I used the Davis Vantage Pro solution. I wanted weather data for my garden as well as my greenhouse. I also wanted an easy way to publish my data on the web so that I could check it from work. I have more than once called home and asked my wife to open the greenhouse door because it was overheating. There is an open source Linux/BSD set of software named wview that talks to the Davis data logger. Check out wview home. The project is very active. Recently the station portion of the software has been abstracted so that it can be extended to weather stations other than the Davis Vantage Pro. Two have been added since then. The software consists of several daemons one of which is an alarm that can be set up to pass data to just about anything you care to interface. I have thought of building a greenhouse controller to interface but haven't gotten that far yet. The software can be configured to dump all of the data to a SQL database if desired. Anyway take a look and see if this will work into your plans. The link below is my Davis weather station. I have added a solar radiation sensor and a soil moisture sensor to the station. Accurate soil moisture requires soil temperature so this box has inputs for 4 temp probes and 4 soil moisture sensors. I didn't add the soil moisture sensors and just use it to add 4 temp sensors to the station. 1 of them is the temp in the greenhouse, 1 is the temp of the soil on my seed starting mat, 1 is the water mass (I just dropped the sensor in an open water bottle) and one is buried in the garden soil outside the greenhouse. I am running this site on an old 350 mghz Pentium which also serves up lots of other stuff. Here is a link that might be useful: My Weather Station

It's called Windows Mail in Vista. Look in "all programs" after you hit start and click on it. You'll have to set it up with your new internet provider according to their instructions. I use Yahoo mail and Hotmail and Windows Mail, each serves a different audience when I communicate, one for friends, one for junk and Windows Mail as the default mail program in Vista (cause it won't let me use the others.) I have Vista Home Premium, so Pro may be a little different, but probably not too much. MSFT just came out with SP1 for Vista, so if you have all the right drivers, it will download as an update when you get online. All Vista is, is Win XP with a pretty dress on. As you learn it, you'll see. It's not really different at all, just better looking and things have new names to confuse us. The tutorial that comes with it is good as is the info at the link below. Also, when you get your internet connection, just put any questions you have into a google search and you'll get all the help you need. Here is a link that might be useful: Microsoft Vista Site

1st: I would have to agree with what Asolo and Asylum said about the IMac..... for a "regular user" there is nothing better, "it" just works....Or maybe go to Sears Roebuck and get one of their brand new Linux PC's at less than $200(US) BUT......Right at $200(US) Go to: pricewatch(dot)com and click on "Computers PC no OS" since you: >>>> "I do not game, I do not download music, I do not want to watch movies or TV on my computer, I am the only user, only computer in house, I want a desk top." Pick out one of the systems that are less than $170 and increase the installed RAM to 2GB....I would at the least get one with a CDR/RW, but there are always USB CD/DVD drives if you want to stick with the lowest possible price. Now that you have the PC, get a copy of PCLinuxOS, LinuxMint, SimplyMepis7.0, ZenWalk, or VectorLinux or DreamLinux and do the install........If the CD doesn't have all the software you are looking for/want/need, LOL, check out the distro's repository...More than you'll ever know what to do with, and if that's still not enough, there is more than you could possibly imagine available on the WWW. A repository is where a distro maintains all of their compiled specifically to run with that distro software. (Yes geekers I know, but that's the simplest way I know to say it) Your new PC w/Linux will run extremely fast, much faster and with more stability and "robustness" than any MSWin version on the same hardware. Run the OS in RAM and all your MSWin-fan friends will be amazed and jealous of the lightening speed your "budget PC" will outperform their super whiz bang with all the high dollar bells and whistles, maybe even astounded when you offer them a FREE AND LEGAL copy to try on their own machine. Oh yeah, and you don't have to pay the MS or the Apple tax for your Operating System