More Extreme Tech - Rigid VP2000 Wet Vac Pump

I found this baby at Home Depot this weekend while I was looking for a replacement squeegee head for my Rigid Wet/Dry Vac.

I love my shop vac, except when it’s full of nasty water and I need to empty it. I could drain it into the sump pit, but that would be kind of counter productive. Instead, we ladle some off with a bucket, and then we lift it up and pour the rest down the basement utility sink. Back breaking work. No fun at all.

With this baby, you pop it on before you start, and then when the unit is full you connect a hose and you can pump the water up to 50ft at a rate of 10gpm. Nice!

I know, I know, I should have done these last two posts before and not during Irene. Can’t be helped; busy, busy, busy.

Backyard Tech – Extreme Edition: Generators

Having a basement that’s prone to flooding, we were way overdue in adding a generator to our flood fighting arsenal. We’re fine as long as the sump pumps run, but if they stop working, disaster ensues. We finally bit the bullet after we remodeled Man Town this past year.

I knew nothing about generators when we started looking, but after a little research, and some professional electrical advice, we came up with a plan. Our main concern was the pumps, but we also wanted something that would help us out during those ugly winter Nor’easters that we’re prone to around here. There’s a great Wattage Estimation Guide on the Honda Power Equipment website that helped us out a lot.

We settled on the Honda EG5000. It’s big enough to hook up to your house via a transfer switch and run quite a few devices, and yet small enough to still be considered a portable. It’s from Honda’s Economy line, which means it has the power of the more expensive models, just fewer frills. No key start, no wheels, no fancy panels. It does, however, pump out 5000W (4500W rated) of power, both 120/240V, via a nice variety of outputs (two 20A 125V outlets, one 20A 125V locking plug, one 30A 125V locking plug and a 30A 125/250V locking plug).

It’s powered by Honda’s commercial grade 389cc engine, which is relatively quiet (73dB), and it has some great features that you won’t find on cheaper generators, like DAVR (digital automatic voltage regulation witch prevents power fluctuations) and Oil Alert (the unit shuts down the engine before you hit the add level). It also comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty that’s valid for both commercial and residential use.

I bought mine from a Honda dealership (Parkway Cycle), rather than on line, because I wanted one that was assembled, bench tested, and ready to rock and roll. It has an important job to do, so I did it right, and you should too.

Coronal Mass Ejections and You

This past week there were several medium to large Coronal Mass Ejections, otherwise known as solar flares. As the resulting electromagnetic pulses, travelling at about four million miles per hour, collide with Earth’s magnetic field, there will be increased Northern Light activity, and also sporadic disruptions of Radio and Satellite signals.

So what does that mean for you and I?

Well, if you’re far enough north (Maine), and the conditions are right, it means that you may be treated to some strange and beautiful light shows in the night sky. It also means that the satellite feed your cable company gets could suffer periodically, as well as the signals from the GPS satellites.

We we’re up in Maine this weekend and we went down to the beach to star gaze, but it was too overcast to see any Aurora activity. We did however suffer from some strange tics in the cable feed, and when we started our car to leave, the GPS put us squarely in the Atlantic Ocean. It stayed pegged to that spot, just off the coast, until we hit the Hampton tolls, then all of a sudden it came back to life, plopping us on I95, where we belonged.

Phew.

Anyways, it seems we’re in a period of increased solar activity that won’t peak until 2013, so keep a weather eye to the sky, just be sure you have those polarized Ray Bans on, can’t be too careful. Matter of fact, I just finished fashioning myself a jaunty little tin foil cap, and I think I have enough left to line a couple of pairs of shorts.

That is all.

Backyard Tech - Aquabot Turbo T

Vacuuming the pool is one of those chores that you start off enjoying, but quickly run out of time and patience for.

Early in each pool season I’m gung ho to clean it by hand. It’s a great feeling to do something that shows such obvious results, and it can be an almost Zen like experience; standing quietly poolside, hypnotized by the rhythmic motions and the sighing, woodwind like sounds as the air escapes from the pole on each down stroke. It slows things down and gives me time to think and relax.

As the season goes on though, my thoughts increasingly focus on what a time consuming pain in the ass it actually is. The setup, the breakdown, the backwashing, the standing in the hot sun during the day, or trying to keep my focus while swatting mosquitoes in the evening, and as the summer heats up and the algae starts blooming, each vacuum becomes longer and more tedious. You never hit every spot either, no matter how much time and energy you put into it. Consequently the pool liner starts to get that slimy “Slip and Slide” feel to it, especially on the down slope to the deep end. It’s hard to put enough pressure on the pole to really scrub those deep angled places.

