Free to venture..

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Useful information on dongles...

Tiscali have a chart on their site showing what you can do with 2GB per month. Form the list below, does that mean you can do all those things.... or anyone of them... but not all?

Surfing the Internet - 8 hours a day
Sending photos by email - 30 photos a week
Receiving photos by email - 30 photos a week
Downloading music tracks - 20 tracks a week
Downloading video clips - 10 2-minute clips a week
Sending emails without attachments - 200 emails a week
Receiving emails without attachments - 200 emails a week

Originally Posted by AWaite

That is horribly restrictive. I think it would be very difficult to stay under 2GB/month.

I can't believe they're claiming this would cover 8 hours/day surfing. I'm sure it won't be long until the ASA tells them off.

I think Wanadoo states the same as Tiscali.

I am not a big downloader though. A lot of Broadband users will be big online gamers... and also downloading the things you can not discuss on here. Hence why 2GB would not be enough by a long shot for them.

So I shall monitor my usage now with NetMeter and see if I am under the 2GB limit. I have a friend who is with Tiscali and on a 2GB limit and he has never come anywhere near it. Also my Sister and her family are on Wanadoo... which has a 2GB limit... and they have never gone over the 2GB limit.

So I guess unless you're a big gamer or like I say... downloading things you should not... then 2GB is quite a lot.

When considering broadband packages I used an online monitor and found that even though i was playing an online multiplayer rpg and surfing the web alot I was still under the 2 GB limit in a month.
Just use one of the monitors to check your useage as theres a tendency among some users to assume that listening to online radio stations and downloading the latest stargate series are normal monthly activities.

http://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/ask-our-expert-mac-broadband-without-a-phone-line.html

Best internet dongle so far..

£9 one-off cost

£15 a month
30-day agreement

2GB of UK data included
If you go over, it's £15 for each 1GB extra.
1GB Wi-Fi included
30 days with BT Openzone

Subject to credit check.

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/personal/mobile-internet/on-your-pc-or-mac/internet-dongles/

Yoga for neck pain....

Yoga for Neck Pain
Yoga is a practice of meditation, spiritualism, and physical disciplines that has quickly become a very popular mainstream alternative for stress reduction, increasing core strength, and correcting posture. The following is a series of simple poses and stretching exercises to help strengthen the neck, shoulders, chest, spine and abdomen while focusing on improving and releasing and postural discomfort.

Cat/Dog

On your hands and knees, starting with a neutral spine, inhale and begin to extend your spine by bringing your hips and tail bone up following up with your collarbone, chin, and lifting up with you eyes.
As you exhale, press in with the abdominals as you flex your spine. Releasing your neck and head, let your breath draw you into that extension as you begin to curve the spine once again. Going at your own pace continue to extend and release your spine.
Then with your back flat, bring your right or left knee in toward the chest as you draw your chin to your knee. As you inhale bring that foot out, accentuating the extension of the spine with your knee or your foot, pressing the abdomen in as you squeeze that knee and raise your heads towards your knee.
Switch between legs and continue.

Cobra

On your hands in knees in Table pose, bring your knees, heels and toes together. Begin to press your abdominal muscles in and bring your hips forward toward the space created between your hands. As you roll your shoulders to the back, look down or lift your chin and eyes.
To rest, come back up to your hands and knees, or move the knees further away from each other and come into Child pose. Press your palms of your hands and your hips as far back as possible, bringing them to rest between your heels. Rest your forehead on the mat.
Come back into Cobra. This time, to truly engage the abdomen, lift your hips leaving your knees on the mat, or for more intensity lift both your hips and your knees off the mat. To rest, drop your knees and/or hips back down to the mat.
Come back into Child pose, and rest. From here roll the mat over once or twice to create a cushion and rest your forehead on it. Curl your toes from underneath and with your hands at the sides of your head press down with your toes as you begin to flex your spine creating an arch. Roll from your forehead to the crown of your head, supporting yourself with your arms and hands.
If you prefer to use less of your hands, try bringing them behind your back interlacing the fingers, resting the hands on your back. Come to rest with your forehead on the mat and push your head and shoulders back up into Table pose.

