Thought cubed - Part 2

Generic Top Level Domain Names gTLD

Jun 23 2011

ICANN has recently approved the new Generic Top Level Domain Names or gTLD. So how will this change the internet.

1. First thing that came to mind was better security for banks. A bank or finical institution can buy the gTLD and every thing that do can be tied to that gTLD. The user would not need to worry about phishing. there would be on confusion one what domain the e-mail or query is coming from. The only question are the Banks and financial institution willing to fork out $185k fork the security feature.

2. It will make things easier to find and shorter URLs. For example if Google were to buy the top level domain Google. You could access the different Google products by using URLs like. search.Google or Gmail.Google or Maps.Google.

3. The generic Top Level Domain will really help cites and geographic regions group there content or even create a revenue stream by selling domain name. Example MannsTheater.Hollywood.

4. Other groups could also benefits like Plastic surgeons you could domai name like drBrown.PlasticSurgery or Dr.headman.PlasticSurgery.

These are just a few way that the new gTLD name might change the what we use the internet

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PV panels and SMOG

Jun 22 2011

Is smog a consideration when planing a photovoltaic solar system? Well in my very un-scientific analysis of my solar photovoltaic system production I have seen some patterns develop.

I have a monitoring system that constantly collects data on how much the PV system produces every hour and instant production. One thing that I keep monitoring is what is the peak amount of wattage does the system produce. I deduced that the closer we approach the summer solstice the more power the PV system would producre. General that is true, I have seen a constant increase in monthly production since the winter solstice.

But what I did notice is that for a couple of days after a rain storm the PV system was generating more power then on average. To the tune of 2 kilowatts (or about 5%) more. Two day after the rain storm the production would drop back to the lower average peak output.

The pattern was very constant (see chart below). Rain and then a couple of higher peek production days and then a return to the lower peeks. So I deduced that the days following a rain storm the air is cleaner, less smog. anyone can see, as they fly in the the Los Angelse basin, that most of the time there is thick layer of smog. So the smog is filtering the sun light and less sun is reaching the PV panels.

So you might argue hat the rain cleans off the PV panels. All the rain washes of the dust awasy and the panels receive more sunlight and therefore producer more power. Sounds reasonable, BUT just recently we has a service clean the PV panels and both the day of the cleaning and the two day after the cleaning the power production was the average peek not the 2 kilowatts higher peek. Both day were also very sunny and cloud free.

So the more I look at the monitor reports, the more I’am convinced that the smog is costing me about 2 kilowatts a day in lower power production. All due to the SMOG levels in our area.

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Nissan Leaf ordering process

May 17 2011

If you want a Nissan Leaf you are forced through an on-line seven step process. After you create your Leaf account you wait for an invitation to start the process. The seven steps are locked until you receive your invitation. As you work your way through the first step addition steps are unlocked.

The first step is to reserve your Leaf and that is going to cost you some money. The reservation is going to cost you a hundred bucks. Not bad and the reservation fee goes toward you purchase. Not bad but it is still a hundred dollars just to get in line. If you are buying a Volt there is no reservation fee. On the other end of the spectrum is the Tesla Model S reservation fee of $5,000 or if you want a early delivery of the Model S signature edition it will cost you $30,000. So the Leaf is not bad, it is doable.

Next they hit you up for another hundred dollars for a home assessment. What is that? will Nissan want to make sure your home electrical system will handle the electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The process also generates a quote for the charging system that can be added to the purchase of your Nissan Leaf. But a HUNDERED DOLLARS for an estimate??

If you do not sign up for the assessment the ordering step will not unlock. The ordering step is where you get in line with a prefered dealer. This is where I’am now. The dealer Quotes you the list price, surprise, surprise. So far I have been unable to get the delivery,tax and other delivery charges. The big unknown is, in the 3-4 months, will there be a dealer add on premium???

Well for now it is a wait and see. The next several steps are locked. I will see when they get unlocked.

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CASH Healthcare

Apr 14 2011

Recently I need to get a cholesterol check. I was faced with going to our regular doctor and paying the yearly deductible and the co-pay of for the initial office visit, the lab test, then a follow-up Dr. visit to discuss the results, get the new prescription, then getting the prescription filled.

Now the insurance i have is not the best but it is better then most and pays pretty good. Still I would be out of pocket several hundred dollars just to get my cholesterol medication refilled.

Instead there is the dark secret world of cash health care. Thats right cash, no insurance co-pays, not insurance forms, and no deductible. just cash. Over the years I have tried several prescription medications for cholesterol management. I ended up on Loped and Niacin. Well Niacin is over the counter and even the time release Niacin id OTC. The loped is on marginal in reducing cholesterol.

So how do I manage this on my own with out spending tons of money on Dr. visits and prescriptions ever year. First this to get a cholesterol test. The blood test to determine where my LDL and HDL values are. I already have copies form previous test that were ordered by my doctor, several years of test.

