My Etc. - Living in Bexar

Words -

2012-02-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Austerity - Greece 2012 debt

effusively - Jeremy Lin, New York Nicks

Estimated Number of Millionaire States in the United States

2012-02-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

What is the definition of millionaire? Net Assets? As individual or as household?
Life time potential income? or a Snap shot of current financial status? Who knows

But, these are the facts:

On high average of 5% of households of Hawaii to the low average of 3% of southern states - that's a lot of people around you that are millionaires.

For a city of one million, with the average household size of 2.5 (lots of single people) then

1,000,000 people
@ 2.5 people per household, then
400,000 households
@ 4% households are millionaire, then
16,000 households

What does it take to be a millionaire household in a southern state (Texas, Oklahoma?)
House = paid off = 250,000
Retirement #1 401K = 300,000
Retirement #2 401K = 300,000
Extra saving, investment = 150,000
That's a millionaire household

Movies 2012

2012-02-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Feb 10 - The Woman In Black
Too many young kids (girls) in the crow, they all screamed in front and behind, all around. It's hard to tell whether to be scared under the direction of movie director, or to be scared by the young girls around.
It's a good old fun scary movie, no matter how you going to share with movie with.

Feb 02 - Chronicle 2012
I want to fly too! along side of airplanes
Simple plot, it was so obvious that actors were poorly hung from cable harness.

Jan 20 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Interesting and dark plot lines. When the family members don't talk to each others - bad things happen in real life too.

Tier and Bins? ULEV Was Simple

2012-02-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Tier2 Bin5-A / LEV II ULEV? I am troubled by the complexity of emission standard already. The "trouble" began when California, Massachusetts and few other states decided with higher "tougher" emission standard than the federal standards.

So, what is Tier and Bins?

The emission standard applies to light weight vehicle
Tier 1 = old standard, or the initial set of standard
Tier 2 = phased in between 2004-2009, and the current standard.

Bins = from 1 to 10, 1 = cleanest, 10=least clean

# # # #

Why Bin matters? I don't know, except it says how clean the car is.
Why people always use the scale 1 to 10? Why 1 to 5? or why not just "not good", "ok" "better"?

Zero, partial (mix/hybrid - doesn't say how clean when running combustion engine),
Ultra Low, Low, and barely meet the standard low.

Tier =

The cost of keeping porch light 24 hours a day

2012-01-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

The average cost of electricity is about $0.13 per kw hours.

Running a typical compact florescent 13 watts (or the brightness of a 60 watts incandescent light bulb) costs
9.36kw = $1.22/month = $14.60/year

Most of photo sensing doesn't work well with CF, the on-off cause flickers and burning up light bulbs instead.

The alternative solution would be using timer devices, 12 hours on/off = $7.00/year.

Tall hardy trees - a symbol of longevity

2012-01-15T22:21:00.000-08:00

Tall hardy trees - a symbol of longevity take time to grow. Therefore we are harvesting ancient trees 200-300 years, or thousands year old tree.

Cedar - Great specie of wood for furniture

Yew - It is not a common tree in North America

Olive - This is a surprise to me.

Cypress - Many of the thousands years old can be found in protected national parks

Oaks - slow growing trees, can be found at many local nursery shops

End of Year - Food for thoughts

2011-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

Why is it more expensive to cook at home than cheap take out food?
* breakfast at Big D - small coffee, and a simple sandwich $1.98 plus tax
* lunch at Big D - spicy chicken sandwich, fries and big drink $3.00 plus tax
* dinner at Big D - side salad, mac-double, yogurt and big drink $4.00 plus tax
=====
Less than $10- a day, no need to cook, to wash dishes..

Why is it more expensive to diesel power car than gasoline?
* if "torque" is not a big deal, many gasoline power car is a lot cheaper to operate than VW Jetta.
* Diesel = 3.80/gallon, Gasoline = 3.00
* Diesel = 42 mpg, gasoline needs to get 33 mpg to have same fuel costs
* Diesel engine cost more than gasoline, - so what's the point of driving diesel, if the cost of operating is the main objective

Old network router still runs, but no good
* the network security has improved, the old router doesn't work well with new Windows 7 security setup.
* the a/b isn't as good as the g/n network setup, the effective operating range is a lot shorter.

