Happy Halloween Home Improvement

This is part three of a continuing series of posts to document what some of the work we've been doing around our house. If you've been keeping up with the blog you've seen that we've been exploring options to fix some of the heating and cooling fluctuations. you'll recall that I had to call 911 after I had an accident in the attic.

Lauren took over the insulating duties and we finished patching up the attic insulation. We also checked our recessed lighting to make sure they were rated and could be covered by insulation. She even scheduled a visit from an HVAC specialist to come and check everything out. We later canceled it and decided to move forward with some free advice from the HVAC guy gained over the phone instead of paying him to come over here and tell us the same thing.

The advice was to install an attic fan to clear the attic of all the hot air that was just sitting up there. Both sides of the house already had vents installed for passive ventilation and so we began to research gable fans. We decided to go with a solar panel-powered gable fan. We've found that this is more expensive than a regular gable fan, but our hope is that it will not only save us the energy of running the fan but also save much more by using the AC less. Coincidentally it has not been dreadfully hot since we put it in, so it seemed like it was working like a charm. However, my fear is that it may stop running in the late afternoon and allow the house to heat up in the evening. It operates on a thermostat in the attic and the solar panel is not connected to a battery to store any of the energy (think of your solar-powered calculators that would shut down when you cover the panel with you hand). We'll see how it goes.

Given the current drought and our plans to try and create a garden in the backyard next year, we decided to invest in a rain barrel for the house. It's equipped with a spigot, and such incremental investments are key to motivating me to research and maintain the focus required to make the garden happen. At the moment the barrel is simply sitting out under the open sky. Not bad for collecting rainwater but if it rains 1/8" you get 1/8". Now we need to hook it up to the refurbished gutters so that 1/4" of rain turns into 55 gallons of water. As with anything you see on here, your suggestions are welcomed. One down side to the whole thing, no rain so far.

So, as always there is much going on and much left to do. Tonight we host a Halloween campfire (ghost story session) in our back yard and hopefully get some trick-or-treaters from the neighborhood. We may even try to throw together a trip down the block to Sylvester Cemetery, or as it will be called tonight, The Old Graveyard.


Past Home Improvement Posts

Where Accidents = Crashes

The first gas-powered automobile was built in 1885 and just 11 years later the first fatal traffic accident occurred in London (during a demonstration drive). Today the World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 traffic accidents will be the world's 3rd leading cause of disability and death.

In professional speak no one uses the term accident to refer to traffic incidents. Instead the word crash is used to talk about something that is called an accident by everyone else. Well Saturday night we had a crash. To no fault of our own (I don't like this phrase) we found ourselves in the unenviable position of explaining our situation to a police officer responding to a 911 call. It's weird how in almost all of my traffic experiences (both tickets and accidents, I mean crashes) I can remember the music that was playing. In high-school I rear-ended someone on the way home from work in Milford listening to the recently release Bone Thugs Art of War double disk. Once I got a ticket for speeding on Telegraph while rocking out to Madonna.

Saturday, we stumbled upon one of the new Kanye tracks as we left Atlantic Station and traveled east on 16th (blue) to get back on to 85S and head home. Then all of a sudden I think I heard Lauren say something and I looked up and to my left to see headlights "coming right for us." The driver was traveling noticeably fast and quite obviously outside the intended route as he crossed over the median and into the side of our car (red). Both of us were thrown to our right and our car quickly came to a stop. I hopped out quickly after looking back to see where the car had gone. I thought for sure that this guy was drunk out of his mind and about to make a run for it. I wanted to get the plate number and was already on with 911 when I got out.

Both Lauren and I were ok, and the guy did stop his car and remained at the scene. He was completely sober and driving a newish Nissan (Sentra maybe?). He was pretty upset about the whole thing, not with us, of course but was pissed off at his own poor judgment. I've been there before and it is not fun. Once the cops showed up we pushed our car to the side of the road and waited for what is casually called (by everyone who does not own your car) a 'wrecker'.

Now we're waiting to see what the insurance company decides to do with the car and in the meantime driving around in a 2008 Dodge Nitro (Hummer lite). Sty tuned to find out more. We're both doing fine.

Blog Like a Pro

Last week I mentioned an episode of This American Life that discussed a phenomenon known as the flow, but the real theme of the episode was meeting the pros. It included stories about average people who get to talk with, observe and maybe learn from the pros. For example a casual poker player who gets to sit down with a pro from the World Series. My own story is not nearly as interesting but I saw this headline and it seemed like a good segway.

