Perpendicularity.org — Blog

Compact Fluorescent Light and the advanced clusters of Light Emitting Diode Bulbs:

Energy-efficient lighting is more important now, than it has ever been before.  Many people are struggling to pay their expensive electric bills, and the planet could use any break it can get, when it comes to cutting down on pollution and CO2 emissions.

With that being said, incandescent bulbs are slowly becoming a thing of the past, as they are gradually being phased out throughout the globe.  Incandescent bulbs would have had a better chance of sticking around, if the only other energy-efficient alternatives would have been compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.  Now that LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology is on the rise and these cluster bulbs are starting to become more available, there really is not many excuses left.

Of course, many of you are familiar with the old-style fluorescent lights, which are long tubes that are commonly used to light up warehouses, stores, shops, aquariums, tanning beds, etc.  The compact versions, CFLs, have been around now for several years, and it surprises me still today, just how many people haven’t even switched over to ‘em yet!  However, there are some traits that CFL bulbs have, that some folks just plain detest, such as: 

CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, but if you handle them carefully and keep them out of harms way, it will cut down on the risk of them breaking. Some people complain that CFLs don’t last as long as they claim to, and that they are expensive when you keep having to replace them and am I really saving very much money?  Well, here’s the thing, if you constantly flick them on and off, it will greatly shorten their life.  But, even if you cut their life in half, it will still save you money because they are very efficient.  Plus, the price on those have come down over the years, when compared to their original, inflated price. 

Another complaint is that CFLs make for a poor outdoor light when it is cold outside.  Yeah, they do, as the gas doesn’t heat up enough to produce a full light in really cold temperatures.  Another common complaint is that CFL bulbs don’t work in their dimmer switches.  Dimmable CFLs are available for lights using a dimmer switch, but not all compact fluorescent lights can be used on dimmer switches.

Personally, I’ve used compact fluorescent bulbs for several years and I haven’t had any problems with ‘em, outside of the occasional bulb that shoots prematurely.
I just use the basic spiral bulbs, although I have used the fluorescent globe-style bulbs for a vanity mirror in a bathroom (click here for Infinity Mirrors) before, and standard enclosed bulbs for lamps (click here for Himalayan Salt Lamps) or wherever I needed a softer light, and when I lived at another place, we had a chandelier that I used fluorescent chandelier bulbs and/or Candelabra (bulb with a small base and a torpedo shape) CFL bulbs.

I also like the natural daylight effect fluorescent bulbs have.  They make for excellent grow lights for plants and aquariums – especially the traditional tube-style bulbs.  I understand that LED lights are on the rise, but for now, although LED is even more energy-efficient than fluorescent lights, I’m sticking with my CFL bulbs, for now.

———>‘Click Here’ to browse through a fine selection of CFL Bulbs and Related Products<———

Now, what’s so special about LED lights?  Well, although the bulbs are rather expensive, they produce very little heat and use only a small amount of electricity and they last for a very, very long time.  LED technology has been around for quite some time, but in the past, they were limited to single-bulb use in applications such as electronics, instrument panels, pen lights, etc. Over the last few years, I’ve being seeing strings of indoor and outdoor LED Christmas lights being sold in some stores along with LED night lights and flashlights.  Now, you can find clusters of LED lights within a bulb, although still not easily found like CFLs, you can buy LED light bulbs to replace your standard incandescent or CFL light bulbs that you use throughout your home.
At the time I’m writing this, the Walmart that is closest to me, only sells LED night lights, flashlights, and those strings of LED light that I mentioned a moment ago.  As the incandescent bulbs are getting phased out, the bigger LED lights (small LED clusters within a bulb) should start to become more readily available.  You can always shop online, if this is the type of lighting you desire.  I’ll give an example of how energy-efficient they are:

A 75 to 100 watt incandescent bulb puts out about as much light as a 23 to 30 watt CFL, and a 16 to 20 watt LED light bulb.

I just checked Amazon, and they seem to only have a limited amount of LED products at this time, but you can always browse around or check back later, as they are always adding to their inventory:

——————>‘Click Here’ to Shop Amazon for LED Related Products<——————

I just found a website that has some bigger LED bulbs available.  Here’s a quick excerpt from their site:  “The high cost of producing LEDs has been a roadblock to widespread use.  However, researchers at Purdue University have developed a process for using inexpensive silicon wafers to replace the expensive sapphire-based technology.  This promises to bring LEDs into competitive pricing with CFLs and incandescents.  LEDs may soon become the standard for most lighting needs. We are following these developments with interest and will report the latest updates in this research.”  Read more, here:  http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm

Random Blog Links from the Promotional category:  “Buy Stainless Steel Skillets, Frying Pans & Cookware Online,” and “Buy Fire Extinguishers & Smoke Detectors Online.”  