How much horse power HP to move along at highway speed?

2011-12-17T00:12:00.001-08:00

http://ecomodder.com/forum/tool-aero-rolling-resistance.php

Taiwan Chiayi 計程運價：

2011-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

計程運價：起程1500公尺100元，續程每300公尺5元
計時運價：時速5公里以下每3分鐘加收5元
夜間運價：起程1250公尺100元，續程每250公尺5元
夜間計時：時速5公里以下每2.5分鐘加收5元

Any taxi ride = Minimum fee of NT$100.

If you travel over 1 1/2 KM, then

try this method = 75 basic fee and then average of NT$18 -NT$20 per KM

# # # #

For a 25 km journey = NT$500, round trip of NT$1000

To make the taxi cab to wait for you, then 1 hour wait time = (60/3) * NT$5 = NT$100

Make a taxi driver to wait for 5 hours = NT$500

The taxi trip = NT$1,500 = US$50

# # # #

Highspeed rail train ticket (non-reserved seats) for the journey between Taipei and Chiayi NT$1,040, round trip NT$2,080. For two people = NT$4,160.

The total trip NT$1,500 and NT$4,160 = NT$5,660 ~ $190 total trip charge

5 Mother Sauces - French cooking

2011-12-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

There are 5 mother sauces; they are called this because we can create many sauces if we
use these sauces as our bases. They can be used in different combinations to create a
new sauce. To create these new sauces first cook the mother sauce And then add the
ingredients listed on the combination list that is after every mother sauce recipe.

# # #
Bechamel
Veloute
Hollandaise
Espagnole
Tomato sauce

# # #

Understanding Sauces
A sauce is a liquid with flavor; it is usually thickened by a thickening agent. They are
used to season, flavor and to accentuate the flavors on a dish. They also add:
Humidity
Flavor
It enriches foods
Appearance (adds color And texture)
Interest (to the person who is eating the dish)

The Structure of a sauce
The most common sauces are made from 3 types of ingredients:
Liquid, the liquid is the body of a sauce (1st layer of flavor). There are 5
different types of liquid or layers to start a sauce.
White stock
Brown stock
Milk
Tomato And stock
Clarified butter.

Thickening agent, (the sauce needs to stick to the food), there different types of
thickening agents:
Roux = 50% fat (butter) + 50% flour
Starch (vegetables, potatoes, bread, grains)
Cornstarch

Seasonings And additional flavorings (2nd layer of flavor).
Mirepoix = 50% onions, 25% celery, 25% carrots
Onion pique = ½ onion, bay leaf, cloves
Bouquet garni = any type of vegetables or herbs tied together And used to
flavor dishes.

Sachet bag = a bag made out of cheesecloth, filled with herbs And spices,
to create a bag And add to a flavor to the dish. This is used when the chef
does not want to see the herb in the finished dish.

Trade-offs, 2 CRV for 1 Q5

2011-12-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

The costs of owning a car go way beyond the initial acquisition expenses.

One would argue how much money do you really need to spend on transportation, and how much of that translates into real meaningful benefits. A reliable CRV 2WD, LX runs about $20K and a luxury Q5 runs over $40K.

A typical vehicles, or cost of ownership, is composed with the following expenses
1. acquisition cost - (interests, payments)
2. Insurance, title, inspections - Some states assess taxes base on the value of vehicle, where as some states treat them all the same.
3. Operating cost - fuel, repaires
4. Depreciation - when it comes to trade-in, or upgrades, some vehicle depreciates at an alarming rate in the early years and tapered off over time. Holding on to cars like these a bit longer may lessen the depreciation cost, but it also translate into higher repair costs.

