Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
I switched over my whole apartment to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) today. The best brand is the GE Energy Smart ones, because their color is the warmest and they are the closest shape to an incandescent light bulb. I got a couple of large ones for my floor lamp and a spotlight for my bedside lamp.
Now watch the energy savings roll in. In all seriousness, I got them mostly because the summer is coming and the apartment will be a lot cooler with these babies on instead of the really inefficient incandescents.
A couple things to keep in mind:
-If you are putting the bulb in a lamp or fixture that has a variable brightness setting, make sure you get a CFL bulb that is dimmable. Same for a 3-way light.
-The really big bulbs do not fit in some lamps or ceiling fixtures.
-Keep an eye on the "light output" in "lumens" on the package, not the watts.
-The bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury vapor (as do all other kinds of fluorescent bulbs and balasts), so if one breaks, air out the room and carefully sweep up the glass. Disposal programs for whole dead and broken bulbs are listed at the industry-run www.lamprecycle.org.
mike sold out at - 17:23
4.23.2007
Pictures from trip coming soon
But for the price i paid to buy and develop 14 rolls of film, i could have bought a new camera.
In the meantime, enjoy this digital panoramic of White Sands National Monument.
mike sold out at - 18:16
4.19.2007
By the numbers
I went from Austin, TX to Berkeley, CA in the past two weeks. Thanks to everyone's hospitality and to traveling partner Smitty.
I assure you, there will be hilarious pictures to come.
Days on the road: 10
National Parks/Monuments visited: 11
Miles driven: 3300
Miles on interstate highways: less than 500
Brand-new Red PT Cruisers rented and driven: 1
Number of washes needed to make the rental car respectable at turn-in time: 2
Cans of garbanzo or black beans eaten: 5
Cans left with Greg and Susanna: 3
Number of times Cous Cous Salad or Chili was on the menu: 4
Refridgerated items brought in car over the 10 day period: 0
Nights camped out: 9
Nights in motel: 1 (Circus, Circus in Vegas)
Easter Eggs made with Maren and friends: 3 dozen
Eggs that had off-color slogans written on them: 4
Ghost town sites visited: 2
Ghost towns that had been burned down in 2006: 1
Ghost towns with a dude and his family living there: 1
Actual ghost towns visited: 0
Dollars lost in Vegas at video poker: 7
Number of times I mocked the New York, New York casino, yet still remained inside it: 5
Days without NPR: 4
Dubious or unimpressive claims about celebrities at sites visited: 2 (site of James Dean's last drink and "Charlie Manson's Car")
The Path:
the whole route on google maps
or, if it's too much for your computer:
First Half
Second Half
mike sold out at - 18:00
4.16.2007
Pahrump, NV
Pahrump, Nevada's new motto: "We have no standards."
