Scavenge Bliss

Coco Coir: The Ultimate Soil Alternative for Gardening

2023-05-08T14:17:00.003-07:00

As gardening becomes more popular among homeowners, indoor gardeners, and even those with limited outdoor space, the need for high-quality and low-maintenance soil alternatives has grown. One of the most promising and versatile soil alternatives on the market today is coco coir.

What is Coco Coir?

Coco coir is a natural, organic growing medium that is made from the fibers of coconut husks. The husks are first soaked in water, then the fibers are extracted and processed into a lightweight, fluffy substance that is ideal for gardening. Coco coir has a neutral pH level, which makes it an ideal alternative to traditional soil.

Benefits of Using Coco Coir

Excellent Drainage and Aeration: Coco coir has excellent drainage and aeration properties. This means that the roots of your plants will have access to more oxygen and nutrients, which will help them grow faster and healthier.
Retains Moisture: Coco coir can hold up to 10 times its weight in water. This means that your plants will have access to a steady supply of moisture, even in hot or dry conditions. The ability to retain moisture also means that you won't need to water your plants as frequently as you would with traditional soil.
Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly: Coco coir is made from a renewable resource and is biodegradable. This means that it is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional soil.
Pest and Disease Resistant: Coco coir is naturally pest and disease resistant. This means that your plants will be less susceptible to pests and diseases, which can save you time and money in the long run.

Best Uses for Coco Coir

Seed Starting: Coco coir is an excellent medium for starting seeds. It provides the perfect balance of moisture, nutrients, and oxygen that seeds need to germinate and grow.
Container Gardening: Coco coir is an excellent alternative to traditional soil for container gardening. Its ability to retain moisture means that you won't need to water your plants as frequently, which is especially important for those who live in hot or dry climates.
Hydroponics: Coco coir is also an excellent medium for hydroponics. Its excellent drainage and aeration properties make it an ideal choice for this type of gardening.
Soil Amendment: Coco coir can also be used as a soil amendment to improve the structure and water-holding capacity of traditional soil. Simply mix it with soil in a 1:1 ratio to improve drainage and aeration.

Conclusion

Coco coir is an excellent alternative to traditional soil for gardening. Its excellent drainage and aeration properties, ability to retain moisture, sustainability, pest and disease resistance, and versatility make it an ideal choice for all types of gardeners. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned gardener, give coco coir a try and see the benefits for yourself.

This is the best source that I can find so far - Mother Earth! Notice - this link is an affiliate link for amazon -

TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF

Green Energy...apparently for losers

2018-11-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Never trust anyone who claims "green energy" is the losing side of this battle...if it were Mitt's decision all these wind turbines in Iowa would be taken down...or put out of business because green energy is apparently for losers.

In 2011 about 18.8% of the states energy came from wind turbines. With about 4400 megawatt capacity only the largest state in the country has a larger wind energy output. This green energy movement has lead to about 5 billion dollars worth of investments in wind farms.

Thank you wiki for the quick reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Iowa

(CNN) -- Republican nominee Mitt Romney has frequently railed against efforts championed by President Barack Obama steering money to promote "green energy."

He continued that line of attack Wednesday night, decrying what he described as "$90 billion in breaks to the green energy world."

"These businesses, many of them have gone out of business -- I think about half of them -- of the ones that have been invested in have gone out of business," the former Massachusetts governor said.

So are Romney's assertions correct, both about the size of the "green energy" program and what happened to those companies that got money from it?

The Department of Energy proudly touts that the 2009 stimulus authorized $90 billion "in government investments and tax incentives to lay the foundation for the clean energy economy of our future."

Fact Check: Is Donald Trump a small business?

But not all that money has been spent, and not all of it -- in fact, not even half of it -- is being directed to upstart green businesses.

Part of 2009's much larger $787 billion stimulus package,this money went toward things like the weatherization of more than 770,000 homes and cleaning 688 square miles of land formerly used for Cold War-era nuclear testing.

Many individual companies did benefit directly. The government website that tracks stimulus spending lists 27,226 individual awards under the "Energy/Environment" section, totaling just shy of $34 billion.

The Department of Energy this June specified "33 clean energy projects" of a larger scale as part of its "loans program." Of those, financing had been "closed" on 20 of them. The intent was to promote new technologies and approaches, not necessarily old ones.

There are also other things such as high speed rail and smart meters -- which are listed elsewhere, under "Infrastructure," as part of the same overarching stimulus legislation. Accounting for things like that, a report from the Brookings Institution non-partisan think tank this April tabbed the total green stimulus spending at $51 billion.

Then, there's the matter of whether half of those companies that have gotten money "have gone out of business."

A few recipients of the government funds have hit hard times. The most well-known of them is solar panel maker Solyndra, which received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. Two years later, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Fact Check: Oil and natural gas production under Obama

Still, it is unclear where Romney got his figure that "half" those businesses are no longer operating.

The Energy Department cites several success stories like one of the world's largest wind farms in eastern Oregon, massive solar power plants in Arizona and grants to Ford to produce fuel-efficient cars.

In fact, of the 28 funded projects -- involving 23 companies -- listed in a 2012 congressional report, only four involve businesses that were either sold or are not in operation.

So In conclusion:

It is fair to say that the 2009 stimulus authorized $90 billion for green energy, as Romney asserted. Whether or not one terms these as "breaks" is subjective, and one shouldn't assume that all the funds went to specific businesses like Solyndra.

Most of the large projects that benefited from the Department of Energy loan program remain in operation -- contrary to Romney's assertion that "almost half" of them had closed.

Thank you Fact Check from CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/politics/fact-check-green-energy/index.html

CNN's Julie In and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

Apparently some of our potential world leaders struggle with arithmetic....

Backyard landscaping DIY style

2018-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Doing yard work is never fun, but it can be rewarding. With a few tools and some hard work you can get your yard space usable and livable. Sometimes you can watch too much of those home network shows and try and go crazy with design plans to over complicate something that should be straight forward and simple.

If you are like me, young dumb first time home owner, then you know that saving money is essential. When I bought this house it had a decent retaining wall...but it was not straight and it was not flat. Eventually I got sick of looking at the bad backyard landscaping and took on the project.

Here are some Pictures

Backyard Retaining Wall DIY

We straightened the wall and added some plants. Now it looks much better.

Iron Micro Structure

2017-12-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to your Iron Micro structure walk through...

First Step: Identify the Iron. It all starts with this little "slug"
Lets say that we are in a Laboratory and we happen upon a little piece of iron that looks like this...
How to identify?
-Normal circumstances would tell you what kind of iron it was with some sort of sample ID
EX 03222023222202 would tell us the sample was today at 1020PM and it is a ductile iron of the 2202 grade...which basically tells us the hardness range we are looking for.
However that is hardly enough...we must uncover more about this little slug.

Second Step: Hardness

If you are lucky your lab will have a camera used specifically for checking hardness.
Check for calibration...there should be a block around labeled with the correct measurement.

Intermediate Step:
POLISH that surface until it appears like a mirror and then give it an etch.

Step 4: Examine under the microscope

After a proper polish under 100X the surface should appear something like this....

The nodularity of the second photo is much better. So a good polish is key to a good sample.


Better polish...worse picture.

poor polish however nodules still present

Most Common Passive Beermoney apps

2017-05-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Extensive comparison for beermoney apps

Link to original post

A lot of people are starting to request a revamp of this post since there have been a lot of changes, and there are now quite a few additions to this list. In case you missed my previous posting of the passive apps comparison, you can check it out here, even though it's not really relevant anymore since this one is more up to date.