either...And, Linux requires much less high dollar hardware, and I can say this from personal experience.... There is never any need for "Security" software... no scanners, no "Anti-Virus", no registry mechanics, no de-frags, no nothing.....This thing has been running for just a few weeks now w/o being powered down or ever disconnected from the WWW. It is currently running 3 browsers/14windows/44 tabs (I just counted). I have gone as long as 10 months w/o ever shutting down or rebooting or disconnecting from the WWW, and other than an outgoing firewall, I run ABSOLUTELY ZERO "security" software The Linux "learning curve" is, quite honestly, a vastly overblown issue mainly bandied about by people who either: A) sell PC's and know that there is a lot more commission to be made on a $200 OS installed on a high hardware requirement PC than on a "naked" hard-drive PC w/o no need for unnecessary hardware "upgrades" B) that have no idea what they are talking about, or C) can only figure things out when somebody is there to step by step them through virtually every click... If you can figure out "Vista" you can figure out almost any Linux. SimplyMepis7.0 is a 4 click install that your Grandma could figure out how to install, run, modify, and download/install to. But some folks swear that the others mentioned above are just as easy an install, I just prefer SM7 Get a few LiveCD's and try them out, and install the one (or ones) that you like best.... But if you don't mind spending the money, for "Joe and Jane User", an IMac is pretty hard to beat. AMD Sempron 3000+ Computer System; SATA DDR2 PCI-e -MBoard; 2GB DDR-2 Dual Channel RAM; 40Gb Hard Drive; CDr/RW DRIVE; DeltaChrome 3D 256MB Shared Video; 6-Channel Audio; 10/100 Ethernet (LAN); MIDTOWER CASE Assembled & Tested! $210 (US) or, $230 to my door in 3 business days... But then again, there is that $0.1325 per CD for burning an ISO image of each Linux distro you might want to try.....Or you can order them from the vendors advertising on DistroWatch.com for real cheap...like you can get maybe almost 100 complete operating systems and all the included software for the price of JUST ONE COPY OF MSVista! Oh yeah....BTW.... with a Linux OS you are free to copy, modify, trade, sell, give away, install on 3256 separate machines. Ever actually read the MSXP/Vista EULA? You don't actually even own the contents of discs you just paid $200 for. And with Linux you can add/delete/change hardware devices at will and unlike with an MS OS, you won't have to buy a new OS whenever the MS decides that you have made too many changes and need to buy a new OS, as in MSWorld your clicking on "I agree" you agreed to give MS the right to determine the hardware changes make your old PC a new PC,and therefore to disable your system in in its entirety. And your new (or old) PC won't be "phoning home" everyday to report to MS what your software and hardware configuration was yesterday, is today, or what it is tomorrow. Go to your friendly local Barnes and Noble, or Borders bookstore and get a copy of one of the Linux mags, I would suggest "LinuxFormat" and get the multiple OS DVD with the mag and try whatever versions are on the DVD..or CD.... And while you're there, get a copy of "Knoppix Hacks" you get Knoppix5.1.1 with the book. Knioppix, never leave home without it...no kidding... Don't pay any attention to anyone telling you you need even more memory, a big video card or any such bull.....Unless you insist on getting a "MSVista" PC, in which case you need a minimum of 2GB RAM, and a pretty good video card would help too....And don't fall for all ANY talk about buying "Vista Home Basic", if you want a "Vista" that actually works at a speed you can tolerate (with enough hardware resources) you gotta "upgrade" for a whole lot more $$$. And for a whole less than what a free Linux distro will get you, except for a whole lot more money? HAGD! Here is a link that might be useful: OS 's for a new PC

