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| 2006/3/6-8 [Science/Electric, Science/GlobalWarming] UID:42104 Activity:nil |
3/6 I went to the Home Depot appliance section today and I saw this
really cool futuristic looking stove with completely flat
ceramic surface which I presume makes cleaning a breeze! It
looked so beautiful I fell in love with it immediately. I'm
wondering how they work and if they work well. How do they
transfer heat from ceramic to the pots? Are these what they
call the "eddi-current induction" cooker? How well do they
work? Thanks.
\_ i have one of these in my apartment. it is surprisingly
difficult to clean... if anything spills over, it gets
burnt and you have to scrape it off. burnt up stuff can
really stick of ceramic. also, the flat surface makes dirt
really obvious, so i think you end up doing more work to
keep it looking respectable. i think it works as well as
any electric stove i've used [nothing spectacular in terms
of heating stuff up].
p.s. 80 columns is teh standard.
\_ They're very easy to clean--you usually get a metal scraper
with it (do _not_ use abrasives of any kind.) As counter-
intuitive as it seems, just scrape anything off. The poster
below isn't entirely correct; glass-ceramic stovetops do heat
up a lot faster than regular electric coils (I have one at
home) and I don't get the impression they use more energy,
although I'd be at a loss to tell you how it works. I think
it has to do with the heat conductivity of the cooktop. -John
\_ It heats up faster b/c the coil underneath can be more
delicate and thus more responsive (the kind you set pans off
have to be more rugged)
\_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stove#Gas_and_electric_stoves
Look for the part about "glass-ceramic"
\_ Basically it's just an ordinary electric coil under a glass top.
\_ That is right. Induction cooking has not caught on in the US.
Like the American car mentality, primitive stoves are "good
enough."
\_ Not sure which one you were looking at, but there are two possible
technologies you were looking at. 1) electric under the ceramic top-
has the same disadvantages as normal electric, no instant heat, more
costly energy 2) magnetic induction- only works with certain pan
materials (i.e. iron). There are numerous others gotchas, but as cool
as flat-tops look, I think gastops are still the best of existing
technologies (weird in the year 2006).
technologies you were looking at. 1) electric under the ceramic
top- has the same disadvantages as normal electric, no instant heat,
more costly energy 2) magnetic induction- only works with certain
pan materials (i.e. iron). There are numerous others gotchas, but
as cool as flat-tops look, I think gastops are still the best of
existing technologies (weird in the year 2006).
\_ If you saw it at Home Depot, or in the United States for that matter
then 99% of the time it is NOT an induction stove. Induction stoves
are very popular in Asia like Japan and have the electric->heat
efficiency of 80-90% (depending on manufacturer and the type of
pot you use). They are completely cool to touch and only heat up
the pot directly to reach that efficiency. What this means is
that you can't use aluminum or glass on top to heat things up.
You need to use special pots with thick irons to reach high
elec->heat efficiency. If you go to Marukai or high end Asian
markets (not Ranch 99) in JapanTown, you'll find special pots that
say in kanji, "Thick Bottom" and bold letters like CH and IH meaning
those pots are specially designed for Induction Heating. The bottom
is usually at least 5mm with thick iron, while aluminum or something
else wrap around it. I have never seen induction stoves or induction
pots sold in the US. The exception would be those high-end web sites
that tailor to professional chefs. I guess when energy is so cheap
and plentiful, who cares about stove efficiency?
\_ 5 cm thick?! You think this is an efficient way to cook? Do you
have any idea how much energy it takes to dig up that much iron,
refine it, make your 5cm thick pots and pans from it, transport
to the stores for you to buy, etc? To save how much energy on
the cooking side of the equation? Not to mention the damage
caused to the environment with all the mining operations required
to dig up the iron in the first place. And then I'd have what?
An extra 5 lbs? 10 lbs? more? of pan to lug around to clean,
move, etc. At least it would be too heavy to make a decent
weapon.
