Already pinched taxpayers needed to fund ‘green’ jobs

Posted By on April 19, 2010

Although I’d like to see new jobs in our country, it sure would be nice if they were not on the backs of taxpayers.
In a WSJ article this morning, cities looking to transform themselves into ‘green central’ are finding out that it isn’t easy and that they are pinning success on incentives from government.

“Joliet is discovering what cities across the U.S. have found: Declaring that a city is going to replace yesterday’s lost jobs with new green ones is a lot easier than actually doing so. Cities from Tulsa to Honolulu proclaim themselves destined to become leaders in green jobs, a broad classification for work tied to renewable energy and energy efficiency that includes insulators and solar-panel installers.”
Full WSJ article

Posted via email from richc’s posterous

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A reminder to clean the camera lens on your phone

Posted By on April 18, 2010

Cleaning smartphone lensAfter noticing the color saturation and sharpness in photos coming from my Palm Pre smartphone were not the same as the first photos I took,  I realized that just a cursory wipe of the lens wasn’t good enough.

So let this post serve as a reminder to clean the lint, oils, dust, etc. out of your cellphones tiny camera lens with a cotton swab or eyeglasses wipe once in awhile. Many experts recommend avoiding alcohol or any harsh glass cleaners, opting instead for a plastic surface flat screen TV or computer monitor ‘safe’ cleaner. While alcohol may not hurt most plastics, I’d error on the side of caution and use something intended for delicate plastic surfaces … when in doubt, a dab of bottles water with a drop of vinegar is excellent. Remember too, plastic displays and lenses on most cellphones scratch easily.

As a test, below is an unretouched photo merge (besides resizing and adding text) taken on a bright sunny day (click photo for larger view).

Before and after cleaning of Palm Pre lens

Category: Cellphone, Photos | 1 Comment »
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Lt Dan Band to be at EAA Airventure 2010 in Oshkosh WI

Posted By on April 17, 2010

airventureheader2010

It’s hard not to appreciate Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band and what they do for veterans as they travel around the country (and world) supporting causes that benefit our troops … and the children our soldiers find themselves protecting: Operation Iraqi Children both in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For aviation advocates, and in particular Warbird lovers, his band will be performing at EAA Airventure in Oshkosh Wisconsin this summer. They are a perfect fit for the crowd and will be an outstanding way to show appreciation for those who have, and continue, to put on a uniform to defend our country and freedom. (The concert, sponsored by EAA Warbirds of America and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), is scheduled for Friday, July 30)

Brightcove Video archive was removed ☹️

America Supports You is a website launched by the Department of Defense to provide a resource for supporting our troops in service around the world.

Operation International Children

Operation International Children was created by Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand to enable Americans to send School Supply Kits to Iraqi children.

USO

USO.ORG – The USO mission is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform.

CD For the Troops

The CD "For The Troops" is a free compilation of songs exclusively for the American Armed Forces. Approximately 200,000 hard copies of the CD, funded by TriWest Healthcare Alliance, will be distributed to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and on U.S. military hospitals and bases, to USO clubs, and Fisher Houses.

 

More Links – Veterans Resources

Adopt a Soldier

American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial

Boaters Of America Say Thank You

Blue Star mothers of America

Disabled American Veterans

Disability.gov / Mesothelioma

Give to the Troops

Guardians of Glory

Hero Box

Honor Flight Chicago

MOMS Cookies

Operation Homelink

Operation Support Our Troops Illinois

Pentagon Memorial Fund

Salute America’s Heroes

Strumming for Vets

Treats for Troops

United State Vietnam Arts Program

USO of Illinois

Vets Tribute

EDIT ADD: A link to add on the request of a wife of a vet: Online Resources for Veterans Seeking Remote Work

Category: Aviation, Entertainment, Video | 2 Comments »
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Yard and dishwasher projects and a little reading

Posted By on April 16, 2010

dishwasherscratchedChecking my list for the weekend and it looks as if there is a bit of work in the yard … yes the grass is growing, as are the weeds. But higher on the priority list is installing our new “cash for appliances” energy efficient dishwasher. Unfortunately the delivery was not without an issue … a scratch on the front. 
🙁
Not to worry, the dealer ordered a new front panel and said that theloomingtower_lawrencewrightI can install as planned and just replace the front panel when it come in.

Also on my list is a new book, well new to me. I’ve been planning to read The Looming Tower, the Lawrence Wright Pulitzer Prize winning narrative detailing the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda and the failures in the intelligence community preceding the airliner attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The historical perspective is said to be the “definitive history of the long road to Septemeber 11.”

And to light the mood …  the latest issue (May) of Cruising World was in the mailbox today … ahhh, back porch reading.

cw_cover_may2010

Category: Books, History, Personal, Sailing | 2 Comments »
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Palm shares rise after RBC runs buyout numbers – BusinessWeek

Posted By on April 16, 2010

Shares of Palm Inc. rose Friday after an analyst said the cell phone maker might be worth more then generally thought if it is bought out.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., company’s stock has dwindled from January’s high of $14.17, with even Palm’s latest phones selling poorly. It brought out a completely new operating system, and phones based on it, last year in an attempt to revitalize its portfolio.

Earlier this week, media reports said the company had hired investment banks to look for buyers.

Mike Abramsky at RBC Capital Markets wrote in research report Friday that a buyer might pay as much as $14 per share for Palm, if it really wants Palm’s well-reviewed new operating system, webOS.

“Potential acquirers may look beyond Palm’s struggling hardware business and capital structure … and see a rare opportunity to acquire a modern Smartphone OS, unique R&D team and budding developer ecosystem,” Abramsky wrote.

