Omnium-gatherum
Matt Hanson’s Brain Archive
December 11, 2009
Defunct
I’ve effectively retired this site, for now. I’ve not updated in quite some time, although I do have a huge backlog of photos. I occasionally post some pictures on my facebook page and am unsure if I will ever resurrect this website or even end up keeping the domain name. I’ve switched my primary email to my gmail account.
August 20, 2008
A friend of mine convinced me to sign up for a Facebook account. I was rather amazed at the amount of old friends that were on it. I then found a cool plugin for Wordpress - WPBook, that displays the RSS feed from my Omnium-gatherum Wordpress site.
Now I just have to spend some time updating my site…
October 31, 2007
It’s a Happy Halloween - Omnium-gatherum has been risen from the dead!
I am happy to announce that Omnium-gatherum has been mostly restored to it’s former glory. It’s been several months since I broke it and more then a year since any significant updates.
The image galleries should all be working and now I can begin the process of adding new galleries. But first there are some pumpkins to take care of ….
In Dover, Trick or treating is always the night before Halloween, so was last night. The girls of the house dressed as cats, and I dressed up as a cool cat. The bell bottoms didn’t make it into the picture and we would have needed a wider angle lens to capture the massive extent of the shirt collar. Still, here’s a pic of me groovin’ out.
September 12, 2007
Under Construction
It has been months (since sometime in May) since my website went down due to a poorly planned upgrade of the Wordpress software. It has been even longer since I’ve done any significant updates (i’ve got thousands of backlogged pictures). Summer hit, things got real busy and the website fell to the wayside. It will likely be some time longer before I get to updating this thing. In the meantime, at least the archives are up.
December 8, 2006
Building Science
It’s been nearly 7 months since my basement was ruined by flooding. I ripped out the wall paneling and furring strips that made up the walls, tore up the vinyl flooring tiles and took out the ceiling panels. I learned the basics of a Home Designer program relatively quickly in order to play around with layouts and embarked upon a journey that has proven to be much more complex and time consuming then I had ever thought…I wanted to know what the proper way was to construct a finished basement.
If one wants to know proper construction techniques you need to go beyond the knowledge of not only most “Do-It-Yourselfers”, but also many contractors as well. It’s a relatively easy field to get into it and not surprisingly many do not know or seem to care about the science and technology of construction. Many stick to the common and well-known techniques that have been around for decades and are accepted as common-place. These are the recommendations you will get from walking into a Home Depot and asking one of the workers. What many people do not appreciate however is that there is actually a on-going research and development to improve existing construction methods. This is called Building Science and is studied at many Colleges across the country. One of the most useful websites for information regarding the latest recommendations can be found at none other then buildingscience.com.
To Vapor Barrier or Not to Vapor Barrier
To illustrate some of the difficulties and confusion in construction here’s my story of what I thought was a simple question - “How should an interior basement wall be constructed?”. Ask 4 ‘experts’ and you may very well get 4 different answers. Such was my experience and I decided I really needed to get to the bottom of this. While science sometimes does not provide conclusive answers, there often is a ‘right’, or at least a ‘best’, answer - it’s just typically mis-understood, mis-applied, or purposely obfuscated.
Basements require careful consideration as they tend to trap moisture laden air. In the summer time the moisture condenses on the colder concrete surfaces. Vapor barriers trap this moisture and can promote mold growth. Even if the vapor barrier is completely air sealed, moisture can wick up though the concrete and get trapped behind the vapor barrier. Fiberglass batt insulation, especially those with the kraft paper facing, can suck up and trap moisture and provide paper-food for mold. The proper way to construct basement walls therefore is by covering the concrete with extruded rigid foam insulation (XPS) who’s purpose is several-fold.
- water comes up and through concrete via capillary action. The XPS insulation serves as a capillary break, limiting the amount of water transported into the basement through the walls and footing.