So we start calling around to get a cholesterol test, most places assume/require insurance and a Dr. prescription. Some lab want $200, $250 for a cholesterol panel. But if you dig enough there are labs that do not require a prescription and will do the cholesterol panel for a little as $42 dollars. That is way less then going the insurance way.

But when they set up your lab test draw, they warn you to only show the lab the work order that was e-mail to you. Using any other paper work may result in additional fees to be added to your bill. strange but true so to get your $42 dollar test follow the instructions.

Once I have a base line I will continue to take the time release Niacin and supplement with plant sterols. Plant sterols are supposed to be natures way of dealing with lowering cholesterol. This way I’m not dealing with the side effect of using a statin.

So in the end I will be paying cash, saving money and lowering my cholesterol naturally.

So the bigger question is how big is the CASH healthcare movement ? and why is the CASH plan so much less expensive?

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Small City BIG Salaries

Apr 02 2011

Below is a list of salaries for the small bed room community of Upland. Upland has a population of approximatively 77,000 people with an median household income in 2009: $65,330. This is a small city is it only 15 square miles. So the city manager makes seven times the median income of the city. even the lowest paid position, Fire Battalion Chief makes more the twice the the cities median income.

Position…Salary / Compensation (salary+benefits)

City Manager…$368,529 / $460,625

Police Chief…$229,724 / $306,621

Fire Chief…$170,698 / $242,390

Public Works Director…$177,030 / $236,004

City Clerk…$175,606 / $231,230

Finance Director…$168,659 / $225,418

Police Captain…$160,940 / $221,201

Community Development Director…$165,422 / $219,618

Police Captain…$160,940 / $219,175

Police Captain…$159,566 / $216,217

Assistant City Manager…$159,569 / $214,418

Human Resources Director…$159,230 / $214,132

Fire Division Chief…$149,066 / $211,156

Fire Battalion Chief…$149,363 / $207,787

Library Director…$150,269 / $202,742

Fire Battalion Chief…$143,830 / $201,274

SOURCE: City of Upland

Something is wrong when city salaries have ballooned to this magnitude. How can the city staff pay themselves these outrageous salaries. Why do normal human beings think this it is OK to take this kind of money.

It is because they think it is their money. After all if we need more money we will just TAX the population more. It is an endless supply of money. Well it is NOT just an endless supply of money. We all work hard for our money to provide a good quality of life to our love ones. So the public sector needs to get real and come back to reality and stop these huge exorbitant salaries. Instead of cutting programs and services cut your dam salary back to a normal salary.

Keep your hand out of my pocket.

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Tesla Model S

Mar 25 2011

I drove down to Newport Beach to see the Model S at the Tesla dealer. I had been invited to a special showing of the touring Model S. Getting there and seeing the car being rope off I was disappointed. Then to find out that we were not going to be able to touch or even get in the car was a real bummer. Apparently this particular Model S is a concept Model S and not a production version. The sale person claimed that the the concept car cost over two million dollars to build. So no touching.

The real reason is the exterior and interior of concept are close to the production but not exactly the same. The exterior is about 90% the same, just some minor aerodynamics changes for efficiencies. As for the interior there will be major differences. Seams the concept was built on a existing rolling platform. So the concept still has a drive train tunnel. The production Model S will not, as the entire drive train is only 12 moving parts mounted around the rear axial. Sales staff said the will be considerable more room in the cockpit of the production Model S.

Good news is the 17 inch touch screen that makes up the center stack will be in the production version. This will be a full connected car. The dealer/Tesla will push out updates to you car automatically. Tesla also said there will be third party apps available for the car. Using a smart phone you will be able to check the stats of you Tesla, charge levels etc… Remember that two big investors in the start-up of the Model S were founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. It is rumored that an internet connect car was a stipulation of the investment.

Now the bad news. The touring of the concept model is a road show to get you to put down a $5,000 get in the queue deposit. The sale person said she would be happy to put it on your credit card. Definitely an upper crust crowd, no cash. Mind you the 5 grand does not get you a relative position in line. It just gets you in the queue. What to put more money down or sign up for more options you move up the list. But the options are expensive.

To start with there is the “Signature” edition. It will cost you 40 grand down to order the “Signature”, but you will one of the first to get a Model S Tesla. Plus ALL the “Signature” edition model S cars will be the 300 mile version of the battery pack, which is a $20,000 upgrade. In addition the the battery upgrade the “Signature” edition will also be the highest trim level. So this is not the $50K Model S, it will be more like $100K.

So what about everyone that does not to sign up for the “Signature” edition? Will, the first non-”Signature” edition cars to roll off the assembly line will also be the 300 mile battery pack version. So if you want a reasonably priced Tesla Model S, like the advertise $50 price point, you are going to be waiting a long time. Maybe another 24 to 36 months.

But like the sales person said it is a “luxury electric Car” . She said it with a BIG smile.

