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#2726 2023-01-15 07:18:56

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

This post is for PhotonBytes on the chance you check the Housekeeping topic (I admit that is unlikely)...

SpaceNut proposed two possible locations for your new topic about your Space Plane initiative.

The Forum Index does not provide an Index level that is a perfect match ... we do not have the power to add an Index level.

I recommend you place your new topic in Interplanetary Transportation.

Your vehicle would feed passengers to Large Ship, and Large Ship most certainly DOES reside in Interplanetary Transportation, along with Space Tug.

If you ever have time to read Large Ship, (and I admit that is ** highly ** unlikely) you'll find that it expects 1000 passengers and a crew of 60 for a flight to Mars, and some fraction of that complement on return.

There will be plenty of business for a space taxi, in competition with SpaceX capsules and a variety of other space plane designs.

(th)

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#2727 2023-01-15 09:17:01

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

That makes it a human taxi to orbit same a space x cargo and crewed Dragon.
Also. I will go and look in the folders to start getting things that are in the wrong places moved

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#2728 2023-01-15 10:04:27

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut ...

Here is the description of the Human Missions topic ...

Human missions
Cost, logistics, funding, technology and timeframe for manned missions to Mars

Please explain how you think a space plane has anything to do with "manned missions to Mars"

We are asking a new member to place a topic about development of a space plane into an Index level we have available.

Let's do our best to help our new member to make a quality decision.

(th)

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#2729 2023-01-15 12:11:40

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

Remember that everything here is geared towards mars. So having the ISS in Humans is how connected to mars since it's never going to mars. It's the huma action of getting people into space and back. A plane that does not go planet to planet is not interplanetary. The human and in fact all of these are containing content that does not relate in any shape or form to going to mars or being on mars, but it is news that connects to the reality of limitations.

There was an effort back around the crashes of 2005 to 2008 that did add more categories that allowed for subtopics within each category as a result of not knowing where unrelated mars would go.

That is just the limitations that we have currently. And while I might be able to change the descriptions in each I am bound not to do so as to keep what we have as stable as possible after the tremendous cleaning up that has occurred.

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#2730 2023-01-15 14:21:59

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut .... thank you for considering the question of where to put a development project ....

Your suggestion of placing a technology development project in Human Missions to Mars seems to have the cart before the horse.

Please consider placing new systems that are not yet developed into  Science, Technology, and Astronomy

The Space Plane may ** never ** carry a single passenger.  To place an undeveloped vehicle into the Human Index seems to place unneeded expectations on the developer.

What we want to do (I hope) is to create an encouraging environment where our new members can create and develop ideas.

If the plane comes into existence, and if it receives FAA certification to carry passengers, and if it actually DOES carry passengers to orbit, THEN you could create a topic in the Human Index level.

I am recommending  Science, Technology, and Astronomy

Does anyone else have an opinion or suggestion?

(th)

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#2731 2023-01-15 17:27:08

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut ... the forum recently reached (and passed) post #205000

Completed Sequence for ID: 205000


Total Command Lines found: 34
Total input Lines in script: 206

  Number of ID's processed: 1000

Starting Number: 204001

Last Number of Run: 205000

Summary for Web Automation Report for 01-15-2023 at 18:13:39
Average time of Loop from Main form: 00:00:28
2 Skip Exceptions were recorded.

Total time of Processing: 08:12:27

Total time Program was Active: 08:14:30

I'll look at the log and report results later.

Only 2 skips were reported. That is a positive indicator.

Total of Admin posts: 253 (SpaceNut and kbd512)

Potholes:
SK: Skipping to Next Item from Post ID: 204920 Bad request
SK: Skipping to Next Item from Post ID: 204940 Bad request

My guess is that these two posts were deleted by the creator.

(th)

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#2732 2023-01-15 18:43:43

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut .... our newest member offers a way to view his (preliminary) design for a space plane.

The web site is space-plane.org

The demo files currently only run in Windows.

It is necessary to install a (free) viewer program, able to display the contents of ".stl" files...

