This is making seriously reflect on the events that have transpired in my living room.....

My home is full of yelling. My husband yells in Tamil and Singhala to his friends and family on skype (they're the loudest languages ever...geez) and my cats yell from 7 pm until their bedtime wanting canned food. I'm guessing it'll be cat food and hearing aid commercials for us!

What could they possibly glean from me and my drunk friends screaming profanitites at each other while playing sports games on PS3?

OnlyM3: Crewmannumber6

Nobody says you have to get one. They originally said that about "black boxes" in cars too.

If it is just looked at during an auto accident and no other time, I really don't have an issue with it.

If it's able to be viewed remotely by some government agency, and then remotely ticket drivers for speeding, used to create an additional tax for those who (like me) drive in excess of 20,000 a year, and sends my driving information to my insurance company who will then adjust my rates accordingly...then I'll never buy a car newer than 2014.

The product that scares me right now is the 'Snapshot' being used by Progressive. Right now as far as I know they are the only company that offers it (because they are the only one that advertises it), but it plugs into your car's computer and records EVERYTHING you do. The auto insurance industry has tried (and failed) for several decades to get those required for all cars, but thankfully, Congress (in a rare example of doing something right) has blocked it.

Burr: KarmicDisaster: There was WIMAX but the tower caught fire and they aren't replacing it plus I would need a tower with a gain antenna to pick it up.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can increase my cell reception? Some days it is fine, others I can't get a signal. I have been looking into getting an antenna hardwired with one of those "access points" (so, the antenna is outside, the access point is on my ceiling) but I still get the same signal on my roof as I do in the house it seems, so that won't work.

Well, you can get one of those cell phone repeaters, like the ones from Wilson if you have a sweet spot that you can put the repeater in where you get reception; the antennas on those are better than the ones in your cell phone, plus those also often have a port for an external antenna and you can then mess with a gain antenna, an you could try to mount that outside. Doing anything with gain antennas is hard because of the high loss in any long coax that you might run at those frequencies. I ended up putting up a 20' pole to mount the Wimax antenna on back when they had it. I have a certain cabinet in my kitchen where I can put my cell phone and get two bars and use the hot spot when my DSL goes out. Why it works there, I have no idea. Unfortunately it is all very expensive and there is no guarantee if you are in a marginal area that you will be able to improve things.

CCCarnie: I prefer to look on the bright side of things...

"VICTORIA'S SECRET! LINGERIE! BOOBIES!"

Glass always half-full, my friend. Always half-full.

Burr: KarmicDisaster: Well, you can get one of those cell phone repeaters

That's what they are called, I couldn't remember.

KarmicDisaster: Unfortunately it is all very expensive and there is no guarantee if you are in a marginal area that you will be able to improve things.

Eh, its expensive living away from civilized society and trying to access things that people take for granted (I lived in a city for about 5 years for college, but grew up on a farm, so i know the differences). Just had to replace my well pump a few weeks ago, had an old jet style pump that went kaput, replaced it with a submersible, cost $1000. Of course, this is offset that I can have a two story 5 bedroom house on 6 acres for less per month then I was paying for a one bedroom apartment in the city.

I am going to see if Wilson has a return policy on their repeater. More like a "try and buy" to see if it is worth it to shell out $200-$300 for better signal.

Get the right one for your carrier/band, and google up some users to see what they say. Most of the repeaters are just broadband RF repeaters that will work for any carrier that uses the band that it covers, but some access points like the Sprint fempto cell one are specific for the carrier and will not work with the prepaid versions such as Virgin Mobile . Some of the mainstream places carry them, and you might be able to buy and return if it does not work through Best Buy or Amazon. They also make some that are primarily for use in cars (gets a better antenna on the outside of the car) that might actually work too but the coverage is short (car sized). There is a lot of cheap crap/gimmicks out there like those stick on passive antennas that does not work.

Unless their DVR allows me to view what is recorded on any TV or computer I own, can increase it's storage at a moment's notice (at 3TB now, can go as high as 12 with the case, my RAID level, and the size of the disks.) and can do compression so I can watch what's recorded from even the shakiest connection, they can fark a cactus. And even if they did of all that, I will be unplugging that mic, and putting a resistor in it's place.

MadMattressMack: [www.theanfieldwrap.com image 200x200]

"I'll have a bit more, please!"

...but how did you get a camera in my house?

/when big brother wants a camera in your house, he'll make sure you want it there and put it there