Make:

Tracking Power Consumption

Reviewed by Arwen O'Reilly
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/05/tracking_the_po.html


Two recent posts on O'Reilly Radar caught my attention. They both talk about ways to track the hidden power consumption of our gadgets, as well as discuss ways to change how we think about power efficiency.

Artur Bergman points out in his post that most people aren't aware how much power their various devices use. He points to the MPG meter on most hybrid cars and admits that just being aware of his control over the car's efficiency makes him drive more carefully.

"This 'making the invisible visible' idea can be applied to electricity as well," he says. "There are a numerous tools on the market that let you find out in realtime how much electricity one appliance, or the entire house is using. The simplest tool is the Kill-A-Watt, available from plenty of online stores for around $40. You plug them in and they tell you what that device is using at this given point in time. More general versions are The Energy Detective and Energy Monitor house meters, both of which will report the current, average, and peak power use of your house. If you have variable pricing, future versions of these products could give you the ability to show you exactly what your power use is costing you in realtime."

Brady Forrest, in another post, talks about gadgets that automatically reduce your power consumption for you. "Things plugged into wall sockets continue to draw power even if they are off," he says in the post. "Chargers plugged in continue to draw power even if the associated device has been charged or unplugged. Until recently, I had not realized this; I doubt many other people really think about or act on this information regularly." He points out a new series of Nokia phones that will alert users when the phone is fully charged, so they can unplug it and stop drawing power from the socket. ("Personally, I wonder why they can't just detect that the device has been unplugged and stop the draw," he adds.)

He also recommends the Smart Power Strip, which shuts off the draw of secondary devices when the main computer is shut off, and mentions Lights Out, Mac software that allows you to adjust your computer's power draw.

Discussion

Electric Metric

Reviewed by Arwen O'Reilly
http://electrimetric.blogspot.com/


I first found out about this blog from Brady Forrest's post about energy consumption. It's a compilation of energy-saving device reviews, comparisons between different devices, musings about American power consumption, and calculations of just how much power various devices use.

It's great for awareness, but I also love Bryn's sense of humor and wide-ranging approach; a recent post looked at the average power consumption of treadmills, but cracked: "It's probably best not to worry about the treadmill though. Knowing most americans you'll end up carrying it up to the attic soon enough. :)" The post ended with a link to an article about a gym in Hong Kong powered by treadmills. Now that's an idea!

Discussion

Figure 9 Rope Tightener

Reviewed by fleanine
http://www.niteize.com/category.php?category_id=29
$4

This product eliminates the need for knots. I know, it is a good idea to learn how to tie knots, but this makes a lot of things much easier: tie down loads, hang a tarp, secure items together etc. Check it out--it may even allow you to leave the clamping straps at home!

Discussion

Light Box

Reviewed by Arwen O'Reilly
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/04/coolest-free-white-background-ever.html


Phil Torrone and Natalie Zee of the MAKE and CRAFT blogs both posted about this great, no-fuss light "tent" that just about anyone can put their hands on. If you've got a cooler (and I know you just bought one for Memorial Day weekend), then you have the perfect place to shoot seamless backgrounds to highlight your latest creation.

Discussion

Gorilla Rack Workbench (GR 2102 B)

Reviewed by StefanLasiewski
http://www.gorillarack.com
$99

At $99, the Gorilla Rack Workbench is the best workbench that I have found for the price. This model is much higher quality then similarly priced workbenches found at Home Depot or Lowes.

The Gorilla Rack Workbench is a sturdy workbench made from heavy-duty 14- and 16-gauge painted steel. Unlike similar models, the metal edges are finely smoothed so there are no sharp edges.

The work surface and shelves are made of 3/8" particle board. However, these are easy to replace with something more sturdy like plywood.

Underneath the work surface, there are two wide drawers on ball-bearing glides.

I assembled this by myself in around an hour. The tight-fitting pieces required some hammering with my trusty rubber mallet.

Dimensions: 24” x 60” x 60” inch
Work Surface & Bottom Shelf: 3/8" Particle Board

Customer Support: When I got home, I discovered that my local hardware store had lost the drawer slides for this unit. I called Gorilla Rack customer service--they were incredibly helpful, and they shipped the pieces to me via FedEx.

Discussion

BBQ-tiful

Reviewed by Arwen O'Reilly
http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/05/bbq_accessories.php


Phil Torrone pointed me to this great listing of BBQ accessories (Father's Day, anyone?) and extras. Some are perhaps more polished than practical, but I love the BBQ wok for grilling small vegetables, and the pizza pan, for converting your grill into the equivalent of a brick oven.

Follow the link for Coolhunter's list of the top nine grills, too, in case you've got that summer feeling.

Discussion

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