Enough to be Dangerous

Although I worked IT organizations for over 20 years, I like to think of myself as more of a tech enthusiast than a professional.

To my friends and family, I'm known as a "Computer Guy." I get calls to reload or clean up friend's PCs for greater performance; wire up surround sound systems; recover files from crashed or lightening-struck PCs; and figuring out how to synch up data between PCs and laptops.  But before you ask, I know nothing about fixing mechanical problems with printers, copiers and fax machines.

While I typically get myself out of a bag when things go haywire, there are professionals out there that go way deeper on any one subject than I could ever know. Compared to the "IT guys" I've worked with within large Fortune 100 data centers and IT shops, I look like someone who "knows enough to be dangerous." But, that little bit of danger of not knowing everything is what makes learning all worthwhile.

I truly enjoy the many different facets of technology and learning how to bend it enough to make life a bit more interesting, easier, comfortable, less expensive and down-right cool.

Just this week, after posting about ordering a Drobo FS and 6 TB of storage for my home network, an old colleague of mine posted on my Linked-In that he wishes he could be the recipient of my "old" toys. After thinking about his comment, I guess I really do love playing with toys and gadgets and have some cool projects in the works.

• Home Theater w/1080P Epson Projector and 110" Carada projection screen
• Video Game collection with all Xbox, PS3, and Wii. This one makes my teenage son really happy.
• "Drop the Cable" using AppleTV, Boxee, OTA antenna, DVR, storage and media streaming
• Home Data Backup project for all photo and video media, plus documentation data

If you happen to be like me -- someone who loves to start a technology project, but doesn't quite know everything it takes to finish it...or, if you're in possession of several boxes or racks full of old tech toys and projects that your wife is begging you to throw out of the basement before you start something new -- than this blog is for you.

• How many iphone app ideas do you have that you'd like to produce?
• How many gadget purchases have you made knowing that you finally have what you need to convert those Disney VHS tapes to digital MPEG-4s that will be streamed to your kids pc that you'll build with all the parts you saved last year when rebuilding your HTPC?
• How many IP-enabled webcams do you keep telling everyone you plan to get setup some day?
• What other projects do you have in mind that you would love to tackle if you knew where to start?

So join me. Together we can figure out how to move from "knowing just enough to be dangerous" to ... being able to finish what we start. Or, at least, we'll be able to clear out the cobwebs from those piles of keyboards and monitors over in the corner...

~Bryan