad thing. A few high flying IPOs might bring some optimism into a fairly gloomy world. Folks might get revved up again and start throwing money at companies left and right, as they log onto their brokerage accounts twenty times a day (or more) to watch the craziness.

Or not.

Private Jet Charter

Private jet charter remains an elusive dream for the average Joe. To be sure, rock stars, sports franchises and corporate entities can throw down the bucks to charter a private jet. But it will be quite a while until families can plunk down the change and charter a Cessna Citation, Raytheon Hawker, Gulfstream, Dassault Falcon, or Lear Jet for the weekend trip to the beach or mountains.

I did some research into the cost of private jet charter for an upcoming trip to Pittsburgh.

I couldn't find a cheap non-stop from either Newark or Philly--everything that came up was in the $600-$800 range. For a one hour flight. So I checked in with a number of private jet charter web sites, thinking that I might be able to share the cost between a few folks.

It was an eye-opener. I wasn't just blown out of the water, I couldn't get anywhere near the pool.

But I have faith that jet air taxi service will be commonplace one day.

Eclipse Aviation is readying a new light jet that promises to change the game. When it takes flight in 2006, the Eclipse 500 is slated to cost just under $1.2 million ... a remarkable price point for a small jet.

Still Spyware Free ... (Two Months Later)

It took me weeks to understand how easily spyware can be beaten. After smashing my head against the wall day-after-day this spring, I finally stumbled upon the simple means to eradicate the spyware on my PC. The clouds parted and the sun shined. These days, my PC remains clear ... months after sharing my experience in removing spyware.

If your computer is plagued with pop ups, it's time that you take charge.

It's staggering to think how many computers are infested with nasty malware. The lion's share of this stuff is mechanically enabled by Internet Explorer. It's great that Microsoft has finally shipped a service pack, but I'm not holding my breath that XP SP2 will solve all of the problems. The simple answer is to turn off IE, and throw away the key. I'm not a lone crackpot on this one. Homeland Security put out the word back in June.

But at its rotten core, spyware isn't just a technical issue. It's a financial issue.

Spyware is financially enabled by the companies that pay for the pop-up advertisements. Some of these companies are legitimate. Others are not. When the legitimate advertisers come to understand that the negatives outweigh the positives, financial support for adware will erode.

There are good ways and bad ways to advertise on the Internet.

Adware is a bad way.

White Noise for Insomnia?

Of all the things that make my life difficult, insomnia can top the chart. I can't count the number of nights when I haven't been able to fall asleep. After all these years, it's clear that stress is at the root of my insomnia. I know this without a doubt. I've found that conquering insomnia to be an all-consuming task. This quest for a good night's sleep has lead in many (low- and high-tech) directions ...

I've tried lots of "cures" for insomnia and still haven't found the golden bullet.

I used a white noise generator for a while. The Sharper Image white noise unit produced a wide range of nice sounds like crashing waves and babbling brooks. I liked this little unit, but one day when the batteries wore out I just forgot to replace them.

If you're a insomnia-plagued Gnomie with a computer in the bedroom, you might be interested in white noise generating software. FWIW, my noisy PC is (and was) not in the bedroom--and (obviously) makes too much noise to be used as a white noise generator.

After the white noise path, I tried the over-the-counter stuff with varying results.

Over time, I found that over-the-counter sleep aids like Melatonin and other medications just weren't for me. While Melatonin may have worked, I would wake up groggy, feeling like my eyes were glued shut. I'm not discounting the placebo effect. I just know that it wasn't for me.

I found myself coming back to a simple white noise solution.

These days, when I'm ready, that is good and ready, to pass out for the evening I use the television to provide a form of white noise. But it's not white noise, per se ... it's music. I tune into DirecTV's "Soundscapes" digital music channel and turn the volume down way low.

Much to my wife's chagrin, it works. She's not crazy about the new agey drone. But then again, I'm not crazy about her snoring, either. :) Maybe I should put a box of Breathe Right Nasal Strips in her stocking this Christmas.

I've also used iTunes to find spacey Internet radio channels to provide an aural backdrop. This can provide am alternative if you have a PC in the bedroom and don't want to go the traditional white noise route.

Of course, diet and exercise are highly important in the quest for a good night's sleep. But on those days when both are lacking, I reach for the remote control ...