Great Instructions to Take with a Pinch of Salt Hunt

Atlantic

Jambala wrote: »

I don't know if you've ever seen the programme 'Mythbusters' on Discovery, but they tested this myth and determined that the amount of energy used in the initial 'burst' did not justify keeping the light switched on. I seem to remember that ~20 seconds of light was equal to the power used by the burst.

The argument was not about the cost of electric, but that the life of the tube is shortened by every start.
Thus the cost of a new tube was part of the arithmetic.

Raksha

Love-a-bargain wrote: »

If you're out at a pub and you're not drinking alcoholic drinks (maybe designated driver?) then a soda water and lime is a cheap option rather than paying out pounds for orange juices and fizzy colas etc. After all, it's only fizzy water really. My local charges only **25p** for a half a soda water and lime (the soda comes out of that tap thing they use) and the lime is one shot of cordial. Its not many places you can get a drink that cheap these days! Happy xmas everyone x

Be careful and ensure the pub has soda on tap - a bottle of soda water with lime is a lot more expensive

lincoln_dj

megsykins wrote: »

Similarly, I've been told that in a continually-used area it's better to leave the light always on than flick on / off - esp flourescent tubes as they require a burst of initial energy.
Also, when driving, if you're going over 80km/ph it's more fuel efficient to have the air-con on than windows down as it causes drag.

the filament in an incandescent lightbulb is made from tungsten. when switched on the temperature is high enough for the tungsten to do what is known as 'creep'. that is time and temperature dependant deformation. the longer the bulb is on for, the more the filament will deform... and if someone is going to say why do bulbs only blow when first switched on, that is because when the filament is cold there is less resistance, therefore more current flows through it.

as for flourescent lights, and any others that require more energy to arc than they require during running this may be true, but only if the light is on for less than a few minutes. (eg, if a bulb uses 20 watts during normal running, and uses 200 watts to light up, and lighting up takes 1 second, then leaving the light on all the time will only save electricity if you need the light for less than 10 seconds at a time...)

i may not be 100% correct (im sure someone will say if i'm not) but you get the gist.

omelette451

I use tablets in the washing machine for convenience, but never use more than one. The one time I did I was left with gunk all over my clothes and had to wash them again anyway!

Personally I don't like thick sliced bread as I find it doesn't toast very well (I like my toast crispy), so it's medium if I can get it. Wholemeal of course.

I re-use water bottles for months before buying a new one and have never suffered any ill-effects. My current one has been in use since August.

As for tea, until recently it actually said on Yorkshire Tea boxes that one bag is enough for two cups and that's what I use if making them at the same time. You know what they say, short arms and deep pockets...

omelette451

beccam wrote: »

Ah but then my boss and my patients might have something to say if I turned up to the ward with dark purple nail polish!!;)

If I were your patient I'd love you forever... Dark nail polish is *hot*

lincoln_dj

as for printing, i do all mine on the works print stations. they are far more economical per printed page than home printers.
also, when the toners get low, removing and giving them a quick shake will usually get plenty more pages from it!

Chocmonster7

Love-a-bargain wrote: »

If you're out at a pub and you're not drinking alcoholic drinks (maybe designated driver?) then a soda water and lime is a cheap option rather than paying out pounds for orange juices and fizzy colas etc.

Some pubs in my area (Darlington) do free drinks for the designated driver. I know the one we usually go to on Christmas Day does so it's always worth asking at the bar before ordering!

zenseeker

brownfrog wrote: »

In theory, that's a good point, but it assumes the date label is truthful. Anyone who's ever worked in a supermarket knows that labels can be faked.

I have worked on the fish counter is Morrisons and I can confirm that I was often asked to extend the dates of 'fresh' fish products! I was basically told that if it smelled and looked ok, I could add one extra day to it...but all to often people would bring back tares of stinking fish! ALWAYS reach as far back as you can to get the real fresh stuff, or idealy get it off the counter because the wrapped stuff on the shelf is often yesterdays (or earliers) counter stock.

Biggles

CarlaKoala wrote: »

Water bottles - do not leave in the car. Research has shown that exposure to sunlight releases chemicals from the plastic that cause breast cancer. And people have been diagnosed on that basis - cheryl crow puts down her breast cancer to drinking from bottles left in tour busses I believe.

That's from an old hoax email, there is no such research. And tho Sheryl Crow did warn against drinking water from a bottle that has been sitting in a hot car, she was just passing on the same old myth, and she never claimed it caused her cancer.

Jambala

Atlantic wrote: »

The argument was not about the cost of electric, but that the life of the tube is shortened by every start.
Thus the cost of a new tube was part of the arithmetic.

Nope, sorry, Atlantic - you're wrong. The post that I quoted was about the "burst of electric" used. Actually, re-reading it, it could be taken both ways.

And as far as I can remember from the Mythbusters episode I watched, the actual life of the bulbs was not overly affected by being switched off and on, vs. being left switched on constantly.