Sunday, January 17, 2010

I Just Clicked 'Next Blog' and It's Pretty Cool Too

Why is it that now that school has begun, I feel compelled to write so god-damn much?! Studying abstract math must stir up the writer bug in me. Man I'm weird!

Anyway, I was at founding member Janet's facebook page and read this amazing conversation she had with her friends about temperature settings at their home. Part of what I find amazing is how difficult this conversation would have been before social networking sites, especially when contrasted with how easy it is now. When I reconnected with a Middle School buddy of mine, George, (http://faithfool.wordpress.com), he commented that "finally fb becomes useful," which he said because he and I never should have lost touch, being kindred spirits, and then boom - here we both appear, and can reconnect easily. In any other historical era of humanity, this wouldn't have been nearly as likely or even possible for two people whose paths diverged so long ago. Also, I read Joseph Campbell and learn that stories create our very identities; I see TV being replaced by individuals writing their own stories with peer-networks; I see politics completely failing because of money and television; then I see a post like this where my friend Janet gets useful, socially constructed truths, on a simple fundamental subject which happens to be near and dear to all Alaskan's hearts this time of year: how hot should a house be?

Here is the copy of her conversation, shamefully stolen without permission because the internet is free-wheelin' like that:

Janet L. Steinhauser

Janet L. Steinhauser Thermostat wars. What do you have yours set at? (need some data) :)

