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Turn Down the %#*&ing Thermostat !!

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Written by Peter Carmel
Sunday, 12 February 2006
Every once in a while I hear someone say that turning down the thermostat for your furnace (or turning it up for air conditioning) does not save energy. This is sometimes followed by a statement that goes something like, “After all, the furnace needs to work harder to heat a colder house when I turn it back up.” It amazes me when people who really don’t have any background in science or math make these kinds of statements. While scientists and even the utility company are telling everyone to turn down the thermostat to save money, some of us choose to completely ignore this advice. Perhaps it is time to take a closer look at what is the scientific basis for turning down the thermostat in the first place. To begin with, let us take a look at how heat escapes from your home. In any closed system, we need to know that energy is conserved. In other words, energy is neither created nor destroyed. Any heat that is lost to the outside must be made up by the furnace. In other words, if there were no heat losses, the furnace would never need to come on. There are three types of heat movement to discuss: Conduction, infiltration, and radiation. Conduction is where heat flows through solids such as your walls and ceilings. Infiltration is where heated air escapes your home through cracks and open areas such as doors and windows. Radiation is where heat is transferred by hot and glowing objects, such as the sun as it shines on the earth from millions of miles across outer space. We will be looking primarily at conduction and infiltration. Radiation is insignificant for our study.
Last Updated ( Friday, 20 July 2007 )
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Time to Change Your Motor Oil

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Written by Peter Carmel
Tuesday, 03 January 2006
If you haven’t given motor oil much thought, here’s a chance to catch up. In many ways the motor oil in your car’s engine is like the blood in your body. It keeps the moving parts lubricated so that the surfaces don’t get worn down and damaged. Even in water cooled engines, oil provides the primary heat path by drawing heat directly from the moving parts. Since the only thing that keeps your engine from overheating and becoming damaged is the oil in the crankcase, you may be interested in knowing which type of oil is the best at protecting your engine. The primary thing to understand is that motor oil falls into two basic categories, natural (mineral-based) and synthetic. Natural motor oil is derived from petroleum that was originally in the ground. In this case, synthetic oil is far superior and therefore more desirable than the mineral variety. Not only does it have a higher resistance to breakdown due to heat degradation, synthetic oil also keeps its properties for far longer than natural oil. This is why you often hear people advise you to change your oil every 3,000 miles. When using mineral oil, this is very sound advice. After only 3,000 miles, mineral oil will begin to lose some of its lubricating properties.
Last Updated ( Friday, 20 July 2007 )
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Sony Audio CDs Infect User’s PC

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Written by Peter Carmel
Tuesday, 22 November 2005
In an apparent attempt to thwart the so-called illegal copying of music CDs, it has recently been learned that Sony-BMG has been releasing some titles with copy protection software that could easily be described as spy ware. The CD boxes state in small letters merely that the titles are “content protected”. Unknown to the consumer, the CDs will install software on any Windows PC that is set to “auto run” the CD when inserted into the drive. A list of known affected titles can be found at the end of this article. While the exact details of the nature of the software is unclear, the mere fact that ANY software is installed without the user’s knowledge raises serious privacy issues. According to Computer Associates, the software spies on users, sending IP addresses and listening habits back to Sony. Advocates of consumer rights have complained that the spy ware slows down computers and exposes them to security holes. In addition, the spy ware does not allow music to be converted for use with Ipods, a clear jab at Apple which is viewed as a competitor to Sony. Sony predictably has recently denied any wrongdoing. This is a calculated legal position because of a pending lawsuit in California filed by consumer advocates intent on protection of consumer rights and privacy. However, apparantly due to the lawsuit, Sony said recently that they will suspend use of software that installs on consumers’ computers. Sony had stated earlier that in 2006, they intend to have all their major titles copy protected.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 July 2007 )
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