response 266 of 365:

Nov 16 03:39 UTC 2000

The site, in Lynx, read [Embed].  With Arachne, it was blank, even with
graphics turned on.  I think it was www.primustel.com.  Sites with frames are
not blank, they have at least two links (to left and main, for instance).

response 268 of 365:

Nov 16 04:10 UTC 2000

There's probably some redirection going on as well.  The right way to do
redirection is with the redirect error code, but some people try to do
it with javascript or other weirdness.  Lynx won't cope well with
either.  Sometimes you can figure out what they meant to do with
        \
in lynx (which shows the document source).

response 270 of 365:

Nov 16 19:49 UTC 2000

I didn't look at it farther than to establish that the site did indeed come
up.  I've still never paid for Internet access.

response 272 of 365:

Nov 18 06:58 UTC 2000

I've got a question about web hosting.  I want to host some relatively
small (low-graphic) web pages, with minimal advertising on them.  I do
not want to be tied to a particular local ISP, as I would be if I got a
cable modem.  Who's good for this?

response 274 of 365:

Nov 21 01:45 UTC 2000

Re #171 (way the heck back there, had to dig to find it):
>The stove says:  kW 6.9 206Y/120V 60 Hz AND kW 9.9 120/240V 60 Hz.
>(is one the oven and one the stove top units, maybe?).

No, this is for two flavors of connection.  Which takes some explaining.

There are two kinds of grid connections you can get, single-phase and
3-phase.  Single phase is a 60-Hz wave at a nominal 120 volts RMS[1]
relative to neutral, and if you take two of these which are in opposite
directions from neutral at the same time you can get 240 volts RMS
between them.

You can also get 3-phase power, which is more common in industrial
environments than residential.  If you consider the phases like the
hands on a clock face, single-phase power gives you two possibilities
for the minute hand:  3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.  You can connect between
either of those two hands and/or the hub (which is zero).  Obviously, the
maximum distance (voltage) you can get is exactly twice the length of
the minute hand.  But if you have *three phase*, you have three
possibilities for the minute hand position:  3 o'clock, 7 o'clock and
11 o'clock.  If the length of the minute hand is considered to be 1,
the maximum distance you can get between any of the three positions is
sqrt(3).  Ergo, if you were connecting your electric stove between two
legs of a 3-phase 120-volt line, you'd be feeding it a fair amount less
voltage (120 * sqrt(3) = 208 volts) than if you had a single-phase line
and were connecting between phases at 3 and 9 o'clock (240 volts).

The best 3-phase voltage is sqrt(3)/2 times the best single-phase voltage.
If you multiply 9.9 kw by (sqrt(3)/2)^2 = 0.75, you get about 7.4 kw.
I have no idea why the oven is only rated at 6.9 kw for a 208 volt line,
maybe there is something non-linear about the controls or you didn't
read it quite right (could 9.9 really be 9.2?).  Regardless, a straight
calculation from the RMS voltage explains most of the difference.

[1] RMS is Root Mean Square.  This is significant because the instantaneous
power into a resistive load is proportional to the square of the voltage,
so to make things simple one integrates the square of the voltage over the
cycle, takes the square root, and calls that "the (RMS) voltage".  To get
average power, you square the RMS voltage and divide by the resistance:
P = I^2R.  It makes it a lot easier to calculate things than compensating
for the average being lower than the peak, or funny non-sinusoidal
waveforms, etc.

<and with that, the rambling double-E vanished into the solder flux fumes>

response 276 of 365:

Nov 22 03:16 UTC 2000

220 V takes half as much current as 110 V.  That means half as much
copper can conduct the same power safely.  That is the main difference
between the two.  The line into your house is always 220 V and has a
certain fixed size.  Any large current draw appliance will produce a
voltage drop on your line input.  The drop will be greater if you have a
small feed into your house, and the drop will be twice as great for the
same power if the appliance is 110 V instead of 220 V.  That drop may be
noticeable as a dimming in incadescent lights.  In the case of inductive
loads (large electric motors) there can be more serious problems as
well, and if you had multiple large loads and were expecting to use all
of them, it would be worth spreading them evenly across the two legs --
this is easier if they're 220 V and inherently even.

You probably have at least 60A service, and more likely 100A.  That's at
least 3 and as much as 30 times your projected peak load.  The heaters
you're talking are not large and will certainly work on a regular
lighting circuit.  I imagine you don't plan to make much other use of
your electrical input, and intend to be frugal.  If you get annoyed by
flickering lights, you might want to try 220 V, otherwise, don't worry
about it.  You might want to try for a larger feed to your house, and
put extra large wiring and extra outlets inside the house, if you want
to be kind to any future owners who might have a less eccentric
house-keeping style.  An air conditioner seems like the most likely
"extra" for which you have probably not allowed.

response 278 of 365:

Nov 22 04:06 UTC 2000

We have two 100 amp circuits, because if we have HVAC on a separate circuit
the power company will give us a reduced rate (they can switch it off for 2
minutes at a time by radio).  The heating circuit will have heaters and the
central dehumidifier (which in the summer will function to dehumidify and at
the same time somewhat cool the air).  I doubt anything will flicker.  So if
we want to be able to have a choice of 110 or 220 volts, that means running
copper wire thick enough for 110?  The thicker wire is probably cheaper than
going out and buying other space heaters.  One 20 amp circuit per 1500 watt
heater - we have lots of extra circuits to use.  If we install one 110 heater,
we can later replace it with two 220 heaters (all the same wattage)?  What
size wire would we use on a 110 circuit for a heater?  What size for a 220
circuit?  The attic fan can go on the heater circuit too.  The other circuit
will have a 220 stove, a refrigerator, a freezer, and lights, and central
vacuum cleaner some day.  Do I understand correctly that with 220 the ground
(neutral) wire is not normally conducting anything, but with 110 it is?

response 280 of 365:

Nov 23 10:36 UTC 2000

An answer to some of the previous discussions about cold feet:  I 
recently read that sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on the outsides
of your socks is an effective and quick foot warmer.  I haven't
tried this yet, though I often go to bed with cold feet, and hence
wear socks which I'd rather not wear (they feel uncomfortable in
bed).  I plan to try it soon.  Also, cold hands can be warmed
up by placing them in your armpits, which have lots of heat to
spare.  (This is also a good way to warm up frozen batteries
before using them in walkmen and the like.)

response 282 of 365:

Nov 23 16:08 UTC 2000

        Cayenne is also being used now in arthritis treatment.

response 284 of 365:

Nov 24 03:35 UTC 2000

I just made a webpage for one of our beginners, with all the permissions
readable, and put it in his www directory as index.htm.  We can view it while
dialed or telnetted into grex, but we cannot view it with Arachne via an ISP.
We can view it with Arachne if we move this same file into Jim Deigert's www
directory.   Why?  Do we have to activate it somehow?  The account is wings
(we are telnetted in here right now, this is keesan typing).  Please email
us the answer as we are hoping to deliver this computer very soon to wings,
who will use it to read Russian news via links at his homepage on grex.
email keesan@grex.org, thanks.  And also post the answer.  I don't recall
activating Jim's homepage. www.grex.org/~wings.  (E-mail David hello while
you are there.)  Sindi and Jim.

response 286 of 365:

Nov 25 03:57 UTC 2000

I read the cayenne stuff in a health magazine.  I will investigate
further.

response 288 of 365:

Nov 25 20:27 UTC 2000

  I still think that no matter how much you irritate the outside of your
  socks (which is where #280 says the pepper is to be applied) it won't
  draw more blood into your extremities..

response 290 of 365:

Nov 27 16:45 UTC 2000

The cayenne pepper thing is also known in skiing circles.  At least, that's
where I heard of it.  Though, I seem to recall that you put it inside your
socks, but I could be wrong; I never did it.