Menus integrated within applications are coming to Unity in Ubuntu 14.04.

Canonical has come up with a replacement for the global menu bar, one of the most notable features of Ubuntu's Unity desktop and also one of its most problematic.

This releasethe first with 5-year long-term supportis rock solid.

"Despite displaying the menu contents outside of the window, the menus are still window-specific," we noted in a review of Ubuntu 12.04 in May 2012. "By design, the global menu bar displays the menu of the focused window. This proves awkward in some applications with dialogs and multiple windows."

The intent of moving application-specific menus into the global menu bar was to leave more room for content in applications. But even for people who liked the design, it has grown more problematic over time with the proliferation of bigger monitors, according to Canonical employee Marco Trevisan. The Ubuntu desktop team is bringing the application windows back into the application windows themselves for the 14.04 release in April this year, Trevisan wrote today.

Ubuntu developers wanted to "propose a solution to fix themain UX bugwe have [had] in Unity since its very first release: themenusbeinghard to findortoo far from their parent window," Trevisan wrote. "In fact, having the application menus in thetop panelreally worked very well in small screens but now, especially with HiDPI monitors getting more and more popular, the top panel could be reallytoo farfrom the actual window location."

The fix, which Trevisan credited to desktop user experience lead John Lea, is a new locally integrated menu for applications, similar to the design of pre-Unity versions of Ubuntu.

In a video, Canonical Engineering Manager Stephen Webb said, "We're putting the menus back where the windows are by adding them to the window title bar. You still have the increased content area but you have less work for your trackpad finger. As always, when you're not using them, the menus hide to reduce the visual clutter in your work area."

Ubuntu Unity Locally Integrated Menus.

"So, the first step has been moving away from the old gtk2-based decorations and writingbrand new decorationssupportingGtk3 CSS theminginsideUnity itself; this has been a huge work(including writing abrand-new widget systemfor handling compiz textures in a more natural way), but it gave usgreat benefitsin the end such as muchfaster windows resizing, [an]improvedlook, [and] support fordynamic scaling(for both HighDPI and accessibility reasons)."

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Ubuntu desktop moving application menus back into application windows

Ive been accused of not being the most exciting guy. My wife would no doubt agree, and my granddaughter thinks Im outright boring. I do admit I tend to have a fairly narrow range of subjects that interest me. Good books, long walks and church potlucks come to mind. There is one thing that gets my heart pumping: Energy conservation!

Conserving energy for me is like being in the middle of a CSI episode. I work with people to gather evidence and fit together clues that lead to reducing bills, maintaining system integrity, and cleaning the environment. And every situation is different. Theres nothing boring about chasing energy robbers.

While there are many different culprits that cause us to be inefficient, one in particular seems to be difficult to understand and typically overlooked. Thats insulation. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling can account for up to 70 percent of the energy used in the average home. Lack of insulation is one of the leading causes of energy waste, so it is an important topic. Installing adequate insulation will save money and improve comfort.

Heat flows naturally via conduction, convection, and radiation from a warmer to a cooler space. Our homes lose heat in the winter and gain it in the summer. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system, and the heat gained in summer must be removed by your air conditioner. Insulation decreases your homes heating or cooling need by providing a resistance to heat loss or gain.

All materials resist the flow of heat to some extent. Even air slows heat movement. This, and blocking air infiltration, is why installing window plastic helps during winter. Insulation materials are rated on their ability to resist the flow of heat. This resistance is represented as an R-value. The higher the R-value, the greater the resistance to heat flow, and the better job the insulation will do at reducing your bills. The R-value of insulation depends on the type of material, its thickness, and its density.

The effectiveness of insulation depends on how its installed. Insulation which is compressed will not give you its full rated R-value. This can happen if you add denser insulation on top of lighter insulation, place something on top of the insulation, or when the insulation gets wet. It also happens if you place fiberglass blankets rated for one thickness into a thinner cavity, such as placing R-19 insulation intended for 6-inch wall cavity into a 3 1/2-inch wall cavity.

Joists, rafters, and studs have a different resistance to heat flow than does the insulation between. So, the overall R-value of a wall or ceiling will be somewhat different from the R-value of the insulation itself. This uneven heat flow across an area is called thermal bridging. Its important that attic insulation cover the tops of the joists and that insulating sheathing is used on walls.

Fiberglass blankets, loose fill cellulose, and low-density foams such as polyicynene and expanded polystyrene all work by limiting air movement. Still air is an effective insulator because it eliminates convection and has low conduction. This is why insulation works best when not compressed. Some foam insulation products such as polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene are filled with special gases that provide additional resistance to heat flow.

So, which kind of insulation is best? Well, it depends. Basically, the type of insulation to buy and install depends on how much is needed, the accessibility of the space to be insulated, the amount space available for the insulation, the local availability and price of insulation, and homeowner preferences. And not all insulation materials are created the same in terms of R-value. For instance, fiberglass blankets have an R-value of about 3.3 per inch, polystyrene foam board about 3.5 per inch, icynene spray foam about 3.6 per inch, cellulose blow-in about 3.7 per inch, and urethane foam about 5.3 per inch.

The amount of energy you save depends on the climate, the type of insulation you use, and the living habits of your family. Installing any amount of insulation will save energy. However, after a certain amount there is a diminishing return on investment. In Ames (weather zone 5), the Department of Energy recommends an R-value of 38 for ceilings, 20 for walls, and 10 for basement walls, slabs, and crawl spaces. It makes economic sense for a homeowner to reach these numbers by adding insulation. Adding more than this will certainly save additional energy, but the economics are less attractive. These upgrades will provide smaller savings and a longer payback.

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Energy Guy: Efficient insulation

POSTED AT 10:32 PM ON Feb. 20, 2014

Bloomington Transit has started construction on a new transit center. The center will be on Third and Walnut Streets and should be completed within the next four months.

The center is a joint project between Bloomington Transit and the City of Bloomington, said Lew May, general manager at Bloomington Transit.

The building will have a second floor dedicated to the Bloomington/Monroe County 911 dispatch center, which is currently located at 223 E. Third St.

The city is paying about $2 million in construction costs and Bloomington Transit about $5 million, May said.

Money for the transit portion is coming from federal grants and local Bloomington Transit funds, May said.

May mentioned a number of components Bloomington Transit is adding to the new center.

There will be canopies outside to shelter people from rain while waiting for the buses. The canopies will reach far enough to allow passengers to get on the bus without getting wet, May said.

There will also be more passenger amenities on site, like public restrooms and air-conditioning, which the current Bloomington Transit center on Fourth and Washington Streets does not have, May said.

In an attempt to use more advanced technology, the construction staff is installing free wireless Internet for passengers waiting for buses at the center, May said, as well as digital information monitors with arrival times and bus tracking technologies.

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City transit center construction begins

Water conservation tips

WRITTEN BY : Provided by City of Downey

Landscape Irrigation - Outdoor landscaping can consume 50% or more of the water used at a property. Focus on reducing evaporation, eliminating runoff, and only watering as much as needed. *Water your lawn and garden in the early morning or late evening to reduce water lost to evaporation and exposure to wind *Reduce the number of days and length of time that you water your landscaping. Most landscaping only needs to be watered 2-3 days per week and 6-7 minutes per cycle; Possibly less during winter months. *Use drip irrigation where possible and consider drought resistant native landscaping. *The best time to plant natives is in the fall/winter *Save hundreds of gallons of water a year by using organic mulch around trees and plants to reduce water evaporation and discourage weed growth *Install a smart irrigation controller that adjusts watering based on weather, soil type, amount of shade, and type of landscaping *If using a standard controller, install a rain sensor or turn off sprinklers when it rains *Maximize the amount of water delivered to your landscaping by checking your irrigation system to prevent overspray, replace broken sprinkler heads, and repair leaks routinely *Rotating sprinkler nozzles can result in 20% less water use than conventional spray heads *Plant with finished compost to add nutrients and water holding organic matter to soil Pools, Spas, and Ponds - Due to the automatic fill mechanism on many pools, spas, and ponds, leaks can go undetected resulting in significant water waste. *Check pools, spas, and ponds for leaks *Turn off the automatic fill mechanism, place a weighted bucket filled with water to the same level as the pool/pond on a step, and determine if the water level in the pool/pond is dropping faster which would indicate a leak. *Alternatively, use a grease pencil to mark the pool water level at the skimmer. Check the mark 24 hours later to see if you have a leak Sidewalks, Driveways, Parking, Patios - Using water to wash down sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, patios, or other paved areas except to alleviate immediate fire, sanitation, or health hazards is prohibited in Downey. *Use a broom, not a hose, to clean sidewalks, driveways, and patios; Use a broom or commercial sweeper for parking areas. Indoor Water Use - Indoor water use is primarily determined by the appliances we use, our water use habits, and upkeep of plumbing. Know what is happening with your water and where you can save by performing a quick survey of your property. Toilets, Showerheads, Faucets *Check your toilet for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. After 30 minutes (without flushing) check to see if any color shows up in the bowl. Invisible leaks can waste 100 gallons of water a day. *Use high-efficiency (1.28 gallons per flush or less) toilets, water saving shower heads, and low-flow (1.8 gallons per minute or less) faucet aerators *Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth and shaving, and avoid long showers *Check faucets for leaks; even a slow drip can waste 15-20 gallons per day *Consider waterless urinals for your business Clothes Washers and Dishwashers *Only run full loads in your dishwasher and washing machine. Half-full loads waste water and money. *Use Energy Star clothes washers which use 35-50% less water and energy per load *Use water saving front-load clothes washers *Avoid "permanent press" cycles which can use an extra 5 gallons for extra rinse Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling *Use your water meter to check for leaks. With all water use turned off, check your water meter reading. Then check the meter again in 30 minutes. If the reading has changed, you have a leak. *Close the main shut off valve and run the same test to determine whether the leak is between the meter and shut off valve or downstream of the shut off valve. *Look for unusual wet spots on ceilings, floors, and in the yard indicating a leak *An instant water heater near the kitchen sink will eliminate having to wait for the water to heat up saving time and water *Set HVAC systems and water softeners for a minimum number of refills to save water

********** Published: Feb. 20, 2014 - Volume 12 - Issue 45

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Water conservation tips

Provided by Networx.com

Thinking about remodeling the kitchen? Before you pick up the phone to call a Baltimore contractor about the kitchen of your dreams, you have some things to think about. The kitchen is among the most important rooms of your home -- more and more people are spending a lot of time in the kitchen -- and it can be one of the most expensive to remodel thanks to big ticket appliances and other updates. If you make a mistake during renovations, it'll be costly to fix, or you'll be living with it for decades. Neither option is appealing!

You need to think about how you use your kitchen space to determine how it should be laid out and what it should contain, and you need to consider any trends carefully. Take, for example, the wine chiller. They're big at the moment, because many people like the idea of wine kept in a temperature-controlled fridge, ready to use. But how much do you spend on fine wine? And how desperately do you really need to have chilled wine available on demand? Could you get away with storing wine in a cool, dry cupboard, freeing up a lot of space, and money?

Kitchen experts recommend that people think of the work triangle when they're remodeling. This includes the range, oven, and/or stove area, the prep area, and the sink. You should be able to move freely and easily between these areas without going to great lengths. If you have to get around a kitchen island to wash your hands, for example, it's going to be a pain. If the stove is tucked into a corner, you're going to be fighting for room. Remember: if you're gutting your kitchen, you can decide where you put things. If you're not (keeping things where they are is less expensive), you still have some room to play.

Up to a point. We strongly urge you to consider a wet wall, where all your plumbed appliances share a wall (and possibly share the other side of that wall with the bathroom). It will cut down on costs significantly, because your plumber won't have to run pipes everywhere. Furthermore, it'll increase kitchen efficiency; putting the sink and the dishwasher next to each other just makes sense.

Worth Considering

Big kitchen? A second sink is an amazing thing to have. A second cook can work at that sink without disrupting you, and people can wash their hands there without shoving you aside while you're in the zone.

Adjusting workspace heights. If you live in an older home, you may have noticed that you've been awkwardly hunched at the counter. That's because older homes weren't necessarily built to a standard code, and people were shorter then. Try bumping up some workspaces to create easier spaces for chopping, kneading dough, cooking, and more -- but consider keeping at least one low work area for kids interested in working in the kitchen, as well as wheelchair users who might be visiting and appreciative of an independent workspace. (Obviously, if you are a wheelchair user, you're probably planning to lower your workspaces to make them easier to access!)

More lighting. Lots of older kitchens are dark. Boost your lighting with bigger, bolder fixtures and task lighting around the kitchen. Cooking (and eating) in the dark is no fun.

Double sliding shelves. If you have corners in your cabinetry, don't get a lazy Susan. Get some double sliding shelves, a space-saver recommended by the smart folks at This Old House. These shelves maximize the use of space, and make it easy to access everything!

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Dreaming of a new kitchen?

DULUTH -- Solar panels from three different manufacturers -- including two made in Minnesota -- will battle it out on the roof of a downtown Duluth office building to see which can generate the most electricity.

Three 10,000-watt solar systems will combine to be the largest photovoltaic system in northern Minnesota, tied into the electric grid and providing a hefty chunk of the electrical needs of the seven-story St. Louis County Government Services Center.

The panels will cost about $170,000 combined. But Minnesota Power is providing the county with about $116,000 in renewable energy rebates, making the cost easily justified, with a payback in just a few years.

Minnesota Power has hired the Natural Resources Research Institute at UMD as an independent auditor to monitor the electrical output of the three systems and to determine the county's precise energy savings.

The solar panels, which convert light to electricity without creating any emissions, and with no moving parts, will come from Mountain Iron-based Silicon Energy, Bloomington-based TenKsolar, and from Trina, a Chinese manufacturer.

"We know that Minnesota has the same solar capacity as Houston, Texas. Even on cloudy days we will get generation out of these units. And we also know they are most efficient when it's cold, so that's not an issue,'' said Tony Mancuso, the county's property management director. "Now we can see which one of these will hold up best to our climate. And which one gives us the most bang for the buck."

For example, Mancuso said, Silicon Energy's units are said to be among the most durable, and best able to shed snow. But they also are more expensive.

Craig Kedrowski, a regional account manager for Minnesota Power, said the system on the office rooftop is exactly the type that will help the Duluth-based utility reach its state-mandated mark of generating 1.5 percent of its electricity from solar power by 2020. Kedrowski said they hope to use the county project as a demonstration for other government agencies, private businesses and homeowners considering a move to solar.

Large, commercial solar energy systems tied into the larger electrical grid -- so--called distributed power generation -- are getting more attention as technological advances make them more feasible, Minnesota Power officials said, and as government mandates for renewable power increase.

"This gives us a good reading of which units will work best up here and what kind of maintenance they'll need,'' Kedrowski said. "And it will be an example of what technology is out there for other people considering going this route."

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Bloomington company competing in Duluth for solar supremacy

Wilmington, DE (PRWEB) February 20, 2014

DuPont today announced that a four-story, 170,000 square foot office building at its Chestnut Run Plaza facility has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at the Gold level. This is the second Gold level LEED certification that DuPont achieved for new construction projects in the Wilmington area.

