Shyne performs his new song “Solar Energy” at Kibbutz Ketura on June 5, 2011 at the inauguration of Israel’s first solar field. ************************************** Lyrics: “Solar Energy” Written by Shyne and Captain Sunshine The remedy to stop the oil dependency We better be the better breed Bring a global end to greed The end will be the death And we never see the heavenly gates open If you don’t go green That’s what they’re telling me Got private planes mulsanne and chauffeurs Is my Bugatti the one polluting the whole earth? A future twisted and darker than Whoopi Goldberg If I don’t get a hybrid get up that rover Solar – renewable light to the nations Adam bit the fruit and oil is my abomination I heard Obama waiting for the Senate bill to pass Well tell him send a visa We gonna make the planet greener While congressmen debate Make the air more cleaner I know I got some felonies, one or two misdemeanors But them lobbyists in Washington far more egregious Environmental bills written by Exxon leeches Endangering out species with a bunch of empty speeches, Hallow rhetoric, then propaganda to deceive us. It don’t take no genius or a microscope to read it It’s written in the stars Ray Charles you can see it Yeah I know you wondering where Shyne went When did I start thinking or caring about the environment? Ah, I’m just thinking out loud It’s hard to see the future through a mushroom cloud Chorus: Solar energy (repeat) I am powered by solar Bugatti Hybrid King Judah …

One of the keys to minimizing the transfer of heat through your home’s attic is to completely seal the attic. In addition to covering the floor of the attic with a thick blanket of fiberglass insulation, there are a few special situations to handle as described here that will reduce your energy bill .

What’s the big deal about a few leaks?

Surprisingly, it takes only a one-percent gap in the insulation of your attic to significantly lower the net R-value of the blanket of insulation. For example, a total of 3 ft by 4 ft of uninsulated openings in a 1,000 sq ft R-38 attic blanket— just a one-tenth-inch gap between insulation and ceiling joists for the average home, or an uninsulated attic access door—lowers the R-value for the whole attic to only 26. In this case, you paid for R-38 but only got R-26, and your energy bill will reflect that. The solution is to install insulated coverings for these gaps.

Light-Fixtures

Ceiling light fixtures and ceiling fans are hooked to electrical boxes for support and to protect wiring connections. The boxes often have gaps around their openings, and the back of the box is usually uninsulated. These gaps represent an opportunity for air leakage.

Recessed lights in your ceiling generate heat that can be a fire hazard if in contact with attic insulation. The industry has solved this problem by using special light enclosures called “Insulation-Contact” (IC) cans with double metal shells to prevent such direct contact. If your light fixture cans are not IC-rated, they must be prevented from contact with insulation during installation. Many builders install boxes made of foil-covered material that isolate non-IC-rated light cans. After the installation, the lids of the boxes are removed to allow heat from the light cans to escape through the insulation blanket.

Vent Pockets

A typical ceiling has a number of penetrations: pipes, vents, ducts, wires, etc. For some of these, like pipes and wires, it is all right if they are covered completely with blown-in fiberglass insulation. These penetrations should be completely sealed with foam prior to installing insulation. However, some, like bathroom and kitchen ventilation ducts (or vents,) cannot be buried in insulation; they simply must exhaust air into the attic. It is important to install moisture-resistant boxes with closed tops, called “vent pockets,” over the end of the vent prior to blowing attic insulation. The top is removed later to allow the exhaust to escape. Unfortunately, these vents are air leaks, but they can’t be eliminated.

Access Doors

Many people use their attic as a storage space, or for other reasons, for which they need occasional access, so there must be an opening to the attic. These openings can transfer heat to or from the attic, particularly if this attic access is located in a designated heating/cooling zone. You should install an insulated covering for access doors that improves the insulation factor of the door. This means the attic of our example would retain its R-38 insulation capability.

The result?

Remember that leaks are energy wasters. If these and other penetrations are sealed prior to installing insulation, you can save on your energy bill.

Amazon.com Review Celestron’s Nexstar 8 SE telescope combines excellent optics and computerized “GoTo” tracking in a package that’s light, portable and affordable. The legendary performance of Celestron’s orange tube C8 telescope has been updated with high performance Starbright XLT coatings, and the single arm Nexstar mount now includes Celestron’s easy to use “SkyAlign” technology.

Jupiter as seen through the Celestron NexStar 8SE special-edition computerized telescope.

The Nexstar 8 SE upholds Celestron’s reputation for quality optics. When I use an 11mm Plossl eyepiece (almost 200x magnification) for example, I can easily see the Cassini Division in Saturn’s rings. When I look at Jupiter, the pale orange color of Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot is visible, and I’ve even been able to identify the polar caps and spot dust storms on the planet Mars. A 20mm Plossl eyepiece (about 100x magnification) is a good choice for viewing galaxies and star clusters. When I look at globular cluster M13 in the constellation Hercules the high contrast XLT optics show me a glowing snowflake made of hundreds of tiny pin-point stars! And a low power 32mm Plossl eyepiece is a good choice for views of larger deep space highlights like the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula.

Celestron’s patented “SkyAlign” system makes the Nexstar 8 SE very easy to use. I just pick the nearest town from the built-in list, enter the date and time, and point the telescope at three bright stars. I don’t need a star chart because “SkyAlign” identifies the stars for me. When I just want a quick look at the moon or a planet, I like to use the “Solar System Align” option. After entering the date and time, I just point the telescope at the moon and press the “Align” key. That’s all it takes, the computer takes over and the telescope begins tracking quietly and accurately. At star parties I often have my Nexstar up and running while older computerized telescopes are still waiting for their alignment stars to appear in the twilight.

The Nexstar 8 SE comes with a simple red-dot finder scope and a basic 25mm eyepiece. You’ll want to add a few good eyepieces to take full advantage of the Nexstar 8 SE’s excellent optics. At the very least get Celestron’s bargain priced Accessory Kit which includes high and low power plossl eyepieces, or treat yourself to some top rated Tele Vue eyepieces. At twenty-four pounds total weight, the Nexstar 8 SE is unusually light and portable for an eight-inch telescope. The drawback of course is that some people will find it too light. Like other Schmidt Cassegrain (SCT) telescopes there are plenty of optional accessories to upgrade this telescope with, such as heavy duty tripods and an optical finder scope. If you want to try astro-photography, however, check out Celestron’s CPC 800 Telescope which features a heavy duty mount and tripod and an 8×50 optical finder scope right out of the box. –Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Excellent optics
  
• Easy computerized GoTo tracking
  
• Light, portable and affordable

• Plastic accessories
  
• Short battery life
  
• Too light for astro-photography

Click here to Buy from Amazon