Stephen’s Personal Blog

Last night, I spent some time with the computers downloading and moving things around. I was very happy to see that the DSL is faster. Going to ~130kpbs down with 5kpbs up. This is without the trouble of disconnecting all the unusued phone hookups, checking the wiring, or rerunning the wires. I haven’t tried a straight speed test.

Since, DSL uses phone lines the upload speed counts against the download. It’s kind of like having a 150kpbs pipe. If you upload at 30kpbs your down speed drops to 120kpbs. There is an upper limit on both no matter what happens. You won’t be able to download faster than 140 or 150. And you won’t be able to upload faster than 50 or 60.

When I originally tried DSL at the second apartment I was a little disappointed, because the speed was ~100kpbs down with no up. I optimized the heck out of it too. Shield telephone lines from the wall (hard to find), disconnecting all unnecessary phones, and speed testing till I hit on the right combination. There was a 20% difference (20kpbs) from the worst to the best setup.

The last apartment was 115-120 and it seemed to rise over time. The house is getting 130 without optimization. Very cool.

I play music from the computer a lot, particularly Pandora. It would be useful, especially in the backyard, to have it broadcast or transmitted to where I am. While researching Cat6 Network cable I came across people using network cable for speaker wiring. The quality of such cable is very good. Even though it’s much thinner than 18G speaker wire. A network cable of 8 wires is about as thick as one pair of speaker wire.

Since, I’m about to run a set of network cables to the office closet I might as well run another set linking all the wall plates in serial. Connect it as using the Cat6 I have and make special jacks to connect an RJ45 to a 1/8″ jack for computer, CD, stereo, Radio into the serial connections and RJ45 to “speaker”.

I’ve seen wireless systems like Jessica has, but I haven’t been impressed. There’s a surprising amount of static. Really, these should be using some encoding technology from computers a ~128kpbs stream is nothing for computer technology. And the cost for that size connection is tiny. Just look at the 108mbps Wireless G at BestBuy. It’s almost 1000 times more than necessary.

It’s been raining the past few days. The ground is a very heavy clay and working outside becomes impossible. Otherwise, I would have one or two less trees. So, I’ve been measuring and estimate inside house projects. One at the top of the list was replacing the WH and I think he moved to the top.

I take baths and each one runs the Water Heater completely out before filling the tub. It’s got a lot of popping going on and generally seems to reassert the Inspector’s opinion that it’s on it’s last legs.

I really looked over the closet it’s in. There are old water stains on some ancient tile. The pipes are heavily corroded from the wall to the WH’s newer fittings. It maybe the kind of corrosion due to connecting different metals. Which is the science behind batteries. The metals swap electrons rusting each other.

There are several reasons to replace and move it. The hall closet is awkward and odd. The Water Heater is making it very disgusting. There’s no reasonable drain. In the case of an accident the whole house will flood. Everyone detects a gas odor when the door is opened. I suspect there’s not enough oxygen to fully burn the gas. The placement in the center of the house is noticeable when it is refilling and heating. It’s not meeting my one person needs.

The several reason for moving and changing to electricity. It should be easy to connect water and electric. The intended location shares a wall with the Washer and is about 10 ft from the circuit breaker. This location also has access to an external wall. So, a hole could be drilled for the TP valve. The garage is on the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms, so noise are inconsequential. Being next to the washer and dishwasher is probably a bonus for both. They need high temperature water than bathrooms. The garage is the usual place for the Water Heater.

Electric and gas prices won’t diverge like they have in the past, because so many electric plants burn gas. There’s not much savings going away from gas. Gas reheats at twice the rate of electric, but a larger capacity heater should take care of that. Gas is usually more efficient at energy transfer. Modern high efficiency electrics match gas on efficiency. Electric heaters are cheaper than gas. The HE models cost about as much as a similar gas unit.

The target is an 80+ gallon 90%+ efficiency electric. Taller is better than wider

So, I need a plumber, electrician, and Water Heater.

There was a tree that had suffered extensive damage due to the ice this year or last. The trunk was split all the way down to the ground. Though it was still alive there was a high risk of infection, infestation, or further damage from weather. I picked up a cheap, small, $45 electric chainsaw this weekend. I cut it down this afternoon and reduced it to logs, sticks, and branches.

Unfortunately, it was a floral tree and days away from flowering. There a similar trees in the neighborhood. It was really too bad. But to allow it to grow was a risk on a few levels. With the garden beds on top of the roots it was likely to get more water and a growth boost. Which would mean a bigger tree to remove later with it hovering over established plantings.

The method I used was to cut down several of the larger limbs. Then cut the main trunk from top to bottom every 6-12 inches. The final cut was the most difficult for the saw. The pictures will be uploaded soon.

It was so easy that it had me wondering if I could remove some of the other trees in the yard myself. They are pecans, younger, smaller diameter trunks, and about twice as tall. So, I thought about it. Then researched on the internet. It was gratifying to see many of my ideas backed up by the research.

The links below were interesting. One in particular has several 1-2 minutes videos. There’s one tree in particular that would be good practice. Right now, the yard is basically empty or dormant. So, now is better than later.

The plan is to bungy cord from the tree to the ground. There’s an old stump that will be easy to make into a tie down. Then make a wedge cut perpendicular to the cord. Then a slightly slanting cut on the other side from the wedge cutting slightly down into the wedge. At cutting almost all the way through, the tree should lean into the rope, crack and pop, and fall.

Guidelines for Tree Felling
How to Cut Down a Tree – eHow.com
How to Cut Down a Tree & How to Fell a Tree with a Rope Safely : Free video clips on ExpertVillage.com Good videos

The Closing was last Monday. Took about 20 minutes. It was very easy. I got a key and two garage door openers. The rest of the day was spent getting Elky legal, loading it, and unloading it. The house was pretty dirty; garage, kitchen, and bedrooms. They left some nice surprises. Left over paint, shingles, tile, and laminate. Also, an old brown office chair, an odd brown in-table, and a handwritten note describing the neighbors and the house.

There’s certainly plenty of work to do. I could spend two weeks solid cleaning and preparing things. Instead I spent three and a half days. This is what I’ve got done so far. The most offensive dog pooh was raked and thrown away. Several islands of grass in the backyard were flipped over. Bushes trimmed. I tried Rust Reformer on the storage shed. It looks marginally better. One 10′ X 5′ X 2′ raised bed is complete and another is under construction. The delapidated bar was demolished and it’s wood is contributing to the raised beds. All the light switches and covers have been replaced. Rooms smudged and salted. And the Refrigerator was installed.

Most things are in boxes right now. A little is still left at the old apartment. We filled a pickup, my el camino, and the moving truck. A-1 Movers did an excellent job. Better than I would have. Took about 4 hr and cost ~$350. Seemed very reasonable to me. I should have called them last time.

I’m not ready to fully unpack everything till I know what order things will be done. There are several estimates of money, time, and effort that I need to figure out and pick a schedule. First or early, should be the laminate in the mediation room. That would let me move stuff into that room when the others needed work. And for that I need an installer and a source for the laminate that matches the existing stuff. It’s rubber backed, deep grooved, and large planked. Maybe glued down.

Anyway, it’s late. I’m going to bed.