Replacing your old toilet with high efficiency one

I started shopping toilet earlier this month and could not find one good site for all useful information I need. So I am going to write up what I have learned and share with all of you. Hopefully this will help you and help the world by saving some water here and there.

High-efficiency Toilet Rebate Program
Many counties across the country pay you to replace your old toilet. Several counties in northern california bay area that pays $125 toilet (up to 3 per each household) with such rebate program are as followed:

County of Santa Clara, list of qualifying toilets (pdf)
County of San Francisco, list of qualifying toilets (pdf)

House Call - Water Saving Tips/Tools
Each county also provide a free service called, House Call, which will come to your house free to check your water consumption and provide suggestion on how to conserve water. I have done that in Santa Clara County, which the service was quick and very helpful. The girl who did the House Call also pre-approved the toilet rebate qualification.

She first checked the water meter and see if there is any leakage in my house. She also taught me how to read the meter such that I can cross check the water bill in the future. She measured the water flow (gallon per 10 seconds) of each water outlet inside the house, like kitchen faucet and shower head. She gave me free aerator if too much water comes out. She also gave me flapper for free if you toilet shows any sign of leakage. She also gave me a low-flush shower head but I have not installed it yet. My home does not has any sprinkler system, otherwise, they will also analysis and provide you with the best water-saving watering schedule.

Which Toilet is the best?
This is the first question I asked myself, where can I find such information. There are plenty of review site for high-tech gadget, but I never heard of a toilet review site. :D

After some research, I found this report, Water Closet Performance Testing Report. It does not contains ALL the toilet in the world, but it covers quite a wide range of brand and the most common model. It gave me a very good sense which brand I should buy. The most important page you want to look is Appendix D1, where it ranks the toilets with their "Flush Performance Index". The lesser is better, and you can see Toto is ranked the highest.

I once asked the girl from House Call which toilet is the best. She said she cannot answer that question, however, she said the most popular ones is Toto Drake. Seriously, after looking at the list above and the price of Toto Drake, I think this is very true.

Where to buy them?
This was where the frustration starts and how this webpage comes alive. I went to HomeDepot and Lowes trying to look for the toilets that qualifies for the rebate. As usual, they are the one-stop-shop for most of us working on home improvement. Sadly, they only provide one brand of toilet that qualifies for the program.

Home Depot only sells Cottage EL and Ecologic EL, while Lowes only sells Mansfield Eco-Quantum and Quantum One. I never heard of them and it is very difficult to find any reviews when you google them. So at this point, I know I need to get it off some smaller plumbing store or online. By the way, just for your information, these 2 stores charge about $150 installation fee per toilet, which Home Depot charges $125 for the 2nd toilet.

So after doing my homework, I found this site http://www.faucetdirect.com, where I eventually bought my toilets. Even they charge $90 for shipping, their price makes a lot more sense as long as you order more than 1 toilet. What I did was to ask around my friend and we ordered more stuff and share the shipping cost. Not bad, huh ...

A Toto Drake costs around $190 and qualifies for the $125 rebate in most counties. So what you really need to pay is only $65 plus tax. This toilet uses only 1.28 gpf (gallon per flush), is the best water saving among that price range. This is not the best looking toilet in the world, but this is definitely the best deal out there you can find with a decent look.

If you are more into style and want a 1-piece toilet instead of the 2-piece Toto Drake. You are going to like the best selling Toto Ultramax (or Ultimate some store called). This is also a 1.28 gpf toilet, and same as Toto Drake, which has very good reviews from ToiletsThatWork.com. You cannot really beat the price at FaucetDirect.com, which is $327 (around $200 after rebate, not bad). I have googled many websites and they have the best price.

As you can see from this point, I am totally biased toward Toto brand. The models from Toto I mentioned above all qualify for the Santa Clara Water District rebate program. There are many that qualfiy as well.

The one I looked at that I feel comparable with Toto (style and price wise) was Kohler K-3564
and Kohler K3597.

Toilet Seat
Make sure you order a toilet seat if you are buying a 2-piece from Toto. Something like SS114 would be the basic or SS204 would fit Aquia the best. If you are ordering a 1-piece toilet, e.g. Ultramax/Ultimate or Supreme, it comes with toilet seat.

--
** References

Review site for Toto brand toilets
http://www.toiletsthatwork.com/

Water Closet Performance Testing Report
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/downloads/NAHB-ToiletReport.pdf

List of toilet review sites
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/toilets/reviews.html

Another level of copying? Or just a new technolog for Wax Meseum?

toys5
Originally uploaded by micmin.

Some robots do cool tricks; others just look cool. At the annual China Robot Expo in Beijing in October, Zou Ren Ti, founder of the Xi'an Superman Sculpture Research Council, unveiled the third edition of a robot his team is developing that is supposed to look exactly like himself. While the mechanical Zou Ren Ti (named after the inventor, of course) can move its face and speak, its most impressive feature is its skin, which is made of silica gel and looks so lifelike that some expo attendees couldn't tell the real Zou from his double. Can you? (Hint: The bot looks a little happier than the man.)

Inventor: Xi'an Superman Sculpture Research Council
Availability: Not for sale

Cute robot nurse ... japanese is ahead in this business

medicine6
Originally uploaded by micmin.

Someday, robots could replace humans as nurse's aides, but first they will need a little sensitivity training. Japan's Ri-Man is headed in the right direction. With sensors that enable it to see, smell and hear its environment, it also has some 320 pressure points on its arms and chest that allow it to sense the exact position of whatever it's holding. The bot can lift 80 lbs. today, but researchers hope to strengthen the motors in Ri-Man's arms without increasing their size, so they still resemble those of a man, not a monster.

