FIFTY YEARS - Lucas Valley Homeowners Association

Page 6
New Valley Vibration
Rubicon Court
Block Party
The Rubicon neighbors
held their 20th block party
the last weekend of August
much to everyone's
pleasure - a nice afternoon
with friends and scrumptious
food.
Congratulations to
Christopher Ford
Also Congratulations to Denis and
Jill Ford, Christopher's parents.
As quoted from Aug. 14 Marin IJ:
Although his grandfather is no longer
alive, Christopher Ford is pretty sure
he would have liked the lead character in
Ford's new movie, "Robot & Frank."
That's because Ford looked to
some of the quirks and charisma of his
beloved grandfather, Joseph Peter Donnelly,
as a model for Frank, an aging,
somewhat-senile grump who has a robot
for a caretaker.
"The feel of the character comes
from my grandpa, his humor. He was
always a curmudgeonly kind of guy
but with a big heart," says Ford, 31,
who grew up in Lucas Valley, where
his parents still live, and now calls
Brooklyn home. "He used the phrases
that Frank uses, like 'second-story man'
and 'smashing grab-artist' to describe
people he thought were crooks."
Of course, in Ford's script, Frank,
played by Frank Langella, actually is
a crook. That's where any similarities
stop, Ford notes.
"Robot & Frank" has garnered rave
reviews at various festivals, including
Sundance Film Festival, where it won
the Alfred P. Sloan Prize, which is
given to screenplays with a scientific,
mathematical or technological theme.
"Robot & Frank," which opens
Aug. 24, is Ford's first feature film,
made with his friend and fellow New
York University grad Jake Schreier,
who directed.
SMART Meters
By Janice Cunningham
Recently I have been having trouble
with my motion sensor light in my
driveway. After replacing it two times it
dawned on me that it might have something
to do with interference from the
SMART meter. When I called PG&E
the SMART representative admitted that
they had been having "a lot" of problems
with the new meters setting off motion
sensors. She also said they affect baby
monitors, garage door openers and alarm
systems. I also mentioned that my new
Samsung TV was acting up at the same
time the motion sensor light went on and
she acknowledged that this too is a common
problem with SMART meters.
PG&E came out and changed the
meter to a lower frequency one but that
did not solve the problem. They came
out again the next day and re-installed
the original SMART meter. She said
they would send out an electrician who
specializes in SMART meter problems
and that he would have to install new
motion sensors. The appointment is set
for later this month.
Apparently the undesired signal
of the SMART meters overpower the
desired signal of the item using the
same frequency. PG&E uses the same
frequency as many electronic household
items because that frequency, 900 - 928
megahertz, is free.
A few days later I was discussing
the problem with a contractor working
on my street and he said he had been
having problems with motion sensor installations
he did on a house nearby and
another house a few blocks away. He
replaced them and moved one thinking
it was heat from the dryer vent setting
it off only to still have problems.
Another resident came home to find
her garage door open. She has no proof as
to what opened it but has her suspicions.
Call PG&E if you are having
"strange" problems with your electronic
appliances - 866 743-0263.