WANTED: 300 readers who can help us by midnight tonight. It's been unusually cold in the Bay Area: I had to scrape actual ice off my car last week. (Isn't that why I left the East Coast in the first place?) We've been cranking the space heaters all night at my house, lest we turn into icicles in our sleep. Since our central heat isn't very efficient (it is itself kind of a giant space heater), I've assumed that the room-by-room approach is best. But our power bill soared last month, so I decided to do a little more research. The short answer is that it depends on how much of your house you're heating. In general, if you only need one or two rooms to be warm, space heaters will use less energy than central heat. (Unless your central heating happens to be wildly efficient: Geothermal users, I'm looking at you). "But in terms of energy per heat output, small space heaters will rarely ever be as efficient as a central heating system," says Tom Simchak, a senior policy-research associate at the Alliance to Save Energy.

"There would be few situations where putting space heaters in every room and turning them all on would be more efficient than a properly-operating and relatively modern central system." If you do opt for a space heater, make sure to get the right kind. If you're just looking to heat part of a room, choose a radiant heater, which emits infrared radiation that heats up whatever is closest to the unit (i.e., you, your desk, etc.). whats a good window ac unitIf you want to heat up the whole room, opt for a convection heater, which warms up the air, suggests the US Department of Energy. ac unit buyRadiant and convection heaters are comparable in price; how to set up ac unitboth can range from about $30 to $130. Some models use less energy than others; this Eco-Heater, for example, uses only 400 watts, compared with the 1500 watts used by most convection heaters, though its reviews on Home Depot's website are mixed.

Models meant to heat larger spaces often use more energy, so if the room you want to heat is tiny, you could probably get away with one of the less powerful heaters. (Most labels include the heater's estimated range.) Consumer Search has a straightforward review of various models here. It's also worth noting that if your house isn't well insulated, you're definitely losing money and wasting energy, no matter what kind of heat you use. The home-energy-savings wizard Michael Bluejay has some great insulation tips here. (Also, some cool miscellaneous heating information, such as why a ceiling fan can actually make a room warmer and how the Japanese heat themselves instead of their rooms.) Lastly, remember that space heaters can be a fire hazard: According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, some 25,000 house fires a year are linked to them. So make sure you read the safety instructions carefully before using any space heater. Check out Consumer Reports' safety tips here.

International Conference hosted by the Visual Culture Programme Vienna University of Technology What has emerged over the last decade as one of the most significant of work in Visual Culture is a persistent desire for both a critical toward its theoretical underpinnings and an experimental elasticity in This drive is giving rise to a plethora of new investigative multi-directional engagements, particularly vis-a-vis matters of urgency and their cultural and spatial implications. Marking ten years of Visual Culture studies at Vienna University of Technology, this conference aims to bring together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners interested in the dynamics between spatial phenomena and new modes of theoretical inquiry. Examining the blurring roles of intervention and research, the seeks to debate how critical and creative work in Visual Culture unexpected transitions and oscillations between individual and and virtual, center and periphery, and activism and academy.

The conference will partly take place within the exhibition setting of 2 or 3 Things we've learned Intersections of art, pedagogy and protest (IG Bildende Kunst, 14th Sep to 29th Oct 2010), which aims to produce a discursive space to address processes, displacements and intervention through art in education. This conference is organised by the Visual Culture UnitInstitute of Art and Design, Vienna University of TechnologyProf Christine HohenbüchlerProf Peter Mörtenböck Karin ReisingerAmila SirbegovicStefanie WuschitzNada Zerzer Institute of Art and Design Vienna University of Technology Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 Vienna, Austria Visual Culture Unitconference@visuelle-kultur.net+43 (0)1 58801 26401The University provides central file space for staff and students to store files, either in individual users' personal file space (also known as 'home directories') or as shared file space for schools and units.  This file space is held on centrally administered disk storage systems (servers), including a highly resilient data storage system, the Central File Store (CFS).

The intended aim is that central file space be used for storage of all University data, for reasons of 'good business practice' and efficiency: We are already implementing the centralised storage (externally in  ) of calendar data and staff email, for which all the above advantages will also apply. Use of file space is governed by the Conditions for the Use of Computers within the University. IT Services does not dictate how personal or shared file space is used: the onus is on each individual or school/unit to manage their own central file space.  However, there are a few rules which must be adhered to: Members of staff are allocated an initial 5GB of disk storage in their personal file space.  Undergraduate students get an initial allocation of 2GB and postgraduate students get 3GB.  There is some scope for increasing these allocations; if you have a genuine need for more space, please contact the IT Service Desk. Users wishing to access their personal file space should map a network drive (Windows) or connect to a server (Mac) as follows:

Schools and units can apply for shared file space ("share") on the Central File Store (CFS).  This can be divided up into a main group share plus a number of sub-groups.  Every group and sub-group share must have a designated "responsible" person who will be the point of contact in dealings with IT Services, and who will also ensure that their group and/or sub-groups are used responsibly, and that requests for changes are sent through them. Each school or unit can have a group share with an initial disk quota (currently 200GB for schools, 50GB for units).  Within this group a number of sub-groups can be set up, each with its own authorised user list. Group and sub-group users must authenticate themselves before they can access any data held on a group share. Please contact the IT Service Desk if you need further advice on setting up and using shared spaces on the CFS. The maximum number of groups and sub-groups that any one person can be a member of is sixteen.  This limitation is unlikely to affect the vast majority of CFS shared-group users but it may become a problem for a few administrators. 

If you find that you are approaching the limit for membership please contact the IT Service Desk to discuss how we can adjust things to minimise the inconvenience. In early 2014 IT Services will start migrating file shares from the old Central File Store (CFS) to a newer file storage system.  The initial schedule is to have everyone re-map their drives to cfs.st-andrews.ac.uk so that when the data is finally migrated, they will already be referencing the new system. We will copy the data shares across in the background and when the time comes for the migration, we will ensure that any changes made since the initial data transfer are captured.  Following this the users will be connected to the new CFS.  When the process has been completed it will resolve the 16-group limit issues currently experienced by some users.  Various other enhancements will be added in due course, and these will be advertised as they become available. You can read more at Mapping to the new Central File Store