I will be making a very similar post as the previous one that will provide more information about these different passive video apps. I won't be telling you for certain where you should be putting your devices. Even though one app might pay more than the others, that doesn't necessarily mean you will read this post and think that you should be putting your devices on that app. They all have certain benefits than the others. Let's just begin :).

In this comparison, I will now be rating apps based on their referral systems. Even though I absolutely hate the general concept of referrals, I will still be including the info since a lot of people like referrals.

Perk

Perk is known as being the 'original passive app'. With the release of Perk TV, several people have been paid thousands of dollars for running ads on their devices. Even though Perk seems to be the most original and classic, is it really the best?

Pros of Perk

There are a lot of different apps you can run.
Lots of rewards options.
Quick payouts (Instant PayPal, Instant Perk Plastik)

Cons of Perk

PayPal (not instant) has massive fees.
Rules are very unclear.
Constant decrease in payouts.

Perk's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Referral Program	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cashout: $0.25 for Amazon Gift Cards. $5 for non instant PayPal, $0.50 for instant PayPal, $1 for Perk Plastik.

Referral Program: "Get up to 500 points for every qualified referral when they redeem for their first reward". This type of referral program is good for Perk because they don't have to pay out more over time like some other apps do. For the referring user, this isn't too great. It basically gives you a $0.50 boost when your referral redeems for their first time. If they redeem for a $5 amazon gift card, that's essentially a 10% commission, but the amount you make does not increase as they continue to cash out. $0.50 is the most you will ever earn from a referral on Perk.

Ease of Earning: The amount of passiveness totally depends on which perk app you are using. If you're watching ads on Unlock and Win or Rewards Reader, or something like that, you'll find it isn't really passive at all.. You'll watch a couple ads and then that's it and you'll have to tap again. Apps like Word Search, Perk TV, Perk TV LIVE, and Pop Quiz are all more passive and can run for much longer. From my experience, Perk TV LIVE runs the longest of all the Perk apps.

Reward Processing Speed: 1-3 days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for gift cards and non instant PayPal. Instant for Perk Plastik and instant PayPal.

Amount You Make: Despite my remarks above stating that Perk continually lowers Payouts, you can still make a fair amount with Perk. ~~Depending on the amount of devices you use, you can make anywhere up to $15 per day (burt don't go over $15 or the panda will bend over and shit on you).~~ I actually wanted to leave this bit in because I find it humurous, but also crazy just how inaccurate this is now. 10 months ago the fact that you could earn $15 a day is great. Now you could use the supposed maximum amount of devices on Perk and walk away with maybe a couple dollars a day. The average earnings per video is actually still quite accurate. Average per video: $0.0012.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

CheckPoints

Pros of CheckPoints

Helpful support.
Lots of reward options.
Low cashout minimum.
10 Devices per account.

Cons of CheckPoints

Low payouts as fuck
Paypal has fees, but at least they have paypal now!

CheckPoints' Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum cashout: $1 is the low minimum for Amazon gift cards. PayPal has a $5 PayPal.

Referrals: Checkpoints has a pretty cool referral system. They offer a 100% referral bonus for the first 2 weeks after your referrals sign up. That's pretty great because if your referral does a lot of earnings, you could earn quite a bit. The maximum is 7500, I believe. In the long run, that might end up making you less, but that bonus is still nice, especially since most of your referrals won't even be active after the second week.

Ease of Earning: 10 devices per account. What, is it a shittily 1 point per 6 videos now? Jesus that's bad, but the good news here is that Checkpoints is very passive. It runs well on the older devices, and you'll probably find it to run for quite a long time.

Reward Processing Speed: Sometimes your account will get 'flagged' for some reason... I get flagged about 1 in 10 cashouts I make with checkpoints, and I have to wait 1-3 days till I get paid (which is still quick). Some cashouts take quite a while to get sent more recently.

Amount you make: This is where Checkpoints loses a lot of its.. points. Checkpoints is known for having the lowest payouts. With one device running 24/7 you can expect to make less than ~~a dollar per day~~ (That was from the previous post. You'll probably make less than $0.50 a day per device at this point). It says there is a limit of 500 points per day per account. If this is true then you know you'r limit is less than $2 per day. Not very appetizing. Amount per video: it's hard to predict, but after considering that some of the videos are several minutes long, don't expect to make more than $0.0003 per video.

Overall rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Charger Pay Cake

I want to emphasize that as of posting time, nobody has been paid by cake, even though the month has gone by. I highly advise you do some research to see if they are paying out before jumping in yourself. I'm only adding this to the list because some people are still using it even though there's no payment proof.

Pros of ~~Charger Pay~~ Cake

Pays you even if there are no ads.

Cons of ~~Charger Pay~~ Cake

Takes a long time to receive payments.
Might not get paid?
Crashes often

Charger Pays' Cake's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $5. It's more than the competitors, but it's not as high as some other things found around /r/beermoney, but it's nothing amazing.

Referrals: There is no referral system. No big deal. I'm fine with it. It won't affect the overall rating of Cake.

Ease of Earning: App constantly stops working, and doesn't pay very much in the first place.

Reward Processing Speed: Ummm. Supposedly 1 month? Maybe you won't get paid though?

Amount You Make: This app does not pay very well. At all. If an ad pops up you will get 3-10 points. 100,000 points = $5. Do the math. You're making almost nothing. Even if there are no ads playing, you will make around 1 point per minute without an ad.

Overall Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

SBTV (All the Swagbucks Video Apps)

Pros of SBTV

Pays rather well.
Links with your Swagbucks Account, so while the videos should not be your primary earning source (anymore, at least), it does go into the mix of all your Swagbucks earnings.

Cons of SBTV

Strict Point Limits
Hardly passive now that the limits are so low.

SBTV's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $2 for Ebay, $5 for other gift cards. $25 for PayPal.

Referrals: Swagbucks has a general referral system where you earn 10% of your referral earnings. That's a pretty great referral system because if your referral earns $1000 with swagbucks, you'll make $100.

Ease of Earning: It's not hard to tap 'watch' and the app will just run for a while. It's easy to earn Swagbucks with the apps. The only thing that makes earning hard is that there is a limit of 10 SB per day per app. ($0.10). That's terrible. There is, however, a chance that you will get a bonus for the day and the limit for a certain app can be raised.

Reward Processing Speed: A very average pay time. They say up to a week. Some people say pay takes about that long. Others say it takes a matter of maybe a day or two at most.

Amount You Make: The average seems to be about $0.02 per 10-15 videos. So you should be making about $0.0013 per video. It doesn't really matter though because in theory the most you can make is $0.60 per day (though you will usually earn more).

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

YooLotto/YooRewards

Pros of YooLotto

A very simplistic video app.
Custom PayPal cash outs.
Low minimum.
Unlimited Devices.

Cons of YooLotto

Low payouts (Ad time to pay out ratio is incredibly low).
Takes a long time to get paid for some people.

YooLotto's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $1. They offer PayPal and gift cards. PayPal is custom, so if you make $11.32, you get paid $11.32.

Referrals: YooLotto has a pretty standard referral system... but it is a bit confusing. You'll make 10% of your referrals earnings, but it isn't permentant. For a lot of months now, it has been earn 10% through January of 2018. Hopefully they'll push it back to 2019 and so on once it gets closer, because as time goes on, you'll have reduced referral earnings if they don't change it. That's where it loses 1 star.