You're welcome, Hokies - glad I could help. =) Here are my thoughts: 1. The lids suck. They are very thin and right out of the box, 2 out of the 3 lids were warped - as you can see in the pictures. That is very unacceptable from a brand that's supposed to be very good. On the flip side - who keeps the lids anymore anyways? An option that many people prefer is to get rid of all their lids and get a couple of universal lids that will cover all sized pots/pans. 2. Coming from using the Circulon Commercial, "heavy", straight gauge pan (as shown in the pictures) - I was taken aback by the thin-ness of the 18/10 Stainless body on the Sitram Pro. ALL the reviews and comments I've read on this described the body to be very sturdy, well constructed, etc. - but I'm still trying to get my brain to accept that it's ok and it's not a bad thing. Everyone else describes it as "light but not weak" - and my brain just thinks "weak". I did push on it and everything and it's definitely not weak...it's just not the monster thickness of my straight gauge. So it may be that the thin-ness of the body is nothing bad at all (everyone else says it's a good thing) and my brain just needs to come to terms that not every piece of cookware needs to be a heavy monster to be effective. Now the body construction and thickness of this is exactly the same as the Sitram Catering Line - this is the top of the Sitram line and everyone seems to agree that this cookware performs very well. So I think my whole hang up is based off "straight gauge" mentality vs "disk bottom" mentality. According to the "experts" - you don't cook food on the sides of your pans, so it's not *absolutely necessary* to have completely even heat spread throughout the sides of the pan. But then you have other "experts* like Alton Brown say that it's important to have pans that have even heating all throughout. I think this is like the Mac vs PC debate - personal preference will rule one. My problem is that I've suddenly discovered that I'm apparently a straight gauge girl in the closet - and I have to see if I can convert to accept the disk bottom mentality as well. The problem is finding a straight gauge with no rivets (yes, the "no rivet" is still a high priority). 3. The edges are not finished - not just the bottom edge, even though the bottom edge seems to be the least refined. Now it's not "sharp" like "knife/cut you" sharp - it just catches on your skin when you run your finger along the edge, making you think it's going to cut you. I did push quite hard and didn't get cut (but it did scare me the whole time). You know how when you run your hand against a microfibre cloth, rough skin "catches" against the cloth? It's a feeling very similar to that. I would definitely want to try to buff out these edges to make them more polished and soft to the touch. 4. The 8mm disk on the bottom is a monster. Now if it only extended all the way out to the edge of the pan! The thought process of "disk lovers" is that you don't need it to go all the way to the edge - although, it is an indicator of quality. Many people have reported that that outer edge with no disk will actually burn food - they call it the "ring of fire" or something like that. The "disk lovers" reply that you're not supposed to let your heat source be directly under the uncovered part of the bottom - only directly on the disk...if you do that, you'll be fine. Oh...and they also say to use less heat. If you're using gas - the flames are supposed to heat up that thick bottom disk and spread it out evenly and with great consistency (the thick disk retains great amounts of heat). That disk is also the heaviest part of the pan. Conclusion - I would like the disk better if I didn't have to buff out the "sharp" edge and if it extended all the way out to the very edge of the pan and tapered itself off instead of being such an abrupt stop. But according to the "experts" - it's fine the way it is performance-wise. Ok...so that was my "short" list of what I don't like about the Sitram Pro Set. Now to what I DO like about it: 1. It's beautiful and I absolutely love the welded handle vs rivets. This has definitely reinforced my desire to have no rivets in my cookware. I love the clean interior and can see that it would be very easy to clean and maintain. 2. I love the Chef's Pan. I can see myself using it all the time... 3. Handles are rounded with a hollowed inside - it's completely closed off and so you don't have to worry about it being difficult to clean. Everything looks good on the handle and very comfortable. I did find a couple reports of the welded handle coming off - not sure if this is because of abuse/manf defect/lemon...but I don't see any indication that that would be a problem. Now I did find a company that makes a product I believe meets ALL of my criteria - Demeyere. Their cookware features things like: 1. InductoSeal 2. Or 7-PlyMaterial 3. No Rivets 4. Beautiful Only problem is that each piece of these Demeyere pieces are like $200.00! They are sooooo expensive. =( If only I can find something exactly like Demeyere for less money. Right now it looks like Sitram is as close as I can afford. I don't think it's asking too much for a straight gauge pan with no rivets - is it?