"Learn to Bike Like a Pro"

I should mention that I'm in the process of helping to plan a bike to school day for Emory, specifically the school of public health. So when this ad popped up in the campus paper it caught my attention and my criticism. The first thing it does is romanticize the bike messenger. I don't wanna get started on hipsters (as I write in my BLOG! [so cool]) but while bike messengers may actually be pros it is not the goal that most of the class' participants will hope to achieve. Notwithstanding the overdone wardrobe (cog patterned shirt) and 'extreme' styling (frosted tips) of this biker, messengers tend to ride in some of the most intimidating conditions, and tend to do so dangerously. The current trend is to ride a fixed gear bike; the same they use at the velodrome. This is a bike that does not have a flywheel like your old ten speed and so the pedals move with the wheel (forward and back). It only offers you a single gear but more importantly the only way to stop is to slow the pedals by resisting the momentum you created in the first place. In other words they have no brakes. A precarious situation for those who ride (fast) in the intersection laden traditional grid patterns of most urban centers. Most importantly, these guys lacks a helmet. The graphic artist tried to hide this blurring the photo at the top but it had the added effect of making it look like he's going really fast. So bike fast, without brakes or helmets like the pros.

But it turns out that it's not just the pros, they start em young too. Stunningly this example comes from a book entitled Urban Sprawl and Public Health. It co-authors include both the current and former head of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. Somehow the kids on the cover made it onto the book without helmets. It may be because they live on those icons of the suburbs, the cul de sac. The streets gained such popularity with American families because of their low and slow traffic volumes, which allowed children to play in the street without great risk of automobile collision. Now they're being rethought since one of the reasons they have so little traffic is because they go nowhere. I should say here that all of my crashes have only involved me and the cement, never any other cars.

Vargo lives and bikes (fast, but with brakes) in Atlanta. He didn't always but now he never rides without the helmet. He also listens to his iPod while biking.

Urban Sprawl & Public Health

Parking Lots for People

I have not been a full time student at Georiga Tech since Spring of 2006 but I go back for a class here or there, to work on my thesis at the Center for GIS, and to play soccer. Like so many college campuses it is constantly the site of large demolition and construction projects. However, the largess of a university along with the prime real estate and the tenure of their stay can sometimes produce pleasantly surprising results. One project know as the Georgia Tech Eco Commons continuously came up in my planning classes. The idea was to uncover a creek (now covered by a parking deck, roads, and a common lawn) that originally ran through campus and reinstate the riparian habitat linearly through campus, partially to help with stormwater. This might be far off into the future but other such projects have moved along swiftly.

The most apparent example for me has been the conversion of the parking lots that previously served the College of Architecture and another building. About a year ago I noticed that all the asphalt had been pulled up and dirt was being smoothed. It turned out that they were preparing the space for sod and not for a repaving. I was surprised that the parking lots could even be closed let alone discontinued. Of course it wasn't that people were just going to start other ways to get to school and give up their cars, that would be too good. See, since I was there on a daily basis one of the new, large, and extremely fancy buildings has been finished and the parking for the College of Architecture and the other building have been moved into the underground parking deck below this new structure.

Nonetheless this is an impressive display of taking action to reverse previous development and reclaim space from the auto and return it to the people. Sure there are still fences up while they finish things up but I can't wait to walk by on the first great spring day and see classes out there having discussions.



Georgia Tech's Capital Planning & Space Management
Eco Commons Draft Plan

The Flow

One of the first things I ever made for Lauren was a model of a bacteriophage. I took a large bolt for the tail and then soldered together legs and the head (I think it's an icosahedron). I didn't know much about public health but knew she had a biology background and this structure was the one thing I remembered from biology. I spent a few hours in my parents basement assembling it amidst some questioning and odd glances. She says she still has it packed away in some boxes at her mom's.

Later I dabbled in furniture, and again made Lauren a piece as a gift. I remember spending hours here and there over the course of weeks on these pieces. Searching for the right fabric, talking to people about how to do things, which tools to use; muddling my way through, but enjoying it the whole time. Compare this feeling top the one I get while doing an obligated task, cutting the grass for example. My mind wanders to what I can do next or dwells on a distaste for the task I am faced with. This Monday as I was cutting the grass and listening to This American Life on my iPod, I was delighted to hear someone talk about this state where time seems to stand still as you focus on your craft.

It turns out that there is a psychological term for this; the flow. It was termed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It's a state that I can definitely recall entering but have not tried to formalize in my head. It's satisfying to hear the scientific recognition of something that is so enjoyable. The radio story poses the question of whether this feeling is lost once the task you enjoy so much becomes your job. I highly suggest you give it a listen. The link is at the end of this post and it's the third act of the show.

