January 2012 – Jason Carter

January 24, 2012

The Green Button – Monitoring Your Energy Usage

I am betting we’ll hear more over the years about new hardware and software that will help us monitor and control our home energy usage. One that I’ve been really excited about is Nest, a completely reinvented home thermostat that learns from your behavior to save heating and cooling costs. And I read today about how (some) consumers now have access to detailed energy usage records and apps that provide reporting on that detailed data. Sadly, I can tell you today, after a bit of experimenting, that the process of finding and using that information is not yet ready for the masses.

What I read was a news article about the US government (particularly the CTO, Aneesh Chopra) pushing public utilities to provide consumers with more information about home energy usage. I was excited to hear that SDG&E was one of the first to offer detailed extracts through the Green Button. So I decided to go online to see what could be done with the data.

The article mentioned an app published by Tendril called Energize, so I went to the Android market and downloaded it. After installing it, the home screen asked for my Energize URL, my username, and my password. No instructions about where to find the URL or how to set up an account. So right away I was lost.

I decided to go to the SDG&E website for more info. I signed into my account, but nothing was jumping out at me for where I could download data or link to a feed. I finally stumbled over to “My Energy”, where, huzzah!, the Green Button was finally visible. I was able to download an XML feed without too much difficulty, but still didn’t understand how I was supposed to get the Tendril app to interface with this data.

The next stop was the Tendril website. There is a section for Consumers with some text about the Energize application suite, but when I clicked through, I was taken to a profile page of one of their designers. Flying in the dark now, I backed up and clicked on the Developers link. It finally looked like I was in the right place because I saw a link to Green Button Connect, where I can sign up, upload, download, and learn more about apps.

So, I signed up and tried to upload the XML data I downloaded earlier. Except it failed to upload, multiple times. And I gave up on the process here, finally realizing they mean it when they say “Beta” in the logo.

After reading this narrative, are you lost yet? Can you imagine how anyone is supposed to get motivated to monitor their energy usage after hitting so many brick walls?

Thinking about this data more tonight, I wonder how helpful it really is. The utility company is only giving you a historical view, so they can’t tell you anything about how you’re currently using energy. And the smart meters aren’t quite smart enough to tell you energy usage about specific components in your house. SDG&E does give you usage details for the prior day and breakdowns by hour, which is a huge step up from the month-over-month views you get on paper bills. But I found myself wanting more; it’s very interesting to know my usage was higher for one month, but why was it higher and what should I do differently?

If you really want to learn more about your energy usage and make some changes, start with a Kill A Watt. You may need to wait a bit longer for the Green Button and apps to get a bit smarter.

January 12, 2012

Meal Planning with The Fresh 20

Stephanie and I have 3.5 year old twin girls, and my frequent joke is that we have no business having kids because we can barely feed or clothe ourselves some days. We both enjoy cooking, but far too often the last four years we’ve stared at each other at 5pm and asked “What do you want to eat?” And far too often, that has resulted in us getting unhealthy take-out, spending too much at a restaurant, or eating separately from the girls. Constantly having to think about dinner menus and grocery shopping was adding a lot of stress to our lives.

For the past six months, we’ve subscribed to The Fresh 20 and have loved it. For about $5 a month, you get access to a weekly menu with five balanced dinners, a shopping list with no more than 20 ingredients, and a checklist for things you should have stocked in your pantry. They offer Classic, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free menus.

There are several things I love about this service. First, we no longer have to think about what to make each night, when to go grocery shopping, and how much food to get. Having a menu and grocery list takes away all the thought (and stress) about what to do for dinner. Second, we found ourselves shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store and very rarely venturing into the aisles; we buy a lot more milk, cheese, meat, seafood, and fresh fruits and vegetables, and a lot less boxed, frozen, canned, and processed foods. We also waste a lot less food because all the things you buy are accounted for in the recipes you make that week. Finally, it has promoted family meal time each night, which is currently very frustrating with our two wild animals, but will hopefully pay dividends in the future.

There are a few recipes we would have never tried on our own, but we’ve learned to trust the system and find ourselves enjoying new things. We are starting to see a few recipe repeats after six months and some recipes we’ll skip because it’s not worth the headache (like homemade chicken nuggets). But all in all, we’ve been really pleased with The Fresh 20, and are going to stick with it.

January 9, 2012

2011 Books

In terms of volume, 2011 was an average year, with 23 books read. It was also average in terms of quality – no good or bad stand-outs.

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court – January, 2011 – An interesting behind the scenes look at the Supreme Court. I was surprised to see how Thomas in particular is portrayed as very ineffectual because of his strict interpretation and application of the Constitution toward all rulings. And a few justices’ ended up having very different political stances from the presidents that appointed them, much to their surprise.
The Life and Times of Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir – January, 2011 – An enjoyable memoir, but not as funny as earlier Bryson works. Kindle book.
Consent to Kill – February, 2011 – One of the Mitch Rapp / SEALs series and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Probably because I could imagine how much my SEAL friend would hate every page.
The Hunger Games – February, 2011 – One of the hot new young adult series. Interesting premise, might have enjoyed it more if it were a little darker.
The Man Who Would Be King – February, 2011 – I liked the movie better. Kindle book.
The Girl Who Played With Fire – March, 2011 – Second of the Lisbeth Salander / Blomkvist series. I thought this was much better than the first. Kindle book.
The Book of Love – March, 2011 – Good refresher, encouraging to see that many of these recommendations are part of our daily life. The pictures were an enjoyable diversion too!
The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-1945 – March, 2011 – I just didn’t find this to be that compelling of a story, despite my love of all things WWII.
How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale – April, 2011 – The Jenna Jameson story. This was not as scandalous as I thought it would be.
Braniac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs – April, 2011 – Very enjoyable read from Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings. I’m looking forward to picking up Maphead next. Kindle book.
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 – May, 2011 – Amazing story. This was incredibly well researched and one of the densest books I’ve read. There are so many parts where you want to scream into the past or bang your head against the desk.
Just Tell Me What to Say: Sensible Tips and Scripts for Perplexed Parents – June, 2011 – Great reference guide for raising good kids. We have it dog-eared in our bedside table.
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heros of SEAL Team 10 – June, 2011 – Incredible survival story, but raises a lot of questions in my mind. This will need a discussion with my SEAL buddy. Kindle book.
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School – July, 2011 – Insightful, but I can’t remember most of it. I think one of the principles was to repeat / relearn something at specific intervals, but now I can’t remember. Kindle book.
Will Rogers: A Biography – August, 2011 – One of the very few books I’ve re-read. Love this man, he inspires me to be productive, kind, and love those around you.
Darkness at Noon – September, 2011 – This was a book I picked up at the library, trying to get back into the Modern Library 100 best novels.
Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World – September, 2011 – Tells the history of diving through several specific stories of innovators, etc. Probably would have been fine serialized in Outside or some other outdoor magazine.
The Mountain Between Us – September, 2011 – A recommendation from a friend. I liked it a lot, much better than some of the other books that get hyped so much (I’m looking at you, Hunger Games)
The Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World – October, 2011 – This was a tough read because of some of the macroeconomic concepts involved, but ultimately very educational. I just hope this isn’t a blueprint for our current global debt crisis.
The Road – October, 2011 – This got so much hype from friends and media, but I didn’t care for it. I’m going to call this one “worst of the year” only because I was expecting so much more.
Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth – November, 2011 – Very interesting story. It is hard to grasp the dangers and difficulties these cavers undergo during their exploration.
Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missle Crisis – November, 2011 – A good authoritative account, but you could watch the movie if you’re looking for an abridged version.
The God Delusion – December, 2011 – Very thought-provoking. I catch myself thinking about this book several weeks after reading it. It’s a tough call, but I’m calling this one “best of the year” because it has stuck with me for a while now.

