Just now getting around to posting this one: Toshiba Forges Ahead with Bluetooth

"....Toshiba is one of them, and is right now working on a wireless server for use in the home that combines 802.11b and Bluetooth technology, as well as several Bluetooth-enabled home networking appliances.

The networked home appliances are to be launched in early April, and include among other items refrigerators, washing machines and microwave ovens that all will be connectable by means of Bluetooth. The appliances are to be controlled in a wireless environment through separate terminals and mobile phones, and one usage example mentioned would be for a user to enter the use-by date of in a refrigerator, upon which the appliance will notify the owner when it nears the expiry date.

The refrigerator will also be capable of creating a shopping list based on preferences entered by the user, and send it to the control terminal or a mobile phone. Additionally, the appliances have built-in self-monitoring capabilities that will notify a repair company if a problem should arise." [InfoSync]

Meet George Jetson, Jane his wife.... I think my first entry into the networked home appliance arena will be a digital music stereo component, but I look forward to more useful appliances, too. Hopefully someone is working on the interfaces for these things, though.

Unwiring Your Home in the Seattle Times

"A Wi-Fi network is made up of individual radios on each computer and a central hub, called an access point, which coordinates traffic from the individual machines. The hub often can be plugged directly into a DSL, cable, or dial-up modem, too." [via 80211b News]

A great introduction to wireless that I will be using as a handout in my future presentations. One of the best things I did last summer was install a WiFi network at home. I can't wait to lay on the hammock this summer and blog! A particularly enjoyable thought in light of the eight inches of snow and arctic winds outside right now.