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Off Topic => General Discussion => Topic started by: LionKing on December 01, 2014, 03:14:57 PM

Title: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 01, 2014, 03:14:57 PM
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/21-the-most-brilliant-winter-hacks-that-everyone-must-know-before-the-winter-comes/


some tricks we might need in the coming months
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: ApolloGnomon on December 01, 2014, 03:37:20 PM
The first one, foil behind the radiator, and one further down the list, wooly shoe inserts, can be combined. One day in the National Guard I decided to fix an ongoing problem with cold feet and cut up a pop-tart wrapper to fit under my basic foam insoles in my combat boots. I tried one foot only for the morning just to see if I could tell the difference. Worked so well I did the other one at lunch (yes, I ate another pop tart) and that night I made a pair for my battle buddy's boots. I made him eat his own pop tarts as I'd had my recommended monthly tolerance for the disgusting things. Any aluminized plastic food wrapper would work for this.

The screws in the shoes for studs idea: my wife worked with a guy who rode a bike to work all year round and had a set of bike tires he had studded with short screws. Apparently it worked great.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: BazBear on December 01, 2014, 08:14:19 PM
It's that time of year when I consider employing the ultimate winter hack - moving south - south as in southern hemisphere - so I can skip winter entirely. ;)
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 02, 2014, 03:25:07 AM
The first one, foil behind the radiator, and one further down the list, wooly shoe inserts, can be combined. One day in the National Guard I decided to fix an ongoing problem with cold feet and cut up a pop-tart wrapper to fit under my basic foam insoles in my combat boots. I tried one foot only for the morning just to see if I could tell the difference. Worked so well I did the other one at lunch (yes, I ate another pop tart) and that night I made a pair for my battle buddy's boots. I made him eat his own pop tarts as I'd had my recommended monthly tolerance for the disgusting things. Any aluminized plastic food wrapper would work for this.

The screws in the shoes for studs idea: my wife worked with a guy who rode a bike to work all year round and had a set of bike tires he had studded with short screws. Apparently it worked great.

Thanks. It is time a should think of such a combination when I go to the village for Christmass vacation.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 02, 2014, 03:26:12 AM
It's that time of year when I consider employing the ultimate winter hack - moving south - south as in southern hemisphere - so I can skip winter entirely. ;)

entirely meanng to rain at all? or just no cold? I actualyl start to miss the rain after the summer
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 02, 2014, 03:42:29 AM
by the way, speaking about winter, these are stunning pics of frost http://www.boredpanda.com/natural-winter-snow-ice-art/
I just don't know how #21 is formed
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Zakalwe on December 02, 2014, 04:48:47 AM
by the way, speaking about winter, these are stunning pics of frost http://www.boredpanda.com/natural-winter-snow-ice-art/
I just don't know how #21 is formed

They are formed when the water content of the plant starts to freeze. It expands and ruptures the stem. As the water freezes it pushes the ice outwards.
http://bit.ly/1tyAA8V
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 02, 2014, 04:53:21 AM
by the way, speaking about winter, these are stunning pics of frost http://www.boredpanda.com/natural-winter-snow-ice-art/
I just don't know how #21 is formed

They are formed when the water content of the plant starts to freeze. It expands and ruptures the stem. As the water freezes it pushes the ice outwards.
http://bit.ly/1tyAA8V
interesting..thnx
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: BazBear on December 02, 2014, 05:01:52 AM
It's that time of year when I consider employing the ultimate winter hack - moving south - south as in southern hemisphere - so I can skip winter entirely. ;)

entirely meanng to rain at all? or just no cold? I actualyl start to miss the rain after the summer
Where I live, in Vermont USA, winter precipitation tends to be snow. The snow I don't mind too much, but it can get very cold here. Right now it is -8.8 degrees Celsius, and most winters will have several nights where the temperature dips to -30 C or lower.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Peter B on December 02, 2014, 05:57:37 AM
It's that time of year when I consider employing the ultimate winter hack - moving south - south as in southern hemisphere - so I can skip winter entirely. ;)

entirely meanng to rain at all? or just no cold? I actualyl start to miss the rain after the summer
Where I live, in Vermont USA, winter precipitation tends to be snow. The snow I don't mind too much, but it can get very cold here. Right now it is -8.8 degrees Celsius, and most winters will have several nights where the temperature dips to -30 C or lower.

