July 2008 Archives

As I mentioned last month, we planned to install a solar water heater in our home this year. That plan has come to fruition. Installation was finalized last week, and we are now enjoying the warmth of the sun every time we take a bath or a shower. The work was performed by Missouri Solar Living (MSL), and overall I am pleased with the job they did installing our system. With the exception of one major issue we had with a local plumber that they subcontracted with (Finch Plumbing of Chesterfield, Missouri -- I would not recommend them for anything), everything went off without a hitch.

If you are thinking about installing a solar water heater, here are a couple of considerations. First, be prepared to have a crew of 2-3 workmen walking through your house for an entire weekend or more. They will need access to your basement, attic, and possibly the walls in between. Second, the system will likely take up more space in your basement than your existing water heater. MSL's system, for example, includes an 80-gallon electric water heater that is much bigger than our previous gas water heater. In addition, the system uses a 10-gallon drain-back tank that normally can be set on top of the water heater, but depending on the ceiling height in your basement, it may need to be placed somewhere else adjacent to it. This was the case with our installation, but MSL constructed a shelf for it to sit on so we didn't lose any floor space. Another consideration is the PEX (polyethylene) tubing that is typically used for these installations. While it is a flexible tubing, it cannot be made to turn tight corners, so allow for extra plumbing space in the vicinity of the water heater.

Lastly, don't forget about the IRS's tax credit for alternative energy systems -- to qualify, they have to be installed by December 31, 2008. I am anxious to see how much this will cut our monthly energy bills, and how efficient it will be in the winter. Stay tuned to this space for updates.

[Update: August 2, 2008 -- I perhaps spoke too soon when I said that things went off without a hitch. As it turned out, there were a couple of issues. There was a small roof leak that they had to come back out to repair. Also, when the county inspector checked their work, the connections to the water heater had to be completely redone (in copper) and an expansion tank added (which is a recent addition to the code). They once again subcontracted this work with Finch plumbing, and they did a decent job on the rework (although my basement carpet is covered with solder slag which they didn't bother cleaning up). I am confident that this has been a learning experience for all parties involved, so these mistakes will not likely be repeated.]

I must offer many thanks to all of my family and friends who threw me a surprise party over the weekend for my 40th birthday. I had no clue that the party was for me until I walked in and the crowd yelled "SURPRISE!" Special thanks to my wonderful wife Dixie for organizing the event. I was truly touched to have so many people that mean so much to me help me celebrate. Thanks to all of you!

Last month I wrote about what a colossal waste variable speed limit signs are. As I was driving to work this morning, and saw someone in the opposite lanes flashing their headlights, it occurred to me that it might not matter anyway.

It is only a matter of time before cars have internet access. They will either be sold with this option, or it will be available as an after-market add-on. It is a certainty. Once this happens, and the vast majority of cars on the road have it, inevitably there will be a whole series of distributed software applications that act to tie all the cars together. Something like instant messenger for cars, only these messages will also contain useful information for the driver beyond the normal inane conversations. Traffic information like debris in the road, or emergency vehicles approaching from the rear, could be passed from car to car, traveling in both directions on any given stretch of road, giving the driver insight into driving conditions both in front of him and behind him.

Once this is well-established, it is not hard to see that the next logical step will be notifying motorists of speed traps. The information will be much more sophisticated than simply flashing one's headlights at oncoming traffic, however. These packets of data could include precise GPS coordinates, for instance, reconnaisance photos of the area (because no car with internet access will be without a hood-mounted or dashboard-mounted webcam), as well as brief notes describing the trap. With all of that information available to a driver, who needs radar detectors anymore? The effect will be, on a macro scale, that traffic will naturally slow around the location of a cop, and speed up again once the threat of a ticket has passed. Much the same way it works now, only infinitely more efficient. So efficient, in fact, that it is likely that no cop will ever write a speeding ticket again.

You heard it here first, folks. Tell your friends. The days of speeding tickets are numbered.