Apple Moves To Smaller Connector For Charger on iPhone 5

iPhone 5 Gets a 19 Pin Connector Port

 The iPhone 5 will be getting a smaller charging port. Technology is moving on from the the current port with 30 pins. What does this mean for you. Well, technology moves forward bigger faster smaller and all of that. But at the end of the day you need to buy new chargers new speakers unless of course you all ready have a Blue tooth speaker system. All of those external products that you were able to connect to your iPhone for what the last 10 years or so. You really can't blame Apple as this is just how things in technology go. Hey if you make this connector smaller they might be able to give you a bigger battery etc. But, The bigger issue with this is how many of these products now end up in a landfill somewhere? They would have ended up there anyway right but now this just speeds their demise and further production of more products. You can't even use your current case on  your new iPhone 5 because the earphones will connect at the bottom so even that is out. The only positive is you might get a great deal on the iPhone 4S when the iPhone 5 comes out
What Will You Need To Replace If You Buy An iPhone 5?
In some ways there is a whole list of things but the good answer is for a few years a couple anyway I am sure Apple will have to put out some sort iPhone 4S iPhone 5 Adapter but even that will not cure all the problems. So most people have some sort of speaker system to connect to their iPhone. If that will accept the adapter then your set but if not, if it's too tight of a fit you may need to replace it. The companies and individuals that have gone to Blue tooth speaker systems were really ahead of the game on this, no connectors or adapters or anything else for them. Now what about the chargers in your cars and at the office etc. Those are easily replaced but probably at a cost of about forty dollars or so. I wonder what the true cost of this change is to the average iPhone user in terms of dollars after they buy the new iPhone. How much do they spend on new adapters, new chargers, new speakers, basically a whole new ecosystem for apple products.
Great For Manufacturers
This is great for manufacturers. I mean think about we are wondering how much all of this will cost us. The manufacturers are wondering how much all of this will make them. Think about it everything needs to be replaced. That will be a boon for the manufacturers of these products from cases to chargers to speakers to connectors for your car system etc.
My Hope For Apple
My hope for Apple is that they eventually embrace the micro USB charging as so many other high tech companies have done on their high end tech devices. This would be great for Apple's consumers as well as for the company since it is a much greener option. However Apple has never been known to be a company that follows the crowds and I guess that's why so many of us love their products.
 iPhone-23.jpg, a photo by ThiagoMartins on Flickr.

Ways To Conserve Water

Some Ways To Conserve Water
We all know the ways to conserve water around the house. They have been taught to us since we were children. But, how many of us really put them into good use. The simple ones are easy to do and keep up on right, like turn off the water when you brush your teeth that's pretty simple to remember and do. What are some other ways that are not so simple and some ways that make it easier to remember? First of all do you have an old fashioned toilet?
How To Save Water With Your Toilet
If you have an old fashioned toilet you know that every time you flush it takes about 5 gallons of water to flush the toilet. Newer models it only takes about 1.6 gallons per flush. Big difference right. Well, how many times do you flush the toilet per day? Now, how many times does your family flush the toilet per day? You could spring for a modern toilet but that is very expensive. Another option is to simply place a brick in your toilet tank and see if your toilet still flushes normally. If your toilet still flushes normally place another brick and so on. Basically what the brick does is displace water in your toilet tank so it fills up faster and flushes less water with each flush. You won't get down to 1.6 gallons per flush like a high efficiency toilet but your toilet wasnt' made to flush with such a little amount of water. Another way to save water with your toilet is to test to see if your toilet valve is leaking.
Check Your Toilet Flapper Valve For Leaks
One way you can be using a lot of water with your toilet without even knowing it is with a leaking flapper valve in your toilet. What is the flapper valve. Take off the back of the toilet. Push the flush lever do you see the rubber valve connected to the end of that chain at the bottom of the toilet tank? That rubber stopper looking thing is your toilet flapper valve. The way to see if it's leaking is to put some food coloring in the back of the toilet tank and see if it appears in the toilet bowl. If it doesn't then no problem your flapper valve does not leak at all. If food coloring does appear in the toilet tank then you need to replace the flapper valve on your toilet. Don't worry it's a very simple procedure. Flush the toilet and turn off the water. Don't worry it's clean water so you won't get dirty. Now disconnect the chain from the flusher handle and disconnect the flapper valve from the plastic tube in the middle of the toilet and remove the flapper valve. Buy the correct flapper valve and replace it the same way you removed it. Congratulations.
How Your Kids Can Save Water In The Tub
Kids love taking a bath and they love filling the tub to the brim with water and that can be 50 or 60 gallons of water. If it's a large soaking tub it can be a lot more than that. So one way I have found to keep the water use down for baths with small children is to put a sticker of some animal they like at the level of water I want them to use most times. So basically when the water gets up to the starfish or the turtle shut it off. But, once in awhile you can let them fill it up and just enjoy it. Hey, kids need to be kids too right.

