published by emyr on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 13:56
My home router is a BT Homehub 3, which is promoted using inaccurate language to describe the "BT internet signal" provided by it, allegedly more reliable than other ISP's "internet signals". Leaving aside the modicum of bullshit generated by the marketing department, The feature whereby the router intelligently chooses a wi-fi channel and monitors for changes in interference levels is a good idea, however I would like to see more user interaction with this feature.
published by emyr on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 10:47
Since my last post, a number of stressful things have happened:
- I successfully bought a house with my partner
- I project-managed 6 different tradesmen to get most of the work we'd planned done before the contract at our flat expired
- We gave a home to two cute but vicious kittens.
Each of these has taught me things which I may or may not remember next time I find myself in a similar situation.
When you first start house-hunting, people will tell you how long the process takes. This does not mean you have time to methodically achieve everything - the slow parts of the process are not the parts you have control over. Before you start looking at houses, go and shop around for mortgages and work out with the advisors what you budget should be, then start subtracting. You will be helpless to resist spending on your new home. Make sure your chosen mortgage company's advisor is friendly, contactable and prompt.
Plan some time off work to go and see houses, then go and see every reputable estate agent who advertises in your chosen area. Schedule all the houses into a relatively short period of time as the first nice house you saw may have already had an offer accepted on it by the time you finish viewings and set your heart on it. Don't ask for weekend viewings as they book up very quickly and travelling between appointments takes longer. Arrange for someone older and wiser to accompany you on a second viewing within a few days of your first to make sure you're not being overwhelmed by the occasion and are buying a lemon.
published by emyr on Wed, 12/29/2010 - 13:19
Skepticism is an attitude which consists of both curiosity and doubt. Skeptics typically spurn unexplained or unevidenced theories or received wisdom. Skepticism is considered a healthy trait in scientists and, I propose, an undervalued quality in modern society. I would class myself as a skeptic. Skepticism has received increased coverage in the past decade, partly due to increased debate in media-friendly fields.
Skepticism is not the same as denialism. Both label are frequenty misapplied: climate-change deniers are labelled "climate-skeptics" by the media, whilst proponents of various form of quackery will label those doubting their gospel as denialists.
It is a trait of many oppressed nations that the media is limited to prescribed news items or consored. This limits the ability of the population to cast doubt upon the reports as no evidence which might contradict the oppressor's position can be propogated. I believe that the freedom to enquire, challenge and thereby establish an informed consensus is key to a modern "free" society.
Those seeking some more evidence-based reporting with an occarional non-serious note may be interested in The Pod Delusion, subtitled "a podcast about interesting things".
published by emyr on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 18:30
This graph represents the electricity usage of the Department for Energy and Climate Change over 75 days between June 3rd and August 17th 2010.
What has me worried is how they're expending about 50 - 80 kWh per 30 minute period at times when the office is theoretically idle. This appears to be about a third of their consumtion during office hours.
Data source: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/decc-live-energy-data
published by emyr on Sat, 05/23/2009 - 21:26
Tonight I watched a film which had previously passed beneath my radar, and made me feel very happy about the world in which we live.
Erin Brockovich is a film based on the true story of a real Erin, illuminating a tale of David vs Goliath concerning the legal case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for ground water pollution over three decades in Hinckley, California.
Gas pipelines delivering Natural Gas from Texas to Northern California since its introduction in the Southwest United State require repressurisation stations approximately every 300 miles. Increasing the pressure in a fluid increases the temperature of the fluid, requiring the use of cooling towers, in which water is sprayed onto pipes so that evaporation releases the heat into the air.
