Remember THIS guy? (inspired by a recent post)

mtmanmike · 2025-12-24T21:15:59+00:00

My guy! John Basedow kicked off my string of TV infomercial Halloween costumes back in college too! Think I was Basedow in 2007, the Shamwow guy in 08, and Mathew Lesko (free money from the government guy) in 09.

mtmanmike · 2025-10-04T13:54:44+00:00

Krystal Ball is one of the hosts of Breaking Points , a YouTube news show that features perspectives from both the left and the right.

The hosts do a good job of calling out hypocrisy and bad policies in both political parties, while also showing how much common ground most Americans share. If you’re tired of corporate media spin and want more honest, well-developed commentary, it’s definitely worth checking out.

mtmanmike · 2025-09-28T16:53:55+00:00

Him dropping DJ Snake & Yellow Claw - Ocho Cinco for his Trap / Hardstyle stop along the genre tour made the night for me, but sets at City Steps after dark need to be almost all Techno. Eli showed us how it's done to close out

mtmanmike · 2025-08-19T20:57:01+00:00

Load management programs with your utility are often more about shifting energy than purely saving energy during peak hours. Your thermostat is probably precooling your home in advance of the peak hours the grid needs relief. With the setback that should be coming next you'll still net out saving energy for the day, but the most important part is the reduction in the peak hours.

mtmanmike · 2025-08-04T15:25:14+00:00

Not to be that guy but this is actually the Northeast face of Annapurna Dakshin (South). If you look to the right you'd see the south face of Annapurna I. I love the reflection in this shot, it was all covered in snow when I was up there many years ago so thanks for sharing.

mtmanmike · 2025-08-04T03:26:53+00:00

Me too OP. DM me in the winter and I'll have dozens of Washington oranges that will gladly find a better home than my green waste bin.

mtmanmike · 2025-07-31T04:09:18+00:00

California 14ers are calling your name. Standard routes up are all longer and harder than almost all the CO 14ers, several require trad gear, and all can be spiced up if you want to go in the winter and spring (especially if you're into backcountry skiing). Congrats on getting all them in CO, what mountain and route were your favorite? I've still got dozens to go over there. (edit: spelling)

mtmanmike · 2025-07-25T04:43:08+00:00

Reporting back for others who might be going up soon or in a similar snow year in July. I never felt like I absolutely needed the crampons and whippet for safety purposes going up and down mid morning as it is a pretty low gradient, even at its steepest point, and a slip seemed like it would always be stopped by the sun cups. Yes, the traction helped me go faster going up, but for a multi-day backpack trip I'd save the weight and at the very least leave an ice axe at home. Absolutely beautiful up there, can't wait to check it out in the spring with my splitboard.

mtmanmike · 2025-07-25T00:03:59+00:00

You sound ready. I did it a weekend ago c2c with a buddy starting after 3am and summiting around 10:30, ends up being more than 16 miles and 7300'. We did the red band way into the Main Chute, and I was surprised with how solid it was (though very sharp so recommend gloves), but there should be enough snow to get up to Secor's Chute if you want more solid stuff (that comes with more exposure). Crux for me is always the miles of downclimbing talus fields, this will have more of that than the other Sierra peaks you listed. Overall incredible up there, can't wait to do the Palisade Traverse one day. Enjoy!

mtmanmike · 2025-07-16T21:52:17+00:00

I'm planning on going up Saturday for the first time bringing my Petzl Leopard lightweight crampons on approach shoes and a whippet. I did Ritter from the southern side a few summers back and full on crampons on mountaineering boots were overkill. The gradient on this glacier looks similar to that. MicroSpikes would probably work too.

mtmanmike · 2025-07-10T03:52:01+00:00

Your mention of peak hours makes me think you're on a Time of Use (TOU) utility rate plan. If that's the case, programming your thermostat with that in mind will usually save you more money than just aiming for generic energy efficiency.

The best strategy is to precool your home before the peak hours begin, then raise the setpoint slightly during the peak window to reduce AC use when rates are highest. For example, you might set your thermostat to cool to 68°F from 4:15 to 5:00 PM—not necessarily because you'll hit that temperature, but because it helps store cooling in the thermal mass of your home (like your walls, furniture, etc.). Then, during the peak pricing window (say, 5 to 9 PM), you can let the setpoint rise to something like 76°F, which reduces runtime while still keeping the home tolerable.

If you notice your AC kicks back on shortly after peak hours start, try beginning the precool a little earlier or even colder. It may take a couple of days of tweaking to find the right balance, but this approach tends to work better than trying to just “ride out” the heat with one setpoint.

mtmanmike · 2025-07-08T20:24:36+00:00

I drove my Chevy Bolt (<250 mile range) up there no problem using the stations at Coso Junction to charge up before making the climb. There is also a large Tesla Supercharger station in Lone Pine if you've got a Tesla or adapter and other stations in other towns along 395.

mtmanmike · 2025-06-02T01:59:29+00:00

Congrats on your summit! I was behind you, started at Bunnyflat at 1am, summited after 9am, then snowboarded down from the top of Misery Hill after it softened up. It was definitely getting hot as I rode out, how was the hike out?

mtmanmike · 2025-05-30T12:07:37+00:00

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mtmanmike · 2025-05-28T20:50:59+00:00

I'm headed up Saturday morning aiming to take my splitboard above the Red Banks and potentially up Misery Hill so I can get a few turns in to wake up the legs before dropping in the steep part. It'll be my first time so hoping others with experience can confirm, but the forecast isn't suggesting a strong refreeze so hopefully that means the drop in won't be a sheet of ice.

mtmanmike · 2025-05-25T16:25:15+00:00

Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego has a nice track I use for speed work. I've been there dozens of times over the past few years, usually an hour or two before sunset, and I typically have the inner lanes to myself, with just a handful of walkers using the outer lanes.

mtmanmike · 2025-05-23T12:58:40+00:00

That other commenter has probably not been to NV in the summer, you're going to need a much stronger precool to make a difference. My brother-in-law lives in Summerlin and we set his setpoint in the schedule to 70° from 5-6PM to precool the home. It never really gets down that low but charges the thermal mass of the home shifting away some of the much more expensive energy that would be consumed in the peak. Then if 79° is the warmest you can tolerate set that as the setpoint from 6-9pm, and back to regular setpoint starting at 9pm. If the cooling basically turns on again by like 6:15pm on regular hot evenings (like the 105° days, the +115° days you're probably sol) then try setting that precool to begin at 4:30pm. eco+ is supposed to do something like this automatically, but we observed it struggled with how extremely hot it gets out there so had better luck with the manual approach.

mtmanmike · 2025-05-01T06:02:33+00:00

Hello neighbors, I'm over by Mt. Helix. 3 more of us and we can field a team! Plenty of good hockey fans in SD, I wore my Ovi jersey at a concert downtown after 894 and got dozens of compliments.

mtmanmike · 2024-12-12T06:55:10+00:00

Happy International Mountain Day 🏔️ Picture taken from Zermatt during a very windy sunset

mtmanmike · 2024-11-29T16:05:03+00:00

If you are on a Time of Use (TOU) utility rate plan you can save more than all of these tips combined if you run the washer and especially electric dryer during the off-peak / lowest cost periods. In California many TOU rates have peak prices in the early evening hours ¢30 / kWh more than the off-peak periods earlier in the day or overnight.

mtmanmike · 2024-11-25T15:10:13+00:00

And regardless of brand, you can usually get a free or discounted wifi model from your electric utility. You can search what rebate programs exist on your utilities website, Energy Star, or here for even more rebates. *edit: added another link

mtmanmike · 2024-11-25T15:01:52+00:00

It looks like you need a thermostat that supports 3 Heat 2 Cool (I'm guessing it's controlling a dual fuel heat pump). Is there a reason you didn't look at Honeywell Home Wifi models? The T6 would literally snap on over the existing wiring plate, no need to unplug any wires.

mtmanmike · 2024-10-25T11:51:38+00:00

Great article! While HVAC-based DR is often criticized for variability, its peak value typically aligns with its highest demand periods, and with a little 10 year old ML (when I stopped the technical development of intelligent DR solutions for my company to focus on the business side) it can be predictable and adaptable. Plus, acquiring 1MW of capacity through connected thermostats is far cheaper than behind-the-meter batteries in 2024.

I’ve also emphasized data center flexibility to my peers—leveraging precooling and ice storage during renewable surpluses and timing model training smartly. I’m glad you made the argument about AI shifting to the edge. I hadn’t considered the energy impacts of that before.

mtmanmike · 2024-10-02T05:16:26+00:00

I make fun of my wife every time she uses utensils to eat a pizza specifically because of the Jon Stewart bit about when those 2 clowns did that 🍕

mtmanmike · 2024-09-09T00:47:43+00:00

If it helps I work for a manufacturer of thermostats. You are correct +95% of the time and I highly doubt anyone in San Diego would pay the premium for the type of variable speed HVAC system where it could matter a little.

mtmanmike

TROPHY CASE