I just registered to this site after being a long time lurker to respond to your request. Just purchased an aeropress coffee machine and for about $35 it will meet all your requirements. Read the reviews on it, you won't regret the purchase. Best coffee you'll ever make hands down with 10 sec clean up, no on off switch to worry about because it's all manual using no electricy (other than getting heated water). It makes espresso type coffee that you can use as a base for lattes and cappuccinos too as well as a good cup of Americano coffee. Rivals coffee made at Starbucks and other gourmet shops. Everyone in your household can make their own coffee to their liking when they want to and at whatever temperature they wish. So portable you can take it camping, travelling or keep at your office desk. Best purchase I've made in a while. Five stars on amazon.com

If you have not cleaned the inside of your tower in the last year, especially if you have animals and a lot of dust, do yourself and your pc a huge favor and open that thing up and get those dust bunnies out of there, that in itself will save you a LOT, your pc will run better, less heat, last longer and not take as much effort to run. That is one of the top killers of computers. And it is a task anyone can do. If you need tutorials there are tons of them on google and youtube with step by step direction and we are here to help also. Just do it!! Mine have clear panels so everything inside is visible I have to keep a neat pc LOL But I love having the ability to see what is happening inside. Plus I like all the pretty lights too. I also cringe when I hear " I just turn off the power strip " My sincere hope is that each individual pc and monitor were actually properly shut down individually Before the strip was just turned off!! Unfortunately I know in some cases that is not so.

"If something tastes better, that assumes that the 'better' is objective" My comments were directed to things others said, not to a straw man. There's nothing to fall for. Did I say tastes better? If I did, I left out "to me and others who care about flavor". I think it's you and others advancing a straw man argument. Let's take it in steps. For taste, I'd say things like more or less rich, more or less full bodied or deeper, more or less nuanced, more coffee flavor, more or less acidic, more sharp or more mellow, etc. Funny enough, many of the same words people use to describe wine without fruit elements. These are objective among people who like or want to pay attention. Better? That's subjective, that's about preferences. You like mild, I may like a sharper flavor. Or I like a milder flavor, and you don't care. Etc. Music is the same in a lot of ways. There are people who listen superficially and don't pay attention to or care about nuances in performance, arrangements, etc., There are those who listen more deeply. Classical music fans might have 5 copies of their favorite piece, each performed by a different orchestra with a different conductor. Someone else would say - they all sound the same. Is one person right and the other wrong? They are insofar as the objective assessment is concerned because they're not the same, they are each different. But as between the people, which is preferred has to do with taste and personal preference, and to many it may not matter at all. You won't find percolated Maxwell House coffee in a coffee store. There's a reason why. If you want to think it's because coffee snobs wouldn't drink it because it's not special, then go right ahead.

"If you don’t mind losing the very benefit (fresh ice) that you no doubt paid a premium for, then go for it." Not too much of an issue at 2a :-) My initial plan is to turn it off @ 6p so it will still have ice until 10p and then have it turn on at 8a so it'll have fresh ice by 8:30. This will be about a 60% reduction in electricity and water usage. We'll see how this goes for both availability and freshness and then modify the schedule from there. I already have Dinner Party macro in our HA system so I'll add a routine to keep it on later on those nights. The tube idea is pretty interesting.