I assume (but do not KNOW) that "stl" is the same format as is used by Blender to save files for upload to Shapeways (or a 3D printer)

The visualizer software needs to be installed.  Then the 105 Mb data file is downloaded, and it will open from the visualizer software.

At the moment, I am looking at a sleek arrow shaped lifting body.

Before I attempt to manipulate the view, i'm going to report what i see on the screen ...

Length is given as 60 units, width is given as 30 units, and height is given as 7.77+ units.

Units is given as "meter"

OK ... now I'll try to work with the image.

Instructions are:

to Pan, hold left button and drag ...

OK ... the display moves slightly when I attempted pan.

Next: Zoom: Hold Center button and drag ... well, that too had some effect but very little

Next: X or Y rotate ... Hold right button and drag ...Well! Finally I'm getting a bit of an effect ... the model tilts and rotates a bit

I'm guessing the reason for limited performance is the (extremely small) Windows 10 machine I use for web access at this workstation.

The main computer at this location is a dedicated editing machine that was state-of-the-art in 2000.  It has four monitors and still does what it was built to do with perfection.  However, it can't do much with programs after (about) 2015 or so.

The little Windows 10 machine only has 4 Mb and a small video capability.

I have a much larger machine elsewhere in the building, and will attempt to look at this little file there later.

Note: Double click any button to return the image to default.

OK! I just noticed the menu dropdowns on the top of the page, under MicroSTL (r) Viewer

View offers: Front Back Left Right Top Bottom Pictorial views .... I'll try them ...

Front view works

Back view works

Left view works but it shows the right side

Right view works but it shows the left side

Top view works

Bottom view works

Pictorial view would be similar to Blender camera view, and it works.

So far, so good.

I'm going to post this report and continue with another post.

(th)

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#2733 2023-01-15 18:56:44

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

This post continues investigation of an image file created by our newest member, David Ong (PhotoBytes).

The image file (and its viewer) can be downloaded from web site space-plane.org

The viewer is MicroCFD

Info reveals:
STL Viewer 12
Copyright (c) 2012 MicroCFD
MicroCFD is a registered trademark

This software is freely licensed.

I'd note that the software installed cleanly in Windows 10 after Windows fussed about not recognizing the software provider.

The program has Edit options and various options under File.

None of these looked interesting to me so I won't bother reporting them.

The bottom line is that Mr. Ong (PhotoBytes) has certainly created an interesting looking lifting body shape, and it would work ** very ** well in a science fiction movie just as it is.  I presume it could be tested in one of the modern fluid dynamics modeling programs, to see how it would perform in an attempt to return to Earth after reaching orbit.

In another topic (possibly GW Johnson but I'm not sure), Dr. Johnson has restated the conditions that a designer must deal with when returning from orbit, or from a remote location such as the Moon or Mars.

Dr. Johnson might be able to watch a YouTube video of the display I have reported.

I ** do ** know that the publishers of Fusion 360 design software provide a free movie maker that can capture a sequence such as the one I just reported.  There are other movie making packages that might work as well.

We cannot (and should not) expect Dr. Johnson to install the stl viewer on his Windows 10 machine.  It was replaced recently, and he is treating it with kid gloves.   It runs Word, a browser, and Excel just fine, and that's all it needs to do.

I would like for Dr. Johnson to see the model created by PhotonBytes, and will try to think of a way to make that happen.

Perhaps a simple screen shot saved to imgur.com would do the trick.

(th)

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#2734 2023-01-15 20:27:53

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

A bit later ... I am happy to be able to report that the stl file from space-plane.org does indeed come up just fine in Blender 2.79.

This particular system is running Windows 7, so it is limited to Blender 2.79 ... later versions of Blender are available.

The image is able to rotate in all the familiar ways.  I'll be able to make screen shots, and have made a mental note to do that tomorrow.

Also ... I noticed that there are a variety of updates posted at space-plane.org.

It has apparently been incorporated as a non-profit organization in Florida.

Update a bit later ... just for fun, I downloaded the space-plane.org stl file to an ancient 32 bit Linux box running Blender 2.58, and the image came up after a wait.

The number of points in the image is a challenge for a machine this old and this small, but it showed the image faithfully.

A 64 bit machine with lots of RAM and a decent video card is probably advantageous, but this experiment shows the image will render (in Blender) on any machine that can run Blender.

(th)

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#2735 2023-01-16 12:02:14

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

It might be possible to output the images in a gif mode with the ability to rotate them for others to view.

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#2736 2023-01-16 12:16:02

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut re display of images (or video) of the space-plane.org lifting body shape.

I think you will be interested to see what these folks have created.  They appear to be at the early theoretical all mathematics phase of development.

Your suggestion of making a gif is definitely interesting.

David Ong told NewMarsMember that there are members of the space-plane.org team who might be able to provide a YouTube video of some sort.

A gif has the advantage of working right out of imgur.com, which would be nice.

I don't know how to make a gif, although it may be an option in Blender ... I'll look later today.

In the mean time, thanks for the reminder to try to provide at least one image of the shape to get started.

I logged in just now to drop off a bit of correspondence to the Zoom topic.

I'll work on the image next.

(th)

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#2737 2023-01-18 14:54:23

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut ...

Activity at Dr. Dartnell's Knowledge forum has picked up a bit ... a correspondent has a friend/acquaintance who might be interested in the NewMars forum.

I'll send an email invitation in the next day.

(th)

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#2738 2023-01-19 09:33:46

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut //// The forum has many functions..;

Entertainment is an important function, and that will remain at the top of many wish lists of readers/participants

Sharing and helping is another set of functions that seem to be valued by members

Arguing is a popular use of the forum.

In recent times, since your decision to deal with the spammers, the forum has been adding (very slowly) a customer service function. This has happened as a direct result of your crucial decision to take charge of the registration process.

The forum now has an opportunity to provide a co-working space for the associates of the Space-Plane.org organization. 

We offer admission by "Human Resources" and we provide access to knowledgeable members via the forum correspondence.

We also provide a facility for communication of information that needs to be readily available over time.

(th)

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#2739 2023-01-23 20:32:23

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

Google found this report ...

Eversource spokesman William Hinkle said they expect nearly all power to be restored across the state by 6 p.m. Monday. "Road conditions made travel to trouble spots very difficult for our crews, but they continue to make good progress," Hinkle said. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative said crews will be finished by 10 p.m. Monday.

We forum readers will be watching for good news from New Hampshire.

***
In other news, GW Johnson is still waiting to see a specialist.  The fall occurred Saturday so just ER visit. Sunday offices were closed. Monday local doctors did not return call.

(th)

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#2740 2023-01-24 18:12:15

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

SpaceNut may still be without power .... here is a report taken at 19:11 Eastern, Tuesday evening ....

10 WFXT
Nearly 12K without power in Mass., 35K in NH as storm cleanup continues
Frank O'Laughlin,Lindsey Thorpe
Tue, January 24, 2023 at 2:46 PM EST·1 min read
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without power in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are in the dark on Tuesday after a winter storm moved across the region Monday.

In Massachusetts, nearly 10,000 people were without power as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the MEMA outage map. Most of the outages were centered in Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, and Middlesex counties.

The National Weather Service reported downed trees and power lines in many dozens of communities including Westminster, Ashby, Phillipston, Holden, Warwick, West Boylston, Rutland, Paxton, Shirley, Lancaster, Acton, and Townsend.

In New Hampshire, Eversource reported about 33,000 power outages and New Hampshire Electric Co-op reported nearly 2,000 power outages as of 12 p.m. Tuesday.

Unitil was reporting an additional 2,000 power outages in Massachusetts and 700 in New Hampshire.

The storm forced the closure of Wachusett Mountain in Westminster, Massachusetts, late Monday afternoon after the popular ski resort lost power.

“We have lost power and will be closed for the remainder of the evening. Mother Nature, you win this round,” Wachusett Mountain tweeted shortly before 5:30 p.m.

Power on the mountain remained out on Tuesday morning.

Many communities in both the Bay State and Granite State were under a winter storm warning through Monday night. Wind gusts in some spots are expected to top 40 mph.

Dozens upon dozens of schools also announced closures or delays.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

(th)

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#2741 2023-01-24 20:01:33

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

I finally did get mine on again at about 16:00 as it was missed even though we did manage against what was a lonely 6ft pine tree branch that had fallen and hung from the hot line to the ground causing the circuit to open not even 100 ft from my home. As soon as that was removed, and all side roads check the power was put back on quickly. The lines have the fuse link across the ceramic, and you can see this clearly when they are open or missing which is the case at the end which can feed the line.

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#2742 2023-01-24 20:50:57

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut re #2741

Glad to know the utility is back!

We still have a lot of winter ahead. 

***
Other news .... GW finally got an appointment with the specialist .... for ** Friday **

(th)

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#2743 2023-01-24 23:02:15

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

A lot of damage can be done to bone and tissue when going that long between setting them not to mention that it would possibly also mean operations to pin them to help them fuse together properly. Thats not good with the elderly as we do not heal that well anymore for broken bones.
I do wish him good luck.

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#2744 2023-01-25 09:46:00

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut re #2743

Thank you for your observations, and for your support of GW Johnson as he goes through this process.

To add a bit to the information you have (which is (of course) quite limited)...

GW wrote that the Emergency Room physician who looked at the break, took X-Rays, and forwarded information to the specialist, said that this particular break is of such a nature that it must either be left entirely alone, or surgery is required.  Apparently in this case, there is no middle ground.

My GP recommended a class on Falls, and i attended the class last year.  The class had two concerns:

1) Avoid falling (and the course included discussion of how we lose track of our feet as we age)
2) Fall correctly - GW had not taken the course, so he reflexively held out his hand to try to soften the fall.

I am not a physician, so will simply recommend that if anyone who reads this is of an age when falls are a serious threat, please see if there is a class on how to prevent falls, and how to minimize damage if a fall occurs.

GW's experience has given me reason to reflect, and it occurred to me that pilots plan their landings throughout flight, since the engine could quit at any time. Perhaps some do not, but I'm guessing the lesson to always plan for landing is so strong, that most pilots do.

That lesson could apply to folks who are aging.  A trip down stairs that was effortless a few years ago now takes planning, with hand holds at every point.

Even a trip across a room can be a hazard, so planning the trip ahead of time seems (to me at least) like a good idea.

(th)

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#2745 2023-01-25 14:51:42

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

This is for SpaceNut ....

In the past, when I've brought up the potential advantage of heat pumps, my recollection was you were less than enthusiastic.

Terraformer just posted a suggestion that might make a difference for a family with a limited heating budget.

Terraformer's suggestion (if I understand it correctly (no guarantees)) seems to be that a combination of a thermal heat store inside a home and a heat pump, might achieve a lower cost of ownership (ie, electricity) than would be the case for a heat pump alone.

(th)

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#2746 2023-01-25 20:54:17

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

I did look at a heat pump and sizing the other night and I need at a minimum a 2 ton unit to generate 25,000 BTU but what is missing is the energy cost to run it.
How much does a 2 ton heat pump cost for a home size 1,000 sq. ft.? For a two ton heat pump, the average price, plus installation, is $4,352 for a 14 SEER unit and up. Also if the unit runs to much so will the cost to make use of it so a larger unit is the rule of thumb with these. The energy cost to run this will be expensive since Eversource has already raised the prices for a kwhr. Most homeowners pay around 50 cents per hour for heating and 33 cents per hour for AC and quite possibly even higher.

Here is the electrical cost estimator
https://www.pickhvac.com/heat-pump/basics/cost-to-run/

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#2747 2023-01-27 20:40:44

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

In another topic, SpaceNut wrote a post about the dangers of working as a wind generator maintainer ...

The question of dangers associated with maintaining high voltage generators at great elevations is worth study...

Here is a set of snippets Google came up with:

About 999,000 results (0.41 seconds)

Injury Risks Associated with Climbing in the Wind Energy ...https://incident-prevention.com › Articles
Jun 7, 2017 — Strains and sprains, falls, overexertion and even fatalities were reported to be possible direct consequences of climbing and working at heights ...
People also ask
Which is the most serious mechanical hazard of turbine operation?
Is wind turbine technician stressful?
What are the causes of the accidents that happen with wind turbines?
What are some of the environmental hazards that you may encounter as a wind technician?
Feedback

Causes Of Accidents & Injuries Related To Offshore Wind ...https://www.gilmanbedigian.com › offshore-wind-farm...
Offshore wind turbines and associated infrastructure are constantly exposed to marine environments, which can be harsh on any infrastructure, regardless its ...

