House Project: Persuading Woodpeckers & Power Lessons Learned
Friday night my wife and I hung up wind chimes and "wind spinners" (which are shiny plastic twirly things that, as the name suggests, spin in the wind) on the south side of the house. I took some pictures, but it was too dark for them to look good. Our hope is that the combination of noise and moving objects will encourage the woodpeckers to go elsewhere.
Afterwards, we went for a walk as the sun set--and it is a beautiful place.
When we returned, the sky had darkened enough to see Saturn, although I must confess that Big Bertha did not seem to have cooled sufficiently to give a sharp image. Perhaps the problem is that the mask that I am using to get stop down the turned edge has shifted on the mirror. I'll try this again another night. Attempts to find M51 (The Whirlpool Galaxy) were stymed by the sky not being complete dark yet by the time we had come back down the hill. (My wife has band practice Saturday mornings, so we couldn't stay late.)
Power mistakes made: I probably specified too large of a backup generator. The electrician said that we needed at least a 5 kiowatt generator to provide backup power--at least enough to get the well pump running from a dead start. I'm not sure that this is actually correct, but even aside from that, our typical power consumption at our current house is about 38-40 KWh per day.
We ended up getting a 7 kilowatt LP gas backup generator. This is both not enough power to operate every circuit in the house at maximum demand--so the electrician only hooked up a bit more than half the circuits, including well pump, pressurization pump, kitchen, laundry room, and garage doors. It occurs to me now that it would have made more sense to get about a 2 kilowatt backup generator, and use that to charge batteries, in the style of photovoltatic systems. A 2 kilowatt generator, operating 24 hours a day, would charge batteries at 48 KWh per day--well in excess of requirements (remembering that there is some loss from storage and from conversion from AC to DC and then back again)--and the output from the batteries would have been distributable across all circuits in the house. The batteries would also have been useful for later expansion with photovoltaics or wind generators.
Last house project entry.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
House Project: Zeno's Paradox At Work
You may be familiar with Zeno's Paradox. Zeno was a Greek philosopher who argued that to run distance X, a runner must cross first the distance 1/2 X. To do that, he must first cross the distance 1/4 X. Keep dividing these segments down, and you end up with an infinite number of infinitesimally small segments. Even if each small distance takes only a short time to cross, an infinite number of them would mean that it would take an infinite time for the runner to complete the distance X.
Now, that's why I've never taken philosophy very seriously. The real world suggests that Zeno didn't know what he was talking about. But construction projects have certain elements in common with Zeno's Paradox--one of which is that the first 90% of the project takes 90% of the time--and the last 10% of the project takes another 90% of the time. This is why so few large construction projects seem to get done on time.
Our builder tells us that we are now 99.9999% done. He went up and did almost all the exterior painting yesterday--just a few last details to fix.
He still has to dig a drainage ditch next to the garage, to keep water from accumulating (which may have contributed to the cracking of the rear driveway apron, because of expansion of the soil). There being a number of large blocks of concrete cut out of the driveway, he was planning to hall them away. Instead, I suggested that he might want to use them as the base upon which to put the drainage tubes--which he thought was a very good idea. It makes them less likely to move, and he doesn't have to haul the broken concrete blocks to the dump.
The water test results came back: no measurable lead (or rather, <0.002 mg/L) and iron is 0.17 mg/L--about half of the EPA action level. I'll check again in a few months, but it looks like much of the complex filtration stuff just wasn't needed. One more item to add to the "lessons learned" chapter of the book I'll write about this. (You will buy a copy, right?)
The sky is so blue today. Tonight will be spent at the new house, using Big Bertha on Saturn and M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.
Last house project entry.
You may be familiar with Zeno's Paradox. Zeno was a Greek philosopher who argued that to run distance X, a runner must cross first the distance 1/2 X. To do that, he must first cross the distance 1/4 X. Keep dividing these segments down, and you end up with an infinite number of infinitesimally small segments. Even if each small distance takes only a short time to cross, an infinite number of them would mean that it would take an infinite time for the runner to complete the distance X.