—End of Post “CFL & LED Light Bulbs – Energy-Efficient Lighting”

Most of us are accustomed to the big, common stove that provides us with a large oven for baking and broiling, and a big stove-top with four electric eyes for our boiling, frying, and simmering needs.  However, those hefty stoves generally cost a lot of money, unless you can find a good used one for sale, and many of us poor folks can only hope that they last for years and years, so we won’t have to worry about coming up with all that cash to replace one.

Well, on another note:  If you’ve finally left home and just starting out, chances are that you either ended up in a furnished apartment or decided to rent a place that already came with a stove, refrigerator, and so on.  BUT, what about when you decide to go buy a place of your own or perhaps move into another home that doesn’t come equipped with all of those convenient appliances and you are short on money?    Yeah, it sucks doesn’t it?

Anyway, that’s the main reason for this blog post, to possibly help provide a temporary, monetary solution for your cooking dilemma…  Have you ever heard of a convection oven and a portable double burner?  Well, if you currently don’t have the money to spend on a bulky stove, you may have to settle for a compact, portable double burner and a convenient convection oven, until you save up enough cash.  I must say, you may find yourself becoming fond of these little cooking devices and just say “to hell with the big stove,” as they don’t take up very much room nor do they waste much electricity.  The convection oven, for example, won’t have to heat up a large area to cook your food, so this means less electricity and less unwanted heat (during the warm-weather months) into your home.  The portable, electric double burner works like 2 typical stove-top eyes, so there is no need to explain the mechanics behind this device, other than saying it is a cheap alternative.

Hey, not everyone has everything handed down to them and/or gets stuff for free, so we gotta to do what we have to do.  If you’re interested in these two items, you don’t have to worry about browsing through random offline stores, housewares, and whatnot.  Amazon has just about everything; plus, shopping online is just so much more relaxing and simple.  Personally, I hate waiting in long lines and being in crowded areas, so as you can tell, I have did a fair amount of shopping online, among other things. Ha!

Anyway, if you’re interested in browsing through a fine selection of Convection Ovens online, click the image below:

If you’re interested in browsing through a high-quality selection of Portable Double Burners, click the image below:

Another Housewares / Kitchen Related Post:  “Buy Stainless Steel Skillets, Frying Pans & Cookware Online…”

Random Recipe Post:  “How to make your own Mexican Pizzas”

—End of Post “Don’t have money for a stove?  Buy a Convection Oven & Portable Double Burner”

I don’t know about most of you, but I enjoy cooking and preparing big meals with lots of side items, etc.  I must say, unfortunately, this “enjoys cooking” thing is an odd trait for the typical caveman, such as myself.  However, I can’t say that I enjoy cleaning up the mess that I often make in the kitchen, but that’s besides the point…  Ha-ha!

Anyway, this promotional post is for the ones who are interested and would possibly like to buy stainless steel cookware, skillets, frying pans, etc., online.  Over the years, I have seen many good skillets and frying pans come and go.  I even tried that whole “iron skillet” thing like my granny does, and I even managed to screw that up.  Iron skillets are great, don’t get me wrong, but when you use a lot of acidic marinades for your meat, it doesn’t always go well with a seasoned iron pan, to say the least.  Plus, if you don’t dry them after you wash them out, iron is bad about rusting.  Basically, iron skillets are not for everyone…

Anyway, a while back, I got fed up with these cheap skillets from Walmart, and decided to finally spend the extra money and get me something that I know will last a lifetime (unless I figure out a way to destroy this one), and that is a big, solid, durable, stainless steel frying pan!  You can find them in most stores that sell housewares and kitchen products, including Walmart, but it’s so much easier to browse through a large selection by simply shopping online.

At any rate, I’m sick of using those shoddy aluminum-coated skillets that often flake off aluminum into your food, over time.   What did it in for me, when it comes to aluminum-coated frying pans, was the last time I fried salmon patties on one and ended up with specks and bits of aluminum-coated chips on the salmon!  After cleaning the pan, I notice there was chunks of aluminum gone!  But, in that case, I got what I paid for.  I desperately needed a larger pan, and my girlfriend went out and bought the cheapest one she could find.  After a few uses, it started chipping off badly.

I think most of us that cook regularly, have all seen the non-stick Teflon cookware go to hell, as it often scratches and loses bits of Teflon over time, that we can hope we didn’t have to ingest during the pan-degrading process.  Plus, those aluminum and Teflon-coated skillets can’t withstand the heat like the iron or stainless steel frying pans can.  