\_ my bad I mean 5mm. Wow someone in the US understands the
metric system. I'm impressed. -op
\_ wow, ok, nevermind then. I had this image of this giant
unmovable object that needed to be cleaned on the spot
because it would be impossible to move to a sink or put
in any sort of dish washer. My uncle had an old style
iron pan I could barely move (I was a kid) which wasn't
anything like 5cm. Probably about the 5mm you meant but
still very heavy.
\_ Where can I get more info on this inductive heating
technology? I saw a Zojirushi rice cooker with inductive
heating technology, but wasn't sure what it is. How safe
is it? You said iron, is it iron coated with Teflon?
\_ Why does it have to be coated with teflon?
\_ Rice cookers pots are usually non-stick. What else
would it be if not teflon?
\_ I don't know what kind of fancy cooker you've got,
but the ones I've seen are aluminum.
\_ http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/market/trend/topic/2004_11_mtm.html
If you have a lot of cash buy this one:
http://biccamera.com/bicbic/jsp/w/catalog/detail.jsp?PRODUCT_ID=0010055457
Don't get those American/China-made knockoffs that are less
than 2000W |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Computer/Companies/Apple, Computer/SW/OS/OsX] UID:42105 Activity:kinda low |
3/6 arstechnica review of the mac mini:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macmini.ars/1
Conclusion: "The minis are across the board superior to their G4
predecessors. ... [B]etter specs all around make the mini's tiny
footprint even more enticing than it was 14 months ago."
\_ Are you going to believe arstechnica or tom@sodashardware?
\_ gee, a site that rates everything six or higher gave it an
eight. I'll go out and buy one right now! -tom
\_ I'm not sure I understand why anyone is hot n bothered by this
whole thing. The box either does what it is supposed to at a price
buyers find competitive with attractive looks or it just won't sell.
What is the issue?
\_ forget your kool-aid this morning? -tom
\_ what? how does "I don't get it" have anything to do with
being a kool-aid drinker? --baffled
\_ Kool-aid drinkers are hot and bothered that someone
is suggesting that $600 for a slow-ass machine without
a monitor, keyboard, or mouse, isn't a good deal. -tom
\_ uhm ok, well I never got hot n bothered and dont even
own a mac so sure, I guess I didn't drink mine this
morning....
\_ I completely agree. The new mini will have to sink or swim
in the mkt place. I posted the review, so that those interested
could read it and make up their own minds. [ I will admit that
that I chose to highlight the conclusion b/c I like the mini
(both PPC and x86) and think they are nice little machines. ]
-minifan |
| 2006/3/6-7 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:42106 Activity:low |
3/6 I've got 4 identical 300W halogen lights I bought in the mid 90s before
the energy crisis and I don't use them anymore. Are there any reasons
to keep them, and do people actually use them nowadays? Ebay or trash?
\_ When I tried to take mine to Goodwill, they wouldn't take it
because they said they were fire hazards.
\_ I think Home Depot stops selling them years ago for the same
reason. I still have two at home and I like them. They are very
bright.
\_ No, you can still buy them; they just have big protective
metal grates over the top of them now which cast ugly shadows
on the ceiling. On the other hand, the modern CFL torches
are _almost_ as bright, don't heat up the whole room, and use
much less power (75W vs. 300W). They don't have that
yellowish color we've all come to love from incandescents,
but all-in-all they're a win. Some of them are even dimmable
over a limited range. --dbushong
\- if they hae dimmers, why cant you just use them at lower
power. that is what i have been doing for years. they do
hum sometimes.
\_ If you want dim lighting, then use a dimmed CFL, that
will still use less power than a dimmed Halogen. They're
just plain more efficient lighting. --dbushong |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Uncategorized] UID:42107 Activity:nil |
3/6 What's the best way to dispose a thermometer filled with mercury?
\_ Consult link:www.stopwaste.org They don't have a specific
category for thermometers, but they do discuss batteries and
lightbulbs with mercury.
\_ If it's a health-related thermometer, Kaiser has a free trade-in
program (they'll give you an electronic replacement).