January 5, 2012

San Dieguito Half Marathon Elevation Profile

If you are running the 2012 San Dieguito Half Marathon on February 12th, you may be interested in the elevation profile below (click for a larger view):

We’d heard rumors of this being a tough course, so we drove it to see how bad it really was. There are rolling hills throughout, but the really brutal climb is at mile 6. The rise from mile 2 to 3 is also intimidating, but it is early enough in the race. Of course, it could wipe you out early if you go out too strong. The hill just before mile 10 will also be tough. The final climb from mile 12.5 to the finish looks bad, but isn’t in comparison to other hills on the course. I’m sure after 12 miles it will feel like the largest hill of all!

The roads are in fair to poor condition (potholes), which is surprising considering this is one of the richest neighborhoods in the US.

See you at the race!

January 2, 2012

2010 Books

For no other reason than for the sake of completeness, here are the books I read in 2010. I will be better about writing here this year, I promise.

World Without End – January, 2010 – Another great epic from Follett, a worthy sequel to The Pillars of the Earth.
Great Plains – January, 2010 – This sat on my shelf for a long time because I never really wanted to read it. Turned out to be an enjoyable travelogue.
A Man on the Moon – January, 2010 – Quite possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m completely fascinated by the Apollo program.
Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe – February, 2010 – Interesting, learned quite a bit more about Magellan.
Nineteen Eighty-Four – February, 2010 – One of my goals for the year was to read more of the Modern Library 100 best novels, and this is one of them. Enjoyed this, good to read for basic cultural literacy.
Pacific Vortex! – February, 2010 – I wanted to see what Cussler was all about. This was terrible, don’t know if I can read another by him.
The Grapes of Wrath – March, 2010 – Another Modern Library selection. I loved this, much more than I thought I would. I was amazed at how much Steinbeck could do with such simple language.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – March, 2010 – This was a unique concept, written from the viewpoint of an autistic child.
Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big – March, 2010 – Forgettable
Haroun and the Sea of Stories – March, 2010 – I can see why people really like this book, but it is not my type of fiction.
Eye of the Needle – April, 2010 – Experimenting with other Follett genres. We liked Pillars of the Earth genre better.
How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations from the World’s Greatest Chefs – April, 2010 – Chef / cooking memoirs are a guilty pleasure of mine. This book was good exposure to a lot of different chefs and inspired me to pick up the Bourdain book.
Invisible Man – May, 2010 – I could not get into this one. I really didn’t feel smart enough for this.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly – May, 2010 – Loved this book and Bourdain’s style. Will seek out more by him.
The Heart of the Matter – June, 2010 – Another Modern Library choice. Greene really knows how to pour on the tragedy.
Brideshead Revisited – June, 2010 – Another Modern Library choice and very enjoyable.
Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood – June, 2010 – Read this in about two hours. Hilarious stuff, really hits close to home.
The First Three Minutes – June, 2010 – Good look into the beginning of the universe, but very technical stuff, found myself getting lost quite a bit.
The Shack – July, 2010 – This was complete and total garbage. Looking back, I can’t believe I finished this book.
All the King’s Men – August, 2010 – I loved some of the language in this, but struggled through parts of it. On the Modern Library list.
Heart of Darkness – September, 2010 – My first Kindle book (free). A harder read than I expected. I was constantly rereading pages. This may have been a factor of adapting to Kindle reading.
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine – September, 2010 – Kindle book. Amazingly well written and researched history of the start of the financial meltdown.
The Call of the Wild – September, 2010 – Modern library and Kindle book. I may have enjoyed this more as a young boy.
Treasure Island – September, 2010 – Free Kindle book. Loved all the pirate lingo.
Crime and Punishment – October, 2010. Another free Kindle book. This was incredibly hard to read and doubt I understood it all.
Will Rogers: Reflections and Observations – November, 2010 – A collection of writings by my hero. I was surprised at how well his humor has aged over the last 80+ years.
The Diamond Age – December, 2010 – The last of Stephenson’s earlier works on my “to read” list. He remains one of my favorite authors.
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA’s War Against Terrorism – December, 2010 – Very interesting insider view of the CIA.
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory – December, 2010 – A very entertaining story, but still find it hard to gauge how much impact the plan had on the outcome of WWII.