Shares rose 16 cents, or 3 percent, to $5.56 in afternoon trading.

Top potential buyers, in his view, are Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sony Ericsson. HP has only a modest, business-oriented phone portfolio, based on the aging Windows Mobile system. Sony Ericsson uses three different operating systems right now, none of which are unique to its phones, and might be interested in a chance to differentiate itself and simplify its product lineup, Abramsky wrote.

Other potential acquirers, in Abramsky’s view are Nokia Corp., the world’s largest maker of phones, and HTC Corp., which specializes in smart phones.

via businessweek.com

Posted via web from richc’s posterous

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Idol like talent Lin Yu Chun generates millions of YouTube views

Posted By on April 16, 2010

chun_parton_houston Although I’m not a fan of the “idol” television program(s), I archived the impressive performance by UK’s Susan Boyle who shocked the world about this time last year – by the way the online web video of that has generated over 90 million views. As shocking as it was to hear Susan Boyle, a similar Taiwanese talent is triggering the same kind of response and generating views in the millions on YouTube as well.

The unlikely looking bow-tied young man with a bowl hair cut, Lin Yu Chun, has wowed judges in a program called Super Star Avenue with his pitch perfect Whitney Houston (watch) rendition of the Dolly Parton (watch) hit “I Will Always Love You.”

He can certainly sing (below).

Category: Archive, Entertainment, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
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Didn’t think I’d go without an April 15 TAX day post, did ya?

Posted By on April 15, 2010

This content is restricted.

Category: Audio, Financial, Humor, Music, Politics | No Comments »
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Testing: Posting a PDF via Posterous – a Pirate story

Posted By on April 15, 2010

I’ve been using Posterous to post to my blog from an email for a few months and found that the blogging platform handles video, audio and photos quite well, but wondered how it would post a PDF?

I saved an online sailing story about Somalia pirates by author Fatty Goodlander for travel reading — “A Cruel Twist of Fate.” Hopefully the attached PDF will post.

Posterous – out of business.

Category: Misc | 2 Comments »
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Ford, Volkswagen and Audi are ready for the recession to end

Posted By on April 15, 2010

I was reading a column in SmartMoney magazine by James Stewart after he attended the smartmoneylogoNew York Auto Show about the return of profits to the automotive industry, at least some of them. It may be in part due to a cycle of replacing their aging cars and in part due to a renewed focus by well managed companies in building vehicles that consumers will want.

Stewart highlighted the “demand to go green” direction as the recession ends (we all hope) and was positive about Ford with their new Fiesta world car (as well as the 300HP 31mpg Mustang for 2011). His most positive comments were saved for Volkswagen and Audi with the ‘clean diesel’ line of efficient TDI vehicles.

One other company also stood out for its array of fuel-efficient new models. Volkswagen now offers its clean-diesel technology in the U.S. models of the 2010 Golf TDI hatchback and the more-luxurious Audi A3 TDI. (Volkswagen owns Audi, which last week reported March sales jumped 22%.)

Green Car Journal named the diesel Audi A3 this year’s Green Car of the Year, succeeding last year’s winner, the diesel Jetta. Both the Golf and the Audi boast fuel ratings of 42 highway/30 city. A Volkswagen spokesman at the show emphasized that clean-diesel technology offers high fuel standards in both city and highway driving, whereas the hybrid technology’s advantages are largely confined to urban driving. Still, given the popularity of hybrids in the U.S. market, Volkswagen plans to introduce hybrid models within the next few years.

At the show I spoke to Ron Stucker, a potential buyer from Staten Island, N.Y., who was eyeing the A3 along with some friends. Like many Americans, he was initially wary of diesels, but his wife bought a Jetta TDI model. Now, they like it so much he was shopping for another one, at least until he spotted the Audi A3 TDI. “I’d definitely consider the more-luxurious model,” he said. So would I when my current lease expires.

With the low TDI inventory at VW and Audi dealerships they are either selling extremely well even in this recession or the automakers continue to ship fewer vehicles to North America than they should … or at least that is my opinion.

Speaking of Volkswagen TDIs … Autoblog posted a good rundown on the return of the Golf TDI. Nice!

volkswagengolftdi

Category: Automotive, Financial | No Comments »
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Customer (friend) announcing retirement and a training webinar

Posted By on April 14, 2010

It was a melancholy day in that a friend who has been a loyal customer for over 20 years announced his retirement. Of course webinaratmcdsI’m happy for him in that he’s leaving work with his sanity and will have more time to enjoy life at his own pace. I asked him what his intentions were: he commented  that he’d like to find some part time work, be it consulting or maybe working in his wife’s landscaping company. We both agreed that since he is only 60 that he is too young to just do nothing. (I didn’t ask, but sensed he may have been enticed to retire early for budgetary reasons)

Besides spending most of the day on the road, I also had detoured for 90 minutes at a McDonald’s in order to access their free WiFi connection – glad they didn’t kick me out. I was hoping that it would be reliable and fast enough for a training “webinar” I was tuned into – thankfully it was. I’m glad to have free hotspots available in about every Ohio city I travel… I only wish they were a bit faster. Unfortunately with Wandering WiFi  managing more and more locations, the restriction on bandwidth intensive tasks are not always easy … like at the Radisson I stay at! Ouch … dialup 65 Kbps down speeds tonight.

radissonspeedtest 
So disappointing … so it’s back to using my Sprint Palm Pre and MyTether. 😉

Category: Cellphone, Computer, Personal, Technology | No Comments »
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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog