Archive for March, 2010
You are currently browsing the The Idea Zone blog archives for March, 2010.
31
Mar
2010
Fun Summer Activities
Summer is officially here and so is the school break and that means summer vacation for all students. Parents will now see to it that their kids will not be bored during the holidays or else they will be pestering them from time to time. There are many things that your kids can do this summer vacation, you can enroll them to sports clinic, arts and crafts and other fun activities. It’s always nice to keep them away from the computer and other gaming machines so that they will have more time to interact with other kids and keep them active.
Summer is not complete without going for a vacation out of town to go to the beach and nature tripping or just going to a nearby pool for a day of fun. Just don’t forget to bring all your summer gears most especially your hats, sunglasses and your sunblock. Sun is very damaging to our skin and much needed protection is a must. You can also stay under the shade from time to time under beach umbrellas located at the resorts. Most resorts these days already have umbrellas available not just for aesthetic reason but also to give shade.
If you have a swimming pool in your homes, you can always invite your friends to take a dip and have some barbeque party near your pool. I reckon that swimming and bbq goes well together. Just take a look at this off set patio umbrella that you can purchase at Outdora, you can have itinstalled near the pool or at your patios.
If you love entertaining friends and relatives in your house or backyard an afternoon chitchat while sipping tea or what ever beverage you’ll like in the gazebo or under the patio umbrella will be an awesome scenario. Sometimes a simple gathering with friends can make your day worthwhile and fun.
31
Mar
2010
Energy/Electricity Saving Tips from Meralco
I saw our electric bill for this month and it was high unlike last month. I am not that shock anymore since I know during this summer months are electric bills will surely get high. The use of electric fan and TV throughout the day surely made our bills high.
Anyway here are Energy/Electricity Saving Tips from Meralco: see more tips here http://www.meralco.com.ph/Consumer/Tips/energy_sav_info.htm
For Lightning:
# Use natural light whenever possible. It is the best source of light and will help you save kilowatt hours. Strategically arrange your household in such a way that you can use natural light. Place reading tables near windows and put skylights in other working areas.
# Use lamps that provide direct lighting over desks, beds, and other work areas. Using them saves energy instead of the higher wattage lighting used to illuminate the whole room.
# Use low wattage light bulbs in areas that do not need strong lighting such as hallways, foyers and doorways.
# Turn off lights when not needed.
# Clean lighting fixtures regularly. Dirt lessens illumination by as much as 50%. One can work more effectively under good lighting which lessens the hours of operation of the lamps. In contrast, poor lighting will make someone work longer thus increasing electrical consumption. Regular cleaning of lamps will help provide proper lighting in your workplace.
# Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Although CFLs cost higher than incandescent bulbs, they use up only 25% of the energy being used up by incandescent bulbs. A 16-watt CFL produces the same light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb at a quarter of the energy cost. CFLs also last eight times longer thank incandescent bulbs.
For electric Fans:
# Choose the right type of fan to cool down a particular place. Desk fans are the most effective fans for small rooms. Stand fans, on the other hand, are best for medium-sized rooms. They offer great flexibility in providing the cool breeze you want because of their adjustable height levels. For large or spacious rooms, consider using ceiling fans. Ceiling fans have larger blades compared with other types of fans. The longer the blades, the more air they can push around. Ceiling fans are very efficient in stirring the cooler air along the floor to provide the necessary cooling in a room.
# Get the right size of ceiling fan for your room. The sizes of a ceiling fan commonly range from 34” to 56” in diameter. Generally, a 36” fan is suitable for rooms that measure up to 9’x12’. A 48” fan is practical for rooms up to 12’x15’, and a 56” fan suits rooms larger than 12’x15’. A long and narrow room may require two fans for effective air circulation. Undersized fans are not effective to use because these would not provide you the cooling requirements and comfort that you need.
# Properly set your fan speed according to your cooling needs. The speed level setting of a fan is directly proportional to its energy consumption. The faster your fan blades rotate the more energy your electric fan consumes.
# Use the oscillating feature of your desk fan to efficiently provide the cooling effect you need. Lock the oscillator when fan is needed in one direction only.
# Turn off your electric fans when no one is using it.
# Perform regular maintenance to keep your electric fan running more efficiently. Maintenance activities can save up to 30% of fan energy.
# Clean your electric fans regularly, to keep them running efficiently. Remove the dust accumulated at the fan blades, motor housings, and grills as it reduces the air current generated by the fan. Cobwebs, dust and other forms of impurities piling up at the motor’s cover prevent air to naturally provide the cooling needed by the motor or heat produced by the motor to be released. This causes additional heating of the motor’s windings, which leads to more consumption of energy.
29
Mar
2010
Tesla Roadster Going Eco-Friendly Too!
Now that the world has been aware of the effects of global warming and gas emission which is not only harmful to us humans but for our environment as well, more companies, gov’t or non-governmental organizations and many individuals are now making efforts of how we can save our planet.
I guess you have seen electric cars being sold and driven and I bet you also saw the e-jeepney that we have here in the Phils. that is driven around Makati. I reckon they are good inventions eventhough it is much more expensive than the regular ones but the help that it can bring to our environment is of great importance.
Sportscar are going green as well? They must be kidding? At first I thought how can an electric powered car run fast? Take for example the 2010 tesla roadster from Tesla Motors, it is powered by electricity and reviewers say that its engine can produce “more than 276-pound-feet of torque”. The speed is said to be super fast and it is said to be the only freeway-legal electric car to be released. I know car enthusiasts mostly those that love and speed and great performance will love this Tesla Roadster because it can deliver the speed of what sportscar is all about.