\_ Is this ongoing [URL?] or a special one shot trade in program? |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:42108 Activity:nil |
3/6 "Diana Probe Finds No Evidence of Foul Play"
http://csua.org/u/f5j (Yahoo! News)
"French officials have said all traffic cameras on the road that
Diana's car took, and within the tunnel, were not working the night of
the crash.
But Monday's Daily Express newspaper challenged that finding, saying a
woman was caught speeding by a camera in the Pont d'Alma tunnel moments
before Diana's crash."
Conspiracy, conspiracy ...
\_ Yes, this is clearly the Greys (lead by Lord Elvis for the last 752
base 10 time cycles) in cahoots with the Bigfoot Army Of God,
working closely with their allies the Sea Monsters in an attempt to
distract you from their real plans... now that you have caught on,
The Membership Of The Grand Conspiracy shall attend to you. Like
all top notch arch villains, we can only be found out and stopped
by squads of pot smoking teens driving around the country in a van
stopping at random dark inns for no aparent reason or teams of
animal detectives working without their human companion's knowledge.
\_ BARKY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOG!!!
\_ Are you blind? Can't you see this is the work of the Reverse
Vampires?
\_ [the above poster has been found and summarily executed in
an impromptu Dark Ritual. we apologise for this brief
moment of inconvenience for our conspiracy theorist
audience. you may safely continue with your plans for
world domination/destruction at your own pace.] |
| 2006/3/6-7 [Computer/SW/SpamAssassin] UID:42109 Activity:nil |
3/6 I haven't used newsgroups in a while, so I thought I'd check it out
I checked out ucb.jobs, and it looks like every post in there are
spam like the ones we get in our spam folder on daily basis. Do
CS students still use newsgroups? Or are they a thing of the past? |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Finance/Investment] UID:42110 Activity:moderate |
3/6 Where's Swami? We owe Swami a beer.
"Housing Slowdown Ripples Through Economy"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060306/ap_on_bi_ge/housing_slowdown
\_ "There seems to be little concern that a much-touted
housing bubble will lead to a collapse in sales and prices."
\_ We need an equivalent of http://fuckedcompany.com
\_ Which contradicts what a lot of other articles are saying,
but whatever. I recommend http://www.housingbubblecasualty.com
\_ it depends on what the meaning of "collapse" is
\_ "Alex Barron, an analyst in San Francisco for JMP Securities, said
builder stocks have been trading at relatively low multiples of
their earnings since the late 1990s because investors always
believed the strong housing market was too good to last."
Investors kept saying, 'Next year housing will go down,'" Barron
said. "I guess they're finally right."
Tell us something we haven't been predicting (incorrectly) for
a long time now.
\_ Swami is not the "investors" this guys is talking about.
Swami made just one specific prediction: peak in Q4 2005,
nadir in Nov 2007.
\_ Yeah, so he is late with his prediction.
\_ So if I keep saying "oil > $80 barrel next year" every year, do I
get a beer when it finally happens?
\_ No, because you chose a specific number, which might make your
prediction useful to someone. You'd have to say something more
like "oil will be more expensive next year" to really match
the brilliance of dim. -tom
\_ warren buffet gave no specific number or date when he says
he avoids tech, but he still comes out looking pretty
good when the tech bubble bursts. his opinion, if followed,
would've been useful for all those people who lost money.
\_ Warren Buffett has never said to avoid tech. He said
that *he* avoids tech because he doesn't understand it.
(That is, he doesn't understand how to fairly value
tech companies).
And you know, if you bought tech any time from, oh,
1970 up through 1998, or from 2001 on, you're probably
doing pretty well. -tom
\_ yes, during the bubble years, warren buffet says
he avoids tech. that's what I was saying.
\_ What you're saying is a non sequiteur; Buffett
is not making a prediction when he says he avoids
tech. -tom
\_ and I am just pointing out to you that
what you accused dim of doing (not attaching
a "specific number") is just what buffet
does, which is a very reasonable thing to
do. And it is also useful, since if you
take what he is saying into consideration
and reduced your exposure to tech, you would
have emerged from the bubble in a better
shape.
