How About Some Brighter Recessed Lighting?

******* in progress*****

Back when recessed lighting really caught on, home ceilings were populated with 75 watt reflector bulbs.  During the 1973 energy crisis, a Federal law mandated that such lamps had to be limited to 65 watts.  When LED versions of the lamp were introduced, they were all "65 watt equivalent" brightness.  Since the Federal law was targeted at energy usage, not excessive brightness, there is no reason why the LEDs should not be brighter, at least as bright as the 75 watt incandescents that were in the original design.

What was the effect of the 65 watt limitation? I believe it didn't do much to conserve energy:
- Higher wattage incandescent lamps are more than proportionately brighter than lower wattage lamps, so the 65 watt lamps are considerably dimmer.
- To achieve the same level of brightness, more wattage in 65 watt lamps must be used
- I could read in a room lit by 75 watt lamps, but I needed more light with the 65s, so I'd turn on another floor or table lamp, in addition to the ceiling lamps.
- Lighting designers would add more ceiling lights, more closely spaced, to achieve an acceptable level of brightness

Since LEDs are much more efficient, there is no reason why they should not be marketed in brighter versions, still keeping the BR-30 size.

IHG Hotels, Crowne Plaza Bait & Switch

I was going to make a reservation here:

 

Crowne Plaza : Boston - Woburn

Newly Renovated! Torchbearer Award Winner! Just north of Boston. Large indoor pool and fitness center-free shuttle and wi-fi. Popular local sports themed restaurant and bar on site. Large screen  View More...

4.5 / 5 (176 reviews)

15 Middlesex Canal Park Rd. , Woburn, MA 01801 , United States

1 877 2 CROWNE (Reservations) 1-781-9358760 (Front Desk)

11.12 mi (17.89 km) from destination Free Internet

 

Rooms available

From ‎$ 93.00 USD

Nightly Rate

Points & breakfast

 

IHG^® Rewards Club Reward Nights

20,000 Points

15,000 Points + $40.00 USD

10,000 Points + $70.00 USD  

 

I noted that some hotels on the IHG website had Points & breakfast, and others had 1000 WEEKEND BONUSPT, etc.  It seemed reasonable to conclude that I could pay $93 (plus tax), and expect to get a free breakfast and some points.  But no!  If you want the "free" breakfast and "bonus" points, you've got to PAY for them.  That would bring the rate up to $130 (plus tax).

 

So IHG has decided to play the same nickel and dime game as the airlines, starting with Spirit.

 

I decided to stay at Marriott, instead. 

 

Why on Earth . . . ?

Why on Earth do cellphones emit a loud chime when they are being set to silent mode?

Why on Earth don't all phones have a timed silent mode?  I'm forever going silent for a show, and forgetting to put sound on again until after I've missed calls.

Why on Earth are monitors for backup cameras mounted on the dash, instead of in the headliner above the rear window, so drivers can take everything in at once?  I know neither turning around nor viewing the dash alone is good enough, so I'm constantly twisting back and forth, as conditions that can only be seen in one or the other could change in an instant.

Why on Earth do almost all single lever faucets have the lever on the right?  I hold my cup or pan in my right hand, and I have to do a crossover to operate the faucet.  The lever should be on the left (or on top) for right-handed people!

Why on Earth does Windows Explorer have making a new folder a 2-step procedure:  Right click on a folder, click on New, then click on Folder.  Since Folder is the only entry under New, why not replace New with just "New Folder?"

Why on Earth do all point and shoot cameras turn on with their lenses at their widest angle setting?  If 50mm is "normal" for 35mm cameras. shouldn't cameras open to the equivalent, or at least give that option?