I don’t know if it is true or not, but I was once told that Teflon releases a poisonous vapor when overheated.  I hope not!  I remember one time, I was preheating a Teflon skillet and went outside just to throw out my trash.  Well, about that time, a neighbor started talking to me about something.  The next thing I know, after I totally forgot about the skillet I had on the oven under high heat, the smoke detectors are going off and there is a cloud of smoke everywhere.  Yes folks, I melted that sucker.  The Teflon skillet was now white and warped, and that chemical vapor was all in the house.  I had to air out my house by opening both doors and cut all the ceiling fans on for a couple hours.  I didn’t get sick, but I was also drinking beer and taking milk thistle, at the time, so maybe I flushed the toxins out, not sure.

Anyway, I’m getting off subject here.  After buying one of these stainless steel skillets, I have never been more satisfied with a piece of cookware in my life.  I don’t have to worry about overheating it, foods seem to naturally not stick to it, and it cleans very well.  No matter how dirty it looks, it wipes clean in no time at all, and best of all, I should never have to buy or replace it again!  Over time, I plan on replacing all of my pots and pans with stainless steel…

If you’re interested in buying stainless steel frying pans, skillets, and cookware, click the image below or follow the link under it.  Trust me, it is worth the money!

———> ‘Click Here’ to buy Stainless Steel Skillets, Frying Pans & Cookware Online <———

—End of Post

In the past, I’ve always thought: “Hey, our smoke detectors work and we have a few of them spread out within the house, so that should have this fire thing covered.”

Well, not exactly.  For one, in the event of a fire,  depending on the severity of the smoke & fire along with your waking condition, even a smoke detector may not be enough to save you or your family if everyone is sleeping, but it is still a great precaution to take.  But that is not really what this post is about.   It is mostly about how important it is to have a fire extinguisher (or several of them) in your home.

I never really gave the small fires much thought.  In fact, I’ve never really had much dealings with indoor fires, period.  I enjoy starting my own, but nobody wants an unintentional campfire inside their home!  Ha-ha!  Anyway, I’ve had a couple encounters lately. 

This last one involved a certain individual in my home, that dumped an ash tray in our bathroom garbage can – even though there was still a cigarette in there that hadn’t been fully put out yet!   We usually keep our bathroom door partially closed, since me & my girlfriend smoke in there due to it having an exhaust fan built into the ceiling.  Well, anyway, a few minutes later, I got to smelling something.  I opened the door to find a blazing trash can and a cloud of smoke.  When I first seen this disaster, I jumped back and shut the door and yelled, “oh, shit!”  Let me just go ahead and say, that method doesn’t  put the fire out, so I had to do something.  So I take a deep breath of air, run in the smoke-filled bathroom and grab the flaming trash can while running to the sink like a madman trying to escape hell.  I cut the water on, grabbed the kitchen sink sprayer and hosed it down.

Damn!  If I had fire extinguishers spread out throughout the house, I wouldn’t of had to run with a blazing trash can and risk catching other things on fire.  What if I had dropped it onto the carpet, for example.  Oh, to make matters worse, that mini-trash bucket was also made of wood.  So you can imagine what would have happened if I didn’t get to it in time.  Luckily, only a toilet paper roll and a few of the contents inside the bucket caught on fire, but it sure produced a lot of smoke.

There are several other risk factors in the home, that would make one need or want to have fire extinguishers.   I’ve heard of people’s dryers catching on fire, careless cooking on the stove that leads to a big blaze, electrical fires due to bad wiring, lit candles, space heaters setting stuff on fire, and much more……

The link I’m about to provide below, will provide a variety of fire extinguishers.   You can buy the multi-purpose, basic, heavy duty, or even small extinguishers for your car.  Yes, I’ve even seen a car nearly catch on fire due to some idiot not knowing how to install a stereo system.  Once the electrical wires catch on fire, it acts as a fuse; not good.  Anyway, the shopping link is below……

—————————————>Click Here for a fine selection of Fire Extinguishers<—————————————

Now, if you’re looking to buy Smoke Detectors (a.k.a. Smoke Alarms) online, you may want to also look for the 2-in-1,  Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors.  They are a little more expensive, but these small things can help save people’s lives.

 *Also, if you purchase the battery operated smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, I’d recommend using the Lithium batteries for a longer battery life and a more dependable function.   However, regular batteries usually do fine, but if you choose to not purchase Lithium batteries, I’d make sure to test your Smoke Detectors more often to make sure they are still working.  They come with a simple test button, so it’s no big deal, just a quick push-button test.

 ———————————————>Click Here to search for Smoke Detectors Online<———————————————

—End of Post

…Find Gag Gifts for Christmas or whenever!