Hey, why not move to Canberra, where I live? We're about 100km from the coast so we have a large annual temperature variation, so in winter we can get minimums as low as -10 C (rarely), with summer maximums up to 40 C. That way you get a winter that you'll think is pleasantly mild, and a nice warm summer to thaw you out... :-)
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: LionKing on December 02, 2014, 06:11:06 AM
It's that time of year when I consider employing the ultimate winter hack - moving south - south as in southern hemisphere - so I can skip winter entirely. ;)

entirely meanng to rain at all? or just no cold? I actualyl start to miss the rain after the summer
Where I live, in Vermont USA, winter precipitation tends to be snow. The snow I don't mind too much, but it can get very cold here. Right now it is -8.8 degrees Celsius, and most winters will have several nights where the temperature dips to -30 C or lower.

waw..that's too much..
Although I like the village, but I think Beirut's best characteristic is more electricity adn more warmth. In the village I can't get my face over the cover of the bed if I want to sleep unless the room is heated. I msut say that cold weather is a big no no for me
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Echnaton on December 02, 2014, 10:55:31 AM
My ultimate winter hack is to live in Houston, where we close down the town if there is the least bit of snow. 

That said, I do have homemade traction helpers.  Three foot long open rubber mats and five foot long boards with slits and studded with hex head screws.  You never know when you will get stuck in the mud on backwoods roads. 

I like the idea of the Pop Tart wrapper boot liners.  Those might come in handy this weekend if the weather doesn't turn up as is predicted.  And I will come out as a lover of the tasty toaster pastries.  At least the non-frosted blueberry flavored variety.  Still I know them for what they are and, in the past few decades, only ate them with my kids while on camping trips.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Andromeda on December 02, 2014, 04:00:19 PM
My ultimate winter hack is to live in Houston, where we close down the town if there is the least bit of snow.

In England we shut down the whole country if there is the least bit of snow...
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: theteacher on December 02, 2014, 04:41:11 PM
My ultimate winter hack is to live in Houston, where we close down the town if there is the least bit of snow.

In England we shut down the whole country if there is the least bit of snow...

Like in Denmark: Almost any amount of snow is labelled "Chaos" on the front pages.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: PetersCreek on December 02, 2014, 05:29:47 PM
We are far, far behind our snowfall average-to-date in the Anchorage area but have received a paltry few inches in the last couple of days.  Sadly...but not unexpectedly...everyone (except me and my wife, of course) have forgotten how to drive in winter weather.  Idiots, the lot of them.  My daily work commute (31 miles, one way) involves the sole highway leading north out of town.  To my unbridled joy, a construction project is underway at a key choke point.  It took me well over an hour to get home last night and about that long to get to work this morning.

My ultimate winter hack is the remote start system I had installed in my truck after I bought it last year.  After that, I guess it would be filling paper lunch bags with salt and setting them on the roof where ice dams are prone to forming.  I'm hoping we can put a new roof on next summer which should obviate that the need for that precaution.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Echnaton on December 02, 2014, 06:01:18 PM
My ultimate winter hack is the remote start system I had installed in my truck after I bought it last year.
I settled for seat warmers.

A friend in college who was from Iowa had a block warmer and a electric heater inside his car.  I don't know what it cost his parents in electricity, but he parked it outside and said it was the only way to actually keep the car drive-able. 
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: PetersCreek on December 03, 2014, 04:23:55 PM
I settled for seat warmers.

