What is Dynamic DNS?

First a step back.

Communication on the internet happens because every end-point has an IP address. IP addresses are like phone numbers on the internet. But IP addresses such as 192.168.245.123 are a little hard to remember for every website you visit so we have domains and hostnames. In order for an IP address to be associated with a hostname a computer will ask a DNS server (or Domain Name System server) which resides somewhere on the internet what IP address is associated with a certain hostname. When one DNS server doesn't know how to answer a specific request, the DNS server is setup to ask other DNS servers for help.

Now we have 1 problem. Say you want an easy way to access your home network. Different routers will allow you to access different items within your home. But because your IP is constantly changing due to how your ISP's network works, you can't easily setup a traditional DNS record to associate the IP address your ISP gives you.

Enter the invention of Dynamic DNS. Services such as no-ip.com provide your router a way to edit DNS records on their DNS server when the ISP assigned IP address changes. You put in your account information, the DNS record you want to keep up to date and the router does the rest.

So if you need remote access back to your network check out the following websites. Both provide free dynamic hostname options and are supported by most home router manufacturers:
http://www.no-ip.com
http://www.dyndns.com

What is a good mouse for those with wrist pain?

A couple months ago I asked myself this question. As most people know, I've suffered from chronic wrist pain in both my wrists. I've had to do a lot to get through some of the pain. Yep, I most certainly have the highly recommend star ship enterprise keyboard aka the Microsoft Natural keyboard. I've had that keyboard for years and has greatly help putting my wrists in a more natural position when I type (imagine that).

Around the same time I bought the keyboard I also bought a Logitech mouse that I thought would be a good ergonomic mouse. It did help a little with the pain in my right wrist but eventually it got to a point where I knew I needed something different. So I did some research. I saw all sorts of mice and read reviews giving one opinion or another.

Some say that trackballs are the best for wrist pain. Eh. I'm not really interested in that learning curve.

I found some mice that look more like a joystick to keep your wrist in a more vertical position. This seemed like a good idea to me except that it was very bulky.

Eventually I found the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. After reading a lot of reviews of people who saw improvement and decrease inflammation after a week or so of use, I decided to get it. It's quite pricey but when you're talking about pain, you're left with little choice as to what you're going to do.

After receiving the mouse I found it a bit cumbersome at first. Its a large case that requires a rather large hand to use. And as the other reviews said, it will force you to learn to use your shoulder to move the mouse. Myself its more of a shoulder and wrist movement, but its more natural movement. Instead of first twisting your arm to allow for more constricted space for your nerves, the Vertical Mouse gives you that natural position and nerves have more space. More space equals less inflammation.

After learning how to use the mouse, I was very happy with it. If you are suffering from pain caused by inflammation, you need to give this mouse a look. Everybody is different but I feel this is a safe bet if you're looking for something to help the pain.

Below I've listed a way to look at the wireless version. Feel free to take a look at the other reviews and see if its something that would help you.

Apple vs Principle

With the recent passing of my desktop computer and the diminishing health of both of our laptops, its becoming clear that my wife and I are going to need to get a new computer soon. That said, I'm at a loss as to what I should become serious about purchasing. I love Apple computers. I'm typing this up on a true soldier, my old iBook from well before Apple could spell Intel. I also love the macbook pro I use for office work.

But I feel its coming down to principle. You know the recent news. Apple has made a bunch of big moves recently to say "Screw you world, do things our way". Examples. There are the changes to the iPhone/iPad developer stuff making it illegal to make iPhone/iPad any other way than the official Apple way. And there's the news today that they denied an app from the App Store that used multi-touch to browse photos stating that only official apps are allowed to do that. Those are just two brief example. Come on Apple, these are just silly.

So what do I do? Jobs, I think your laptops are great. I want one with reliable hardware and good battery life. I've also already invested in Logic for my recording software and don't really feel like investing in another product. That said, you're a jerk.

Alternatively we could go ahead and get a Windows based laptop that costs a lot less. There are a lot of options and I'm sure we could find one at a decent price. However you get what you pay for. My HP desktop lasted less than 2 years with less than frequent use. My wife's laptop has been having power and screen issues for quite a while now and its about as old as my laptop.

Where to go from here?

Why is Google Voice so awesome?

I'll admit that I barely use the Google Voice service's feature list. I don't really need another phone number nor all the call routing. The thing I love about this service though is the voicemail. Its feature packed and even more so since I have a phone with the Android OS.

First, a recent feature that Google implemented is being able to use your Google Voice voicemail as your primary voicemail on your mobile phone. Setup is easy. Just hit settings which should land you on the phone tab. Next to each of the mobile phones you have setup you should see a link to "activate" or switch that phone's voicemail. It will guide you and about a minute later the swap will be done. You can do this to multiple phones and combine all your phones' voicemails.

Now it operates just the same as your old phone voicemail. You can call it and get your voicemails (lame). Why lame? Cause there are other ways to get your voicemail now. Log into your GV account in your browser and you get the transcript along the recording in an easy to use fashion. Or if you're using a Chrome browser you can install the extension to get continual access.

OR....

The Android app gives you the same in a fashion that rival's the iPhone's visual voicemail. The Google Voice kicks the iPhone's butt because it gives you the transcript. As a message is playing back it highlights words as you read the transcript which helps with those hard to decipher recordings. Of course its not exact so if you can't understand it there's a good chance the servers at Google can't either but between the two you should have a good idea what the other person is trying to say.

Another cool feature is the free SMS. Doesn't sound like such a big deal but if you're on a budget you can make sure that your friends send you SMS messages to your GV number and not see a charge. And just as it is with the voicemail you can do this from the web, Chrome extension or Android app. On the Android app if you start a text message it will ask you if you want to use the phone's messaging service or Google Voice's.

The last feature I will bring up is the call blocking. I don't know about you but I still get a lot of 800 numbers calling me. I refuse to answer them. After they try their ploys to get me, I can log into Google Voice, see my call log and hit block on those 800 numbers. The next time they try to call they'll get something that sounds like the phone company's "We're sorry, this number as been disconnected" message. I know its fighting an uphill battle but gives me more piece of mind when fighting against people that are wasting my minutes.

Most of the other features are advertised a lot more and you can easily learn them from the Google Voice site. You can see them here.

Google Voice

Regarding the RT contest on Twitter, I will pick a random retweeter Monday May 10th.

EDIT: I'm going to extend the contest to anyone who "Likes" my page on Facebook. I'll combine the two lists and draw a random winner. Thanks in advance! Hopefully the link below will work.
Chad's Brain Dump on Facebook.