Blog?
Nest Thermostat
I purchased a NEST thermostat a few weeks ago and for those of you who are looking for a forward leap in home thermostats, I think this one has a lot to offer. Reasons why it works for me are:
- Remote Temperature Adjustment - From any phone or computer that connects to the internet, you can change the temperature. If you are out of town but forgot to turn the heat down, you can now do it saving yourself cash. Cash that will offset the cost. If you are coming home from vacation or out on a hot date and want the house warm and cozy when you arrive, you can do so easily. It is also pretty cool to wake up in the morning and turn the heat up from your bed.
- Remote Programing - Most thermostats in modern homes have the ability to be programed, but the truth is, many do not ever get touched and are used strictly in manual mode. With the nest, you can set and adjust the schedule from any laptop or phone, phone needs to be turned on its side in landscape mode. The interaction is highly intuitive and carried out much easier than any wall mounted control unit.
Nest on Computer
- Energy Evaluation - Nest keeps track of the amount of time and when your heater runs each day allowing you to see where your energy dollars are going. This is probably one of the geekier features, but I like graphs and data so it works well for me.
- Motion Sensor - Nest can tell when you are around and when you are not home. If you don't want to take the time to set up the schedule, Nest will monitor when you are home and when you are away and adjust it for you. It will learn what temperatures you like and make you comfortable. If you are out of town, it will adjust the temperature to save you money.
- Looks Cool - It is a very good looking thermostat. Red when heating, blue when cooling. When remodeling our house it was nice to ditch the old cheezy one bring us into the new century.
Streaming Electronic Music
If you have found yourself looking for a good electronic music station to stream to your computer or house, here is one I found while working on the kitchen remodel. Lots of good Electro House and Indie Dance throughout the day. I also like that unlike some of the good Russian stations I listen to, this one is in English so I can at least be somewhat entertained when the DJ is talking.
Here is RAW FM out of Sydney:
Catholic School Girls Night Out
The Rowdy Rampage of the Randy Catholic School Girls is one of Boise's best parties of the year. It is a celebration created years ago by Nurse Jessica and Cindy and our crew gets after it for a night. I was honored this year to be able to open up for the TekFreaks. Here is my set from the night. It was all done live while heavily intoxicated so please excuse any missteps in the mixing. The evening was all about pure fun. I think the link below will be a right click and save.
Dryer Heat
I have always been a fan of efficient systems and for years have thought about a way to capture the heat from our clothes dryer during winter months. I found this item and installed it in our basement. It does what it should and provides humidity to our otherwise dry house. Just remember not to use it with a gas dryer as you will die a quick death when the CO fills your house.