Now, that's why I've never taken philosophy very seriously. The real world suggests that Zeno didn't know what he was talking about. But construction projects have certain elements in common with Zeno's Paradox--one of which is that the first 90% of the project takes 90% of the time--and the last 10% of the project takes another 90% of the time. This is why so few large construction projects seem to get done on time.
Our builder tells us that we are now 99.9999% done. He went up and did almost all the exterior painting yesterday--just a few last details to fix.
He still has to dig a drainage ditch next to the garage, to keep water from accumulating (which may have contributed to the cracking of the rear driveway apron, because of expansion of the soil). There being a number of large blocks of concrete cut out of the driveway, he was planning to hall them away. Instead, I suggested that he might want to use them as the base upon which to put the drainage tubes--which he thought was a very good idea. It makes them less likely to move, and he doesn't have to haul the broken concrete blocks to the dump.
The water test results came back: no measurable lead (or rather, <0.002 mg/L) and iron is 0.17 mg/L--about half of the EPA action level. I'll check again in a few months, but it looks like much of the complex filtration stuff just wasn't needed. One more item to add to the "lessons learned" chapter of the book I'll write about this. (You will buy a copy, right?)
The sky is so blue today. Tonight will be spent at the new house, using Big Bertha on Saturn and M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.
Last house project entry.
How Can I Offend You? Let Me Count The Ways
I knew that the musical Rent had homosexual characters, but I assumed that they were cleaned up Will and Grace homosexuals--the kind that really do exist--but that seem to be more common in television and movies than in real life. (This assumes, of course, that living in the San Francisco Bay Area qualifies as "real life.") Rent was a real surprise. Not a pleasant one, either.
I've never been a big fan of musicals. Perhaps it is because the conceit of an art form that pretends that ordinary people will break into perfect song as part of emotionally powerful dramat (or comedy) just overstretches my credulity. I enjoyed The Sound of Music, but I confess, there aren't many musicals that don't leave me sitting there wondering, "Why bother?" We rented Rent because my wife is going to be teaching a class about the history of drama, and she wanted to see what modern stage productions there might be to have students watch and discuss. I don't think so.
Rent is one of those reminders that you can invest a lot of talent in writing music and lyrics, find some very talented actors to sing those songs--and still end up with a depressing and unpleasant product. Rent is about a bunch of people dying of AIDS, many of them homosexual, and all of them unpleasantly full of themselves, feeling sorry for themselves, and in general, behaving like the sort of irresponsible and immature bunch that I have long associated with being an artiste.
The lyrics to "La Vie de Boheme," one of the high energy numbers, are here. It is rather as though the lyrcists was trying to see how many different ways to offend the majority of Americans.
I knew that the musical Rent had homosexual characters, but I assumed that they were cleaned up Will and Grace homosexuals--the kind that really do exist--but that seem to be more common in television and movies than in real life. (This assumes, of course, that living in the San Francisco Bay Area qualifies as "real life.") Rent was a real surprise. Not a pleasant one, either.
I've never been a big fan of musicals. Perhaps it is because the conceit of an art form that pretends that ordinary people will break into perfect song as part of emotionally powerful dramat (or comedy) just overstretches my credulity. I enjoyed The Sound of Music, but I confess, there aren't many musicals that don't leave me sitting there wondering, "Why bother?" We rented Rent because my wife is going to be teaching a class about the history of drama, and she wanted to see what modern stage productions there might be to have students watch and discuss. I don't think so.
Rent is one of those reminders that you can invest a lot of talent in writing music and lyrics, find some very talented actors to sing those songs--and still end up with a depressing and unpleasant product. Rent is about a bunch of people dying of AIDS, many of them homosexual, and all of them unpleasantly full of themselves, feeling sorry for themselves, and in general, behaving like the sort of irresponsible and immature bunch that I have long associated with being an artiste.
The lyrics to "La Vie de Boheme," one of the high energy numbers, are here. It is rather as though the lyrcists was trying to see how many different ways to offend the majority of Americans.
