New Tech, Vintage Nerds

Email Evolution : A Journey Through Tech

In this podcast episode, AJ and Alex delve into different aspects of the digital communication world, specifically email and their recent 3D printing projects, custom-designed 3D inserts for slat walls, the TARDIS and more.
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
Ice cube machine
Measuring wheel
® Brands or solutions mentioned (not in order)
Apple Mail
Outlook
Gmail
MailCow
EM Client
Sogo
Thunderbird
Microsoft Office 365
Exchange Server
Microsoft Hotmail
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Clean Air and Clever Gadgets: A Breath of Fresh Tech

In today's episode Alex and AJ are discussing presence detection versus motion detection in their home automation setups.
Takeaways:
Importance of Clean Air: AJ and Alex emphasize the importance of clean air inside homes, especially during winter, when indoor air quality can deteriorate due to heating, cooking, and other activities.
Methods for Clean Air:
Air Monitoring: Using air monitors to keep track of CO2 levels and other pollutants like particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
Air Filters: The benefits of using air filters, such as HEPA filters, to remove particulates and volatile gases from the air.
3D Printing Considerations: The importance of using filters and air extraction systems when 3D printing materials like ABS and PETG, which can release harmful fumes.
Workshop Dust Control:
Dust Extraction: Both emphasize the significance of having a dust extraction system in workshops to control wood dust and other particles.
DIY Solutions: Descriptions of custom-built or modified systems such as dust cyclones and shop vacuums to manage dust effectively.
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
Teleprompters: Using a teleprompter allows reading scripts while maintaining eye contact with the camera.
Elgato Stream Deck Pedal: Using a foot pedal to control teleprompter scrolling, Zoom mute, and video controls enhances productivity. The pedal can start/stop scrolling of the teleprompter and can be configured for other uses like muting during Zoom calls.
® Brands or solutions mentioned (not in order):
Philips Hue
Raspberry Pi
IKEA
Zigbee
Homey
Home Assistant
AliExpress
Synology
Dust Commander
TrueNAS
Gigabyte
AMD EPYC 3151
Elgato Stream Deck
🤝 Join the Conversation:
We're not just here to talk at you—we want to connect with our community! Have questions or experiences about 3D printing, or home automation? Want to share your own tech journey? Drop a comment below, and let's start the discussion!
🔔 Stay Updated:
Don't miss out on more tech insights and life-enhancing tools. Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to get notified about our latest content.
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Navigating Home Automation: The Millimeter Wave Revolution and Real-World Challenges

In today's episode Alex and AJ are discussing presence detection versus motion detection in their home automation setups.
Takeaways:
mmWave Technology as an alternative to PIR for detecting presence, even if the person is not moving significantly.
mmWave response slower than PIR, but the combination is good
Automations are annoying when it is not working properly
Home automation can be expensive, with numerous small costs accumulating over time
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
3D Printing Magnets Tip:
When starting 3D printing and incorporating magnets, AJ suggests printing a specific tool that helps in orienting the magnets correctly. This tool ensures the magnets are inserted in your prints with the right orientation, preventing issues with alignment and adhesion.
Embedded Magnet Dispenser Tool for 3D Prints
Mini Greenhouse Project:
Alex mentions a project involving 3D printing a mini greenhouse called "Herbus," designed by Hands On Katie. It’s a comprehensive project that includes sections for planting herbs for the kitchen or small plants for a vegetable garden. Alex highlights adding technology and automation to the greenhouse, such as full spectrum LED lights for growing plants and potentially including an automated watering system.
Herbus Mini Greenhouse
® Brands or solutions mentioned (not in order):
Homey
Home Assistant
Aqara
Gardena
Husqvarna
Hands On Katie
Herbus

Exploring the Benefits of Standing Desks and Workspace Optimization

In this episode of NTVN, New Tech Vintage Nerds, AJ and Alex discuss standing desks and their uses, preferences, and assembly experiences, while standing.
Takeaways:
Discussing standing desk benefits, such as such as better posture, a more dynamic presentation style in virtual meetings, and improved overall well-being while working from home.
Personal Experiences with standing desks, including the types they use (two-legged vs. four-legged) and the challenges and benefits they encountered.
Assembly and Setup Tips
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
® Brands or solutions mentioned (not in order):
Gridfinity
Kickstarter
Zoom
WebEx
Microsoft Teams
Huddles
Hangouts
Flexispot
Ikea countertop
Monster
Seasonic
GeForce (NVIDIA)
AliExpress
Apple MacBook
LTT store (Linus Tech Tips)
🤝 Join the Conversation:
We're not just here to talk at you—we want to connect with our community! Have questions or experiences about standing desks, home office gear, or tech? Want to share your own journey? Drop a comment below, and let's start the discussion!
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Automating Home Tech and Launching a YouTube Journey with Vikash

