Author: iopadmin

  • RIMU Calibration

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    I turned the freezer up to 7. I’m sure yours goes to 11, but I am not so lucky. After being turned up to 7, the resulting mean temperature is still too high at 18.8°F. And with that, we bid adieu to our refrigerator. It is around 20 years old—no way to be sure, and…

  • Freezer Swan Song

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    The last few weeks our ice cream sandwiches have been awful. I’m throwing away ice cream sandwiches, and I’m only marginally pickier than my dog. They’ve been gummy, almost squishy. We have been suspicious of the refrigerator since we smelled a hot electric odor—like burning dust. I monitored the fridge with the RIMU, and it…

  • Heat Less with Better Blinds?

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    Evidence is mounting that closing the blinds can reduce the rate of heat decline—at least when the wind is mostly still. The figure compares the heat loss rate to the indoor-outdoor contrast. Higher rates are bad. Closing the blinds keeps reduces the temperature loss rate by about 0.1 degree F/hour. Integrate that loss rate over…

  • Estimating the Home’s Heat Loss Rate

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    I’ve been collecting various sets of data with my Arduino-based RIMU.1 environmental data logger. In particular, I have seven nights worth of overnight records showing both indoor and outdoor temperatures. The data were all taken with the recorder in the same locations. Some nights are contiguous, but the 7-night set spans about 10 days. The…

  • Hot and Cold, Thermal Monitoring

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    Since the RIMU’s creation I’ve logged two noteworthy data sets along with several that are not yet ripe for sharing. I logged the refrigerator’s internal temperature overnight (using the thermistor) and I logged the oven’s internal temperature for a few minutes while making bread sticks today. The results are more interesting than I might have…

  • RIMU: Recording Independent Measurement Unit, an Arduino Project

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    I don’t remember where I first heard of the Arduino programmable microcontroller platform. An Arduino Uno, the variant I have, is about the size of a box of Altoids mints. It has a port to receive DC power, a USB port for programming and debugging, and a very capable microcontroller. It is programmed in a…

  • Sourdough Chowder Bowls

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    In San Francisco, on the wharf, you can buy a hollowed-out loaf of sourdough bread, filled with New England style clam chowder. You can buy it from street vendors, or sit down in a restaurant and eat it. Sourdough and San Francisco go together. I love the bowl, chewy, flavorful, damp from the chowder. I…

  • Digitizing Old Photos

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    I have been trying to organize my collections photos. One key part of that is transferring content into the computer where tagging, captioning, and annotation is easy. Getting the photos into the computer satisfactorily has proven to be a challenge. For many pictures the only sensible alternative is to send your pictures to a professional…

  • Sushi Dinner

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    Tonight we made a sushi dinner, and for the first time included kid-specific items. I used sweetened egg, tamago, sheet cut and pressed with rice in cookie cutters. We made stars and sushi boys. They love the California rolls, shrimp pieces, and vegetable-tamago rolls as much, but it was still fun to make. My rice…

  • Hungry Mouth

    —

    by

    iopadmin
    in

    I wasn’t there when it happened, but the story I heard is that the kids were riding in the car. The younger said “Baby Hungry”. The older looked at her mouth and scolded, “you’re not hungry. I can tell by your mouth. If you were hungry your tongue would be more red!” Mommy, naturally, thought…