The Number of Gay Marriages
Dale Carpenter, who blogs over at Volokh Conspiracy primarily about gay marriage and related issues (he's in favor of gay marriage), points to a recent study done by one of the anti-gay marriage groups that shows that only a tiny fraction of homosexuals are taking advantage of new laws allowing gay marriage--something like 2% to 6% of homosexuals--who in turn, are only about 2% of the population:
There are a number of data points that show that homosexuals are, on average, different from straight people. Let me emphasize on average. They are more likely to vote Democrat and subscribe to liberal or leftist ideas--but there are conservative and libertarian homosexuals--rather more than most people would expect.*
For example, this recent article in what appears to be a Chicago gay newspaper reports something that is not a surprise to anyone that has looked at the rather extensive literature on homosexuality and substance abuse:
* You think life is hard for a homosexual in an overwhelmingly straight culture? I used to correspond with a guy who was a gay conservative who shot in the Camp Perry high power rifle matches. He had to mind what he said that might expose his sexuality when he was hanging out with fellow gunnies, and he had to mind what he said about politics when he was hanging out with his fellow homosexuals.
Dale Carpenter, who blogs over at Volokh Conspiracy primarily about gay marriage and related issues (he's in favor of gay marriage), points to a recent study done by one of the anti-gay marriage groups that shows that only a tiny fraction of homosexuals are taking advantage of new laws allowing gay marriage--something like 2% to 6% of homosexuals--who in turn, are only about 2% of the population:
The report derives these numbers by comparing the total number of same-sex marriages in a jurisdiction (based on government reports) to an estimate of the total number of adult homosexuals in the jurisdiction (based on survey data for the jurisdiction, if available, or a general estimate if not). The first number is precise; the second number is necessarily a rough estimate. I won't address here the accuracy of the data; I'll assume that the numbers for same-sex marriages are correct. While we could quibble over the estimates of gays in a given jurisdiction, the assumptions used seem fair. The report itself has a welcome "just the facts, ma'am" tone.One of the criticisms of recognizing gay marriage was the claim (which seems to have been borne out) that relatively few gay people are interested in the sort of long-term committment that marriage entails. Now, even if true, this wouldn't be an argument against gay marriage. But it does suggest that the claim that gay people are just like everyone else, except for their sexual orientation, isn't really accurate.
There are a number of data points that show that homosexuals are, on average, different from straight people. Let me emphasize on average. They are more likely to vote Democrat and subscribe to liberal or leftist ideas--but there are conservative and libertarian homosexuals--rather more than most people would expect.*
For example, this recent article in what appears to be a Chicago gay newspaper reports something that is not a surprise to anyone that has looked at the rather extensive literature on homosexuality and substance abuse:
Paul Fressola, one of HBHC’s psychotherapists, presented a grid illustrating the use of hard drugs ( e.g., meth, heroin and cocaine ) by LGBT seniors. It is estimated that 10 percent of those aged 50-75 abuse a hard drug, compared to 1.8 percent in the general population. There is no data for individuals aged 75 and over, and none at all on the senior transgender community.
* You think life is hard for a homosexual in an overwhelmingly straight culture? I used to correspond with a guy who was a gay conservative who shot in the Camp Perry high power rifle matches. He had to mind what he said that might expose his sexuality when he was hanging out with fellow gunnies, and he had to mind what he said about politics when he was hanging out with his fellow homosexuals.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
House Project: Death To All Woodpeckers!
We went up Friday evening, partly to see if Richard the Water Boy (yes, that's how he answers the phone) had gotten to the pressurization pump, which was still making water into a bucket under the overflow valve. It appears not--his plan is to reduce the pump pressure to 55 psi from 65 psi, in the hopes that spikes in pressure won't go over the overflow relief level.
However, we were pleased to see that the badly cracked rear driveway apron had been cut and...well, at least removed from the driveway, if not from the property.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
We went back today, and we were very pleased to see that the new concrete had been poured and stamped.
Click to enlarge
It is still drying. They also fixed a number of less severe cracks as well. Our builder is going to put a drainage channel to remove water from the area between the hillside and the foundation--which I think now should have been done in the first place. In a few more days, the concrete guys will come back, power wash all the concrete, and apply a sealant coat to make it shiny and pretty.
