Life Off the Grid
loki
to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
biting me.
Now, I have a friend who owns way too many farms (inherited)
and she really needs to get rid of a few. I'm considering buying
one. The issue with that is that it's in Southern Indiana and the
air transport options are basically, commuter or broom and trying
to pack a suitcase and laptop on a broom just plain sucks. I'm not
fond of that but it would put me back home (kinda) and within
close reach of friends I've had since my teens and early twenties.
The other option is to find a place somewhere close enough to
St. Louis that I can get to and from the airport with relative ease
but is still out in the country.
My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
off the grid as someone with technology needs can be. I will
need some sort of broadband access and telephone capability.
I am considering a log home for some odd reason. I do want
a fireplace, a sunroom which can be multipurpose and at least
4 bedrooms. A master suite would be nice but is not required.
Yeah, I want a really nice place but it should be something
of a modern American's witch's cottage too. <grin> Oh,
and a really cool kitchen is high on my list of priorities.
So, what I probably want is just the land and I will have to
add everything I want.
This place would be where I hope to spend the rest of my
life, barring Prince Charming riding up on his white horse
and carrying me away to wherever he needs to live (Texas
comes to mind for some odd reason) but the odds of that
happening are slim to none so I'm thinking this place will
be it for me.
What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is
a definite possibility.
Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
cMAD
[...]
> My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
> off the grid as someone with technology needs can be.
[...]
> What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
> the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
>
> I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
> a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
As the (figurative) barrel I live (or rather have no life) in is in an
inhabited if not crowded area, I can't help too much.
However, there's a guy, I think his name is Kaczynski, living in
Florence, CO, who might have some valuable insights on that issue.
I'm told that he really doesn't have anything to do in his life these
days...
cMAD <- The guy doesn't even have usenet, so I guess he's REALLY bored.
David Loewe, Jr.
wrote:
>Ok, so I'm considering my options here and of late, it has come
>to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
>is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
>there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
>biting me.
>Now, I have a friend who owns way too many farms (inherited)
>and she really needs to get rid of a few. I'm considering buying
>one. The issue with that is that it's in Southern Indiana and the
>air transport options are basically, commuter or broom and trying
>to pack a suitcase and laptop on a broom just plain sucks. I'm not
>fond of that but it would put me back home (kinda) and within
>close reach of friends I've had since my teens and early twenties.
>The other option is to find a place somewhere close enough to
>St. Louis
And here I somehow had gotten the idea that you had moved...
>that I can get to and from the airport with relative ease
>but is still out in the country.
"Relative ease" is so vague. Can you give us a better idea of what you
consider relative ease?
>My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
>off the grid as someone with technology needs can be. I will
>need some sort of broadband access
How good does this have to be? Just about anywhere with a view of the
southern sky can get satellite internet. However, the two people I
know of that have had it, Dr. Jerry Pournelle
(http://www.jerrypournelle.com) and "Robert X. Cringely"
(http://www.pbs.org/cringely/) give it decidedly lukewarm reviews.
Pournelle is keeping his until DSL and/or cable come to Studio City
(yes, the heart of LA doesn't have broadband), although he's
complained about it less of late, and Cringely is trying all sorts of
weird schemes to gain access to DSL and wireless, although he actually
seemed to like his satellite internet. But, the bottom line is that it
does work - although, for some things, you'd be better off with
dial-up.
>and telephone capability.
That shouldn't be a problem.
>I am considering a log home for some odd reason. I do want
>a fireplace, a sunroom which can be multipurpose and at least
>4 bedrooms. A master suite would be nice but is not required.
>Yeah, I want a really nice place but it should be something
>of a modern American's witch's cottage too. <grin> Oh,
>and a really cool kitchen is high on my list of priorities.
This sounds like my Dad and Stepmother's place, although they opted
for fewer bedrooms and it's oriented wrong for a sunroom to work.
>So, what I probably want is just the land and I will have to
>add everything I want.
>This place would be where I hope to spend the rest of my
>life, barring Prince Charming riding up on his white horse
>and carrying me away to wherever he needs to live (Texas
>comes to mind for some odd reason) but the odds of that
>happening are slim to none so I'm thinking this place will
>be it for me.
>What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
>the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
By "off the grid," did you mean to isolate yourself from Ameren/UE (or
other electric company)?
Whether you did or did not, it's very doable. It could also get
expensive.
>I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
>a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
>It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is
>a definite possibility.
>Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
--
"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat."
- John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987
Jim Rusling
<snip>
>My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
>off the grid as someone with technology needs can be. I will
>need some sort of broadband access and telephone capability.
>
>I am considering a log home for some odd reason. I do want
>a fireplace, a sunroom which can be multipurpose and at least
>4 bedrooms. A master suite would be nice but is not required.
>Yeah, I want a really nice place but it should be something
>of a modern American's witch's cottage too. <grin> Oh,
>and a really cool kitchen is high on my list of priorities.
>
<snip>
You need to start reading news:alt.energy.homepower. There are people
that live completely off the grid. They use a variety of methods.
--
Jim Rusling
Now retired full time
Mustang, OK
http://jrusling.home.mindspring.com
Peter Rohde
<lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Ok, so I'm considering my options here and of late, it has come to my
> attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia is create a
> country cottage complete with garden. Problem is, there just isn't
> enough room and the danged zoning laws keep biting me.
<snip reasons>
> What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given the state of
> technology and the practical issues involved.
The short answer of course is yes. Both Jerry Pournell and Robert X
Cringley have investigated the use of radio broadband because of where
their houses are position in the countryside. Cringley's article on how he
used binoculars to find a house closer to the telephone exchange than he
was is at:
http://www:pbs.org/cringley/pulpit/pulpit20010628.htm
gives some idea as to the problems you will run into, do check out the
links to that article and a follow up a few weeks later.
> I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have a go at
> shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
Since you may go and see a welsh man on his crag this summer. If its close
to Machynlleth (near coast in central wales) then DO go to the Centre for
Alternative Technology where you will see solutions to all your problems
for living in the boonies. From different house building solutions, use of
windpower/solar panels for charge submarine batteries, to reed bed
technology for effluent treatment :-)
> It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is a definite
> possibility.
> Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
Peter
Kurt Ullman
>to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
>is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
>there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
>biting me.
>
>Now, I have a friend who owns way too many farms (inherited)
>and she really needs to get rid of a few. I'm considering buying
>one. The issue with that is that it's in Southern Indiana and the
>air transport options are basically, commuter or broom and trying
>to pack a suitcase and laptop on a broom just plain sucks.
Where in Southern Indiana? That covers a lot of ground including some
that is less than hour from Cincy's airport, less than hour from Indy's or
less than hour from Lville. (Of course there is other ground that is 2-3 hours
from them... .
>What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
>the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
Again it would depend on what you need. If you are needing
T1 lines, etc., you may have to be selective. If you need a dial-up then
you can be a little less. For instance Earthlink has POPs in Vevay of all
places, and Famersburg, etc. Some of these places might ISDN, and
satellite is always a possibility.
----------------------------------
This mail is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and
grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to
be considered flaws or defects.
loki
Loki
"Peter Rohde" <peter...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:4b13daf8e0...@ntlworld.com...
loki
> You need to start reading news:alt.energy.homepower. There are people
> that live completely off the grid. They use a variety of methods.
Thanks. I just added it to my lists.
Loki
loki
> Where in Southern Indiana? That covers a lot of ground including some
> that is less than hour from Cincy's airport, less than hour from Indy's or
> less than hour from Lville. (Of course there is other ground that is 2-3
hours
> from them... .
I'd rather not say where, at least not on the internet. It's in those other
2-3 hour places though.
> Again it would depend on what you need. If you are needing
> T1 lines, etc., you may have to be selective. If you need a dial-up then
> you can be a little less. For instance Earthlink has POPs in Vevay of all
> places, and Famersburg, etc. Some of these places might ISDN, and
> satellite is always a possibility.
It could be cable modem as long as it's fast enough that I can do
my work from home. I'm going to use DSL here. Most of the
small towns in that area have both cable modem and DSL available
but out on the farm they're not. Satellite is probably the most
viable but I'm not sure it's really ready nor what the cost would be.
Loki
Eric Pinnell
wrote:
>Ok, so I'm considering my options here and of late, it has come
>to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
>is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
>there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
>biting me.
>What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
>the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
>
>I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
>a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
>
>It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is
>a definite possibility.
>
>Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
There are a number of power sources you can consider. First,
there's so.ar. It's expensive, and requires batteries or some other
power storage to store a charge for use at nighttime.
If you have a stream, you can create a mini dam and buy a micro
turbine to power your setup.
If you have mountainous terrain, a wind turbine might be an option
for you.
Finally, there is the possibility of having a wood powered
genertion system, but such a system would require a hell of a lot of
wood to provide you with electrical power.
It's all a question of expense to environmental benefit. What you
really need to do is stit down and figure out how much power you need.
It conceivable you could need very little, since heating could be by
wood, lighting needs only be a fluorescent bulb, and if your home is
well insulated, cooling during summer should be minimal.
