Jun

25

I am quite fed up with all the right and left wing spin demonizing each presidential candidate. The latest rift started by James Dobson (whom usually is sane) is just a load of crap.

If James pulls out his Bible he might note that the “religious right” of the day tried to trap Jesus into a similar church and state argument. Jesus response was to take a Roman coin and respond by saying “Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”. Jimbo, I suggest you do the same.

But this is not the point… To all you dillweeds out there…

Here is the point…

-The housing market is on the brink of collapse

-Our healthcare system is an out of control nightmare still unavailable to many

-Dependency on oil and current prices are going to put us over the edge and require both long and short term solutions

-Climate change is an issue we need to address NOW! The science exists, is valid, and conservative media Bozo’s need to pull their heads out of their ass and get enagaged in reporting how we solve this problem.

-Oh, and by the way, there are jihad zealots who are willing to sacrifice their lives to kill us and our way of living…

Given the above most of us could give a crap who Barack or John’s pasters are or who is or is not endorsing them this week. We could care less about most of the sniping that is going on between the left and the right and the polarization that occurs as a result. Maybe we all could pull our collective heads out of our rear ends and focus on what we are going to do short term and long term to solve these problems.

As someone that tends to be conservative in my political views I would suggest that the conservatives start listening to folks like Newt Gingrich. The Republican party and the right are so out of touch with reality these days it is hard to even listen to word most of you are saying. Y’all need a huge look in the mirror. You have become inflexible, intolerant and disconnected with reality. This November conservatives will be in for the political shock of your lives. And by the way, the church seats are well populated with Christians like myself that hold similar points of view.

As for you liberal weenies, to quote a Navy term, you will soon have the “Deck and the Con”. Make the most of it and start leading us in digging out of this mess we are in. Some words of wisdom. Listen to some of the ideas of the right and do not dismiss them because they come from the right.

It is time we start working together. I do realize for most of you this is too much to ask.

Jun

23

Jun

23

Global climate change is real! Hear is a site with some compelling information (though very scientific) http://books.nap.edu/html/climatechange/. For those of you that do not want the science (this would include all the influential media shit for brains telling us there is not a problem… Sean Hannity and Glen Beck come to mind) let me put it to you on these terms.

If you do not think the continual release of man made gasses and chemicals into our atmosphere is not a problem why don’t you just pull your barbecue into your home, start using it (please do not be an idiot and do this) and see how long you live. The only difference between the two is economy of scale.

Jun

7

Oil and energy prices skyrocketing. Food prices soaring. Home prices tanking. Jobs shrinking. Things are looking pretty bleak. Living through these times can be a real roller coaster ride.

For those of you not saddled with debt there are some potential long and short term opportunities out there.

Energy prices are heading upward. They will likely level out at some time in the future (who knows when), but it is highly unlikely that we will ever see gasoline under 3$, even 4$ again in the good ‘ol USA. It is already over 8$ in many parts of Europe. As I said in a previous post, the answer is to build cars that increase MPG. What is the most popular vehicle? The Prius. Gas hog vehicles sales are plummeting, fuel efficient vehicle sales are on the rise.

US auto dealers are being tight lipped. While their management can be a bit stodgy and slow to react they too can read the tea lives. In fact, it may very well be the energy crisis that cause both GM and Ford to get busy and to emerge again and compete with the likes of Honda and Toyota.

Rising gas prices are going to create a demand in the market (it already is) for fuel efficient cars. In two years time we have gone from an average price of $2.25 to $4.50 a gallon and still climbing. At $5.00 a gallon (not far away) it is going to cost you $3600 a year to drive your 20mpg car 12,000 miles. Compare this with $1350 just two years ago! At $8.00 a gallon the cost will be $4800.00 a year.

Ford is allegedly working on a technology called hydraulic hybrid which could lead the way. There are rumors of an F-150 that can get 60mpg. GM is working on hybrid technology as well. Both stocks are currently in the tank (Ford has been for years).

If you have some patience, and are willing to take some risk this might be a good time to start buying auto stocks. This is bit of a contrarian view. And, there is no guarantee that US Automakers will see the writing on the wall.

 

 

May

9

Hertz is starting to offer the Prius. I drove about 65 highway miles and 25 city miles. I see how people can get addicted trying to see how high they can get their mpg. The console has a display where you can watch how you are doing on a digital scale that goes from 0 to a 100. It calculates and displays total miles driven and your average mpg once a minute. It almost becomes a game to see how well you can do, at least it was for me on the highway. I got 53.5 mpg driving the rolling highways of Central Wisconsin, and about 35 mpg in Marshfield.

I was staying about 30 miles from the airport. Filled it back up for $5.25 (obviously it was topped off a bit more before). Drove to the airport and it was still of F when I parked.

The guy at the Hertz counter said a lot of people did not want to drive it. I thought it was a great car. Unless they come out with something with even better gas mileage I plan on buying one.

 

 

Jan

8

A typical desktop computer can consume 150-250 watts per hour (this includes the montor). A typical laptop consumes 20-50 watts. Anywhere from 1/3 to 1/20th less power than a desktop.

So what do you have to give up?

Price?

No way. You can get a nice laptop for $650 or less.

Okay but what do I sacrafice?

Nothing really. You get a decent sized screen (15.4″), big hard drive (120gb), 1gb of memory (more than enough). I am writing this blog on a $650 laptop. It is both the cheapest and the nicest computer (by far) that I have ever owned.

Are there any advantages over a desktop?

Yep…can you say wi-fi… I can take my computer to the backyard, sit in an easy chair and watch a rerun of Heroes. I can compute in my office, I can take it back to my bedroom to work or surf the net. Heck, I take it on the road and compute in my hotel room.

For the same price as a desktop, all this flexibility and major savings in energy and less stress to our environment this is an easy decision!

Mar

24

In this Wednesdays Seattle Times the front page featured a story on 10 townhouses being built in the Issaquah Highlands that are being designed to be the epitome of green energy efficiency. While being hooked up to the grid these homes sport solar, maximum insulation, energy star appliances, and energy efficient lighting.

While being touted as 0 energy, they will likely draw 30-50% of there energy from the grid. This is still great news. We need to keep moving green products and ideas into the mainstream until they become the norm.

Mar

16

Yes they can cost $5.95 per bulb, but they use 2/3 the energy and last 10 times longer. One bulb can save you $30.00 over the life of the bulb.

You can get 8 13watt (equivalent of a regular 60 watt bulb) for about $3 a bulb from Amazon.
Globe 13-Watt T2 Mini Compact Fluorescent Spiral Bulb, Cool White, 8-Pack #6780201

or go a little brighter

Compact Fluorescent Energy Saver / 20 Watt / 75 Watt Equivalent / 4 Pack / 2700K

Also, check out http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

 

Mar

10

If you are using rechargeable batteries pat yourself on the back. But did you know that rechargeable batteries contain toxic materials and must be properly disposed? You can drop your batteries off at one of 30,000+ locations. For more details go to www.rbrc.org or call 877-273-2925.

Mar

4

I read in a recent Seattle Times article that if every American used just one CFL bulb that we could prevent greenhouse emissions equivalent to 800,000 cars. What are you waiting for?  

The next story I would like to read is about stores not being able to keep them in stock. 

— keep looking »

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