Thomas Hunt

Got a solution to the Celsius-Fahrenheit thing. You're probably aware that the war over conflicting temperature scales has been raging for the past 270 years or so. Well, I'm putting a stop to it here and now. Celsius forces gradually have taken over much of the world (most of the conquest was achieved while they called themselves Centigraders, but we knew what they really were). The United States and fellow former British colonies the Cayman Islands and Belize are the remaining bastions of Fahrenheitism. The solution to the dispute is fairly simple. I'll walk you through it: Now, let's first agree that it would be stupid to drop °F for °C, because °F is a far more precise measurement. There are almost two Fahrenheit degrees for every Celsius degree. It frankly makes no sense to move from our slender, exact Fahrenheit degrees to fat, clumsy Celsius degrees. All those countries that have already done so are simply dumb. (Sorry. I know the truth hurts sometimes...

All of our "modern conveniences" (heat, light, water, and other luxuries) have been restored, but we had a difficult time last week. A freak snowstorm dumped about 14 inches of snow here in New Milford, CT, and was similarly brutal across much of southern New England and portions of New York. Coming, as it did, on October 29, the falling wet snow encountered many trees full of brightly colored leaves. The added weight to tree limbs caused all sorts of destruction - toppled trees, broken branches, snapped powerlines, blocked roadways. And about 102 hours of cold, quiet, darkness at the Hunt home. We used melted snow to flush the toilets, candles and flashlights to see at night, and the propane grill to cook. We huddled in the basement for warmth at night - nighttime temperatures outside were well below freezing, inside reached into the forties. Though somewhat creepy, the basement was nice and warm. Our power company, CL&P, has a great deal to answer for. Still reeling fro...

Looks like Hurricane Irene will be Tropical Storm Irene when she collides with Connecticut sometime on Sunday. (Perhaps the kids will have a "tropical storm day" instead of their first day of school on Monday.) The storm is currently sweeping up from the Bahamas. The "cone of uncertainty" - the collection of possible paths the storm will take - sweeps up the east coast of the United States. At this moment, Connecticut sits right in the center of the cone, meaning we're likely to experience heavy rains and strong winds no matter what course Irene finally decides. This image from NOAA is a look at how winds are expected to pick up over the next few days. It calls for tropical storm-level winds here in Connecticut.