Eric Pinnell
(Author, "The Claws of The Dragon", "The Omega File")
For a preview, see: http://www.ericpinnell.com and click on "books"
Chris Vail
"Eric Pinnell" <Author...@ANTISPAM.ericpinnell.comt> wrote in message
news:9n5i8uo4564lu2eub...@4ax.com...
Here at Ercot, we administer the Renewable Energy Credit program,
which denies the laws of physics and common sense, but then its
political, so anything is possible. Basically, anybody who generates
electricity with a "renewable energy" source can do pretty well. For
example, if you install a wind turbine, and sell a kilowatt of power to
your local electrical utility, you get credits for TWO kilowatts of power,
at the going rate at the time you sell it. The local utility applies to us
for
crediting to them the credit they gave you, and we pass that cost on to
every electrical consumer on the grid. There are some folks out west
who are installing huge wind farms specifically to take advantage of
this program.
Loki: move to Texas and put up a wind turbine........
Chris
Chris Vail
"loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:a6b4gh$d9p$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...
The satellite hardware will cost $800-1200, with subscription
at ~$70/month. Add TV to the signal for another $30.
My boss wants me to install it at home (he'll pay for it), but
I've been dragging my feet, and don't really want it. I'll prolly
have to get it, sooner or later.
Chris
loki
> Loki: move to Texas and put up a wind turbine........
Why is it that Texas just keeps popping up in my life???
<sigh> And West Texas at that.
Loki - would actually consider this
loki
> The satellite hardware will cost $800-1200, with subscription
> at ~$70/month. Add TV to the signal for another $30.
>
> My boss wants me to install it at home (he'll pay for it), but
> I've been dragging my feet, and don't really want it. I'll prolly
> have to get it, sooner or later.
My company would pay for some of that but I'm not sure they'd
be willing to go the full amount. They'd pay about half the initial
cost plus the monthly fee but not the additional for the TV. Could
be worth it.
Loki
Joe Clement
> Ok, so I'm considering my options here and of late, it has come
> to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
> is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
> there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
> biting me.
snip, snip
> The other option is to find a place somewhere close enough to
> St. Louis that I can get to and from the airport with relative ease
> but is still out in the country.
>
> My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
> off the grid as someone with technology needs can be. I will
> need some sort of broadband access and telephone capability.
I'm not sure that living completely off the grid is necessary. You should
be able to find a place in a rural area within a reasonable driving distance
to the airport (caveat: I am not familiar with the St. Louis area
specifically). I live in a rural city in Ohio about a hour from a couple of
major airports. The local cable company (Time Warner) is starting to offer
cable modem service for about $40/month. At least one other company is
offering a similar deal through the same cable (gotta love deregulation
<g>).
> I am considering a log home for some odd reason. I do want
> a fireplace, a sunroom which can be multipurpose and at least
> 4 bedrooms. A master suite would be nice but is not required.
> Yeah, I want a really nice place but it should be something
> of a modern American's witch's cottage too. <grin> Oh,
> and a really cool kitchen is high on my list of priorities.
It is possible to buy a farmhouse without buying the farm, but you have to
do a little shopping.
> So, what I probably want is just the land and I will have to
> add everything I want.
>
> This place would be where I hope to spend the rest of my
> life, barring Prince Charming riding up on his white horse
> and carrying me away to wherever he needs to live (Texas
> comes to mind for some odd reason) but the odds of that
> happening are slim to none so I'm thinking this place will
> be it for me.
Ever thought of marrying a farmer? <gggg>.
--
Reply to joeclement at kenton dot com - ignore the spam bait above
loki
>
> I'm not sure that living completely off the grid is necessary. You should
> be able to find a place in a rural area within a reasonable driving
distance
> to the airport (caveat: I am not familiar with the St. Louis area
> specifically). I live in a rural city in Ohio about a hour from a couple
of
> major airports. The local cable company (Time Warner) is starting to
offer
> cable modem service for about $40/month. At least one other company is
> offering a similar deal through the same cable (gotta love deregulation
> <g>).
In St. Louis it is not possible to be in a rural area and still within an
hour driving distance of the airport. Not if you want to be in an
area the real estate agents won't be "redlining" within a couple
of years anyway. Actually, I'm not sure it's possible to be in a
rural area and within an hour of the airport at all. If so, it's in
Illinois and not in Missouri and wouldn't be within an hour at
rush hour anyway.
This city has spread badly. It stretches from pretty far into
Illinois to pretty far into Missouri. I'd say an hour each direction
on an Interstate.
I'm not really sure I could live completely off the grid, but the
idea intrigues me and I thought I'd see what is possible these
days. I'm not willing to make huge changes in lifestyle though
and after reading alt.energy.homepower I'm thinking that might
be necessary.
Also, what is available in a rural small town is vastly superior to
what is available out on a farm. Many farms still don't have cable
TV.
> It is possible to buy a farmhouse without buying the farm, but you have to
> do a little shopping.
True, but letting someone else farm it and taking a cut of the income
isn't a bad idea. <grin> Also, there are the mineral rights. Seems
that a few new wells have gone in back home. I was shocked to
see active drilling rigs last time I went back there. Mom says they
are starting to drill again, but on a small scale. The coal industry
is doing just fine though.
> Ever thought of marrying a farmer? <gggg>.
In my youth, no. These days, no. <grin> Though the farmers back
home are mostly millionaires due to the oil boom of the 80's they
are also mostly all taken.
Loki
David E. Powell
small wind turbine and solar panel? Art Bell uses something like that to
power his house, IIRC.
Chris Vail
> "Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
> >
> > I'm not sure that living completely off the grid is necessary. You
should
> > be able to find a place in a rural area within a reasonable driving
> distance
> > to the airport (caveat: I am not familiar with the St. Louis area
> > specifically). I live in a rural city in Ohio about a hour from a
couple
> of
> > major airports. The local cable company (Time Warner) is starting to
> offer
> > cable modem service for about $40/month. At least one other company is
> > offering a similar deal through the same cable (gotta love deregulation
> > <g>).
>
> In St. Louis it is not possible to be in a rural area and still within an
> hour driving distance of the airport
This is probably true of any city in the top 50 or so largest
in the country. You should consider an area near one of
the others. You can be within an hour of the Austin airport
(we are) and REALLY be out in the boonies (ibid). The Hill
Country is beautiful, and well within that radius.
To fly out, you'd probably transfer at Dallas or Houston,
but t'is no big deal. You might consider the areas west
of San Antonio as well.
Chris
loki
>
> This is probably true of any city in the top 50 or so largest
> in the country. You should consider an area near one of
> the others. You can be within an hour of the Austin airport
> (we are) and REALLY be out in the boonies (ibid). The Hill
> Country is beautiful, and well within that radius.
>
> To fly out, you'd probably transfer at Dallas or Houston,
> but t'is no big deal. You might consider the areas west
> of San Antonio as well.
We've got a couple of guys in my class who live outside
San Antonio.
The problem is that while it's not big deal to do the transfer
planes thing once in a while (on vacation or the occasional
business trip) it becomes a major bummer when one is
doing it twice a week, every week. It eats into my billable
time in a major way and makes me end up working something
like 80 hours a week instead of 60 or so.
I need to be close to an airport. I'd actually trade an extra
hour on the road getting to and from the airport for the
change of planes required by living closer to a smaller
airport. It would add less travel time for me. 'Course, I
*do* lose frequent flier miles this way. <sigh>
Loki
Fred J. McCall
:I'm not really sure I could live completely off the grid, but the
:idea intrigues me and I thought I'd see what is possible these
:days. I'm not willing to make huge changes in lifestyle though
:and after reading alt.energy.homepower I'm thinking that might
:be necessary.
It depends on if you can wait or not. Automobile companies are doing
work on fuel cells for cars that produce around 45 kW. The average
house needs about 2 kW. As the prices for these things come down over
the next decade (at which point they're thinking they'll be roughly
equivalent to an internal combustion engine), you could power a small
neighborhood for a few thousand dollars in hardware and the cost of
hydrogen fuel, with pretty much zero pollution at the local site (all
the pollution gets exported to wherever they're making the hydrogen).
This sort of goes back to the days when we heated our homes with
propane or kerosene. The hydrogen truck would just come by
periodically and fill your tanks.
--
You are
What you do
When it counts.
Fred J. McCall
:Satellite is probably the most
:viable but I'm not sure it's really ready nor what the cost would be.
Satellite is both slower and more expensive. For example, Starband is
$70/month plus $550 for equipment and $200 for installation. Downlink
is about 500kbps, although about half that or less is probably more
typical; in other words, only about 10%-15% of cable modem speeds (but
still significantly faster than dial up). It's also very asynchronous
and is much slower going from you to the net than the other way.
loki
>
> It depends on if you can wait or not. Automobile companies are doing
> work on fuel cells for cars that produce around 45 kW. The average
> house needs about 2 kW. As the prices for these things come down over
> the next decade (at which point they're thinking they'll be roughly
> equivalent to an internal combustion engine), you could power a small
> neighborhood for a few thousand dollars in hardware and the cost of
> hydrogen fuel, with pretty much zero pollution at the local site (all
> the pollution gets exported to wherever they're making the hydrogen).
