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JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald

Because of the legalizing of marijuana Durango and La Plata County, residents can now grow for their own use. It has been safer than before because

JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald

Because of the legalizing of marijuana Durango and La Plata County, residents can now grow for their own use. It has been safer than before because

Growing marijuana at home has become safer and, some say, less popular as Colorados legal landscape has changed.

Under Amendment 64, Colorado residents age 21 and older may grow up to six plants at home. But many users say they arent growing their own.

At the end of the day, theres not that many people exercising their right to grow marijuana under Amendment 64 and thats because people can just go into a store and buy it, said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado. Its like you can homebrew, but you can just go into the liquor store and buy it.

Marijuana stores also offer a greater variety of products than any home grower can hope to match, featuring different strains, edible marijuana-laced products and accessories.

Before Amendment 64 went into effect, home marijuana grows were often haphazard, and some were blamed for causing fires. Most tragically, in 2009, a Durango man named Dan Middleton was killed when his grow operation caused a fire in his condominium.

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Pot growing grows up

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--INSTEON, creators of the worlds best-selling home automation and control technology, today announced the opening of two new offices in Ecuador and Guatemala. Each location will feature a connected home and office showroom, product inventory and local tech support for the companys growing user base.

Training sessions for INSTEON dealers will also be available. The upcoming session, Introduction to Technology and Applications, will take place Wednesday, July 16, 2014 in Queretaro, Mexico from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The session will also be presented as a webinar for dealers in Ecuador and Guatemala on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 from 10 a.m. 12 p.m. local time.

The new offices in Latin America not only expand INSTEONs global footprint, but also serve the connected home and office market in a highly populous region of more than 600 million residents, said Joe Dada, CEO, INSTEON. Local retail customers are delighted that INSTEON is expanding availability of its simple, affordable and reliable home automation products and technology to homes and businesses in Latin America. With our new offices and professional INSTEON trainings for dealers in Latin America and Mexico, we aim to provide unprecedented access to the most innovative connected home offerings on the market.

INSTEONs reliable dual-band technology uses both the existing wires (power line) in the home and radio-frequency (RF) communication instead of relying on spotty Wi-Fi connections and routers, which dictate where smart devices must be placed to work properly. By making every networked device talk to each other via RF and the power line, INSTEON eliminates the need for custom wiring and ensures that every device is always connected. Adding remote control and automation to everything from home monitoring to lighting, INSTEONs dual-band network and devices allow users to manage the home or office in more variations than any other home automation technology.

To sign up for one of the distributor trainings, please contact Luis Pedraza at luispedraza@insteon.com.mx.

For more information on INSTEON, please visit http://www.insteon.com.mx.

About INSTEON

Developed in Irvine, California, the award-winning INSTEON remote control product line includes more than 200 devices, from lamp dimmers to thermostats and LED bulbs. INSTEON delivers the fastest, most reliable wireless device communication in the industry with its innovative dual-band and simulcast mesh technology, creating the optimum platform for the coming Internet of Things. INSTEON products are available throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as internationally. For more information about INSTEON, please visit http://www.insteon.com, or connect with INSTEON on Facebook (www.facebook.com/insteon) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/insteon).

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INSTEON Expands Presence in Latin America and Mexico

In July Computer Weekly visited Martin Vesper, CEO of digitalSTROM, who has kitted out his home with smart technology, allowing him to control lighting and electrical appliances and monitor usage.

In this video Computer Weeklys Cliff Saran talks to Vesper about how the internet of things technology forms the basis of an open, expandable platform developed by his company, that is able to integrate with other smart devices like a SonusHi-Fi and Philips Hue smart light.

The technology from digitalSTROM starts with a patented mains terminal block, that has an integrated processor. Vesper says this can be connected into a wiring circuit in a house, where it is able to provide intelligent switching.

Communications with the terminal block is achieved over mains cabling using powerline Ethernet. A central control console and Linux server, fitted in the homes fuse box, provides a way to share data between other intelligent terminal blocks to coordinate activities and monitor events such as when a smoke detector has been tripped. The system uses orchestration software from Tibco.

Vesper believes that a smart home needs to be built on software and open technologies, since electrical appliances have different lifespans. Cloud connectivity is also important, both for configuring the system and to enable best practices and updates are filtered down to the home.

Continued here:
Interview with Martin Vesper, CEO, digitalSTROM on smart home technology

House of The Whale, by Scott Bluedorn.

By Mara Certic

A house is a walled structure with a roof and a floor and a number of other features. A home, however, is typically defined in a more abstract manner: where the heart is, where one starts from or, according to Emily Dickinson, where thou art. This ambiguity and flexibility is mirrored in A Different Kind of Home/ Show on view at Dodds & Eder in Sag Harbor.

Curator Kathy Zeiger, who is also the founder and director of ArtWalk Hamptons, was inspired to put on the exhibition after seeing House of the Whale, an ink drawing by local artist Scott Bluedorn.

I just thought thats so interesting, she said of the drawing. There are a lot of home shows that go on in the Hamptons. Im going to do a different kind of home show. And so the project was born.

