converting a music CD to MP3 files

Have you ever wanted to listen to one of your music CDs on your MP3/iPhone/iPod player?
By using iTunes, you can easily import the CD to your computer and then copy the MP3s to your portable player. 


See pic (left-click to enlarge) for instructions.


It may not be important, but I changed the CD Import setting to create the MP3s at 320kbps (highest quality). See/incorporate into step 2.


iTunes saves your tunes in a folder you may not find easily, if you didn't know to look in Preferences -> Advanced. You might want to change this folder, when setting up iTunes.


If you need more help with this, let me know, or submit a comment to this blog. 

MicroFIT - power to solar!

OPA seems to be - slowly - getting the message but a lot more incentive is required.

01/13/10 - Berkeley California seems to be one of the cities actively looking into methods of reducing the shock of solar home installations.
There is a plan being implemented in a few cities to soften the blow of installation with a 20 year low-interest payback plan ... to encourage home owners to get into the self-sufficiency mode. I am optimistic Ontario will rise to the challenge, at some time.


Why not install a system to generate all the electricity you require for your home and have some left over to feed into the power grid to reduce your costs ... if your municipality subsidizes your good efforts?


Stay tuned. I feel confident more effort will be made to encourage Ontario home owners to get involved ... without the installation shock.
   
12/17/09 - Ever thought of placing solar panels on your roof?
The Ontario gov't is helping offset some of the costs ... and you get to contribute energy back into the power grid!


The Ontario Power Authority's website has all the details.


The microFIT pgm Overview has details to better understand what a home project  would generate in excess electrical energy. Page 5 has  tools (RETscreen and PV Watts) to help you understand these aspects.
The PV Watts calculator (here is Toronto - looks like a profit of 10 cents per kWh delivered to the grid) indicates the estimated annual energy production and cost savings for a crystalline silicon PV system.


More on this (installation cost, ROI, etc), as I get a little deeper in the details.


Have you looked into and/or have details on any aspect?

Discarding fluorescent and buying CFL dimmers

Now that we have converted to fluorescent and discarded all our incandescents, we will need to know how to get rid of the burnt out lights (after many years use).
In Markham, there are 4 depots you can take them to.

Did you know, they now have dimmer CFLs ... no excuse now for those chandeliers with dimmer switches (not the small base variety).
Yes, I know they are quite expensive ... but they may last as long as 20 years!

The best rust protection for cars

(left-click to enlarge a pic)

When I purchased my MX-5 last month, I decided to try to improve the rust protection already on the car.

I had noticed Helen's car has an electronic device that is guaranteed for the life of the car (by Honda).

I checked with Honda and it would cost approx $800 to buy/install.

I did some forum research on the Web and was surprised by how well it appeared to work after quite a few years. As luck would have it, Canadian Tire had a device (CounterAct) on sale that week ($300 buy/install) with the same lifetime guarantee. I take the car back to CTC for a check each year (no charge).

Let see how long it does the job...  

Copenhagen summit - a failure - what's next?

01/13/10 - Time for border taxes? 
A positive step must occur soon! This economics Nobel prize winner (in the Star today) has an approach that might work ... if only countries could see the value.
Instead of wasting billions on unprofitable companies, why not invest in saving a dying planet?






 12/19/09 - As has been said before ... "a lot to do about nothing".

This summit mtg was a bust!
These 'heads of state' should be embarrassed for creating a lot of CO2 and making no progress. Another boondoggle...


The 'resulting agreement' is a draft to re-look at  things without committing to anything. 
350.org is also not happy about the progress ... 

approx 770ppm of CO2 instead of 350ppm. Can't keep the temperature increase below 1.5 degrees with that commitment.






12/17/09 - Well I guess nothing of substance ia going to happen in Denmark ... so says the Star today. 
Harper is not participating, as we had hoped.
The world leaders don't appear to want to be leaders. 
Are you surprised?
After all, why should they consider others, when their personally well-being is at stake?


They seem to have decided to not take the necessary steps to restrict temperature increase to only 2 degrees (20B tonnes per year vs expected 90B) by 2050.
It appears scientists will now need to accurately specify exactly what will happen each year as greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) continues to rise.


If the most ambitious plans under discussion were agreed to, the increase in GGE would be triple the "acceptable" level (2 degree temperature rise) by 2050.

This chart outlines the key sticking points at the conference . Seems to be like immature children ... "I won't play unless the others treat me as special".
Harper is a total embarrassment ... to-date.



One of the significant points at Copenhagen is to take immediate steps to stop rainforest destruction. This is now a world-wide mgmt responsibility! 
This article (Star today) speaks of the obvious - PLANT TREES. Seems to be another aspect of government now being overlooked.


May be time for cities and provinces/states to take action and embarrass federal gov'ts into action.




12/02/09 - There is a lot of build up to this summit meeting. 
Various articles in the Toronto Star highlight the reticence of our federal leader (does he really represent the majority?) to promote Canada's enthusiastic adoption of global warming reductions.


Are we in for a Canadian surprise next week? 


For some reason, I am optimistic ... maybe it's the scotch martini (my own concoction to soften the Harper oil sands conundrum) and the Everly Brothers Greatest Hits are responsible.


Follow the action at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.