My wife has heated seats in her car and wishes that my truck came with them, too.  Alas, at my truck's trim level, they were a very expensive dealer add-on.

Quote
A friend in college who was from Iowa had a block warmer and a electric heater inside his car.  I don't know what it cost his parents in electricity, but he parked it outside and said it was the only way to actually keep the car drive-able. 

The block heater was a factory installed option on my truck.  There's even a small storage bracket for the power pigtail.  The rule of thumb here is to plug in below 20°F (-7°C).  Typical power consumption is in the neighborhood of 1000-1500 watts, so I run mine with a timer, three hours before I start my morning commute.

I've been told by slope workers that during winter months, vehicles are run continuously (even when parked for extended periods) until they are garaged.  Friends in Fairbanks have told me it's not unusual for flat spots to setup on the tires of cars parked outside until they've been worked out with a bit of driving.  During my first winter here, we had temps around -30°F in my neighborhood.  My vehicle at the time had a manual transmission and putting it in gear that morning was like stirring lukewarm tar. 
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: ka9q on December 03, 2014, 08:01:17 PM
There's always southern California with its Mediterranean (read: paradise) climate.

Doesn't sound like the traffic is any worse than Anchorage.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: gillianren on December 03, 2014, 10:16:52 PM
I lived in Southern California for the first eighteen (almost nineteen) years of my life.  I moved.  Paradise?  Only if you really like hundred-plus temperatures.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Andromeda on December 04, 2014, 02:33:29 AM
Ooh, yes please.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: ka9q on December 04, 2014, 04:22:19 AM
Well, I'm not talking about Death Valley, gillian. I'm in San Diego.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Echnaton on December 04, 2014, 07:32:08 AM
My inlaws live in Orange County, CA and the weather there is near to perfect.  Dry warm days and cool nights.  No air conditioning needed and you can stay outdoors all summer.   Fresh oranges off the tree.  etc.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Tedward on December 04, 2014, 08:42:05 AM
All we needed last winter was a wet suit and snorkel.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: PetersCreek on December 04, 2014, 10:35:53 AM

There's always southern California with its Mediterranean (read: paradise) climate.

Doesn't sound like the traffic is any worse than Anchorage.

I'm not welcome to live in Cali.  Too many guns!  I do travel there for business on occasion, though...mainly the Northern California TRACON (NCT) in Sacramento and SCT in San Diego.  The weather was generally pleasant, if too warm at times but the biggest drawback is that it's just not Alaska.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: gillianren on December 04, 2014, 12:22:51 PM
My inlaws live in Orange County, CA and the weather there is near to perfect.  Dry warm days and cool nights.  No air conditioning needed and you can stay outdoors all summer.   Fresh oranges off the tree.  etc.

The last time I was in Orange County was October about five years ago.  It was 105, and we retreated to the hotel for the heat of the day while spending money to be where we were, because it was too hot.  My entire childhood?  Summer meant going inside during the middle of the day unless you had a reason not to, because it was too hot.  I didn't grow up in Death Valley, either. 
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Echnaton on December 04, 2014, 02:56:18 PM
The last time I was in Orange County was October about five years ago.  It was 105

It seems to be a great deal warmer as you get further from the coast. They live next to the coastal town, by a matter of blocks, and get cool ocean breezes most of the  time.
Title: Re: Winter hacks
Post by: Bryanpoprobson on December 04, 2014, 03:22:31 PM
Back in 199? I did some, factory release testing in Morgan Hill, California, with a company called Wiltron (Taken over by Anritsu). I was testing equipment supplied to BT in the UK and I was out there with a Guy from the UK arm of Anritsu. We borrowed a test rig from the factory, took it back to the hotel. We made a sign saying, "FACTORY RELEASE TESTING DAY 1" and got someone to take pictures of us standing in the hotel pool, connected to the rig with ESP straps and a couple of beers in our hands. :)