Works for me.
> This sort of goes back to the days when we heated our homes with
> propane or kerosene. The hydrogen truck would just come by
> periodically and fill your tanks.
Uh, they still do out on the farm...
Loki
loki
> $70/month plus $550 for equipment and $200 for installation. Downlink
> is about 500kbps, although about half that or less is probably more
> typical; in other words, only about 10%-15% of cable modem speeds (but
> still significantly faster than dial up). It's also very asynchronous
> and is much slower going from you to the net than the other way.
Not a viable option then. I need the speed to just get through my
workday.
Oh well. Maybe in 10 years I could do this...
Loki
Kurt Ullman
<Author...@ANTISPAM.ericpinnell.comt> wrote:
> If you have a stream, you can create a mini dam and buy a micro
>turbine to power your setup.
At least in Indiana, the Dept. of Natural Resources has been frowning
on that for the streams. Anything bigger and you have to argue with Corp of
Engineers.
Fred J. McCall
:"Fred J. McCall" <fmc...@earthlink.net> wrote
:>
:> It depends on if you can wait or not. Automobile companies are doing
:> work on fuel cells for cars that produce around 45 kW. The average
:> house needs about 2 kW. As the prices for these things come down over
:> the next decade (at which point they're thinking they'll be roughly
:> equivalent to an internal combustion engine), you could power a small
:> neighborhood for a few thousand dollars in hardware and the cost of
:> hydrogen fuel, with pretty much zero pollution at the local site (all
:> the pollution gets exported to wherever they're making the hydrogen).
:
:Works for me.
There's also a company (I forget the name of it) that has a small
piece of hardware (cubic yards big) that takes in water and natural
gas and spits out hydrogen. They're thinking this is how we get past
the chicken and egg problem of hydrogen vehicles; no distribution
system for hydrogen until it's needed and no cars to establish the
need until the distribution system is in place.
This makes your pollution more local, but it's still a lot cleaner
than pretty much anything else you could do.
--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to
live in the real world." -- Mary Shafer, NASA Dryden
Gml...@scvnet.com
Solar is certainly viable, if you have the bucks for the initial investment.
It actually becomes desirable to be on the grid so that you can sell your
excess to the power company, although this isn't required.
Modern appliances are rather remarkable in their efficiency. Our new
monster 22 cu ft Sears refrigerator runs on an average of 76W! Yes, I've
measured this with a separate kWh meter. We could run it on about a
thousand dollars worth of solar panels and batteries, which isn't quite
practical in our urban area, but if you have the gumption to go off the grid
it can be done without much change in lifestyle.
Communications is another story, however. Wireless isn't all that fast.
George
gws
> Ok, so I'm considering my options here and of late, it has come
> to my attention that what I'm really trying to do here in suburbia
> is create a country cottage complete with garden. Problem is,
> there just isn't enough room and the danged zoning laws keep
> biting me.
>
> and she really needs to get rid of a few. I'm considering buying
> one. The issue with that is that it's in Southern Indiana and the
> air transport options are basically, commuter or broom and trying
> fond of that but it would put me back home (kinda) and within
> close reach of friends I've had since my teens and early twenties.
>
> St. Louis that I can get to and from the airport with relative ease
> but is still out in the country.
>
> My plan is to attempt living completely off the grid. Well, as
> off the grid as someone with technology needs can be. I will
> need some sort of broadband access and telephone capability.
>
> a fireplace, a sunroom which can be multipurpose and at least
> 4 bedrooms. A master suite would be nice but is not required.
> Yeah, I want a really nice place but it should be something
> of a modern American's witch's cottage too. <grin> Oh,
> and a really cool kitchen is high on my list of priorities.
>
> add everything I want.
>
> This place would be where I hope to spend the rest of my
> life, barring Prince Charming riding up on his white horse
> and carrying me away to wherever he needs to live (Texas
> comes to mind for some odd reason) but the odds of that
> happening are slim to none so I'm thinking this place will
> be it for me.
>
> the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
>
> I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
> a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
>
> It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is
> a definite possibility.
>
> Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
Remodeling can be a great choice if you like your neighborhood and have
confidence that its property values will hold up. In the mid-80s, we put a
substantial addition on our forty year old house and never regretted it. I
live in it to this day. Executive summary: there's no place like home.
Grey Satterfield
Fred J. McCall
:My only option to connect to the 'net other than modem over a noisy
:line (14k on a good day) or satellite is wireless; A microwave
:transceiver dish, aimed at a mountaintop relay 40 miles away (which
:fortunately, being on a mountain myself, I have line-of-sight to.).
:I'm getting about 100k per second on average, upload or download.
Sprint used to offer a microwave service (which I still have but which
isn't taking any new folks). I get peak speeds of around 2 Mb/sec (or
around 250 MB/sec). Are you talking bits or bytes with that 100k
speed?
It turns out that the spread spectrum stuff like I have isn't as
scalable as they had hoped it would be, which is why a lot of folks
who used to be expanding that kind of service are stopping. They're
researching a service that doesn't require line of sight but which I
would bet is much shorter range; probably using some kind of cellular
data signal (which means it'll probably only be offered in
metropolitan areas for a good long time).
Eric Pinnell
wrote:
You realize, of course, that this would make you the Wicked Witch
of the West. Ya ha ha ha ha ha! There, my pretties!
gws
West Texas is Western Oklahoma South and I have a lot of friends in the
Texas Panhandle, so I feel qualified to comment. They have great people but
it is desolate and the weather stinks: brutally hot in summer, bitterly
cold in winter and the wind blows all the time. Nevertheless, the folks who
live there seem to love it.
Grey Satterfield
Fred J. McCall
:On Fri, 8 Mar 2002 14:57:16 -0600, "loki" <lo...@mindspring.com>
:wrote:
:
:>"Chris Vail" <a000...@NOTTHIS.airmail.net> wrote
:>
:>> Loki: move to Texas and put up a wind turbine........
:>
:>Why is it that Texas just keeps popping up in my life???
:>
:><sigh> And West Texas at that.
:>
:>Loki - would actually consider this
:
: You realize, of course, that this would make you the Wicked Witch
:of the West. Ya ha ha ha ha ha! There, my pretties!
See, Eric does too have a sense of humour! ;-)
David Loewe, Jr.
<oldm...@lycos.co.uk> wrote:
>On Fri, 08 Mar 2002 06:10:48 +0000 (GMT), Peter Rohde
><peter...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>The short answer of course is yes. Both Jerry Pournell and Robert X
>>Cringley have investigated the use of radio broadband because of where
>>their houses are position in the countryside.
>(blink) Has Pournelle moved? Last I saw, he was living in the
>untrammeled wilds of Studio City, not two blocks from Ventura Blvd.,
>but granted, that was twenty years ago...
No, he has not.
Studio City has no non-satellite broadband, at least since the demise
of Ricochet. Chaos Manor is still in it's rightful place.
--
"Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes?"
Davies and Oates
Peter Rohde
<oldm...@lycos.co.uk> wrote:
> On Fri, 08 Mar 2002 06:10:48 +0000 (GMT), Peter Rohde
> <peter...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> >The short answer of course is yes. Both Jerry Pournell and Robert X
> >Cringley have investigated the use of radio broadband because of where
> >their houses are position in the countryside.
> (blink) Has Pournelle moved? Last I saw, he was living in the
> untrammeled wilds of Studio City, not two blocks from Ventura Blvd., but
> granted, that was twenty years ago...
In that case he has not moved in the last twenty years :-) It would seem
that he lives just out of range of his local Telephone exchange. For
broadband he is currently using a satellite dish for his connection if I
remember correctly. The latency problems, time for signal to go up and
down from space, is his major bugbear with this set up as a lot of WWW
pages make multiple calls to other pages/sites and can add significantly
to download times.
Peter
Peter Rohde
loki <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> Thanks! Unfortunately, the first link does not work...
> Loki
> > http://www:pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20010628.htm
And I thought I had typed/inserted it so well too. My bad :-(
The article in question is from his June 28th Column from his "Old Hat"
page is:
"Reach out and touch someone: How Bob and His Binoculars Found More
Bandwidth and Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bond". The links in
the Old Hat "Ye Olde Links" give good detail on how to get broadband if
you are too far from an exchange.
with a follow up article on July 12 2001 on the further adventures of
Bootleg 802.11b
The February 7th article is on a similar subject but getting broadband
signal around a mountain.
Peter Rohde
"loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> >
> Solar is certainly viable, if you have the bucks for the initial
> investment. It actually becomes desirable to be on the grid so that you
> can sell your excess to the power company, although this isn't required.
> Modern appliances are rather remarkable in their efficiency. Our new
> monster 22 cu ft Sears refrigerator runs on an average of 76W! Yes,
> I've measured this with a separate kWh meter. We could run it on about
> a thousand dollars worth of solar panels and batteries, which isn't
> quite practical in our urban area, but if you have the gumption to go
> off the grid it can be done without much change in lifestyle.
A good excuse to give your monitor away and buy one of those flat screen
liquid crystal displays instead :-)
If you were also prepared to be really radical and use a different
processor/operating system combination you could be down to as little as
20 watts for the computer set up.