In this episode of NTVN New Tech Vintage Nerds, AJ and Alex invite special guest Vikash to the table. The trio dives into a variety of tech topics, from the challenges of home automation with Sonos speakers to the intricacies of digitizing VHS tapes. They explore the world of 3D printing and the balance between high-end tinkering versus plug-and-play solutions. The conversation shifts to Vikash's personal journey in tech and his motivations behind creating valuable content on YouTube. If you're into home automation, DIY tech projects, or considering starting a YouTube channel, this episode is packed with insights and tips that you won't want to miss.
Takeaways:
Alex's Experience with Home Automation: Alex talks about his automation setup using Sonos speakers, the problems he faced when the speakers stopped working, and how he resolved them by reintroducing the speakers into the setup.
Whole Home Audio Systems: The discussion shifts towards various audio setup strategies, including using HomePods and Home Assistant for automating music throughout the house. They also discuss systems like ZigBee and Z-Wave for motion sensors and other home automation elements.
VHS Digitization: Alex explains his process of digitizing old VHS tapes using an HDMI video converter and a capture box, as well as software like OBS and Handbrake for the actual digitization and encoding. He emphasizes the cost-effectiveness and quality improvement by using these specific tools.
Vikash's YouTube Journey: Vikash shares his journey of starting a YouTube channel focused on tech topics. He details how he decided to transition from traditional blogs to video content, his methodology for choosing topics, and the importance of not striving for perfection in the initial stages. He also discusses the tech he uses and his gradual upgrades over time.
Community Feedback and Improvements: Vikash highlights the importance of community feedback for improvement and stresses that good content is more important than having the best tech setup immediately.
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
Vikash recommends the TV show "The Bear" for those interested in cooking and restaurant management.
AJ suggests exploring "Music Assistant," a tool complementary to Home Assistant for creating a whole-home audio system.
® Brands or solutions mentioned (not in order)
Sonos
Home Assistant
HomePod/HomePod Mini
Homey Pro
Philips Hue
Z-Wave
ZigBee
EcoWitt weather station
OBS - Open Broadcaster Software
Handbrake
Joplin (note-taking application)
Nextcloud
Vikash.nl (Vikash’s personal website)
LinkedIn (professional networking site)
Music Assistant (related to Home Assistant)
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Don't miss out on more tech insights and life-enhancing tools. Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to get notified about our latest content.

Adding a weather station to your home automation system | NTVN

Join AJ and Alex as they dive into the world of 3D printing, weather stations, and home automation. In this episode, they share their latest adventures with flexible filament, such as TPU, and discuss their use of various 3D prints like brackets for MacBooks and custom solutions for better storage and organization. The conversation transitions to weather stations, focusing on automation benefits, local data integration, and energy efficiency.
Takeaways:
Flexible filaments like TPU are versatile but require longer print times.
Weather stations can significantly augment smart home automation by providing real-time environmental data.
Choosing a weather station with local data support can enhance reliability and control over cloud-dependent alternatives.
Integrate UV sensors in your system for personalized alerts and safer outdoor activities.
Tools like a filament dryer can drastically improve print quality, especially for hydroscopic materials.
🏠 What's on the Agenda:
00:00 Introduction and recent 3D printing projects
00:37 Challenges and solutions with flexible filaments
03:31 Overview of weather stations and their role in home automation
12:05 Benefits of using EcoWitt Witboy for real-time data
33:30 Practical uses for UV sensors and soil moisture sensors
🔗 Gear Up with Our Top Tips:
Enhance 3D printing with a reliable filament dryer
Explore the benefits of advanced weather stations like the EcoWit for precise automation
Invest in localized data solutions to prevent automation failure during connectivity issues
🤝 Join the Conversation:
We're not just here to talk at you—we want to connect with our community! Have questions or experiences about 3D printing, or home automation? Want to share your own tech journey? Drop a comment below, and let's start the discussion!
🔔 Stay Updated:
Don't miss out on more tech insights and life-enhancing tools. Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to get notified about our latest content.
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Zone heating

In this episode AJ and Alex talk about zone heating and automating it.
🤝 Join the Conversation:
We're not just here to talk at you-we want to engage with our community! Have questions or tips about 3D printing, WiFi, or some other topic? Want to share your own home automation win? Drop a comment below, and let's start the discussion!
🔔 Stay Updated:
Don't miss out on more tech insights and life-enhancing tools. Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to get notified about our latest content.
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Do you want a tinker printer or a 3D printer? Bambulab P1S

FINALLY! A new episode.
It took a bit to get this out there. Not because we didn't record it, but because A.J. found excuse after excuse not to edit and publish it. Lucky for you he finally found the time and finally felt like doing the stuff that needed to be done.
This episode Alex and A.J. talk about their new 3D printer and how it is holding up after a month of running almost constantly. Listen to them talking about the good and the not so good (if any?) of the Bambulab P1S.
🏠 What's on the Agenda:
00:00 Introduction
00:30 What did you automate this week? Spoiler: heating / cooling / screens/shades
10:43 A.J.'s New 3D Printer: Bamboo Labs P1S. And Alex' as well
56:44 Tips - YouTube channel Proper Printing - Knipex
🤝 Join the Conversation:
We're not just here to talk at you-we want to engage with our community! Have questions or tips about 3D printing, WiFi, or some other topic? Want to share your own home automation win? Drop a comment below, and let's start the discussion!
🔔 Stay Updated:
Don't miss out on more tech insights and life-enhancing tools. Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to get notified about our latest content.
🗣️ Stay Connected with Us:
Twitter Chatter: https://twitter.com/newtechvintage
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Our hangout on the internet: https://ntvn.online
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