Inventor: Bio-mimetric Control Research Center at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
Availability: Not for sale
To learn more visit www.bmc.riken.jp/~RI-MAN/index_us.html

I want to send a hug to you, now it's possible .. kind of

longsleeve
Originally uploaded by micmin.

Remember when PDA stood for something other than personal digital assistant? It can again with the Hug Shirt, a high-tech garment that simulates the experience of being embraced by a loved one. When a friend sends you a virtual hug, your cell phone notifies the shirt wirelessly, via Bluetooth. The shirt then re-creates that person's distinctive cuddle, replicating his or her warmth, pressure, duration and even heartbeat. And, yes, the Hug Shirt is fully washable.

Inventor: CuteCircuit
Availability: Not yet for sale
To learn more visit cutecircuit.com

Espesso that can be upside down

espesso
Originally uploaded by micmin.

Spanish culinary mastermind Ferran Adrià is famous for tinkering with food at the molecular level to produce wonders like liquid ravioli and frozen Parmesan air. His latest gastronovelty: solid espresso, dubbed èspesso. It's made by combining regular espresso with sugar and a secret ingredient, then squirting it out of a canister like whipped cream. You eat it with a spoon. The mousselike treat arrived in the U.S. in September, and is available in espresso, cappuccino and macchiato flavors.

Inventor: Ferran Adrià
Availability: At Lavazza in Chicago; $2.49
To learn more visit lavazza.com

http://www.time.com/time/2006/techguide/bestinventions/

5MB Hard Disk in 1956 - Computers - Funny Pictures, Popular Pictures

5MB Hard Disk in 1956 - Its a hard disk in 1956.... The Volume and Size of 5MB memory storage in 1956. In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5MB of data. Let us start appreciating your 4 GB jump drive!

More popular pictures at Popular-Pics.com


5MB Hard Disk in 1956 - Computers - Funny Pictures, Popular Pictures

Cool inventions - (37signals)

Cool inventions - (37signals): "twist and spout
It’s not on Time’s list but here’s another smart gadget idea: Twist & Spout fits virtually any soda or water bottle with a screw-on cap. Use the Garden style to create an instant watering can.

One more: Ecopod is a home recycling center with compaction and collection."

iPod Docking with Bath Tissue Holder

iPod Docking with Bath Tissue Holder
Originally uploaded by micmin.

I kinda like this idea. But I don't think I'd put my precious player near any toilet. However, this is truly amazing that how people come up with anything that related to i-Pod, and how these i-Pod generate so many channels to generate money.

http://www.xpcgear.com/icstdoforipw.html

Commercial of Wii versus PS3

Nice comparison of Wii and PS3 with 2 ... uh ... 1 nice cute sexy lady.

Who Killed the Electric Car? trailer

GM just stated that they will restart the electric car ... is it just similar to what they have done 10 years ago? Saying it and then killing it 'cos of the so-called battery problem (they just complain about this again this time) and not-enough-demand (ya, of course no one wants to drive a 125-mile range car). Take a look at the video, you will know better. I didn't realize this is only the trailer, Google Video must have removed the "original full-length" version due to copyright issue. Oh well ... http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com -- It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert? WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business. WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? is not just about the EV1. It’s about how this allegory for failure—reflected in today’s oil prices and air quality—can also be a shining symbol of society’s potential to better itself and the world around it. While there’s plenty of outrage for lost time, there’s also time for renewal as technology is reborn in WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

"Ebi nigiri" shrimp with cotton rice ... yum yum ....

Was just browsing some thread talking about these "vibrating" boyfriend pillow (and how the pillow steals away your girlfriend), and of course for the lonely boys out there, there is also the girlfriend pillow. But dang, what are these sushi pillow for then? A crazy sushi-lover like me?

The site claims it is one of the most popular items, but who the heck is going to buy this for over 36 bucks? Any geek wanna get this for their girls ...

http://www.theoriginalsushipillow.com/ebinigiri.html

LiveScience.com - Don't Sit Up Straight

Do you have back pain? I always find it hard to sit 90-degree, and now this apparently is a good news for me, as I do enjoy the 135-degree sitting posture.

LiveScience.com - New Advice: Don't Sit Up Straight

RC Plane? Wrong, it's a WASP - a latest spy plane in the sky.

I agree it looks like a plain old paper plane. But don't be fool by that, in fact, one of this thing is going to cost you arm and leg. It is the world-smallest unmanned flying robot help people to spy, especially for soldier to look ahead for any hidden danger.

It can controlled pre-programmed with its GPS. To fully extend its ability, it equipped with forward and side looking cameras. One of the highlight is its thin wing is made out of the lithium battery, makes it much lighter, only 275g.

http://www.avinc.com/uas_products_detail.php?id=113

You like this star ... let me go and pick it for you !

I always find it funny when I hear about how the older generation would say such things to impress girls ... "isn't this a nice star, how about from now on, we name this star to be your name?" ... "it's such a beautiful sky, that star is the brightest ... I'll go up there and pick it for you ... "

Now with this SkyScout, you can no longer name any random stars after any girl's name. You can look thru the viewfinder and the LCD will show you right away the name, radius, mass and even mythology. You could have make up some stories, but now this device will leave you in the dark all by yourself.

Price is set to be around $400 ... a little steep ... but the technology is impressive, built-in GPS so the device knows its location, and with the electric compass it knows the direction it is pointing at, and also an accelerometer detertmines the angle.

http://www.celestron.com/skyscout/new/features.php