However, the big surprise when we arrived this evening was some rather odd marks that at first my wife thought were bees swarming on the south face of the house.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
My wife saw the hole in the screen and thought that someone might have tried to break into the house. Okay, okay, make fun of us city folk, but I did point out to her that if someone was going to break into the house, they wouldn't attack the upper left corner of the screen--nor would they chew up the wood that far above the ground. My guess was that some bird attacked the house--and then my wife noticed that only the windows with blinds inside were being attacked. I noticed that only the south facing windows were attacked. Apparently, a window with darkness inside didn't upset the birds.
So I started making some calls. One of my neighbors said, "Woodpeckers. They chewed up the outside of our house a couple of days ago. My daughter went after them with a shotgun. She didn't hit 'em, but it scared 'em off." He recommended that I stake them out, and blast them out of the air. I have some skeet loads that should be heavy enough for woodpeckers, and light enough that a richocheting pellet shouldn't be a hazard to the house. (Obviously, you scare the birds away from the house, then blast them--the house is not an appropriate backstop.)
We'll have to replace at least one of the screens, maybe two, but these are all standard windows. The builder still has to finish the exterior trim paint, so a little patching and repainting after we have disposed of the pests won't be a big problem.
It is beautiful up there--and the natural grasses are coming out in a big way.
Click to enlarge
Last house project entry.
UPDATE: It appears that I am going to have to persuade the woodpeckers to leave my house alone:
We went up Friday evening, partly to see if Richard the Water Boy (yes, that's how he answers the phone) had gotten to the pressurization pump, which was still making water into a bucket under the overflow valve. It appears not--his plan is to reduce the pump pressure to 55 psi from 65 psi, in the hopes that spikes in pressure won't go over the overflow relief level.
However, we were pleased to see that the badly cracked rear driveway apron had been cut and...well, at least removed from the driveway, if not from the property.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
We went back today, and we were very pleased to see that the new concrete had been poured and stamped.
Click to enlarge
It is still drying. They also fixed a number of less severe cracks as well. Our builder is going to put a drainage channel to remove water from the area between the hillside and the foundation--which I think now should have been done in the first place. In a few more days, the concrete guys will come back, power wash all the concrete, and apply a sealant coat to make it shiny and pretty.
However, the big surprise when we arrived this evening was some rather odd marks that at first my wife thought were bees swarming on the south face of the house.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
My wife saw the hole in the screen and thought that someone might have tried to break into the house. Okay, okay, make fun of us city folk, but I did point out to her that if someone was going to break into the house, they wouldn't attack the upper left corner of the screen--nor would they chew up the wood that far above the ground. My guess was that some bird attacked the house--and then my wife noticed that only the windows with blinds inside were being attacked. I noticed that only the south facing windows were attacked. Apparently, a window with darkness inside didn't upset the birds.
So I started making some calls. One of my neighbors said, "Woodpeckers. They chewed up the outside of our house a couple of days ago. My daughter went after them with a shotgun. She didn't hit 'em, but it scared 'em off." He recommended that I stake them out, and blast them out of the air. I have some skeet loads that should be heavy enough for woodpeckers, and light enough that a richocheting pellet shouldn't be a hazard to the house. (Obviously, you scare the birds away from the house, then blast them--the house is not an appropriate backstop.)
We'll have to replace at least one of the screens, maybe two, but these are all standard windows. The builder still has to finish the exterior trim paint, so a little patching and repainting after we have disposed of the pests won't be a big problem.
It is beautiful up there--and the natural grasses are coming out in a big way.
Click to enlarge
Last house project entry.
UPDATE: It appears that I am going to have to persuade the woodpeckers to leave my house alone:
Woodpeckers are federally protected migratory species, and as such are subject to both state and federal laws. The legal requirements under each set of laws apply. A federally issued depredation permit is required before any person may take, possess or transport migratory birds for depredation control purposes. No permit is required to scare or herd depredating migratory birds other than federally listed threatened or endangered species, bald or golden eagles (50 CFR 21.41).UC Davis has a rather discouraging list of approaches for making the woodpeckers leave your home alone; it sounds like noise or moving objects is the only legal way to do so that actually works. We were going to hang up wind chimes at some point; maybe we will do this a bit sooner.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
House Project: DSL; Water
Frontier Telephone made an appointment to install DSL between 1:00 and 5:00 PM today, assuming that it was possible. They said that if something came up that made it impossible, they would give me a call. Just to make sure that the message didn't get lost by my somewhat absent-minded son, I gave them my work number. At least voicemail would get it.
