Election Day ’12

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For those of you that know me, you probably know that I have not been chanting “Four More Years!” this fall.  That doesn’t mean that I’m thrilled with nor buy into everything the other side says either.  I tend to agree with William Weld who said, “I believe the government should stay out of your wallet and out of your bedroom.” which I’ve heard paraphrased as “I wish the Democrats would stay out of my wallet and the Republicans would stay out of my bedroom!”  Whatever the outcome, I will just be glad to have it over.  The negative campaigning has taken its toll and I’m concerned that whoever wins will claim a mandate, but in reality not be able to do anything.  Normally I’m somewhat in favor of gridlock going by the theory that if they can’t do anything, they also can’t do any harm.  In this case though, I feel the uncertainty of the last few years has contributed to the economic malaise.  If you’re informed voter, get out and vote.  If you’re not?  Stay home!

In other election day events, the Senior Expo is going on at the Lifeplex.  Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) will be there in a booth with the United Way.  Since I’m now a board member, I want to promote their cause.  They will be talking about The John Marshall Legacy Society.

John Marshall was the 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the namesake for Marshall County.  Here’s an excerpt taken from the MCCF John Marshall Legacy Society flyer:

John Marshall (1775 – 1835) is considered by many as one of the greatest jurists that ever served on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. His tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1801 – 1835) produced some of the most important decisions that have become fundamentals of U.S. law and shaped our country’s way of life. Truly, Chief Justice Marshall was a man who accomplished much during his life and, by his actions, left a positive legacy that has affected many generations beyond his mortal years. In recognition of his life’s work, Marshall County, Indiana was named in his honor on February 7, 1835.

If you’re out and about after voting, stop by and see Jennifer, Jayne and Amanda. 

ColorSnap Follow-up

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When I talked about ColorSnap from Sherwin Williams here a few weeks ago, I said I would try it and let you know what I thought.  I’ve been doing WAY more painting than I would like to this summer, working on a house renovation.  I’ve been mainly using Sherwin Williams paint.

I decided that this would be a good test on the ColorSnap App which I have on my Droid Razr Maxx.  The app has you take a picture and you are able to touch the screen in the picture area in order to select the color within the picture you would like to match.  (Just a side note, the camera on my Razr is good enough that I use it pretty much exclusively for job site photos and most of the pictures that have appeared in this blog over the last four months.)

ColorSnap Image
Note the flash Hot Spot at the left

You would think I could take a picture of a wall painted with a Sherwin Williams paint and be able to get a match, right?  No such luck.  First, it was difficult to get a picture that was representative.  Anyone that has taken a flash picture knows you get the “hot spot” of the flash and everything else fades out from there.  Where in that picture do you poke with your finger to get the color?  Second, the app brought up just one color.  I had no way of relating that.  Maybe the actual color was only one shade different.  With all the variations in the Sherwin Williams color fan, not including the variations that come from the selection of finish, I have trouble discerning the match at times when I put the color chip against the wall.

I tried a couple of times on several walls and was unsuccessful.  I could also get different colors depending on how I took the picture or where I poked the picture with my finger.  I will say that this application has a lot of potential.  I will also say that it’s not there yet.

Air Deflector

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I was called by a client that rents an office with cubicles.  A woman in one of the cubicles was complaining about the air conditioning blowing down on her.  I was a little surprised about this since the vent was directly over her head and the vent had a ceiling deflector that should have distributed the cool air away from her.  But as always, the client (or client’s tenant) is always right.

The initial request was to close off the vent.  I was hesitant to do this since that would tend to change the balance of the system which we had struggled for months to get right.  We did a little research and found an air deflector at 1800ceiling.com

I installed the deflector and while doing the installation I checked and there was enough slack in the flexible duct work to move the diffuser two feet to the side.  (After checking with the adjacent cubicle dweller to make sure she was okay with that.)  So far, so good.  A satisfied tenant and thus a satisfied client.

I am a little concerned that this may be a temporary solution.  The diffusers are placed near the windows since that’s the area area where the most change in temperature occurs.  Since this tenant is apparently slightly cold blooded, she may well be too cold this winter once the HVAC system switches over to heat from AC.  That is a nice thing with this deflector though.  It will be as easy to remove as replace.  It is light weight as well, so the easy storage solution will be to just place it above the ceiling on the grid until it is needed again.

Walter E. Williams on Democracy

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Walter E. Williams

“Some say that big government is what the majority of voters want and that in a democracy the majority rules.  But America’s Founders didn’t found a democracy, they founded a Republic.  The Founders knew how democracy had led to tyranny.  Instead, they set up a limited government, with checks and balances.  Unaware of the distinction between a democracy and a republic, many today believe that a majority consensus establishes morality.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Another common argument is that we need big government to protect the little guy from corporate giants.  But a corporation can’t pick a consumer’s pocket.  The consumer must voluntarily pay money for the corporation’s product.  It is big government, not corporations, that have the p0wer to take our money by force.  It should also be mentioned that private business can force us to pay them by employing government.  To see this happening look at GM or manufacturers that employ government to establish tariffs to keep out competition, or organized labor that thinks government should protect their jobs from non-union competition.  So it is a big government that the little guy needs protection against, not big business.”

  –  Walter E. Williams

The Master Flow Green Machine

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I have an attic fan on my house.  It is a solar fan with a thermostat so that it will vent hot air in the summer when I want to cool the attic, but not in the winter when heat in the attic is positive for energy savings.  Unfortunately the one I have is located on west side of the ridge so it only gets sun in the afternoons.

The Master Flow Green Machine Solar Powered Ridge Vent sits on the ridge.    This has the advantage of being at the highest point so it takes out the hottest air as well as being in a position to get the maximum amount of sunlight.

I would consider this Green that saves Green…