I have always been inspired by nautical things, Mr. Bluedorn said in an interview on Monday. The initial inspiration for the entire series was photographs that I took on a trip to Nova Scotia last year, and a lot of the old fishing houses, which are similar to the ones we have, said the artist, who grew up in East Hampton.

His intricate drawings show a hybridization of nature and architecture. Ive always been very involved with detail in my drawings; Ive always used texture, he said. Thats why shingles are such a big part of the series.

Ms. Zeiger was determined to make this not just your typical kind of home show, but still wanted a homey and cozy element, which is why she chose to include textiles artist Casey Dalene. Ms. Dalene, a native of North Carolina who has lived full-time in East Hampton for the past decade, has decorated the front nook of the Dodds & Eder showroom for the exhibition. I thought she would be great as home sweet home, Ms. Zeiger said.

I want this space to feel really warm and inviting and thats why I chose to use drapery frames, said Ms. Dalene who also has decorated the area with hand-painted pillows and six acrylic paintings on paper. Ms. Dalene loves showing the artists hand in the work, she said, explaining her use of obvious paintbrush strokes.

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A Different Kind of Home on Show in Sag Harbor

The likely culprit in Saturday's fire Le Roy that destroyed the home of Greg and David Luetticke-Archbell is electrical.

Whether it was an electric device that first caught on fire or wiring in a wall hasn't been determined.

There is no evidence of any deliberate action that caused the fire.

Jim Bouton, a coordinator and investigator with Genesee County Office of Emergency Management, discussed the investigator's findings with The Batavian this morning.

"On the report it will say the cause is undetermined," Bouton said. "The primary principle is electrical."

The fire started in the garage, Bouton said, not on the porch as initially reported.

Also, the explosion during the fire was caused by backdraft, which is caused by the rapid reintroduction of oxygen into an enclosed area where oxygen has been depleted by fire.

There was lots of fuel available for a fire -- what firefighters call "fire load" -- big wood beams and all of the accoutrements of a modern lifestyle.

Bouton said these days people have a lot more polyester, plastic and other flammable materials around the house, which is just fuel for flames.

In the Luetticke-Archbell garage there was a motorbike, snowmobile and woodchipper, all with gasoline in the tanks, not to mention the fiberglass of the snowmobile to add fuel to the fire.

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Officially, cause of Saturday's fire in Le Roy undetermined, but electrical origin likely

Herbert Jackson's front yard was a whirlwind of strangers Monday morning.

Plumbers, electricians, county code enforcement bosses, volunteers, reporters and a politician swirled around the battered tan home on Monticello Avenue in east Bakersfield.

Jackson isn't one to ask for help, friends said.

But an avalanche of help descended on him last week after his home was boarded up by code enforcement officers.

A community effort aimed at making his home livable again, coordinated on social media and powered by political pressure and media coverage, blossomed.

On Monday, Jackson was just worried about keeping out of the way of "the traffic."

"I'm going to let them do it their way," he said.

VIOLATION

Jackson, 85, has owned the Monticello property since the 1950s.

He and his late wife had the modest home built when their twin daughters were born and they raised their family in it.

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Community galvanizes to help 85-year-old east Bakersfield man

The ability to repair basic house wiring in you home is a skill you can acquire. Knowing how circuits work and what can be done with them is useful knowledge. Wiring in a residential house is not that complicated, but it can be dangerous. Proper understanding and cautions are required.

Some popular pages related to residential wiring are, 'Doorbell Wiring', 'Phone Jack Wiring', 'Installing Electrical Outlets', 'Wiring a Light Switch' and 'Ceiling Fan Repair'.

Most homes in the United States have two hot wires and one neutral coming into them. Supplying a stated 240/120 volts. The actual voltage received is normally slightly less 230/115 volts. This type of power is commonly called single phased power. Most residential homes have this type of basic house wiring.

The power coming into your home is also called alternating current. There are people in the world that can explain what that means exactly, but none of them are writing this article. Alternating current is used to allow electricity to be transported over long distances. Leave it at that, the guys that can explain it will talk in a language you won't understand.

The first power plant using alternating current came on line in Niagara Falls, New York in 1894. Nikola Tesla is credited with the development of a system the would allow power to sent long distances. Thus, making it practical.

When you use one hot wire and the neutral you get 115 volt power. Most small electrical devices and lights run on this current. Heavy duty items like ranges, hot water tanks and dryers use both hot wires and the neutral to achieve 230 volts.

You may not want to tear into replacing you electrical service, but doing some basic house wiring may not be out of the question. The first thing you want to do is get a healthy respect for electricity. It is dangerous and can hurt or kill you. Take precautions when working around electricity.

The first rule to remember is that basic house wiring can be dangerous. Never attempt to do it without a good understanding of how it works and safe work practices. This article is intended to provide basic information and is not a comprehensive discussion of all aspects of house wiring. See the article 'Electrical Safety Tips' for more information.

In addition local and national electrical codes apply. You will need to consult your local building department to get information on what is acceptable for basic house wiring in your area.

