HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rrw@elden (Robert Wier)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Telephone Outlets
Date: 26 Aug 92 23:51:54 GMT
Originator: rrw@elden.cse.nau.edu

From article <BtGty6.Gqz@hatch.socal.com>, by richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg):
> In article <1992Aug23.013031.9219@icd.teradyne.com> ardai@zax.eda.teradyne.com (Michael Ardai) writes:
> 
> While these phones are "scrambled", don't consider them to be secure!!
> The scrambling is a simple voice inversion, and unscramblers are
> easily obtained or built.
> -- 
>                 
> Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com
  Very true.  I just bought a cordless this summer, and if it's 
 a good one, it's VERY easy to forget you are talking on a relatively
 non-secure media.  The one thing I NEVER do is to order anything
 with a credit card on it.  I'm also nervous about my long distance
 number and pin, but I figure that I dial it so fast that someone
 would have to go to some trouble to capture it and use it. Being
 in a somewhat rural location perhaps helps also (not too many houses
 within a half mile or so).

--Bob Wier  rrw@naucse.cse.nau.edu
.
From: hollen@megatek.UUCP (Dion Hollenbeck)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Is homesteading still possible?
Date: 4 Sep 92 20:56:05 GMT
Organization: Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California

>>>>> On 4 Sep 92 13:50:07 GMT, dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek) said:

Mike> In article <1992Sep2.132011.6408@sunova.ssc.gov>, butteris@dingus.ssc.gov writes:

> I was wondering if any countries, including the USA, still
> homestead. If so, which ones and how do I get more information about
> them?

Mike> I've heard that Hawaii, USA does this but I believe only native
Mike> Hawaiians are eligible.  Alaska may also do it.  I don't think
Mike> any other states in USA have homesteading.

California also has homesteading.

-- 
Dion Hollenbeck       UUCP: {uunet, ucsd, sun}!megatek!hollen
                      INTERNET:            hollen@megatek.com
Megatek Corporation  9645 Scranton Rd.  San Diego, Ca.  92121
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Heat Pumps
Date: 27 Aug 92 16:52:53 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <3755@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca>, clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes...
>Bill indicated that he has a gas furnace, so he'd be using that as
>backup.  Which means that he'll be using heat pump heat during most
>of the spring and fall and much of the winter, gas during the
>cold bits of the winter, and heat pump A/C during the summer.

oops!  I missed the bit about the existing gas furnace when I replied!

Anyway, would a heat pump be cheaper to run than a gas furnace (when it's not
cold) enough to make it worth the extra $ to install one rather than just a
normal A/C?

-Mike
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Sound insulation for ceiling/floor:  ideas?
Keywords: sound insulation fibreglass
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 92 20:11:44 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

> In article <1992Aug30.023716.15210@bmers145.bnr.ca> tpc@bnr.ca (Thomas P. Chm
> >The basement ceiling is the (soft) fibreglass 2'X4' suspended ceiling
> >tiles.  I figured they'd provide better insulation than *this*; I guessed
> >wrong.  Has anyone stuffed standard insulation between the joists for
> >sound insulation?  How did you keep it up there (aside from simply from
> >friction)?  Are there any other alternatives I might consider to the
> >fiberglass batts?

  [ about fiberglass stuffed between joists ]

> If you want to hold them up, there's several options.  Traditional
> options in floor insulation (over crawlspaces) is lathe strapping
> or chicken wire.  Both a trifle difficult in your case.  You could
> get away with stapling baling wire or some sort of strap across
> the joists.

No, just get a pack of the spring wire insulation supports (a piece
of wire about 20" long, and pointed on both ends) and put one every
2' or so. They're easy to handle, easily removable, and cheap.
Installing involves sticking one end into a joist, bowing it up
into the insulation, and letting the other end stick into the 
joist on the other side of the batt. They have the added advantage
of allowing you to keep the insulation all the way up against 
the floor, if you want to.

But fiberglass *still* isn't much good for acoustic blocking.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: mjensen@BBN.COM (Martin Jensen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Wiring for a garbage disposal
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:36:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.la9nsnINNbl5
Reply-To: mjensen@BBN.COM (Martin Jensen)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
NNTP-Posting-Host: reliant.bbn.com

Greetings net.homeowners ...