I'll leave you with the product of the last time I think Lauren stepped into the flow.
The Flow
This American Life: Meet the Pros

Kimsey Creek, Rabun Gap, Tilt and Steripen

I'm having trouble writing, if at all eloquently, about my experiences lately but I thought I'd briefly describe this weekend.

This weekend was a whirlwind trip up to northern Georgia that included gourmet camping food, hours of puzzle work and introductions to many new friends (including one magic pen). Without classes on Fridays and a classless Monday and Tuesday thanks to fall break, I took off midday for Rabun Gap and Sam's cabin in the woods. It was a pleasant surprise to head north to a cabin and for once end up in a home. It includes all the amenities of the rentals and is rather spacious but is more welcoming and has much more personality than cookie cutter rentals. The walls are decorated with art from around the world and are not the generic 'mountain' motif that I've come to expect from north Georgia cabins. It was also nice to spend some time working on a jigsaw puzzle (an memorable family habit of mine).

We stayed up late and started to pack and plan for our hike and camp the next day. Everyone played a part in making it a great camping trip. Hats off to Rupesh for finding the spot and the route. Eight of us set off to Standing Indian Campground in North Carolina and started on a 6 mile hike into our site somewhere on the Appalachian Trail and atop a mountain. Marcus prepared a lot of food, including a delicious salmon risotto and a wonderful herbed egg biscuit with brie. Rishi carried a two liter of ginger ale all the way to the top. Sam got us all together and managed macaroni and cheese without milk or butter. Nick and Audrey somehow strapped a tent onto a pack and remembered chlorine tablets.

Julia impressed me the most when she revealed her magic water sterilizing pen and produced clean water for us all. The product is called Steripen and it produces UV light that kills bacteria and other organisms in water that you can collect from streams. Lauren says it's a SkyMall type of thing, but I would very seriously consider purchasing this. We're in the middle of a drought here and water wasn't flowing as it normally does which gave Rupe's pump a few problems but Steripen produced liter after liter of clean water without trouble. It worked for her in Ethiopia and it worked again in North Carolina.

In any event, our loop was completed by another six mile hike back to the parking lot. Where an ice cold Tilt awaited us. It was a beautiful weekend. Good times, good weather, the leaves starting to turn, and good people. Mali even made it along for her second ever camping trip and managed to scare the crap out of several outsiders as well as several members of our group. Enjoy the photos and next time, Lauren, you have to come along.



Steripen
where we went
Tilt

Water

I did not originally want to post about this, even though Lauren passed it along with the message "put it on your blog." However, in class today while discussing the affect of society/culture on the idea of 'necessities' the statement was made that even if we (public health do-gooders ie. World Health Organization) wanted to put a (one) glass of clean water in front of every person on earth, we couldn't do it. Not even for one day, let along daily. We're not in a position to ready it, prep it, distribute it; we're not even closer than some others. So who is the closest to being able to perform such a task? Probably, Coca-Cola, makers of what one professor (the same who made this point) refers to as a candy bar in a bottle.

Interesting, but it says nothing about what I didn't want to show on here...

Today it came to my attention that Stone Mountain (a nearby rock formation/outdoor park/laser show venue/Confederate Mount Rushmore) is going to be offering a snow-covered winter wonderland to Atlanta locals, complete with real snow. So, during the worst drought on record in Georgia, a snow-making machine will use 38 gallons of water a minute from the local piped water supply. They've decided to use the municipal water instead of water from the park's lake, to ensure snow of blinding white purity. Also, it makes very little (thermal) sense to put such an event in November. Perhaps they expect less rain and a better turn out with slightly warmer weather than in February, but I shake when I try to justify it.

In Vietnam, I attended something similar that was part of a large park. It was housed in a warehouse and it was complete with ice sculptures. They provided coats for people upon entry and gave people an opportunity to throw their first (and probably only) snowball ever. You would exit into the balmy 90 degree heat with the feeling that what you had just experienced was a bit less fun than all the effort was worth.

This morning, after reading an article about the Stone Mountain situation in the local paper I found out that Coca-Cola is putting it on. It appeared that they had already begun snow production and that the exhibit was not meant to open until November. That seems like a lot of water. However, the article was updated at 3:00 today after the park and Coke agreed to halt the snow production and the attraction due to significant criticism.

It seems the most twisted of ironies that a company that would employ such disregard for environmental circumstances for a promotional stunt employs the same poster-endangered species as the climate change activists.

The Article
Stone Mountain

Thursday
The Follow-up Article