Article archive
2009-01-21 13:20
On Saturday, January 24th the Workshop Houston (formally Third Ward Bikeshop) will be dedicating their new solar array. The festivities kick off with a morning bikeride and then culminate with the throwing of the switch at around 11:30. I invite you to attend and meet the Oberlin crowd...
—————
2009-01-10 17:56
The problem with X-10 technology is, well, X-10 technology. Now I must caveat that it works very well on clean lines. The problem is that there are several "dirty devices" that produce an inordinate amount of line noise. For the last few months, I've been chasing a pest in my...
—————
2009-01-10 17:49
I have to hand it to PLI. They run a solid shop for passing the Patent Bar. And little did I know they offer scholarships. When I saw a Green Technology class posting, I inquired about a student discount. They said they offer full scholarships and invited me to apply. ...
—————
2008-12-02 08:49
The solar water heater has been a staple in places like Tel Aviv since I can remember. Few residents (except in the high rises) actually use electricity to take a hot shower. But for some reason, this technology has been completely unused here in the States, so much so that it is...
—————
2008-11-07 07:11
Wouldn't you know it, they have a Taping for the Blind center here. I worked at Recording for the Blind in Austin while I was at school. I remember wanting to continue it when I moved to Houston 12 years ago but I couldn't find it. I suppose Internet search engines weren't mature...
—————
2008-11-07 06:54
Work continues on the photofest project. For the latest endeavor, I chose to build my camera. The result was a large-format cardboard box pinhole camera. The major problem I had with the camera was calibration. Since it has no viewfinder, I had to essentially create one from...
—————
2008-11-02 14:12
Since I've redesigned my website and removed so much content, I have lost my first place standing in Google search returns. Thus I must begin my long journey back to the top. On the way, I have rekindled my acquaintances with the other Seth Jaffes of the world. There is...
—————
2008-11-02 12:07
In the late 80's and early 90's, I was an advocate of big nuclear power plants. Back then, the major concern was over nuclear accidents, radiation, and meltdowns. We learned enough in engineering school to understand the operations of those plants and the safety...
—————
2008-11-02 07:29
One of the nicest aspects of having a central home computer is that I can tie in the lighting system to the alarm system. This gives me an inexpensive way to create a feedback control loop using $10 motion sensors. When I built the house, I made the decision to run extra...
—————
2008-10-31 16:45
I met Mr. Ron Williams today. He is the energy manager for NASA Johnson Space Center. They had a booth promoting conservation so I stopped by and asked why JSC leaves virtually all of their lights on 24 hours a day. The problem, apparently, comes down to the lack of...
—————
