Dana and Gray Sawyer's Web Page
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2002 Prius |
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E.M. Skinner Opus 368 |
Wooden house attracts trees?
Eastern Connecticut
'Potamological
Field Research Station
The Eastern Connecticut
'Potamological Field
Research Station (ECPFRS) has recently moved to new quarters in prime
'potamoi
habitat. Now that this improved facility is fully equipped and
operational, it
should provide an unparalleled opportunity for our field 'potamologists
to
observe 'potamoi in their natural lacustrine and woodland habitats.For those unfamiliar with 'potamological research,
noted
hippopotamophantasmobiologist Mary Sawyer, assisted by Dana Sawyer,
introduces
us to the strange and delightful world of 'potamoi on our 'potamoi page, where you will also find the
latest
results from ECPFRS.
Mary has less time for phantasmobiology now that she is teaching, but in her portfolio she demonstrates how she applies to education the same skills of keen observation and inventiveness which make her an outstanding 'potamologist.
Somehow Nora finds time in her busy life to write thoughtful
reflections on
Dante and other topics. Links to her blogs
are
listed below.
Some links to history and information
about places
from Dana's childhood, including Denton, Texas, Texas State College for
Women
(now TWU), and Park Forest, Illinois.
A collection of letters
from the
Chase and Clark families, on loan from Jeff Sawyer. More letters
will be added as they are scanned and transcribed.
After twelve years of driving our 2002 Toyota Prius hybrid car, we
can still
report that driving the Prius is very much like driving any other car
except
better. It's smooth, quiet, and economical. In warm
weather, it's possible
to exceed 50 mpg in highway or local driving; mileage falls off
somewhat in the
winter. Both in our own experience and that of Consumer Reports the early models still perform nearly as well today as they did when new, but more recent Prius models
get even better mileage.
 2002 Toyota Prius dash and shift lever |
 2002 Toyota Prius mileage computer |
We have found that mileage is much better once the engine is warmed up, and the warmup is much faster when temperatures are higher. In the pictures above, we had just completed a trip of about 35 minutes duration in 55 degree weather (clicking on either picture will display a larger version). The mileage steadily improved during highway driving to more than 50 mpg. The final 10 minutes show very high efficiency in low-speed driving, when the Prius can shut off its gasoline engine much of the time and operate silently in electric mode using stored energy from the battery.
Warmup is faster, and overall mileage better, when the outside temperature is above 60 Fahrenheit. Our overall mileage according to the computer has averaged a bit above 50 in warm weather, but in the mid 30s during some of the very cold weather (down to 0 Fahrenheit) of our New England winter. We haven't systematically compared the computer readout of mileage with a calculation from the actual quantity of fuel added, but it seems to be within a few percent.
As with any car, tire pressure has a large effect on mileage. Many Prius owners set tire pressure a few pounds higher than the factory numbers. I suggest carrying a tire gauge in the "ashtray" unless your Prius has built-in tire pressure monitoring. Check the tires at least once a month and any time they have been serviced. Tire pressure can decrease markedly during very cold weather, so check the pressure any time the weather suddenly becomes colder.The defroster on the 2003 and earlier Prius affects economy as well, since it forces the engine to run; in the 2004 and later models that should be less of a problem. Once the car has warmed up, you can usually switch to the second defrost position, which does not keep the engine running. In heavy rain, it may be necessary to use the full defrost from time to time or even continually.
See How Stuff
Works for an explanation of hybrid cars in general and this model
in
particular. For more technical details, see IEEE Spectrum
Magazine, November 1998. See also discussion groups at http://www.priusonline.com and http://www.corolland.com/prius.html.
Graham Davies has put together some detailed information
about the
Prius; it's well worth a visit, especially if you are thinking
about buying
a Prius or already own one, but also if you want to know in great
detail how it
works.
See what's involved in restoring a pipe organ at chn.mugwo.com.
If you ever
wondered how to restore a Schober electronic organ, or why
anybody would want to, please visit recital.mugwo.com.
Climate/Energy Conservation/Sustainability
See discussion and annotated
list
Free and Open-source Software
See annotated list
| External Links |
  |
| Religious Organizations | |
| Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church, East Haddam, Connecticut |
|
| Church of the Holy Name, Swampscott, Massachusetts | |
| New England Yearly Meeting of Friends | |
| Pipe Organs | |
| The Organ Historical Society | |
| Spencer Organ Company | |
| Sheet Music | |
| Dale Music Company | |
| Science | |
| Heart Pioneers | |
| climateprediction.net | |
| History of Science and Technology | |
| Images from John Logie Baird's mechanical television system | |
| Alan Turing | |
| Tycho Brahe | |
| Electronic History of Astronomy Phase I | |
| Klein Bottles | |
| Acme Klein Bottles | |
| Education | |
| Mary's Teaching Page | |
| Literature | |
| The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library | |
| Restaurants | |
| Sushi Island | |
| Samovar Tea Lounge | |
| Nora's Blogs | |
| NoraSawyer.com |
|
| Bathtub Adventurer | |
| Art, Photography, Graphic Design, and Web Design | |
| Sawyer Design Associates | |
| Brian Andrews | |
| Victor Gonzalez |
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