My photos are on FineArtAmerica.com

I decided to put some of my best photos on FineArtAmerica.com (FAA). They are a print on demand (POD) service that allow customers to choose one of my photos and do a custom print/frame/mat of it, and then send me a cut for my artwork. They also offer other materials like canvas, metal, and acrylic printing. I choose what markup I want, and they take care of the fulfilling the order.

View my profile page at FAA here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sarit-sotangkur.html

Other art you may be interested in can be seen here: golden gate bridge art golden gate bridge prints golden gate bridge canvas prints golden gate bridge framed prints golden gate bridge acrylic prints golden gate bridge metal prints golden gate bridge greeting cards golden gate bridge posters golden gate bridge iphone cases golden gate bridge galaxy s4 cases golden gate bridge photos golden gate bridge photo prints golden gate bridge photo canvas prints golden gate bridge photo framed prints golden gate bridge photo acrylic prints golden gate bridge photo metal prints golden gate bridge photo posters golden gate bridge photo greeting cards golden gate bridge photo iphone cases golden gate bridge photo galaxy s4 cases golden gate art san francisco art san francisco photos san francisco prints beach art beach photos beach prints landmark art landmark photos landmark prints

Not really Net-Zero Energy: HOUZE Advanced Building Science Inc.

I saw this video (bottom of post) of this company that wants to build affordable "zero energy" homes (jump to 14:30). Unfortunately, their solution for "zero energy" is to run an electric generator on site using natural gas and then sell the surplus electricity back to the electric company in the hope of covering the cost of the natural gas consumed by the generator. Additionally, any waste heat created by the generated is used for domestic hot water and home heating.

The HOUZE company's website is http://thezeroenergyhome.com/ , but is it a Net-Zero energy home? The website only claims to provide a 10 year zero energy payment warranty. No claims about about having its energy usage offset by renewable energy generation. They also mention that this provides "Energy Independence", but I don't see how substituting grid electricity dependance with natural gas supply dependance can really be called independence.

To me, the usage of the phrase "zero energy", is a sneaky bit of marketing used to confuse buyers into thinking this may be the equivalent of a net-zero energy home when in fact it is not.

Some may argue that by utilizing the waste heat of the generator, the utilization of the fossil fuel energy is therefore higher. This would be true only if existing power plants didn't already supply their waste heat to other industries or try to use it to generate even more electricity through technologies like thermocells. Additionally, to achieve higher energy utilization, the waste heat generated by the home generator would need to be consumed year round, even in the summer when domestic hot water and home heating needs are probably not enough to consume the majority of the waste heat.

If that wasn't enough, states like California use natural gas as the primary fossil fuel for electrical generation. However, their energy mix also includes nuclear and a growing share of renewable sources which have a zero-carbon footprint. Generating your own electricity from NatGas to lower carbon emissions would be disastrous in those states.

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity_generation.cfm/state=CA

Whether zero energy payments for the first 10 years translates to zero energy payments in the future is a bit uncertain. This is highly dependent on where gas and electrical prices go. Higher gas prices combined with efficiency improvements at power stations and or changes in the energy mix could negate any advantage home generation from NatGas could have. Also consider the costs of maintaining a generator that has already been running continuously for 10 yrs. If a total replacement is required, that may significantly impair your ability to achieve a net zero energy payments in the future.

Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi) Recipe

This is a great dish to prepare for a pot-luck BBQ. It cooks quickly so you can serve a lot of people and everybody loves it so much, there's never any left to take back home. Getting the beef is pretty easy at Asian supermarkets where you often find them pre-cut on styrofoam trays. If you can't find an asian market, just ask your butcher to cut up some up for you. Most likely, they will understand what you mean if you tell them you want Korean short ribs.

Ingredients:
5 lbs beef short ribs, cut across the bone to 1/4" thick slices

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine (sake)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sesame seed oil
a big squeeze of honey (roughly 3 tbsp)
a couple dashes of chili oil to taste
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 bunches of green onions finely sliced
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds


Directions:
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Dip the ribs into the marinade to evenly coat and place into a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Press as much air out as possible before sealing.
Place the bag in a leak proof tray and into the fridge overnight to a day, flipping it once half way through.
To cook, grill each side at medium to high heat, about 2-4 minutes. Use a water bottle sprayer to extinguish any flareups. The goal is to get the fat to melt from the meat and let it fry itself on the grill without letting the fat cause too many flareups.