Upward Bow

bit blurry but I can't find any other photo for this move I think this might be the wrong name for it.

From Table pose, slide your feet and legs back toward the mat bringing your hips down, as you rest your abdomen, ribs, chest, and forehead on the mat. From here, slide your hands to the sides of your hips, palms facing up, resting your shoulders. Then without lifting either hip off the mat, lift your right foot up stretching that leg, while pressing the right hip into the mat.
Slowly lower that leg, resting it as you switch to the opposite leg. Switch between the two legs as you become ready.
Then rest your chin on the mat as you being to press your abdomen in, engaging your lower back muscles. Lift your feet off the mat following with your head, shoulders, knees, and chest. Keeping your hands by your sides, palms facing up for support, slowly come in to an Upward Bow.
For more intensity lift your hands off the mat. Lower them back down to rest at anytime. Other alternatives include bringing your hands out to the center or out in front, still keeping your shoulders down, either looking down or lifting your eyes up.

Any time bring your hands back to your hips as you rest your legs, abdomen, chest and head. Coming up when ready.

Downward Facing Dog

From Table pose spread your fingers and thumbs out, grounding the palms of your hands, while lowering your head down and pushing your hips up toward the ceiling. In this position relax your head and neck, while keeping your knees bent and soft.
Begin alternating from one leg to the other as you press your right heel towards the mat, making your leg long and straight. You will want to start switching legs as you begin to press on heel into the mat.

When ready, bend both knees coming back to Table pose. Then, draw your left knee forward, while sliding your right foot back. Focus primarily your hips while moving them side-to-side.
Remain as your are or depending on how flexible or willing your left leg is, slide your left foot closer to the alignment of your right, using your hands for support and balance.
When ready, press your hips back into Downward Facing Dog, sliding the left leg next to the right one. Once again alternating from one knee and heel to the other, going back and forth. Continue to lower your ribs and head down closer down to the mat. Then switch to the other side.
After completing the second side, move back into Downward Facing Dog, alternating from one heel to the other. Then bring both legs and knees to neutral, bending the knees and coming back down to your hands and your knees, while resting the front of your feet down.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Narrowboat no bills ideas...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/greenproperty/8119920/Green-property-the-houses-that-heat-themselves.html

By Fred Redwood

3:39PM GMT 09 Nov 2010

17 Comments

Life without fuel bills is a fantasy of Reggie Perrin proportions. However, for a growing number of people, being energy self-sufficient has already become a reality.

Take, for example, Melanie Towns, a child psychologist in her late fifties, who bought the beautiful Belsford Mill, outside the village of Harberton, near Totnes, Devon, nine years ago.

“One of the charming things about the mill was the fact that it still worked — it could still produce power,” Melanie says.

“The downside was it could only produce enough for limited heating and cooking. I wanted it to do more — to fuel an underfloor heating system and produce hot water.”

Feeling inspired, she undertook some serious research into her mill, which had been a working corn mill until 1949. Essentially, the system, at the time, had the overshot wheel driving a Fordson Major Tractor gearbox attached to a generator.

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Her first major improvement was to install a water source heat pump, at a cost of £5,000, which increased efficiency. She also added a load controller (£1,000) that allowed her to manage the electricity more accurately. For this comparatively small sum Melanie is not only “bill-free” in terms of energy, she also collects £1,800 a year from the Government’s Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) — a reward for producing sustainable electricity.

“But this was more than a money-saving exercise,” says Melanie, who is selling Belsford Mill for £995,000 (through Jackson-Stops & Staff; 01392 214222) because she needs to downsize now that her children have left home. “I became fascinated by the challenge of managing the water and I also met lots of very nice people through the work going on here. A blacksmith helped me with the wheel, I got to know Gerry Pope, a world expert on hydropower, another chap came to help with the electrics — there is a whole community of mill enthusiasts out there.”

Energy self-sufficiency has the support of the Government — Britain aims to achieve 15.4 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2016 (it currently achieves about six per cent) – and is a mainstream concern for buyers.

“It isn’t just the chunky cardigan folk who are interested,” says William Marsden-Smedley of property search company Prime Purchase. “Apart from the appeal of reducing our carbon footprint it makes financial sense. Heating a country house can be exorbitantly expensive, but having a source of renewable energy makes a house more saleable.”

