Washington D.C. leaves lasting impression.

After a long day of touring DC, and a fairly long day of travel, we're back in the great white north (Canada eh?).
I wasn't able to post a new blog until tonight, but I'd like to comment on the impression that your nation's capitol has left on Sandy and I. Washington D.C. wasn't a place that was on our "places to visit in the near future" list, but the Yanik Silver Internet Marketing conference is held there, and Sandy and I wanted to attend, so why not spend an extra day to check out the sights. Let's just say that we will be back someday, and we'll plan on spending at least a week. We were awe-struck, with the historical significance of the statues and monuments, and with the physical size of it all. You see these landmarks on television, or in the movies (Forrest....is that you Forrest?) but nothing can do justice to the magnitude of these icons of American history.
My friends to the south, you have so much to be proud of. What you, and the rest of the free world stand for, is all there, etched in the walls of these magnificant structures, with the great men who authored our way of life, standing proud to see that we continue on with the dream. I couldn't help but think about that terrible day (September 11), and the anger that it stirs up inside me, and I feel so grateful to the thousands of all of our men and women that have died, and continue to give their lives for all of us in the free world. Thank God that some people still believe that what we have is worth defending. I am one of those people.
Thank-you U.S.A., and from a proud Canadian let's all remember these words. United we Stand!

Sunshine and Springtime in D.C.

What a great day to be in Washington! Sunshine, slight breeze, but about 65F and rising.
I went for a jog this morning, and as planned, made my way to the Pentagon (partially by luck and instinct as I had no map). As I weaved and bobbed my way north and east from the Hotel, starting up Crystal Drive, I eventually found a road that went under a freeway that had a police car in the process of pulling over a motorist. This was the Pentagon Police Deptartnent, so I knew I must be close. On the other side of the underpass, there it was...the Pentagon. As I approached the parking lot I noticed another police cruiser had emerged from somewhere, and was slowly making it's way toward the underpass, and the location of the other cruiser with the car that was pulled over for a check. I jogged around a short distance, then made my way back the way I had come in, and past the police cruiser, which was now joined by the second police car. It couldn't have been too serious, as the motorist was pulling away by the time I jogged by. As I exited the underpass, it was then that I saw the sign I had ran by on the way in that read: "Entering the Pentagon. All persons may be subject to search". I was thankful that I had escaped without the full search, as all I was wearing was shorts, t-shirt, and my water bottle pack. I had only my hotel key card, $8 cash, and no rubber gloves!
I got back safely to the hotel zone, and as any good jogger would do, stopped at a 7-Eleven to pick up a 6-pack of Budweiser so throughout the rest of the day I can replenish my lost calories. Now back to work. Sandy will be attending sessions until 3:30PM, and then we will plan the remainder of our trip.
Tomorrow we take a tour with Old Town Trolley Tours so I'll report back after that.
Until tomorrow,
Terry Peterman
The Internet Electrician

Thoughts from Washington D.C.

Well here we are (Sandy and I) in Washington D.C., for Yanik Silver's Underground Online Marketing Seminar. More accurately, we're at the Hyatt Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia, which is south of the Pentagon, and across the Potomac, south and east of the White house, and the rest of the attractions in your Nation's Capitol. Sandy is attending all the sessions of the seminar, and I'm holed up in my room adding some more useful content to our website, www.electrical-online.com.
Shamefully, I see that it has been since November of 2006 since my last blog entry, and this pathetic frequency is something that we are going to change starting right now. Sandy is enjoying the sessions, and is getting a lot of valuable information from them. Our goal this weekend is to get away from the routine at home so Sandy can learn new ideas at the seminar that we can apply to our site, and for me to get some uninterrupted time away from the contracting business to work on the website. At lunch break, and in the evening, Sandy shares what she's learned from the day's events. I must admit that I'm a little torn between getting out and touring all that there is to see here, and staying in the room to create content, but we are dedicating Monday as "Tacky Tourist Day" and will get out and see the sites. I'll be adding daily entries to the blog until Monday night, and then we'll set a more manageable blog entry schedule after that, but I promise that the days of quarterly entries are behind us now.
Until tomorrow,
Terry Peterman
The Internet Electrician

Simple Home Wiring Fixes

Do you have a few little home improvement projects around your home that you keep putting off? I had one of those recently that I finally bit the bullet and completed.