- It raises the temperature of colder concrete wall, thereby stopping water from condensing on the surface.
- It serves as an air barrier, preventing drafts from entering. All the insulation in the world won’t help if air, laden with moisture, has a way to enter. While less of a concern along the basement walls, this is an important consideration above the foundation walls in the rim joists. Therefore, XPS or a sprayed foam, is recommended all the way up the wall and in the rim joists.
By reducing the possibility of condensation, and allowing the walls to dry if they get wet (the XPS is permeable), unfaced fiberglass batts can often be used as cavity insulation (between the studs) without as much worry. The use of a dehumidifier in combination with ventilation is also a good idea. One can also use paper-free wallboard if mold-growth is still a consideration (if the dehumidifier properly controls humidity then regular wallboard can be used with worry). All these recommendations can be found at buildingscience.com, textbooks on Building Science, numerous technical articles.
The General Contractors
In the last 7 months I’ve had 5 general contractors come to my house to discuss the basement, not to mention water-proofers, concrete cutters, electricians, and plumbers. Here’s what each GC had to say about basement wall construction:
- GC #1: A carpenter by trade, he was a really nice guy and even offered to help me load up a truck with brush while he was there. His idea of a basement wall was to cover it with a vapor barrier, use a double layer of fiberglass batts followed by a second vapor barrier! I’d have 10″ walls, with wood, fiberglass, and paper trapped between two vapor barriers.
- GC #2: This was one of the big guys in town. He did lots of basements, with the standard old approach. Framing with fiberglass batts, followed by a vapor barrier. As an aside I never heard back from him with an estimate until a couple months ago when he send an email saying “wow I really dropped the ball on this and your file got pushed aside - sorry, does your basement still need work?”
- GC #3: The 3rd contractor struck me as very knowledgeable. His specialty was high efficiency homes but not much building going on these days. He was very conscious about proper building techniques and I learned a lot in the 2 hours he was here. Unfortunately, he was never able to make time to do an estimate for me, much less any work. We communicated via email and he seemed to want to work for me (”I like customers like you who understand quality”) but had too much other stuff going on. It was too bad.
I had pretty much decided to go with GC #3 at this point by as time went on it had become apparent it wasn’t going to happen. During this time, sparked by my conversations with GC#3, was when I really started researching building science and educated myself. Eventually, I started the process again, bringing in another two contractors.
- GC #4: This contractor worked in a pair, and they both came. They had done the nursery school in the neighborhood this summer after it was flooded, and worked at the teacher’s home as well. He was highly recommended. They recommended rigid foam insulation and had experience in all types of work. There were a few things that concerned me, such as they wouldn’t bother with foam sill gasket between the concrete and wood (recommended for same reasons as XPS on wall), but that was really a minor issue.
- GC #5: The last contractor I brought in came to my house a few times, was very interested in doing the work, but his methods left a lot to be desired. When I spoke to him about my concerns of moisture and thought rigid foam should be used his response was “this isn’t the right application for rigid foam”. He would use fiberglass insulation with the kraft paper facing. GC#3 had suggested azek board (it’s like a plastic) for baseboard or a wainscotting in case things flooded again and I asked this contractor about it…..he finally gave me a quote using the azek board but also the fiberglass batts. Sticking with the batts completely defeated the purpose of the azek board. Not to mention he was going to put in carpet and said if it ever flooded ALL I would have to do would be rip up the carpet, let it dry, and replace the carpet padding. Hmmm, ok - how about a solution that can tolerate water in the first place??? His estimate of $50K seemed quite high considering he didn’t listen to anything I wanted and it looked like it would be a hack job.
In the last month I’ve brought in GC#4 to do other, related work: new basement windows, some rotting wood and sill in the front of the house, and installation of a active radon mitigation system. I’ve been testing radon myself with an electronic radon sensor over the last several months and found this house had extremely high radon levels (16+ pCi/liter vs the max EPA recommended of 4 pCi/liter). With the radon system the levels have dropped to 1.7 pCi/liter…I just have to live with the pipe going up through closets in my house and a suction fan in the attic.
