LED 48 inch fluorescent vs LED bulbs

18.11.22: How do the new LED 4 foot tubes compare to established fluorescent tubes? 

I have included this chart indication local information on both types of 4ft tubes.
 

My question, before getting into this analysis, was the ROI ... what is the payback period?


Suppliers are smart enough to bypass the need to change/remove existing ballasts which means simple remove/replace works. 

We do lag behind the USA in cost and variety but the variety of LEDS is growing and prices will reduce.

It was difficult to find a true comparison of fluorescent vs LED for Canada but BC Hydro has something I can come close to agreeing with (check the bottom line of the chart).
It indicates annual energy cost of LEDs is about a third of fluorescents.
At BC Hydro rates, a home owner might save between $12 and $20 per year for each LED used.

When you consider the cost of the 4ft LEDs tubes are $12 to $16 (see chart - Home Depot), it is quickly apparent LEDs can pay for themselves in as short a time a one year. 

I had been thinking it might be best to use up my 28 fluorescents before switching to LEDs but, if this analysis holds up,  I should start the replacement now (even if the payback is 2 years)!

One concern about using the existing fluorescent fixtures is the ballasts are necessary with the replacement LEDs. I can live with this (although there is a hum in some of mine) but would prefer LEDs that bypass the existing ballast. They have them in the USA so they may be coming here soon.
My lesser concern about LEDs is will they last the stated timeframe and how easy is it to get replacements if they don't?

Is there something I have missed? 
Do you have comments and/or suggestions?

Do you have other references that may increase the accuracy of a 4ft LED/fluorescent tube comparison?

Statins - are they for you?

18.04.04: I just watched a documentary "Cholesterol: the Great Bluff" and was quite surprised by what it had to say about STATINS.

Unfortunately, it leads to poor conclusions on the role of statins to the general population.

I have been on statins for over 20 years. For the first few years, joint pain occurred, so i was reduced in dosage. My cholesterol level goes up and down slightly but remains well within tolerance levels.

What I have been noticing, in the last few years, is slight vision loss, slight memory loss, and feeling weaker and less enthusiastic about exercise. The documentary refers to some of these as possible statin impacts ... not just getting older. 

Apparently, the current research (last 20 years) indicates trying to manage cholesterol with statins (to avoid heart attacks and strokes) may has a negative impact on your liver (80% of cholesterol is produced by your liver and intestines - the remainder is from the foods you consume) and, although unconfirmed at this time, may be a contributor to NAFLD (liver disease - which a third of Americans don't know they have).
This Harvard article indicates there may be a relationship between statins and memory loss and type 2 diabetes.
This newspaper article (which, IMO, resulted in fake news) indicates statins cause weight gain and diabetes. 

It does seem that statins are beneficial to those who have had a heart attack or stroke.

In Summary

After doing some unbiased research, I have come to understand you cannot trust any group to present completely unbiased results.
I also have concluded the medical profession (including scientists) do not fully understood the connection between cholesterol and heart disease.

I may reduce or eliminate statins over the next couple of years, unless very compelling evidence (not funded by big pharma) gives me doubt. If I do, I will report results as an update to this blog item.

If you are on statins, ask your doctor and cardiologist their position on statins for you. Millennials may want a second cardiologist opinion.

p.s. I have had shingles and it permanently reduced vision in my right eye. For those over 50, have you had your first Shingrix shot yet? 

Alectra - TOU vs APP

18.03.12: Alectra (was called PowerStream) in our area of Ontario has just introduced a follow-on to the original Advantage Power Pricing (APP) risk-free trial pgm.

The APP has been replaced with a "Dynamic Plan" which has slight advantages over Time-of-Use (TOU) but not as advantaeous as the original APP pgm.

As you can see (in side chart - click to enlarge), there are savings to be made if you choose to avoid higher cost times.

With the original APP pgm, you were never at risk of exceeding TOU costs.
With the new Dynamic Plan, it is up to you to choose to save or not.

You can save up to 25% of the TOU cost by being selective.

With the new plan, the lowest rate (4.9 cents) is charged 9PM to 3PM.
With TOU, the lowest rate (6.5 cents) is charged 7PM to 7AM.

The additional incentive to move to the Dynamic Plan is you can receive a smart thermostat (Nest, Ecobee, etc) for free.

If you already have one of these (as we do), you can receive a $75 incentive.  

