tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17498303.post7292670707033344615..comments2023-03-26T15:31:23.845+08:00Comments on The Body Friendly Zen Cookbook: What Price Convenience?teddlesrusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638710353431154925noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17498303.post-10068229613461647102008-10-08T17:36:00.000+08:002008-10-08T17:36:00.000+08:00Hiya, thank you for the clarification, I guess I s...Hiya, thank you for the clarification, I guess I skipped a few mental leaps when reading the article, and it's always good to get the real nitty-gritty. <BR/><BR/>I'm in Western Australia, where we're still in the grip of a steadily worsening drought that has been with us for 20 years or more. Farmers are doing it tough, water resources dwindling, and weather not always so predictable or beneficial... hehehehe so the idea of conserving water is MEGA attractive to me, but I'm also warning people to weigh carefully - will their investment in money and the resources Cyber used to build each controller, will they be balanced by the saving of water (and the ecological cost of transferring it around the country, etc) or will one outweigh the other? <BR/><BR/>Sorry if I sounded like I was raining on the unit, I'm actually a convert to using timers because it prevents that 3AM "OMG is that sprinkler still on?" moment... <BR/><BR/>If and when it becomes available in Australia (and I'm no longer on the road, hopefully settled on a little plot of land someplace) I'll be using a decent autmatable watering system and if the Cyber-Rain is still around I will definitely consider it. <BR/><BR/>Last question, if I might?<BR/><BR/>Because, I can't speak for other places but weather conditions here are what you might call unfriendly to vegetation. If the weather forecast for rain is out by a day, that will totally kill many plants. <BR/><BR/>For example, due to the poor soil at a house I lived at, a young fig tree required watering morning and evening. One day of missing the watering because it looked like raining and the tree heat stressed and dropped all the leaves and fruit. Temperatures over 100F are commonplace, watering is pretty tight, and the sandy soil just drains away the water. (Yes, I improved the sand with organic matter and water crystals and now the tree is much hardier - but there are still plants that can't afford a slipped weather report.)<BR/><BR/>So the question is: If the weather forecast is pear shaped (which often happens) are there any local sensors (humidity, rainfall, temperature) to fall back on? If not, plans to add? And perhaps add some way of controlling that from the PC application part of the suite? <BR/><BR/>And one last thought: Many small farms don't use a controller because they are also on water bores which are a limited flow rate, so they can only water until the level drops to a certain point, then the bore pump shuts off. Maybe leave a spare input for a bore/tank level sensor too?teddlesrusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05638710353431154925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17498303.post-80008247618082126372008-10-08T17:12:00.000+08:002008-10-08T17:12:00.000+08:00Hi there... Thanks for looking into the Cyber-Rai...Hi there... <BR/><BR/>Thanks for looking into the Cyber-Rain (full disclosure: I work there). <BR/><BR/>I have three comments on your analysis... <BR/><BR/>1) I think you're underestimating the financial benefits of a cyber-rain unit. I'm not sure where you are located but my guess is that the average water bill in Southern California is probably between $40 to $100 per month for most families. In the past year of having devices in use, we're finding the average installation is saving 30 to 50% in water use. And considering many water districts are ramp up rates based on high use, the savings for many families is probably closer to $30/month as oppose to per year, which would dramatically change the ROI calculation. <BR/><BR/>2) You over-estimate the amount of computer time required for the cyber-rain. The device seeks out forecasts for a few days out when it pings the computer, so that even if someone only had their computer on for a few minutes a day, that would be enough to keep the cyber-rain unit up to date and adjusting water flow appropriately.<BR/><BR/>3) While a kill switch on a controller could make a difference, it's not just after rain that the Cyber-Rain can help save water. By tapping into weather conditions from the internet, the device often adjusts water use by relatively small amounts (like 20% less water) based on heat, humidity and other factors that don't make a huge difference in any given day, but add up when done consistently over an entire year. <BR/><BR/>I'm not here to turn you into one of the converted, but rather, I'm just hoping to offer a different perspective on how the benefits benefits can add up much quicker quicker than you're suggesting in this post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com