For an example of what is possible with a solar panel, this version does
not have a hard disc with it, not necessary with this low foot print
environment, and simply added anyway with the addition of another solar
panel or two as the power source and a Bluetooth connection. The Hard Disk
on this system here, a humble 200Mz StrongARM system, consumes 90% of the
total power required and is used very rarely as all (read write to),
programmes are small and relatively well behaved :-)
However I suspect this would be impossible in Loki's situation as her
company would require her to use a Windows box for her home machine, with
its processor and programme overheads :-)
These by the way:
www.cumana.demon.co.uk/products/acorn/nc.htm
are doing a wall mounted LCD screen with processor on the back of the
screen, ideal for Hospitals or so the blurb says. Our National Health
Service could do with a system that was designed from the ground up as a
networked operating system
> Communications is another story, however. Wireless isn't all that fast.
> George
Sounds like line of sight and getting on with one's neighbours is the
order of the day, wireless/light is fast, you just have to know where to
point it, your nodes may vary ;-)
Peter -> Still waiting for a broadband connection so that he can check his
URL's easily before posting them off to the newsgroup :-(
loki
> Remodeling can be a great choice if you like your neighborhood and have
> confidence that its property values will hold up. In the mid-80s, we put
a
> substantial addition on our forty year old house and never regretted it.
I
> live in it to this day. Executive summary: there's no place like home.
Property values are going through the roof here. I moved here in '96
and the little 1940's 2 bedroom house across the street sold for
87K. Last spring it sold for 139K. A new, 4 br 2.5 bath down the
street is asking 399K and 2 years ago it would have gone for 260K.
I'm thinking the money would be well spent on a remodel but the thing
is the lots are so small I'd lose most of my backyard. <sigh>
Loki - has this garden thing...
Loren Pechtel
<dlo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>How good does this have to be? Just about anywhere with a view of the
>southern sky can get satellite internet. However, the two people I
>know of that have had it, Dr. Jerry Pournelle
>(http://www.jerrypournelle.com) and "Robert X. Cringely"
>(http://www.pbs.org/cringely/) give it decidedly lukewarm reviews.
>Pournelle is keeping his until DSL and/or cable come to Studio City
>(yes, the heart of LA doesn't have broadband), although he's
>complained about it less of late, and Cringely is trying all sorts of
>weird schemes to gain access to DSL and wireless, although he actually
>seemed to like his satellite internet. But, the bottom line is that it
>does work - although, for some things, you'd be better off with
>dial-up.
Our office has it--due to a phone company screwup it's the *ONLY*
system that works there.
Observation: Forget anything realtime. Your ping times are
never better than about 800ms and often much worse. On loading pages
with a bunch of small pieces it's SLOW--far slower than dialup. On
downloading big stuff it works pretty good, though.
Loren Pechtel
<peter...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>http://www:pbs.org/cringley/pulpit/pulpit20010628.htm
Out of curiosity I went to look. Your link drove me nuts! You
put a colon instead of a period--not obvious but it makes the system
do weird things!
Once the : problem is fixed it still 404's, though.
Loren Pechtel
wrote:
>What I'm wondering is how possible this actually is given
>the state of technology and the practical issues involved.
>
>I thought I'd run the idea past you guys and let you have
>a go at shooting it down or adding to it as you will.
>
>It's not something I'll be doing this year, but next year is
>a definite possibility.
>
>Loki - also looking into remodeling the current house
In the right climate solar can provide your power. My impression
is that your target area isn't exactly ideal, though.
You can get internet access via satellite so long as you don't
want to do things that are too real-time (no realtime games, no
internet telephone).
Cellular nets extend over a lot of rural areas these days if
there's a highway not too far away (in rural areas the coverage can
extend for several miles around the highway).
loki
> West Texas is Western Oklahoma South and I have a lot of friends in the
> Texas Panhandle, so I feel qualified to comment. They have great people
but
> it is desolate and the weather stinks: brutally hot in summer, bitterly
> cold in winter and the wind blows all the time. Nevertheless, the folks
who
> live there seem to love it.
It's been a somewhat constant theme in my life to have friends from there.
As a kid, it was the transplants who came up north with the oil bidness
and in my early twenties I was engaged to someone from there.
I know about the weather, but that doesn't bother me much. Cold
is relative and having lived in Iowa I don't much count anything in
Texas as cold. The wind is another matter...
It's probably all in the mindset. <grin>
Loki - ok, so a windmill out there would make a lot of sense
loki
news:3ibk8ucq48g77jgmm...@4ax.com...
I didn't see this till you quoted it. I actually like it! <grin>
Loki - needs to cultivate this new image
loki
> Remodeling is a two-edged sword. It's usefulness depends on what your
> goals are. Too many times I've seen people remodel, then sell in a few
> years and find that their remodel was not cost-effective. In spite of
> what so many of the home-remodeling shows claim, it's rarely
> cost-effective from a re-sale point of view.
I'm not wanting to re-sell though. I've moved enough and really
just want to put down some roots.
> Generally speaking, the most cost-effective remodel (from a sale point
> of view) is anything that adds square footage.
>
> A good general guideline for remodeling is to find out the average
> price per square foot of homes in your area. If yours is already
> at that price per square foot, remodeling is unlikely to be
> cost-effective. On the other hand, if your price per square foot is
> below are average, remodeling *might* increase your price enough
> to make it worthwhile.
I need to have this place appraised. I could add square footage but
I'd be cutting the yard down to almost nothing if I did. The viable
way to add area is to go straight up. That is something I'm considering
though doing something to connect the kitchen and sunroom also
appeals to me along with adding a small fireplace in there somewhere.
The idea is to add a master suite upstairs. The kitchen needs a good
remodel just to make *me* happy and the bathrooms are ok as is
if I add the master suite.
> Generally, the least cost-effective remodels are of the Kitchen and
> Bathrooms. In many cases a new owner will want to remodel to their own
> tastes, and would much prefer a lower purchase price to allow them to
> do so than accept someone else' remodeling idea.
Oh, I don't much care if I make any money on the deal, just that I get
the house that I want. I do adore my neighborhood and my neighbors.
Oh, and the schools are superb.
Loki
loki
Sorry to tag onto my own post but I forgot to add that in this neighborhood,
older, smaller homes are being purchased, demolished, and new, larger
homes are being built on those sites. It is located exceedingly well in the
city. We are about 10 minutes from everything. It has no crime and
the best schools I've seen anywhere (including private schools) as well as
wonderful services from the city. It's hard to find a better place to live.
Property values are only going to go up. <sigh>
Loki - worried that they Yuppies might try a takeover
Gml...@scvnet.com
"The Old Monkey" <oldm...@lycos.co.uk> wrote in message
news:rt6JPG85ABXoRW...@4ax.com...
> >Cringley have investigated the use of radio broadband because of where
> >their houses are position in the countryside.
>
> (blink) Has Pournelle moved? Last I saw, he was living in the
> untrammeled wilds of Studio City, not two blocks from Ventura Blvd.,
> but granted, that was twenty years ago...
The Wilds of the San Fernando Valley have been remarkably behind the rest of
the world in terms of telecommunications. I lived there about a decade ago
and cable TV was not available (we did have 20+ off-the-air channels,
though). The phone system is based on rather creaky 1930's backbones and
I'm not surprised that DSL is unavailable in quite a few areas.
The problem with wireless is radio bandwidth. With the explosion in
wireless phones and other technologies, there are many services competing
for a limited spectrum and jealously guarding their own slice of the pie.
Even if the entire spectrum were opened to wireless telecommunications, it
would quickly become saturated in an urban environment. Out in the boonies,
things look better, but first regulations must be put into place to define
what spectrum can be used in what locations. Friendly Cousin Charlie does
not move all that fast!
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
"Peter Rohde" <peter...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:4b14542e00...@ntlworld.com...
> In article <u8iqa0r...@corp.supernews.com>, <Gml...@scvnet.com> wrote:
> "loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> > >
> > > Uh, they still do out on the farm...
>
> > Solar is certainly viable, if you have the bucks for the initial
> > investment. It actually becomes desirable to be on the grid so that you
> > can sell your excess to the power company, although this isn't required.
>
> > Modern appliances are rather remarkable in their efficiency. Our new
> > monster 22 cu ft Sears refrigerator runs on an average of 76W! Yes,
> > I've measured this with a separate kWh meter. We could run it on about
> > a thousand dollars worth of solar panels and batteries, which isn't
> > quite practical in our urban area, but if you have the gumption to go
> > off the grid it can be done without much change in lifestyle.
>
> A good excuse to give your monitor away and buy one of those flat screen
> liquid crystal displays instead :-)
>
> If you were also prepared to be really radical and use a different
> processor/operating system combination you could be down to as little as
> 20 watts for the computer set up.
This sort of thing becomes quite important when you're talking about large
installations. Picture a school that wants to create a computer lab. You
have to plan some arrangement that puts 40 computers in a room and allows
the teacher some means to watch everything. LCD monitors would make this a
lot easier, and they could probably be justified here in SoCal on energy use
alone, considering that we pay twice the electric rates of everyone else.