For example:
2 CRV LX, and 2 Q5 for 5 years, 75K miles

1 & 4 (net costs)
CRV = $42K new, trade-in $22K, interests = 5K = $25K / 5K a year
Q5 = $86K new, trade-in $32K, interests = 10K = $64K / 13K a year

2 (tax, basis)
The difference is minimal, unless you're in the states where tax, fees are based on the value of vehicles

3 (operation cost)
Fuel costs - premium fuel costs more, but it also relates higher performance engine and lower fuel economy.
CRV = 26 mpg
Q5 = 23 mpg
@ 3.30 gallon/regular fuel, The CRV translates 2200 / 400 a year

Repairs? It's a very subjective measurement. Honda has been a reliable brand, German cars tends to have many small mechanical problems and expensive maintenance costs.

# # # #
The bottom line = if you have $10K extra of disposable income then having finer things in life is for you.

Product life cycle for cars and trucks

2011-12-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

In the early 80's, the Japanese car makers follows a typical 4 years cycle. Now, it's 5 years with a typical 3rd face-lift. The luxury vehicles have a even longer product life cycle of 6 years. The new vehicles were typically introduced in September, but it new models are coming to market through out the year.

Acura MDX 2011 (6 years) 2007
BMW 3-series 2006 (6 years) 2012
BMW X-5 1999-2006 (6.5 y), 2006-2013
Chevrolet Suburban 8th gen 1973 (19 years) 1992 (8 years) 2000 (7 years) 2007
Lexus LS 1989 (5 years) 1994 (6 years) 2000 (6 y) 2006
Honda Accord 82-85 (4y), 86-89 (4y), 90-93 (4y), 94-97 (4y), 98-02 (5 y), 03-07 (5y), 08-??

Inexpensive Printers - Price Drops

2011-12-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

Car chargers for usb devices

2011-11-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

I purchased a 12-volt USB charger. It seems to work ok with iPhone and iPod touch. But it didn't work with Blackberry phone. What's up? Isn't USB the same?

USB 2.0 - states 100mA to 500mA - when it is used to transmit data. The same up to 500mA USB bus port (notebook, desktop) charges iPhone OK, it also charges iPad and some other devices, but not all USB devices. Why?

The standard iPhone USB AC Power "brick" says
100-240V 50/60Hz 5V 1 A.

The iPad AC power block says
100-240V 50/60Hz 5.1V 2.1A

The Blackberry "power plug" says

100-240V 200mAh 50-60HZ 11-17 VA - Output: 5V-750mAh

Comcast and Time Warner cables -- over priced!

2011-11-06T19:20:00.001-08:00

The equipment costs are driving me away to Satellite service.

The typical 150 channel digital cable is about $15 over the Direct TV ($45 over $35) with contract.
The TWC wants $8 per month for 1 HD tuner, and Direct TV offers 1 HD-DVR and 3 HD tuners for free. Apple to apple comparison, TWC is charging $70 vs $35.

If I can get signal over nearby trees, I am going to switch over to DirectTV soon.

Mobile Phone selection

2011-11-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

Pantech Breeze II (Bob)
Phone for older people - There is only one left on the market - Pantech Breeze II. This phone has big buttons, big numbers - it means there is no need for reading glasses.

iPhone 3GS/4/4S (Josh)
The preferred phone for many people - the ease of use allow one to overlook many other short comings.

Sony Erricsion Xperia X10 (Cindy)
A powerful, well designed hardware, it just need a bit help with software

iPad 2
The oversize version of iPhone. - With the help of GoogleVoice, Skype etc, I can see this iPad2 with data plan can be a iPhone/mini-notebook replacement

Bexar County Property Tax Due Date

2011-10-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Property tax bill may be made in various schedule

Option 1 - full payment of current tax year
   Due January 31 of the following year

Option 2 - Split payment
   1st Half - Due November 30, of current year
   2nd Half - Due June 30, of the following year

Some seniors and specially qualified people may make payments quarterly
   1st January 31 of the following year
   2nd March 31 of the following year
   3rd May 31 of the following year
   4th July 31 of the following year

WiFi Booster Antenna

2011-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

How much signal gain do you get when replacing the original equipment with a "booster antenna"?