A couple of years ago I purchased a rechargeable pool “dust buster”, the Pool Blaster. It attaches to the end of your pole and does a great job. It’s a self contained device, so it cuts out the setup time and the backwashing part of skimmer vacuuming, but you still have to go over every square inch of the pool. It’s great, but it’s not the ultimate solution to vacuuming, it’s more of a spot cleaner.

We also thought about having the pool cleaned on a regular basis by our pool people, but that gets costly. We have them come by when we’re away and they do a great job, but its $70 bucks a pop, and that’s just too rich for my blood over the course of the summer, so we started to look for a pool cleaning robot. There’s a ton of them out there, but after much research we settled on the Aquabot Turbo T.

Aquabot has a whole line of pool bots, one for every type of pool and every budget. The Turbo T model is on the high end of the spectrum, but it pays for itself in time, chemicals and results. It motors around the pool like a little submersible Sherman Tank, scrubbing, vacuuming and power washing every inch of the pool, and leaves it sparkling clean. By the second use we started noticing that the vinyl liner felt like it did when it was new; firm and textured instead of smooth and slippery.

This baby is amazing. It even climbs up the wall and moves along the water line,defying gravity while it scrubs the liner all the way up to the coping. It picks up everything; sand, leaves, rocks, and I’m always amazed at the amount of debris inside the filter bag at the end of its cycle. I run it about twice a week, and the pool has never been so clean. I’m even saving money on earth and chemicals because I don’t need to backwash as much, plus I now get to do my Zen like thinking while seated and watching the bot clean the pool. Much better.

I got my Aquabot online from In the Swim, who I found via GoodSearch. GoodSearch provided me with a discount coupon and made a donation to the charity of my choice based on a percentage of the sale price. Nice. Check them out, they do great things, and check out the video below of the bot in action.

Not Such Deep Thoughts: Special Stanley Cup Edition

Well, it’s that time again; the old noggin is filled to ‘esplodin’ with unvoiced thoughts, so let’s get right to it, and there’s no better way to start this off than by saying:

How ‘bout those Bruins, eh?

They took us for a long and wild ride on their quest for the cup, and the victory was made that much sweeter by its sheer unexpectedness. Sure, they were a pretty good team this year, but after their epic collapse in last year’s playoffs, I just didn’t think they had it in them. Boy was I wrong. In retrospect, it played out a lot like our other sports team’s recent championships; the dark horse team that rose to every occasion, time and time again, always managing to get the job done. No trash talk, no false bravado, just blood, sweat and hustle. It’s become standard operating procedure for our Boston teams. Shut up and play is our mantra here, and it’s served us well.


Speaking of the Bruins, could these guys be any more likable? They just keep surprising me with the things they do, mainly because they’re so down to earth. Out and about with the general public after the victory, walking the streets, stopping in at a barber shop to have their beards buzzed, putting the Cup in a baby stroller and taking it down to Tia’s to hold court, beautiful. You just don’t see that type of behavior in professional sports these days and it’s very refreshing.


Anyone know where I can get one of those Locker Room hats? Damn they’re hard to find.


Not to diminish this year’s feats in any way, shape or form, but while we’re on the subject of the Stanley Cup, I’ve been weighing this years Championship victory against what I’ve always considered to be the most exciting hockey moments of my life; the 1970 Bruins quest for the cup.

Orr, Sanderson, Espo, The Chief, Hodge, Pie and The Cheese, that was quite a team, my team, and they were having an incredible season. My Dad and 2 of my Uncles were long time season ticket holders back then, so I got to go to a lot of games, but when it came to the playoffs, nuh-uh, no one was giving those babies up, so my buddy, his little brother and I packed up our lawn chairs, sleeping bags and street hockey sticks and headed on down to the Gah-den to get us some tickets.

We spent three days waiting in line; two camping in the alley between the Garden and the Registry, and one night sleeping in the Garden itself. Our parents would come by a couple of times a day to drop off food and generally check on our well being; it was long before the cell phone, no way to check on Junior except in person in those days. We kept ourselves busy playing street hockey in that alley, there was always a game going on, or playing cards with our neighbors in line. Barrel fires lit the night, and the only thing to fear were the rats (great big rats). We’d sit there at night clutching our sticks, trying in vain to stay awake.

On the last night they herded us all inside and sat us in sections according to our place in line. We ended up exploring every inch of that place before the night was through, us and about a thousand other kids. Pure nirvana for a 15 year old Bruins fan. We walked out of there the next day clutching tickets to games 3 and 4 of the finals, feeling like we had just hit the lottery, and we had, of course, because we were standing high in the gallery during the game 4 overtime period, screaming and yelling ourselves hoarse, when we all learned that number 4 could fly.