We have five bathrooms between our home and office. My wife, Sandy, was tired of finding the bathroom fans being left running for hours and even days at a time. There was a simple solution to this problem. I just replaced the bathroom fan switch with an electronic timing device that allows you to control the length of time that the fan operates - in this case intervals of 10, 20, 30 and 60 minutes.

This is a simple home wiring improvement (and wife saver!) that I thought some of you might be interested in seeing, so we videotaped the project and prepared an e-book covering the steps involved.

You can view the video and download the e-book (FREE) by visiting the following link on the website:

http://www.electrical-online.com/bathroomfantimerswitch.htm

Please feel free to pass this information on to any of your friends or family that might find it useful.

And please - follow all safety guidelines when working on any home electrical project.

- Terry Peterman, the 'Internet Electrician'

Safety is CRUCIAL When Working Around Electricity

The reoccurring theme around our place of business is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. A booming economy in our neck of the woods is resulting in a huge demand for contractors of all types. Our phone is always ringing, and our fleet is constantly on the move.

Unfortunately, these busy times for tradespeople means that, for those of you waiting for an electrician to complete a small wiring project in your home - the wait may have just gotten longer.

For those of you tired of waiting for an electrician and attempting to tackle those small home electrical jobs yourself, it is imperative that you complete the work SAFELY. Follow all safety recommendations for working around electricity, ensure that your local jurisdiction allows you to complete those projects yourself, and be compliant to all applicable electrical codes.

Please visit our website for specifics on working around electricity safely, and for assistance with those small projects - www.electrical-online.com.

Till next time.

- Terry Peterman, the 'Internet Electrician'
www.electrical-online.com

The Internet Electrician to Appear on National Television

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be appearing on the national television program 'Help!tv' (www.helptv.ca) live on Friday, October 20th. I have appeared on this show as one of their volunteer topic experts for a number of years. It is an excellent, highly informative and very interactive show.

The theme for the episode I will be appearing in is 'Power it Up', and the show will examine power tools for the homeowner, and discuss common electrical projects, problems and recommendations for completing do-it-yourself wiring safely and competently.

I will be checking with the good folks at Help!tv to see if I can put these spots up for viewing on our site after airing.

Tune in if you can!

Check out the latest video clip

Hello do-it-yourselfers! Just a quick note to let you know that I've posted a short video clip on my homepage (www.electrical-online.com) that introduces people to myself, and the resources and services available on my website.

I've also been very busy filming our latest project - 'Wiring a Garage'. Editing should begin right away, and we hope to have the e-book and DVD available on the site in late August. If you'd like to be alerted when these project guides are available, send an e-mail request to info@electrical-online.com.

I've also got a number of short, informative clips in the works that should be released for your viewing in the near future. Visit the site or my Blog soon!

Thanks for all of your questions - we're using these as subjects for upcoming newsletter, blog and project topics.

And on the lighter side, I hope you're having a great summer!

- Terry Peterman, the 'Internet Electrician'

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hi folks and welcome!

I've been extremely busy since my wife and I returned from our trip to Huatulco, Mexico. Our electrical contracting business is going crazy, so I've had to join the boys and strap on the tools and go back into the trenches. While this has kept me from the website, I have had the opportunity to video tape some of the projects I encountered out on the jobsite.

We are in the process of editing these projects, and will have them out for viewing shortly. In the meantime, I thought some of you might be interested in having a peek at a video we produced from our trip to Huatulco, Mexico.

It is a beautiful spot - a hidden jewel some might say, and relatively unknown. Enjoy the video. We were playing with our new software and decided to use our holiday shots as a test project. You can view the video at: http://www.electrical-online.com/test/huatulco_2006_broadband/index.html

And stay tuned - we're going to be sharing our new projects shortly!

Take care.

Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician

Welcome and Stay Tuned!

Bad timing to start my Blog - but Mexico awaits! I will be off to Huatulco, Mexico until April 7th.

Stay tuned, as upon my return I will begin regular postings.

Thanks for visiting and please stop by my website - www.electrical-online.com !

- Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician