How Many Watts Does the Honeywell 50250 Air Purifier Use?

I recently bought the Honeywell 50250-S HEPA Round Air Purifier from Amazon. It was nearly half price from Amazon Warehouse Deals since it was a returned unit, but it was listed as “Like New” so I gave it a shot. It turns out the unit would not turn on, but after I took apart the control panel I realized that one of the wires of the power cable was loose. Once I connected it back to the right spot, it worked perfectly. Now I know why it was a returned unit.

The purifier seems to do a pretty good job at removing odors, but it is noisy and uses a decent amount of power. How much power? Well, the purifier has three speed settings: High, Medium, and Low, which you can select with the knob shown:

50250unitknob

I used my Kill-A-Watt to measure how many watts the purifier used at each speed level:

wattage

So, as you can see, the High speed setting uses a whopping 200 W of power. Medium reduces the consumption to 165 W, while Low uses 103 W.

At $0.15/kWh, that means the air purifier would have a yearly cost of $263 on High, $217 on Medium, or $135 on Low if run 24/7 – not exactly insignificant, and all of which are more than what I paid for the unit in the first place!

List of All Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm Achievements

The following is a complete list (as of July 14th, 2013) of all campaign achievements from Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Where possible, I have sorted them by mission. Hence, certain achievements which fall under “Story Mode” or “Mastery,” I have moved to the applicable mission for easy reference while playing.

Umoja Missions

10 points: Complete the Umoja Missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Umoja Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Umoja Mission achievements.

Lab Rat

10 points: Complete the “Lab Rat” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 35 Sentry Bots in the “Lab Rat” mission.

10 points: Complete the “Lab Rat” mission in less than 10 minutes on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy 3 Factories in the “Lab Rat” mission in less than 10 minutes on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Back in the Saddle

10 points: Complete the “Back in the Saddle” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Prevent the Dominion from destroying a tram engine during the tram ride in the “Back in the Saddle” mission.

10 points: Don’t take any damage from the Archangel in the “Back in the Saddle” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete “Back in the Saddle” with more than 40 seconds on each lockdown on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Rendezvous

10 points: Complete the “Rendezvous” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 15 enemy structures before Naktul’s forces arrive in the “Rendezvous” mission.

10 points: Rescue all trapped Swarm Queens before Naktul’s forces arrive in the “Rendezvous” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy all Dominion Structures in the “Rendezvous” mission before Naktul’s brood arrives on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Char Missions

10 points: Complete the Char Missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Char Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Char Mission achievements.

Domination

10 points: Complete the “Domination” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Hatch all 6 Baneling Nests in the “Domination” mission before collecting 100 eggs.

10 points: Don’t let Zagara collect an Egg in the “Domination” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy Zagara’s base in the “Domination” mission in less than 14 minutes on Hard difficulty before collecting 100 eggs. (Mastery Achievement)

Fire in the Sky

10 points: Complete the “Fire in the Sky” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Don’t let 5 units die to the Gorgon Battlecruiser in the “Fire in the Sky” mission.

10 points: Destroy 3 Orbital Command structures in the “Fire in the Sky” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy 4 Gorgon Battlecruisers within 120 seconds in the “Fire in the Sky” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Old Soldiers

10 points: Complete the “Old Soldiers” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 20 enemy structures before the 1st Nuclear Strike in the “Old Soldiers” mission.

10 points: Complete the “Old Soldiers” mission in less than 20 minutes on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy the Planetary Fortress in the “Old Soldiers” mission before the nuclear strike on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Kaldir Missions

10 points: Complete the Kaldir Missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Kaldir Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Kaldir Mission achievements.

Harvest of Screams

10 points: Complete the “Harvest of Screams” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 20 unfrozen enemy structures in the “Harvest of Screams” mission.

10 points: Complete the “Harvest of Screams” mission in less than 15 minutes on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete all objectives in less than 12 minutes in the “Harvest of Screams” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Shoot the Messenger

10 points: Complete the “Shoot the Messenger” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Don’t let a Protoss Shuttle begin Warping Out in the “Shoot the Messenger” mission.

10 points: Destroy 2 Protoss Nexuses in the “Shoot the Messenger” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy all 3 Protoss Docking Bays in the “Shoot the Messenger” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Enemy Within

10 points: Complete the “Enemy Within” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Collect 450 biomass in the “Enemy Within” mission.

10 points: Don’t let an Escape Pod reach less than 20 seconds in the “Enemy Within” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Kill 15 units with the Giant Ursadon in the “Enemy Within” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Zerus Missions

10 points: Complete the Zerus Missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Zerus Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Zerus Mission achievements.

Waking the Ancient

10 points: Complete the “Waking the Ancient” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Don’t lose more than 3 Drones in the “Waking the Ancient” mission.

10 points: Kill 4 Primal Hives in the “Waking the Ancient” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Don’t let Brakk destroy any Biomass in the “Waking the Ancient” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

The Crucible

10 points: Complete “The Crucible” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Kill 75 enemy units with Primal Spawn Locusts in “The Crucible” mission.

10 points: Complete “The Crucible” mission without Kerrigan’s Chrysalis taking damage on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Kill the Tyrannozor in under 1 minute after it appears in “The Crucible” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Supreme

10 points: Complete the “Supreme” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Kill 500 enemy units with Kerrigan in the “Supreme” mission.

10 points: Complete the “Supreme” mission without letting Kerrigan drop below 100 life on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete the “Supreme” mission in less than 12 minutes on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Skygeirr Missions

10 points: Complete the Skygeirr Station missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Skygeirr Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Skygeirr Mission achievements.

Infested

10 points: Complete the “Infested” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Kill 60 enemy units with Parasitic Dominated terran units in the “Infested” mission.

10 points: Infest all Garrisons without losing a Virophage in the “Infested” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete the “Infested” mission before the Dominion Gas the Platform a 3rd time on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Hand of Darkness

10 points: Complete the “Hand of Darkness” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 2 Command Centers in the “Hand of Darkness” mission.

10 points: Destroy 3 Hybrid Holding Cells before the Hybrid are released in “Hand of Darkness” on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Kill 3 Hybrid Dominators with Terran units in the “Hand of Darkness” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Phantoms of the Void

10 points: Complete the “Phantoms of the Void” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Don’t let Stukov die in the “Phantoms of the Void” mission.

10 points: Kill 2 Hybrid within 20 seconds of each other in the “Phantoms of the Void” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy all Protoss structures in the “Phantoms of the Void” mission on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Space Missions

10 points: Complete the Space Missions in the Heart of the Swarm campaign. (Story Mode Achievement)

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Space Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Space Mission achievements.

With Friends Like These…

10 points: Complete the “With Friends Like These…” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Collect every mineral pickup with the Hyperion in the “With Friends Like These…” mission.

10 points: Don’t let a Mag Mine hit the Hyperion in the “With Friends Like These…” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete the “With Friends Like These…” mission in less than 11 minutes on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Conviction

10 points: Complete the “Conviction” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Prevent Kerrigan’s life from dropping below 50% in the “Conviction” mission.

10 points: Reach the Prison Deck with Kerrigan in less than 8 minutes in the “Conviction” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Complete the “Conviction” mission in less than 10 minutes on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Final Missions

10 points: Complete all Bonus Objectives in each of the Final Missions.

20 points: Complete all the Final Mission achievements.

Planetfall

10 points: Complete the “Planetfall” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Don’t lose a Bile Launcher in the “Planetfall” mission.

10 points: Destroy 3 Augustgrad Gates before the 5th Bile Launcher lands in the “Planetfall” mission on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy all Dominion structures in the “Planetfall” mission before the 5th Bile Launcher lands on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Death from Above

10 points: Complete the “Death from Above” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Destroy 20 enemy structures before the 2nd Psi Destroyer field activation in the “Death From Above” mission.

10 points: Don’t let Dehaka die while destroying a Power Link in the “Death From Above” mission on Normal difficulty.

The Reckoning

10 points: Complete the “The Reckoning” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Prevent the Hyperion from taking damage in “The Reckoning” mission.

10 points: Complete “The Reckoning” mission in less than 25 minutes on Normal difficulty.

10 points: Destroy the Odin in “The Reckoning” mission before Mengsk sends it at Raynor on Hard difficulty. (Mastery Achievement)

Story Mode

10 points: On Char, teach Zagara what it means to be the ruler of the Swarm.

10 points: Discover the true purpose of the Xel’Naga Artifact while at the Skygeirr Platform.

10 points: Discover Zeratul’s next destination.

10 points: Click on each object viewable from the Leviathan: Warfield’s Fortress, Skygeirr Station, Void Seeker, Hyperion, Nafash’s Hatchery, The Ancient One, Communications Relay, & Mengsk’s Palace.

10 points: Show off your new look to the following characters [Izsha, Abathur, Zurvan].

10 points: Speak to the following characters before assaulting Mengsk’s Palace on Korhal [Abathur, Zagara, Dehaka, Stukov, Izsha].

10 points: Mutate each Zerg unit in the Evolution Pit.

70 points: Reach Kerrigan Level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

10 points: Complete all Kerrigan Level, Army mutation, and Evolution mission achievements.

10 points: Complete all the Evolution missions.

10 points: Complete the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

40 points: Complete 5, 10, 15, 20 Heart of the Swarm campaign missions on Normal difficulty.

40 points: Complete 5, 10, 15, 20 Heart of the Swarm campaign missions on Hard difficulty.

40 points: Complete 5, 10, 15, 20 Heart of the Swarm campaign missions on Brutal difficulty.

Kerrigan

10 points: Kill 50 enemy units or structures with Kinetic Blast.

10 points: Deal 15,000 damage with Leaping Strike.

10 points: Target and hit 150 enemy units with Crushing Grip.

10 points: Deal 5,000 damage with Chain Reaction.

10 points: Deal 5,000 damage with Psionic Shift.

10 points: Reconstitute 500 Zerglings with Zergling Reconstitution.

10 points: Target and hit 100 friendly units with Wild Mutation.

10 points: Kill 100 enemy units or structures with Spawn Banelings.

10 points: Morph 36 sets of Drones with the Twin Drones ability active.

10 points: Kill 100 enemy units with the Infest Broodlings ability active.

10 points: Maintain Kerrigan’s Fury for 60 seconds with Fury.

10 points: Use 4 abilities within 10 seconds with Ability Efficiency.

10 points: Use Drop-Pods 3 times in a single mission.

10 points: Use a Leviathan to kill 25 enemy units or structures in a single mission.

10 points: Use Apocalypse to kill 50 enemy units or structures in a single mission.

20 points: Complete all the Kerrigan achievements.

How to Convert a Folder of Images to JPEG in Photoshop

If you have a folder full of digital images in various formats, and you want to convert them into the JPG or JPEG format, it is very easy to do as a batch process in Adobe Photoshop:

  1. Open Photoshop & go to File > Scripts > Image Processor.
  2. Click the Select Folder button to choose the folder of images that you want to convert. You can also optionally include all sub-folders in the conversion by clicking the associated checkbox.
  3. Choose to save the converted images in the same location as the original images, or choose a different folder.
  4. Select the checkbox to Save as JPEG, and choose a quality factor. The JPEG quality factor in Photoshop can be an integer from 0 to 12, with 12 being the highest quality. A value of 9 is usually a sufficient balance between file size and quality.
  5. Click Run and your images will be saved as a JPEG in the location you specified! The original images will not be overwritten.
  6. Tested with Adobe Photoshop CS6

Fade In & Fade Out an Animated .GIF in Photoshop

In my previous post on how to make an animated GIF in Photoshop, a common question in the comments was how can you add the transition effect of fading from one image into the next?

Original:

GIF_step

With a Fade Effect:

GIF_fade

  1. Set up your animation frames in the Timeline palette (known as the Animation palette in versions prior to CS6). See my earlier post for instructions.
  2. Select the animation frame that you want to start the fade effect.
    GIF_fade_ex_1
    In the Timeline palette menu (found under this button at the top right corner of the palette: PsPaletteMenu), click Tween…
  3. In the box that pops up, make sure “Tween With: Next Frame” is chosen, so that the frame you selected will fade into the following frame. Under “Frames to Add” pick the number of new frames you want to add in between the current frame and the next frame. A larger number will make a smoother transition, but will result in a bigger file size. Make sure “All Layers” is chosen, and at least “Opacity” is checked. Click OK
    GIF_fade_ex_2
    New frames will be added in between the frame you selected and the following frame. The opacity of each layer is gradually transitioned from 100% to 0% and 0% to 100% respectively. This provides a good start, but one problem with this is that you can see the underlying transparency in the newly added frames, which will artificially brighten the image since there is no background layer. This is not what we want. Instead, we want the initial frame to have an opacity of 100% over the course of the tween, as the following frame gradually fades in. This can be manually edited for each frame in the Layer palette, but let’s avoid doing so:
  4. In the Timeline palette menu, uncheck New Layers Visible in All Frames
  5. Click on your original initial frame to select it. Shift+Click the last of the newly added in between frames. This will select all of the in between frames, while still leaving the initial frame as the “main” selected frame, which is important for the next step.
    GIF_fade_ex_3
  6. In the Layer palette, right click on the layer corresponding to the image in the initial frame (it should have 100% opacity). Click Duplicate Layer and then OK. This will copy your initial frame image to each of the in between frames at 100% opacity, which will make it appear that the next frame is fading in.
    GIF_fade_ex_4
  7. Change the timing of each frame if needed, click File > Save for Web & Devices, make sure the file format is set to GIF, and save the image!

You can repeat this for each set of two adjacent frames that you want to fade in or fade out of each other. In the Tween dialog box, there are a number of other options which can be used to add effects such as position changes, which can be experimented with.

Tested with Adobe Photoshop CS6, but should also work in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS5

Android Error Fix: Failed to convert @drawable/ into a drawable

While trying to add an icon from the Android Developer Icon Pack to a button’s android:drawableLeft property, I kept getting this error:

Failed to convert @drawable/10_device_access_camera into a drawable
Exception details are logged in Window > Show View > Error Log

java.lang.NumberFormatException: Color value '@drawable/10_device_access_camera' must start with #

Some people have mentioned restarting Eclipse has worked, but that didn’t work for me.

Instead, I found that I had to simply rename the image file so that it did NOT start with a number. All icons in the Android Developer Icon Pack start with a number, and I had just copied the one over. It appears that if the file starts with a number, it is assumed to be the start of a hexadecimal color value, and hence looks for the # symbol.

working with: Eclipse Juno 3.7.2, Android SDK 21.1