The energy cost involved is not just that used by the monitors, but also the
energy used by the air conditioners that keeps the room livable. 40
monitors pull about 8kW, which triples the heat load of the room over that
of a room with just students.
Of course, this logic is lost on the powers that be, as they simply go for t
he lowest cost computers with conventional monitors. Then they find that
they have to upgrade the power supply of the room to handle the electrical
load. Then they find that they have to upgrade the air conditioning to
handle the extra heat. Then they have to pay for all the electricity to run
the whole works. In the long run (and not all that "long"), the "expensive"
monitors are the cheapest.
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
It would also make Loki the Witch West of the Pecos. The Judge Roy Bean
legends would pale by comparison!
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
"Chris J......" <ch...@noadress.com> wrote in message
news:plfk8u035ps2pidkt...@4ax.com...
> Generally, the least cost-effective remodels are of the Kitchen and
> Bathrooms. In many cases a new owner will want to remodel to their own
> tastes, and would much prefer a lower purchase price to allow them to
> do so than accept someone else' remodeling idea.
This goes counter to the wisdom in my area. It might be a regional thing.
In our area, resale houses are going up against new housing developments, so
having up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms is important. These are the places
evaluated most critically by the ultimate decision-maker. A couple of
thousand sunk into cabinetry and fixtures makes an existing house look a lot
better, and then the fact that older houses aren't on postage-stamp lots
will sell the place.
Of course, if you aren't planning to move, put the money where it pleases
you! Personally, a turquoise bathroom doesn't bother me all that much if it
still works! :)
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
> "loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote
> Sorry to tag onto my own post but I forgot to add that in this
neighborhood,
> older, smaller homes are being purchased, demolished, and new, larger
> homes are being built on those sites. It is located exceedingly well in
the
> city. We are about 10 minutes from everything. It has no crime and
> the best schools I've seen anywhere (including private schools) as well as
> wonderful services from the city. It's hard to find a better place to
live.
> Property values are only going to go up. <sigh>
>
> Loki - worried that they Yuppies might try a takeover
Sounds like they already have, if they're doing teardown-rebuilds!
When most folk think of life off the grid, they think of solar or wind
generation. You could do it the low-tech way, with a generator. Millions
of people (including myself) have done just that at one time or another.
These days, it is even easier, as the generators start themselves reliably
on demand (hand-cranking a Diesel generator on a cold morning took all the
romance out of off-grid living!) and run quietly and cleanly. You can even
get domestic heat from the water cooling of the generator, so the
electricity becomes a by-product of your heating fuel bill.
Low-power continuous loads such as lighting are handled either through a
battery-fed low voltage system or through an battery-fed inverter. When
high power is demanded, the generator starts automatically to handle the
heavy load and recharge the batteries. The initial cost of this setup is
much lower than a pure solar system, since you eliminate the expensive solar
panels and about half the batteries. Since high-power usage is directly
from the generator, the inverter can be much smaller if one is used. You do
have to pay for fuel, but if you use the waste heat for domestic heating you
would be paying for that fuel anyway.
A generator system isn't quite as "sexy" as a pure-solar system, but it has
practical advantages that work for a lot of people.
Food for thought.
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
> On Sat, 9 Mar 2002 10:39:56 -0800, <Gml...@scvnet.com> wrote:
> > Personally, a turquoise bathroom doesn't bother me all that much if it
> >still works! :)
>
> of mine re-decorated, painting their oak cabinet doors bright purple,
> and the cabinet frames and panels bright green. They also painted
> every window frame in the house bright purple. They then had the idea
> of painting their formica counter top blue (painting a counter top is
> not a good idea, period). They then decided to move, and I had the
> great joy of selling their home with all it's "unique" colorings
> (which ended up reducing the sales price by a lot).
Agggggh!! I'm going blind! I'm going blind!
Come to think of it, that would be the only folks you could sell that color
scheme to!
My in-laws remodeled their kitchen, which had the manufactured-steel
cabinets that were popular in the '50s. I told them to save the those
cabinets, as they were still in good shape and may well be worth quite a bit
when "old" becomes "classic". They are now doing service in their garage.
George <--boring wood and tile kitchen, black appliances.
George
Fred J. McCall
:
:"loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
It would also add whole new meaning to that old saw about how cold it
is - "Colder than a wet witch's *** in a brass bra..." (some folks
add in a hailstorm).
Does this bring us back to a discussion on 'perkiness'?
loki
>
> If short-term re-sale values are not a concern for you, then
> remodeling is definitely a more attractive option.
The only way I'd be moving is if I got myself promoted to
the point that the company made me move, and if that happens
I'd be getting a huge enough bonus that it shouldn't bother me
a whole lot. <grin> Well, that or the Prince Charming option
which might complicate things but hopefully not much.
The price per square foot for a house the size of mine is actually
about double what I figure this place is currently worth. I think
that should give me room to remodel without a lot of trouble.
But then, are there big differences between the sale price of
an older, but remodeled home and new construction?
> The only reason I warn against it is that I've had many, many
> customers (I'm a Realtor, amongst other occupations) who have, when
> getting ready to sell their home, spent a bundle on remodeling (or
> worse, re-decorating) and THEN called me in to put the home on the
> market, only to learn that they wasted about half of what they spent.
Yeah, I've seen that. My favorite was a lovely old home that someone
re-did and put (of all things) a hot tub in the living room next to the
fireplace. They couldn't figure out why that wasn't a selling point.
They also trashed a beautiful original kitchen and put in cheapo
cabinets and did it badly at that.
I'm lucky enough to have aritsans in the family (and artists as well)
and can grab a local building inspector when needed. I'm not
expecting to have too many problems with contractors.
> How you go about that should depend on what you want to know.
> If you only want a general idea of sale value, you can get a local
> realtor to do a CMA (Competitive Market Analysis) for free by
> indicating that you might be considering selling at some point in
> the near future. As a rule of thumb, a CMA will be slightly under
> market value (Realtors like to list properties a little under market,
> they sell much faster that way).
Heh. This was my plan... <grin> I'm also going to be doing the
local open house circuit for a while partly to see what is out there
and partly to guage asking prices.
> A professional appraisal will cost you a few hundred dollars, and
> you will need to specify what you want; replacement cost, actual
> value, or resale value.
Yeah, I've done that before and I found them not to be as accurate
as hoped.
> If your property was not surveyed when you bought it, (or even if it
> was and you are no longer sure of the exact boundary) and your
> extension will come near where you think the lot line is, I strongly
> suggest a survey. I've seen many people build, only to find out later
> that they have encroached on an adjoining property. I don't know about
> the laws in your area, but here, if the owner of that property finds
> out and acts within a year or so, they can tell you to get whatever
> you built off of their property.
It was surveyed but I'd want to do another one. I don't think I'd be
building close enough to encroach on anyone's property (fences and
concrete ledges pretty much define the boundaries now and they've
been in place for something like 50 years or more) but it still
couldn't hurt.
One big concern I have is that I think I've found an old oil tank
buried in the yard. I've got a brother who specializes in stuff like
that and he says it's probably not a big deal but could become
one. I'd avoid building on that side due to that alone and besides,
it's too close to the line. But, if I extend the kitchen out to the
area of the sunroom, they might be bringing in equipment that
could be an issue with the tank. There are pipes sticking up
there that could be a problem. I've sliced my leg open on them
(that's how I found them when cutting back weeds in that area
the first year I lived here).
> Another thing to be mindful of is lot setbacks. Zoning or deed
> restrictions can have different setbacks for front, side, etc.
> Whatever you do, do not trust the contractor to know about this.
> You should be able to easily check it by calling your local planning
> and zoning agency. It will help if you have your tax parcel number
> (should be on your tax bill) in hand when you do.
Though I've not consulted an architect as yet, I'd be wanting to
keep the line of the house as it exists and just fill in an empty space
where the kitchen would be extended back to the same line
as the sunroom. It's not all that big an area (about 10' x 10') but
it would give me a LOT more flexibility in the kitchen.
But then, that begs to have the thing extended on the other
side and up one story. That adds a ton of space (that I
don't really need) and begs to just gut the interior and
start over... It goes on and on and on. <laugh>
> That is a good idea, if your existing structure can handle it, and
> zoning does not prohibit it.
Most of the new homes going up here (after the old ones are
torn down) are two story. Shouldn't be a problem and the
structure can take it based upon the fact that the back half
has already had that done to it.
> One suggestion; if you are thinking of living there for the rest of
> your life, you may want to consider making structural allowances
> for a single-person elevator. This is cheap to do during construction,
> just a few minor changes (framing in the floor area for a future
> opening mainly) and layout changes such as positioning an
> appropriately
> sized upstairs closet over a similar one downstairs. That way, if you
> ever need an elevator, you have a location to put one in.
>
> In my general area there are a lot of retirees, so this is a very
> popular idea, and just having the provisions for a future elevator
> are a good selling point. If, however, this is uncommon in your area,
> it's probably not worth bothering with from a re-sale point of view.
