Jay Gaulard Blog

Eco Home Makeover by Sam’s Club

Monday, March 31st, 2008

For some reason, I am getting a magazine from Sam’s Club. Perhaps it is because we used to be members of the store. A few months ago, we stopped going because we just couldn’t take another bite of their food. Not that it was bad, but let’s just say there wasn’t too much variety.

Back to getting their magazine. Anyway, as I was tossing it into my recycling bin this afternoon, I noticed a big full page ad that read, “Eco Home Makeover.” I saw a picture of a wind turbine as well as solar panels on a roof. It also had a price in large print - $44,000.

Needless to say, I was a little intrigued. Apparently, Sam’s Club is now offering energy efficient home services. Here is what you get for the $44,000:

- One week vacation while your home is being “greened”
- Solar panels
- Wind turbine
- Internet monitoring
- Energy Star appliances for kitchen and laundry
- New Energy Star lighting throughout house (CFLs)
- A housewarming party upon your return home
- PBS will cover the renovation

I’m sure there will be some opinion out there about this, but that doesn’t seem bad to me at all. At least a big retailer is doing something like this. Also, it’s good that this kind of stuff is put right in front of the faces of Sam’s Club shoppers. Sometimes it needs to be put right in front of some people’s faces, if you know what I mean.

They claim that this makeover will be able to provide energy to a 3,000 - 4,000 square foot house. That’s not bad at all.

Installing WordPress 2.5 - Don’t Forget

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

This is just a quick note to all you WordPressers out there letting you know what WordPress 2.5 has been released and is ready for business.

I installed the upgrade this morning. I would say it took about 4 minutes to complete. The WordPress people really have the process down to a few small things. Basically, if you already have a recent version, you just need to upload some new files over the old. I’m sure that each upgrade adds some new ones too.

In WordPress 2.5, the look and functionality of the admin section are quite different from the previous version. It seems more intuitive, but still, it’s going to take some time to get used to. The front-end had no issues.

This is a sample of the new back-end…

I have so say, there are about a ton and a half of new features to play with. Just uploading that last image took some getting used to. There are soooo many things…

Resize Your Pictures Online

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

I know, for a fact, there is one tool out there that TONS of people need. The reason why so many people need this tool is because so many people are getting into online photo sharing, blogs, websites…

We have a lot of support requests that deal with photo resizing. People can’t upload their photos into our system because they are too large. That is a tough thing to deal with, because many people just don’t understand the many differences and variations of digital images.

Well folks, have I got a tool for you. This tool allows you to resize your photos online. Well, that is “shrink” them online. As I always say, you can’t make a photo bigger (while retaining the same quality), but you sure can shrink it.

So, next time you are trying to put a huge picture into your blog post and are wondering what the heck to do with it, visit this handy tool and shrink it to just the right size.

I Keep Forgetting My Reusable Shopping Bags

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

I just got back from our very expensive local grocery store. I just wanted to share a little story.

I had to pick up a few things. I am going to surprise Laura tonight with nice portobello mushrooms on focaccia bread. It’s going to be sooo nice.

I usually don’t go shopping this late on a Saturday and now I know why. All the freaks are out. The store was full of local yocals. I thought I was going to get sick while walking by a small cluster of rednecks that stunk like cigarette smoke. Yeah, have another…you just keep looking better and better, folks. They were talkin’ it up though, so at least they were having fun. Anyway, I just did my shopping with my nose in the air, like I normally do.

After I checked out and was walking through the exit, I noticed this lady following me. I was sure she was one of them, so I looked behind me to give her my, “I am different than you so stay the hell away from me, stare.” Well, right as I turned around, she says, “I’m impressed!!!” At first, I thought she was talking about my butt. If that was the case, I would have to agree. It ends up that she was talking about my reusable bags. I didn’t forget them at home this time. I instantly turned my scowl into a big smile. I was so happy that there was someone else out there in this little town who gave a damn. I could tell she had a brain. We chatted for a bit about how I usually forget the bags and how she does too. I giggled and she laughed. Then, we parted ways and I thought about how I wanted to write about this during the whole ride home. So here I am, writing about it.

You see, there is a silver lining in a lot of things out there. This time, it just ended up in my reusable bags.

Good bye.

Biodiesel, Photoshop, ZeroHouse and Earth Hour

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

First Algae Biodiesel Plant Goes Online April 1, 2008

PetroSun has announced it will begin operation of its commercial algae-to-biofuels facility next month. The facility will produce an estimated 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and 110 million lbs. of biomass per year off a series of saltwater ponds spanning 1,100 acres.

80 Excellent Adobe Photoshop Video Tutorials

80 excellent Adobe Photoshop video tutorials which you can use as a starting point to improve your skills or observe how other professional do their job. This posts present Photoshop video tutorials about speed painting, design of buttons and interfaces, beauty retouching, digital matte painting, photo manipulation, effects and much more.

ZeroHouse: Automatically Generates Power, Collects Own Water

This completely self-sustaining prefabricated house generates its own power, collects its own water, processes its own waste and is 100% automatic. Versatile, durable and site-sensitive, ZeroHouse can be erected in almost any location in one day with steel frame components and a helical-anchor foundation system that requires no excavation.

Canada Goes Nutso Over Earth Hour

For some reason the entire country has gone a bit crazy over Earth Hour. Earlier this week more people had signed up for it online in Canada than in the entire United States, with ten times the population. The US has slipped ahead by a few thousand right now, but in Canada one in 606 citizens is on board; in the US it is one in 5,347.

Solar Thermal Electricity: Can it Replace Coal, Oil & Gas?

