Hi, I’m looking for a product that allows me to monitor my home’s electricity consumption. I’ve seen plenty of mini readers that allow you to see each appliance consumption, and I know I could be monitoring the meter the utility company has installed in my house. But honestly I do not understand those meters very much so I wonder if there is any other simpler solution out there?
Please when answering consider that I want to monitor my whole house consumption (mot just few appliances), and that I am aware that I may have to modify some of my current electric installation
you need to replicate the meter at your house exactly. This means adding new lines from the existing, to the new and from the new to your main breaker. It would most like sit just above your existing meter.
You have a contract that says the existing meter is the only meter that can be used for billing unless you can prove it is broken. To prove its broken you will have to set up an NIST traceable meter. NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology.
what you may need is just a simple monitor that can be read inside like this one http://www.powermeterstore.com/p3528/the_energy_detective.php
I was thinking about using a [url=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8278641&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat103700050018&id=1171058630195]sony portable reader system[/url] to consolidate all my textbooks I would need for college into digital format. I think it would be lovely to have all those heavy books condensed onto a small chip form instead of running back and forth to the car inbetween classes.
Anyone doing this while they're in college? How long does it take for college textbooks to become ebooks?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8278641&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat103700050018&id=1171058630195
Sony Portable reader
Sounds great. You would have to check what books you need for your classes and what editions of those books, but I wonder if you will find it cumbersome to read your assignments on your computer?
I just can't read things that are on a computer screen for longer than about 2 minutes. I was thinking about getting something like a Sony Reader but am wondering if I'll actually feel right sitting there and reading off one.
The e-Ink readers like the Sony Reader, Kindle and iLiad are not hard on the eyes the way a computer screen is–they don't project any light. (So you also can't read them in the dark.) They look very much like paper.
There's a half-second or so transition between pages that most people get used to very quickly, but if you think you might not, you should find a way to borrow or test one first.
You should also consider filetypes–not all readers read the same types of ebooks, so you'll need to think about where you'll be getting them from. If you mostly plan on buying them, check out online ebook stores to see what's available; if you plan on getting mostly free ebooks, you probably want something that reads PDF and epub, because those are very common formats. (None of the e-Ink readers are great with PDFs, but some are better than others.)
Unfortunately they are not free – you will need to buy a subscription to the particular magazine or newspaper that you are interested in.
However most newspapers range in the $10 per month mark (depending on the paper you want), and magazines are around $1.25 per month range (again depending on the magazine).
Obviously the benefit is that you can view them anywhere/anytime and that you don't have the paper version to clutter up your house.
I personally love the fact that I get it straight away now and they are very easy to read and find just the info you want on the Kindle.
Hope I've helped!
I have a PS2 with a broken reader, you know, that thing that reads the CDs, the light is on, but somehow isn't not working.
I also have a laptop that's a couple years old and it's got that closable lid and one day, the screen started flickering and then the picture went out. Other than the picture flickering and going out, all the other computer functions work just fine.
I would hate to think that I can't get a little something out of a combined $600 of stuff here. I had this idea of hopefully making some money by selling this stuff who can fix it up, make it work fine, and I can get something for it.
I'm currently asking maybe $100 to $150 to sell them both.
Let me know.
Your best bet would be to list it on eBay. Be honest about what is wrong with the items too.
The laptop has a burnt out backlight. If you are in anyway handy with a screwdriver and a soldering iron you can fix it for less that $20.
I made the mistake of looking here for pricing advice. I get it; this is not the place to ask that kind of question, so instead I'd like to know if you, the average reader, prefer an actual book to a digital copy.
For the record, I prefer an actual book.
Turning the page is half the point of an reading a book. Not really, but I think an actual book is better.