Transition to the new Dynamic Plan from APP

Comparison of TOU to the new Dynamic Plan

Access to your Alectra Portal

To register your thermostat (and receive $75) - click "sign up"

to book appointment for free thermostat installation (save $200)

For other Dynamic Plan FAQ inquiries

MyUHN

18.03.08: (modified 18.3.12) Finally, access to the medical system for people using the Toronto University Network.

It has been a long time coming ... and will continue to improve ... until we can share our medical records anywhere in Canada!

When you next go to a Toronto UHN facility, ask the Information Desk where to get your access to the UHN portal.
The Information people will send you to the Registration desk where you will be given your Registration Code. Take only a few minutes.

IMO, it is very important that each patient does this ASAP. We need to indicate our need for open health information access!  

Think about it. If you happen to be in Vancouver and have a medical problem, wouldn't you want instant web access to your medical status and wouldn't you want to see your CURRENT information?

You may have noticed I find this quite exciting ... a long time coming!

But, somehow, I sense the medical profession (and provincial/federal govts) may not be as excited...

Let's be pro-active and encourage our "systems" to support "need for immediate information". 

With your registration code, you have access to everything related to you in the UHN system ... including your schedule of appointments...your Results, Reports ... and more (coming soon)...

GreenON - have you looked into it?

18.01.06: The GreenON program is meant to help Ontario homeowners reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Their program involves buying one of the identified wi-fi thermostats and then a GreenON analysis is completed, by their people, to outline what changes should be considered.
I ch
I am looking forward to what GreenON advises after their visit.



I bought an ECOBEE thermostat (ecobee3 lite Smart Bundle with two added room sensors). One sensor for our bedroom and one for the grandkids bedroom. These sensors allow you to indicate temperature control is with either sensor or the main thermostat. We will use the senors for sleep time only.

The associated android app is very easy to use and Helen seems to find it easy also.
We were on the APP project offered by Alectra but found it only saved approx $40/year and was difficult to adjust and manage the wi-fi access.

Bottom line:
The best part is there are two rebates to reduce the cost of the thermostat by $200.
The secondary benefit is ease of use.

Trump's Tweets

18.01.06: You knew this would happen.
Early on, before he was elected (surprise, surprise!), he began ti use Twitter with ridiculous tweets that the average person would suspect couldn't be from someone who has made a lot of money.
Isn't it funny, how we think making money relates to intelligence??

This will definitely become much larger (and stranger) than the inventory of Harper items, but I encourage you to do a review of the oddities to-date (especially in the last 24 hours).

This site will continue (as long as there isn't a presidential decree) to log each and every "gem of wisdom" from DT.
Here is the last one uttered by this "genius".
What is particularly strange is the number of "likes".
If you find the time, take a look at some of the retweets. Strange country...

 

Presto - Toronto Transit card

17.06.26: Is it just me or is this the strangest credit type card ever?

I received a card about a year ago and still cannot use it.

As a very infrequent user, I have tried registering it a few times and tried adding funds a few times.

As it turns out, because I still have not physically used the card, it won't show funds added. And because I haven't used it in 30 days, I needed to register again.

Here is what I now understand the process to be:

1. sign up online (the only easy step)

2. load the card (add funds to the card online)

3. you won't see any funds added, as you haven't physically used the card

4. USE THE CARD (must be done - after 24 hours and within 30 days - or card will become deactivated and you must start again)

As I have no idea when I will use the card, they have one exception (for people like me). You can tap the card without any/enough funds and it will be accepted once ... thereby activating (completing the registration) the card.

MX-5 RF GT 2017

17.03.20 Received this little 2-seater Feb 13th. It is the launch edition (only 1000 available for pre-purchase).

It all started with an email from Mazda in November adveretising the limited availability of their new MX-5 for 2017.

My current MX-5 suited me verey nicely but it was now 10 years old.
More importantly, i was at the age where a new car is probably my last car purchase.

Normally, I would have been quite happy to continue with my 2007 MX-5, as it suited me and was in excellent condition.

However, five items peaked my interest in a replacement:
1. The fact the launch edition was limited,
2. The characteristics could be quite unique and interesting (specific later in this blog item),
3. I could customize my vehiclr yo my tastes,
4. Could I get a good price on a trade-in,
5. I could easily retrieve my refundable $500 deposit.

