Will Worsham

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Boom Bucket

I love mortar shells on the 4th of July.  I love mortar shells any day for that matter.  They're loud, they're pretty  - - they're loud.  All great stuff for a fireworks show.  But those flimsy launcher tubes that come with them just don't do the trick after 40 or 50.  So, I built the BOOM BUCKET.  Unfortunately the original BOOM BUCKET failed when a mortar shell was inadvertently loaded upside down last year.   

So its time to build the replacement.  

This year I decided to build two.  What you need to begin:

• Bucket
• 1 10' 2" PVC Pipe 
• Brick paver - preferably round but must fit in the bottom of the bucket. 
• Quickcrete or equivalent 
• Water 

 
Cut the PVC pipe to fit the bucket.  For my buckets that was 14".  Put the paver in the bottom of the bucket.  Mix up the concrete and pour it in the bucket so there is about 2" on top of the paver.

 

Then arrange the lengths of PVC pipe in the concrete seating them down on the paver in the bottom of the bucket.  Then let dry.

As you can see, this is an EIGHT barrel model.  I actually think that a SEVEN barrel would work best because it would allow a tighter grouping of the barrels.

Make sure your barrel length isn't too long or the fuses won't reach from the bottom with enough left over to light them all at once.  The idea here is to shoot off 7-8 mortar shells at once so you get that BIG SHOW effect of multiple bursts all close in time.

Whereas the provided tubes usually fail after 3-4 launches, the BOOM BUCKET is virtually indestructable (see caveat in first paragraph re: proper loading of shell) and  will provide big fun for many years.

Taekwondo Sparring

Hampton Inn's 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is Meaningless

(I'm already hearing Leo say, "Told you so" since Hampton Inn got him ARRESTED! but . . .)  I book two adjoining non-smoking double rooms two months ago and pay in full in advance under a No Refund, No Modify deal, using my Hilton Honor's reward membership.

Today we arrive to be told, "Sorry we don't have any adjoining rooms available."  Well what am I supposed to do put my 11, 9 and 4 year old in a hotel room DOWN THE HALL?!?

Apparently, because Hampton Inn has no solution.  So what do we get? One double room and One King Bed Room with a sleeper sofa.  The only workable solution is to put all FIVE of us in the King Room (the three boys in the King bed and Shelby and I on the sleeper sofa) and leave the other room that is paid for COMPLETELY EMPTY!

Also, the room we are in is a SMOKING room and you can tell as soon as you walk in.  Needless to say, we're not satisfied.  HAMPTON INN doesn't care. I called the Customer Service for my HHonors program. The first thing I'm told is that adjoining rooms are "requests" and not guarantees" I don't really care, "you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and I'm not satisfied."  Plus, the desk clerk started to put is in adjoining rooms 231 and 229 and then realized there was already someone in ONE OF THEM!  Now, tell me this, if you KNOW someone is coming to your hotel who has "requested" adjoining rooms, why do you put someone in only ONE of a pair of adjoining rooms?

Next I'm told that they can accomodate our "request" at another Hotel, but we'd have to pay for BOTH because our current rooms are, "NON-REFUNDABLE AND NON-MODIFIABLE" to which I responded, "Well YOU modified them." Which was followed up by some type of scripted crap which I hung up on.

Hampton Inn claims 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, I'm not satisfied, but I'm not done yet.

Board Breaking

Since you all asked

Yes.  I was in ANOTHER car wreck. It was about 1 mile from the last one of exactly 1 year, 1 month and 6 days ago. Yes, I probably totaled ANOTHER Jeep in the process and NO (again) it wasn't my fault.

I'm merrily driving west on HWY 60 in the driving lane.  There is a car entering the median from the south (my left).  As I approach he begins to enter the passing lane next to me, but instead of travelling west on 60 as I was in the passing lane as I assumed he would, he instead drove directly into the drivers' side door of my Jeep sending me into a 360 degree spin and into the ditch narrowly missing the big orange DOT mobile electronic message board.

I was trapped in the Jeep because my door was smashed in, but he quickly came over and apologized that he didn't see me.  Cool. Accidents happen.  Cops show up everything is fine.  EMTs show up and put me in the CT collar and back board and haul me to the ER.  Doc ask me what I think.  I tell her my right leg hurts (nice abrasion and contusion) and my back, neck and head hurt, I'm a little dizzy but nothing major.  She pokes around a bit and says ok, you can go.

Done deal.  Since I'm already on first name basis with my insurance adjuster from last year I pull him up from my iPhone contact list and say, "Spencer, you're never gonna believe this . . . "

40 Under 40

Lunch & Taxes : How does it work?

Flip minoHD

I haven't endorsed any products in a while, but this one really has me impressed.  The Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder is, I believe, a revolutionary product. For one thing, it's SMALLER than my iPhone.  It shoots full motion video in 720p Hi-Def.  It can record up to 60 minutes of this Hi-Def video and has a nifty little pop out usb connection for sending the video to your computer!