Someday, hopefully soon, we’ll actually get the basement project underway. I think I still have some more research and planning to do but overall the time spent has been worth it. Contractors are often viewed somewhere between used car salesman and lawyers and it’s definitely worth spending time to find one that you can trust. It’s important to do your homework and ask questions about the things that are important to you.
July 25, 2006
A Mild Disaster
It was still early morning on Mother’s Day when I ventured downstairs. I don’t remember exactly why I was headed downstairs just that I didn’t get all the way to the bottom when I noticed a peculiar sheen to the floor. A small bit of panic swelled from somewhere inside me. Slowly, not sure I wanted to do this, I looked over to the right to survey the rest of the basement. The panic leapt into my throat when I saw things floating. The kids were up and I had a serious problem on my hands.
“Kiimmm!” It was not how I wanted to wake up my wife on Mother’s Day but I had to forgo my breakfast plans for her…and sleeping in wasn’t an option either. Sorry hon.
We were only one of many houses in Dover, in fact in all of NH, to experience basement flooding during these rains and we learned what a destructive force water can be. It only took several inches of water to destroy most everything - furniture, speakers, lots of books, the dryer - we were lucky it didn’t hit the furnance (just another inch). I’ve since ripped out the floor, the wall paneling, drywall (which got very moldy), and all the wood. Our basement is finished no more.
The upside of this is that we will get to refinish the basement in the way we’d like to do it. I’ve been playing with Home Designer to visualize the exact layout. It will still be another couple months before I can even get a contractor out to the house, but it will be a cool addition when all is done.
All in all we got off lucky considering how many people’s homes are completely devestated by floods every year.
January 22, 2006
My first time in LA
The clean cab’s meter clocked the mileage in units of dollars while we talked.
“Where did you fly in from?”
“New Hampshire..Is this typical weather for LA?”
“A bit cooler then normal”
“So, where are YOU from?
He was from Afghanistan, but after 20 years in LA and no family left in the country of his birth this was him home now. Despite the political nature of the question I had to ask…”So what do you think about US invading Afghanistan?” To the cabbie - Afghanistan had been as success. On the whole, Afghans are much are happier now. It had not been a plesant place before and now they are doing much better then they ever had. The US invasion of Afghanistan and regime change had been a great success for the Afghans. Not so with Iraq which was not going well at all.
“Perhaps it will turn out well.”
“Perhaps” I said.
Hailing from Birmingham, Great Britain, Steve was a self-proclaimed Trekkie who engineered the glass for civil aircraft and the bulletproof windshields for Humvees. He sat the hotel bar drinking down watered down American beer when Bartman invited him over to sit with us. Being a sci-fi fan myself and obsessed with British television programs here was someone I could really geek out with over one of my favorite programs - Red Dwarf. The Bombay Gin followed by Jack Daniels with Coke flowed as we all chatted about Great Britain, Humvees, Monty Python, and Steve’s all-time favorite film….Star Trek II.
KAAAHHHHNNNN!!!!
Sang Lee was a quiet man. Feeling chatty and curious I ventured into usually avoided territory and asked him where was from.
“Korea, South Korea”
Click, on came the radio. Was this a signal?
“How long have you been in the states, Sang? In LA the whole time?”
“Missouri, 15 years, LA a year and a half. Too cold in Missouri.” The radio got a litte louder.
The remainder of the drive to John Wayne airport was without chatter.
I’m home.
January 5, 2006
The little car that just didn’t make it
‘They’ say that most accidents occur within a few miles from your home. In this case, ‘they’ were right. This time I called home to tell my wife to look out the front window.
It was 9:30 AM as I hopped in the little Geo Prism - 8 years old, 140K miles - it was not a healthy car. At last summer’s inpection Steve’s Auto Body said this would be it’s last year and for < $100 for a new set of tires I outfit the geo for it’s final year of operation…but the big question on everyone’s mind was, Would it last? I backed out of the driveway, tuned into WBUR and popped it into DRIVE. 10 yards, 20 yards…I saw a white SUV cut the corner onto my road and soon was bearing down on me. The small Geo didn’t place me far off the ground and soon all I could see was a large headlight heading for me as I tried to move out of the way. I was, too late.
No one was hurt due to the low speed but my car was a wreck. It wasn’t just the bashes along the drivers side, it was the front wheel bent at an odd angle. The car was a piece of junk before and now it was totaled junk. The SUV had fared better, sort of. A brand brand new Mercedes ML SUV had hit me and cracked and dented some pieces around the front wheel, plus a flat. It was a real disapointment for the driver - the Mercedes was to be the centerpiece at a celebration Friday night where the truck was to be officially presented to her. The truck didn’t have the same cool look with the skinny doughnut where the fat tire used to be.
Then again, she did hit me and would have been served better had she been looking where she was going.
Because of the wheel, the Geo had to be towed the 30 yards back to the driveway but soon the insurance company will come to collect it and surprisingly I’ll get a check for a car that just wasn’t worth much. I’ve decided I’m in no rush to get a replacement car. It’s back on the bike for me for a bit, except on those really really cold days…
September 30, 2005
The poor pinky toe
I’ve entered a new era of being accident prone. Last night I stubbed my poor small toe on the side of doorway - it hurt pretty bad, swelled right up and turned purple. A trip to the hospital and subsequent x-rays confirmed it was indeed broken. The funny thing was that it was the same emergency room doctor that stiched me up last month.
Any picture would pale in comparison to my last crash, so I just put up the x-ray instead. I barely got a chance to get back on the bike and now I’m off again. It’s a very poor way to end the season.
I’ve got to buddy tape my little toe to the next one for the next month, hopefully it will be better sooner then that - at least enough so I can cram it into a cycling shoe.
September 25, 2005
Backyard Oasis or Money Pit?
I can’t believe summer is all over all ready we say to one another, nodding our heads in agreement. Here in New England it’s always the same. This weekend we finally closed up the pool - the pool we have not used since the end of August but had yet to find the time to close it. Last year, our first in this house, we had someone come and open and close the pool and I watched closely. It didn’t seem very difficult, and it’s not. There are different methods for doing it, some suggest to drain the water to below the return piping, some say it’s not neccessary. This year I followed the procedure that I watched last year.
- Shock with massive amounts of chlorine, run filter for 24 hours straight
- Remove stairs/ladders
- Vacuum/clean pool thoroughly
- Drain pool to just below the return fittings
- Blow or vacuum out the lines (intake from skimmer, returns to pool)
- 1 gallon non-toxic antifreeze in each line (use blower to force it through)
- Take apart filter, hose down inside
- Cover pool
So here in New England is it really worth it to have a pool? You get just about 8 weeks of use out of it, unheated. I’ve looked into solar heating systems but they require so many solar panels I have no idea where I’d put the things. The vinyl liner is starting to sag and I’ve attemtped to fix it but it still showing it’s age. Now here’s the clincher - my main drain is out of order, and one of my return pipes is also capped. Both were capped due to leaks from before we bought the house. So I’ve got a 25 year pool, with a single intake and return and surrounded by concrete patio (i.e. if the plumbing breaks it’ll be a mess to get at it), and a liner that will make me happy if I get another 2 years out of it. Routine maintenance is pretty easy with todays test kits and equipment. It’s the big things breaking that are the problem.
In those hot summer months it’s a nice setup. The kids love it and will more so as they get older.
Running $ total?