Ease of Earning: Earnings are really nice on this app.. If you can get ads. It can be totally hit or miss. Today there are nonstop ads playing one after another. Tomorrow you could get 'could not find ad'. In addition, even if there are a ton of ads, the app does seem to crash rather frequently, or the ads will stop playing eventually. I decided to leave this bit in since the last time I reviewed YooLotto. I'm actually leaving a lot of things up about YooLotto since there are a lot of changes, and I want to make these changes clear. Earning with YooLotto isn't difficult per se, but it has gotten a bit harder. The app still crashes, but they have made that a lot better so most people will claim it will run for quite a while (maybe 12-24 hours). The issue is that the app is still glitchy, and there is uncertainty when it comes to earning. It isn't a set payout, like $0.0001 per ad (if anything it is less than that). You could run the app for 40 minutes, see loads of ads, and then restart the app and notice your balance has not changed. Really the app does seem poorly coded (points wise), and with YooRewards coming out soon, I really hope they fix the issues... but from what I've seen in beta, the app is basically a copy and paste of YooLotto without the lottery/games. It makes me a bit sad that they aren't making additional changes, but the app has not been released yet. Depending on when you're reading this, YooRewards might be released, and it might be better than YooLotto, but for now it is the same.

Reward Processing Speed: ~~All of my Payments have been sent within 1 day. That's no instant payments, but that's pretty damn good.~~ YooLotto is probably a 2-3 day average, but I have waited as long as 5-10 days in more recent times.

Amount You Make: YooLotto pays you $0.01 per every 7 ads you watch. Amount per video: $0.0014. From time to time (like just last week they had a 50% bonus on your cash outs). In this case you'll make $0.0021 per video. The amount you make has to be reduced due to ad unavailability and the crashes. Oh my... how things have changed :(. YooLotto's rate per ads have become more unclear than the rules of Perk. Some people say you'll get paid 1 in every 30 ads you watch (which is painfully low). It makes sense that they will pay less for the static/banner ads, but I could swear I have seen 30 second video ads greater than 7 times in a row, and I restarted the app and I did not earn 1 YB. Really the reason they said they reduced it to begin with is because of the 15 second video ads and that they didn't get paid as much. I'm thinking that might be an excuse to a larger reason (greed). Despite the insane number of ads you have to watch before you get paid, YL doesn't have filler videos at all. All you will see is ads, or spinning circles looking for ads. This doesn't really benefit you, but it certainly does make YL more.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Rewardable TV

Pros of Rewardable TV

High payout per ad

Cons of Rewardable TV

$10 minimum.
Slow payouts.

Rewardable TV's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Minimum Cash Out: $10. It's a bit steep, but the app really makes up for it in other ways.

Referrals: "Give your friends a $0.50 bonus on their first task with your promo code. You'll get a 10% bonus of their earnings for 20 days. Everyone wins." Whew this is pretty bad. Only 10%... only 20 days? Jeez. The $0.50 bonus is good for the referral though.

Ease of Earning: You can really earn with ease with this app. The app runs for hours for most people, and the videos run great.

Reward Processing Speed: They used to take about a month to pay... now it looks like they're down to about 2 weeks. It's still shit.

Amount You Make: This is where the app really takes it and runs. You can expect to earn about $0.003 per video - the highest we have seen! Similarly to YooLotto, there are much less of the filler content. They do have some filler content, such as about 10 seconds of gifs after an ad, but the payouts are still very high, all things considered.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

MyPoints TV

Pros of MyPoints TV

Familiar to SBTV users

Cons of MyPoints TV

Very limited earnings

MyPoints TV's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You make	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: Before I say anything, I want to say that the information about this app is probably very inaccurate. Any comments correcting me would be greatly appreciated. I believe the minimum cash out is $5. Nothing special. Very average.

Referrals: The referral system is the same as Swagbucks (please correct me if this is wrong. I don't use MyPoints). 10% for life.

Ease of Earning: This app is just like SBTV. Almost the exact same. Earning is easy, but the daily limit is just as strict as SBTV's. You won't make very much per day with this.

Reward Processing Speed: I have never cashed out, so again, no experience. I'm guessing their processing speed is similar to swagbucks, so possibly 2-3 days. Please feel free to comment additional information.

Amount You make: The rates are probably the same as SBTV (above), but you are limited to $0.10 per day (I'm guessing that's what the conversion is). You won't make very much with this app.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

VideoLab

VideoLab is a passive earner found on OfferToro. You can complete Videolabs mobile, which can be found on the mobile version of the wall, or texted directly to you from the desktop wall.

Pros of VideoLab

Found on OfferToro on most GPT sites (can be completed on Mobile or Desktop)
Instant deposit into your balance.

Cons of VideoLab

Ad availability is inconsistent.
Only one device.

VideoLab's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	N/A
Referrals	N/A
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	N/A
Amount You make	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: The minimum cashout technically could be said to be $0.01ish, but the actual minimum cash out depends on the site/app you're completing this on.

Referrals: This depends on the site/app you're completing this on.

Ease of Earning: There is a huge inconsistency with this one. You'll probably have to fix it because something will stop working, but it is simple enough that you can tap to fetch the videos, and after 12 minutes you'll get credit.

Reward Processing Speed: N/A. Depends on the site you complete it on.

Amount You make: There are a few factors to consider here. It depends on 1) Where you complete the offer (different sites have different payouts), and 2) How many ads are available for you. 12 Minutes can take 12 minutes, or it can take 30 minutes if you run into a hole in the sites you can visit. I've found an average of 20 minutes for each completion. On average, I will get it to run (without requiring a total reset of the offer) for roughly 12-24 hours). As of the time of this post, the best site to complete this offer is on Earnhoney, with a high $0.01.4 payout per completion. If you want to do the math, completing this for 24 hours on earnhoney with a rate of 20 minutes for each, you'll be able to earn $1.008 each day on one device. That's pretty decent, but the downfall here is that you are limited to one device for this. I am pretty sure it is per IP address. If you start earning on another site or device, it will cancel the offer and take over on the new device. Nonetheless, VideoLab is a great use of one device if you have one laying around. I'll actually recommend you run it on mobile rather than on a computer because a computer has better options (in my opinion).

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Earnhoney/TVGlee

Pros of Earnhoney

Goes into your earnhoney.com balance.
High Payouts (in general).

Cons of Earnhoney

Ad availability is inconsistent, especially for mobile.

Earnhoney's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: The minimum cashout is $5 to Amazon or PayPal. This is average.

Referrals: 10% for life, unless you're lucky enough to get enough referrals to make 15% (you need thousands of referrals).

Ease of Earning: Videos will play between ads. After each ad you will earn an average of $0.003 (match of Rewardable). The issue with Earnhoney is that there are not as many ads available in comparison to most other apps. You could go hours without seeing a single ad, and you'll just be watching ~1 minute long videos for hours while making nothing (in my case I never get ads on TVGlee. I'm not even lying, I've never seen a single ad on that app). The bonus here is that the app runs for a long time.. just as long as you don't get stuck on a play button, which is probably going to happen eventually.

Reward Processing Speed: "Redemptions will be paid out on Mondays and Fridays. Submissions between Friday to Monday will be delivered on the following Friday. Submissions between Tuesday to Thursday will be delivered on the following Monday." Not impressive.