    Is anyone familiar with the code for wiring a garbage disposal under
    the sink?

    Specifically, is it acceptable to install a switched outlet under the
    sink, attach a short appliance cord and plug the unit in?

    If not ... is armored cable required or is Romex acceptable from the
    unit to the junction box?

    Inquiring minds want to know :-)

    AtDhVaAnNkCsE

---   Martin Jensen     \   BBN Communications     \  #include          ---
 ---   mjensen@bbn.com   \   150 CambridgePark Dr.  \  <std.disclaimer>  ---
  ---   (617) 873-4859    \   Cambridge, MA   02140  \                    ---
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 92 22:08:39 GMT

In article <la769hINNe82@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> kunda@hanuman.Eng.Sun.COM writes:

>Does it really deter the burglars or is it just a peace of mind
>type of idea?
>
>Do you know of anyone who were robbed and got a security alarm
>after that?  (Obviously I am not looking for names, just yes or
>no type of answer)

Yes. My father built some storage cabinets in the carport while he was
alive. They weren't real secure. After he died, someone broke into them
and took a few rather expensive items (like a Honda mower). The house
was also broken into a few times while he was alive. The lawn mower was
the last straw for my mother, and she had an alarm system put it which
includes some sort of ultrasonic motion detectors in the house and trip
switches on the outside storage.

The system has given a few false (we think) alarms, but someone *has* tried
to break into the ouside storage at least once and the house at least once.
In both known cases, they split as soon as it went off. Mama has a contract
with a security outfit which investigates any alarm. Neither robbery attempt
was sucessfull.

>Do you know of anyone who were robbed even though they had a
>security alarm?

I personally knew one. The lady was in her seventies and lived with another
elderly lady and the mother of one of my friends in midtown Atlanta. The
thief hid in the shrubs in front of the house until she came home and cut
the alarm system off. He then hit her, apparently trying to knock her out,
killing her in the process. He then made a quick pass through the house,
taking a fair load of small valuables and split. They never caught him.

>Does the sign "Security Alarm" on the window of the house deter
>the burglar?  Do they check and see if there is an actual alarm
>system?

Apparently no to both questions. Like I said, they've tried to hit my
mother's place.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | "Zero Defects": The result of shutting down a
                    |    production line.
                    |         Kelvin Throop - The Management Dictionary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jfw@jfwhome.FUNHOUSE.COM (John F. Woods)
Subject: Re: Telephone Outlets
Organization: Misanthropes-R-Us
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 01:49:51 GMT

In <24AUG199208063173@utkvx2.utk.edu> drevik@utkvx2.utk.edu (Drevik, Steve) writes:
>Does this mean the ShadioRack scanner's no longer cover the cellular
>voice band?  What is the frequency in question?

"800-something" :-).  I don't know offhand.  I don't know if RS scanners
currently cover cellular; I'd guess not, since they've been big on promoting
the non-existant security.

>Is the modulation technique FM?

Yes.

>Also is the bandwidth of an individual channel such that the scanner will pick
>up only one caller?

A scanner will (probably) just pick up one caller at a time, but note that
calls are switched from channel to channel by the cellular system to optimize
channel re-use and coverage.  (I say probably since I don't know for certain
that every scanner ever made will channelize the appropriate region of the
spectrum the same way that the cellular system does.  Try it and find out :-).
 

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Which garage door opener to use?
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 92 19:36:33 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

moody@e4.ius.cs.cmu.edu (James Moody) writes:

>  [ .... ]
> Have you seen the 'heavy-duty' staple guns they sell nowadays?  They're plast

No, no, that's "engineered composite materials". And it depends upon
your definition of "heavy duty". Most of the "heavy duty" tools you
see in the local discount hardware store aren't commercial grade 
anything. (Then again, a lot of them are showing up with lots of
plas.. er, engineered composite materials in them.)

