“To Infinity and Beyond!”
Posted By RichC on June 26, 2008
Do Astronauts play with dolls? If Buzz Lightyear is a “doll” … then the answer would be “yes.”
🙂
Mexican fuel, a temptation for border residents
Posted By RichC on June 25, 2008
Let’s say you live along the Mexican border and know that fuel is subsidized to your south (diesel is half the price), so you’re tempted to fill up a spare tank in Mexico and drive back to the U.S. Illegal? Yes and no, depending if the tank is “connected” to your fuel line … according to this article. Hmm … might be worth having a larger fuel tank?
Texas man fined for bringing Mexican diesel to U.S.
By LYNN BREZOSKY, June 25, 2008, 11:59AM
In a sign of the times for a federal agency that routinely announces million-dollar cocaine and marijuana busts, Customs and Border Protection has announced that a man was fined $400 because of an extra tank of fuel.The fine was levied Sunday against a 22-year-old Edinburg man who crossed the border with an extra tank of diesel in the bed of his pickup.
Because of Mexican government subsidies, diesel fuel currently sells at about half the U.S. price across the border. Customs agents have noticed a sharp rise in the number of people trying to bring full containers back to this country.
While it’s not illegal to import fuel, anything that’s not hooked up to the vehicle’s fuel line must be declared and brought in through commercial lanes. In Hidalgo County, that would mean the Pharr International Bridge.
CBP spokesman Felix Garza said the man’s extra tank was not connected to the pickup truck’s fuel lines and, therefore, was determined to be “commercial,” which made the driver subject to the fine.
Garza said this was one of the first instances of someone being fined for fuel. But he said people were always asked what they were bringing in, and it was assumed they would know they are required to declare an extra, unattached tank of gasoline or diesel.
“Diesel fuel is a foreign commodity,” he said. “Anything you buy or acquire or obtain as a gift is a foreign commodity and must be declared.”
Thanks for the link Drew.
Ideas for optimizing websites for ‘search’
Posted By RichC on June 24, 2008
A friend passed along a USAToday article with Google’s Matt Cutts. He didn’t unveil any shocking secrets from the search giant, but offered up some pretty common sense advice:
If you haven’t “optimized” your site, here’s how:
1. Spotlight your search term on the page.
“Think about what people are going to type in to try and find you,” Cutts says. He tells of meeting a chiropractor from San Diego who complained that his site couldn’t be found easily using Google search. The words “San Diego chiropractor” were listed nowhere on his site. “You have to make sure the keywords are on the page,” Cutts says. If you’re a San Diego doctor, Des Moines architect or Portland ad agency, best to let people know so immediately, at the top of your page.
2. Fill in your “tags.”
When creating websites, Internet coding language includes two key tags: title and description. Even if you don’t know code, which is used to create pages, software programs such as Adobe’s Dreamweaver have tools that let you fill them in in plain English (rather than “San Diego Chiropractor 3. Get other sites to “link” back to you.
Google says it looks at more than 100 pieces of data to determine a site’s ranking. But links are where it’s at, once your search terms are clearly visible on your site and the title and description tags correctly marked.In a nutshell: Google ranks sites based on popularity. If authoritative sites link to you, you must be good, and therefore you get to the top of the list. If you can’t get top sites such as USATODAY.com or The New York Times to link to you, try your friends. And what if they don’t have a site? They probably do. Read on.
4. Create a blog and post often.
Cutts says blogging is a great way to add links and start a conversation with customers and friends. It will cost you only time: Google’s Blogger, WordPress and others offer free blogging tools. With a blog, you can link back to your site and offer links to others. It’s also a great way to start building content, Cutts says.5. Register for free tools.
Google’s google.com/webmaster offers freebies to help get your site found. You can upload a text-based site map, which shows Google the pages of your site (create it at www.xml-sitemaps.com). Once that’s done, you’ll be registered with Google, where you can learn vital statistics — including who is linking to your site and how often Google “crawls” your site for updates.Google’s Local Business center (google.com/local/add) is the place for business owners to submit a site so it shows up in local searches, with a map attached. Savvy consumers who use Google for searches know that the first 10 non-advertising results often are from Google Maps, so if you have a business and haven’t submitted it, you’re losing out on potential customers.
Don’t overdo it
When weaving keywords into a main page, Cutts says, some zealous Web publishers will use the term over and over again. That’s called “keyword stuffing.” It’s a big Google no-no that can have your site removed from the index.“After you’ve said it two or three times, Google has a pretty good idea — ‘OK, this page has something to do with this keyword,’ ” he says. “Just think about the two or three phrases you want to be known for and weave that in naturally.”
For blogger newbies, Cutts knows that writing (for example, posting new material) doesn’t always come easy. He suggests finding ideas by visiting social news sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon, to see what people are saying about your particular topic.
Aside from that, Cutts says, new material falls into the common-sense category: It’s all about your business. “If I’m a plumber in Iowa, I may want to write about some of the strange things that happen to me on the job, or the five most common ways to fix a toilet,” he says. “That kind of content can get really popular, and it’s a great way to get links.” Folks will post your piece on one of the social media sites. And with links comes higher Google rankings.
Finally, Cutts says, there is one big misconception about getting Google visibility that he wants to clear up: In order to be found at the top of Google’s rankings, you do not also have to advertise.
“One thing doesn’t have to do with the other,” he says.
Gasoline averages over $4.07/gallon in U.S.
Posted By RichC on June 23, 2008
Its not like the subject headline is a big surprise to anybody that drives? Duh … but $4 and near $5 fuel prices do get one thinking about where our citizens are getting the extra money to buy fuel? According to AAA, the national average price for gasoline is $4.07 and diesel at $4.77. (a painfully wide 17% or 70 cent premium for diesel fuel)
I suspect most Americans have opted to reduce their driving a bit, although when hearing the low percent numbers I’ve been surprised it is not more. Others suggest that we are doing what our federal government does … borrow. Yet at a time of tighter credit the already stretched consumer might have already borrowed to or near their limits. Credit cards can only take so much when the gas pump regularly goes over $50 a fill up. Eventually the consumer will have to reduce spending in other areas … especial non-essentials. First to feel this are companies like Starbucks who sell a premium priced morning cup of joe. Its an easy place for many to save a few buck a day as most home kitchens and offices have coffee machines. Strapped consumers can cut these kinds of luxuries.
Another area we Americans are cutting back on is how we spend our entertainment dollars. Vacations are sometimes eliminated, reduced or just delayed and those dollars used for fuel. Kelley Blue Book did a survey which indicated that we have stopped purchasing DVD and CDs (28% stopped buying) and opted to rent. Some sports fans have decided the luxury of going to the ballpark is a place to cut back and others have reduced their eating out (6 in 10 people “say” they are eating out less), although its difficult to tell while visiting Florida last week.
😉
ABC polled consumers recently and 77% believe the economy is getting worse and that gas prices are causing the problem. The majority now believe we need to do more to explore and drill for oil in our own country … I believe that this will be the deciding factor come November elections.
Vacation over; back to the grind
Posted By RichC on June 22, 2008
I’ve been pretty lax at making entries in my “diurnal journal” this past week while on vacation. Nevertheless, my family and I enjoyed the ‘rest and relaxation’ and during our last day on the beach were treated to an enjoyable swim in the ocean with a couple curious Manta Rays. The pair of them would swim back an forth in front of our beach towels seemingly waiting for someone to come out and say hello (I know they were only feeding … but indulge my personification). They were gentle enough that I was able to slowly approach them and swim along side for a while. They actually circled me 360 degrees only an arms reach away … very cool.
🙂
… but after a week away, the real world called and after a quick 2-1/2 hour jump back to Cincinnati, the “real world” looked at if it had “really called!” Groan … 56 messages is what I get for forgetting my phone. (I’m glad I tried to keep up with email!)
Do low rolling resistance tire improve mileage?
Posted By RichC on June 21, 2008
Yes … but only by a small percentage says French automotive magazine Autoplus. (slightly more from diesel vehicles) Their winner was Michelin, which are made in France, and remained highway safe (handling and stopping distances) while offering fuel savings of 1 percent with gasoline and 3.8 for diesel vehicles. This translates from a few miles per tankful for vehicles like SUVs or higher powered vehicles, to perhaps an additional 20 or so for vehicles like the diesel powered VW TDIs. Are they worth the additional dollars … well you be the judge. (I’ve estimated that at current fuel prices my driving a VW TDI and Michelin low rolling resistance tires could save about $200 in fuel cost per set of 4 tires — depending on ones driving habits.)
Earthrace slows slightly; still on record pace
Posted By RichC on June 21, 2008
Athough the Earthrace boat is having technical difficulties with their progress mapping equipment, Captain Pete Bethune’s log places them in the risky pirate prone waters off the coast of Somalia. (my plot below) I’m not sure if the log entry that comments, “It’s been playing on my mind for a few days now. We seem to have lost some boat speed. For the amount of fuel we’re burning at the moment, we should be doing around 24 knots, and yet we’re just over 22.” is a reflection over their location or one over the mechanics of the boat?
This 2 knot reduction in boat speed, since the prop and prop shaft repair in Singapore, should pose little worry for the round the world record pace, but might weigh on their minds due to the higher risk waters they are traveling in. Barring any delay, the biodiesel powered boat should set a world record. (although let’s just hope I’m not ‘jinxing’ by being over confident?)
From Spiders to Snakes — a little help?
Posted By RichC on June 20, 2008
Ok, so I used ChaCha.com to figure out the spider in this post, but its a bit more challenging for a ‘non-snake’ loving guy to figure out what this snake is? We’re in south Florida if that is any help, but I wasn’t going to inch close enough to this fellow/lady to try and figure out if this was a water moccasin or some kind of water snake. (its pretty big … probably about 6 feet long — click photo for larger image)
_
I’m open for links or suggestions … one person here thought that it might have been a pet snake that was released???
2009 VW Jetta TDI Sedan MPG numbers
Posted By RichC on June 19, 2008
Although I’ve reported on the EPA fuel economy numbers for the soon to be available 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI in a previous post, I’ve not seen a window sticker in person or in photo yet. Another report from the third party certifier AMCI has tested and has come up with new numbers more inline with what real world expectation should be — 38 mpg city and 44 mpg hwy. According to recent reports, the sticker and MSRP price should start at $21,990 — and that’s not stripped to the bone either.
They have ganged up on me!
Posted By RichC on June 18, 2008
My own family has ganged up on me in a ‘vacation’ game of Risk. Its been an enjoyable few days on vacation and we’re all getting plenty of sun — although it has been raining on and off here in Delray Beach, Florida. Today was particularly nice as we topped off the day with a dinner out at Outback Steakhouse (I over ate) and some ice cream during family game time. We are reminiscing on good memories of game night when the kids were younger.
🙂
Taylor and Katelyn in Delray Beach, FL
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.