Amount You make: Everything depends on whether or not you're getting ads (obviously). The payouts are fairly high, but this app has a lot of variables.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

EngagemeTV

Pros of EngagemeTV

Found on Adscend on most GPT sites (can be completed on Mobile or Desktop, there is an app now).
Instant deposit into your balance.

Cons of EngagemeTV

Ad availability is inconsistent.

EnagemeTV's Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	N/A
Referrals	N/A
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	N/A
Amount You make	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Minimum Cash Out: N/A, depends on the site/app you're completing it on. If you're using the app you'll get paid for every 6 ads you watch (as of posting they have a promotion where you'll get paid for every video you watch, not ads, so the ad count doesn't matter. Depending on when you're reading this, the promotion is long over). If you're watching on the mobile site or desktop site, you'll get credited instantly after 3 ad views.

Referrals: N/A. Depends on the site/app you complete it on.

Ease of Earning: EngagemeTV has really come a long way. You'll get the app, mobile site, or desktop site to run for quite a long time without auto refresher. According to engagemeTV, they're actually starting to disallow the use of the autorefreshers becuause they have fixed their issues so much. Just because it will run for a long time, it does not necessarily mean you will earn a lot because there may not be any ads available.

Reward Processing Speed: N/A. Depends on the site/app you're using.

Amount You make: This depends on where you are completing the offer. As of posting, Earnably has the highest payouts for this, at ~$0.01 for each completion. On the mobile site/desktop site you'll earn $0.0033 for each ad you watch (a minute (average) between each ad). This is the highest payout for any site. On the app, you'll find slightly reduced earnings, at roughly $0.00165 for each ad you watch. This is still on the higher end, but there are much better alternatives if you're looking for high payouts. There are still some major advantages to using EngagemeTV.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

App Trailers

Pros of App Trailers

Instant PayPal (max $2 per day).
Instant deposits into Perk Balance (might be a con for some people).

Cons of App Trailers

"Are you still watching?" Frequently.
Payouts decrease over the day.

App Trailers' Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Referrals	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Amount You make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: Currently android there is not a full Perk integration, so there's still options to cash out on App Trailers, or move your points over to Perk. If you choose to cash out through app trailers, you can get PayPal or gift cards at $1 or $0.50, but might as well move the points over to Perk. You can use App Trailers to get instant PayPal with your perk balance.

Referrals: The referrals program is kinda double here. Once App Trailers switches over to become 100% perk, it is safe to assume that the referral program that app trailers has will go away and become the same one as Perk.

Ease of Earning: If you tap to watch a video playlist, you'll be able to watch passively for a short period of time. Generally less than an hour, depending on how fast you're able to go. This is technically passive, but really you'll have to babysit.

Reward Processing Speed: Same as Perk.

Amount You make: At first you'll probably rake in roughly 7 points per video you watch (prior to the videos you will have to watch ads, usually 2-3). Each video will probably take a couple minutes to get through. As time goes on you'll see the number decrease. Now it might be 7. In 30 minutes it might be 6.. Then 5, 4, 3.. and eventually you'll realize it is best to just put your phone on something else.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

AdFun

I wrote a pretty long post about Adfun here. I still agree with a lot of what I said.

Pros of AdFun

The app runs really great. I'd say if you check on it once every 24 hours, that will be enough.
At least they have amazon as a cashout option.

Cons of AdFun

Terrible Support
10-20 days to get paid
High $25 minimum
Amazon has fees
No PayPal

AdFun's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: The minimum is $25 for a gift card. It's less than impressive.

Referrals: Does Adfun have a referral system? I think there's a sign up bonus, but would love to find something on this.

Reward Processing Speed: 10-20 days.

Ease of Earning: The one good thing this app has going for it is how long it can run unattended. From my experience, the app will run without crashing or getting stuck on any x out ads for 12-24 hours. Depending on your device you could find it running longer than 24 hours, but it might be best to at least reset it every day.

Amount You Make: Each ad is 15-30 seconds long. Each ad pays out 8 tokens on channel 1. Average is about 22 seconds each. The video after the ad plays is 15 seconds long. After the video, there is a 5 second cooldown. Also factor in ~7 seconds for loading of each ad. That brings the total for 8 tokens to 49 seconds. You will be able to earn 5 tokens roughly 73 times an hour (365 an hour). To put this in perspective, your phone will have to run this app for 410 hours (17 days) in order to hit the $25 minimum. This is also considering that the app runs without pauses, and also assuming you get an ad each time. I'd say you will actually only get an ad around 20-40% of the time, so that's probably closer to 29 days. It's about 33.5 days if you want amazon.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Inbox Dollars

I put this at the bottom because I know least about it and the information here is pretty likely to be inaccurate. Hopefully not too many people made it this far down the list and got bored along the way. Since you are reading this, please realize that the information might not be 100% accurate. If you wish to correct my errors, please leave a comment. It's greatly appreciated.

Pros of Inbox Dollars

High payout per video

Cons of Inbox Dollars

No paypal (Check only).
$20 minimum
$0.50 per day limit
"Are you still watching?"

Inbox Dollars' Rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Referrals	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Earning	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You make	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: You'll have to reach $20 in order to redeem for a check. Not convenient at all.

Referrals: 10% of your referral earnings for life. Pretty good!

Ease of Earning: You'll have to do quite a bit of babysitting here. There are AYSW popups from time to time, and the app freezes quite a bit. Combine this with the $0.50/day limit and you'll find inbox dollars to be quite a hassle.

Reward Processing Speed: It must be slow if you're going to have to wait for a check in the mail. Even if they send the check the moment you request it, you'll have to wait probably 3-5 days until you actually see any money.

Amount You make: It looks like you'll earn $0.01 for every 5 videos you watch, so you'll make $0.002 for each video you watch. There are a few hidden bonuses in there, but the most you can make in a day is $0.50 from videos. To reach the minimum of $20, you'll have to earn for 40 days at the very least. That might not be too worth it IMO. Couple all this with AYSWs and you'll probably just want to skip Inbox Dollars.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Conclusion

There is no TL;DR for this post. Sorry. Feel free to read all 30702 characters this post is for the most information, or just read about the apps that you are interested in knowing more about.

Which app do I recommend for you? That's really a hard question to answer. If you prefer fast payments, go with one of the instant paying apps. If you like to get paid more, find one that pays a lot. Here's my recommendations based on the devices you have.

If you have a farm of just one phone: I recommend you use EngagemeTV or VideoLab. These both pay out decent amounts, but you're not limited to the power of your device. Most of the site you'll find EngagemeTV or VideoLab on will have other ways to earn, so even if you're making less than a dollar a day from your one phone, you'll still be able to just add that on top of your other earnings from the site.

If you have a farm of 2-5 phones: If you have a small farm, you might want to just put them all on one app. Maybe have all 5 devices running Perk, or some of the apps that have low minimum cash outs. You'll be able to reach the minimum eventually on 2-5 phones, but if you pick to run an app that has a high minimum, you might get tired of your small farm not earning enough and never even make enough to cash out.

If you have a farm of 6-10 phones: You might want to split your devices a bit. I'd pick two of your favorite apps to spread out a bit. Maybe you'll want to put all the phones on one thing so you're able to get a steady flow going. At this size of a farm, you might want to start looking to see what different apps have different device limits.

