Occasional thoughts and deeds of an Engineer
RSS icon Email icon Home icon
  • What was I going to write?

    Posted on January 14th, 2011 cwmoore No comments

    I forgot why I came to the blog to write.  I know it was important at he moment but before the “Freak Waves” program on PBS.  A container ship got hit by three 100+’ waves within a few seconds in the Atlantic.  I guess I will not be making a crossing.  I cannot even imagine such brutish waves in a 35′ sailboat.  The TV is still on but I have lost interest in what is playing.

    I started a search of A/V Receivers.  I am on the low end price range and am looking at Denon AVR-391.  They are selling for $159 as Reconditioned/Referbished on eCost.com.   You can check it out for yourself but it has 4 HDMI 1.4a inputs with 1 HDMI 1.4a output.  I am focusing on HDMI since almost all players and TV’s have these inputs.  Of course, a few component, s-video and other I/O’s are good things to have too.  The machine has a limited number of these I/O’s.  There are many things that it does not have as well such as digital to analog outputs and analog REC output.  It does have one valuable feature my present AVR does not have – a remote controller – and, yes, the AVR is that old.  The Radio Shack unit has been running for 20 years and is never shut off except when we go away.

    The TV to go with it will be  47 -55″ with with wireless N connectivity and Apps to allow NetFlix, Blockbuster and other services.  I am not sure about 3D but it seems reasonable to add it to the list since the HDMI 1.4a supports 3D.  Moore later….

  • IEEE: US grid getting less relaible

    Posted on January 14th, 2011 cwmoore No comments

    data_main“The U.S. electrical grid has been plagued by ever more and ever worse blackouts over the past 15 years. In an average year, outages total 92 minutes per year in the Midwest and 214 minutes in the Northeast. Japan, by contrast, averages only 4 minutes of interrupted service each year.”  Here is an IEEE Article and Smart Grid Newsletter to enlighten your day.

    Rant: Talk about burning the candle at both ends or squeezing blood from a turnip – we have used up about all (the infrastructure) that has made us great:  Manufacturing, Electrical Power production, Great Lakes water (down 12″ in 2 years), Aquafir being depleted and the list goes on and on.

    Resignation:  I thought it was the Pickens Plan (PP) but people scoffed.  I thought it was Global Warming but people are too occupied being Birthers, Far Lefters, Far Righters, Flat Earthers and even denying Global Warming is happening.  Then I thought it was NAFTA, the War on Drugs and other pretty sounding names.  What does it take to get people mobilized on the path to self-correction?  Beats me and the dead horse I rode in upon.  I offered the PP my resignation today – no focus, no more.