AirPlay - If you don't have it you're missin' out!

Do you have a bunch of photos you've recently shot on your iPhone or iPad?  How about music?  And movies?  

Wouldn't it be cool if you could watch a slideshow of your photos on the big screen and share with your friends and family?

Wouldn't it be nice to stream your music collection or Pandora to your home theater system or whole house music system?

And wouldn't it be wonderful to transfer your home movie, downloaded video or Netflix instantly to your home theater system?

You can do all this with Apple AirPlay technology!

Check out this video to see it all in action.  They say it requires no set up, and while that's somewhat true... Apple devices are very easy and intuitive.  You will most likely need help with properly setting up your home network, all the necessary devices and of course - compatible home theater and whole house audio systems!

Contact us if you'd like to take advantage of AirPlay. 

We are a certified Apple direct dealer!

Project Spotlight

Every once and a while its fun to get out of town and work on a custom project!

We recently returned from a project on the north coast of California in a small town called Gualala.

That's funny, spell check has it underlined... guess they don't know what the heck Gualala is either.

I can tell you its a beautiful town and was a very fun project to work on.

Here are some of the views from the guest house the owner rented out for all the subcontractors who worked on the project:

Here we did quite a bit of work... integrating almost everything you can think of in a Smart Home; Lighting, Security, Home Theater, Intercom, Radiant Heating, Gate Control, Whole House Music, Motorized Windows, Door Locks, Garage Doors, Tv's hidden behind mirrors, Remote Access/Alerts etc...

Here are some of the project photos:

We all had a great time each night going out to dinner and working well together on this project!

Here's Will gettin' his workout on!

Top 10 Essential Man Cave Items

My Man Cave Post received a lot of attention so I figured I'd elaborate here and highlight my Top 10 Essential Man Cave Items.

Item #1 - Mini Fridge

While you're in your cave, you will most likely work up a thirst for a frosty beverage.  Having a mini fridge is very handy.  This brings me to...

Item #2 - Craftsman Beer Opener

Craftsman tools all come with a lifetime warranty.  True "man caver's" will be using this tool a lot - keep it in a handy place!  Also, with Christmas coming up - this makes a great stocking stuffer!  Buy one here.

Item #3 - Space Heater

In the winter months, your cave might get a little chilly.  This little guy keeps the "lounge" area nice and toasty!

Item #4 - Tool Wall

If you're anything like me, your tools get misplaced and you can never find the right tool when you need it.  Having a tool wall with a designated spot for each item makes life much easier!

Item #4 - Adventure Corral

Every man needs adventure.  In your cave, you should have a section for all your toys and adventure gear.  This way, you're ready to go when the opportunity arises!

Item #5 - Games

Whether its darts, chess, poker or another game of your choosing...  People will be coming over and hanging out in your cave.  What else goes better with a frosty brew than some good ol' competition!

Item #6 - Music

Life is better with music.  So are man cave's.

Item #7 - Lounge Area

You will definitely want a space where you can kick back and relax.  Put some carpet on the ground and create a living space.  Also, having a couch with a recliner is worth 100 more man points.

Item #7 - Books and Literature Area

When you're relaxing in the lounge area, you may want to pick up a good book or read up on an instruction manual.  Choose a spot where you can see your entire collection.  Some of my best ideas have come from these books and my time spent in my cave!

Item #7 - Motivational Wall Decorations

Decorate your man walls with things that mean something to you.  They remind you of where you have been, adventures you have taken and motivate you for things yet to come!

Item #8 - TV/Computer

There are times when my son wants to come chill in man land.  Its nice to pop in a movie so he can hang with me.  Its also nice to have internet readily available so you can do your research on things, look up an instruction manual online, wiring diagram, plan your next fishing trip etc...


Item #9 - American Flag

Every man cave should have one!

Item #10 -  Organizers

Things get messy if you don't have large boxes or tool hangers for all your stuff!

I hope you enjoyed some of my man cave suggestions!  I'm always looking for more things to make my cave better.  I'd love to hear more ideas from some of you!

Poor Customer Service - You're Gettin' Blasted on Yelp Dude!

Wife: "Honey, we have a major problem!"

Me: "What?"

Wife: "There's water dripping on the floor, the sheetrock is bubbling up and the carpet's getting soaked."

Me: "What?"

We built a house a couple years ago and fire sprinklers were a requirement.  Out of all the subcontractors we hired to help us during the home build, the fire sprinkler company was the worst.  They were so difficult to communicate with, missed deadlines and we had to babysit them the entire time.

So, needless to say, once I discovered this problem I wasn't too excited about contacting them for warranty repair.