Ah, memories. As I said before though, I don’t bring this up to diminish what this year’s team has done; it’s just hard to think of any Bruins team without measuring them up with The Big Bad Bruins of my youth. This season was just as exciting, but for much different reasons.

That 1970 team seemed predestined for coronation; the Orr era Bruins were akin to the Montana era Niners, you just knew they were going to win, and we ate it up. The excitement they generated with their spectacular play and bloody fights, combined with the unabashed hero worship of my youth and the new found freedom our parents had afforded us that spring was totally intoxicating, and it left an indelible mark on me.

This 2011 Bruins Championship was exciting because the outcome was always in doubt. Close, hard fought games, incredible plays, incredible hustle, and incredible determination. They personified team, and made you proud to be a fan.

As I said; just as exciting, but for much different reasons.

On a sad note; I lost 2 of those Bruin loving, larger than life Uncles during this past season, one of them passing just before game five. I like to think they went to join my Dad, and they were all watching from the gallery as that final horn sounded and bedlam ensued. In my mind’s eye I can see the pure joy and excitement on their faces. It’s such a clear and beautiful image that it has to be true.

That is all.

It's All In The Water!

I Love That Dirty Water!





and Nathan Horton!

Welcome to Boston, boys.

Bruins 8, Canucks 1

That is all.

Nook Color Firmware Upgrade

Barnes and Noble recently released their long awaited firmware upgrade for the Nook Color, Version 1.2. It’s based on the Android 2.2 OS, and it brings all kinds of new features to the already cool and functional device.

With the addition of Email, Adobe Flash Player and the availability of productive Apps like Quickoffice® software, as well as time wasters like Angry Birds, it’s got the whole package now, and at half the price of an iPad, this device has become pretty hard to pass up.

Check out our previous review of this device for more details.


That is all.


Oh, wait… Angry Birds anyone?

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day:
we turn over the fresh earth
growing flowers for you to see

Barnes and Noble Nook Color

The Nook Color certainly gives you a lot of bang for your buck. It’s not just an e-book reader; it’s almost a full blown tablet. Barnes and Noble bills it as a “reader’s tablet”, and I think that pretty well sums it up. It’s a web browsing, music playing, full color, touch-screen e-book reader.

It runs Android 2.1, has 8GB of on board memory plus a microSD expansion slot for up to 32GB of additional storage, and a microUSB port for easy connectivity. It also sports a beautiful and very responsive 7” VividView Color Touch-Screen with an extra layer of laminate that cuts down on glare and increases off angle viewing. The instructional video it connects to at setup is so colorful and lifelike, and streams so seamlessly, that it will knock your eyes out.

Purchasing and downloading books, magazines and newspapers is quick and easy via the built in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), and transferring documents, photos, music and other large files (like OS upgrades, Android 2.2 is coming!) is a snap with drag and drop file transfer from your PC or Mac via the USB port. The Nook Color supports both the EPUB and PDF formats, plus has Quickoffice software installed, so it supports a myriad of file types. It also comes with the Pandora Internet Radio app installed, which is a very nice feature.

It’s sized perfectly for an e-reader at 8.1”x 5” x .48”, and weighs in at just a hair under a pound. The casing has a rubberized back that gives it a non-slip grip, and it has a good solid feel without being too heavy. Slide it into one of their leather folios and it looks like a high quality date book.

While it’s not nearly as readable in bright sunlight as a standard e-ink reader, this baby really excels on the e-magazine and children’s book fronts. It even supports audio read along books, which is pretty great if you have children or grandchildren in your life. Like the iPad, flash isn’t supported yet either, and there’s currently no access to the Android Marketplace, so there’s a limited amount of apps available for now, but good things are supposed to be coming with 2.2, we’ll see.

So, it’s not as fully functional as an iPad, but it’s also not nearly as pricey ($249), or as large and unwieldy, and it’s not as bright light friendly as a standard e-reader, but it has much more to offer. Like most things in life, it’s all about finding a happy compromise. While I wouldn’t be upset if this thing suddenly was able to provide me with a little Angry Bird action, for now I’m happy with it just the way it is; as a “readers tablet”.

Truthfully, I really didn’t think an e-reader was something I wanted; I love real books, and I’m not much for bringing electronics with me into the great outdoors, but this device has found a niche in my life. It’s a bedside companion, a book pile reducer, a quick webmail and website tool, a portable picture and document viewer, and a great grandchild entertainer. Plus, all of your purchases are archived on the B&N website, so you don’t have to sweat losing them. Also, with the free Nook apps available for the iPod touch, IPhone and PC, you have cross platform portability of all of your purchases. That means you can sneak a peek at whatever book you’re currently reading, or anything in your library for that matter, even if you don’t have your e-reader with you.

