Mark Embling

This time last year I posted my hardware line-up for 2011. Now we're here again at the start of 2012 I thought I'd do the same thing again. In many respects, things are not very different. However there are some changes and additions which are worth mentioning.

The first three parts of this series talk about the hardware and software I have set up in order to capture my energy usage. Of course, it's a good fun (and somewhat geeky) project but ultimately the aim is to help me save energy. So now it's been up and running a little while, it has yielded results which have taken a slightly unexpected turn.

In parts 1, 2 and 2a, I set up my Current Cost device and built a small app for logging all the data into a MongoDB database. It is now time to delve into displaying the data by exploring the Rails-based web front-end I have been (and continue to be) working on.

In part 2, I discussed logging the data from my Current Cost device into a MongoDB database using a small app running on my home server. It turns out I have made a glaring schoolboy error, which thankfully I have caught before it causes an actual problem. Having had some time to collect data and start analysing it, I've also found a couple of other problems as well. I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit these issues.

Following on from part 1, I am looking to reduce my energy usage through a Current Cost Envi device which allows me to capture data on my energy usage. Now that I've received my Envi and data cable, it's time to start capturing that data!

Recently I've been thinking about ways in which I can take control and save money. A good candidate for this in my view is energy consumption. It's commonly acknowledged these days that having a large carbon footprint makes you single-handedly responsible for the deaths of all polar bears and who knows what else, so it also has a nice "eco" twist as well. Extra karma points...?

This is a bit of a "me too" post, inspired by Mike Taulty's Hardware Lineup 2011 post and Plip's Hardware Lineup for 2011, but hey... why not, right? Now that we've entered 2011, this is the main kit I'm using as we start the new year.

Recently I bought a Drobo, a storage device which takes up to four SATA hard drives and combines them together to form a large volume whilst at the same time providing protection against drive failure or corruption.

Drobo comes with the ability to connect locally like any other storage device via USB or Firewire 800. It is also possible to connect it to your network using a DroboShare. I chose this option and bought the Drobo and DroboShare bundle from Ebuyer.