My plans for the near future are to reprogram the Nantucket computer
with the protocoll I now use in Konnarock, to rely on an external timer
to turn on the computer for 2, 4, or 6 brief periods each day, during
which it obtains images which it automatically transmits to my Earthlink
cloud storage. For this purpose, I don't need to modify the Comcast modem's
firewall. We should try to log in to the Comcast modem when next on the Island.
If we succeed, we can then log in to the Nantucket computer from Belmont. 

I'm not familiar with dynamic DNS  (DDNS) services? These are are obviously
potentially very useful. I will try to learn about them.

"I am looking at IP security cameras. I will buy one within the next few weeks to try out. If one implements port forwarding, and has DDNS implemented, one can use a free viewer to see and capture the image on the camera from anywhere on the internet. Port forwarding is said to pose a security risk, but probably no more than the changes you plan to make to the standard firewall implementation. In the long run, if one wanted to protect the network, one could add hardware to implement the sort of system described in the blog I sent you some time ago, which doesn’t require port forwarding." - Please let me know what you find out. I'm
quite prepared to modify the system I am using.
>
I have been thinking about the possibility of installing *radiant heating *elements in the floors. I might use electric radiant heating in the bathrooms, because it could be used without installing a gas furnace, and hydronic radiant heating in the rest of the house. (Radiant heating in the bathroom is considered a luxury, and since the cost of DIY installation would be only that of the heating elements, it seems to me that this would be a particularly good idea.) Alternatively, one could put electric elements everywhere, and control the cost by warming only the rooms one was using. Hydronic radiant heating failed in the 1950s and 1960s because the copper pipes didn’t last, but there is said to be 30 years’ experience in Europe with PEX tubing, which seems to be durable. Installing radiant heating elements would complicate and slow the flooring process, but if one occupies the house with plywood floors covered with rugs, one can install the heating elements and the flooring over them room by room. Radiant heating is said to allow one to maintain rooms at a lower temperature because of the sense of warmth associated with heat rising from the floor; I don’t understand the psychology. I don’t remember that you have ever entertained the idea of radiant heating, either for the addition or for Nantucket; I would be interested in your considerations. If it fails, one could always install a different heating system. Failure of hydronic tubing could damage the floor, but that might be a risk worth taking. ==> I'm prepared to go along with whatever you decide. We should talk about it.
 

"I was also wondering there would be any way of making a *dropped ceiling* aesthetically acceptable. I think of ceiling tiles as being inelegant and institutional, but the access to wiring and plumbing would have great practical value."
I don't know the answer. We should talk about it.

Thank you for keeping me informed about what you have on your mind.