Less expensive homes, too, are “off the grid”. On the Isle of Arran, Morton Muirhead and his wife, now in their sixties, have lived for the past 10 years on a 51-acre farm, outside the tiny village of Kilmory, which is now for sale at £275,000 (Bell Ingram; 01738 621121). Their three-bedroom, Swiss chalet-style house is two miles from the road and 17 miles from the nearest settlement, Brodick.

Morton describes it as being “as close as you can get to full self-sufficiency”. He farms a herd of rare breed Dexter cattle and has red deer stalking, duck flighting, pheasant, snipe and woodcock shooting as well as trout fishing nearby.

As for his energy source, he relies on a diesel generator, which he runs for about four hours a day to charge a heavy set of lead-acid batteries that provide 240 volts of electricity for the remaining 20 hours.

“What is begging to be done is for someone to supplement the diesel with either solar or wind-turbine power,” says Morton, who needs to move to be closer to health care.

“It would cost between £5,000 and £10,000 to install solar panels, and wind turbines would probably cost about £2,000. I’d have put them in myself had I been staying.”

Washlands Farm in Sible Hedingham, Essex, has a rather more sophisticated system. The owner, James Carter, heats and lights this modern five-bedroom house and its indoor swimming pool from a geothermal system of underground pipes, warmed by the earth.

A spokesperson for ICE Energy says the average cost to install a system of this kind would be about £11,000. The property is now for sale at £2.5 million (Jackson-Stops & Staff; 01245 467468).

Richard Daglish harnesses the power of the wind at Helland Barton Farm, his converted five-bedroom farmhouse with three holiday cottages and 119 acres of land, which he is selling for £1.95 million (Savills; 01872 243200) outside Delabole, North Cornwall. Daglish has erected an 11-kilowatt Gaia turbine – a form of windmill — which stands 60ft high and has a wing span of 43ft.

This system cost Daglish about £50,000 and produces 25,000 units of electricity a year – enough lighting and heating for the cottages and the main house when the wind is blowing at 20 knots. When the wind speed slackens he has to buy in from the grid. When it is strong he sells his surplus.

“The power varies like the ebb and flow of the tide,” Richard says. “Overall, I make about £6,000 a year from selling the electricity, which supplements the £40,000 we make from holiday lettings.”

There is serious money to be made from renewable energy. Estate agents Knight Frank reported last month that thousands of acres of British farmland are being optioned for solar photovoltaic (PV) schemes – converting the sun’s rays into electricity. This could be hugely beneficial to farmers. Knight Frank estimates a six-acre PV scheme could generate £260,000 per year.

But to the private individual the attraction of renewable energy has little to do with money. “One thing that is seldom mentioned is that harnessing your own energy - particularly from a mill – is such fun,” says Melanie Towns at Belsford Mill.

“When I move I want to find a smaller mill that needs fixing and do exactly the same again.”

Micro

Main article: Micro hydro

A micro-hydro facility in Vietnam

Micro hydro is a term used for hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 KW of power. These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks. There are many of these installations around the world, particularly in developing nations as they can provide an economical source of energy without purchase of fuel.^[12] Micro hydro systems complement photovoltaic solar energy systems because in many areas, water flow, and thus available hydro power, is highest in the winter when solar energy is at a minimum.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Reblogged from natural prairie.

Sell my Peugeot 206 ( I need to remove the marks on it, fix the central locking first).
Buy Suzuki Vitara fatboy.

Put deposit down or book flights to Thailand.

Buy a narrowboat that needs a new interior but has a sound engine and the outside is in good condition.

http://www.driftwoodnarrowboats.co.uk/liveaboard3.htm

Do yoga consistently; like 2-3 times a week.

Once my exam is done, go to chillfactor with joe for a snowboard session.

Sort out trips in Thailand.

Once exam is done, go to Muay Thai with joe ( as promised to him).

Start horse riding again, ONCE EXAM IS DONE, damn the exam.

My Findings...

Reblogged from fuck yeah yoga

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is."

Eckhart Tolle

Reblogged from fuck yeah yoga

http://www.yogamatters.com/product/763/magazines.htm