Having invested very little, I customized and placed the order:
1. GT version
2. Nappa leather
3. Brembo brakes
4. my personal external colour (blue reflex mica)
5. Launch edition with black top and black rear view mirrors

I was now waiting to see what would be delivered and fully aware it would not be good enough to proceed ... two nagging concerns were convertible vs targa and head room.

Early February and I was advised, by my local Mazda dealer, "my car" would be delivered to the dealership in one week. They actually showed me a picture of my vehicle being off-loaded from a ship in Vancouver (complete with the VIN).

No problem, as I knew my deposit was refundable and It would come down to my comfort level, a performance test and total cost.

As you might anticipate, the dealership wanted to confirm payment
arrangements prior to arrival of the vehicle ... and i complied (knowing I could extricate myself from the agreement easily).

The car arrived and I took it for a test drive and was delighted.

OK, I am now on the purchase path.

The first and only problem was it was the wrong colour from my pre-launch purchase order agreement.

The dealership agreed to waive the additional cost of the external colour  and we completed the deal.

Specifics of this Vehicle:

1. unique colour scheme (black top and black rear view mirrors)
2. GT (Grand Touring) version
3. Nappa leather
4. Brembo brakes
5. Only 50 available (in Canada)
I have now had the car for more than a month and continue to be pleased with performance characteristics (including lights, brakes, acceleration, balance, and technology).

Here is a utube video of a trek thru London at night

Electric Garage Door Opener - fixes

21.12.12: Your garage door opener has a malfunction (not working as it was) and you are wondering whether you should:
a. call someone to replace it
b. call someone to fix it -cheaply
c. replace it yourself (mainly, something foe retired guys to do)
d. try to fix it - inexpensively (something only DIY guys do)
e. decide to move to a condo - something all of us do, if we live long enough

For those with time on their hands and who think they might be able to actually fix this electronic device, the tools and other things you will need:
1. a philips (star) screwdriver
2. the troubleshooting section of the installation manual (the most important item)
3. a stepladder 
4. patience (something I have little of)

The Steps:

1. Review the troubleshooting section for the lights on the door sensors (the devices at the bottom of the door frame) and the main sensor (at the back of the device at the end of the long rod from your door). The easy things that are easily fixed are:
a. the door sensors are not aligned (one is green but

the other is flashing red)
b. the main sensor is blinking

The 'a' problem is caused by something is blocking the light path or someone hit one of the sensors to misalign it. Visually check the alignment and move a sensor until the red ligh stops blinking.

The 'b' problem is caused by something in the device (time to consider moving to a condo?).  
Time to call me, as your DIY skills will be tested (for example, one problem can be the "ribbon cable on

motor drive board (the device) is not properly inserted into connector on controller board").
This can be a simple solution but requires taking things off to expose the circuitry ... and then remembering the things to put back on.

Here is the problem I just had with two openers, after switching openers (to get rid of a 22 year old opener):

a. opener 'a' (mine, the newer one) works perfectly 

b. opener 'b' closes but doesn't open correctly (sensor lights not on and device green light blinking) ... the one that worked perfectly before, and is now used by my wife
c. switched openers, so I would have the problem ... and my wife wouldn't complain.
d. mine now works correctly again but my wife's wouldn't close ... a strange but significant problem
e. i decided her opener was unfixable (partly due to the sale CTC has for a $470 opener on sale for $200) and bought the sale opener

f. decided to take the time to review all troubleshooting details, before opening the on sale box     
g. discovered one door sensor wire had become disconnected on the device and the "ribbon cable" might have been not connected correctly.
h. unplugged the device and waited a few minute before re-plugging.
i. voila!

I will wait a few days, to be sure all is well, before returning the on sale spiffy new device.

Hopefully, one of them malfunctions ...

If you are having problems with your garage door opener and would like to discuss, give me a call or leave a comment on the blog.

Rogers - finding a channel

16.02.19: Have you ever tried to find a specific TV channel (such as NASA) where you have heard of a program and the 4 character code name but don't know the Rogers channel number?

A few years ago, before paperless billing, the Rogers site had this information in a downloadable file.
Along with a few other beneficial services, they no longer provide a searchable channel listing site.

