Lee.org

Here is the manual for our Frigidaire washer dryer.
Washer Dryer A02591501en

Looking for Ernest Ferranti’s Lackawanna Brewing Company!

I got a message from a man named Jim Torre. Can you help?
He writes:
I found you through your website lee.org. I live in Archbald, PA and saw that your grandfather was Ernest Ferranti. I found his name in a book that said he was VP and later owner of Lackawanna Beer and Ale Corp, which was originally Lackawanna Brewing Company, after the buyout from Pennsylvania Central Brewing. I’ve been doing some research on opening my own brewery and I am interested in using the original name “Lackawanna Brewing Company”. I looked in the Department of State database for PA, and found that this name is still active, even though the business closed its operations in 1897. So the reason I am contacting you is to find out if you or one of your relatives still own the shares in this company or if you know who the business was sold to in 1943.

Just two years ago I wrote how LED light bulbs vs CFL light bulbs were exciting but still “a wash”. My how tech changes. Over the last couple months, I’ve been replacing my 23 watt CFLs with 9.5 watt LEDs and getting the same lumens! My LED bulbs look terrific, last forever, and will pay for themselves in less than two years. If they were replacing incandescent bulbs, they’d pay for themselves in twDONE!

I’m using Feit Electric Conserv-Energy 60 watt replacement dimmable bulbs. Feit item# 144799. Available at my Costco for $10.50 for 3.

They don’t flicker. I’ve put them on my new Lutron Maestro dimmers and they dim very nicely down to a very low level (but I also had to put a regular 40 watt incandescent in with them lest the dimming circuit doesn’t work correctly).

I haven’t been able to use them in a torchiere lamp with a built-in dimmer. If the light is set to dim and some appliance in the house turns on, the light turns off for a split second :-( The incandescent bulb only flutters a little and is much more tolerable.

The Best Arduino Class, November 7&8, Oakland, CA
If you want to get your feet (and knees and hips!) wet with Arduino, this is the best way. One intensive weekend November 7&8 will help make that project, that business idea, that general knowledge solid! When I’m not in school myself, I teach with Workshop Weekend.

Workshop Weekend: Arduino returns Nov 7-8!

Hi There,

Workshop Weekend: Arduino returns and registration is now open! Join us November 7 and 8, 2015 and we’ll introduce you to the world of Arduino and electronics in a hands-on two day workshop!

Arduino is an open electronics platform designed for artists, designers, and hobbyists. Makers and scientists have used Arduino to make drink-mixers, laser harps and other musical instruments, science experiments, power meters, flying robots and much more. We’ve compiled a set of Arduino starter projects you can start with at Workshop Weekend: Arduino on our Arduino Projects page – these projects are great starting points for future exploration. Or bring your own project!

Workshop Weekend: Arduino is designed to bring you significant experience with both Arduino and electronics, comprehensively leading you through all the key concepts, and giving you a platform from which to explore further. You don’t need to have any experience working with Arduino, electronics, or programming to attend! But if you do have some experience, we’ll help you take your projects to the next level!

Check out the full schedule and register here: http://workshopweekend.net/arduino/catalog

Saturday we’ll guide you through the Arduino hardware and software and work on Arduino labs. Sunday, you’ll work on your own project with our team of expert mentors at hand. Don’t worry if you don’t have a project yet – we’ll get you started with any from our project page. In the process, you’ll learn about topics like advanced programming, working with audio, motors and movement, and LCD character displays.

Use the coupon code NB7887 for $50 off admission!

New this time around, we’ve extended the age range to ages 15-101. And as always, discounted registration is available for those with financial need — please ask.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions at all!

I hope we’ll see you there.

Warmly,
J.D., Rolf, Anca, Smitha, Malcolm, Michael, Tenaya, Andrew and Gil

I think that it is unfair that, of late, every second of pleasure in my life costs at least two seconds of pain.

When I asked my doctor last week if it was official that my commute was killing me, she said, “No, but I think it is causing your edema and paresthesia.” However, she couldn’t say where the rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms in my hands and feet came from. They faded on their own last week so, “it was probably something viral” is the standard answer.

Last night I got home after my wife and baby were asleep, did schoolwork til 11:45pm, got up at 6:30, and got to wipe my baby’s snotty nose just once before running out the door, late, at 7:15. Unfair to  mommy, baby, and daddy.

I could write about a great many problems but this is not the place for that.

From Propaniac, September 2015

Ever wonder how much propane is consumed at Burning Man each year?
Wonder no more…
20,020.7 gallons of propane were pumped on playa by the BRC Fuels Team this year (new record). This does not include all of the propane participants purchased off playa.
17,673.4 gallons was for art (mutant vehicles, theme camps, art projects)
2,347.3 gallons was for infrastructure (commissary, Gate, etc.)
Here are some fun facts about the 17,673.4 gallons of propane that were burned for artistic purposes this year…
74,228.3 pounds of propane (37.1 tons)… that is equal to the avg. weight of 6 African adult male bush elephants.
642,958.3 cubic feet of propane vapor… that is enough vapor to fill an area the size of a US football field (including the end zones) a little over 11 ft. deep.
1,617,151,446.8 btus of heat value released… To equal this amount, the 80,000 btu furnace in my house would have to run continuously for 2.3 years
224,784 pounds of CO2 were released… this is approximately equal to 10 years worth of CO2 emissions generated by one average US citizen.