- Season 1: $500 to open/close, $250 for new pump, $150 chemicals, $30/mo electric for 4 months, Total = $1020
- Season 2: $200 new vaccuum, $100 pool cover pump, $150 chemicals, $50/mo electic for 4 months, Total = $650
This doesn’t even cover all the miscellaneous things. So…$1670 / 16 weeks ~ $100/week to swim in my backyard. ouch.
September 16, 2005
What could be easier then Fortran ?
It’s a year later and I still don’t have a steering wheel on my computer…
Scientists from the RAND Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a “home computer” could look like in the year 2004. However the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists readily admit that the computer will require not yet invited technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve these problems. With teletype interface and the Fortran language, the computer will be easy to use. - from Popular Mechanics, 1954
UPDATE (Oct 29, 2005)
Thanks to Shannon for pointing out to me that this picture is a hoax. I feel like I’ve totally been had. Just proves that even though a “fact” gives what seems to be a credible reference (in this case Popular Mechanics), don’t assume it to be true. Read the full hoax story at Snopes.
September 2, 2005
There’s at least one blogger left in New Orleans
This guy Michael is blogging in New Orleans. Him and some other people are holed up in an Internet data center on the 10th floor of a high rise. They still have internet access and a diesel powered generator. They are calling it Camp Crystal.
September 1, 2005
There will be no Jazz Funerals today
Today I am sad for those that have lost their lives from hurricane Katrina.
I am sad for those that have lost friends, family, and loved ones.
I am sad for the loss of the historic city of New Orleans.
I am sad for the loss of image, audio, and written archives, the unique musical recordings.
I am sad for the loss of people’s homes, their livelihoods, their personal journals and photos.
I am sad for those that have relatives that are lost.
I am sad that I will never see the original New Orleans, nor will my family, my descendants, or the future generations of our country.
I am saddened for the refugees who are hungry, scared, and don’t know what to do.
I am sorry for all of you who have been affected by the Katrina disaster.
August 29, 2005
Dude, your a seventh level magic user, things are great for your character right now… *
When I was a kid, afterschool program meant watching The Great Money Movie with Eddie Driscoll. Not that I didn’t try to start up my own after school D&D session, it just didn’t work out so was relegated to a weekend event at various kids homes. None of our parents really understood what that was all about, some of them actually thought we were doing some sort of satan worshipping and relatives were horrified. One guy told me the demon statue on the cover of the Player’s Handbook was going to come and eat me while I slept. Hell that wasn’t nearly as scary as the demon guy on the Dungeon Masters Guide. RPG games continue to be a very misunderstood game and remain in the realm of geeks. Hell, I still get made fun about my RPG days from some people.
Wizards of the Coast are sponsoring a D&D afterschool program in public libraries. Would an afterschool program to get kids to play D&D work? Would it really increase interest in the ailing table top role playing games? Wil Wheaton’s all over this one and he’s right on, D&D is a great creative tool that fosters creative thinking. I learned an incredible amount from RPG games and the fantasy genre and is something I still hold close in my memory.
August 28, 2005
J’apes me faire un si-si a’ dents *
The waiter returned to our table, “I apologize sir, but the rock shrimp was not thawed out early enough. Would you care for a bit of alligator or crab meat with your Jambalaya instead?”
Now I really don’t eat beef at all but perhaps I was in a adventurous mood or perhaps it was just the Cruzan rum. “Sure, I’ll try a little alligator”.
Kim and I were enjoyed a rare night out and had dinner at Crescent City Bistro, a unique restaurant featuring Cajun-Creole cuisine. My Cajun Chicken Jambalaya was very tasty but the alligator meat wasn’t all that great. It is similar to pork, but had a gamey taste I wasn’t too fond of.
I’ve never been to New Orleans but between the food and the Cajun and Zydeco music I think I would find it thoroughly enjoyable. Let’s all hope for the best with New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.
I’m feeling a hankering to re-read A Confederacy of Dunces.
* “I’m making myself an if-if with teeth” - see Cajun History by Maurice Lasserre