At the time I’m writing this, it is a little early for Christmas shopping, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with planning ahead. Personally, I dread having to buy gifts during the holidays, Christmas, birthdays or whenever. Nearly everything is so damn commercial these days that, in my opinion, it has ruined many of the Holidays to a certain degree. It is suppose to be (or should be) about cherishing your family & friends, having get-togethers, and so on. In fact, partly due to the “bull-shit factor,” the last several years I have felt more like having a “Christmas Rebellion” of some sorts; and me and my family members have recently agreed that we will only buy gifts for each other’s birthday – and that’s it. Well, that’s enough about my story…

Anyway, I remember trying to shop for those “hard-to-shop-for” individuals that either already had everything they needed or was literally, just flat out hard to shop for! However, if you’re looking for a unique, affordable gift idea, I do think that the ‘Himalayan Salt Products’ that I spoke about on a recent post, would make for an excellent gift for almost anybody.

Okay, now what about these freaky, weird gag gifts? Ha-ha! Well, lets just say that you’ll have plenty selections to browse through, after I provide the ‘quick-shop’ link below. Some of them are hilarious, while others may leave you saying, “what in the hell is that?”

Some examples are: Fake Parking Tickets, Shit List Pads, ‘Over the Hill’ Condoms, Exploding Toilet Seat, Rubber Mouse (lifelike), Fake Turd Gag Gift, Bull-shit Button, Remote Control Fart Machine, and so many more, uh, uh, unusual gifts!   Yes folks, take care of those hard-to-shop-for people, once and for all…  Ha-ha!

————————————————>‘Click Here’ for a fine selection of ‘Gag Gifts’<————————————————

…Or perhaps you’re looking for the easy way out?  Send ‘em a Gift Card:

—The Current Top Seller, Item, or Gift (without the gag) from Amazon (whether they are hard to shop for or not) via this Blog, comes from the people-friendly post:  “Looking for Infinity Mirrors?“  Cheers!

When it comes to strength training, most people think upper body. Well, having a crushing grip along with forearms of steel, is often overlooked by the fitness trainee albeit they are just as important, if not more. Luckily for me, I’ve always had strong hands and forearms since I was a teenager. Hey, people can’t blame it all on the excess jerking and pulling I did in the past that helped produce the colossal cock I have today. Ha-ha! Okay, this post isn’t about methods of penis enlargement, it is about how to build forearm & hand strength by using the “Captains of Crush” hand grips.
These mighty grippers are not your typical hand grips and they usually can’t be found at common retail stores, like, in the sporting goods section of Wal-Mart, for example. Captains of Crush (CoC) is the best built gripper I’ve ever seen; and it currently has 10 levels of strength, as shown below:

1) No.1401 CoC Guide c. 60 lb.
For beginners, seniors, rehabilitation, and easy warm-ups.

2) No.1402 CoC Sport c. 80 lb.
For teenage athletes and strong guys who like light warm-ups.

3) No.1250 CoC Trainer c. 100 lb.
For anyone who is ready for serious grip training…

4) No.1251 CoC No. 1 c. 140 lb.
They say, most people who lift weights can’t close this gripper. I’ve tested this one in public and, believe it or not, most people couldn’t completely close this particular hand grip!

5) No.1251.5 CoC No. 1.5 c. 167.5 lb.
This is great if you’re in between levels 1 & 2.

6) No.1252 CoC No. 2 c. 195 lb.
As their website says, “success here means you’ve got a grip to brag about. If someone’s life or your sport depends on your grip strength, conquer this gripper.” Well, I was barely able to close this gripper without any prior forearm & hand strength training.

7) No.1252.5 CoC No. 2.5 c. 237.5 lb.
You’re on your way to the famous No. 3.

8] No.1253 CoC No. 3 c. 280 lb.
Certifying on the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper is the most widely-known and highly-respected feat of grip strength in the world!

9) No.1253.5 CoC No. 3.5 c. 322.5 lb.
Wow!  You’re almost there!

10) No.1272 CoC No. 4 c. 365 lb.
Certify the No. 4 and you have proven yourself on the final exam for crushing grip. Very few people in the world have ever done so, but if you can close Captains of Crush hand grip #4, you are one bad-ass mutha fuc*ker!

Buyer’s advice: Most people should probably start out on the CoC Sport or the CoC Trainer gripper, and buy the tougher grippers as you need ‘em.  Personally, I just bought the Trainer and the #1, #2, #3, and the #4.  Lets just say, I stopped progress after being able to close the #2 gripper and the Mighty hand grip #4 will never need to be took out of the package!

Shopping Link:  Captains of Crush Hand Grippers – 10 Strength Levels