\_ You're not paying attention. Buffett is not
making a prediction, so of course he doesn't
attach a number to his non-existent
prediction. Please find a quote where
Buffett tells *other people* to avoid
tech. Buffett avoided tech in 1990, too,
and if you invested in tech in 1990 you'd
have done better than Buffett. -tom
\_ You're not paying attention. Nobody
claimed that Buffett was making a
prediction. Go reread. Also, you can
chart BRK-A against
Nasdaq since 1990 and you will see BRK-A
leading all the way except for a small
approximately one year period centered
around mid-2000. You should do some
research so you don't continuously
make wrong claims like the above or
like "Median sale prices [of homes]
go down in 4Q *every year*".
around mid-2000.
\_ "Buffett avoided tech in 1990, too,
and if you invested in tech in 1990
you'd have done better than Buffett."
Talking about ill-defined un-specific
claims, the above fits the bill
perfectly.
\_ I didn't make any predictions. I just know the market
has been overvalued for some time now. --dim
\_ is that why it's gone up 40% in the past two years?
\_ you're such an idiot
\_ BTW, I read a Roper poll which said that 78% of
investors feel homes are overvalued. This this swami
those polled feel homes are overvalued, including
72% of those who already own a home. This swami
guy isn't exactly out on a limb here. --dim |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Uncategorized] UID:42111 Activity:nil |
3/6 Do "fast sleeper" and "slow sleeper" refer to people who falls asleep
fast/slow, or people who need a short/long amount of sleeping time to
get the same amount of rest? Thx.
\_ it refers to how long it takes for the guy to roll over and
fall asleep after he comes |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Recreation/Media] UID:42112 Activity:moderate |
3/6 "Crash" was good. Why is it considered an upset?
\_ Cause it sucked sucked sucked
\_ Because everyone was expecting the gay issue movies to win. Or at
least they were getting the ype.
\_ "Crash" was good, but not great. It doesn't really stand up to
most Best Picture winners. Then again, Best Picture hasn't had
many strong candidates in recent years. BTW, I think I would've
gone with "Walk The Line".
\_ Have you also seen "Capote" or "Good Night, and Good Luck"?
I haven't seen any of the nominees. All I watched was stuff
like Batman. But those two do better on http://rottentomatoes.com
than Crash (or Brokeback).
\_ You can get a very high http://rottentomatoes.com rating just by
being a movie that almost everyone sort of likes, like the
last Harry Potter movie (89%).
last Harry Potter moving (89%).
\_ A real upset would be giving an Oscar to a movie that was
watchable, such as Batman Begins or Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
But then again, I would have have picked The Voyage Home
over Platoon for best picture in 1986 and First Contact
over English Patient in 1996, so what do I know? -stmg
\_ Platoon was very good. But my mom, my sister, and all of my
girlfriends hated that movie.
\_ Never said I didn't like Platoon. I said that I
thought that STIV:TVH was better. I mean anyone
can make a watchable movie about Vietnam. It takes
really skill to make a movie where the crew of the
Enterprise has to travel back in time aboard a hi-
jacked Klingon BoP to find some whales and bring
them back to the future to save the planet earth.
-stmg
can make a movie about Vietnam. It takes real
skill to make a movie about saving the earth by
traveling back in time to find some humpback
whales. -stmg
\_ Forget my previous post. I confused FMJ w/ Platoon.
I didn't like Platoon. I thought FMJ was okay.
\_ You didn't think "Gladiator" was watchable? Actually, I am
surprised you didn't like "Platoon" but did like "Mr. and
Mrs. Smith". Oooooooookay. Different strokes...
