Earlier this month, Microsoft announced the availability of Windows Home Server (WHS) Power Pack 1. This long awaited service pack finally fixes the dreaded data-corruption problem that has plagued WHS’s reputation since its discovery in late December 2007. Every time I would talk to my technical friends and peers about WHS, all they wanted to talk about was the corruption problem. Now that it has been addressed, maybe we can put it behind us once and for all. (For an in-depth explanation of the corruption problem, see Coming Home to Windows Home Server, Part 5.

I never personally experienced the data-corruption problem, and from the reports I've seen, neither did a lot of other WHS users. With that in mind, I hope that this fix doesn’t overshadow the cool features that Power Pack 1 adds to WHS. I’ll talk about those features in greater detail in the months to come, but to whet your appetite, here’s an overview of a few of them. more>>

The U.S. could take a page from Japan’s ecycling efforts, especially as the consumer electronics industry heads down the home stretch to the analog shut-off in February 2009. On a recent press trip to Japan, Panasonic officials gave journalists a peek into the company’s expansive recycling operations at the Matsushita Eco Technology Center (METEC) outside of Osaka.

METEC began operations in 2001 following enactment of Japan’s Home Appliance Recycling Law, which requires that large appliances—CRT TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners—be recycled as part of a joint effort among consumers, retailers and manufacturers. At the 415,000-square-foot facility, workers separate glass from CRT TVs, which is cleaned and sent to facilities overseas for reuse in CRT TVs. more>>

The client wanted to provide a very comfortable user friendly high-impact home theater experience for his family. The theater was the feature room of a recently renovated basement area which included a snooker room and bar area. A special feature for the client was the ability to integrate his 40-year-old Grundig reel-to-reel recorder that he had purchased in Sweden and carried back home as hand luggage. Winding up those tapes again and playing them to his grandchildren gives him tremendous pleasure.

No specific challenges were encountered. The control system is a Niles Intellicontrol system. To operate, the user need only select their desired source, and then, by pressing that one button the system comes to life. The Intellicontrol intelligently manages and senses power for each source to ensure only the required equipment is turned on. Even the lighting scenes for the Lutron Grafik Eye are integrated into the controls from the remote. more>>