If you have a farm of 11-20 phones: You really will want to spread your phones out. At this point you should probably just look for the apps that will earn you the most regardless of the minimum cash outs. Your phones should be able to earn fast enough to reach even a $25 minimum quickly, but it would still be recommended you try different things.

If you have a farm of >20 phones: Try everything. You have enough phones to run every app on this list, and some of them on more than one device. If one app goes under, you'll be able to feel safe to know that you can rely on the others. The only apps that currently have "unlimited" devices are YooLotto(YooRewards) and Adfun (limit 1 account per device, one device per account. Gift tokens to use multiple devices).

I hope this guide was helpful. The now 31000+ characters or 5,800+ words I typed. This took me a very long time. I couldn't do too much proof reading, so please feel free to send me a PM if you have any edits I should do. I know there is quite a bit of uncertainty.

Paid Apps to Unlock Phone - Complete guide

2017-05-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the world of passive income. First on the list is a very comprehensive guide to the lock screen apps - Where should your lock screen be?

Link to Original Post by Fishering

Paid Unlock

Paid Unlock is a very generic lock screen app. There is really nothing unique about it, other than its terrible app design and confusing interface. Even the name of the app is unoriginal.

Pros of Paid Unlock

PayPal Payments

Cons of Paid Unlock

Earnings are not fixed.
Ugly lock screen.
Newly discovered app, slightly sketchy.

Paid Unlock's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $5 PayPal (500 digicoins).

Reward Processing Speed: I have not personally received a payment from this app. I have yet to see a payment proof. The rating for this is just a guess based on the reviews for this app. Many of the reviews are positive on the play store, and there aren't really any complaints of slow payments. We'll assume that they do send payments in a timely manner in this case. (If anyone has information to add about their payment times, please do comment).

Amount You Make: The one thing about this app that I hate is that the amount you make will actually differ over time. There is no set 'one point per unlock'. You'll get paid based on 'the revenue from the previous day'. You'll get digicoins added to your account after each unlock (the amount you gain will update each hour), but this amount is actually just an estimate. The actual total will be posted the following day. If I learned anything from instaGC, payouts that differ depending on ad revenue is a scary thing to have to bet on.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

I would recommend waiting on trying out this app. There's hardly any proof that it pays, and the app is sketchy from all corners.

SlideJoy

SlideJoy is quite possibly the most popular lock screen app on the play store having over a million downloads. Not only is it popular, it is a very clean lock screen with a pretty simple system of paying you. The app has aged quite well, possibly being the first paid lock screen app (after Locket).

Pros of SlideJoy

PayPal & Amazon Payments
Low $2 Minimum

Cons of SlideJoy

You have to wait almost a month to get your Carats (the currency in the app).
Lock Screen balances update once a day
Varying payouts

SlideJoy's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Minimum Cash Out: $2 PayPal or Amazon.

Reward Processing Speed: The reason this is just one star is because in order for you to get paid for your unlocks (or offers), you have to wait a very long time to be able to redeem.

Amount You Make: Similar to Paid Unlock (and a lot of the apps in this comparison), the amount you will make does differ from day to day. There is no set 'payout' for each unlock, and you won't get paid for every unlock to begin with. It can be estimated that with regular use on your main phone, you can probably earn anywhere from 5-25 cents per day with this app.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

If you don't mind waiting a while to get paid for your earnings, SlideJoy is a very great lockscreen app. It has a sleek design, is easy to use, and it is a very reliable app.

Perk Unlock

Pros of Perk Unlock

Part of Perk (this might be a con for some people).
Lots of different ways to cash out.
Pays for every swipe.

Cons of Perk Unlock

Only about 1 in 5 swipes are actually worth anything.

Perk Unlock's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: The minimum varies greatly depending on how you want to get paid. The overall minimum is $0.25 for an Amazon Gift Card.

Reward Processing Speed: The reward processing speed depends entirely on how you are getting paid. If you are redeeming for a gift card, you'll get paid within 3 days (redeem on sundays, tuesdays, and thursdays and you'll get paid the next day). If you have the instant PayPal option or Perk Plastik you'll get paid instantly.

Amount You Make: There is almost no limit to how much you can make with this app. You can unlock as many times as you would like, but the most you can make is $5 per day (5000 perk points). With natural unlocks, it should be really hard to reach this limit. I'll estimate that you can probably earn about 5-10 cents per day with natural usage (about 100-200 swipes per day).

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

If you're looking for a consistent earner, then you've come to the right place! The Perk Unlock app is very reliable in terms of earning rates, and it will make some casual and seemingly passive additions to your Perk balance.

Fronto

Fronto is another lock screen app that pays you to unlock your phone. Fronto is almost as old as SlideJoy, and it has plenty of payment proof all around. Fronto is quite possibly the best looking lock screen of all the options you are able to pick from.

Pros of Fronto

Fast Payments
PayPal and Amazon
Low $1 Minimum

Cons of Fronto

Points Delays
The most confusing points system I've seen in a while.

Fronto's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $1 Amazon or PayPal (3300ish points).

Reward Processing Speed: "under 24 hours". It sounds like people are getting paid really quickly with Fronto.

Amount You Make: The app says that you should be able to earn $20 per month. Realistically you'll probably make a lot less. Each unlock can be worth nothing, or pennies. They claim you can also get unlocks worth dollars, but that is kinda unheard of.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The one thing that really makes fronto stand out is the really low cashout minimum. Lock screen apps don't usually generate too much money, so having a low cashout makes it easier to get out of the app if you suddenly decide to uninstall.

Adme

Adme is probably the most inrustive lock screen all there is, but it might be the highest paying because of it. Adme is the only app that allows you to control what type of ads you see on your lock screen. If you just want a small content feed, you can do that and make $$, or you could get a popup ad along with the content feed and earn $$$$.

Pros of Adme

PayPal cash outs
Different types of ads to pick from.

Cons of Adme

High $10 minimum
No Amazon cash out.
Payments take a long time.

Adme's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $10. This minimum is actually pretty high considering the low amount of money you will make from unlocking your phone.

Reward Processing Speed: From the moment you request a payment, you will have to wait anywhere up to about 2 weeks (?) to receive the payment. That's a really long time, but they will tell you the exact date you will get paid, which is good.

Amount You Make: The amount you make depends on the types of ads you decide to see. The app doesn't pay you if you spam unlock your phone, so it is heavy on natural use like most lock screens. Your balance can take up to 24 hours or so to update.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Adme is a shady area for a lock screen app. If you don't mind having to go through x out ads to get into your phone, you could probably make a good buck from this app, but for the average/casual user, you'll probably find it annoying waiting to get to that $10 minimum.

Uento

Pros of Uento

Low $2.50 minimum
PayPal and Amazon
Play games for more points.

Cons of Uento

I have never seen lower payouts.

Uento's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $2.50 PayPal or Amazon (250 points).

Reward Processing Speed: They claim 'fast' payments, but I don't know exactly how fast that is. Until I can confirm a range, we'll give it an average rating.

Amount You Make: Uento actually just added their lockscreen section, and I'm hoping that means the payouts are going to go up as well. Each unlock will earn you roughly 0.03 points. (One point is one cent). That's $0.0003 for each unlock. If you unlock your phone 100 times in a day, you'll earn $0.003. Can someone please check this and confirm I am not crazy?

Overall Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Uento is not just a lock screen app. There's also app offers and games you can play. I actually spent about an hour one day tapping the coin. At the end of the day I earned about $0.03 for my taps. It was not worth the hour of tapping. It was a fun waste of time though. There are also low paying app download offers to try, but if you're looking for a nice lock screen, I'd recommend trying elsewhere.