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Chevy Volt Test drive

Mar 17 2011

My wife made a visit to the local Chevy dealer to check out the Chevy Volt. Thought they may have one on the show room floor. To my surprise that had several on the lot. so we started look at a few that were on the lot. A salesman approchased and invited us into the show room to look at and drive the Volt.

So here are my first 10 impressions.

I like the concept car/ show car styling a lot better, the production version is dumbed down a lot
No leg room in the back seat when the drivers seat is move back all the way. I mean non, not any, zero, so forget about using the back seat if the drive it Tall like me 6’4″
Do not like the painted center stack of buttons. Overwhelming at first maybe it grows on you.
Loved the multiple display screens and the total glass dash
The electric motor provide tons of low end torque.
Front grill in not a grill so do not make it look like one, get daring and create something different
It is EXPENSIVE compared to the Nissan Leaf, but cheaper then the Tesla model S.
Dual power plants revealed the wifes “Range anxiety”
Drives like any other car
Very quite aka no tailpipe.

So bottom line, Would I buy this half electric, half Gas powered car? Not for me but my Wife loved it. So I guess we will be buying one in the next 12 months or so. How is that for a positive answer. But I would still like to see the Nissan Leaf.

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Solar – Monitoring System

Feb 19 2011

What fun is a new solar co-generation facility if you do not know what your are producing. The Sunpower system come with a few bell and whistles in the monitoring area.

The first monitoring device is a small glass display panel that shows what the system is producing. It displays daily and life time production.

Then there is the website that Sunpower monitors hour by hour solar panel production. Pretty cool to see what your system is doing at different times through the day. The information is presented in a very elegant and simple manner. Very easy to grasp the concept. Its is so simple that you do not realize the wealth of information.

But there was a problem in paradise. How can I manage my electrical usage only seeing what I’m producing? Well Sunpower has a solution. They can add a device to your incomong electrical street service and add consumption to your monitoring system.

So now I get both production and usage hour by hour. You would be surprised how aware this make you of what and when you are using electricity. Now that I get the full picture I can start managing usage much more effectively and know if I we are using more then was produced or producing more then we were usinging.

Some of the additional cool stuff the website also captures is historical data. You can quickly look at the graph that runs along the bottom of the page or you can look at monthly and yearly production vs usage.

You can also go back in time and look and any given day and see all the details of production vs usage. Very nice for comparisons when you are trying different techniques of managing usage.

But the best and coolest monitoring is available using an iPhone application. On the iPhone you get the current day production vs usage, plus monthly and yearly history. The big ting missing on the iPhone is the ability to go back and look at previous days.

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Using 163 Light Bulbs?

Jan 20 2011

Do you have 163 60 watt light bulbs on for several hours a day. Will if you are running a single speed 2 horse power pool pump, that is how many 60 watt light bulbs you have on each and every hour the pump is on.

The average 2HP single speed pool pump uses 2000 watts per hour. Most people run there pump atlease 3 hours a day, most likely 6 to 8 in the summer. So for the average summer month you are spending $50 to $60 a month, based on Southern California rates. It could be costing you more as you move up to a higher rate tier when you consume more electricity in the summer.

How does this happen. Back in the 70′s and 80′s pool pump horse power was king. The pool salesman would upgrade you to a better, higher, horse power for the same cost and you though you were getting a better deal. More power, ya!

So, do you really need all that horse power to jam the water through a pool pump and filer. NO, you do not. So the pool industry came out with a two speed pump to save you money on electricity. One speed to clean your pool and get that pool sweep running. With a slower speed to circulate the water and get your turn rate. Did it save money? You bet! But now there is even something better.

The Pool industry has a variable speed pump. The pump can be programed to run at almost any speed you want. And here is the dirty little secrete! As you decrease the pump speed, by reducing the revolutions per minute (RPMs), the pump gets more efficient and uses LESS ELECTRICITY. Are you with me?

The normal pool pump runs at or above 3200 RPM, that will use 2000 watts or more of electricity per hour. A variable speed pump can be run at 1100 RPMs and only use 156 watts or less per hour. Sometime 145 watts. BUT BUT what about my water turn rate, will it turn over in 6 hours? NO, so you run the pump longer. BUT that use more electricity, right? NO, not at the lower RPMs.

If you run your single speed pump for 6 hours, that 12,000 watts of electricity. If you triple your run time to 18 hours with the variable speed pump you will only use 2,772 watts of electricity. That is less then what one and one half hours of the single speed pumps electricity usage.

So what about the pool sweep it will not run at that low flow rate. So you program the variable speed pump to ramp up to maybe 2000RPM and use anothe 1000 watts of electricity to keep the pool clean. Onky for an hour or so. Your still way under 12,000 watts of power.

So save some money and get a variable speed pump. Do they cost more? Ya a lot more. But you just missed a Southern California Edison rebate program that paid you $300 to install a variable speed pump. I’m sure there will be more incentives. Just keep your eye open. Once you get a variable speed pump you will only be using 2.5 60 watt bulbs per hour not 163. And that save you money and is good for the environment.

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