Who knows..

Here is a simple specification

Directionality Omni.Polarization Vertical
Frequency: 2400-2483 MHz
Gain: 7 dBi
Impedance: 50 Ohm.VSWR < 1.5 Average

So, is this only good for 2.4GHz wi-fi router

# # #

Frequency 2.412 ~ 2.484 GHz ISM band
Antenna 1 x 2dBi fixed dipole antenna

Frequency 2.412~2.484GHz band
Antenna 2 x 2dBi fixed dipole antennas
antenna 2 x 5dBi Dipole Antenna

# #
fixed dipole vs directionality omni polarization vertical?

Frequency 2.412 ~ 2.472 GHz
Antenna 3 x 4dBi fixed dipole antenna

One Removable 13dBi Directional Antenna
# # #

How do you place the directional antenna?

Travels - Houston to Mount Rushmore

2011-10-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Mount Rushmore, Keystone, SD

261 - 4:24 Houston, Dallas -

365 - 6:06 Dallas Wichita, KS

318 - 5:32 Wichita KS - Lexington, NE

389 - 6:43 Lexington, NE - Keystone, SD

=========

1333

276 - 4:50 keystone, sd - cheyenne, wy

708 - 12:19 cheyenne, wy - carlsbad caverns, NM

487 - 8:39 carlsbad cavern, dallas tx

261- 4:24 dallas - houston

=======

1732

Used Computers, Anyone

2011-10-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Everyone is falling in love with iPad. The computing speed of iPad isn't that much faster than an Intel xxxx CPU, why can't we use the iPad software, like OS on the old pc?

Phone Upgrade Selection - AT&T

2011-10-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Samsung Rugby(R) II - 5 hours talk-time. rough handling allowed

Sony Slider??

Motorola - Razor Flip Phone??

New Desktop Replacement - Selection via Reburb

2011-10-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

From Buy.COM

Most of these computers are designed for home computing, office like equipment are not listed here (Professional OS)

2011.November
$350 HP Pavilion P7-1054 Desktop PC, AMD Athlon II X4 645 Quad Core (3.1GHz), 6GB DDR3 Memory, 1TB (7200rpm) HDD, DVDRW, ATI Radeon 4200, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - Refurbished - Refurbished - HPQN628AAR $350 - PassMark rating - 3650

$350 HP P7-1026 Desktop AMD Phenom II x4 2.9ghz,6GB,1TB,Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - **Refurbished *PassMark Rating - 3730**

Construction Heavy Equipment Manufactures

2011-09-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

American
==========
Caterpillar,

Japanese
=========
Hitachi
Komatsu,

Korean
=========

European
============
Volvo

Windshield Wipers

2011-09-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Costco offers a pairs of wiper blades for $8.00 this week.

01-06 MDX          24/21 - rear19
09-10 Mazda6      24/18

03-09 RX        26/22 - rear ?
07-10 CRV           26/17

02-05 Altima         26/17

Backup "gas, diesel" power generator

2011-09-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

No matter how big the engine is, here are the ratings for two generaters

1. 2000 watts, 1 gallon tank 25% power (500 watts) = 9.5 hours
2. 6000 watts, 6.5 gallon tank 50% power (3000 watts) = 10 hours

What if noise is an issue
60 db? 80 db?
The cars idle at 40 db, the older cars at 50 db, 60 db? is it quiet?

# # # #

Let's normalize the rating:

For item 1, 6.5 gallons = 3,250 watts = 9.5 hours vs
For item 2, 6.5 gallons = 3,000 watts = 10 hours

For 500 watts- what can you do with 500 watts or 1000 watts,

2 x Ceiling Fan 75 watts, - high speed 6,000 cfm
4 x. Compaq light 25watts (100 watt) -
=========================
250 watts - a large room,

175 watts - tv 42" LCD
075 watts - dvd player
================
250 watts - 9 hours