Bugs, Poor Design and Lack of Support Mar Google+ Photos

One man's trial with Google+ photos Auto Backup from Desktop

1. I installed an update of Picasa to version 3.9.137 to my desktop PC running Windows 7
1. It asked if I wished to Auto Backup.  I said OK!
2. I logged in
3. At top right in picasa it showed me logged in as my email with four digits appended.  If my email is abcdef@gmail.com, it would show me logged in as abcdef-1234@gmail.com.  There is no explanation of the significance or function of this address:  how to use it, how to login, how to set a password.
4. I started the Auto Backup of my 57,000 images, then paused it, thinking I'd better see if there's some files I'd rather not put in the cloud.  In a few days, I resumed Auto Backup.
5. I couldn't find my Auto Backup pictures online.  Next to my login in Picasa is a link to view Google+ photos.  I clicked, and was presented with a login screen.  I tried logging in, but was advised I didn't have permission to view the page.  I asked about this in the lame Google+ help forum and got no answer.  Help seems devoted to enthusiastic Google staff telling how to do neat stuff.  Problems are not addressed.
2. Later, I noticed the little blue widget at the top right of G+ pages can be clicked to reveal that I appear to have two ways to be in G+, one as "abcdef" from my example above, and the other as "My Channel."  Upon clicking "abcdef" I got to see my photos.  "My Channel" was empty.
1. I then noticed under the blue widget a third category "All your Google+ pages."  If I click on that, and do not select either choice then present, but instead select "Photos" from the dropdown at left, I will get another set of online photos.
2. I don't know how to get logged in as "abcdef-1234@gmail.com"
3. Initially, Auto Backup had managed to upload about 30,000 images.  I rebooted at one point, and was asked by Auto Backup to login.  I did so, using my normal gmail login.  Auto Backup then proceeded to start from scratch.
1. Using the technique from 2, above, I found that I indeed had two G+ Auto Backup sets.  One has enhanced photos, the other not.  One reflects Picasa "sync to web" and the other does not.
4. I updated Picasa on my laptop, and started to login
1. I was presented with three choices:
1. "abcdef@gmail.com"
2. "abcdef"
3. My Channel
2. I chose "abcdef@gmail.com" and login failed. On the second try, Picasa froze.  I rebooted.
3. I tried "abcdef" and got on.  Picasa showed I was logged on to "abcdef-1234@gmail.com", the same strange address that I first saw on the desktop.
4. I clicked on view "Google+ photos" and got transported to a G+ page, with the "Photos" tab open, but no photos displayed, just a "Get Started" screen.
5. I found I could get access to my two sets of photos by using the selections under the blue widget as described above.
5. My two sets have different "plus handles".  One, using the example method from above, is "+abcdef" while the other is simply "+A".  Neither conforms to the Google+ rule of having a first and last name. Nor was I ever asked to supply a conforming name.  Incidentally, I also got "+A" when at "abcdef-1234@gmail.com".
6. I asked two more questions in what passes for the help function, both including the hashtag, for #picasa.  One was under "+A" and the other "+abcdef".
1. Each post shows up in its respective Profile page.
2. On my "+abcdef" profile page, I see my post with "#picasa" and "#date" hashtags.  If I enter #picasa and #date in Search at the top of that page, there are "No Results"!  This is with the "Everything" pad underlined in blue.
3. Starting on my "+A" Profile page, which shows the comment originated from that plus handle, if I search for #picasa, both of my posts are included among the "Everything" search results.  If I click on "From You", nothing shows up.
4. Unusual and buggy interface for Search.  Search is limited by selected blue underscored criteria such as "Everything" "People and pages", etc.  One of the pads is "More" under which "From you" can be found.  As "From You" is under the pad, seen only when "More" is selected, there is no blue underscore shown (not even under "More"), no visual cue that the search is limited.  Nevertheless, the unseen, unmarked "From You" limitation remains effective for future searches, except sometimes. 
5. One of my hashtags is #date, because G+ photos screws up, and makes up, dates and won't let you change them.  If I search for #date under "Everything" I get hundreds of posts with dating advice.  As G+ photos is one of the biggest reasons for anyone to use G+, it seems logical that "photos" would merit its own discussion area.  Four pads to the right of "Everything" is a pad called "Photos", so I clicked on that to try to get only #date posts that have to do with  photo organization.  It took me a while to realize that the "Photos" pad only retrieves pictures, not discussions about G+ photos!
7. The hashtag "#photos" is useless, as all it yields is a lot of pictures.  Seems there's no way to restrict it to a discussion about the Photos feature in Google+.
8. Search photos is buggy.  If I search for an image, I will get hundreds of instances of the same image on the screen.  If I search using a term like "bridge" I will get a number of bridge photos, and the group will repeat infinitely.  Often, a number of euro-style "Do Not Enter" signs will appear in the search results.  If I search for a name, the first few images found will repeat infinitely.  Further images will not display. Another search cannot be started after one search - must close the window and reopen to search.
9. Images will often have check marks in circles at the top left.  Usually, one will appear if you hover over an image.  Sometimes, all the photos on the screen will have them.  Sometimes, a number will have them and others will not. If you click on the check mark, it will turn blue to indicate that image is selected.  I can't tell what, if anything, the erratic behavior of the check marks means.
10. Tagging is buggy.  Apparently, tagging does not carryover from local Picasa.  I provided names as requested, but G+ kept trying to merge two people together.  It would show them separately, and I would supply different names, and as soon as the second name was input, the two groups of photos would be merged under that name.  
1. The second time I tried it, it seemed to work, except it would ask for names on duplicates of ones provided earlier.
2. Upon completing name entry, G+ informed that it was going to share the pictures with all of the named people.  As I didn't wish this to happen, I closed the dialog box.
11. Film scans that have been made right-side-up in Picasa wind up sideways in G+
1. There seems to be no way to rectify images other than to open to full screen individually.
2. It's possible to select multiple images, and even open to full screen, but the rotate widgets are not available when multiple images are selected.