\_ I didn't really like Gladiator. I guess I just
prefer guns (and phasers) to swords (ex. I hated
LOTR). I guess Lightsabers are okay, but I'd have
to say the only watchable SW movie was EPS4. -stmg
LOTR). Lightsabers are okay in my book, and EPS4
deserved to win over Annie Hall in 1977. -stmg |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Computer/SW/WWW/Browsers] UID:42113 Activity:nil |
3/6 I've discovered a cool feature in Firefox!!! Ok so I'm like a year
behind everyone else but it's still a cool feature. If you want to
tweak and customize your tab setting, first enable tab features
by editting your user.js or pref.js file in your Mozilla directory,
then add the following line:
user_pref("browser.tabs.showSingleWindowModePrefs", true);
Restart Firefox, then go to Tools > Options... (Edit > Preferences...
under Linux and Mac OS X), select Advanced and click on Tabbed
Browsing. The following options should be visible:
-Force links that open new windows to open in:
-the same tab/window as the link
-a new tab
Go Firefox!!!
\_ Don't bother editing prefs.js by hand; use about:config --dbushong
\_ which parameter to tweak?
\_ you start typing the one you want to tweak (if you were
editing prefs.js you'd need to know this anyway) and it shows
you which are available. If it's not in the list, it doesn't
do anything in the version you have.
\_ 1.5 has the option enabled by default I think so you don't
need to edit user.js. In fact, it is right under
Tools->Options->Tabs
\_ Doesn't that depend on the Tabbrowser Preferences extension?
\_ No, in fact, I uninstalled the extension. 1.5 has the
feature build-in by default. |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Politics/Domestic/Gay, Recreation/Media] UID:42114 Activity:kinda low |
3/6 http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/what-did-i-tell-you Hollywood blogger says: a) "this year's dirty little Oscar secret was the anecdotal evidence pouring in to me about hetero members of the [Academy] being unwilling to screen Brokeback Mountain" b) I told you so: Crash might win because of homophobic Academy voters c) Crash and Brokeback "both good, if flawed, films" d) There was "hardly at all" any controversial political statements d) "The forces that hate Hollywood salivated for Brokeback to win Best Oscar", but oh well \_ As someone with connections in Hollywood (including members of the Academy) let me say that a) and b) seem very unlikely given the prevalence of gays in Hollywood. It didn't seem to stop them from voting for, say, "Monster". As you know, "Brokeback Mountain" has been well-received by Hollywood. I think this blog is full of crap. \_ blog entry: "I found horrifying each whispered admission to me from Academy members who usually act like social liberals that they were disgusted by even the possibility of glimpsing simulated gay sex." Okay, granted it's a blog, but it has a lot of history behind it and cred to lose. Who are you and how reliable would you say you are? I can understand if you don't think it's worth it. \_ I would say I'm pretty reliable given that my girlfriend works in Hollywood. Her boss won a freaking Oscar (producer) and is a member of the DGA. Her officemate was a screenwriter for "Walk The Line". I think this blog person is trying to stir up shit. If the Academy was that biased they would have never nominated it. Hollywood is full of gay people. Even though some of the members are older and more conservative I really doubt they are homophobic. Are you telling me they won't vote for Dreamworks movies, too, because of David Geffen? Or Digital Domain movies, because of the VP (a lesbian)? Titanic did pretty well! Come on! Next thing I'll hear is that they are biased against Jews! --dim \_ Props to you for ID'ing yourself. Turns out blog author is also columnist for L.A. Weekly: http://www.laweekly.com see bottom-right. Could be she's totally wrong, after all it's all "anecdotal". Natural hetero aversion to watching man-on-man romance shouldn't be enough to sway sophisticated academy types from voting for it if it truly deserved it. \_ The major complaint I've heard about BB from people in Hollywood is that it's boring. I think some people want to champion it because it's a gay film and the reality is that there are some people who might have said: "I am not voting for that because it's a gay film", meaning "Just because it's a gay film doesn't mean I like it" and not "I refuse to vote for it because I hate gays." \_ There's a difference between supporting the concept of gayness, and wanting to watch a movie fairly graphically (for