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2006-07-22 18:30:54.07714+00 by Dan Lyke 10 comments

It's hot. Yesterday evening we were sitting out on the deck, heard a mess of sirens and heavy trucks go by, looked down the valley and, sure enough, a big mess of smoke to the west of us. We were both kind of nervous, but it cleared a bit.

At midnight last night we were washing ourselves down with wet cloths 'cause it was too hot to sleep.

This morning I slapped a tarp over the skylights and we've got the house closed up because it's quite a bit hotter outside than in. And we just had a long string of sirens pass on the road below, heading west.

[ related topics: Dan's Life Bay Area ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-24 01:40:29.050856+00 by: Dan Lyke

A little bit of wind today, so apparent temperatures were a little lower. With fans going and the skylights covered, an instant read thermometer inside the house sits at 98°F: Yes, for those of you following along at home that means it dips slightly when I grab it in my hand.

In our neck of the woods, Dori is having similar issues, and hundreds of miles north, so is Mars, while last week wasn't good to Lyn on the other coast (although her pictures are cool).

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-24 04:46:26.17056+00 by: Diane Reese

We were at Laguna del Sol in Wilton for the Western Naturist Gathering this weekend. It was 114 on the not-sunny side of the buildings. The part of the pools in the shade were so crowded people couldn't move.

As I wrote this evening, the volleyball court surface clocked in at 152 on Sat. afternoon. Even my friend Rich, who counts 3 days when he put on shoes during his four years of graduate school at Stanford and who has run Bay to Breakers without shoes (or anything else, but that's not unusual ;-) found he had to put on shoes to walk on the *grass* in some areas.

It was hot this weekend.

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-24 14:48:07.282472+00 by: Dan Lyke

I expect this stuff out in the central valley, but here? Yow.

It was, at least, nice and cool last night, and it looks like it'll be dropping a bit this week, although we've got the possibility of rolling blackouts today.

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-25 01:21:31.565142+00 by: meuon

Sounds like time to put Burning Man lessons to work: Misters.. Shade Cloth (over the house?).. no clothes (probably normal at your place).. drinking lots of water and electrolytes..

It's been NICE (80's) in Chattanooga, but I have wondered about changing some things to minimize the energy needs of the house.. shadecloth awnings across the decks, solar water heater on the roof. In fact a new roof is in the works and I'm exploring unusual options there as well. I still think running some DC wiring for LED lighting powered by solar panels would be interesting, if not practical as well.

For cooling, we've installed ceiling fans in all rooms now, and it makes a BIG difference in perceived cool.. but at 100+ ? it'd help but still be dang hot.

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-26 19:31:57.001198+00 by: ziffle

We don't have rolling blackouts in Mayberry so this would not be wanted here, but it should be a hit in decadent places that have rolling blackouts...

http://www.northerntool.com/we...product_6970_200325249_200325249

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-26 20:03:07.515887+00 by: Dan Lyke

I think, perhaps, that one of the reasons we have rolling blackouts is that we believe in living a little bit larger than that: Jim Mason's V-8 Blender.

Although Jim has done some research into large scale ice production, I think the next task to be tackled involves coming up with the appropriate quantities of ice, tequila and lime, and ironing out some of the throughput issues.

#Comment Re: [Entry #9119] Re: made: 2006-07-26 20:36:03.411309+00 by: Unknown, from NNTP

Dan Lyke <danlyke@flutterby.com> writes:

> Although Jim has done some research into large scale ice production, I
> think the next task to be tackled involves coming up with the
> appropriate quantities of ice, tequila and lime, and ironing out some
> of the throughput issues.

I did that research in gradual school.

To one 5L Waring research-grade blender, add one fifth of tequila, one bottle of margarita mix (or to taste), the juice of as many limes as you think appropriate, and one can of Tecate (the secret ingredient). Fill about two-thirds full of ice; blend until smooth. Serve in random assortment of lab cups and mugs.

WRT to the throughput issues, be advised that it is fairly easy for a group of 10-15 people to consume one batch in no more than an hour, and this will make a second batch seem like A Really Great Idea for all involved. Once the second batch is actually produced (usually involving procuring more ice), most of those people will vanish, leaving a group of 2-3 hardcore people (plus assorted designated drivers) facing the age-old "drain it or have it go to waste?" conundrum.

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-26 20:54:49.923736+00 by: ziffle

The different machines seem to be the difference between shaken and stirred...

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-28 19:04:24.04018+00 by: Dan Lyke

For those of you planning on a post-oil economy: http://www.bikeblender.com/

#Comment Re: made: 2006-07-29 13:40:53.304371+00 by: meuon [edit history]

I bought a "boat blender" that can be powered off of any drill.. and the coupling fits Nalgene wide mouth bottles... used it a couple of times (Burning Man, Coolidge Park Movie Night) but carrying a drill (even a battery powered one) is a pain. Note: I paid under $20 for it, at a boat accessories store and it has an impressive stainless steel impeller assembly worth the price.

Powering it off the bike would be trivial. A bike PTO (Power Take Off) either off the chain, or wheel friction would be useful and way kewl.