Wind Turbine Accidents in Houston | The Krist Law Firmhttps://www.houstoninjurylawyer.com › common-cause...
The Houston wind turbine accident lawyers at The Krist Law Firm know how to win wind turbine injury cases. FREE consult: 281-853-9500.

Wind Turbine Generator Maintenance: What to Expect and Whyhttps://www.powermag.com › wind-turbine-generator-...
Dec 1, 2014 — Most generators do have thermal monitoring on the bearings, but a lot of damage can be done before enough heat is created to trip the sensors.

Maintenance and Repair of Wind Turbines - Renolithttps://www.renolit.com › wind-energy › renolit-cp › w...
More serious damage, above all to the rotor blades, is rectified during repairs. Depending on the extent and complexity of the damage, this can take up to a few ...

Winding down maintenance costs in wind turbine generator ...https://www.windpowerengineering.com › winding-do...
Aug 24, 2020 — However, it is when these brushes lose contact with the slip ring that causes electrical discharges which then damage the rings. Known as ' ...

GREEN JOB HAZARDS: WIND ENERGY, WIND FARMS ...https://sites.google.com › site › metroforensics3 › green-j...
Maintenance work involving wind turbines is generally considered to fall under OSHA's general industry standards. Such workers when exposed to fall hazards of 4 ...

Top 3 Types of Wind Turbine Failure - Firetracehttps://www.firetrace.com › fire-protection-blog › wind...
May 11, 2020 — Contributing factors for blade failure include lighting strikes, material or power regulator failure, damage from foreign objects, and poor ...

The Hazards of Working on Wind Turbineshttps://www.altoonainjurylaw.com › blog › the-hazards...
Dec 10, 2021 — Now, Pennsylvania has many such facilities. If you were one of the workers who have to do electrical repairs or maintenance at dangerous heights ...

Wind Turbine Maintenance | SafetyCulturehttps://safetyculture.com › Topics
Nov 30, 2022 — Another factor that can damage wind turbine blades is lightning. Lightning can cause a blade to break or catch fire. In addition to the blades, ...
Related searches

(th)

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#2748 2023-01-27 20:47:29

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

As a follow up, I asked Google what kinds of folks work as wind generator service personnel ...

https://www.zippia.com/wind-turbine-tec … ographics/

Research Summary. Using a database of 30 million profiles, Zippia estimates demographics and statistics for wind turbine technicians in the United States. Our estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

There are over 5,682 wind turbine technicians currently employed in the United States.
2.7% of all wind turbine technicians are women, while 97.3% are men.
The average age of an employed wind turbine technician is 43 years old.
The most common ethnicity of wind turbine technicians is White (65.9%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (20.4%), Black or African American (8.1%) and Asian (3.2%).
In 2021, women earned 89% of what men earned.
4% of all wind turbine technicians are LGBT.
Wind turbine technicians are 58% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.

(th)

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#2749 2023-02-02 18:54:36

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,889

Re: Housekeeping

For SpaceNut ...

New Hampshire made the national cable news this evening.  Govenor Sununu was shown at a press conference about power outages.  I just checked, and apparently there are only 72 homes still without power as of a few minutes ago.

Hoping you and your family were lucky enough to have power despite the weather.

(th)

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#2750 2023-02-02 22:32:37

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 29,422

Re: Housekeeping

Considering how long ago that seems we are heading now to a chilling day or two as the temperatures are going to be minus 30 to 50 across most of the state and staying about the same throughout Saturday as well before finally getting back to more normal temperatures on Sunday. This morning it was 20 F as indicated by the Subaru dash temperature and as I travelled to work the temp at the base of the hill side was 15 F and by the time, I got to work it was 25 F some 30 miles from home on the coast.

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