However, here is how you locate their list of channels (not well advertised) and how to convert it to an excel file to arrange by channel number or descriptor:

1.using Internet Explorer browser only, go to Rogers.com (I'll elaborate on why you should only use this browser later) and sign in.
2. go to the bottom and click on Site Map
3. under Cable TV - Channels, click on Channels
4. down the screen, you will see What's Your City's Channel Lineup? 
5. click on Find my channel lineup and a bunch of pop-up box appears
6. select your city in the first insert box (to ensure HD channels are included)
7. a channel listing will appear
8. click on printer-friendly version and either print the channel listing file or save as a PDF (see pic)
9. if you print, try to use 2-sided print as there are 16 pages
10. If you save as PDF, you can refer to the listing (by channel number), if you find this helpful.

My problem is trying to understand what channel number corresponds to a descriptor (NBCSN for example), as i am constantly looking for a specific channel NAME. 
Rogers doesn't understand the consumer concerns and won't spend any time trying to encourage customer loyalty.  

How to free convert the PDF to an Excel file (for sorting)
To make this file really useful, Roger should provide two files (by descriptor and by number) but they don't want to be too customer helpful.
That may explain why, unlike any other communications company I have encountered, they have an extremely slow website and make it difficult to use if you prefer another browser than Internet Explorer.
Regardless which browser you use, their site is extremely slow to respond and not user-friendly to find what you are looking for (the channel lineup info is a great example).

1. do the steps above and save the channel listings as a PDF 
2. go to this site and convert the file to Office Excel and open it
   a. delete column C and reduce column B to ensure A and B fit on a page
 the Excel spreadsheet
   b. highlight the two columns 
   b. select Data and sub-function Sort and sort on column B


You now have an Excel spreadsheet by channel descriptor ... or I can send you the Excel file and you can save all these steps.

LifeLabs

16.01.10:  Have you visited one of these lately?

Apparently, all the labs in Ontario are being taken over by LifeLabs.





If you already use LifeLabs, you probably know you can book an appointment over the phone or online. Online will show the available times and you decide which time is right for you. You can also cancel and reschedule here.

You can also see previous appointments by clicking on Appointment History and then Previous.





Did you also know you can review/download the results of your tests (within 30 days) by selecting See My Results? 
You will be taken to the LifeLabs My Results login screen.
If your GP is like mine, you find it difficult to get specific details from them. 
The reports available on the LifeLabs results website are detailed and reviewing them ongoing will show how your specifics change over time.
In my opinion, it is important to understand which way (and with what speed) readings are changing.

If you are not registered on the results website, the first time, you will need to register.
To see your results, you will need the Lab Visit Number from your last lab tests.

Summer Tires

14.04.26: Article in the Toronto Star today on "Higher Speed Equals Better Performance".

I absolutely agree.

Good way to get the message across. 
The higher the speed/performance characteristics, the better the safety features.

It has to do with speed rating of the tire (which should be called performance rating instead).

Bottom line: Get safe summer and winter tires for your vehicle. By safe, I mean the best wet weather traction.

There are three types of tires: summer, winter, all-season.

Up until a few years ago, I was willing to live with all-season tires, to save money.
I have since become a full-supporter of summer and winter tires, and will never again use all-season ... purely for safety reasons. 

I was in a Midas shop a few days ago (replacing my MX-5 brake pads) and had a tire conversation with a knowledgeable (23 Midas years) employee.
He quickly suggested an excellent tire for my car and included the fact that my existing summer tires were manufactured more than 6 years ago. A valid point, if sidewall cracks are beginning to appear and mileage is high.

His price to replace my tires included tire storage (1st year), alignment every year, and wheel rotation every 10k miles.
I will checked with Costco, Green and Ross and Canadian Tire, before deciding.

Information you need to know before making a decision on replacement tires includes tire specifications and UTQG. 

I will use the tires I may buy, as a reference: Hankook Ventus V12 evo. 
The tire specification is 205/45ZR17 88Y which stands for width (205), depth (45), speed capability (Z - above 149mph), radial (R), and load range (88), Y (max speed - 186mph). 

I find TireRack to be a good site to determine tires for my car. Then I use CTC for tires available in Canada. Then I check with Green and Ross for competitive pricing.

There is also a general comparison rating (UTQG - Uniform Tire Quality Grade) all summer tires must adhere to which is very helpful in making your decision. Other tire types are not required to use this helpful standard ... another reason to switch to summer and winter tires.

The UTQG rating denotes treadwear, traction and temperature, which very important characteristics.