Gutenberg.com Releases “20 Reasons Why 2009 Will Be The Year of the Ebook”
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Diverse list of technology, popular culture, business, and investment reasons support broad expansion of ebooks into mainstream society. From new digital ink and plastic electronics technology, to letting go of the 500-year emotional attachment to books, each item in the list is described on www.Gutenberg.com. Authored by digital media author and pioneer Chris Andrews. Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) January 6, 2009 — Gutenberg.com (http://www.Gutenberg.com), a central Internet resource for the emerging ebook industry and ebook users, today released a list of 20 reasons why the ebook will dramatically expand its presence in business and society in 2009. Providing a comprehensive and colorful picture of the current and future state of ebooks, the list includes diverse technology, cultural, social, and investment reasons supporting the expansion of both ebooks (http://www.gutenberg.com) and ebook readers. Ebook readers are the new mobile devices specifically designed specifically to download and display ebooks. Popular ebook readers include the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader Digital Book, and iRex iLiad. Included in the list are technology reasons such as the advancement of a new plastic electronics industry, the use of digital ink technologies, and the fact that ebook readers use significantly less power than other mobile devices. The book is also compared CD’s, DVD’s, and VHS tapes, stating that the book is only a format – even though it has lasted over 500 years. Also in the list is the fact that ebooks are an instant Green technology. The challenging economy, Mr. Andrews predicts, will persuade additional companies and investors to look at the growing ebook area. The 20-item list with explanations is written by Chris Andrews, the publisher of Gutenberg.com. Mr. Andrews has a 25-year track record of spotting, writing about, producing, and launching new digital media technologies similar to ebooks. “When things happen these days, they happen very fast, suddenly a new technology is in our presence. That technology will be ebooks in 2009,” says Chris Andrews. “Our hope is that this list of 20 reasons leads to a broader discussion among ebook users, authors, publishers, and the ebook industry. My goal in writing this was to make sense of this fast-moving area, so a wide variety of people could understand it. Possibly to stimulate some new ideas, and get people thinking about how they might participate.” Gutenberg.com (http://www.gutenberg.com) is a central resource for the emerging ebook industry and ebook users. Currently containing articles about the companies and issues surrounding ebooks and ebook readers, Gutenberg.com will be expanding into a place to find ebooks and ebook resources. Other planned areas include a news section for the ebook industry, and a system for assisting ebook authors and publishers. Chris Andrews has played an important role in the introduction and acceptance of digital media into the mainstream, in particular digital books, music, and video. He is the author of the book, ‘The Education of a CD-ROM Publisher: An Insiders History of Electronic Publishing.’ First published in 1993, then again in 1998 with simultaneous hardcover, softcover and ebook editions, the book is available from the publisher, Information Today (http://www.infotoday.com/books/books/EduCDPub.shtml). More information about Chris Andrews can be found at ChrisAndrews.com (http://www.chrisandrews.com). |
And can you like rent books on it if you only wanna read a book one?
I meant :"a book once." not "a book one."
It varies. It's always cheaper than the paper & glue book. I've seen them in the $2 to $10 range. The Kindle price is on the page for every book that is on Kindle.
You need to be careful. There is a Nigerian ring that uses skimming or use of an electronic credit card reader to get your information and steal your ID. I don't give my credit card to the waiter or waitress anymore. I just make sure I have cash before I go.
Wickwire – Scary isn't it?
Thanks for the links Sandwich!!!
Thanks for the info. From now on I'll pay cash. I've always heard to never let your card out of your sight and at most places the transaction occurs where you can watch. I never thought about restaurants that takes your card away from where you are. Great tip:)
I'm so tired of the way the world is spinning out of control. I want to go back to the good 'ol days.
Description says:
"Eddie Tapp on Digital PhotographyThe second book in the series, Color Management, delves into a topic that has needlessly become a mystery to the growing ranks of experienced digital photographers: avid amateurs, serious students, and professionals moving from film to digital. With his easygoing yet authoritative style, Eddie Tapp explains how color management is a part of the overall photographic workflow. He shows readers exactly what they need to know and why they need to know it, and teaches the three stages of color managed workflow — including calibration versus profiling. Color management scientist Rick Lucas provides expertise on the hard-core technical aspects, and the book's appendix offers the newly released Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines (UPDIG). Other books on color management can be too long, involved and intimidating for average consumers.This absorbing book sets the right tone and supplies answers quickly."
Is it worth buying?
Or would it be wasted on me ?
You would be better off using the money to buy a monitor calibrating device (Spyder 3 or Huey) as a basic first step in calibrating your system.
These devices work by putting various colour swatches on the screen the device then reads the RGB values and compares them with the known values in a file, it then compiles and installs a monitor 'Profile' which means the monitor will display accurately the RGB values of every pixel in your image.
The problem with colour management is every device from camera, scanner, monitor and finally printer uses the RGB values in different ways in hardware.
For instance your monitor is emmiting light ( a bit like a projector) so positive colour mixing is taking place (R+G+B=White) whereas your prints are using reflected light and uses negative colour mixing (C+M+Y=Black) (your printer has a black cartridge as Cyan, Magenta and Yellow can't produce a pure black). The white is provided by the paper i.e. no ink is laid down. The exact opposite of your monitor.
Getting the 'Profiles' right for all devices when achieved means your system is WSIWYG and your prints will mimic the screen very closely. This ultimately makes printing easy and can save a fortune in inks and paper. More importantly it means that all the little 'tweaks' you do in Photoshop for colour balance and tones will be accurately replicated by your printer.
There are a lot of sites covering this subject on the web heres a good starting point;-
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-management1.htm
and a very humorous explanation of colour management here;-
http://www.colorwiki.com/wiki/The_Color_of_Toast
Colour management can be a bit like a dog chasing it's tail, but getting your monitor to accurately represent colour is the first step and, if you havn't already done it, you would be better spending your money in a hardware calibration device, trying to use your eyes for calibration doesn't work.
Sorry for 'bending your ear'
Chris
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