The company is a co-sponsor of National Engineers Week (Feb. 16-22, 2014) and held an event in which DuPont Chief Engineer Karen A. Fletcher joined Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin OMara in celebrating the role that engineers play in designing environmentally friendly buildings and processes.

The LEED Gold certification is just one example of DuPonts commitment to provide the world with tools that reduce the amount of energy required, while assuring that the world has the supplies of the increasingly clean energy it needs to thrive, said Fletcher. DuPont engineers play a pivotal role not only in the design of green buildings, but also in building sustainability into the products we develop, the way we make them and our working environment.

With these two LEED Gold-certified buildings, DuPont is leading by example and demonstrating that sustainability and green engineering are key parts of the 21st century business model, said Secretary OMara. I hope that by highlighting these buildings and the benefits of green construction as part of National Engineers Week, engineers and engineering students will be encouraged to explore this vital and growing area of construction design today as a way to improve our environment for tomorrow.

At the event, DuPont engineers welcomed middle school students from Holy Angels School in Newark who recently designed and built a virtual, sustainable city in a regional engineering competition tied to National Engineers Week.

DuPont is thrilled to showcase the work of these students, whose design of a future city embodies the impact that engineers can have on communities across the world, said Fletcher. We hope more young people will consider careers in engineering if they are passionate about making a difference in society.

The LEED green building rating system developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council promotes design and construction practices that increase profitability, reduce environmental impacts and improve occupant health and well-being. DuPonts office building features more than 20 DuPont products and includes the following aspects of sustainable design:

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.

###

Original post:
DuPont Achieves Second LEED Gold Building Certification at Wilmington-area Campus

Official turf Cutting cermony for the new Council buildings in Lowestoft. Mark Bee, Colin Law and Dennis Cotton cut the soil.

Anthony Carroll Friday, February 21, 2014 6:30 AM

Construction work got under way this week on a 13.6m waterfront office block in south Lowestoft that will provide a new shared home for two councils.

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Once completed, the building by Lake Lothing in Riverside Road will house all staff employed by Waveney District Council and Suffolk County Council staff in Lowestoft, apart from their customer services employees.

The start of the work was marked by a ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday, attended by Waveneys leader Colin Law and his county council counterpart Mark Bee.

As they celebrated the start of the 13-month construction project, they explained the rationale of investing millions of pounds in the new building and relocating hundreds of staff there from Lowestoft Town Hall and 10 local offices at a time when public finances were being squeezed.

The two councils say moving to the new building will help them save up to 3m of tax-payers money over 10 years by allowing them to dispose of the 11 buildings which are deemed unfit for purpose or inefficient.

Mr Law said: If we maintained our current buildings, it could have cost up to 16m over 10 years. At a time when funding for public organisations is under increasing pressure, we simply could not allow that to happen.

Instead we are creating a win-win scenario which will provide appropriate accommodation for our hard-working staff while better protecting the important services we provide to the local community.

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Council bosses celebrate start of new shared officer project in Lowestoft

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6246 Whirlwind Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80923 - Video

A woman living on North Sayers Road near Troy walked outside after severe storms moved through the area to find significant damage to much of her property.

Leanna Purkeypile discovered significant damage to the sun room area of her home in the 0-100 block of North Sayers around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

"They said we were having the tornado warning and then about ten after 11 the wind picked up really hard," Purkeypile said. "I went to the bathroom and stayed in there," she added.

"It didn't sound like a train, but it sounded terrible."

The roof of Purkeypile's sun room was ripped off and thrown over her house, landing in her front yard.

In addition to the sun room damage, she said her home had a two to three foot portion of her roof ripped off and some siding damage.

"The one thing I did think was I'm OK," Purkeypile said.

A trampoline was thrown into Purkeypile's yard from what she estimated to be from four or five houses away.

Purkeypile said she expects to contact her insurance company in the morning to see what the cost of the damage will be.

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Winds topple sunroom roof near Troy