Comments Wrightsfd has made

Positive press?

Am I to believe that there is actually some positive press about the Blagojovich scandal?  This is great, I'm getting sick of the Illinois jokes.  

Kevin Wright

non-words

Umbra,

Please please please please stop using the non-word "natch" in your writing.  You and Ideal bite are the worst perpetrators of this.  You are better than this!

By the way, "uber" in German does not mean super in English, it means ABOVE or UPPER.  This is another pet peeve of mine.  I think now that 2008 is over people have stopped using this term, but I've caught you on occasion.

Otherwise your work is excellent.  Thank you.On Umbra on the digital conversion posted 9 months, 1 week ago 4 Responses

Urea

I notice that the Inferno Ice Melter has urea, which is a fancy way of saying "cow piss."  I wonder if my own urine is as effective as cow urine.  My sidewalk in front is only 25 feet long and I could make a "golden landing strip" for free.  I don't salt the concrete walks at my house, I simply shovel them often and well, but for some reason people still build stairs out of painted wood and they are as slick as hot bacon fat on a hockey rink when wet or snowy.  I have searched and searched for something that is safe for my plants but only come up with basic salt.  There is also no way in hell I would pay $12 for 6.5 pounds of melter, not when salt is 50 pounds for $9 at my local Menard's HIC.On The rundown on eco-friendly ice melt posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago 4 Responses

Marcal TP

We use Marcal's Sunrise (which is now changing names and I can't remember the new one) toilet paper, and it is actually not too bad on the nose if you need it in a pinch.  I've always had a hard time finding tissues as I was loyal to Puffs most of my life due to chronic allergies as a kid and hated having a red cracked nose.  Now I get by on a hankie and Kleenex when needed.  On A nosy review of recycled facial tissue posted 10 months ago 10 Responses

Exchange it online

Well, there is another option that Umbra overlooked and that is a gift card exchange website.  It will not stop the money from going to the store you dislike (I'm the same as you in this respect as I avoid Wal-Mart's all around greed, and Macy's for what they did to Marshall Fields) as it has already been handed over to them.  It will however allow you to dollar-for-dollar trade for a gift card you will feel less guilty about using.  Try the following:

http://www.cardavenue.com/
http://www.giftcardrescue.com/
http://www.stargiftcardexchange.com/

I once got a gift card for a store that was 1500 miles from my house.  Duh.On Umbra on gift cards posted 10 months, 1 week ago 10 Responses

Love them or hate them

Article correction:

Diesels have been the vehicle of choice in Europe for years (70% of cars sold in France, 55% in the UK, 60% in Italy) because they get better economy and the cost of diesel is taxed less than gasoline.  Diesels are better for people like 'bkrell' who live in rural areas and warm the engines up to full temperature and drive longer distances.  Diesels are not as good for short trips because, similar to a gasoline car, the pollution controls only work fully when at full operating temperature.  This makes them IDEAL partners with a hybrid powertrain that can take care of the in-town S&G driving.  

Apparently 'sje333' did not read Grist today or she would know that you can't always believe what the EPA tells us.  '2wheeler' and others often forget that not everyone can fit clients, sales materials,  and golf clubs in an Insight or on the bus so as long as there is America there will be some sort of personal transportation.

Back to the Diesel/hybrid idea:  Diesels usually add a $2000 premium to the cost of a vehicle and about 400 pounds of weight due to the iron block and heads (not aluminum like most modern gasoline fueled vehicles) and hybrid technology adds $2000 to $12,000 in expense and 600 pounds.  So now you have got yourself a 4000 pound Civic that struggles to get out of it's own way and gets marginally better mileage due to the weight gain.  In the late 1980s Honda made the Civic HF that got MPG in the 50s on only a gas engine, not diesel or hybrid or anything fancy.  How did they do it?  Weight.  No radio, no A/C, no right side mirror, no airbags, minimal sound insulation, no floormats, nothing unnecessary.  

If you are serious about wanting a more fuel efficient car go out to your garage, toss your spare tire, rip out your airbags and crumple zones, DVD navigation, fold down cup holders, etc, etc, etc.On Umbra on diesel hybrids posted 1 year, 4 months ago 16 Responses

Finally

Relax caniscandida, Obama knows that he needs to win the swing voters who feel that "Energy Independence" is something to vote for.  It is true that Obama is keen on nuclear and clean (cough cough) coal but he understands the need to CONSERVE as well as look to more domestic sources of energy.  Obama is strongly against drilling in ANWAR and while his environmental policy is lacking in some areas it is better than most politicians.  He also understands that in order to do the things that you so passionately believe in (myself as well) that he first needs to be elected.  You don't get elected in this country if you are too far from the middle, see Perot, Nader, and Kusinich for examples.

This is not an environmental revolution as we would all like to see, it is an evolution and it takes time.  While it may take more time than we would like, it will happen.  Be happy for once that there is a viable candidate that we environmentalists can get behind.  It is called reality, and we need to live in it.

Kevin Wright

Costco and Trader Joe's

The Costcos in my area (Chicagoland) are carrying Clorox's new Green Works in large bottles as well as many large containers of organic and eco friendly products.  I like their organic instant oatmeal in a massive box.
Trader Joe's also sells a laundry detergent in large quantities if you are luck enough to have one near you.On Umbra on buying eco-products in bulk posted 1 year, 6 months ago 17 Responses

Bottles and holders

I used to have a handlebar mount drink holder on my bike.  It worked very well although large bumps could cause the cup to get a little lose and you definitely need a lid.  I did not use it for coffee but it is designed to hold your typical to-go coffee cup.  I used it for less legal beverages on midnight rides for which it worked extremely well.  I moved and sold that bike and have not added it to my new bike but certainly would.  This is not designed for a Thermos however.

I just saw Sigg makes an insulated bottle but I have not tried it.  Sigg makes aluminum bottles out of recycled material with water based liners inside.  They are a little pricey but very lightweight, sturdy, and healthier than drinking bisphenol-A out of plastic bottles.  I recommend an un-painted bottle or using a plastic cage since the metal cages tend to scratch the paint.On Umbra on transporting coffee by bike posted 1 year, 8 months ago 12 Responses

Not quite accurate

The comment here is not quite accurate, many cars today are in fact smaller than the cars from the 1970s but are actually just as heavy if not more so, meaning without greater power today they would be as slow or slower than those dinosaurs of our youth.  Take a look at the weight of a VW Rabbit, about 3300 pounds for a compact car.  The reason is the "solid feeling" which requires additional steel, multiple airbags, ABS, ESP, DVD, etc... all things that the consumer wants or have been mandated by the government.  In 1980 the curb weight of a VW Rabbit was less than 1900 pounds.  That means you need quite a bit more horsepower to simply have the same performance, something a modern buyer will not stand for.  More than 10 second 0-60 times are gone the way of the Dodo.  When the customer demands fuel economy, as they do in Europe, you will see more fuel efficient cars here.  By the way, there was not enough horsepower in the 1970s, I owned a Dodge Aspen that took a week to get to highway speeds and that is dangerous today with 6000 pound Hummers driven by 115 pound women who can't see over the steering wheel.

Kevin Wright