Hi guys,
I've moved into a new room, which is awesome, massive, 2 windows overlooking a park, in London (I'm not interested in your opinions that London is rubbish and all that).
There's just two issues to two improvements that really need to be made.
It has windows out to the street, first floor, to the park - and there's a streetlight directly across the road, frustatingly meaning that in many places around the room, including my computer desk, I am sitting with a bright light in my field of view (depressing that I'm making this thread at 7pm, here comes the winter darkness). The ones on this side have a patch on one side of them to stop the light from being a nuisance, however, the one opposite my room does not. What's that? Close the curtains? For me that isn't an adequate solution, as I pretty much never close them. I suddenly thought - perhaps there's something I can do about this?
I suppose my streeltlight related questions would be twofold. Firstly, does anyone know any safe(ish) ways of climbing a streetlight that could be about 2/3 floors high? I've seen those documentaries where people use a towel wrapped around coconut trees and walk up them, something like that might be a possibility. Hitting the pavement would not be ideal. I'm sure that once I was up there I'd be able to somehow fit a shade (I'd fashion it so it only shades a shallow angle so only houses up, and keep the road properly lit).
Secondly, what are the chances it'd be noticed and taken down? I mean, it could be construed as vandalism or something, even if it is just a privately made improvement upon public property. It would be galling to risk my breaking my neck putting it up there only for it to be somehow taken back down, and the burning light eating into my brain in my peripheral vision would return into my life.
What would you guys do in this situation?
Also, the room is pretty draughty with old single glazing windows (I guess draft excluders could me of some use there?), and there is a fireplace in it. Long blocked up I assumed, however, after having a bit of a go at it and emptying a few bags of soot and stuff, I can see light up it, and it draws the air up. I've cleaned out as much as I can reach, there doesn't seem to be anything that obvious up there. I've pulled back the carpet around it (indicating it hasn't been used in the life of that carpet (which is old)) and there is a slate kinda cover around, and put a few bricks and a couple of slate tiles around to fireproof it a bit. I think all I need now is some kind of grill type thing to put the fire on so it's not just directly on the floor, and I'm good to go.
When I say good to go, I mean ready to potentially burn the house down. Am I being naive in not getting in a chimney person that I can't afford? I reckon if I start with a small fire, keep my eye on it, work my way up nothing that bad could happen?
Finally, after having the genius decision of being a remote switch power plug switch, and hooking it up to a bunch of mood lights and one on a splitter which powers my stereo, monitors and stuff - I set my thoughts upon automating my curtains. I've pretty much implemented a pull string which could be driven be a motor - it's just that I would need a way of triggering it, and for it to be on for a certain amount of time, so it can turn on, pull the curtains open, and then stop instead of ripping them off the walls. Maybe if you could trigger it to cut off after a certain amount of torque resistance or something? I'm no engineer obviously. Looking online electric curtains are pretty expensive, surely there's not a lot more to them than a controllable motor?
I can't justify posting this on here instead of somewhere more knowledgeable about this stuff and less knowledgeable about computers. But I thought I'd give the GD crowd a go...
Too long didn't read - Help me pimp my room.
I've moved into a new room, which is awesome, massive, 2 windows overlooking a park, in London (I'm not interested in your opinions that London is rubbish and all that).
There's just two issues to two improvements that really need to be made.
It has windows out to the street, first floor, to the park - and there's a streetlight directly across the road, frustatingly meaning that in many places around the room, including my computer desk, I am sitting with a bright light in my field of view (depressing that I'm making this thread at 7pm, here comes the winter darkness). The ones on this side have a patch on one side of them to stop the light from being a nuisance, however, the one opposite my room does not. What's that? Close the curtains? For me that isn't an adequate solution, as I pretty much never close them. I suddenly thought - perhaps there's something I can do about this?
I suppose my streeltlight related questions would be twofold. Firstly, does anyone know any safe(ish) ways of climbing a streetlight that could be about 2/3 floors high? I've seen those documentaries where people use a towel wrapped around coconut trees and walk up them, something like that might be a possibility. Hitting the pavement would not be ideal. I'm sure that once I was up there I'd be able to somehow fit a shade (I'd fashion it so it only shades a shallow angle so only houses up, and keep the road properly lit).
Secondly, what are the chances it'd be noticed and taken down? I mean, it could be construed as vandalism or something, even if it is just a privately made improvement upon public property. It would be galling to risk my breaking my neck putting it up there only for it to be somehow taken back down, and the burning light eating into my brain in my peripheral vision would return into my life.
What would you guys do in this situation?
Also, the room is pretty draughty with old single glazing windows (I guess draft excluders could me of some use there?), and there is a fireplace in it. Long blocked up I assumed, however, after having a bit of a go at it and emptying a few bags of soot and stuff, I can see light up it, and it draws the air up. I've cleaned out as much as I can reach, there doesn't seem to be anything that obvious up there. I've pulled back the carpet around it (indicating it hasn't been used in the life of that carpet (which is old)) and there is a slate kinda cover around, and put a few bricks and a couple of slate tiles around to fireproof it a bit. I think all I need now is some kind of grill type thing to put the fire on so it's not just directly on the floor, and I'm good to go.
When I say good to go, I mean ready to potentially burn the house down. Am I being naive in not getting in a chimney person that I can't afford? I reckon if I start with a small fire, keep my eye on it, work my way up nothing that bad could happen?
Finally, after having the genius decision of being a remote switch power plug switch, and hooking it up to a bunch of mood lights and one on a splitter which powers my stereo, monitors and stuff - I set my thoughts upon automating my curtains. I've pretty much implemented a pull string which could be driven be a motor - it's just that I would need a way of triggering it, and for it to be on for a certain amount of time, so it can turn on, pull the curtains open, and then stop instead of ripping them off the walls. Maybe if you could trigger it to cut off after a certain amount of torque resistance or something? I'm no engineer obviously. Looking online electric curtains are pretty expensive, surely there's not a lot more to them than a controllable motor?
I can't justify posting this on here instead of somewhere more knowledgeable about this stuff and less knowledgeable about computers. But I thought I'd give the GD crowd a go...
Too long didn't read - Help me pimp my room.
).