That would require me to gut the interior and besides, no one here
does that much. I do like the idea but a chair lift on the stairs can
accomplish the same thing (almost).
> One thing to bear in mind; your water pressure. If you have very low
> pressure, you might have problems with upstairs fixtures and require a
> pressure-boosting system.
I thought of that. I do already have a bath up there and no problems
with pressure now, but adding another bath (and maybe an upstairs
laundry) could change that.
>
> Sounds like a good area, and the fact that older places are being
> re-built speaks well for the future.
That it does. This is such a lovely old community - and it's been stable
for a several generations - that I almost hate to see it grow, but
the location is such that it was bound to happen eventually. It even
has rail service if the price of gas gets so high that commuter trains
become popular here again.
> Since when are Yuppies immune to Dragons? <G>
The dragons are undecided about how to deal with Lexux SUV's. They
are becoming common here (as are Mercedes SUV's) and the dragons
just can't decide whether they should incinerate the vehicles or just the
passengers. Decisions, decisions.
Loki
loki
> Just don't go with bright purple for the kitchen cabinets.. A customer
> of mine re-decorated, painting their oak cabinet doors bright purple,
> and the cabinet frames and panels bright green. They also painted
> every window frame in the house bright purple. They then had the idea
> of painting their formica counter top blue (painting a counter top is
> not a good idea, period). They then decided to move, and I had the
> great joy of selling their home with all it's "unique" colorings
> (which ended up reducing the sales price by a lot).
<chuckle> I *do* have bright purple woodwork in an upstairs
bedroom along with a purple "stone" wall painted on the walls. It
will have additions of fairies and such in the form of a mural, but if
worse comes to worse, a gallon of Kilz will fix the whole thing. <grin>
Loki
loki
> Does this bring us back to a discussion on 'perkiness'?
Good gods, I hope not.
Loki
Joe Clement
> I'm not really sure I could live completely off the grid, but the
> idea intrigues me and I thought I'd see what is possible these
> days. I'm not willing to make huge changes in lifestyle though
> and after reading alt.energy.homepower I'm thinking that might
> be necessary.
Yes, I can see it now. Loki - the Amish witch. <g>
--
Reply to joeclement at kenton dot com - ignore the spam bait above
Joe Clement
> "Chris J......" <ch...@noadress.com> wrote
>
> Though I've not consulted an architect as yet, I'd be wanting to
> keep the line of the house as it exists and just fill in an empty space
> where the kitchen would be extended back to the same line
> as the sunroom. It's not all that big an area (about 10' x 10') but
> it would give me a LOT more flexibility in the kitchen.
>
> But then, that begs to have the thing extended on the other
> side and up one story. That adds a ton of space (that I
> don't really need) and begs to just gut the interior and
> start over... It goes on and on and on. <laugh>
You could write to "This Old House" and see if they would take your house as
a project. Get lots of professional help help, materials, and services at
discount prices if they take you. Odds are long, but you never know.
> > Since when are Yuppies immune to Dragons? <G>
>
> The dragons are undecided about how to deal with Lexux SUV's. They
> are becoming common here (as are Mercedes SUV's) and the dragons
> just can't decide whether they should incinerate the vehicles or just the
> passengers. Decisions, decisions.
Incinerate the vehicles with the passengers in them. Spam in a can. Get
rid of both problems at the same time.
loki
> Yes, I can see it now. Loki - the Amish witch. <g>
ROFL! Except that I like sex too much.
Loki
loki
> You could write to "This Old House" and see if they would take your house
as
> a project. Get lots of professional help help, materials, and services at
> discount prices if they take you. Odds are long, but you never know.
Aren't they Boston based? This is kinda far away...
> Incinerate the vehicles with the passengers in them. Spam in a can. Get
> rid of both problems at the same time.
You want to know the really sad thing? I'm considering buying an SUV
myself. Not a Lexus or Mercedes, mind you but still...
Loki - starting to worry about herself
loki
> Top 25, perhaps, but down the list there are other possibilities.
> I'm very near Raleigh, live in a nice 70's ranch with a good yard,
> no overbearing zoning or neighborhood associations to deal with,
> and still feels like a somewhat small-ish town. I mostly
> telecommute (job is in Ottawa), and may talk to my boss about
> making that full-time--routing a phone to my house would
> certainly cost my department a lot less than the office I
> currently use only rarely. DSL is nearly as fast as the
> WAN at work.
>
> 20 minutes to RDU airport except at rush hour; could have
> been much closer if that had been a search criterion on
> the house. Great air connections for east coast or midwest.
>
> It really depends on how far "off the grid" you need or
> want to be. Telecommuting could well be the killer app
> of broadband, and it certainly makes small towns near
> medium-sized airports a viable possibility. You just
> have to pick a medium-sized airport that has the
> connections you need for the particular places you go.
> Then look around and see if you'd like living in
> that area. Iterate if necessary.
Oh, it's about just being away from people as much as
anything. I could always move to a smaller town but
I'd still be in town. That's not quite what I'm looking for
though it would mean larger lots and more room for
the dogs.
No, I want to be out in the country and able to let
the dogs run. That's what they're used to (being
free to run) and all the farm dogs I know do that
with no harm to them or the countryside, though
I've heard rumor of a coyote or two getting the short
end of it.
That, and enough room for a really big garden, one
which could produce most all of my veggies for
a year.
Loki
Ceri Jones
That reminds me..........
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, BANG. clip-clop, clip-clop.
(Amish drive-by shooting)
:)
--
THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE IS THE HIGHEST LAW
Kurt Ullman
any restrictions. Although there might be some problems in certain areas
unless you had a wind-up vibrator.
----------------------------------
This mail is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and
grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to
be considered flaws or defects.
loki
> In article <a6e95j$6ma$1...@slb1.atl.mindspring.net>, "loki"
> <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> >"Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
> >
> >> Yes, I can see it now. Loki - the Amish witch. <g>
> >
> >ROFL! Except that I like sex too much.
> >
> I grew up around the Amish in NE Indiana and they never mentioned
> any restrictions. Although there might be some problems in certain areas
> unless you had a wind-up vibrator.
Uh, they require marriage first. I can't imagine myself married again
so...
Loki - never had a vibrator anyway
Nohbody
wrote:
> "Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
> > Incinerate the vehicles with the passengers in them. Spam in a can. Get
> > rid of both problems at the same time.
>
> You want to know the really sad thing? I'm considering buying an SUV
> myself. Not a Lexus or Mercedes, mind you but still...
Considering getting it just because they're "trendy", or because it'd
have actual, practical application to your situation? Not all those
who drive SUVs are yuppies, or those who got the vehicle because it
was "cool".
(Personally, it's the goobers who get them for the "trendy" aspect,
and wouldn't even think of looking at a patch of dirt, let alone drive
over it, that annoy me. I've no beef with SUV drivers who are truly
in need of the "U" part of the acronym.)
Dan Poore
--
Lumber Cartel (tinlc) member #571; Junior member of the Cabal (tinc)
ICQ UIN: 3908950 <http://wwp.mirabilis.com/3908950>
A Meeting of Minds <http://nohbody.com/schtuff/meeting.html> - a
(mostly) cliche-free first contact story (updated periodically)
Fred J. McCall
:"Fred J. McCall" <fmc...@earthlink.net> wrote
:
:> Does this bring us back to a discussion on 'perkiness'?
:
:Good gods, I hope not.
Damn! ;-)
Fred J. McCall
:I've been spoiled, I guess.
:About ten years ago, Telecom Eireann (Eircom as they are now) started
:a program of laying fiber to every door,
If you're on fiber, you can't get DSL service. It takes copper all
the way.
--
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to
live in the real world." -- Mary Shafer, NASA Dryden
Fred J. McCall
:"Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
Well, I finally dropped by my Mercedes dealer and left a deposit on
that SLK320 I was talking about last year. It should be here in a
couple of weeks (it's down going through the Canal on its way to LA
right now).
But a Mercedes SUV? Sorry, I just don't see the point....
--
"You keep talking about slaying like it's a job. It's not.
It's who you are."
-- Kendra, the Vampire Slayer
Fred J. McCall
:In article <a6e95j$6ma$1...@slb1.atl.mindspring.net>, "loki"
:<lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
:>"Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
:>
:>> Yes, I can see it now. Loki - the Amish witch. <g>
:>
:>ROFL! Except that I like sex too much.
:>
: I grew up around the Amish in NE Indiana and they never mentioned
:any restrictions. Although there might be some problems in certain areas
:unless you had a wind-up vibrator.
Well, they do tend to have a lot of candles around the house....
Jim Rusling
<snip>
>Oh, it's about just being away from people as much as
>anything. I could always move to a smaller town but
>I'd still be in town. That's not quite what I'm looking for
>though it would mean larger lots and more room for
>the dogs.
>
>No, I want to be out in the country and able to let
>the dogs run. That's what they're used to (being
>free to run) and all the farm dogs I know do that
>with no harm to them or the countryside, though
>I've heard rumor of a coyote or two getting the short
>end of it.
In a lot of farm areas, there is a problem of loose dogs. At lot of
people will shoot any dog caught chasing live stock. Some have lost
enough live stock that they just shoot any dog on their property.