Granted, you won't be shooting any epics with it.  It doesn't zoom or have any other fancy features, but in a world that lives by under 5 minute video on youtube, this is the perfect little gadget to get you there.

After I shot a little video with it, I popped it right into my MacBook Air and imported the videos straight from the camera to iMovie '09.  I selected and cropped the clips, dropped in some transitions and voila!  A video made for Facebook!

As cheap as these things are selling for (as video cameras go) there's little reason why pretty much everyone won't be carrying them in their pocket in the near future.

Be The Power Company - Netmetering in Missouri

From www.dsireusa.org

Missouri

Missouri - Net Metering

Last DSIRE Review: 01/06/2009  

Incentive Type: Net Metering Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: Solar Thermal Electric, Photovoltaics, Wind, Hydroelectric, Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels Applicable Sectors: Commercial, Industrial, Residential, General Public/Consumer, Nonprofit, Schools, Local Government, State Government, Fed. Government, Agricultural, Institutional Limit on System Size:100 kW Limit on Overall Enrollment:5% of a utility's single-hour peak load during the previous year Treatment of Net Excess:Credited to customer's next bill at utility's avoided-cost rate; granted to utility at end of 12-month period Utilities Involved:All utilities Interconnection Standards for Net Metering?Under development Authority 1: R.S. Mo. § 386.890 Date Enacted:06/25/2007 Effective Date:01/01/2008

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Summary:   Note: In October 2008 the Missouri Public Service Commission issued a final rulemaking order implementing the provisions of SB 54. Among the notable clarifications offered under this rulemaking order are determinations that (1) monthly net excess generation will be credited to the customer at the utility's cogeneration rate and (2) systems larger than 10 kW must carry at least $1 million in liability insurance and smaller systems must carry $100,000 in liability insurance. The rulemaking order appeared in the January 2, 2009 edition of the Missouri Register and is scheduled to become effective February 28, 2009.  
 
Missouri enacted legislation in June 2007 (SB 54) requiring all electric utilities -- investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and electric cooperatives -- to offer net metering to customers with systems up to 100 kilowatts (kW) in capacity that generate electricity using wind energy, solar-thermal energy, hydroelectric energy, photovoltaics (PV), fuel cells using hydrogen produced by one of the aforementioned resources, and other sources of energy certified as renewable by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Systems must be intended primarily to offset part or all of a customer's own electricity requirements, and must be located on a premises owned, operated, leased or otherwise controlled by the customer. The new law took effect January 1, 2008.*  
 
Net metering is available until the total rated generating capacity of net-metered systems equals 5% of a utility's single-hour peak load during the previous year. However, in a given calendar year, the aggregate capacity of all approved applications for interconnection is limited to 1% of a utility's single-hour peak load for the previous calendar year. If a customer's existing metering equipment is not capable of measuring the net amount of electricity produced or consumed, or if it is necessary for the utility to install "additional distribution equipment to accommodate the customer-generator's facility," then the customer must pay for these costs.  
 
Customer net excess generation (NEG) during a given month is credited to the customer's next bill at a rate at least equivalent the utility's avoided-cost rate. Any NEG remaining at the end of a 12-month period is granted to the utility with no compensation for the customer.  
 
Utilities must offer a net-metering tariff or contract that is identical in electrical energy rates, rate structure, and monthly charges to the contract or tariff that the customer would be assigned if the customer were not an eligible customer-generator. Utilities may not charge the customer any additional standby, capacity, interconnection, or other fee or charge that would not otherwise be charged if the customer were not an eligible customer-generator.  
 
Any costs incurred by a utility under Missouri's net-metering statute are recoverable in the utility's rate structure. The estimated generating capacity of all net-metered systems counts towards the respective utility's accomplishment of any renewable-energy portfolio target or mandate adopted by Missouri. Each utility must file an annual report describing the status of its program.  
 
Utilities not regulated by the commission are required to adopt initial rules by October 1, 2008, including regulations ensuring that simple contracts will be used for interconnection and net metering. For systems up to 10 kW, the application process includes all-in-one document that includes a simple interconnection request, simple procedures, and a brief set of terms and conditions.  
 
 
*Prior to the June 2007 legislation, Missouri required certain utilities to offer “dual metering” to consumers. “Dual metering” is much less favorable to consumers than net metering.

Contact:   Dan Beck Missouri Public Service Commission P.O. Box 360 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-7522 Fax: (573) 751-0429 E-Mail: dan.beck@psc.mo.gov Web site: http://www.psc.state.mo.us   Program Information Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (800) 361-4827 Fax: (573) 751-6860 E-Mail: energy@dnr.mo.gov Web site: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/index.html

Mark Driscoll on Nightline