Recent Comments:
A Week at Disney Reveals How Far They Have to Go {Green Daily}
Mar 16th 2009 4:59PM About the refill thing...
When I was at Disneyland many years ago, I asked them to refill a cup I had several times. Finally one of the staff explained that they actually cannot due to the health code.
The basic idea was that the health regs state that the park can't vouch for where the cup has been, so they can't bring it into the booth and possibly contaminate other food items.
So, that explains why you got your refill in a paper cup.
Why Starbucks can refill a venti iced tea (for about $0.50) is beyond me. But many SBUX will ask you to remove the lid and straw for them pre-refill.
It may be a difference in rules for amusement parks / sports arenas vs. just a restaurant.
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Turn any USB flash drive or HDD into a bootable Windows 7 installer {Download Squad}
Jan 14th 2009 12:13PM This works with Windows Server 2008 as well. Microsoft changed how the OS installers worked starting with Vista and Server 2k8. They work much more like XCOPY than what we used to see in Windows XP and before.
This is the easiest way to put Windows 7 on your MSI Wind / netbook. Works nicely on mine!
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Ask X3F: Heart healthy edition {Joystiq Xbox}
Jan 13th 2009 10:06PM Actually, he does play a lot of Hexic!
I don't think he's battled the Flood recently, but he's starting Forza 2 again...
Thanks everyone!
Caption Contest: PC fixer destroys Geek Squad Beetle, phones for tech support {Engadget}
Sep 18th 2008 11:53PM "My bug caused a crash. No, I can't close all the Windows and restart."
Tankless water heaters may not save energy {Green Daily}
Aug 17th 2008 3:52AM You probably don't need to wait for a hybrid tank product... people in cold climates that use a TWH will sometimes put in a regular storage tank pre-heater to get that effect.
But anyhow, we've had a TWH for 5 years now. The reduction in gas consumption was dramatic (like $30-50 the first few months on each bill). You are right to consider the water temperature going into the TWH as well as the plumbing runs in your house. We have a small house with 2 faucets and a shower (plus washer and dishwasher).
What we discovered is that if you train yourself to use cold water to wash your hands in the bathroom, you will reduce the hot water usage no matter what. Either way, waiting for hot water, whether it's sitting in a tank or kicking on a burner to deliver it to you is wasteful.
What I was considering doing in the bathroom was adding a very small point of use tank instead of a line to the TWH for hand-washing. A half gallon kept at 100F isn't a huge electricity draw and you waste almost zero water.
It literally takes our TWH 3 seconds to heat the water, so the rest is plumbing lag. If you are using a 1.5 gph shower, 3 seconds of water running isn't a big difference. But waiting 30 seconds for hot water before you wash your hands is a problem - you waste water AND energy because you turn on the TWH for a few seconds, burn gas, and never get the hot water you wanted.
After a shower, hot hand washing action is easy.
The real question (to me): is the impact of gas / electricity usage for a recirculation system worth it vs. water wasted to have the comfort of washing your hands in hot water instantly?
Seems to me a TWH and a very small point of use tank is the best balance.
We have the Takagi TK-1 with an upgraded 3/4" gas line in California, so water is always at a friendly temperature pre-heater and the heating unit is very efficient. My relatives in Denver have a different scenario with a bigger house and a pre-TWH tank to balance the incoming water temperature.
So, YMMV...
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Ken Levine: BioShock film won't be a stinker {Joystiq Xbox}
Aug 7th 2008 10:52PM It would be nice if they used the original voices for the movie. Has anyone mentioned that in production meetings yet?
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The Bill Day giveaway (part 1) - Toshiba Gigabeat T400 {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 7:42PM awesome!
The Bill Day giveaway (part 3) - Zune 80GB (black) {Engadget}
Jun 27th 2008 7:40PM Yay!
Redesign giveaway: HTC's new Shift UMPC {Engadget}
Apr 12th 2008 11:57AM I'd use this why my tablet is RMA'd!
Win an LCD HDTV, Xbox 360, and plenty of Old Spice {Engadget HD}
Feb 23rd 2008 9:47PM Yay!