Smores

Pros of Smores

Instant Payments
Custom Amazon Payouts
$1 Minimum
Guaranteed payouts

Cons of Smores

No PayPal

Smores' rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Minimum Cash Out: $1 to Amazon (100 points).

Reward Processing Speed: All rewards are paid instantly.

Amount You Make: Each day you unlock you will earn $0.10. It's an easy $0.70 a week, or a bit over $35 a year for having the lock screen. I gave this five stars because it is a guaranteed $0.10 a day payout. You don't have to worry about variables changing. You know exactly what you will get each day. Even if it might be a low daily payout, the answered questions really make this app appealing.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Smores is possibly the most consistent lock screen app. Not only are the payouts guaranteed, but they are also instant in any denomination you want.

Survey Cow

Pros of Survey Cow

Interactive lock screen surveys
PayPal

Cons of Survey Cow

High $10 minimum
No Amazon
Payouts vary a lot

Survey Cow's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: $10 PayPal

Reward Processing Speed: Payments are sent on Fridays. Redeem on thursdays and get paid the next day. The longest you should have to wait is one week. Average wait is 3.5 days.

Amount You Make: Your balance will only update once per day, so it is hard to calculate your earnings. The FAQ also states that your earnings will vary depending on the surveys answers you give and the responses they were looking for? The survey questions are generally not too specific so that's a bit confusing.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

WHAFF LOCKER

Pros of WHAFF LOCKER

PayPal and Amazon payments
High quality lock screen

Cons of WHAFF LOCKER

High... $10.5? Minimum

WHAFF LOCKER's rating

Specification	Rating (out of 5 stars)
Minimum Cash Out	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Reward Processing Speed	★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Amount You Make	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimum Cash Out: This is weird. While most apps will allow you to cash out for values like $1, $5, $10, $20.. etc, WHAFF requires that you earn $10.5 to cash out for most gift cards, or $11/11.5 for Amazon or PayPal. It's weird.

Reward Processing Speed: "Payouts are made within 3 days excluding weekends".

Amount You Make: WHAFF lock screen is pretty decent. It is one of the few apps where the lockscreen rewards are more or less guaranteed. Every once in a while you'll turn on your phone and notice that it says '$0.02'. That particular unlock will earn you $0.02. The earnings from the lock are given to you immediately.

Overall Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

If you're looking for a clean lock screen, I really highly recommend WHAFF LOCKER. The payouts are high if you get a paid lock screen and WHAFF has been paying for a long time.

Conclusion

Like I said before. I don't recommend you use all of these lock screens on your main phone. I recommend picking one, or maybe even two if you don't mind that additional barrier, but more than that and it might become a struggle, especially if you're just trying to get into your phone to send a quick text message. Of course, I know that there will be people here with different motivations/drives to use each app, so I'll try and make some recommendations.

If you're using lock screen apps on a beermoney phone...

If it is a beermoney phone just for lock screens, download all of them. Why not?

If ti is a phone that you're looking to use for passive earnings, I recommend you download Smores. You'll make $0.70 a week as a simple bonus. It doesn't really matter how many times you unlock each day (as long as it is at least 1). The only warning is that you probably don't want to do this on too many phones. They have been known to get upset when people use farm phones for this.

If you're an avid perk user...

Without a doubt you should consider using Perk Unlock. The thing that's really nice about it is that it does help you add to your perk balance, and it gives you balance updates on your account as well. It's actually a decent lock screen.

If you're just looking to make the most money possible from a single lock screen...

I recommend you try out Adme, WHAFF LOCKER, or SlideJoy. Adme probably has the highest payouts if you choose to use the 'annoying mode', but the other two also seem to be top paying.

If you don't care about how much you make and just want a good looking lock screen...

Uento, Smores, SlideJoy, and Fronto all have pretty fancy lock screens with some cool functionality. They aren't as clunky as some of the others.

If you just want to get paid quickly...

Go with Perk Unlock (if you have instant PayPal as an option or Perk Plastik), Fronto also has been said to have very quick payments. Smores also will offer instant custom payments via Amazon Gift Cards.

If you want a low minimum...

Perk Unlock ($0.25), Smores ($1), Fronto ($1).

That should just about cover it! I'm just about at the 17,000 characters mark, so I guess I'll be done now. Please comment if you have any questions, edits, suggestions, or if you want me to make another comparison of something!

Gray Iron

2017-05-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Grey Iron has a few major differences than ductile

First the chemistry
gray iron has more of the following elements
-manganese
-Sulfur (bonded with pyrite)
-Silicon
-Chrome

Grey Iron

...hmmm
Less Carbon
....and
a dash of titanium

Polished up it looks like this

In a foundry gray iron gets poured much faster than the ductile iron because it can be melted faster and it needs less additions before it gets poured into a cast

As you can clearly see there are no nodules present. The addition of magnesium right before the iron gets poured forces the iron to form into nodules. This makes the iron much stronger in tensile and hardness aspects.
Gray iron is much better for absorbing and redistributing heat...so it still has plenty of uses.

Geology: What is a Silicate part 1 - Tetrahedron and Nesosilicates

2017-04-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

What is a Silicate Part 1 Nesosilicates and a definition of Tetrahedrons...

This is a very simple image of a tetrahedron

Silicates make up the largest and most important rock group. Silicates are approximately 90 percent of the earths crust and they are generally classified by their structure. Silicates are most easily characterized as a crystal matrix built with silicon and oxygen.

There are many types of Silicates

Nesosilicates or Orthosilicates - these silicates are the most simple, they are made up of tetrahedrons that are connected only by the atomic pull of a cation.

Olivines, Garnets, Zircon and even a curious metamorphic mineral called kyanite

The chemical constituents of a simple tetrahedron is SiO4 ...meaning there are a total of five molecules. Four oxygen molecules make the triangular prism with the little silicon molecule sitting in the middle.

This is a more detailed image of what a tetrahedron really looks like with the molecules shown.

Skylights for lower energy use

2015-12-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Daylighting - The practice of letting natural light into a building to reduce energy costs

What it is all about:

Windows and skylights are used to illuminate a home or office to reduce use of light bulbs and lower overall energy consumption.

When you combined energy efficient windows with a proper design, the use of artificial lighting will be reduced during the daytime hours without needed to use more energy heating/cooling the space.

How to implement:

South facing windows are best for day light and maintaining a comfortable temperature throughout the different seasons. The south facing windows will let plenty of light into he home during winter without letting in direct light in the summer. North windows are also and okay option for day light, but east and west will let in too much direct light. The east and west windows are necessary for cross ventilation however.

Does it work:

Of course! When a building maximizes its natural light while keeping seasonal temperature change to a minimum without using energy it is always a win. If you need more plenty studies have been conducted about humans and work productivity in a naturally lit environment. Humans thrive in natural light.

Terms to be familiar with:

Tubular Daylighting Device (Tubular Skylight): Something like a compound skylight. A tubular model will use mirrors and lenses to spread light within a building.

Lighting Power Density: a means to measure the electrical lighting installed in a building with a mathematical formula.

Indirect Lighting: Lighting that is a result from reflection...like some of the light from a tubular skylight.

Building Envelope: The external boundary of a building. Walls, entrances, windows, and roofs.

