by Ethan Johnson
July 21, 2008

I have been clinging to part of the July 6 edition of the Dallas Morning News as it was chock full of Power Plus-related material, most notably a story about wind power in Texas. For the purposes of this installment, I am going to zero in on a sidebar item from the wind power story about the "grid" and peak demand.

by Ethan Johnson
July 12, 2008

"Power Plus" is an open-ended series of articles, intended to cover matters pertaining to energy production, consumption, and conservation. Admittedly, this can come off as a depressing or maddening topic, especially when I harp on conservation and consumption. Sadly, I can't promise to stop beating those topics into the ground, but now is a good time to talk a bit about advancements in the power "space" (I said that to get a rise out of the office types) and how we all might benefit from them.

by Ethan Johnson
July 11, 2008

Some years ago, I started to notice that HGTV was quietly removing ceiling fans whenever a total room makeover was being performed. I wondered if running the ceiling fans in our house was something of a sucker's bet, as the AC might actually cool the room more efficiently, and who knows what the electrical draw of each fan is, anyway?

by Ethan Johnson
June 29, 2008

[Updated 6/30/2008 - see end of article]

I have been engrossed in the pursuit of learning about energy production and consumption. And as I have mulled about these topics, I have been observing that a good percentage of the energy we US denizens consume seems to be based on the concept of "doing it because we can." Simply put, if you had to generate the necessary electricity to power all of your electric doo-dads "off the grid", you'd be a Luddite inside of a week.

by Ethan Johnson
May 23, 2008

Pop quiz. What's this?

by Ethan Johnson
September 21, 2007

For whatever reason, we have taken on a lodger. Well, another lodger, what with all of the house geckos creeping around our yard. A few weeks ago, I found something new on our patio that was decidedly unlike a gecko: A toad. I took some photos of it, then released it across the alley from our house. Nothing like getting a handful of toad pee. It brings back memories of Lake Superior, or scout camp. (Sniffle) Another one hopped along a few days later, resulting in another photo shoot and relocation. Now we're on our third distinctly different toad. Since the third time is the charm, I left it alone to see what businesses it had with our yard. The answer: A burrow.

[Edit 9/23/2007: Upon reviewing the photos, it is the same toad each time. Not sure how it is homing in on its burrow, but that kind of tenacity has inspired me to be more welcoming and protective.]

by Ethan Johnson
August 26, 2007

It only took for-freakin'-ever, but we finally cleared out our infamous "crap" room and created a "crop" room.

by Ethan Johnson
January 29, 2007

I watch waaaaay too much TV. I have been trying to cut back, but boy howdy, there's some really compelling stuff on these days, and even with the magic of Tivo&0153; it's hard to keep up. Rather than prattle on about the shows I watch regularly, here are some off-the-wall shows I've seen recently: