July 31, 2013

Air Sealing Without Foam? Can We Replace Foam?

Source: NathanF, www.offthegridnews.com

From the standpoint of preppers and off-the-gridders, wise and careful use of energy is an imperative. There are no two ways about it: If you are attempting to make a go of it as an independent homesteader, energy efficiency and conservation are the cat’s meow, the bee’s knees, and the sundae with the cherry on top all rolled into one.

Speed Limit Set for Ultrafast Electrical Switch

Source: ScienceDaily.com

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have clocked the fastest-possible electrical switching in magnetite, a naturally magnetic mineral. Scientists using SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser found that it takes only 1 trillionth of a second to flip the on-off electrical switch in samples of magnetite, which is thousands of times faster than in transistors now in use. The results were published July 28 in Nature Materials.

Movie Star Moves Into Member's House

By Chuck Soder

Yup, one of the world's most popular actresses and beautiful women is now practically, kinda, sorta, a member of my family. Ms. Johansson, along with her crew and two small dogs (one of which is purple), moved into the Lakewood home/palace in May, before she started shooting scenes around town for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

Sure, the movie ruined my commute to downtown Cleveland for a few weeks and would never have been shot here if it weren't for the state tax credit, but I can't complain. My extended family has benefited from her stay in a number of ways.

My father-in-law, Dick West - who owns West Roofing Systems of LaGrange, which also won a contract to fix the roof of a warehouse that housed explosives for the movie - received a sizable rent payment to get out of town for a few weeks....