Make sure that your dogs will stay on your property.
>
>That, and enough room for a really big garden, one
>which could produce most all of my veggies for
>a year.
>
>Loki
>
--
Jim Rusling
Now retired full time
Mustang, OK
http://jrusling.home.mindspring.com
Jim Rusling
<snip>
>You want to know the really sad thing? I'm considering buying an SUV
>myself. Not a Lexus or Mercedes, mind you but still...
>
>Loki - starting to worry about herself
>
I don't remember what size your dogs are, but I have two huskies and
both the truck and SUV work very well for transporting them.
loki
> Considering getting it just because they're "trendy", or because it'd
> have actual, practical application to your situation? Not all those
> who drive SUVs are yuppies, or those who got the vehicle because it
> was "cool".
>
> (Personally, it's the goobers who get them for the "trendy" aspect,
> and wouldn't even think of looking at a patch of dirt, let alone drive
> over it, that annoy me. I've no beef with SUV drivers who are truly
> in need of the "U" part of the acronym.)
Not because they're trendy, in fact, that makes me not really want to
buy one.
No, it's because I need something in which to haul around 3 LARGE
dogs, myself, my grandkid, maybe my kid and on most spring/summer
weekends gardening supplies.
Oh, and if I do move to the farm, the road will be a dirt one and
the ability to get through it even when it's rained and the road is
pure mud will be a plus. <grin>
Loki
loki
> that SLK320 I was talking about last year. It should be here in a
> couple of weeks (it's down going through the Canal on its way to LA
> right now).
MISTAKE! HUGE MISTAKE!!! Should have gotten the divorce
first...
> But a Mercedes SUV? Sorry, I just don't see the point....
Someone that works at the grandkid's school drives one. I don't
much see the point either.
Loki
loki
> I don't remember what size your dogs are, but I have two huskies and
> both the truck and SUV work very well for transporting them.
They are the size of a German Shepherd (the male) or a smallish Lab (the
females).
I'd considered a truck. I saw one the other day that was a 4 door one
and had what looked to be a factory camper shell on it. Pretty. Very
pretty.
I'm trying to figure out the pro's and con's of each possibility.
Loki
loki
>
> In a lot of farm areas, there is a problem of loose dogs. At lot of
> people will shoot any dog caught chasing live stock. Some have lost
> enough live stock that they just shoot any dog on their property.
> Make sure that your dogs will stay on your property.
Boundary training is one of the ideas with this.
I've not seen folks shooting their neighbors dogs but then,
most of the farms I know of have little livestock. They may
have a couple of cattle around and a pig or two mostly for
providing meat for the family, but not too many deal in anything
other than grain. Also, getting to know the neighbors and letting
them get to know the dogs is essential. There, most folks already
know what dog belongs where.
Loki
Ogden Johnson III
>"Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
>> You could write to "This Old House" and see if they would take your house as
>> a project. Get lots of professional help help, materials, and services at
>> discount prices if they take you. Odds are long, but you never know.
>Aren't they Boston based? This is kinda far away...
They travel at least once, sometimes twice, a year. Although in the
past it's been to places like FL, HI, San Diego, etc., maybe they're
tired of those and would think about St Louis. ... ... ... Yeah.
Right.
Never mind.
>> Incinerate the vehicles with the passengers in them. Spam in a can. Get
>> rid of both problems at the same time.
>You want to know the really sad thing? I'm considering buying an SUV
>myself. Not a Lexus or Mercedes, mind you but still...
>
>Loki - starting to worry about herself
Learned my lesson last Monday. First ride in a *big* SUV. Got in
fine, no trouble from the stroke-affected left leg. Getting out,
protecting the aforesaid left leg, managed to pull a muscle in my
right leg. Been homebound since then for the simple reason that with
two legs AFU, I've run out of reliable ones to walk on. SUVs have now
been stricken from consideration for the car I'm probably gonna hafta
get later this year.
OJ III
[Hmmm. Just how big are those dragons? Just reread Anne McCaffrey's
second Pern short, "Dragonrider". Seems like a neat way to get
around. Maybe a lease agreement?]
J.T. McDaniel
"Fred J. McCall" <fmc...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:8vjl8u8jolml1f8kf...@4ax.com...
> The Old Monkey <oldm...@lycos.co.uk> wrote:
>
> :I've been spoiled, I guess.
> :About ten years ago, Telecom Eireann (Eircom as they are now) started
> :a program of laying fiber to every door,
>
> If you're on fiber, you can't get DSL service. It takes copper all
> the way.
>
They could run a FITL (fiber in the loop) setup.
Instead of a DSLAM at the central office they
put the electronics in a cabinet at the curb, or
mounted on the house, so you only have copper
for the last 50 feet or so. Standard ADSL can
theoretically deliver 7 mbps download speeds --
if you happen to live next door to the CO -- but
most providers tell you 1.5 mbps is the target.
I get about 700 k here, but I'm so far out at the
end of the loop that I wouldn't even be able to
get service if they hadn't installed it when they
had a higher limit. (And, right now, I'm not getting
anything, which is weird, since my modem is
synching just fine -- there just isn't any service
at the other end.) With FITL you can run VDSL,
with up to 26 mbps downloads -- but you
probably won't get anything like that.
There are neighborhoods in Atlanta that have to run
FITL, since they no longer have copper lines from the
CO. The downside is you can only get it from Bell
South.
--
Jack
http://withhonourinbattle.com
http://riverdaleebooks.com
http://navaladventure.com
DDENT
>From: Chris J...... ch...@noadress.com
>Date: 3/9/2002 1:18
>Just don't go with bright purple for the kitchen cabinets.. A customer
>of mine re-decorated, painting their oak cabinet doors bright purple,
>and the cabinet frames and panels bright green. They also painted
>every window frame in the house bright purple. They then had the idea
>of painting their formica counter top blue (painting a counter top is
>not a good idea, period). They then decided to move, and I had the
>great joy of selling their home with all it's "unique" colorings
>(which ended up reducing the sales price by a lot).
>
>Chris J.......
>
>
Had a house once with a pink kitchen. The formica, appliances and cabinets were
1940's pink. Repainted before we sold it, which took us all of a week, with a
nice profit.
Fran
DDENT
>
>Loki
>
Go for a Texas cadillac - otherwise known as a Suburban. Very utilitarian, and
can haul 8 passengers and lots of junk. Reliable, just lousy gas mileage. I
love mine.
Fran
J.T. McDaniel
Gml...@scvnet.com
Well, how else is s/he going to one-up his/her neighbors who drive BMW X5s
and Range Rovers?
The really silly thing is that the Mercedes SUV is imported from (shudder)
Alabama.
George
Gml...@scvnet.com
"Kurt Ullman" <kurtu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6Bzi8.2875$P4.2...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> In article <a6e95j$6ma$1...@slb1.atl.mindspring.net>, "loki"
> <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> >"Joe Clement" <pork...@kenton.com> wrote
> >
> >> Yes, I can see it now. Loki - the Amish witch. <g>
> >
> >ROFL! Except that I like sex too much.
> >
> I grew up around the Amish in NE Indiana and they never mentioned
> any restrictions. Although there might be some problems in certain areas
> unless you had a wind-up vibrator.
Gee, I must have missed that item in the Lehman's catalog...
I don't think that the Amish have anything against the old-fashioned method,
though.
loki
>
> Learned my lesson last Monday. First ride in a *big* SUV. Got in
> fine, no trouble from the stroke-affected left leg. Getting out,
> protecting the aforesaid left leg, managed to pull a muscle in my
> right leg. Been homebound since then for the simple reason that with
> two legs AFU, I've run out of reliable ones to walk on. SUVs have now
> been stricken from consideration for the car I'm probably gonna hafta
> get later this year.
It's not just folks with bum legs who have problems getting in and out
of SUV's, us short folks have problems with it as well. Trucks cause
the same problems. It's the one thing that keeps me wondering if
I really want to buy one. But then, there's not much else around
that will haul what I need to haul. <sigh>
>
> OJ III
> [Hmmm. Just how big are those dragons? Just reread Anne McCaffrey's
> second Pern short, "Dragonrider". Seems like a neat way to get
> around. Maybe a lease agreement?]
They have a union. You'd have to negotiate with them.
Loki
loki
>
> Go for a Texas cadillac - otherwise known as a Suburban. Very
utilitarian, and
> can haul 8 passengers and lots of junk. Reliable, just lousy gas mileage.
I
> love mine.
I've been looking at them a lot closer of late. You're right about the
hauling capabilities (which are what is really driving this decision) but I
swear, I HATE lousy gas mileage. It just makes me insane to put a bunch of
money into putting gas in a vehicle. I'm not sure why, but paying much more
than 10 bucks to fill a tank gives me anxiety attacks.
Guess I'm going to have to get over that or else get some good meds. <sigh>
Loki
loki
news:a6endp$g7p$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> "loki" <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> news:a6ekhk$fib$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net...
