Way more interesting than I thought 💭 it would be.
Sunday, March 28, 2021
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Kevin McCloud Visits Three Fascinating Homes | Grand Designs
Look at the staircase at 10:47! It's cantilevered blocks sticking out of the walls, no railings. I hope they don't have any kids.
What Is The Best RV Battery For The Money?
Sophisticated tests by a nerdy electrical engineer show that lithium ion RV batteries are the best value over the life of an RV...and perform better than advertised - while lead-acid batteries didn't meet manufacturers specialization specifications.
Traveling on a container ship
Not so glamorous. I had always thought this would be a fun adventure, but it turns out it's not for most travelers. See esp. #9.
I am Master on container ships, actively sailing and have recent experience of carrying passengers on board. Let me give you an updated answer, ...based on my actual experience over the years:
- ...the cabin shown to you in the glossy pamphlet at the time of booking will not match the actual cabin you get. We obviously will put you in the best cabin available and is designated for the passengers but it may not be as you expected from the photos. This is the difference between the magic of photography and reality.
- On a container ship your actual view outside your Port hole (window) will most likely be a stack of containers, even if your cabin is on the captain's deck (the highest living space - below the navigation Bridge). Unrestricted view of the sea & sky is only available from the bridge, which will be off limits to you, except at times specifically allowed by the Master...
- Cargo areas, machinery spaces are out of bounds. At the best you may get a small guided tour.
- You may not enjoy the food, as we will not prepare any special food for you unless specifically instructed to do so by our office. Imagine you are on a ship where the full compliment of officers and crew are from India / Philippines or China.
- The ship schedule will NOT be adjusted for your convenience. We may enter and berth at a Port at night 2300 hrs and sail by 0700 hrs, thus you may not get anytime to go ashore.
- Immigration formalities, security restrictions in the Port ( these are very onerous after 9/11 and the ISPS code that followed) and custom regulations will all have to be complied with. No leeway allowed for passengers.
- In many ports of the world even the crew have a tough time getting shore leave, because of security rules, so it might be even more difficult for the passengers.
- The ship's agent will NOT be organizing any tours for you. You are on your own.
- In case you have any medical problems, you will be treated by the captain and if required we will take radio medical advice, but please remember we are NOT doctors. The medicine chest on board is limited as is our expertise in matters medical!
- All ships may not have internet facility available, even if it is there it will be limited... Satellite phone calls are expensive.
- In times of yore a ships library used to have a good collection of books, but with present day digital technology...the library is out...
- You may want to stand on the navigation bridge as the ship enters / exits a port, but this is the most critical time for us, so you will not be allowed... at best you will be watching it from outside decks.
- For those who may be thinking you can take part in the ship's work to relive your boredom - this is explicitly not allowed as per the rules. You will not be allowed to even peel a potato in our galley (cooking space), in case you cut your finger, I will get into deep trouble.
- ...we have VDR - Voyage Data recorders - that record each and every word that is spoken and every activity that takes place on the bridge. So, we have a rule - "Conversations social in their nature shall be kept to the minimum at all times and shall be totally avoided when the bridge is on RED alert status", so you can forget chatting...
- Cruise ships have their voyages planned and scheduled for good weather and passenger comfort, whereas cargo ships are expected to take some rough weather as they are designed to do so and execute the most economical voyage - the crew / passenger comfort purely in terms of weather is secondary, so you may experience some rough weather...
- I have carried passengers on a ship that was 20 years old with no special provisions for passengers and also on a one year old ship which had dedicated passenger cabins and "smoke room" facilities along with an extra steward. Even so, all the points that i have written above are equally valid on both ships.
- So, what kind of people are likely to enjoy the cruise on a container ship - in my experience, these were older people, who have retired from their jobs, have some experience of budget travels, who actually have nothing to do once they get home. They clearly enjoy the solitude at sea, and they are not in a hurry to reach their destination. My best passengers have always been Britishers (single or as a couple), retired, travelling from U.K to Australia / New Zealand via the Mediterranean, suez canal and Indian ocean. They clearly took the life as sailor on board in their stride and they were a pleasure to sail with. One memorable guy sailed twice with us in the span of three months - U.K to Australia and back.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Proper RV battery maintenance
Routine maintenance and recharging a discharged battery as soon as possible will extend the life of the battery. The leading cause of dead lead-acid batteries is sulfation. When a battery is in a low state-of-charge small crystals start forming on the plates (sulfation)
Never let a 12-volt battery discharge below 12-volts. That probably sounds funny, but a fully charged battery is 12.7 volts. When a battery reads below 12-volts it is at or below a 50% state of charge.
Reducing the batteries depth-of-discharge increases the life of the battery.