Yesterday at 3:23pm · ·
Aline Hopkins
Yesterday at 3:28pm
Russ Kendall
Russ Kendall
55 at night, 64 during the day, off while we're at work/school.
Yesterday at 3:35pm
Janet L. Steinhauser
Janet L. Steinhauser
Russ, I may have to delete your comment. ;) wow. you are of hardy stock.
Yesterday at 3:41pm
Donna Reindl-Mathis
Donna Reindl-Mathis
60 so I don't go nuts when I see the electric bill
Yesterday at 3:43pm
Denise Szott
Denise Szott
68 daytime; 63 or 64 night
Yesterday at 3:46pm
Patti Lounder Kaszuba
Patti Lounder Kaszuba
69 when home, 60 at night. but we also have a toasty woodstove going when we are home :)
Yesterday at 3:48pm
Scott Waterman
Scott Waterman
Me - 68 or 69, Julia - 71-73. 64 at night
Yesterday at 3:56pm
Karla Powell
Karla Powell
What Russ said. Mostly to keep He Who Must Be Obeyed happy (apologies to John Mortimer). I can add clothes, is the thinking (although there are limits). The heated mattress pad has made a world of difference.
Yesterday at 3:57pm
Scott Waterman
Scott Waterman
Se the photo album on my page called "Our Weekend" you might see the difference between us on our thinking here.
Yesterday at 3:59pm
Paula Dobbyn
Yesterday at 4:10pm
Sarah Hansen
Sarah Hansen
Major thermostat wars in my house. Who ever would have known that southerners liked their houses so cold!!! I finally put a ceramic heater in my room to keep it warmer than the rest of the house.
Yesterday at 4:11pm
Sandy Vallin Heinsz
Sandy Vallin Heinsz
71 but I'd prefer 73- I'm always freezing. This has been a 25 year battle.
Yesterday at 4:12pm
Rick Resnick
Yesterday at 4:16pm
Scott Waterman
Scott Waterman
So in Anchorage, at current prices, wood and natural gas are about the same cost per 1000 btu's. Oil is three times more, electric is 5 times more. for every three degrees you drop consistently in temperature, you save about 1% on your bill.
Yesterday at 4:20pm
Debby Retherford
Debby Retherford
70 daytime (under protest from the husband) 63 at night and while away at work. But a fire in the fireplace all evening gives me a place to stand when I need to drive the chill away.
Yesterday at 4:26pm
Tracy Dallas Rawl
Tracy Dallas Rawl
So funny....Vince keeps turning it to 74 (!!!) and I am constantly behind him, changing it to 69 or 70. Thank goodness we live in Texas, although it has been a bit chilly here recently!
Yesterday at 5:00pm
SallyRose Anderson
SallyRose Anderson
We haven't figured our thermostat out yet. The people before us programmed a ZILLION setting into it. It defaults to 68 at random times. And at 3am. We change it to 74 every time we notice. Oh - also - I swear out house has zero insulation.
Yesterday at 5:11pm
Penny Tovsen Groth
Penny Tovsen Groth
Depends on what is going on outside. This drafty old house has a hard time staying warm when it is windy. I like it about 72. However, the thermostat needed to be set around 80 to keep the house at 60 degrees with the last wind storm. I need to replace the front doors, and I think someone forgot to caulk around the windows when they were replaced last year.
Yesterday at 5:15pm
Matt Stevens
Matt Stevens
70+ when we are home. Mid 60's at night.
Yesterday at 5:18pm
Diane Hirshberg
Diane Hirshberg
67 daytime, 63 night
Yesterday at 6:12pm
Lisa Gonzales Ives
Lisa Gonzales Ives
well...our house is not normal when it comes to heating so it is usually between 57-65...insanity!
Yesterday at 6:39pm
Melissa DeVaughn
Melissa DeVaughn
67 daytime, 65 night -- would try lower at night but cold-blooded hubby won't cooperate.
Yesterday at 7:23pm
Julia O'Malley
Julia O'Malley
70, it's drafty, so it's not that warm. Need to get a programmable thermostat.
Yesterday at 7:32pm
Kirsten Schultz Brogan
Kirsten Schultz Brogan
I love this string! 65 when we're home and awake. 60 when we're gone or asleep. (I actually prefer 70, but we're both thrifty so there's a lot of fleece-wearing going on.)
Yesterday at 8:11pm
Kirsten Schultz Brogan
Kirsten Schultz Brogan
So, Janet, how about yours?! :)
Yesterday at 8:12pm
Jennifer Schultz
Jennifer Schultz
70-72 (even when we aren't living in base housing) If I had a programmable I would make adjustments for overnight and day....
Yesterday at 8:28pm
Stephanie Komarnitsky
Stephanie Komarnitsky
61 at night. 65-67 for when we are home. We have a programmable.
Yesterday at 8:39pm
Parker Longbough
Parker Longbough
One green round of birch at the end of the night, right before bedtime.
Yesterday at 10:05pm
Karen Aleksa
Karen Aleksa
And an electric heater set on medium.
Yesterday at 10:11pm
Christine Bennett
Yesterday at 10:17pm
Ynez Slaymaker
Ynez Slaymaker
63 and I still step outside regularly to cool off.
Yesterday at 11:19pm
Rhonda Smith Cason
Rhonda Smith Cason
While at home during the day 71. Not at home 68. Night 63.
9 hours ago
Carol Picon
Carol Picon
68 ... and wearing a sweater.
7 hours ago
Jill Guttman
Jill Guttman
68 while sleeping and when cold, little jolts of 75 + but it gets too hot if left that high... good luck in the war.... We have a dual control electric blanket too... : )
5 hours ago
Janet L. Steinhauser
Janet L. Steinhauser
For YEARS our programmable was 65 at night, 68 in the evening when home, and 55 for Daisy during the day. Now the HBMIM(hot blooded man I married) wants 65 all the time. I have relented. Compromise is the art of marriage.
5 hours ago
Janet Harte Nesius
4 hours ago
Anne Raup
Anne Raup
57 at night and 59 during the day. But that's not the whole story - the wood stove burns for most of the morning (thanks in part to YOUR beetlekill!), resulting in around 63-ish in the main part of the house. We do warm it up for company:)
3 hours ago
Stephen Gingrich
Stephen Gingrich
Don't have one.
2 hours ago
Ed Bennett
Ed Bennett
Janet this is the best Question! What great responses.
2 hours ago

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