I called their office.  The lady that answered the phone told me her tech in the field would come by and fix for me.  She gave me the cell phone number of her tech and told ME to call him.

Ummmm... shouldn't you call him and assign a work order to him and get his butt over here?  Instead, you're giving me "Joe's" cell number?

Ok, whatever... so I called "Joe" and left a message, stressing the urgency of the situation and that my house is leaking!

No call back for a couple hours.

So I texted him a picture of the big hole I cut in the sheetrock to gain access to the area with the leak... me being a "do it yourself git er done" type (will have to patch the sheetrock there anyway since it got soaked).

*Begin annoying text conversation* 

me: "Dripping at the nozzle, getting the sheetrock wet, had to cut out to get access, What do I do to stop the leak?"

Bonehead:  "ummm its probably the head adapter that is cracked and dripping"

Me: "how do I fix this?  dripping all over my carpet, need help, your office told me to call you to help fix."  

(also, sent another close up pic):

Bonehead: "we would have to replace the whole fitting that the head screws into"

Me: It's dripping right from the head, I need this fixed now, water is getting all over the place"

Bonehead: "its because the pipe was not insulated correct and the hot and cold air going through the hole crack the brass part"

Me:  "There was insulation wrapped around the entire pipe and head assembly, I dont think that's the problem, anyway, I need someone now to fix the problem"

Bonehead:  "we are all off until monday"

** Ok, I realize its a holiday season, but I can't go 5 days with water leaking all over my master bedroom....**

Me:  "I need somebody here before that, this is an emergency"

......

......

Me: ???

Bonehead:  "I called my guys everyone's cell phone is off"

Me:  "So when can you come to fix then?"

Bonehead:  "Monday" (5 days)

Me:  "I have another company on the way to fix and will be sending you a bill for the repair, sheetrock damage, and carpet repair"

**Meanwhile, I'm fixing myself, along with some help from my dad.  We shut off the water supply to the house, drained the pressure from the fire sprinkler system, removed the defective head, replaced with a stop plug, wrapped with Teflon tape, fired back up the water pressure and guess what?... No more leak.**

Bonehead: (30 minutes later)  "you can call 925-382-xxxx he does the repairs."

Me:  "You have zero customer service.  I can call?  I don't think so... will be sending the bills your way and speaking with the president of your company next week"

Bonehead:  "that's the number you need to call he will be in charge"

Me:  "Your office gave me your info and said you were in charge, nevermind that, a professional employee would call your supervisor or the "guy who does the repairs" or whatever, fill him in on the customer situation and have him call the customer (me) with the time he can come out and fix...not have the customer do your job"

Bonehead:  "when was the attempt installed"  "System"

*end of annoying text conversation*

I don't even understand what he's talking about at this point.  You suck!  You and your company are getting blasted on Yelp dude!

I hope we don't ever handle clients concerns this way!  I know myself personally, and a number of my guys work at odd hours of the night, on holidays and on weekends when stuff like this comes up.  Even if its a customer getting crazy about a "skip" button not working on the bluray player on a control system in their daughters room.  Fortunately we are able to connect remotely fairly easily and correct for them.

Water leak in the master bedroom - 5 days - you got to be kidding me!

Good customer service is so hard to come by these days!

I need to relax and get me some turkey!

Soundproof Your Theater Room, or the Master Bedroom - bow chicka bow wow!

Do you have a home theater room?

Are there times where you want to fire it up and enjoy your system but its too late at night and the kids are sleeping? 

Or, your wife would rather be in the other room doing the dishes, talking on the phone, reading, or listening to girl power music? (J-Lo and Brittany Spears are rockin' often at my home... ugh!)

That's cool.  That's her thing - but I don't want to hear it... I want to enjoy the UFC fight, or really dive into the latest thriller on bluray and fully enjoy the high definition picture and surround sound!

There are times when we all sit down as a family and enjoy the system, but often my beautiful system goes un-used because its just too distracting for everybody else in the home.

If I could build my house over again, I would've definitely added sound proofing!

So how is it done?

While the house is under construction, after the insulation goes up, and just before sheetrock is installed, soundproofing material is stapled and secured to the studs, fully enclosing and soundproofing the room.  All seams are sealed with a special tape and all wall boxes/openings are caulked with a special adhesive to minimize sound penetration.

Here are a few before/after photos showing what it looks like while under construction at a recent project of ours:

This particular theater room has a false wall which will contain floor standing speakers and a custom equipment rack.  When its all said and done, the rack and speakers will be flush behind the wall.  The 7.2 surround sound system in all its awesomeness will be fully contained and completely soundproof from the rest of the house.

