Google Reader and the danger of walled gardens

Sadly, I learned today that Google is pulling the plug on Google Reader, it’s RSS aggregation service. No explanation was given for the move.

Over on the Google Reader forums, I posted this question:

So, with Google’s shutdown of Google Reader, do the “walled gardens” of Facebook and Google Plus win? Is this the end of the easily-searchable, anyone-can-set-up-shop-on-the-Internet days?

Why would Google intentionally make it HARDER for its users to follow their interests online? How could Reader possibly be sapping enough resources to justify its end?

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Reports of Bosch dishwasher fires pour in

I did a search of the CPSC website, SaferProducts.gov, to see if my Bosch dishwasher report had been posted yet. What I found was a shocking number of similar reports, many of them of full-fledged fires that started in Bosch’s defective control board. Many of these reports are for the recalled models, but not all of them! It seems my problem is not unique.

Over just the past 12 months there have been 26 reports filed on Bosch dishwashers.
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Bosch dishwasher update

A Bosch dishwasher control board that caught fire. From CPSC website.

So as I posted earlier I discovered that Bosch had a voluntary recall on its dishwashers to fix the defective control board. I felt so sure this was my issue that I told all my neighbors. The homes in our neighborhood were all built by the same builder so our dishwashers are likely to all be Boschs.

Then I got home, punched in my model’s serial number and was surprised to see it wasn’t included in the recall. How could this be? My dishwasher’s control board clearly malfunctioned, with the heater relay melting itself off the board, yet it wasn’t recalled?
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Solar Roadways

Remember last year when I wondered when someone would start building roads made of solar panels that generated electricity? I found out today that someone actually is doing this. Pretty cool!

Years ago, when the phrase “Global Warming” began gaining popularity, we started batting around the idea of replacing asphalt and concrete surfaces with solar panels that could be driven upon. We thought of the “black box” on airplanes: We didn’t know what material that black box was made of, but it seemed to be able to protect sensitive electronics from the worst of airline crashes.

Suppose we made a section of road out of this material and housed solar cells to collect energy, which could pay for the cost of the panel, thereby creating a road that would pay for itself over time. What if we added LEDs to “paint” the road lines from beneath, lighting up the road for safer night time driving? What if we added a heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to roll in and the Solar Roadway project was born.

via Solar Roadways – Introduction.

Bosch dishwashers recalled for fire hazard

Over the weekend our Bosch dishwasher began to run in an “infinite loop,” with the countdown timer always showing 1 minute left. This went on for hours. We looked up info on the problem, discovered how to fix it, and successfully repaired our dishwasher. However, I learned this morning that our dishwasher was subject to a recall for this very reason.

From the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Hazard: An electrical component in certain model dishwashers can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: BSH Home Appliances has received 51 reports of incidents, including 30 reports of fires resulting in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

A component on the dishwasher’s control board arced and melted, growing hot enough to potentially cause a fire. Because the dishwasher is quiet, we often run it as we are going to bed. I shudder to think what might have happened if it had caught fire while we were asleep, separating us from our children’s bedrooms!

If you have a Bossh dishwasher whose model number appears on the recall list, STOP USING IT IMMEDIATELY and CALL BOSCH! They will come out and correct the fire hazard for free.

We were very lucky ours wasn’t more serious than it was. Take action before it happens to you!

See these links for more details:
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2009/Bosch-and-Siemens-Model-Dishwashers-Recalled-by-BSH-Home-Appliances-Corporation-Due-to-Fire-Hazard/

http://www.bosch-home.com/us/support/safety-notices/dishwasher-recall.html

Fixed dishwasher

Bosch dishwasher control board


This past Sunday we noticed our Bosch dishwasher never shut off. It got stuck at the end of the cycle, with one minute showing on the timer for well over two hours. Kelly did some hunting on the Internet and diagnosed the problem as a faulty control board.

More sleuthing turned up a YouTube Video showing not only how to get to the control board, but how to fix it, too! A faulty relay was the culprit, and if one is handy at soldering it is a quick fix. I could also skip the soldering and replace the control board. When my local parts store didn’t have it in stock, I was faced with a choice: I could either wait for a new control board to be delivered or I could wait for a relay to be delivered.
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Going solar!

We are in the process of getting solar PV panels put on our roof, generating our own electricity from the sun. I believe June is the target date for completion. Local solar firm Southern Energy Management is doing the install, which will set us up with a 4kW grid-tie system. It’s not enough to cover all of our electricity needs but considering the shade still on our afternoon rooftop it’s not too bad. We can always cut down a tree or two in the future should we want to boost this output, but that wouldn’t necessarily be green, would it?
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VPS Farm closing up shop

The hosting provider where I host this blog, VPS Farm, is closing up shop in two weeks. The owner is changing jobs and shutting it down. This means I have to find a new provider, and fast, or my handful of readers will be forever lost.

I have some local providers that I can turn to, so I hope to switch over to a new provider soon. With any luck the transition will be seamless but I’m sure a gremlin or two will pop up. Just bear with me. I promise that there isn’t much that can shut me up!

Still here

I know I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog lately but it’s because I’ve been very busy with stuff. The new job is going well but the schedule I’m on doesn’t leave me with much copious free time (TM). I am having to hustle to make things work and it’s been an adjustment but so far I’m making it work.
Kelly left this morning for her three-day session in Greensboro, so my schedule has taken a hit for that, too.

The other blog blocker is caused by books. Seems whenever I request books from the library they all tend to come in at the same time. I got an inter-library loan in from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library called Escaping the Endless Adolescence, which is living up to its expectations. Soon after, the Charlie LeDuff book Detroit: An American Autopsy, arrived. Because Endless Adolescence wasn’t due back until the end of the month, I read through LeDuff’s book first. Now I’m back into Endless Adolescence again. My reading doesn’t leave much time for other things.

I still have posts to catch up on and hope to get those online as soon as these books have been returned. Life is pretty good, though, all told!

Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us

Out healthcare system is so very, very broken. I hate patronizing businesses who I know are fleecing me blind.

Stephanie was then told by a billing clerk that the estimated cost of Sean’s visit — just to be examined for six days so a treatment plan could be devised — would be $48,900, due in advance. Stephanie got her mother to write her a check. “You do anything you can in a situation like that,” she says. The Recchis flew to Houston, leaving Stephanie’s mother to care for their two teenage children.About a week later, Stephanie had to ask her mother for $35,000 more so Sean could begin the treatment the doctors had decided was urgent. His condition had worsened rapidly since he had arrived in Houston. He was “sweating and shaking with chills and pains,” Stephanie recalls. “He had a large mass in his chest that was … growing. He was panicked.”

via Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us | TIME.com.