Wind turbines have been pretty tough on the raptor population here in CA. I'm much more excited about the possibility of learning from wind turbines technology applying it towards creating ocean turbines in the Pacific. Wave power can spin magnets (like all turbines) to create electricity directly (which requires a netwotk of cables for transmission) or it can be used for electrolysis of seawater to create hydrogen gas, it the US can ever get the hydrogen fuel cell to be practical. Wave power devices extract energy directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface. Renewable energy analysts believe there is enough energy in the ocean waves to provide up to 2 terawatts of electricity. (A terawatt is equal to a trillion watts.) Offshore systems are situated in deep water, typically of more than 40 meters (131 feet). Sophisticated mechanismsÂlike the Salter DuckÂuse the bobbing motion of the waves to power a pump that creates electricity. Other offshore devices use hoses connected to floats that ride the waves. The rise and fall of the float stretches and relaxes the hose, which pressurizes the water, which, in turn, rotates a turbine. Specially built seagoing vessels can also capture the energy of offshore waves. These floating platforms create electricity by funneling waves through internal turbines and then back into the sea. Built along shorelines, onshore wave power systems extract the energy in breaking waves. Onshore system technologies include the following: Oscillating water column The oscillating water column consists of a partially submerged concrete or steel structure that has an opening to the sea below the waterline. It encloses a column of air above a column of water. As waves enter the air column, they cause the water column to rise and fall. This alternately compresses and depressurizes the air column. As the wave retreats, the air is drawn back through the turbine as a result of the reduced air pressure on the ocean side of the turbine. Tapchan The tapchan, or tapered channel system, consists of a tapered channel, which feeds into a reservoir constructed on cliffs above sea level. The narrowing of the channel causes the waves to increase in height as they move toward the cliff face. The waves spill over the walls of the channel into the reservoir and the stored water is then fed through a turbine. Pendulor device The pendulor wave-power device consists of a rectangular box, which is open to the sea at one end. A flap is hinged over the opening and the action of the waves causes the flap to swing back and forth. The motion powers a hydraulic pump and a generator. Clearly, we can't keep burning carbon-based fuels.

Progress: And 1 inch of what may have been the original 1887 wallpaper. I like the green: I ended up using the circular saw to make grid cuts 12-18" apart. I used the multi tool to make cuts closer to the wall and corners where the circular saw couldn't clear. I tried different methods to pry the sections off; some were too narrow; some had too much flex. A 5" wide blade, hammered in and then pried down, did most of the work. Where the ceiling met the wall, I did a combination of breaking the paint and skim coat with a putty knife hammered upwards, and just cutting around with a multitool. There was only about a 1/8" thick bond to break through so it came away, thankfully, easily. I'd say it was altogether 10 hours in a 6 x 8 room to get this far--crazy! I definitely won't be doing the rest of the house. In most other rooms I plan to knock off the flecky balls and skim coat the ridged scallops, like Worthy suggests. In the double parlor, which has crown molding, I'll go through this routine. It's a great upper body workout! Some of the original ceiling is loose, so I'll be putting in some plaster washer anchors. You can also see where they poked holes to verify the location of studs. Those and the cracks will get fiberglass tape and patched. A little skimming, a little sanding, a little paint, and she'll be done. Of course, before all that, I'll do a thorough scrub down with tsp and water, then rinse, dry, and coat with benjamin moore calcimine recoater. Then plaster bonding agent to all the damaged places, and then fiberglass tape, patch/fill with durabond, knock down with a putty knife, then easy sand, then sanding, priming, and finally paint. What could be easier?!? Hope everybody else is having as much fun as I am this weekend! And yes, I'm saving a sample of the wallpaper for the house book.

hmm - this is a tough question. We had a traditional double basin 60/40 stainless drop-in in our old kitchen and I hated how I could never fit anything large in it. Washing cookie sheets, roasting pans, large pits etc. was such a pain! While the stainless did scratch I never found the scratched offensive. Now, I have a 30" single bowl apron. I LOVE the size. I can even fit my son's high chair tray in it easily! I also LOVE not having a lip of counter at the front edge of the sink. However, I HATE not having anywhere to put clean dishes, and I find it is already scratching after only 3 weeks of use. I find these scratches more bothersome than the stainless scratches, because they are a different colour. Also, it may be just our particular model (Elkay) - but the bottom is VERY FLAT and it makes it extremely difficult to rinse out the sink. If I had it to do all over again, I think I would have gone with an extra, extra large double bowl 60/40 farmhouse stainless (and I would have paid attention to the slope of the bottom when choosing! HTH!

I didn't want to mention the rock slide that crashed through the wall if it wasn't already bothering the homeowner's. Sometimes people don't want to have their attention drawn to something that's expensive to fix, if they're otherwise accepting of it. Since it came up, I'll not disagree with kiminpl's comments about the two elements being radically out of sync. I think the problem lies entirely with the rock fountain. We notice that the rocks are of relatively uniform, small size. In nature we would see some boulders in the mix. Also, the chute is straight, like a manufactured object. At the termination point, the stacking of stones is not at all like nature would do it, stable and in equilibrium. Instead, some stones are stacked vertically so an accidental bump could send them tumbling. That the "stream" has a given width at its base, but where it penetrates the wall it is only half that width, which looks unnatural. The pool at the base should be wider -- probably considerably wider -- than the stream, if it is to look natural. And It seems that replicating/simulating nature is the whole point. Looking at an example of a natural stream (or a good fake stream!) a quasi-alternating arrangement of boulders occurs more or less along the sides (encircled in yellow.) The boulders are "helped" by large, dome-shaped plant masses (encircled in orange) furthering the random, alternating arrangement. One might think of their arrangement as how a steel ball might travel a pinball course (red line.) In some cases these boulders extend, separate and outside of the stream, adding depth and drama to the scene. In the case of the property in question, no boulders to speak of exist at all! I would be tempted to mortar some stones together, making simulated boulders. (To be sure, though, it would require someone with an artistic sense to do this and massage the existing contents into a more natural arrangement.) Consolidating stones into larger masses could help to create more of a meandering effect. (It looks like the actual path of water flow might be curved.) It could also help to narrow the overall stream so that it fits better with the wall opening. It's going to be nearly impossible for me to describe in a concise way how the stream should meet the wall, but I think this portion needs a complete redesign. While the largest "boulders" might begin to penetrate the wall, I don't think all the "gravel" looks good spilling out and filling the pool. It should be more pool and less stream bed on the patio side of the wall. Given that the "pool" probably needs to be filled with gravel, it might be a smaller, different colored (dark) stone that simulates the effect of water. Don't know if this will help. Usually, creating these things like this are not for people working it out as they go. It generally takes someone with experience.