These tires are UTQG 280 AA A, which means very good mileage (30,000km), the best traction in wet, and very good high temperature performance. 30,000km is not good but should last 5 years.

So, in my situation, I don't need 186mph speed but I want a summer tire that will handle a lot of heat and maintain grip in wet .... at a good price. 

Another thing to consider is Road Hazard insurance. Well worth the expenditure.

The one aspect I have not mentioned is noise level. When you are ready to buy (and have some options), refer to online user reviews to determine what buyers think and how much noise is produced at highway speeds.

Impact of Terrorism to Canada

15.11.19: I am wondering what you think of ramifications of current terrorism activities to our government refugee actions. 

Some statistics:

Canada has fewer refugees per capita than 33 other countries

Imports: Wixipedia stats show the world (by asylum) has 7.3b people and 10.4m refugees, Canada has .16m refugees, China has .3m, India has .2m, USA has .45m, Russia has .04m, Germany has .57m, France has .2m, UK has .2m.
Jordan has the most at 2.5m, Pakistan has 2.3m, Turkey has 1.6m, Syria has 1.25m, Lebanon has 1.2m, Iran 1m. 

Exports: Wixipedia stats by origin (in descending order), Palestine at 6.6m, Syria at 4.1m, Iraq at 1.4m, Somalia at 1.1m, Sudan at .5m.


Simply by the data alone, some idiot might suggest the smarter countries may be the exporters and not the importers.

Also, the data might suggest the USA is correct in being very analytical about who they accept.

It is difficult to fight the concern that countries should be be accurate in who they accept as refugees.

What do you think?

Solar Panels On Our Home

15.12.10: I am very disappointed to let you know our insurance company is not aligned with solar initiatives that are not within the microFIT umbrella.

There are studies on solar power that show roof tops will eventually provide a very high percentage of total electric power in developed and undeveloped countries.

This PowerStream pilot provides a very low level of risk and minimal cost ($20/mo) to home owners to enter the solar power clean energy generation of the future. The real benefits of the pilot are free installation of solar system, free electricity and personal reduced environmental impact.

The PowerStream Power.House pilot pgm is full at this time but, as with other PowerStream pilots (REM and APP are ones you should seriously consider), will probably expand within a year or two.
Hopefully, we are with another insurance company at that time.

For any of you who have an opportunity to partake in a PowerStream (or other power company) solar pilot, I encourage you to take a serious look. 
  

15.11.07: Finally, an opportunity has come up to enter the solar panel era.

PowerStream introduced a solar Power House pilot a few weeks ago and we have been approved.

Not that I am a fan of power companies but PowerStream has impressed me over the last few years with their pilots (which I have enrolled in). 

I am currently a member of their APP (Advantage Power Pricing) pilot, saving electricity cost by managing week-day 3-9pm usage.  

Their solar pilot is about to get under way with 20 homes (from Markham to Barrie). There is still opportunity, if you use PowerStream, to join the pilot.

We have been accepted into the pilot, pending our insurance company agreeing.

Installation of solar panels, battery and electronics will occur in next 10 days. 

If all works as I suspect, we could end up with a net saving of approx $4,000 over 5 years, as well as being an energy provider rather than energy user.   

Vehicle tires - all-season vs all-weather

15.10.14 (revised 15.10.28): Have you ever wondered what tires to buy for your vehicle?

I was at CTC today and someone asked me about what the best way to go for their vehicle?

It dawned on me I wasn't really aware of the difference between all-season and all-weather ... not that I would use either.

My preference, after much online review/analysis, is summer tires and winter tires.

There are various summer tires that are very good in wet conditions and are not really expensive.
This is the tire used on our Honda Civic for the last few years. It is built to handle rain very well and be very quiet.






There are a few excellent winter tires and it depends on your preference for snow or ice conditions.
My preference is ice.
Here is the newer model of tire I use on my cars. 
However, newer doesn't mean better.
The Xi2 winter tire (previous version) is better (approx same price) and should be purchased if available. 
The Xi2 can be purchased at Canadian Tire, Green+Ross, and Kaltire.

After additional review, I have gained an appreciation for the nordic all-weather tires available.
All-weather is a designation for winter tires you can use year round.

I understand and appreciate the need to manage expenditures, if you really cannot afford both summer and winter tires and wheels for both ... and storage costs.

