ZyXEL WAP3205: Highly Adept Wireless Repeater and Wireless Bridge Router

The ZyXEL WAP3205 is an inexpensive ($35) little unit that comes with poor documentation but actually is a good product if used correctly. I needed an internet access point for a VoIP phone and I have a wireless network setup. At about $35 or so, the ZyXEL WAP3205 seemed to be the cheapest wireless router with abilities as a Repeater and Bridge router also. With a little bit of tinkering, I was able to get the desired function as a bridge router/local...

Coby DVD-233: Easy region free DVD ability on the cheap

The Coby DVD-233 is a cheaply made DVD player and currently available from Buy.com and several other places for about $30. This DVD player can be set to play DVDs with any region code by making it into a region free DVD players. Here’s the hack: 1. Turn on the player and eject the tray using your remote. 2. Press “MENU”, 8, 8, 8, 8 on the remote. You should see 5 asterisks near the top left of your screen. 3. Press DISPLAY. A dialog...

Be selective in donating to non-profits and donate with a long term commitment

I donate regularly to a few non-profits that focus on issues that matter to me. These non-profits tend to bombard me with postal mail and sometimes phone solicitations. I do not terribly mind this practice because after all sending reminders is one way to stay relevant in the mind of a donor. But the problem is that many other non-profits who possibly share marketing databases with the non-profits you donate to, also tend to send a lot of junk mail...

Economics: An Art or a Science?

Last week, I happend to watch a Q&A session with the supply-side economics writer Bruce Bartlett on C-SPAN. He was talking about his book “Bruce R. Bartlett, The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward” and also a lot of other things to do with the economy and fielding questions from callers. One caller asked him whether Economics is an Art or a Science? Bruce’s answer (paraphrased) was: “Economics...