trentrockport

When a plant doesn't produce (or purchase) enough power, a brownout occurs. But what happens when the plant produces excess power? Does it just dissipate? By what mechanism does a plant know to produce the right amount of electricity? How much energy is lost in this manner?

What would you call that? Lineage? Descendnce?

Is there a Robert born untold centuries ago who had a son Bob Junior, who's son is Bob III, then Bob IV, etc. What is the longest documented lineage of a name, and what would you call that?

I need to replace my water heater and am considering a tankless model. My greatest concern is that they all require special all-stainless steel exhaust ventilation. Not only is this impractical for my installation environment, but it suggests that the appliance generates so much waste heat that it's not so energy efficient after all. Are there any natural gas tankless water heaters that can use an existing galvanized steel exhaust vent?

I'm standing here with my Android and I see one of those download complete icons. I look for the author and it says unknown. Have I just been infected? Facts only please. I'm sure we can all guess its trouble but I'm looking for evidence before I scrub this things memory

I have this sprayer for a hydroponic tomato garden: http://www.wormsway.com/detail.aspx?sku=RFV216&AC=... however the plastic shaft got scratched, now it doesn't spray correctly. I'm figuring that the dull areas of the shaft are preventing the water from moving up onto the plate. A friend has suggested acetone, however am not convinced. What would be the best way to impart a smooth, glossy surface to this item?

If I want to find a house on the inter-nets, I go to realtor.com. Simple effective search engine, performs as advertised. If I want to find an apartment on the inter-webs, I go to apartment.com. Again, simple effective search engine, performs as advertised. If I want to find a… “nursing home”? “retirement”? “senior living”? “assisted living”? community, all of my searches take me to shill search sites. They have the basic appearance of a “this is a search engine to find the community you’re looking for”, but it’s very obvious from the get-go that each is just a gateway to a particular corporation’s housing complexes. Where does one search to find such a senior community?

I've owned a Watts Reverse Osmosis System (http://www.amazon.com/Watts-WP5-50-Five-Stage-Mani... for well over a year, with no problems, until I needed to replace the membrane filter. Now I can only get about 2/3 gallon of water until "empty", where I used to reliably get 1.5 gallons.

I suspect one of two things: air pressure in the three gallon tank is incorrect, or I shouldn't have purchased a generic replacement membrane.

I've checked for leaks, and there are none, except around the faucet where I'm guessing the tank backs up when it starts to get full. Leaving a full tank unattended will cause it to completely back up out the side of faucet.

Any suggestions?

I've been trying dry beans instead of canned beans in my cooking recently. They seem to be more chewy/firm that what I'm accustomed to when using canned beans. Is this normal or am I preparing them wrong? I soak the beans in three times their volume of room temperature water for twelve hours before using.

Which national currency retained the greatest percentage of its value from 1/1/1901 through 12/31/2000?

Currencies like Germany and Hungary which were wiped out due to hyperinflation in the thirties are obviously out of contention. On the flipside, several didn't perform terribly poorly, like the Swiss Franc, U.S. and Canadian Dollars.

Applying a meaningful benchmark against a currency at two such disparate points in time (1901 and 2000) is part of the problem.

In the true spirit of "doctor, it hurts when I do this", here goes...

Last night, I baked my first from-scratch lasagna. It turned out great, however I couldn't figure out how to place the lasagna noodles into the baking pan without scalding my fingertips. If I let them cool, they'd stick together and get all folded up. If I handle them hot, well, you get the idea. Suggestions?

In the pre-decimalized (<1971) world of the United Kingdom, (pounds/shillings/pence and all that fun...) I remember hearing a story that complicated things and brings to mind a question.

In addition to the standard units of British currency and their equivalents (12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound), there were many other units like the groat (four pence) the half-crown (two shillings and six pence), and, significantly, the guinea (twenty-one shillings). Now, the Royal Mint hadn't cranked out a guinea since 1813, however I have it on authority that plenty of merchants quoted prices in guineas rather than pounds. This is similar to the "and 95 cents" approach that American merchants use, to make prices appear lower than they are. I'd like to know if anybody knows how long this practice lasted after decimialization.

I don't want to make cheddar cheese mashed potatoes, and I don't want to make garlic mashed potatoes. I want to try something that would not have occurred to me. Any suggestions?

Here's a link to a page where they are sold:

http://www.4hydroponics.com/lighting/sodiumbulbs.a...

Here's a competitor's link so I'm not accused of playing favorites:

http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=4...

I use them in my greenhouse to artificially lengthen daytime when needed.

They're twice as efficient as CFL's, clocking in at upwards of 120 lumens/watt. Compare to 70 lumens/watt for a CFL. Their spectrum is pleasant, they can theoretically be used on an ordinary household dimmer.

Of course, they're expensive. The smallest of 'em, at 20,000 lumens is comparable to a 2,000 watt (!!!) incandescent.

Produced in quantity, the price would go down I'd think. They actually *do* last 8000-12000 hours rather than my CFL's which seem to burn out after 500 hours on average.

So... why aren't they a contender?

There is a circuit breaker on my (American 2004 built) panel labeled "House GFI". The one outlet it controls is a GFCI recepticle and is also labeled "House GFI".

I want to add a few outlets in my basement. Is this a particularly bad or a perfectly fine place to tap?

Also, when I cut the circuit breaker, my voltmeter is still registering just over one volt across the leads. Should I be concerned?

It has an inner diameter of eight or nine inches and is made of galvanized steel. It projects down from the ceiling about a foot. Following it up, it makes a 90 degree turn then disappears into the rest of the ductwork. It is in my utility closet, near my furnace and water heater. The house was built in 2004.

There is a persistent draft of cold air coming from it, presumably from the outside world. So my questions are:

1. Does this have a particular name?

2. Can I cover or otherwise obstruct it without creating a hazard?

Thanks!

I've been installing dozens of these throughout my house over the past two years, and given an advertised lifespan of 8000 hours, I get the feeling they're not lasting nearly that long. I'd swear I'm replacing them as fast if not faster than the incandescent bulbs I used to have.

Have you had similar or contradictory experiences? What brand do you usually buy? Any third party substantiation that my experience is or is not an isolated experience?

I've been buying mostly "Bright Effects", which I guess is Lowes private label brand.

In practice, I feel that enforcing monthly password changes causes people to use easier to remember passwords that rotate through even easier to guess sequences (e.g., bob123, bob234, bob345, etc.)

So... what are the pros and cons of a policy that mandates periodic changes?

I've seen more than one television show and/or movie where a character uses the comparatively awkward "Bring it!" where I would otherwise expect to hear "Bring it on!". Does the latter carry a trademark or other legal encumbrance?

When you hear the terms and conditions for a contest, drawing, sweepstakes, etc., several years ago, the disclaimer "many will enter, few will win" started to be used. What gave rise to this term? Specific cites are appreciated!

I've taken to signing things with a stylized "Bob" recently rather than my full name. I'm wondering is this is a legal signature. Of course, one can point out that an illiterate can sign with just a mark ("X"), but that said mark must always be witnessed or notarized. That being said, is there a legibility or completeness requirement for a signature, or is "Bob" sufficient?