2009 Personal Enrichment Goals

When after last year’s dismal showing, I am hoping 2009 will be much better in terms of self-improvement. There’s a great deal of carry over here but I’ve done some tweaking of those tasks to ensure they actually get done this time around. I’m nicknaming 2009, “The Year Of Versatility”. This is going to be all about doing things in a way that I can adapt to any changes in my schedule.

Total Goals for 2009: 20
Computer / Technology Related: 6
Education: 4
Financial/Home: 4
Leisure: 4
Fitness/Self-Defense: 2

You can certainly tell where my priorities are....See full post for details.

Expanded Exercise Program: Instead of requiring I hit a KM level (which needs an amount of time I may not have to spare thanks to work), I’ve created an exercise program which does require I attend 1-2 KM classes a week, exercise in the morning 2x a week and do 1 “Other” bit of exercise a month. This gives me a good deal of flexibility while also requiring that I get out there and work. The morning exercise routine is something I used to do before I signed up with the Krav Maga Gym but in the last couple of years, I’ve started sleeping later (ie – staying up later) instead of exercising which really isn’t a smart move on my part. Also included on my checklist is to take a multi-vitamin a couple times a week just to ensure my body has what it needs to benefit from the exercise.

Adult Education Classes (NISD): Instead of separate requirements for specific classes, I’m just going with a general adult education category. I hope to take several classes but my requirement is at least 3. The topics of interest to me are HTML/web page programming, archery, pottery, cooking, First Aid/CPR and welding. The specific classes I take will depend on price, scheduling and availability. Hopefully, this way of structuring the requirement will be more successful than previous requirements for specific classes.

Must read 20 Non-Fiction Books: I’m probably going to include this one from now on. I can do reading on potential topics for future goals and generally, I notice I’m a bit more on-the-ball with other things when I keep up with my reading. The requirement is still 20 because I got close to it in 2008 and frankly, I went a couple months without reading a non-fiction book. So, I still consider 20 books a completely feasible goal if I stick with it.

Research Self-Employment: Since I work in the automotive industry, things are a bit uncertain right now. I have no desire to switch jobs as I actually do like where I work. However, it may not be up to me. So, instead of waiting for the ax to fall, I’m going to do a little research on how to get-by if I have to search for a job in the current economic environment. As far as self-employment goes, in the current economic climate I’d like to have the most versatility possible and self-employment is the one option I’ve never done any looking into before. I consider this to be more learning about where the info I will need is and preparing myself to be ready to go if the worst happens.

Blogging Tweaks & Improvement: First things first, I really need to improve my blogroll. The list of actual blogs I read is much, much longer. Using the X/HTML references I collected last year, I’m also going to be looking into either major tweaks or a full-on rebuild of my blog template. It’s looking old to me for some reason. I’m not going to set a post/month goal like I did last year. However, I do want to keep up with posting a bit better. I’ve got some ideas about how to do that and thankfully, one of the goals this year will require I post regularly (see “Poem Of The Week” below).

Clean Apt More Often: I am a terrible housekeeper. I know this. Everybody (including, unfortunately, my mom) knows this. So, this year I’m going to dedicate myself to keeping my apartment cleaner. I’ve added several reoccurring tasks into my Thunderbird Calendar specifically to remind me to keep up with certain things. Also, in the past, one of the reasons I put off cleaning is that I tried to do too much at one time (ie – do everything on a Saturday and whatever doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done). This is a wildly ineffective system. No more. Now, I will purposely do 3-4 things every 2 weeks and spread them out through the week. If I only have to do 1 thing, I’m more likely to get it done after work or before I start playing on the computer on weekends. I hope....

Charitable Education: I’ve long desired to help improve K-12 education either through charitable foundations or my own work. Last year, I discovered DonorsChoose which is a good charity for targeted educational improvement. This year, I’ll continue my donations there as long as I’m financially able but I will also begin research into private or charter schools in the San Antonio area. At some point, I would like to create scholarships for kids at one or more of these schools. This year will be about researching those schools and developing the financial tools necessary to do such a thing. Right now I just have a broad goal of eventually doing this, after 2009 I’d like to have a specific plan of HOW I plan to get this done.

Take Up Shooting: There is a shooting class that I want to take but it isn’t through NISD (although they do have a disarming class). Also, I may attend “open” days at local shooting ranges and / or buy some kind of gun. What I really want is a small rifle. I remember as a kid that I enjoyed shooting a rifle a good deal more than handguns (no idea why). Anyway, this is just one more step in improving my ability to defend myself. I’ll probably start with a rifle and work my way into handguns.

Use Skydiving Voucher: I paid for it, might as well use it. I think I’ll probably wait until Spring. For some reason the idea of jumping out of a plane when it’s really, really cold just makes it more nerve-wracking for me. Still, I do look forward to this. While waiting for the weather to clear when I originally went, they showed videos of other people jumping and it looked insanely fun. Probably not something I’ll do more than once, but definitely something I've always wanted to try.

Teach Myself: Controls Engineering: I got through about ¼ of my book last year. I’m hoping to do at least the same in 2009. The first couple chapters took me a while because I had to do a great deal of reviewing. I’m hoping some of these middle chapters go by quicker now that the groundwork is laid. For the most recent work, I do feel like the material is easier for me because of the review work. I also look forward to making more use of the Octave computer application as that is the closest readily available substitute for some kind of Controls laboratory work.

Ubuntu/OSS Advocacy: In the last 1-2 months, I’ve been advising a coworker who was interested in switching his kids’ computers to Ubuntu. He completed the switch over the holidays. I greatly enjoyed the experience of answering his questions both because it helped remind me of some of the things about Linux which intimidated me at first (the Command Line) and because he asked some really interesting questions. So, I’m adding some kind of open-source or Ubuntu advocacy goal to this year’s list. I’m going to look for a local Ubuntu group to work with and I plan to do (even more) blogging about different aspects of the system from the perspective of somebody who isn’t a programmer. But I really do believe that the open-source model of development results in a far superior product so I’m going to be much more conscious about doing my part to ensure more people know about it. This strikes me as especially necessary after my experiences trying to buy a computer without Windows Vista on it back in September (I don’t see why I had to pay a premium for Vista when I’m going to wipe the HD & install Ubuntu without ever booting into Windows).

Update/Reintegrate Financial Goals: While last year I took steps to improve tracking my finances, my short-and long term goals have languished for a couple years. This is not to say I haven't been completing my financial goals. Only, my financial goals haven’t really been updated in a couple years and when looking at the list, I realize they are a bit dated. Some of them no longer apply, while there are other things I’d like to do that I need to start planning for. So, I will be updating these goals and my 5-10 year financial plans.

Start Using Media Management Software: Last weekend I counted my books. I have 743 (not including magazines and electronic copies, .pdfs). And in the last week, I have bought even more. Needless to say, managing and sorting all those works in a 1-bedroom apartment requires a great deal of shelving and alphabetizing. But I would like to have some way of tracking what I own and what I don’t. This is especially important for some of my sci-fi series where I have trouble remembering what I own and what I still need to buy. And for non-fiction books, I’ve been a little bit haphazard in how I divide them by subject so maybe using a Media Management application will force me to pay better attention there.

Improve PuppyLinux Install: I set this up on a flash drive right before my trip to Japan last year. While for the most part it was a positive experience, they released an update to Puppy shortly thereafter and I never took the time to really tweak the applications. Since the main purpose of having Puppy on a flash drive is to access certain linux applications that my borrowed-work-WindowsONLY laptop does not have, I need to get the drive fully set-up to have all those applications and any useful add-ons. Frankly, I don’t see this taking any more than a weekend or two but it does need doing. Now is the perfect time too because I don’t have any travel for work on my schedule.

Patio Garden – Food: Needless to say my garden revamp of 2008 was a disastrous failure. This year, I’m going to focus on edible plants. I’ve noticed I tend to take better care of plants that are doing something for me. The whole care for nature because it is an inherently worthwhile act isn’t really a motivator for me. In order to be successful this time around, I need to plant earlier (late Feb) and plant things that I will want to succeed (flowers, who cares? Give me a good jalapeño plant any day). I’ve already got some ideas but I need to sort through my seeds to see what’s still good and what I’ll need to buy.

Write 1 Poem A Week: One of the reasons I started blogging was to improve and maintain my writing skills. The more I work in engineering, the more I see the value in being able to communicate properly and clearly . As a teenager, I went through the typical angst-filled poetry phase. However, I actually still like some of the poems I wrote back then. I'm not referring to the depressing self-pitying crap. However, some of the more thoughtful pieces still resonate. In an effort to contrast the dry engineering writing I do every day, I will write 1 Poem a week for the entire year. There are additional restrictions. Over half (26+) must be form poems (sonnets,haikus,etc) as sometimes I work best when restricted. And of the form poems, if I do a haiku I have to do at least two or three as they are so short. Since we’re in the end of the second week of 2009, I’m already behind. But I’ll catch up. The goal is to post the poem on Saturday or Sunday.

Investigate Green Home Design: I do not like how most modern housing is built. I get that it is a business and they have an obligation to drive costs down, but it seems like if you want a certain level of quality, you’re only option is to custom build. This is a prohibitively expensive jump for most people. At some point, I would like to build my own home. In preparation for this, I have been developing some very specific ideas about what I’d want from that home. Green design appeals to me not for its environmental street-cred but from an efficiency standpoint. Green builders are really the only ones thinking outside-the-box in homebuilding today. So, I’m going to do some studying of what’s cutting edge here in anticipation that sometime in the future, I’ll be able to use that knowledge to build myself a nice, quality, energy-efficient home.

Teach Myself: Applications of Interest (MIN 2): I’ve added several applications to my Ubuntu install but haven’t taken the time to really learn them. Even after finally getting why GIMP is so cool, there’s a lot to that program I simply don’t know how to use. So I will make more of an effort to learn some open-source applications involving skills that are important to my future plans. These applications include photo/video editing, CAD programs, programming tools and productivity-enhancing tools. Initially, I plan to focus on GIMP and the FreeCad program as I feel they would be the most immediately applicable.

Improve Language Skills (Spanish & Japanese): I work in a multilingual environment. While I can follow conversations with differing levels of competence, I’m terrible about using the language skills I have and making an effort to improve them further. Part of it is a confidence issue, I don’t want to say the wrong thing but I really need to get the hell over that. So, I’ll be using more Spanish (especially in emails where there’s plenty of opportunity to check your phrasing) and trying to learn some additional Japanese. I think at the very least, I should learn the romanji alphabet as that’s how Japanese renders as lot of words they got from other languages like English. I don’t know that I’ll ever be fluent in any language other than English but I’m certain I have the capability to be functionally conversant.

Rent Larger Apt/Duplex/Townhome: I need more space! In addition to room for all my books, I would like a guest room for my parents and relatives to visit (yes, I actually like hanging out with some of my relatives, crazy but true). I did some looking around in 2008 but didn’t find anything that justified moving. There were a couple of places that appealed but unfortunately, they didn’t have anything available. I’m be keeping my ear to the ground for something better and saving money for a move & some new furniture. I may also be doing some preemptive cleaning to get rid of stuff I don’t want to bother packing up and carrying someplace new. This goal is tentative pending any abrupt changes in the financial situation or a lack of anything available. We’ll see.

Link to full post.

Times Are A Changin’

Yesterday, during “Supernatural”, there was an advertisement that kinda made my brain stop in its tracks. They aired a commercial for “The 700 Club”. In the ad, religious show advertised upcoming special reports....Including what looks like a very positive report on solar power for your home.

You know the public’s perception of renewable energy has undergone a major shift when the fundamentalist crowd is talking about it positively. I’m just saying.

On a sidenote: What network super-genius thought selling ad-space to “The 700 Club” during “Supernatural” was a good fit with their audience? Seriously, do they think just because there are angels on the show the fundie crowd will adore it? Because the online fans of SPN are more than a little notorious for being kinky as all get out (although the show does make it easy sometimes). Can we expect “Focus On The Family” ads during “One Tree Hill” next?

Link to full post.

Stupid Geniuses & Other Cliches

What's that old quote? "Some ideas are so stupid only smart people believe in them." Or something like that....

I was all excited about the TEDTalks YouTube channel, so I click the very first video and listen to some old guy talking about how large our population should be....Of course, if only we only had 100-500 million all our problems would just magically disappear. What Zero-Sum Pro-Maltusian bullshit!

It's not about how many people we have, it's about how inefficiently we provide for them! You would think someone considered an expert in their field wouldn't fall prey to the same blinkered thinking that caused so much death and destruction in the last century.

You want to know where Americans get their anti-intellectualism streak? It's from guys saying stuff like this: "There should only be so many people, spread out where they cannot cause trouble....The right ones of course." Dude, where have we heard that one before? You want to convince people to build sustainable healthy societies, how about you not tell 6.1 billion of them that they are unnecessary?

There is no "perfect" amount of people for the world. There is only how many are sustainable at this time with the current level of technology. If you change the level of technology, then you can support more people. And we are constantly increasing the level of technology, a fact you'd expect a robotics professor at MIT would be aware of.

And spreading people out? How dumb are you?! Urban areas are more efficient than rural areas, hands-down. It's easier for people to combine their efforts in sustainable and effective ways in cities. It's easier for them to close loops so resources aren't lost or left un-recycled. It's also more likely people will hold their own reproduction in check when they are in an urban setting versus a rural one.

Let me tell you my completely non-expert opinion: Poor people who become rich have fewer children (Note: NOT poor people who are made rich by government fiat or redistribution schemes). Rich countries more efficiently use their resources so problems like sustainability and resource-shortage become smaller problems over time. As the wealth of the world increases, like it has been, these problems will be solved by people, all those supposedly non-essential workers you don't see any value in.

All I can say is, the quicker we lose these outdated 20th century thinkers from our educational and research institutions, the better off the world will be. I mean compare this view of the world with all of these other people.

Link to full post.

I'm Not Dead...I've Just Been Reading

To make up for my slacking off earlier in the year, I have been reading books at a breakneck pace. Everything from comics to literary nonfiction. Thanks to this aggressive reading schedule, my “To Read” pile of books has been reduced from almost 40 titles to 17.

See full post for review of 23 works. The breakdown:
2 Comic books
3 Historical Romance Fiction
7 Science Fiction Novels
2 Science Fiction Short Stories
3 Young Adult Novels
1 Mystery/Crime Fiction
1 Autobiography
1 History
2 Science & Technology Nonfiction
1 Opinion/Current Events

“Barnum! IN Secret Service To The USA” by Howard Chaykin & David Tischman. (Comic) What do you get when PT Barnum & his gang of sideshow freaks teemed up with the US Secret Service to save the US from the nefarious schemes of the evil Dr. Nikola Tesla? You’d get this fun and engaging comic book. Great premise, good story and just very amusing.

“From the Hands of Hostile Gods” by Darren R. Hawkins. What a strange wonderful read. A mind bending mystery tale wrapped up in a love story. Set in an isolated outpost on a world being terraformed, the author does a brilliant job conveying the isolation and little social quirks that come with such locations. And when the mystery ramps up into disaster, Hawkins is equally up to the task of writing suspense. This is a good creepy book at a time when I read several bad to so-so creepy books (see below). Definitely worth downloading.

“The Remarkable Worlds of Professor Phineas B. Fuddle” by Boaz & Erek Yakin. (Comic) A lost-in-time absent-minded professor, Victorian London being overwhelmed in temporal paradoxes and two wayward adventurers. Again, ridiculous but wonderful fun.

“The Ghost Map” by Steven Johnson. An account of an 1850s cholera outbreak in London, the investigative aftermath and the historical consequences. A completely riveting book that ties together sociology, epistemology, globalization, urbanization, paradigm shifts in science and other awesome topics. Although I wouldn’t recommend reading it on a sick day (total mistake), it was an excellent book.

“The Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson & The Olympians – Book 2” by Rick Riordan. The second book in this series is just as good as the first with some emotionally interesting plot twists on the inherent evilness of Cyclops and the Olympian gods’ opinions on redemption for their fallen children. Actually, pretty interesting in that the larger conflict of the series steps up a bit and the book-specific adventure has a really, really great payoff at the end. I will definitely be continuing this series.

“Fairest” by Gail Carson Levine. A fairy tale with a twist. While there are curses & such as expected, this isn't a predictable tale. For all it's fairy-taleness, it is really a story about a young girl coming into her own. Pretty interesting. My only complaint is that after making you hate a character for most of the book, she ends up being a non-entity in the end.

“Life At The Bottom” by Theodore Dalrymple. Dear God what a depressing book! Basically, the book is a bunch of anecdotes and opinions based on years of serving as a medical practitioner in some of Britain’s rougher neighborhoods. If you ever had any doubt that people could do self-destructive and stupid things, this book will cure of that doubt quickly. Sociologically interesting but not exactly enjoyable just for the unrelenting negativity of the subject.

