It is that time of year again. Every December before the new year, I evaluate the technology I have. I typically look at my laptop and determine if it needs to be upgraded first then look at my other machines.
This year I decided that my trusty ThinkPad T410 did not need to be replaced. Instead it was going to get a few new items. First an upgrade of RAM. It had 4Gigs of ram and I just added 4 more to make 8Gig.
When I purchased the T410 I also got a CD ROM replacement caddy. This allows for the CD/DVD to be replaced with a hard drive. I am planning on ordering a SSD drive for the primary OS and then use the current Hard Drive as Data storage. 
I have also ordered a new device that I’ll be blogging about in the next few days. I purchased a ASUS AT3IONT-I deluxe Intel ATOM motherboard from NewEgg.com. It is a mini-itx motherboard that comes with an Atom processor and also a power supply. The combo was a big deal for me. I don’t plan on using a case for this, just wall mounting the board behind plexiglass. This will be my new firewall / router. I am currently deciding what firewall to run either untangled or smoothwall. I’ll document the process once all the hardware arrives.
My intent is to have a more powerful and useful device than those plastic blue devices that most people have 
. More to come…