Here's a quick video which goes into a bit more detail and shows how I demonstrate to clients who visit our showroom:



There are several other applications for soundproofing.  Are there other rooms that you'd like to contain noise in?  Maybe the master bedroom? (*wink *wink).

So how much does it cost?  About $2.00 per square foot.  -  Well worth it in my opinion.  What good is a home theater system if you can't enjoy it!?

Contact us for more details if you are looking for this solution.

I'm Surrounded by Nerds - Ce Pro 100 Summit Recap

I recently returned from the annual Ce Pro 100 Summit in Miami Florida.

Once a year, the top 100 custom electronics integrators get together to learn, network, share ideas, receive unique one on one time with some of the industry's best vendors... and try to have a little fun.

"Try" being the key word here.

We all had an opportunity to get away from the "grind" for a little while... relax, network and learn a thing or two.  Yet, many still seemed to take things SO seriously!

There were a lot of fun events planned.  They had a live concert night, casino night (no matter how hard I try at Texas Hold Em' I still suck), a comedy night and even an open bar throughout the event!

Sounds like fun right?

It's sad, but I have to admit... our industry is saturated with nerds.  Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of cool nerds.  Some of the "nerds" I work with are the funnest people I know.  They don't take themselves too seriously and they help our clients take advantage of all the amazing ground breaking technology that is available today; designing and delivering systems that come alive, and are easy to operate!

Maybe its just the economy, or my youth that gives me this perspective.  I don't know?  I just see that our industry is changing and its really going to take an open mind and a willingness to evolve in order to be successful NOW and into the future.

Have some fun will ya?!

The comedian put it perfectly the first night after a very dry introduction from one of our fellow integrators (sorry if you're reading this) and said "Wow, I'm in a room filled with smart nerds".  "That was a great intro... thanks for that (major sarcasm)."

The comedian was obviously bummed, having to get up in a conference room full of guys sporting black frame glasses and Dockers after a very boring introduction.  He made his best effort to turn things around and make people laugh.  Just collectin' his paycheck I'm sure.

He was hilarious by the way and provided some much needed comedic relief, talking about powdering his balls and several other things I won't get into here... had to be there...

Ok, Ok, I get it... its a business event.  Everybody's surrounded by their peers/competition and wants to put on their "game face".

Does it really have to be that serious though?  After all, we are in the home entertainment industry!  The stuff we sell is awesome!  It moves people, gets you excited and puts smiles on peoples faces!

I appreciated some of the industry veterans like Greg Simmons who took an opportunity to tell a blond joke instead of a "best practice" during the sharing time.  Or Guys like Dennis Sage who got up and danced during the John Meyer "look a like" concert night while everybody else sat around uncomfortable in their own skin.

That's how it should be!  Live a little!

Today we have such an opportunity to get people excited about the "smart home", ipad's, tablets, streaming media, airplay, music, security, whole house control... I could go on and on... Yet, some are just "stuck", trying to operate within the same old business model to no avail.

For me, I'm going to continue to operate outside of the norm.  That's what works for me.  I like to get people excited about what we do and what we offer.  Because the systems we install are fun and exciting!

Technology changes quickly!  Lets have some fun with it and enjoy the ride!  I never thought I'd be a smart nerd... but here I am.  Hopefully I'm a fun nerd too!

Getting Back Into the Routine - Jersey Shore

We all have an ideal routine we'd like to follow I'm sure... Work hard, stay consistent and produce positive results, workout, eat 3 balanced meals, have fun, enjoy your family, get good quality time with your mate etc...

Then life happens... you have an unexpected event; your car breaks down, you loose somebody you love, you get laid off, you drop your iPhone in the toilet etc... 

What do you do when "life" happens?

I'm learning that "life" happens to us all. It does no good to feel sorry for yourself and get out of the routine you know to be healthiest for you.

So here I am blogging again. I enjoy it. Whether anybody reads or not, its fun to be real and not take myself or life too seriously.

Take today for example, I took my frumpy self back to the gym to get back to my "healthy routine". Right when I sat down on the bench press (cause that's the manliest workout to do right)? Figured I'd hit that first... Homeboy keeps staring at me.

Is it just me or do you feel like everybody at the gym is staring and checking everybody out? Dude, do I got a booger in my nose or something? Quit staring at me with your fake tan and "fear this" T-shirt. Can't you see I'm just trying to work out in peace?

Maybe I'm just paranoid or insecure but I really don't appreciate being oogled at the gym. I got a coors light belly that needs some flattening from my last man trip. Go back to Jersey Shore!

All I'm sayin' is that we would all do well to stick with the healthy routine, when life is good, bad, stagnant etc... stick with it!