Hollywood) depicting gay sex. But I don't really think that's why it didn't win; it didn't win because it was subtle, and Hollywood hates subtlety. -tom \_ It's not about 'wanting to watch... gay sex.' People don't want to watch serial killers and yet 'Silence of the Lambs' won. If it was about gays then why did Hoffman win for 'Capote'? I am not really sure what the 'Hollywood hates subtlety' line is getting at, BTW. Hollywood appreciates subtlety a lot more than the average theater-goer does. \_ Your analogy needs work. People are far more comfortable with depictions of violence, even extreme violence, than they are with sex - heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise. That said, the sex scene in Brokeback was pretty damn tame. \_ It's not an analogy. It's an observation that you don't have to be comfortable with the subject matter (or want to watch it) and yet still praise a movie. There are some disturbing movies I'd never want to see again that I can still find merit in. It's not supposed to be 'most entertaining movie' or 'movie most people would like to see if given a chance' or 'movie best suited to repeat viewing'. It's supposed to be the best movie. Again, if there is a bias then why did Ang Lee win? That's pretty good evidence that there's no bias. \_ no, it's not. \_ Yes, it is. The movie won several awards, so obviously people in the Academy had no problem voting for it when they feel it deserved it. \_ You're begging the question. If we assume that Brokeback is at least as good as, say, Titanic (which it's much better than in reality), and Titanic won 11 Oscars and Brokeback won 3, there must be some bias going on. Personally, I think the bias is that the Academy has no taste, but it's entirely plausible that there's a bias against the gay theme. -tom \_ Tom, are you a closeted gay? \_ Are you asking for a date? -tom \_ This sounds too stupid to be tom. --dim |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Computer/SW/OS/Windows] UID:42115 Activity:nil |
3/6 Is there a free Linux equivalent to the MS-DOS pkzipfix.exe?
I have a 800+ MB .zip file that I wasn't able to completely d/l and
I don't want to move move to the Windows box.
\_ man zip: zip -F or zip -FF
\_ oops, thanks. |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Science/Electric] UID:42116 Activity:kinda low |
3/6 So where can I get a 120V->220V adapter? I'm thinking about buying an
induction stove which is rated for 3000W at 220V 60Hz.
\_ in this case, i would strongly approach this with a different route
than getting a transformer. 3000 watts is too serious of an
appliance for a 3rd-party transformer. Most of new household has
one or two 220volts sockets somewhere mostly for air conditioning
and other heavy appliance. You should get an electrian to locate
or relocate exiting 220 volts sockets.
\_ You're not likely to have any circuits capable of running that on
120V anyway. Most household 120V circuits are rated 15A or so,
and even with perfect conversion your 3000W stove would draw 25A.
Get a 220 hookup, like pp suggested.
\_Actually it will only draw 14 Amps at 220V. The poster will still
want to install a seperate 220V outlet, with it's own 20 Amp
breaker, like I suggested below. -scottyg
\_ So this stove is not some Euro import, it's using american
220V? Yeah, you can have an electrian put one in. You
probably already have a 220 socket behind the dryer. As the
first poster said. -jrleek
\_ I have an electrican run an 220v into my garage for my
dryer. The line he used is pretty heavy duty. I would not
recommend using your regular 15A line for a 220 stove. The
little bit of 'green' you get with the induction stove
would be offset by the house burning down when the line
catches fire. You may get charged several hundred for it.
But these are the things I won't cheap out on. |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Science/Battery] UID:42117 Activity:nil |
3/6 Holy crap! Yanni arrested for battery!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060307/ap_en_mu/yanni_arrested
\_ So? He does look like an ex-con in the mugshot. Or are you saying
holy crap he shouldn't have risked breaking his valuable fingers?
\_ Like German John (and "Stanley"), Yanni is inherently funny.
\_ It doesn't say anything about battery.
\_ Second paragraph: "Yanni, whose legal name is John Yanni
Christopher, was arrested early Friday and faces a domestic
battery charge, according to a police report." |
| 2006/3/6-8 [Uncategorized] UID:42118 Activity:nil |
3/6 The X3 Trailer is up:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/tls/trailer |
| 5/19 |