Thomas journals

Culture! We attended a piano recital at the IlShin recital hall, hosted by the Ecuadorian Embassy -- two brothers now attending Chicago Conservatory performed a dozen pieces (arranged for piano and viola) by latin american composers.   The key piece was a dramatic tango by Astor Piazzola.  A beautiful concert hall, a creditable performance, very pleasant evening had by all.  Afterwards we all repaired to the art gallery/atrium of the IlShin building for a very civilized glass of wine to sip while admiring the modern art and discussing the music.   The IlShin building is a 15-minute walk downhill from the school. 

Energy conservation notes made while at Woodstock Energy Conservation Ideas for energy conservation and/or greening at Woodstock Conservation is simply using less energy – typically electricity – regardless of the source. Greening means to use renewable energy sources as a substitute for less-renewable sources.    Renewable sources Solar – sunlight Water, hydropower Locally-sourced biomass such as leaves or paper or compost or sewage Muscle power, from people or animal Lighting Incandescent to CFL to LED Incandescent bulbs are cheap to manufacture but expensive to operate Incandescent appropriate Some lamps only fit this size Some lampshades are designed to clip onto a spherical bulb Publicly-accessible: because of the great cost differential, CFL bulbs are easily stolen Dimming necessary, as incandescent bulbs readily vary light output by voltage Heating: most of the electricity of the incandescent bulb is used in heat; only part results in light