Recessed Lighting - Bulb Types

When recessed light fixtures were first widely used in houses, the bulbs were 75 watts, giving 1100 lumens.  A federal law enacted to save energy mandated that R30 lamps had to be only 65 watts, giving 640 lumens.  Of course no energy was probably saved, as the new lights don't give enough lights to read by, so additional lamps are necessary.  Undoubtedly, some people installed more lights to make up for the lost brightness.
Now, with compact LEDs on the market, with much greater savings, there's no reason why R30s shouldn't be made with higher levels of brightness.  Will anyone make an R30 or BR30 that gives 1100 lumens?
One alternative is to use a PAR30.  These generally give a narrow beam, and may have a pattern to the light.
Another alternative is to use an R40 size LED.  These are longer, so they protrude from a 5" fixture.
I have sent this email to Feit Electric:
"Any chance you might introduce an 1100 lumen R30 or BR30?  When recessed lighting was first widely used, the lamps were 75 watts, giving 1100 lumens.  Federal law limited these lamps to 65 watts, which produce a paltry 640 lumens.  LEDs offer the promise of more light for less energy.  How about getting our brightness back to where it was intended to be?"

Costco countertops experience not up to Costco standards

I am disappointed to learn of all the bad experiences with Costco on Gardenweb.  I am very disappointed that they simply take a cut, but the rest of the process is unchanged.  I expected Costco would disrupt the market in a manner beneficial to both consumers and installers.  Costco should import the stone, own the stone yards, self-insure for damaged materials and homeowner property, and employ the fabricators.
We had a problem with an independent fabricator who messed up cutting some stone, which he should have replaced. But to buy another slab would have wiped out his profit and put him in debt.  So we bought another slab.  It's the same with any independent "handyman" who works with expensive materials that he doesn't supply.  A marketer who can overcome these problems could have a very good profitable business, while benefiting consumers and workers.  It seems to be a perfect match with Costco's business model.  Why aren't they doing it?

Google Maps Update is a Disaster

There's no "recently navigated" list.  All that shows up is a bunch of restaurants in my hometown that I don't need a GPS for and never used the GPS.
I make reservations for hotels all along a trip.  Before leaving home, I used to enter each address, hit navigate, then stop navigation.  Each hotel would then be saved in my "recent" list, and I wouldn't have to look for an address on a scrap of paper and key it in while driving.  You might suggest I enter them each morning, but i also have other destinations during the day, that make my hotel disappear!  Voice entry is a rare hit and mostly miss proposition.  In four days of driving in the south Atlantic states, voice has worked only once.

The interface is awful for what it does do.  If voice entry is accepted, the destination doesn't even show on the screen!  You need to open destinations and select the one you just spoke. 

All in all, this "update" is a disaster.  Try learning to use it, and then start driving and try having your untutored passenger operate it for you.  Instant frustration!

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

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I am troubled by the same behavior.  The ability to retain previously input destinations is a critical basic function of a navigation system.  Google Maps has all kinds of "gee whiz" bells and whistles I'll never use, but it seems to fail at getting me where I want to go without inordinate tinkering.  I tried using The C Man's advice, but the desktop version of Google Maps won't display properly on my Galaxy Note 2 with Android 4.1.2.  It looks OK at first, although tiny letters, and then when I touch to input the address, it jumps to magnify greatly to focus on the input area, and even after search is done, the magnification and location of the screen can't be changed.  I can't see what should be on the left or right extremities of the screen.  finger gestures change the magnification of the map within in its window, but not the screen as a whole.

The maps app shows that I am logged in.

Why can't nav just remember the last 50 places I've asked it to navigate to?

Before leaving on a trip, I like to enter every hotel and site to visit, so they will show up as recent searches.  Multiple destinations is cute, but I might want to add side trips in the midst of a 2 week journey.  It's very difficult to input a hotel address while driving, especially since I can't get voice recognition to work in such out of the way places as New York City and Boston, never mind the inconvenience and hazard of having to refer to a piece of paper to get the address each time.

I generally drive, and my companion is not as familiar with my phone as I am.  They find it frustrating and even maddening to input a destination.  So much easier to pick it off a list.

And while I'm at it, why is it that after a destination is input by voice, the screen does not show it, but instead says "Choose destination" that must be touched to display what I just said????

In Maps "Tips and tricks" under "Save a place and find it later" it advises to "just pull up the info sheet . . . and tap Save"  I've never seen an info sheet except in the example.  Are these only available for locations that pay Google?  None of my hotels (Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Best Western, etc. seem to have info sheets.