> > "Fred J. McCall" <fmc...@earthlink.net> wrote
> > >
> > > Well, I finally dropped by my Mercedes dealer and left a deposit on
> > > that SLK320 I was talking about last year. It should be here in a
> > > couple of weeks (it's down going through the Canal on its way to LA
> > > right now).
> >
> > MISTAKE! HUGE MISTAKE!!! Should have gotten the divorce
> > first...
> >
> > > But a Mercedes SUV? Sorry, I just don't see the point....
> >
> > Someone that works at the grandkid's school drives one. I don't
> > much see the point either.
> >
> Tyranosaurs find it difficult to get into them?
Hey, around our house that could be considered a valid reason.
Loki - grandchild is gonna be a paleontologist
Jim Rusling
We use the explorer, with the rear seats folded down, around town.
For longer trips to the lake, we use an extended cab F-250 4X4. I
keep the rear seat folded down and have a layer of egg crate foam
covered by a piece on carpet for the to lay on. If you move out in
the country you will need a pickup to haul stuff around.
Andy Carabino
wrote:
>"Ogden Johnson III" <o...@cpcug.org> wrote
>>
>> Learned my lesson last Monday. First ride in a *big* SUV. Got in
>> fine, no trouble from the stroke-affected left leg. Getting out,
>> protecting the aforesaid left leg, managed to pull a muscle in my
>> right leg. Been homebound since then for the simple reason that with
>> two legs AFU, I've run out of reliable ones to walk on. SUVs have now
>> been stricken from consideration for the car I'm probably gonna hafta
>> get later this year.
>
>It's not just folks with bum legs who have problems getting in and out
>of SUV's, us short folks have problems with it as well. Trucks cause
>the same problems. It's the one thing that keeps me wondering if
>I really want to buy one. But then, there's not much else around
>that will haul what I need to haul. <sigh>
Running boards really do help with this situation, or at least in my
family's case. My sister and I are shorter than most, and my father
had leg problems, and my grandparents have arthritis... we had an
Expedition with running boards and they made all the difference
compared to climbing into our Ford F250 truck...
Both are 2WD... but I'm sure the running boards are helpful despite
the added clearance of 4WD...
--
Andy Carabino
to email, remove the fat
Kurt Ullman
<lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Oh, and if I do move to the farm, the road will be a dirt one and
>the ability to get through it even when it's rained and the road is
>pure mud will be a plus. <grin>
>
It snows in Soutern Indiana on occassion and I would suspect the same in the
St. L area..
Kurt Ullman
Kurt Ullman
wrote:
>Well, they do tend to have a lot of candles around the house....
>
Got a run on a fire investigation in an Amish home near Grabill, IN
a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It was a straight up chimney fire
with nothing interesting from an investigations standpoint, but did bring up
something for the education guys to work on.
We got digging around and found the charred remains of two ABC
extinguishers. Wondered about those until we talked to the owners. Seems like
he had used the last of his recently-outlawed carbon tet balls and had
wondered down to the local Hardware and, on the advice of the owner, had
gotten a couple ABC extinguishers. He was somewhat upset because they did not
work as well as the Carbon tet balls when you threw them into the fireplace.
We wondered why he did not read the instructions since the Chief knew
he was literate, but the Amish community soon got a couple Fire Prevention
types coming around....
Kurt Ullman
wrote:
>Well, I finally dropped by my Mercedes dealer and left a deposit on
>that SLK320 I was talking about last year. It should be here in a
>couple of weeks (it's down going through the Canal on its way to LA
>right now).
>
We've had a C230 for a year and a half now and LOVE it. It one of the best
driving cars I have ever had, only one problem that was taken care of
IMMEDIATELY. Heck we have even started taking DRIVING trips, which was unheard
of before.
Kurt Ullman
an earphone for your cell phone and everyone will figure you are Secret
Service and leave you alone. (g)
Paul H. Lemmen
"Ogden Johnson III" <o...@cpcug.org> wrote in message
news:dbll8usm16jffhpnc...@4ax.com...
> Learned my lesson last Monday. First ride in a *big* SUV. Got in
> fine, no trouble from the stroke-affected left leg. Getting out,
> protecting the aforesaid left leg, managed to pull a muscle in my
> right leg. Been homebound since then for the simple reason that with
> two legs AFU, I've run out of reliable ones to walk on. SUVs have now
> been stricken from consideration for the car I'm probably gonna hafta
> get later this year.
>
>
> OJ III
Ye Gads OJ...I said the small SUV! You had no problem (as it appeared)
getting into the drivers seat of mine! Although I did notice a VERY careful
exit (and guarding of the left leg) the addition of running boards will make
that even easier. Stick with a small one (select a different colour though).
Hope you mend quickly and Barb sends her best.
Slainte,
--
Paul H. Lemmen
Bloc Sprao Agath
No Go Maci
Fred J. McCall
:"Fred J. McCall" <fmc...@earthlink.net> wrote
:>
:> Well, I finally dropped by my Mercedes dealer and left a deposit on
:> that SLK320 I was talking about last year. It should be here in a
:> couple of weeks (it's down going through the Canal on its way to LA
:> right now).
:
:MISTAKE! HUGE MISTAKE!!! Should have gotten the divorce
:first...
Why do you say that?
Fred J. McCall
:>I'm trying to figure out the pro's and con's of each possibility.
:>
:Go for a Texas cadillac - otherwise known as a Suburban. Very utilitarian, and
:can haul 8 passengers and lots of junk. Reliable, just lousy gas mileage. I
:love mine.
There's a reason why the more covert SWAT-type outfits like these.
Lots of room in there for a fire team and however much gear they might
need to carry....
--
You have never lived until you have almost died.
Life has a special meaning that the protected
will never know.
Kurt Ullman
wrote:
>dd...@aol.comnospam (DDENT) wrote:
>
>:>I'm trying to figure out the pro's and con's of each possibility.
>:>
>:Go for a Texas cadillac - otherwise known as a Suburban. Very utilitarian,
> and
>:can haul 8 passengers and lots of junk. Reliable, just lousy gas mileage. I
>:love mine.
>
>There's a reason why the more covert SWAT-type outfits like these.
>Lots of room in there for a fire team and however much gear they might
>need to carry....
>
And easy to get into and out of in a hurry. Even with bulky equipment.
loki
> Running boards really do help with this situation, or at least in my
> family's case. My sister and I are shorter than most, and my father
> had leg problems, and my grandparents have arthritis... we had an
> Expedition with running boards and they made all the difference
> compared to climbing into our Ford F250 truck...
>
> Both are 2WD... but I'm sure the running boards are helpful despite
> the added clearance of 4WD...
Yeah, running boards are generally how I get in and out of them.
There was someone I knew a while back who suggested letting some
air out of the tires but....
Loki
loki
> We use the explorer, with the rear seats folded down, around town.
> For longer trips to the lake, we use an extended cab F-250 4X4. I
> keep the rear seat folded down and have a layer of egg crate foam
> covered by a piece on carpet for the to lay on. If you move out in
> the country you will need a pickup to haul stuff around.
That works as long as you don't have 3 or 4 passengers who are human.
How about hauling the dogs in the back of the pickup (with the camper
shell on)? I'm not too keen on the idea but I'm wondering about it
anyway.
Yeah, and I need a pickup *now* for hauling stuff around. It's that
gardening habit I've got.
Loki
loki
> In article <a6ekdu$osr$1...@slb7.atl.mindspring.net>, "loki"
> <lo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> >Oh, and if I do move to the farm, the road will be a dirt one and
> >the ability to get through it even when it's rained and the road is
> >pure mud will be a plus. <grin>
> >
> It snows in Soutern Indiana on occassion and I would suspect the same in
the
> St. L area..
On occasion but in St. Louis you don't want to try driving when it has
snowed - the idiots are out in force and most of them are driving SUV's
with 4 wheel drive and feeling invincible.
As to Southern Indiana, when it snows there it is an excuse to stay home
till it melts. <grin>
Loki
loki
> Make sure you get it black with black tinted windows, get a pair of
sunglasses and
> an earphone for your cell phone and everyone will figure you are Secret
> Service and leave you alone. (g)
Heh. I've already got the sunglasses and the earphone for the cell phone.
<grin> I showed up at the granddaughter's school with sunglasses on and the
cell phone in my pocket the other day and got a LOT of "interesting" looks.
Hey, I was expecting a business call and the kid couldn't get home by
herself...
Loki
loki
news:ccpm8u0pptctof11k...@4ax.com...
Experience.
Loki
Jim Rusling
The you probably want a crew cab. When you get a cap, you can remove
the rear window of the truck and not have a front window in the cap.
They put a gasket between the truck and cap. That way you can see and
talk to the dogs. You can also get the gasket, but leave the windows
in and just open them both up. I have a cap that has the hatch-back
door on the back and it makes it easier to load and unload most
things. I would recommend getting the sprayed in bed liner. If you
are going to haul the dogs back there, I would also recommend getting
a product called a Bed Rug. This is a carpet liner where the floor
part is padded and will just zip out for when you want to haul dirty
stuff.
Jim Rusling
My wife is just 5' and she uses the running boards. Running boards
also help keep the bottom of the truck from getting beat up if you
drive on gravel or dirt roads.