My preference still is summer and winter tires, as safety is my primary concern, and nothing works better in wet summer conditions than an excellent summer tire with excellent wet tire braking. Always look for the wet braking rating on summer tires.

Having said this, if you really need need to economize (and risk a little safety), these Nokian all-weather tires seems to be the most highly rated tires that are not specifically winter only tires.

Iran watch

15.04.17: ever wondered what Iran is doing currently? How the world sees them?
Is there a special site that documents the current view other countries have if Iran?

There is a site www.iranwatch.org/about-us and you might be surprised what Iran continues to do to keep the west off balanced.

Harper must be Concerned - Canadians Prefer a Carbon Tax

14.12.01: In the Toronto Star Nov 28th, a recent survey indicates 88% of Canadians want Canada to commit to "significant new actions" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ... and 84% want our government to show more leadership. 

Harper is finally under pressure to accept climate change impact by fossil fuels...and stop supporting Alberta shale oil development.
Now that USA and China have entered into an environmental agreement, he will have increased pressure to step up.
But I expect he will continue to indicate non-compliance as long as any significant country is not on-board (Australia and India).

Tim Harper was at Stephen Harper again today in the Toronto Star. 
An excellent read! 

It seems many journalists are increasing their complaints against Harper's policies.

Let's spread the word. Environmentally, it is time for a change in govt as any change is better than what we now have.
  

World Community Grid - helping cancer research

09.21.14: This site is a combined effort of Harvard university researchers and IBM to support the work on cancer treatment, solar energy research, and AIDS research.
Together with many PCs around the world, it performs the workeffort of a supercomputer ... at minimal impact to all contributors.
The article in the Toronto Star today provides more information.
This is an excellent (and cost effective) way to contribute to a few worthwhile projects.




When you go to the World Community Grid site, you will need to click on the Join Now" to install the software on your PC and select the project(s) you wish to run when you are not using your PC. 




When the app has been installed, you will see this screen on your desktop. 
It will start each time you start your PC but only run when you are not using your PC.

Using your PC this way does not mean you need to leave it running any longer than you normally do.
If you happen to leave it unattended for a while, the WCG application will make use of it's computing resources at minimal expense to you. 

Once you become a member, you will be able to review your contribution to the project(s), by signing in on the main site.






Isn't it a great way to help valuable research progress faster than it normally would!

Citronella vs DEET ... and Health Canada

14.09.01: Somethings about government really get me concerned.

Health Canada has decided Citronella (a natural product) is bad for you and you should use DEET instead!

The problem is it is a natural product and is not bad for you...but those who develop Citronella product are not large corporations who can afford to spend the $1M on animal testing to PROVE it is better than DEET!

Perhaps I am missing the obvious ... retail sales, in Canada (governed by the conservatives) are to be reserved for big business only?

I am expecting most sensible Canadians to now find a way to purchase Citronella from the USA, as we all know DEET isn't good for your children.

I will do more research and outline ways to purchase online in the future.

Time sleepy Canadians made noise about the tar-sands

14.06.22:  Back in early 2011, I made some noise on this blog about the tar sands project our PM is in full support of. 
Very little has changes, in his eyes, since then.
He must be looking for a senior mgmt position with an Alberta oil company when he is kicked out of office (next election, hoperfully).

Our federal govt approved the northern gateway pipeline this month

Fortunately, a lot of Canadians have spoken up and created a list of objections that must be satisfied before the project begins.
Mulcair and Trudeau have promised an NDP or Liberal government would nullify Harper’s go-ahead for Northern Gateway.

I don't know if you are aware of Avaaz.org and their efforts to raise concern about those issues affecting all Canadians.
I am a big supported, to date.

This latest tar sands item from Avaaz should be supported by all non oil-related Canadians.
It is in all Canadian's best interest to read in detail and pass on via email, twitter, facebook, etc, to all those you know.

Lawn in April - what to do?

14.04.20: Our lawns look dead this time of year ... but a little rain will change the colour to green quickly.

Did a little research and found there is a little problem applying grass seed and fertilizer at the same time.

Home Depot had Weed n Feed on at a good price and they all have grass seed available right now.

What to do first ... and now?

Based on the research, it appears grass seed is first (now), if your lawn needs it.
If not, the best fertilizer at this time of year appears to be a something in the 20-0-5 to 20-5-10 range.

My Weed n Feed should be saved until after the new grass has appeared, as it tend to stop new grass along with stopping weeds.