Variacs

People are often surprised that variacs (variable auto transformers) are still quite widely used in the era of triac dimming and pulse width modulation drivers.

But actually variacs are quite energy efficient with loses of 2% or even less, work well with inductive loads like motors and don’t mess with the sine wave, so they produce clean power with a good power factor.

The Kraft Caves, Springfield MO

Deep under Springfield, Missouri, lies a cheese cave of industrial proportions, a 2-million-square-foot refrigerated warehouse called Springfield Underground. Since 2008, Kraft Foods has rented 400,000 square feet of the repurposed limestone mine as a massive distribution center, from which to ship 680-pound, Velveeta-bright barrels of Oscar Meyer meats, Philadelphia cream cheese, Velveeta pasteurized processed cheeses, Jell-O, and Lunchables. Unlike traditional cheese caves, which can impart the particular flavors of time and place—the unique combinations of bacteria, yeast, and mold that cheese makers call terroir—Wired magazine explains that in the case of Kraft's cave:

January 3, 2023 12 PM Update

Latest Sunrise (Standard Time) – Tuesday, January 3 at 7:23 am
7:15 am sunrise – Tuesday, January 24
7:00 am sunrise – Tuesday, February 7
6:45 am sunrise – Saturday, February 18
6:30 am sunrise – Tuesday, February 28
6:15 am sunrise – Thursday, March 9

Daylight Savings Time Begins – Sunrise on Sunday, March 12 is at 7:11 am
7:00 am sunrise – Saturday, March 18
6:45 am sunrise – Sunday, March 26
6:30 am sunrise – Tuesday, April 4
6:15 am sunrise – Thursday, April 13
6:00 am sunrise – Saturday, April 22
5:45 am sunrise – Wednesday, May 3
5:30 am sunrise – Tuesday, May 16