Some people are starting to believe that Solar Thermal Technology can supply over 90% of grid power, while reducing carbon emissions. High-efficiency is achieved because solar thermal plants do not need to convert energy to another form in order to store it. The future certainly looks bright for solar thermal technology!

Collard Greens - What the???

Friday, March 28th, 2008

I don’t live in the South, so Collard Greens really haven’t been part of my diet…ever. I remember back when my friend Rob and I lived in Atlanta, GA, we tried Okra a few times. Boy, I’ll tell ya, we felt like true Southerners. All of the sudden, we both had a Southern drawl. Just kidding.

I was making a nice vegetarian recipe the other night that called for Collard Greens. Honestly, I didn’t even know what they were. I went to the store and asked the produce guy where they were and he pointed me towards a big pile of leaves that looked kind of like Spinach. I brought them home and cooked them up in the food I was making. Since the recipe only called for about a cup, we really didn’t get a chance to taste what these Collard Greens were all about.

Last night, I told Laura that we needed to find a Collard Green recipe, because we had a bunch left over. I looked up on the internet what people generally do with them and most of the results were the same…steam them or cook them. I decided to do it my way.

I put some olive oil in a pan and cut up about six cloves of garlic. I know, I know…don’t worry, I am not around anyone today. I also put some onions in the mix and simmered them up. After those items were softened up a bit, I de-stemmed the Collard Greens and stacked the leaves on top of each other. Then, I rolled them up like a big cigar and cut them in slices. I added them to the pot and cooked them up for a few minutes.

Neither Laura nor I had any idea what they were going to taste like. I just knew we needed to get rid of them. Well, after we both tasted them, we both agreed that they were just awesome. I couldn’t believe how good they were. I have some left over for tonight and am very psyched about it.

After dinner, I decided to look up the nutritional benefits of Collard Greens. Come to find out, they are some sort of (another) wonder food. According to the website, I should feel like Superman today. I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t in the future.

My unsolicited advice to you is to go grab yourself some Collard Greens. You might just add a new food to your variety of recipes.

Phillies Bridge Farm Project CSA

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Laura and I took a walk down to a local shop yesterday for some really neat little candles, lotions and even honey. This shop is run by one of our neighbors, so we were very pleased to give her some business.

During our visit, we started talking about food. We mentioned that our local supermarket doesn’t have the greatest produce in the world…well, not in the middle of Winter anyway. Even in the Summer, there is something to be desired. Our neighbor started talking about the Phillies Bridge Farm Project CSA up near New Paltz. She said they have great produce and that people can buy “shares” of the season’s crop. She also mentioned that they have a great website that offers all sorts of good information on their program.

I gave the website a once over last night and found a very interesting program. Local people (who eat a lot of produce) are able to buy shares of each crop. The benefits of this must be weighed with the risks. People pay the farmers upfront, so the farmers are protected throughout the season. If it’s a great season, there is tons of food to go around. If the season is terrible, people don’t get all that much food. I think it’s a pretty fun thing to do overall.

Wherever we end up, I am definitely going to look for a similar program to this one. I really enjoy getting involved in stuff like this.

Peace out.

Traditional Easter Egg Coloring

Friday, March 28th, 2008

It’s taken a little while to take a picture of this year’s Easter eggs. Laura made these the day after Easter, but I have been kind of busy lately, so I just got to it today.

Now, these aren’t your regular old Easter eggs. These are very special. You will be able to tell that immediately when you look at the photo. There was a unique coloring process to make these eggs look antique and kind of New Englandy. Please, oh please, do not ask me for the process. You will get no where. The secret is in the vault my friends, so don’t waste your time. This is a once in a while event and I am not about to give up the magic of this one.

You see what I am talking about? Now that you are all jealous, go ahead and give it a try yourselves. Let me know what you come up with.

Biodiesel, Brains, Hybrids and Vista

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Top 15 Unexpected Uses For Biodiesel

While virtually everyone is familiar with the use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel, there are a few novel uses that may not have crossed your radar. Biodiesel can produce hydrogen, clean up oil spills, degrease your tools, heat your home, and more.

Does the Human Brain Possess Potential Super-Powers?

Some of the most incredible minds on Earth lack the ability to filter irrelevant facts and can retain information at incredible rates. Somehow their brains are able to store & access incredible loads of info, even perceiving & relating to this info in an entirely different way. Some scientists even believe that our brains could possess super-power.

Top 10 2008 Hybrids

Hybrid rankings have often been simplistic: Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on the market. Here, we ranked hybrids based on how much fuel savings they get when compared to their non-hybrid version, as well as how much all that saved gas is going to cost you.

Vista SP1: Threat or Menace?

But given how customers who have upgraded from XP have struggled with driver and application incompatibilities, it’s no surprise that many are gun-shy of the latest update.

Paint on Solar Power!

The idea is to coat every piece of steel cladding with a solar cell paint. As steel is passed through the rollers multiple coatings of of the solar cell system are applied to it. Based on the preliminary research, the materials that are being applied are suited to capturing low level solar radiation, which means that they should work just as well.

Bull’s Bridge River Rapids in Kent, CT

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

As promised, I am posting some (well all) of the videos we took the other day when we were in Kent, CT.

I would say there are eight videos in all. I am posting them as I upload them, but as you might guess, YouTube takes a while to upload, especially when the videos range from 30MB - 130MB. In the videos, the cool part is how much water is going down the river. We have had a bunch of rain, so that really took its toll. Also, the weather was great, so there was some company during our hike.

Enjoy the videos.