You want *real* good tools, buy commercial-grade stuff, and be ready
to pay for what you're getting. It should be a lifetime investment,
though.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: pallack@f101.n325.z1.wsyd.com (James Pallack)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Pigeon Repellent  ???
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 92 17:11:00 EDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:325/101 - We Serve Your Drive, Bristol VT

* In a message originally to All, patter@dasher.uucp said:

pp >From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
pp >Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 15:23:37 GMT
pp >Many people in NY city cut pieces of 1/2" or 3/4" wood the
pp >same size
pp >as the sill and drive nails through about every couple of

I saw one place up here but fishing line accross w/beeds to keep them away. 
The beeds were to let them know the lines where there.  
 

--  

James J. Pallack         CS/INTERNET ---> kira!wsyd!101!pallack@UVM.EDU
We Serve Your Drives     UUCPathalias --> pallack@f101.n325.z1.wsyd.com
P.O. Box 5035            CompuServe  ---> 72636,2123
Burlington, VT 05402     FidoNet     ---> 1:325/101.0
Voice     (802) 453-3315 BBS/MODEM   ---> (802) 453-3316 (1200-9600 HST DS)
UUCPath --> ...!uunet!kira.uucp!wsyd!101!pallack
From: borowski@hpspkla.spk.hp.com (Don T. Borowski)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 21:20:32 GMT
Subject: Re: Heat Pumps
Organization: Hewlett Packard Company, Spokane, Wa.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

In misc.consumers.house, william.zwicky@cray.com (Bill Zwicky) writes:

>I'm considering installing a central air conditioner in my
>house and ran across something called an "Air Source Heat Pump"
>that would provide cool air in the summer and provide most of the
>heat in the winter (when it gets real cold, my gas furnace takes over).
>Has anyone had any experiences with heat pumps?  Are they cost 
>effective/efficient?

The answer is:  It All Depends.

First of all, heat pumps do work both ways, so you can get summer cooling
and winter heating.

But...they are usually less efficient at cooling than an air conditioning
system.

But...they are much more efficient than electrical resistance heating, so
this would offset inefficiencies during summer cooling.

But...natural gas heat is usually cheaper than even what a heat pump can
do for you.

But...there are new heat pumps which dispose of the waste heat from air
conditioning into the water heater, thus giving high effective efficiency.

But...such systems are quite expensive.

But...separate water heater, furnance, and air conditioning aren't cheap
either.

But...you might already have some of that equipment.

As you can see, it all depends.  You just have to do your homework.
Get equipment prices.  Get the efficiencies.  Get the prices of
energy.  Call your local gas and electric utilities to see if they have any
special programs.  In fact, your local gas and electric utilities may have
some of this homework already done.


Donald Borowski    WA6OMI    Hewlett-Packard, Spokane Division
"Angels are able to fly because they take themselves so lightly."
                                       -G.K. Chesterton
From: d3a132@pnl.gov (Carl P Baker)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: questions about MOLDINGS?
Date: 28 Aug 92 18:16:14 GMT
Article-I.D.: oracle.1992Aug28.181614.17163
Reply-To: d3a132@pnl.gov
Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories

In article 92Aug28110948@zener.harvard.edu, kosowsky@zener.harvard.edu (Jeffrey J. Kosowsky) writes:
>	1] Is a construction adhesive, such as Liquid Nails, strong
>	enough to hold up the molding (it's about 1 3/4 inch width pine)

Construction adhesive is _way_ strong enough to hold up molding.  Construction
adhesive is also strong enough to hold down my kitchen counter, and is
commonly used to hold the subfloor down to the joists.  If you put the
moulding up with adhesive, it will NEVER come off.  Ever.  There is nothing
really wrong with this.  I would probably use #4 finish nails for moulding
that small.

>     2] The ceiling is a textured ceiling. How do you make the
>     moulding fit flush with the textured ceiling? Would it be enough
>     to just fill any spaces with caulk?

I would try sanding at least some of the texture off, using a scrap
of the moulding as a sanding block.  Make sure the texture doesn't
have anything nasty in it and/or use respitory protection or dust
collection.

>	3] The walls are (old) plaster covering wood lathe and hence are
>	not perfectly straight. Again would you use caulk to fill any
>	irregularities due to bowing of the wall or would you do
>	something else?

Probably something like spackle.  This cures (like concrete) as opposed
to drying (like wallboard compound).  Use it to fill the big holes, as
it won't take forever to set up.  You might do this before putting up
the moulding.  Cut the moulding, hold it in place to find the holes,
fill the holes until you are happy with how the moulding looks.  Moulding
only 1 3/4 inch wide is probably thin enough to flex with wall bowing.

>	4] What is the best way to fit the molding in the inside corner.
>	Would you recommend mitering or is it better to make a butt joint
>	using a coping saw to match the contours?

Use the miter.

>	5] I would appreciate any tips on how to get good and accurate
>	measurements so that all the corners fit snugly. I am especially
>	concerned about getting the mitered outside corners to fit tight.

I tend to cut things a little big, and then trim them a little at a time
until they look right.  I have seen recommendations for assembling the
outside miter (tightly) before putting it up.  This might work in your
case.


-- carl

Carl P Baker
cp_baker@pnl.gov
509-375-2724

Disclaimer: I am not the official spokesperson for anyone.  For which
organizations that use spokespersons are profoundly grateful.
From: tabor@wsl.dec.com (Dick Tabor)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: hot water radiant heating questions
Date: 27 Aug 92 02:09:26 GMT
Reply-To: tabor@wsl.dec.com (Dick Tabor)
Organization: DEC Western Software Lab

I am putting radiant heat in a large addition and am also planning on
eventually putting this in the rest of the house.  In the addition, all
the pipes will be in 1.5 inches of lightweight concrete and in the
existing house, I plan on putting the pipes between the existing floor
joists from the crawl space.

Over the past year, I have seen a few articles on this topic in this group and
have exchanged some mail with a few of the readers.  However, now that the
time has arrived to make some real decisions about what to buy,
I would be interested in hearing about any unforseen problems that you might
have run into that are not in the various articles in Fine Homebuilding.

Also, I am planning on using the Polaris Water Heater from American/Mopar which
is said to be 94% efficient.  Has anyone installed one of these?  Are there
others that I should look at.  If I understand all this correctly, it seems that
you pay now or you pay later -- with the higher efficency, you pay more for
the heater, but get a better return on the $$$$ that you pay to the gas
company.  The water heater is used with an exchanger to provide heating and
thus is used for both heating and hot water.  

Thanks much.

Dick Tabor
From: kosowsky@zener.harvard.edu (Jeffrey J. Kosowsky)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Dryer ventillation problem
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:36:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: zener.KOSOWSKY.92Aug28113630
Organization: Harvard Robotics Lab, Harvard University


I live on the third story of a 3 story brick building with one
appartment on each level.  Each appartment has a washer and dryer. The
dryers all vent into the *same* chimney (this is an old building and the
chimney was probably originally used for an old stove). The problem is
that whenever any of the other units use their dryer, the exhaust
blows up the chimney and backwards out through our dryer. The result
is that we get hot and humid air blown into our appartment and that
moisture condenses in (small) puddles around our dryer.

Is it possible to install some type of one way trap or valve in our
vent to prevent the back-venting of the dryer exhaust into our
appartment.

Thanks very much for your assistance.
	Jeff Kosowsky
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Killing burglars.
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 15:10:57 GMT

In article <8822@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM> mwilson@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Mark Wilson) writes:
>In <1992Aug24.145037.1946@sdc.com> kenk@sdc.com (Ken Konecki) writes:
>
>>Why are guns necessary?  A can of aerosol EZ-OFF used properly can be just
>>as effective as a gun for the purposes of defense.  One quick shot in the
>>face and it's over before it begins.  Not only do you not need
>>Ken Konecki
>
>This works fine if the burglar is stupid enough to let you get close enough
>to use the EZ-OFF.  What would you say the effective range would be, 12 to
>15 inches.  Meanwhile, if the burglar is armed, he shoots you.  He knows
>right where you are, directly in front of him just a couple of feet
>away.  Even blinded and in pain that is an easy shot.

I once saw a man hit in the face with MACE at close range. Totally blind,
he reached out for the woman who shot him with it, got her by the throat,
and was well on the way to choking her to death when we got them apart.

You use your EZ-OFF, I'll stick with my 12 gauge.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | If you always tell the truth, you never
                    | have to remember what you said.
                    |                        Samuel Clemens
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
Date: 26 Aug 92 21:20:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: NL.mjc.714864001
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

>1. shoot to kill to avoid lawsuits.
>2. use a calibre large enough to take out a big hunk of meat, but not too
>   large that a missed shot will pentrate walls and kill neighbors.
>3. keep club soda handy to clean up spilled blood and circumvent stains.

So, what specific weapons and ammo do you folks recommend for home 
protection?  Assume it's for an adult with no previous firearms experience
(bows and crossbows aside) and a willingness to learn.  (Of course, no weapon
gets into my house under *my* power before I've been properly trained with 
it.)  Goals are to maximize effectiveness (shooting to wound is stupid) while 
minimizing both risk to others (pass-through on walls) and property damage.

I would have sent email, but I suspect there are others who would like to
know.  I am not being sarcastic.
From: moulton@cs.utk.edu (Steve Moulton)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: 12 gauge vs 14 gauge wiring price
Date: 1 Sep 92 19:42:01 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville - CS Department
NNTP-Posting-Host: donner.cs.utk.edu
Keywords: electrical wiring

In article <6017@atlas.cs.nps.navy.mil> erickson@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (David Erickson) writes:
>
>We previously rented a house which had all bedroom outlets wired with
>14 ga.  I had a Mac II and a Laserwriter on one of these circuits, 
>along with an incandescent desk lamp, and every time the Laserwriter was 
>turned on the lights would start dimming.  

When the group I am in moved to temporary space we discovered (via
tripping circuit breakers and a visit from the electrical shop) that
our Laserwriter would pull 7 amps for a couple of seconds once every 3 
minutes or so, slightly more frequently when printing.  This was caused by 
the printer keeping the fuser roller warm.  As we had 3 sparcstations, 
this printer, and a couple of desk lamps on what we were later informed 
was 1 (rather than 3) 20 amp circuits, this caused the desk lights to flicker
(burning up bulbs surprisingly fast), and occasional irascible
behavior on the part of the sparcs.

Moral:  laser printers can pull a surprisingly large load.  If you want
to put one on a circuit, 12 ga/20 amps is probably a good idea.

I'm lucky, I guess.  My house (ca 1975) is all copper, and all normal
branch circuits 12 ga (unlike the previous rental house, where all the
lights would flicker BRIGHT whenever the frig kicked on).
If only they had put in decent windows ...
From: jfw@jfwhome.FUNHOUSE.COM (John F. Woods)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Telephone Outlets
Date: 23 Aug 92 16:51:22 GMT
Organization: Misanthropes-R-Us

In <1992Aug23.104713.2141@n8emr.cmhnet.org> gws@n8emr.cmhnet.org (Gary Sanders) writes:
>In article <1992Aug23.013031.9219@icd.teradyne.com> ardai@zax.eda.teradyne.com (Michael Ardai) writes:
>>While there are a few cordless phones that actually *scramble* the voice (one
>>in the new Radio Shack catalog comes to mind), most of the 'digital security'
>scramble is such a harsh word and misleading if your ask me.. What the RS
>cordless phone does is use spread spectrum technology to transmit the
>voice to and from the handset. No scrambling takes place of your voice 
>behond what is inherent in the SS. 

On the other hand, that is more than sufficient to protect against the *casual*
scanner listener, and also offers the benefits of spread spectrum technology
(assuming RS has actually designed the phone well); an ordinary scanner would
be unable to demodulate a SS signal, and there's no cheap demodulation scheme
available for the slightly more industrious scanner listener (unlike frequency
inversion).  You're still not "really" protected -- if RS offers too little
choice in "scrambling sequences", your neighbor with the same model phone
might hear yours loud and clear (and vice versa), and of course a real hard-core
scanner freak can always build (or buy, no doubt) his own spread-spectrum
scanner (quite possibly starting with the RS phone as an RF chassis :-).  At
that point, however, it's just about as much work for him or her to tap your
phone the hard way, so it may not be worth worrying about (as long as you
understand it).
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house