The real kicker for me though, is the ability to download virtually any book, magazine or newspaper that my heart desires, whenever my heart desires. Reader nirvana.

That is all.

2 and 7!

Beckett was lights out tonight, the bats were there when we needed them, and I’m slowly sliding my hand away from the panic button. Not far, but at least I’ve stopped hovering over it. Hope is alive again in Red Sox Nation!

Although there were brighter stars tonight, I think Tek made all the difference. He knows how to work these guys, and they need to use him more. At least until Salty picks it up, if he ever can.

I’m not saying that pitching, and consequently catching, is their only problem, but without consistent pitching, not much else matters. Let’s start from there. A few more wins under their belt, and I think we’ll see this team gel into something beautiful.

That is all.

No Substitutions Please

So, the other day I had to get a considerable amount of stitches, and before I left the Dr’s office they gave me a “Wound Care” sheet. You know the drill; Keep the wound covered and dry for 24 hours, Ice the area for 20 minutes every 2 hours to prevent swelling and bruising and call 911 if you’re bleeding out. All straightforward, common sense stuff. It also contained a warning against using chemical ice packs when icing open wounds, and suggested substituting a bag of frozen peas or corn, which you could then refreeze and reuse.

Sounded good to me; no harmful chemicals, no ice cubes to melt and leak all over, no fuss, no muss. Or so I thought…

I went to the freezer, and quickly realized that there was very little in the way of frozen vegetables in there. After poking around for a few minutes, I discovered an old bag of frozen blueberries buried way in the back. Perfect, I thought. In retrospect, this was my first big mistake, in a series of big mistakes.

I took out the bag, wrapped it in a dish towel, and proceeded to ice. It worked like a charm, and felt great to boot. When I was finished, I threw the bag back in the freezer, and then repeated the ritual a few more times throughout the day. No problem.

After dinner I got my pseudo ice pack out again. This time I decided to sit in my favorite leather chair and watch a little TV while I iced. Big mistake number two. I got myself settled in, commenced icing, and quickly fell asleep. Big mistake number three.

I woke up about an hour and a half later, and my first thought as the fog cleared was that something wasn’t right. Then I felt something cold and wet dripping down my leg. Oh-oh...

Panic jolted me fully awake, and I looked down to see that my “ice pack” had ended up in my lap. The dishtowel I had wrapped around it was stained purple, as was the crotch of my khakis, and the juice was beginning to run down my legs. As I picked the ruined mess up, a small stream of blueberry juice began leaking out.

I just sat there and stared at the tiny blue stream for a minute as it arced down, soaking into my crotch. I wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

It was the awful thought that I may have been massaging blueberry juice into my leather chair with my ass that finally got me up and moving. Holding the ruined mess of an ice pack against my pants (what the heck, they were already toast anyway), I stood, and then waddled into the kitchen, leaving a trail of blueberry juice across the new hardwood floor. Once I had my feet planted on un-stainable linoleum, I quickly stripped off my sneakers, khakis, socks and underwear. Leaving them in a heap, I grabbed the roll of paper towels off the counter and headed back into the den.

Much to my relief, my wife’s new throw had been on the chair and had soaked up the bulk of the leakage, so I balled it up and launched it into the kitchen with the rest of the mess. I wiped up the little bit of juice that had made its way through to the chair, and then got down on my hands and knees and began blotting up the juice off the hardwood.

And that’s how my wife found me; on my hands and knees, naked from the waist down, swearing and cursing like Donald Duck.

She just shook her head and got right down to business. Nothing I do surprises her very much anymore. She grabbed the paper towels from me, and then told me to get my sticky butt into the bathroom. By the time I got myself hosed down and covered up, she had everything under control. No wonder I love her.

Believe it or not, she had thrown the whole sodden mess into the washing machine with one of her magic Oxi Clean stain packets, and gotten almost all of the stains out with the first wash. A little spray action before the second pass did the trick, and everything is as good as new. I’m thinking my little boneheaded adventure might make a great Oxi Clean commercial. I could be the next Billy Mays! "Watch as I rub bluberries into my crotch. You probably think these pants are ruined, right? Just watch what Oxi Clean can do!"

Probably have to leave out the naked floor cleaning part, though...

Oh well, all’s well that ends well I guess, and I’ve certainly learned a valuable lesson; If the recipe calls for corn or peas, blueberries just won’t do.

That is all.