So I took the afternoon off work. I figured that there were other tasks that I could be working on up at the new house while I was waiting for them.
Well, I removed the lead filters from their fancy stainless steel and very expensive housing. Sure enough, they were clogged with silt, and the water pressure improved quite noticeably afterwards. After filling the tub a couple of times with hot water, the hot water is now coming as clear as the cold water--pretty much indistinguishable from city water.
Just to make sure, I took a water sample to be tested for lead and iron. Assuming that everything is within safe levels, this will probably be the last test that I do for several months.
About 2:30 PM, I suddenly asked myself, "Maybe I should call, and make sure that they are still supposed to be here today." So I called--and customer service informed that they had discovered that they could not give me DSL, after all, but, "They called the phone number you gave them, but no one answered, and there was no answering machine or voicemail." This is nonsense. My office phone has voicemail. The chance that my employer's voicemail was inoperative when they called is essentially zero. It is time to call BitSmart; SpeedyQuick Networks, the other wireless internet provider that believed that they could provide service, decided that they couldn't.
I will say, it is very quiet and beautiful up there. The clouds were drifting back and forth across the Sun. Big cumulus clouds like a Western movie; subtle shadows across the mountains. Very nice.
Frontier Telephone made an appointment to install DSL between 1:00 and 5:00 PM today, assuming that it was possible. They said that if something came up that made it impossible, they would give me a call. Just to make sure that the message didn't get lost by my somewhat absent-minded son, I gave them my work number. At least voicemail would get it.
So I took the afternoon off work. I figured that there were other tasks that I could be working on up at the new house while I was waiting for them.
Well, I removed the lead filters from their fancy stainless steel and very expensive housing. Sure enough, they were clogged with silt, and the water pressure improved quite noticeably afterwards. After filling the tub a couple of times with hot water, the hot water is now coming as clear as the cold water--pretty much indistinguishable from city water.
Just to make sure, I took a water sample to be tested for lead and iron. Assuming that everything is within safe levels, this will probably be the last test that I do for several months.
About 2:30 PM, I suddenly asked myself, "Maybe I should call, and make sure that they are still supposed to be here today." So I called--and customer service informed that they had discovered that they could not give me DSL, after all, but, "They called the phone number you gave them, but no one answered, and there was no answering machine or voicemail." This is nonsense. My office phone has voicemail. The chance that my employer's voicemail was inoperative when they called is essentially zero. It is time to call BitSmart; SpeedyQuick Networks, the other wireless internet provider that believed that they could provide service, decided that they couldn't.
I will say, it is very quiet and beautiful up there. The clouds were drifting back and forth across the Sun. Big cumulus clouds like a Western movie; subtle shadows across the mountains. Very nice.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
A New California Textbook Requirement?
Michael Williams pointed me to this piece of nonsense:
Was Shakespeare gay? A lot of people claim it because of his sonnets--but fail to understand the nature of how Elizabethan writers wrote poems in language that today would seem like an experssion romantic love, but was at the time considered a way of expressing strong fraternal love.
It is certainly possible that Shakespeare was bisexual. Christopher Marlowe, one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, was certainly interested in sex with other men, and made no secret of it. There were no actresses in those times; boys dressed up to play women's parts, and as much as many proper Englishmen of the time disapproved of women acting, after the Restoration, it appears that concern about the moral hazards of dressing boys up in dresses and having them kissed by grown men took precedence over women playing women.
Still, the most that we can say about Shakespeare is that he could have been bisexual. There's no evidence for it.
Abraham Lincoln is another historical figure who is now claimed to be bisexual--and again, based on a mixture of plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty. The historian Philip Nobile first started working on this gay Lincoln book, and then withdrew as the evidence turned out to be non-existent, has a scathing criticism:
Michael Williams pointed me to this piece of nonsense:
SACRAMENTO - The state Senate will consider a bill that would require California schools to teach students about the contributions gay people have made to society -- an effort that supporters say is an attempt to battle discrimination and opponents say is designed to use the classroom to get children to embrace homosexuality.Oh yeah, this is really important! What's even more outrageous is that homosexuals have been claiming various important figures from history as gay with evidence that to call it "thin" would be generous.
