Gary C

I want one of those old, big, black mesh metal satellite dishes-- the ones that were about six feet in diameter. It doesn't matter if it's dented or rusty, and I prefer one that doesn't work. It doesn't need to have any of the electronics with it. I don't want to use it for receiving satellite signals (which may be obvious by this point); I want to use it to make a collector for a solar water heater.

I would like one as cheap as possible.

I would be willing to haul one away if anybody has one they want to be rid of.

I want one of those old, big, black mesh metal satellite dishes-- the ones that were about six feet in diameter. It doesn't matter if it's dented or rusty, and I prefer one that doesn't work. It doesn't need to have any of the electronics with it. I don't want to use it for receiving satellite signals (which may be obvious by this point); I want to use it to make a collector for a solar water heater.

I would like one as cheap as possible. I would be willing to haul one away if anybody has one they want to be rid of.

Anybody know where to obtain such a thing?

I'm getting ready to wire my garage as part of converting it into an aquarium room (I'll have about 50 or 60 fish tanks in there). This will all be "new work"-- there has been no wiring in the garage until now.

I've been reading up on what I will need, and I understand that I will need circuits with ground fault interrupters (GFCI) on them, both because the codes require this for garages and because I'm going to have a lot of water in mine (comparable to having GFCIs in a bathroom, I guess).

I know that there are two basic kinds of GFCI that I can install. One way is to have each outlet contain a built-in GFCI (that's what I usually see in bathrooms). But there are also circuit breakers for the panel box that have built-in GFCIs. As far as I can see, they do the same thing as having a GFCI on each outlet does.

Here's what I want to know: Is there some advantage to doing it one way or the other? Would it be safer to have GFCI on the breakers in the box, or on each outlet, or does it not matter? Would there be any advantage to using both kinds together?

This setup will have a lot of outlets (maybe about 75). There will be a lot of electrical devices, mainly low-wattage ones like air pumps and aquarium power filters (and some fluorescent and/or LED lights). So it would be cheaper to have the GFCI on the circuit breakers instead of on each outlet (outlets without GFCI are much cheaper than those with it). But if that isn't safe, of course, it's out of the question.

On the Korean TV soap opera, "My Lovely Sam Soon," the main character is named Kim Sam Soon. She wants to change her name, because, she says, everyone makes fun of her name. This is mentioned in almost every episode of the show. At one point, she tells a story of a young woman who committed suicide because she was so upset about being named Sam Soon.

I'm not Korean, and I'm missing the point here. What is funny or embarrassing about the name Sam Soon, or the full name Kim Sam Soon? It just sounds like any other Korean name to me.

In other words, what's the joke?

Somebody has offered me some Asian Fire-Bellied Toads. (I think they're Bombina orientalis.)

I haven't kept them before. I've done a little reading on them and apparently they live well in groups. I'd like to keep a small group of them, around 5 to 7 individuals.

What size aquarium would be good for this setup.

My basic plan is:

Have about 2/3 of the bottom with water about 4 inches deep and a submersible aquarium filter.

About 1/3 with rocks where the toads can climb out of the water and hide under branches and the like if they want to.

Does this sound good? Any other suggestions?