May 15, 2008 AsktheBuilder News
What's in This Issue
HOT ATTICSTIPS FROM A BUDDY
4-WAY SWITCH VIDEO
US SENATOR JON KYL
Hot
Attics!
Soaring temperatures are just
around
the corner. When your attic gets hot, and I mean hot
like 140 F or
more, the
insulation that is supposed to keep you cool gets hot. You don't
believe me?
Take an old thermometer and bury it deep in the insulation so it is in
contact
with your ceiling. Go take a reading at 5:00 p.m. after the attic has
been
cooking all day. You will be shocked at what the thermometer reading is.
If you want to lower the temperature of your insulation, which in turn
causes
your air conditioner to run less and use less energy, you may want to
install a
radiant barrier. Please read this past column of mine about a Radiant Barrier product
I tested. Then
read the other columns in my Radiant-Barrier category
to get a pretty
clear picture of how they work.
Tips from a Buddy
I belong to a secret group of
Internet Entrepreneurs. Over
the years, some of the members have become dear and trusted friends.
One of them
is Chuck Eglinton. Chuck has a passion for electronic gadgets, travel
deals,
and how to get amazing bargains on top-quality things. Each time he
discovers
something special, he sends out a quick email to a select group of his
friends.
I am on that list, and just last Friday he told me about a $99 deal on
a TomTom
One GPS unit. I immediately bought one, got it two days ago with the
free
shipping, and once again Chuck's advice was solid. The unit is now in
my
youngest daughter's car. It is great security for Kathy and I as our
youngest
just started driving and I worry about her getting lost, especially at
night.
Chuck has given me permission to invite you to his very exclusive list.
I may regret this
in the long run as you may beat me to a deal. You will learn that when
you get
his email, you better read it and react. The deals he tells us about
are never
unlimited.
4-Way
Switch Video
Would
you like to discover a correct way to wire the magical 4-Way switch?
I just loaded a video
about this to my website. These special switches are required when you
desire
to control a light(s) from three or more switch locations. There are
three
places in my own home where I have one or more lights controlled by
four
different switches!
After you watch the video,
check out the new
gadget to the left of the video. This is a new tool at AsktheBuilder
that
suggests other videos of mine that are related to the one you just
watched. It
has some incredible technology behind it. Tell me what you
think of that
gadget, and how it can be improved.
US Senator Jon Kyl
A
week or so ago, I promised to tell you a story about a phone call I had
with a United States
Senator. Now
don't think that I am going to get political on you, as this is a
Home-Improvement newsletter. You didn't sign up for politics, and I am
by no
means a political pundit.
The purpose of this story is to be motivational in the event you are
upset by
anything at all that is impacting your life. Perhaps the cost of
gasoline is
crushing you. Maybe you are aghast at the cost of food. Do you operate
a small
business, like I do, and are there things that are holding you back? I
think you
get the message.
Several years ago, I got a phone call from a reader named Patricia
Allen.
Patricia lives up in the mountains in eastern Arizona. She
read my columns for years in
the Arizona Republic
and started to write to me with
questions. I always answered, and on this particular day she called me
with a
sense of urgency.
Her husband and their neighbor were about to make some adjustment cuts
on
laminate tops for the neighbor's kitchen. Patricia felt like they were
way out
of their comfort zone and said, "Tim, would you help me and talk with
my
neighbor?" I said, "Sure, what is his number and I will call
him." "You don't have to do that as he is standing right here. His
name is Senator Jon Kyl." I said, "State senator or US?"
Patricia responded, "US."
Well, I gulped and talked with Senator Kyl. He was very pleasant,
apologized for
interrupting my day and was very polite. After I told him how to make
the cuts
and not ruin the tops, he said, "What can I do for you?" "Well,
just call me back and give me a full report," I said.
Forty-five minutes later the phone rang, and at the end of the line was
a
beaming Senator Kyl. He told me the job was a huge success, and that my
advice
had saved him $6,000 in new countertops. In an effort to repay me,
Senator Kyl
offered to take Kathy and I to dinner the next time we were in Phoenix.
I said thanks, but that the odds of
that were slim.
But I did ask him, "Senator Kyl, I am really interested in the Flat Tax
initiative. What does it take to get that into law?" He responded,
"Tim, you need to get a grass roots movement started. Many of us in
Congress
really pay very close attention to messages from a grass roots
campaign."
Since that call, I can attest this to be true. I just completed ten
years of
public service in my own village - eight years on our Planning
Commission and
two years as an elected Councilman.
In two weeks, I have a meeting with Congressman Steve Chabot, the
standing
member of the Small Business Committee
in the U.S. House
of Representatives. I will be discussing how the Internet and my small
business
interact. The point is I am trying to make is that we need to reach out
and
make a difference.
If you are upset about anything, contact the local, state or federal
elected
officials who can change things. Start a national movement. Get
involved. You
don't think it is possible to make a difference? Think again. Go read
how Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
got
started. You have what it takes to be the next Candy Lightner.
Index of past newsletters.