Take Some Time to Enjoy Nature

2015-05-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Another great picture from my adventures in Wyoming. Everyday was pretty much the same, bright hot sun with a cool breeze. Walking around nature like this put me at peace...after a few days out here without the hustle of current technology a calming peacefulness replaced anxiety and I could not help but enjoy myself.
I like to take a bunch of these mountain pictures and set them as my desktop background at work to help me feel like I am not stuck in a cage.

Mountain Landscape

New type of atomic bond confirmed - vibrational bond

2015-01-28T17:45:00.001-08:00

This is a total mind blow. Most armature scientists know of the main types of bonds, and most of us agree things happen faster when everything is hotter. Well scientists working on a atomic accelerator noticed something a bit strange.

What does this mean in the real world? No idea but I could lead to further findings and maybe the secret to the speed of light.

Read the whole story here http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chemists-confirm-the-existence-of-new-type-of-bond/

Chemistry has many laws, one of which is that the rate of a reaction speeds up as temperature rises. So, in 1989, when chemists experimenting at a nuclear accelerator in Vancouver observed that a reaction between bromine and muonium—a hydrogen isotope—slowed down when they increased the temperature, they were flummoxed.

Donald Fleming, a University of British Columbia chemist involved with the experiment, thought that perhaps as bromine and muonium co-mingled, they formed an intermediate structure held together by a “vibrational” bond—a bond that other chemists had posed as a theoretical possibility earlier that decade. In this scenario, the lightweight muonium atom would move rapidly between two heavy bromine atoms, “like a Ping Pong ball bouncing between two bowling balls,” Fleming says. The oscillating atom would briefly hold the two bromine atoms together and reduce the overall energy, and therefore speed, of the reaction. (

The world economy doesn't need us anymore

2015-01-20T18:54:00.001-08:00

Just read this on reddit. Our economy doesn't need us anymore. This article explains how technology will save us all in the long run, but right now technology is killing us all slowly...the rich will continue to get rich and everyone will be left behind in this void space. I suggest you invest in solar panels and learn how to grow food for yourself as soon as possible.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-real-problem-with-the-economy-is-that-it-doesnt-need-you-anymore-2009-9

Roughly speaking the world's economy has always worked as a giant pass-along-game between the planet’s citizens. Person A needed stuff from person B and person B needed stuff from person C and person C needed stuff from person A. So everyone needed everybody. It has been a kind of giant circle of needs.

But as a smaller and smaller number of people are needed to make the basic things that people need for survival, from food to energy, to clothing and housing, the less likely it is that some people will be needed at all.

When you read in the press the oft-quoted concept that “those jobs aren’t coming back” this “reduction of need” is what underlies all of it. Technology has reduced the need for labor. And the labor that *is* needed can’t be done in more developed nations because there are people elsewhere who will happily provide that labor less expensively.

Grand Tetons Mountains | Beautiful landscape

2015-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Grand Tetons

This day was amazing! It was a littile cold, but the view totally made up for any discomfort. A few of us even managed to do a little fly fishing in this area. Not much was caught though ....one thing to remember when fly fishing is to try and see what color/shape the bugs are around you.
There is not reason you can't take a few minutes out of your day to take in the beautiful landscape. If this image doesn't help you find peace don't know what will. Please enjoy and dont forget to set something beautiful as the background to your computer. It will make you feel better while you are working!

Genetically Modified | the future of the world

2015-01-14T20:05:00.001-08:00

Genetically Modified

Thousands of researchers will descend on Boston this fall for an event billed as the world’s largest gathering of synthetic biologists. The field is evolving so rapidly that even scientists working in it don't agree on a definition, but at its core synthetic biology involves bringing engineering principles to biotechnology. It’s an approach meant, ultimately, to make it easier for scientists to design, test, and build living parts and systems—even entire genomes.

If genetic sequencing is about reading DNA, and genetic engineering as we know it is about copying, cutting and pasting it, synthetic biology is about writing and programming new DNA with two main goals: create genetic machines from scratch and gain new insights about how life works.

In Boston, scientists and students will showcase so called “synbio” projects developed over the summer, including systems ranging from new takes on natural wonders, like the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to a useful form (nitrogen fixation), to newly imagined functions, like an odorless E. coli cell meant to crank out a lemony, edible “wonder protein” containing essential amino acids.

Life is a struggle | Embrace nature

2014-09-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here is another beautiful shot from my adventure out to Wyoming to finish my degree of geology and earth science. Life can be hard sometimes, I feel it helps to take a moment and imagine yourself here at this spot and try to imagine what you feel. The ripples of the water as a breeze picks up, the sounds of the bugs skimming the water that sort of thing.

Things I scavenge

2014-09-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Recycled Copper

One thing I really enjoy recycling is any sort of scrap copper I can find. Currently I have only a few pounds hand scrapped. I met with an associate who took me to his old family farm....there I found a whole lot of scrap wire. I have most of it collected but the winter weather has made it very hard.
But remember, there is all sorts of things that can be scavenged from the area and recycled. Just because you do not get rewarded with money does not mean the material should not be recycled.
A very important thing to recycle is old electronics...the little pieces can be reused to make newer electronics.

Recycled Copper

Scrapping metals is a good way to make some additional income but remember to be careful and smart when scavenging. Stealing is never the way to make a quick buck and it never pays. Also getting yourself electrocuted is another potential hazard when scavenging a little too hard.

Life moves fast - check out nature

2014-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Another opportunity to slow your life down for just a little bit and enjoy the experience of nature. Here is another beautiful landscape taken by myself when I was out in the wilderness. I was not happy to be in Wyoming for the first few days, but it certainly grew on me the more I allowed myself to let go and live in the moment.

Please take a few minutes to visualize yourself here, feel the cool wind and the hot sun on your face.

Beautiful Mountain Landscape

2014-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing like taking a minute out of your busy life to look at a beautiful mountain landscape. You could almost imagine yourself right there hiking along and turning around to see this behind you.

The sun is hot on your skin, but there is a breeze that cools the sweat and you take in a deep breath of that fresh, clean air and you feel at peace.

Wyoming Mountains

Mountain Landscape Enjoy Nature

2014-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken when I was finishing my degree for Geology and Earth Science. I was out in the middle of no where in Wyoming with about 30 other students. Most of the time during our day the work was to walk around landscapes like this and take notes. It was quite pleasant most days.

The Mountains of Wyoming

The Moon is Alive

2014-08-12T02:07:00.001-07:00

Interior of the Moon

Okay so how 'alive' can any celestial body really be? I don't know how you would define an alive planet but
our Earth is certainly alive and one of the main reasons is because it still has an active core. The moon also still has an active core! The moon is not a cold chuck of rock floating around the earth. There is still an internal layer of the moon that generates heat due to gravitational forces.
How can scientists possibly know that?
Definitely....how can you really know anything?
Well since we can't really get a drill on the moon and put a thermometer into the core we can only use data we can measure and perceive. This means measuring the different deformations other gravitation fields have on a particular celestial body...the physics gets pretty intense pretty fast so suffice to say we can measure subtle changes in the shape of the moon as it rotates around the Earth.
This change scientists can measure is called a tide...the phenomenon on earth we generally refer to as oceanic tides. The gravitational forces between the sun and the moon are so powerful we can easy see the water displaced in our oceans.

As the moon deforms its inner layers transform some of that energy into heat. That heat maintains the soft layer within the moon. The softer the layer the easier it is for the moon to transfer energy into heat....see the cycle?