And my followup…
224,784 pounds of CO2? That’s like nuffum. Super-nuffum! divided over 66,000 attendees that’s 3.4 pounds of CO2 per person for the whole week! I use more carbon on my BART ride EVERY DAY. Damn, if we all went to Burning Man instead of school or work, we’d save the world!

I’m looking for a good audiobook to take my kind off my commute. Any recommenations? Ive enjoyed Snowcrash by Neil Stephenson, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, Neuromancer by William Gibson, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell…
I’m thinking some fun scifi to start.

Here’s a short, easy guide to plastics you shouldn’t use. As a corollary, if it’s not on this list, you can feel good about using it.

* If a plastic item has a “7” recycle symbol on it, it might be bad, most notably polycarbonate. Stay away.
* If it’s “saran wrap” style plastic wrap, ask what it’s made of. PVC plastic wrap is bad, not because of the PVC but the chemicals they add to make the PVC soft. That’s unfortunate because PVC makes plastic wrap that works the best (it’s sticky and is a great barrier). There are many plastic wraps made of other materials that aren’t toxic.
* polystyrene AKA styrofoam: bad.

I could rant at you for 20 minutes about the dangers of these plastics and how unconscionable it is that these materials are still in common usage.

The other commonly used plastics are generally safe to use! That includes polyethylene (PET, PETE, HDPE, LDPE), and polypropylene.

I gathered the most current info from this page (which is a reaffirmation of things I’ve already known)
Which Plastics Are Safe? a Care2 favorite by Annie B. Bond

I – Independent
MI – Modified Independent
S/U – Setup
Sup – distant supervision
SBA – Stand-by Assistance
CGA – Contact Guard Assistance
Min A
Mod A
Max A
TD+ – total dependence, but attempts to participate
TD
DNT – did not test

Verbal cues 0-100%
Tactile cues 0-100%
Visual cues 0-100%

Balance Documentation Scale
(http://www.clinicalresourceservices.com/old/crs/documents-table/resource-materials/handouts/4-balance-documentation/file)
————————————————–
Static Sitting Balance
Normal Able to maintain sitting balance against maximal resistance.
Good Able to maintain balance against moderate resistance.
G-/F+ Accept minimal resistance.
Fair Able to sit unsupported without balance loss and without UE support.
Fair- Able to maintain static balance with UE support.
Poor+ Able to maintain with minimum assistance from individual or chair.
Poor Unable to maintain static sitting balance /s mod/max support from another individual or chair.
————————————————–
Dynamic Sitting Balance
Normal Able to sit unsupported. Able to weight shift and cross midline max.
Good Able to sit unsupported. Able to weight shift and cross midline mod.
G-/F+ Able to sit unsupported. Able to weight shift and cross midline min.
Fair Able to sit unsupported. Able to minimally weight shift to same side and front. Difficulty crossing midline.
Fair- Able to sit supported with min assist and reach to same side. Unable to weight shift.
Poor+ Able to sit supported with mod assist and reach to same side. Unable to weight shift.
Poor Able to sit supported with mod assist and reach to same side and front. Unable to cross midline.
————————————————–
Static Standing Balance
Normal Able to maintain standing balance against maximal resistance.
Good Able to maintain standing balance against moderate resistance.
G-/F+ Able to maintain standing balance against minimal resistance.
Fair Able to stand unsupported /s balance loss for 1-2 minutes /s UE support.
Fair- Requires min assist or UE support in order to stand /s balance loss.
Poor+ Requires mod assist and UE support to maintain standing /s balance loss.
Poor Requires max assist and UE support to maintain standing balance.
————————————————–
Dynamic Standing Balance
Normal Able to stand unsupported, weight shift and cross midline maximally.
Good Able to stand unsupported, weight shift and cross midline moderately.
G-/F+ Able to stand unsupported, weight shift and cross midline minimally.
Fair Able to stand unsupported, weight shift and reach to same side. Difficulty crossing midline without balance loss.
Fair- Able to stand with cue and reach to same side. Unable to weight shift.
Poor+ Able to stand with min assist and reach to same side. Unable to weight shift.
Poor Able to stand with mod assist and minimally reach to same side. Unable to cross midline.

————————————————–
MMT

Number Grade Word/Letter Grade Definition
0 Zero (0) No muscle contraction can be seen or felt.
1 Trace (T) Contraction can be observed or felt, but there is no motion.
2− Poor minus (P−) Part moves through incomplete ROM with gravity minimized.
2 Poor (P) Part moves through complete ROM with gravity minimized.
2+ Poor plus (P+) Part moves through less than 50% of available ROM against gravity or through complete ROM with gravity minimized against slight resistance.
3− Fair minus (F−) Part moves through more than 50% of available ROM against gravity.
3 Fair (F) Part moves through complete ROM against gravity.
3+ Fair plus (F+) Part moves through complete ROM against gravity and slight resistance.
4 Good (G) Part moves through complete ROM against gravity and moderate resistance.
5 Normal (N) Part moves through complete ROM against gravity and maximal resistance.

The Baby Shower for Abigail was a while back. Here’s what it was like!