UC Davis Named Nations Coolest School

UC Davis Has Been Named Nations Coolest School

In the annual rankings of Sierra magazine's greenest campuses once again University of California at Davis comes out at the top of the list. Their efforts to be a green campus have paid off and have been noticed. One of the first things you notice when you go to Davis and not just the campus but the actual town of Davis is that it's bike town USA. I mean there are bike here and there and bikes everywhere. One of the things highlighted by Sierra magazines publishers is the transportation system that includes about 20,000 bikes on campus. That is a huge number of bikes. Not to mention the new development of the West Village. West Village is a planned community that is the country's largest zero net energy community. Big things are happening in Davis. This only will get bigger as more and more students go through this University with so much emphasis placed on these green initiatives this will stay with these students as they leave campus and go off into their new lives and hopefully establish themselves elsewhere but take with them all these green ideas they learned at Davis.

Do You Go To A Cool School?

What I mean by that is what does your school do to help the environment? Do you have a large biking community? Do most people car pool to class or live on campus. Do you have a large community that is that is zero net energy? In other words should your campus be on this list next year. If not maybe you should get working. It only takes a few dedicated students and faculty to get something like this started. Davis didn't start with 20,000 bikes on campus they started with a couple hundred a few years ago or so and then students demanded more bike access and administrators allowed it and approved it. So it always starts small. So leave your campus better than you found it in four years. Good Luck.

Via Sierra
 Composting sign, a photo by Julien_V on Flickr.

Nest Learning Thermostat More Than a Pretty Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat is really unique, it's a thermostat which is something fairly utilitarian but when you see the model put out by the Nest designers it looks like something that came out of Apple Computer. In fact one of the designers worked at Apple before starting Nest. It even has a click wheel like the first iPod. Yes it's that beautiful but the question is do you want a two hundred dollar pretty thermostat hanging on your wall? Or, do you want a two hundred dollar thermostat on your wall because it's pretty and it saves you money in the long run? That's the question is it really worth it? The Nest Thermostat is a Learning Thermostat. What is a learning thermostat? A learning thermostat basically means that instead of putting in a schedule of daily temperature fluctuations that you want to be scheduled, like your normal thermostat you will basically change the temperature to what you want, when you want it. In a few days the Nest Learning Thermostat will learn what you like and what you don't like. Then it will keep the house to those temperatures. Now if you are home a couple of days or whatever don't worry you can change the temperature and it won't affect the Nest. Like I said it takes about a week for it to learn a new schedule or basically a new habit. One of the settings I like on the Nest is the Auto Away Mode. Basically the nest has a motion sensor and when it hasn't seen you in a few hours it will automatically set to the lowest temperature you have set for your home say 65 degrees. This is a really great feature for someone like me who is always away and when you are going out of town there is a list of things to do and one of the last on that list that is frequently forgotten is to turn down the thermostat. So my home is nice and toasty the whole time I am gone. This is not a problem with the Nest If your Nest is centrally located and you pass by it regularly throughout your time at home this works out great. However your Nest is located  in that place in your home that is not in your daily traffic pattern and you hardly ever go by it then you won't be able to use this feature.

Buy Nest Thermostat

Okay you have decided to Buy A Nest Thermostat What are your options? If you click the link at the left you can buy one at Amazon.com which is great that way the Nest will come to you. Other choices for buying the Nest are to go to The Apple Store or also they are available now at Best Buy. So there are a few different choices to get your Nest Learning Thermostat.