The handsome Roadster is open two-seater sports red car, can be charge in electricity thereby it emits zero gas, eco-friendly, sleek and with superior performance. If you are itching to buy a red hot car, I guess you can put this roadster on your list.
27
Mar
2010
Go Eco-Friendly by Composting
If there is one thing I want my mom do is to stop burning the dead leaves/grass etc at our backyard. I was once piqued one morning to smell smoke and see smoke entering my bedroom coming from outside. I jumped out of my bed and ask my mom if the neighbor is the one who set the fire once again and I was alarmed that my mom is the one who did it. I asked her not to do it again because it’s harmful not just for our health but for the environment as well.
Anyway, we can all be conscious and be aware of what is good for our homes and for our Mother Nature as well. We can always participate in saving it with our own little way and that will start in our homes. Separating the recyclable plastics etc. from non-recyclable is already a good start. It may seem a bit of a work but if you think about it we are actually doing something good.
I haven’t tried composting yet but with the looks of it, it will greatly benefit the environment but it requires an effort or patience do it on your own homes. There are actually garden composters that come in the form of gallon, basin, a bucket, aerobin and huge metal composters where you can put all your household scraps that can be converted as compost.
Worm Farms can be use as well and as the name suggests bins are filled with worms that can actually hasten the time for food scraps to become compost. I figure that there are some household owners and even small groups/organization that are doing this as a way of going eco-friendly.
I’m even more fascinated to learn that there are even composting toilets being used these days. Actually, it’s my 1st to have heard such and I believe it’s a noble idea for the inventor to have made this; not only will it minimize human waste but water as well.
I salute those individuals and organizations who are endlessly trying to make our world safer, healthier and greener to live in. Let’s do our own share too.
26
Mar
2010
Security of our Homes and Properties
Right after the incident that happened few weeks ago in our neighborhood, I can;t help but to think always about the safety of our homes and of course of ourselves. Just in case you didn’t know cops and civilian guards came to our house one night at about 10 pm bec. they are chasing a robber. It turned out that the robber was seen hiding at our backyard (though it has a high fence) and they thought they might get inside our house that is why them came.
It was scary for us, they searched the surrounding area and they found none. For sure the robber was able to run fast that they didn’t caught him. We were sleepless that night. These days not only our homes should be secured, our vehicles should be too. It was good that auto insurance quotes are now easily available for vehicle owners. We also need to be careful when we drive and our vehicles should be insured as well. It’s a must I reckon.
26
Mar
2010
25
Mar
2010
Spicing Up Your Patio
A hot gentle wind blew on my face once again before lunch today when I was seated in the chair in our backyard for a quick rest from work. Sure looks it’s going to be another hot summer day though there are times in the afternoon when it turns windy. I have to take advantage of that so I sometimes grab my magazines and stay there for a while. I guess you also have a place in your homes where you can collect some few good thoughts and ideas or just to gaze at the trees or flowers to get your mind of some problems or worries.
Our patio is also perfect to entertain our guest where we can seat down and have some conversations. Our patio dining furniture is always a place to serve coffee, juice or whatever we feel like giving to our guests. There are days where I gather also my girl friends for chit-chats and showing off our new bags or talk about your hobbies in the weekend. It’s always fun when you’re with your friends who shares common interests. You don’t need to be in the mall or posh restos for meet ups because your patio in your homes are much more welcoming and relaxing.
I always love to have loveseat sofas in our patio and here is what I found while browsing at Outdora. Sure looks attractive and I surely can match it up with a coffee table or another sofa for a more inviting area to seat down with friends. I have seen aluminum, wrought iron, sling back and glider styles but I think I liked this cushion sofa more, and it’s red! Attractive even at a distance. 
If you want summery, nature or native looking piece of furniture in your patio or any corner outside your home then this wicker patio furniture can fit in there. Just don’t forget to make your guests relax and feel welcome in your homes coz for sure they’ll love to visit you again.
21
Mar
2010
How To Fix Firefox 3.6 to Open New Tabs in Far Right
I just recently installed Firefox 3.6 about a week ago here at my laptop and I was bothered and annoyed when I tried to open a tab it will open immediately after the open tab and not at the far right which I prefer. Having experienced that I was hesitant to download it on my desktop but fortunately I was able to research on Firefox forum about this minor problem of mine and here’s How To Fix Firefox 3.6 to Open New Tabs in Far Right:
It’s actually very easy to follow:
1. On the address bar: type in about:config and a message will appear “This might void your warranty” , just click the “I’ll be careful, I promise!” button.
2. On the filter box, type in tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent
3. Right click on it and click the TOGGLE
Voila tabs will now open on the far right. !!
21
Mar
2010
Home Security Systems
Everyday we are vulnerable to all different kinds security threats on the streets, on our office, at the malls and even at the comforts of our home. Bad elements or crooks or plain thieves sometimes really don;t care if they can kill or harm people just to get money or whatever they wanted.
These days more establishments, companies, hotels, malls and even some houses install security systems like putting CCTV or security cameras to capture any bad incidents that will happen.
21
Mar
2010
Halo Headlights and more..
These days more car owners particularly men love to have their car personalized for a more distinct look and that will stand out from the rest of other cars. I know they have this certain ego and pride when they drive their cars. It’s something that they want to show off and something to brag about among their male friends. Some may put new mug wheels, steering wheels and more.
Others put halo headlights that can grab any attention. You can find halo headlights from CARiD in Crystal Clear, JDM Black, Platinum Smoke, and more which is also easy to install. Check ourt their site for more details and find out other car accessories that you’ll be needing.