Simple ways to become a smarter consumer

2014-08-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to be a smarter consumer and why do you care?

Reduce Reuse Recycle

First of all being a smarter consumer means you pay attention to the things you buy in an attempt to reduce waste and help lower the carbon footprint of the population. Lofty goal I know, but if we all do a few simple things being a smarter consumer is not hard at all.
Pay attention to all the disposable things you buy and really try to limit their use. Yes it is much easier to just throw away paper plates and napkins...but watch as your garbage fills and fills. Lucky for you there is a system in place that will remove that garbage every week. Try to imagine the heaps that would accumulate if all you ever used were simple throw away things like plates and silverware.
Pay attention to single use and over packaged items. This one is a little more difficult because you will have to make some sacrifices. This sort of thing means not buying the pre-cut vegetables and fruit at the grocery store. Stop paying for convenience and start paying attention to the amount of packaging you throw away. It really is not hard to cut your own vegetables or fruit.
Here is a list of a bunch of stuff you can live without...I promise:

Paper Billing: I don't know about you but I used to get 20 envelopes a month for bills that I already have automatically scheduled to pay. Take 5 minutes out of your super busy life and sign up for electronic billing. Some companies even offer rewards for signing up!

Land Fill Full of Disposables

Anything disposable: cups, plates, forks, knives, napkins, diapers, razors - do yourself a favor and invest in some decent quality stuff that can be reused again and again. This stuff is really not worth the use in the long run, don't be lazy because you don't want to do dishes...be a grown up and care about stuff.

Tin Foil: I know its easy just to grab some tin foil...wrap up that pizza and go, but that is an obvious waste we can live without. Invest in some good glass/plastic containers instead.

Non-Reusable Batteries: obviously you use them and throw them away...unfortunately these can be considered hazardous waste - try and use rechargeable ones instead.

Bottled water - bottled anything: If you are not going to recycle the plastic water bottle because it is a pain...then please please please use your own water bottle and fill up at drinking fountains.

Cutting out a few of these things will make a difference.

What does Photovoltaic mean and why is it useful

2014-08-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. Some materials
exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect that causes them to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured, an electric current results that can be used as electricity.

The photoelectric effect was first noted by a French physicist, Edmund Bequerel, in 1839, who found that certain materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed to light. In 1905, Albert Einstein described the nature of light and the photoelectric effect on which photovoltaic technology is based, for which he later won a Nobel prize in physics. The first photovoltaic module was built by Bell Laboratories in 1954. It was billed as a solar battery and was mostly just a curiosity as it was too expensive to gain widespread use. In the 1960s, the space industry began to make the first serious use of the technology to provide power aboard spacecraft. Through the space programs, the technology advanced, its reliability was established, and the cost began to decline. During the energy crisis in the 1970s, photovoltaic technology gained recognition as a source of power for non-space applications.

Thanks to NASA for putting it so well...you can find the rest if you would like to follow the link.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/solarcells/
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/solar-power/photo-voltaics/

Tanzanite - Azotic Coating and D - Block Origin

2014-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

The D Block term was used because the best tanzanite supposedly came from that dig.
Actually, wherever they hit the seam, they got great material. I can remember when the smallest piece I could get was over 10 cts., with trays of 20 ct. + material, huge rounds looking like acorns with the deep pavilions they cut them in. The costs then would still easily give you your keystone profit now, despite a 20% drop in value from its highest price.
Azotic coating will give you greater color saturation at the edges than the center, opposite what an untreated gem does.
Under a microscope, put the gem in the cut off bottom of a dixie cup with water just up to the girdle. The difference from eye-balling it will be stunning.
The "blue-green tanzanite, untreated" piece I tested was colorless, table down in the water. I turned it over and the color showed only on the facets above the girdle and the table was still colorless.
If you see any tubules of color filling inclusions, it has been lattice diffused. This process can take colorless rough and subject it to enough heat and pressure that introducing gaseous metals causes the rough to take on color. Crap material to gem material in the lab. A flood of no reserve bids, consistent color saturation and larger gems on e-bay from vendors who are power sellers you never heard of before is a dead give away. That's the deal with all this blue-green tanzanite; cheap because a lab used azotic coating to get color where there was none.
1 ct., emerald cut, VS and $9.99 to open and there's so much, mine was the only bid.
Please. Chinese vendors have pages of something the knowledgeable know was hard to come by and never cheap, but it sells and degrades the industry with every false sale of "untreated" gems.
Some of the faux material was even touted as "D block" origin. Insult to injury.

It sounds like the standard immersion cell examination will reveal that classic color saturation near the facet junctions. I have not seen any lattice diffused goods yet (other than in the GIA NYC LAB), but I know they are out there in quantity. Hope the immersion exam will show that as well...

some coated stones will show a weird iridescence across the PAVILION when you rock/roll it under a light source -- especially some of the coated beryl/topaz/quartz materials, but also when examining stones such as fancy-color DIAMOND. Some it shows up better in diffused light, but some find it easier to see when viewed under more focused light, moving the light around the surface of the stone.

Vermicomposting - a better way to compost

2014-07-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

The practice of using worms while composting to help break down material into a richer soil

Earthworms can eat their own weight in organic matter ever day

What it is all about:

While organic waste can be composted year round you will find many home owners do now want to take a trip outside in the middle of winter. Also there are plenty of home owners who do now want a large bin full of decaying matter on their property in the first place.

I had a wicked batch rotting in a 5 gallon bucket that I would leave outside...unfortunately I had to move before I could try it out but I will be trying again for the spring time.

Worms have been the recyclers of dirt since soil was soil. Their populations can double each month which is good because they have to do all the tunneling and digesting.

Using an earth worm bin could be your choice for keeping organic rich soil inside without all the stench and icky bugs.

The Process:

Be warned...dealing with rotting material is quite disgusting and not for the weak of heart. These worms will eat and digest and eat and digest food scraps until the material looks like dirt and is full of worms. Once the material passes through the worm it becomes saturated with nutrients and is referred to as 'casting'. These 'castings' or worm manure is the nutrient rich 'vermicompost' that plants love. Use this worm soil as a mulch or a mix with regular soil.

Is it worth it?

Depends....if you are already into composting and would like to speed up the process then vermicomposting would be extremely valuable to you. Worms digest plant material much faster than traditional composting.

Traditional composting can take weeks or even months if the conditions are poor.

Another advantage of vermicomposting is the time release capabilities of the castings. The worm castings have a mucous coating which takes time to break down.

Casting contain:

5X more nitrogen

7X more phosphorus

11X more potassium

than plant soil

(The three main ingredients that help plants grow)

From Forest to Coal a geologists tale

2014-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Stages of Coal

The fossil fuel that we still use today known as "coal" was not always a black rock. In fact coal begins its adventure way back when there were massive forests and giant dinosaurs roaming pangea.

Anthracite

Stages of Coal

As you can see from the diagrams coal starts off as a lush forest or a swamp land. The trees die and land on top of one another beginning a thick layer of mushy carbon rich soil. The process begins when that original mushy layer of carbon rich material gets covered by another layer of sediment....sand or potentially a clay rich layer from the incoming and outgoing sea transgressions.

The carbon rich layer begins to compact and lose moisture. The coal goes through four main stages as it loses moisture and other trace material.

The most primal form is still mushy and loose. this is called peat, then to lignite, bitumen (or bituminous coal) and finally anthracite.