The bill, which was passed by a Senate committee Tuesday, would require schools to buy textbooks ``accurately'' portraying ``the sexual diversity of our society.'' More controversially, it could require that students hear history lessons on ``the contributions of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America.''
Though it's a California bill, it could have far-reaching implications, not only by setting a precedent but also because California is the nation's largest textbook buyer and as such often sets the standards for publishers who sell nationwide.
Was Shakespeare gay? A lot of people claim it because of his sonnets--but fail to understand the nature of how Elizabethan writers wrote poems in language that today would seem like an experssion romantic love, but was at the time considered a way of expressing strong fraternal love.
It is certainly possible that Shakespeare was bisexual. Christopher Marlowe, one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, was certainly interested in sex with other men, and made no secret of it. There were no actresses in those times; boys dressed up to play women's parts, and as much as many proper Englishmen of the time disapproved of women acting, after the Restoration, it appears that concern about the moral hazards of dressing boys up in dresses and having them kissed by grown men took precedence over women playing women.
Still, the most that we can say about Shakespeare is that he could have been bisexual. There's no evidence for it.
Abraham Lincoln is another historical figure who is now claimed to be bisexual--and again, based on a mixture of plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty. The historian Philip Nobile first started working on this gay Lincoln book, and then withdrew as the evidence turned out to be non-existent, has a scathing criticism:
The argument is "irrefutable," Gore Vidal blurbs on the book's cover. And, in fact, Tripp's work is as good as the case gets for Lincoln's walk on the Wilde side.More importantly, a rather prominent gay activist tried to blackmail Nobile into not criticizing this dishonest crock:
Unfortunately, that is merely a way of saying the Gay Lincoln Theory fails any historical test. "Useful history" is always a dubious kind of scholarship. But in its attempt to be useful for gays today, The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln reaches far beyond the merely dubious. The book is a hoax and a fraud: a historical hoax, because the inaccurate parts are all shaded toward a predetermined conclusion, and a literary fraud, because significant portions of the accurate parts are plagiarized--from me, as it happens.
Tripp and I intended to be coauthors of the book, laboring together on the project from 1995 to 2000--when our partnership, already fissured by dueling manuscripts, came to a bitter end. We quarreled constantly over evidence: I said the Gay Lincoln Theory was intriguing but impossible to prove; he said it was stone-cold fact.
More advocate than historian, Tripp massaged favorable indicators (Lincoln's early puberty), buried negative ones (Lincoln's flirtations with women), and papered over holes in his story with inventions (Lincoln's law partner and biographer William Herndon never noticed the homosexuality because he was an extreme heterosexual and thus afflicted with "heterosexual bias").
I quit the project first in 1999, when Tripp refused to include citations to Charles Shively, a former University of Massachusetts historian and Tripp's main guide to the gay Lincoln. "Darwin didn't do it," he said to me, referring to Darwin's initial failure to cite precursors in The Origin of Species. Although Tripp profusely copied ideas and references from Shively's flamboyantly rendered Lincoln chapter in Walt Whitman's Civil War Boy Lovers, he brushed off proper mention because he thought Shively's reputation for being "too gay-lib" would dissuade readers.
"IF YOU DON'T STOP MAKING A STINK about Tripp's book, I'm going to expose you as an enormous homophobe," Larry Kramer telephoned me to say last October. "For the sake of humanity, please, gays need a role model." I replied that the book was so bad, it would backfire on the homosexual movement when reviewers and readers caught on to the fabrications, contradictions, and general nuttiness of The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln.And this is the problem. Homosexual activists are desperate for positive role models to make themselves feel good about themselves. There's a bit of a shortage of prominent homosexuals in history, partly because homosexuality throughout much of history has been reviled so severely--and those that were unquestionably homosexual or bisexual are hardly stunningly positive: Edward II; King James I (yes, the guy who commissioned the King James Version of the Bible); Ernest Roehm, Hitler's leader of the Sturmabteilung.
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