Other Features of The Nest

     The Nest Thermostat has many features I really like one of them is that it can be connected into your wifi network in your house so that software updates are automatic. This is a really great thing because let's face who is actually going to think to do software updates on their thermostats. We all have enough gadgets that need updating as it is. So this one will do it for you. Another great feature is the Web and Mobile apps for your energy history and usage. If you use Air Conditioning a lot in the summer the new Nest Airwave can save you a lot of energy. Basically it works like this in the summer when it's hot and your AC is on, your AC unit gets cold then when you shut off the AC the unit is still cold. What Airwave does is shut off the AC before your house reaches the desired temperature and leaves the fan running to circulate the warm air through your cold AC unit. That way it doesn't waste that energy, and your house still cools down to the desired temperature. So I think The Nest Learning Thermostat is more than a pretty Thermostat it will save you energy in your home. Nest's chameleon design blends with a green wall, a photo by Nest on Flickr.

Essentials For Your Dorm

Essentials For Your Dorm

The Essentials for your dorm or your child's dorm are the things that will make your life a little easier as you head off to start your new life in your college dorm. This is just a list of essential items for you dorm that can help that transition. It is by no means fully complete as everyone's needs are different.

Your College Dorm

Your College Dorm will almost resemble a cell in a jail when you arrive. One of the first things you will notice is that it is very drab and the same as everyone els's. Then you will notice how small it is. It will be smaller than your bedroom at home and you will be sharing it with someone else. Who is also not used to sharing a bedroom.

Plan ahead so you don't duplicate.

 Your college will contact you before the fall semester starts and give you, your roommates information. Contact them and talk to them and get to know them after all this is the person you will be living with for the next nine months at least. If you get along, hopefully you might live with them for four years or more. So get used to this idea and try to go into it with the idea that you can get along with this person unless you just can't. So when you are talking to them find out what they plan to bring to the dorm because if they are planning on bringing a bike rack that holds two bikes then great you don't have to. Likewise if you are bringing your PlayStation 3 to stream movies and video on then they don't have to bring theirs. You get the idea. Otherwise you will both bring everything and then nothing will fit in your room.

Things You Need For Your Dorm

The Dorm Essential List

1. PlayStation 3 or XBox 360 - You can use these to play games as well as watch T.V. and stream movies on and watch Netflix and HULU.

2. Bike Rack- This is self explanatory if you own a bike you need a bike rack for your dorm room one of the ones that lean against the wall is great. Try to get one that will accommodate two bikes. That way there is room for your roommates bike as well as yours. It's all about sharing.

3. Coffee Pot and a Hot Pot- You can use the Hot pot to heat soups and noodles basically any type of instant food that needs to be cooked in water. It's for when you just can't take the cafeteria one more time this week.

4. Bed Risers- These are plastic or wooden blocks that you put under the legs of your bed so that you can store things in bins and put the bins under your bed. They work really great since most dorms lack storage and closets in a lot of cases.

5. Small Microwave Toaster Oven- Once again for those times you don't feel like going to the cafeteria.

6. Plate, Bowl, Forks, Spoons, Knives

7. A Dry Erase Board to put on your front door- even in these times of text messaging people will still walk by your door and leave a message.

8. Drying Rack and Laundry Basket or bag

9. Printer and ink cartridges- whichever roommate has the best printer should bring theirs. Make it a laser printer they are very cheap now and you will save the money in ink cartridges. You can buy a laser print cartridge for $100.00 and it will print about 3,500 pages or so.

10. Laundry Marking Pen and rolls of Quarters to do Laundry

I can't stress enough that you need to talk to your roommate about what you are bringing so you don't duplicate your efforts. For one it costs a lot of money to outfit a dorm. Some of this stuff you will have but a lot you will have to buy, so it's better to plan ahead so you don't have two of something.

Make Your Dorm Yours

As I said above your dorm will have a littel bit of an institutional feel to it at first so bring a carpet or some posters that you like or things like that so it will make it feel like home to you. Because for the next few months it will be home. It won't feel like it on the first day but it will in a week I promise.
 dorm room - closet & door, a photo by jessycat_techie on Flickr.