You never want to work on basic house wiring in your home with the power on. See the article 'Electrical Safety Tips' for more information. Just shutting off a switch is not enough. On the job electricians use lock out tag out procedures to make sure circuits are not inadvertently turned on while they are being worked on. You turned off the switch, so everything is fine right?

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Basic House Wiring - Introduction - Home Repair Central

Person on the run after police chase

CINCINNATI -- Police are looking for a person they say ran from a vehicle after a chase through West Chester and Sharonville early Monday.

The chase happened at about 5:30 a.m. when officers tried to pull the driver of the vehicle over on NB I-75 at I-275.

Police say the vehicle with two occupants sped north into West Chester and later south towards Sharonville.

The two occupants ran from the vehicle after it came to a stop. Officers caught one of them near railroad tracks close to Reading and Sharon roads.

Police are searching for the other occupant in the area of Kemper and Reading roads.

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Suspicious fire at abandoned home in Newport

NEWPORT, Ky. -- An abandoned home in Newport caught fire early Monday and officials believe it started while another crime took place.

Flames broke out just after midnight at the residence in the 200 block of West 12th Street.

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News of Note in the Tri-State: July 7, 2014

San Francisco It was a poetic convergence of tech trends at the corner of Fourth and Howard streets.

Over in Moscone Center West, Google was getting its Internet-of-things groove on at its developers conference, touting plans to tie digital devices together with products like TV sets inside our homes.

Meanwhile, across the street in Moscone North, thousands of the people who will actually be building these tech-savvy abodes developers, architects, manufacturers and contractors were having their annual powwow, giving each other a peek of what awaits us all just inside our front doors of tomorrow.

All across the exhibitors floor at the annual builders trade show late last month, amid the nontechy stalwarts like roof tiles and toilets, you could almost hear the mantra humming just below the surface: When it comes to the home of the future, all . is . one.

We put the backbone wiring inside the new home so that everything we use in that home is more connected, said Joey Hill, a market representative with Legrand North America, a global rock star of switches and sockets. Its partnering with General Electric on cutting-edge home security and home entertainment technologies, the very stuff that the Googlers were crowing about nearby. We provide the infrastructure that supports things like Netflix on your Apple TV, Hill said. This is where the industry is going: Youll control your home lighting, security and audio, all from your smartphone or tablet.

While this trend has been picking up steam in the past year, Hill and others at the show painted a picture of an ever-rapid advancement in the digitally driven household. And borrowing a page from companies like Apple, where powerful computing is dressed up in sleek designs, Hill said, Its not just cool gadgets around the house, but well be seeing much more of a focus on style.

And with that, Hill demonstrated a pop-out outlet, a wall socket thats tucked into the wall and emerges abracadabra! with the push of a finger. This technology has to be beautiful, he said, if its going inside your house.

Standing nearby, Shannon Stafford was nodding her head in agreement. Ive got that system installed in my own house, said the owner/president of Illuminations Lighting, an electrical equipment supplier in El Dorado Hills, Calif. I can completely control my entire house with my phone.

Stafford sounded like a kid in a candy store, describing the magic-wand features coming soon to new homes across the country. I can dim any of the lights down to 10 percent. I can customize every switch, outlet and night-light.

Heck, this was a candy store for the home-tech crowd. On display a few booths over were new magical doorknobs that you can bump into with your rear end to open if your hands are full of groceries. Security, of course, is big, with sophisticated alarm systems and closed-circuit cameras that can turn a home into Fort Knox.

More here:
High-Tech Home of the Future

WASHINGTON - With the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby less than two weeks away, the assembling of rosters for the showcase is looking like a derby in itself.

While Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is already on board for the National League, the rest of the spots for the NL are up in the air. Then all of the American League spots, except for Jose Bautista's captain seat, are to be determined.

Sluggers Jose Abreu and Mike Trout, currently first and eighth respectively in the AL home run race, appear doubtful to join the show, Trout expressing both his desire and misgivings about participating.

There are a number of reasons why hitters may be reluctant to join in. Some believe the derby - July 14 at Minnesota's Target Field - can mess up their swings, though NL captain Troy Tulowitzki is not one of them. The need for rest by the time mid-July hits is also a factor, according to Tulowitzki, who will be participating in his first derby.

"Some guys don't want to do it, for whatever reason," Tulowitzki told USA TODAY Sports. "Either they're not great home run hitters in (batting practice), or they think it messes them up or maybe their fatigue. The season's long, and you can get all those things that people are sensitive about."

The swing issue seems to be a common theme for some around the league. And it is possible that trying to pop balls up can throw things off a bit.

But Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who was eliminated in the second round of last year's Home Run Derby, said hitters take so many swings that if the derby gets anyone in a funk, they're going to come out of it.

Davis acknowledged talk of whether or not his dip in production after last year's All-Star break was due to the derby. He hit .315 with 37 home runs before the 2013 break, and .245 with 16 home runs after.

"To be honest with you, I don't know," Davis said. "But I think if you have an opportunity to do it and you want to do it, you should do it."

Texas Rangers first baseman Carlos Pena he was fine when he did the 2009 Home Run Derby. But in a science as inexact as hitting, there can still be that thought in the back of some players' minds.

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New format, old problem: Home Run Derby needs big bats