If your RV is equipped with a battery disconnect switch make sure it is in the "off" position when you are not using the RV (avoid parasitic discharge)
Hot temperatures and overcharging will kill batteries. When it's hot outside and during periods of high battery usage check the water levels in battery cells more frequently.
When you add water, distilled water is best.
Properly charging your batteries needs to be done in stages. A bulk charge should be used to return the battery to 90% of a full charge during the first couple hours. An absorption charge is used for the remaining 10 percent to prevent any battery gassing and loss of water, then a float charge to maintain a full charge. Lots but not all RV converter chargers are three-stage chargers that will charge the battery properly.
Batteries should only be watered after charging unless the plates are exposed prior to charging.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
The World's Biggest Wind Turbine
Use of this 8MW wind turbine is equivalent to taking 9000 cars off the road every year.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
What Happens To NYC’s 3.2 Million Tons Of Trash
6:23 the methane we offset [avoid producing] by burning the trash instead of sending it to landfills means we're actually generating less greenhouse gases than sending it all to a landfill. And they generate enough excess electricity to power 46,000 homes.
Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Plastic asphalt paving material
Glitterbomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer
Friday, March 19, 2021
AI Synthesizes Video Calls to save bandwidth
Delaying second vaccine ok
As Dr. Robert Wachter of the University of California, San Francisco, has written, "According to most vaccine experts, delaying shot #2 by a few months is unlikely to materially diminish the ultimate effectiveness of two shots." -NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/briefing/atlanta-shootings-ncaa-mens-division-teen-vogue.html
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Tim's Vermeer
Tonight we watched "Tim's Vermeer," a movie chronicling a man's five-year obsession with how Vermeer might have used a camera obscura to achieve the incredible realism in his paintings. Tim's pertinacity and inventiveness helped carry the project through to completion - an incredible reproduction of the work.
Doppelgängers and facial recognition
Saturday, March 13, 2021
China's largest molten salt solar thermal power station in Gobi Desert
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Guide To Boondocking Without Fear
Also, here was that author's advice on last-minute parking an RV in a small town:
Walmarts, Cracker Barrel’s, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or other big box store parking lots, rest stops, libraries, and maybe some churches. If there aren’t ‘no overnight’ signs, at these places, you may be fine.
You can also try Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts.
And I’m guessing you already know this, but some cities have city-wide ordinances that do NOT allow any overnight parking (sleeping in vehicle) of any kind. Flagstaff is a good example of this.
The other thing I have done here and there in a city is to parallel park on a neighborhood street. There are opportunities around. You simply have to look around. But yeah, parking in a biz parking lot is a very viable option. And yes, the crime factor is much higher that way.
Still, long as you stay in your RV quietly and without showing lights to the outside if possible, you’ll probably do fine wherever you pick if you use common sense. Arrive late and leave early.
If looking in town, I look for neighborhoods that aren’t slum but aren’t high-end, either. Finding a middle class to lower middle class is good- there your chances of being bothered by a nervous homeowner are probably more slim than in a fancier neighborhood.
You may need to turn off your fridge for the night if you’re parallel parking- usually you won’t be level.
City parks can be good as well. Either way, I look for a quiet unobtrusive spot. I’ve even found a spot right on an interstate frontage road (west of Flagstaff)… sort of a turn-around. Parked there for the night when the truck stop was WAY too noisy for me, which is rare.
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
How Stonehenge was built
I first saw this years ago, but it still amazes me how one man can stand a stone on its end that weighs more than two bulldozers.
Forest fires happened in the dinosaur age
"hunk of petrified wood from Arizona...contains the first fossilized fire scar ever discovered...A fire-wounded tree valiantly tries to heal itself. The surviving wood hugs the fire scar, growing back over the raw, burned inner wood. The healing curls of wood leave a unique pattern of growth rays as they stretch around the trunk."
Monday, March 8, 2021
Eating disorders
Right after I feel awful - another day wasted, hopeless, out of control." @24:00
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Crossover highway
The weirdest thing I've seen - this section of the twinned highway north of Scottsdale has a mile-long section where the directions cross over and you see southbound approaching cars on your right. Never seen that before.
Here's where it is:
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Friday, March 5, 2021
Delights
This American Life: "The Show of Delights," ep. 692
From the end of Act 1:
Delight is the butterflies that dance above and around something that gives you joy. It's the invitation to "Come gasp with me" at something that gives me joy.
How Does Heat Affect Solar Panel Efficiency?
Coir Wattles for Erosion Control
That's what these are called. I see them often on highway construction projects.
"Coir wattles" help to retain sediment, dirt, and debris from water as it flows through them. Twine netting around a long tube of straw makes a biodegradable erosion- control barrier.
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
DJI FPV drone
It's finally here! Yeah. He concludes: "An absolute blast." "Should've spent more time on the simulator."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)