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You’ve probably heard of E85, or maybe you’ve even seen a few gas stations selling this stuff. Perhaps you’ve read that it’s the new, greener alternative fuel for cars that’s supposed to help wean us off our foreign dependency on oil. After all, anything that can achieve that is a good thing, right?

… Wrong.

Ethanol is basically a high proof alcohol (just like we drink) which is created by fermenting organic matter such as sugar cane, corn, wheat, grains, and even our trash (source: Technology Review) and turning it into a fuel we can burn in our cars. This is done in large refining plants all across the country, but mostly near large farms. Because ethanol burns “clean” (no residue), we can mix it with gasoline and use it in most internal combustion engines with no ill affects to the vehicle. In fact, some states mandate that gasoline contain at least 10% ethanol to reduce the affects of smog and as a substitute for the additive MTBE.

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DirecTV has launched a beta test of their video on demand service for those who have the HR20-700 DVR. As far as I can tell, you must have this model DVR as the other models aren’t yet supported, though it sounds like they will be in the near future. If you do have the HR20-700, here’s what you need to do in order to get video on demand setup and working.

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If you are thinking about upgrading your DirecTV service or DVR, read this article. There has been a significant change to the DVR’s being provided by DirecTV in that they do not include a built-in over-the-air HD tuner.
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