While the hours may be limited, small cities and towns in the US sometimes have very nice libraries too. E.g., Sheboygan, WI has a beautiful library, and was a great place to work when we had a work emergency while I was on vacation.

I you don't mind my asking, who were your top candidates, besides Linode? Did any service really impress, in terms of security and stability?

Same here -- the half-dozen CFLs in my apartment are all at least 10 years old, and the oldest more than 15. But they are all in in open fixtures, and not in frequently switched locations (i.e., none in the bathroom).

So far equally good experience with two LED bulbs ($$$). Especially like the new warm white LEDs from Philips.

Indeed. Another example:

http://www.kerafol.com/en/innovation-in-thermal-management/products-solutions/standard-films/keratherm-red.html

Last Monday I had some personal experience with this. Mid-morning the electricity went off. After checking the fuse box and finding that the neighbors had power, we finally looked at the (smart) meter. One of the display modes now said "OFF". Called the power company -- they found billing all in order, and said they'd send someone out to look at it.

Hour and a half later the power came back on. Repair guy never showed up.

Needless to say, the utility (SCE) could / would not provide an explanation. Obviously a software problem. Or maybe they just wanted to test the remote disconnect capability. :)

On the up side, I convinced my girlfriend to buy a UPS.

And I'm looking at installing centralized backup power for a couple of selected circuits, with the option to add solar panels to charge the batteries.

Indeed. Lower power consumption has driven my last 3 or 4 CPU purchases. The 45 watt Athlon in my desktop means it can now get by without a CPU fan, slower case fans and a smaller, fanless, power supply. Power consumption is maybe even more important for media center PCs, they're generally on all the time...

Exactly. And with version numbers at least you can decide to "upgrade to version X to use new feature Y". Mozilla is the browser that gives a user the most control over his/her interaction with a web server. I hope it stays that way...

Thank you for the correction.

... could we also get rid of Daylight Savings Time?

The NPR story (first link) was a real whitewash compared to the U. Arkansas press release (second link). The NPO story does not mention the fact that in some places where the roadsides are sprayed the genetically modified canola was the only thing left growing. And it downplays the risk of the genes spreading to other plants.