"Mr. Darcy's Daughters", "The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy", & "The Darcy Connection" by Elizabeth Aston. Basically this is published fanfiction set in Austen's “Pride & Prejudice” universe. It follows the daughters of Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett and their assorted cousins. Definitely quick enjoyable reads if you like Austen.

“Into the Looking Glass” by John Ringo. WHA-HOO. That’s the only fitting description for a book that opens with a 60KT explosion in modern day Florida….and then gets worse (or more exciting depending on your point of view). Very good pulpy military sci-fi with an interesting premise and a breakneck pace. I’m seriously looking forward to the other two books in this series.

“The Creature From Beyond Infinity”, “The Dark World” by Henry Kuttner. The titles aren’t related, just two works by the same author. “Creature” is a typical golden-age sci-fi work with a lot of optimism hiding under its dismal premise. The back & forward story structure is also quite engrossing. Overall, “Creature” was surprisingly enjoyable for a book I read because of its amusing title. “Dark World” is a good deal stranger. It does have a unique approach in that the main character is (one of) the antagonist(s); past a certain point you don’t really feel sorry for what happens to him. I give “Dark” points for being creepy and disorienting, but I still don’t know if I liked it.

“A Strange Manuscript Found In The Copper Cylinder” by James De Mille. Ugh. This is what happens when you combine Jules Verne, a talky-preachy frame story and lots & lots of cannibalism. Based on this book, the reader might develop the mistaken belief that people in the mid-nineteenth century were greatly obsessed with cannibalism and death cults. Seriously, WHAT THE HELL? This is just a weird, gross story that never really became a good story. The mentality of the death cult was academically interesting but that’s really the only good thing I can think of at this point. Yuck.

“Evil Genius” by Catherine Jinks. What would you do if you discovered your psychiatrist was the head henchman for your super-villain-in-jail biological dad? That’s the premise of this wildly entertaining read. Initially, it seems more like a comedy but as the plot progresses, things that were hinted at for laughs now become deadly serious as the main character realizes that maybe, he isn’t really cut out to be a super-villain. Very good read which also has a sequel that sounds interesting.

“The Cosmic Expense Account” by CM Kornbluth. (Short Story) Well, this was different. Sorta a zombie story that combines rational empiricism and questionable publishing ethics (really). It’s amusing but not very engrossing. The best parts are the complete antipathy between the two main characters and the fact that the super-villain is a little old spinster lady.

“The Crystal Egg” by HG Wells. (Short Story) Ever wonder how the aliens in “War of the Worlds” gathered intelligence on humanity before they invaded. This story is your answer. The concept is good but none of the characters really gelled into actual people for me. And the ending is a bit unsatisfying.

“Japan’s Longest Day” by The Pacific War Research Society. This is an absolutely riveting account of the last day before Emperor Hirohito’s announcement to the Japanese people that Japan was surrendering. What’s most amazing by the tale isn’t how close Japan came to fighting on at the behest of their military officers but how many of the officers and other government officials were genuinely offended by the very idea of a coup d’etat. Excellent book for anyone interested in the final days of WWII.

“Hard Corps” by Marco Martinez. The autobiography of how a guy from New Mexico went from gansta teen to Iraq War hero and winner of the Navy Cross. The Marine training was actually harder for me to read than the combat scenes, which seems weird but maybe all those military sci-fi stories have desensitized me or something. Still, very good read even if Martinez comes across a bit too strong sometimes (but honestly, what else am I to expect from a Marine?).

"Magyk: Septimus Heap Book One" by Angie Sage. Sorta like “Harry Potter” lite. A fun read but it dragged a bit in the middle. I did like how it kept you guessing about a couple of plot points while revealing others almost right off. I'll probably check out the others in this series.

“Agent to the Stars” by John Scalzi. Instead of evil insect invaders, Earth gets contacted by very polite aliens who knowing their slime-like forms aren’t appealing to humans decide to hire a Hollywood agent to introduce them to the world. Comedic premise with emotional payoff = Writing gold. Great read with the physical nature and capabilities of the aliens integrating into the story in a hundreds wonderful ways.

“Edison Conquers Mars” by Garrett P. Serviss. Written as a response to HG Wells “War of the Worlds”, it starts just after the great Martian invasion has failed. Thomas Edison & other great scientists of the day reverse engineer & improve the Martian's machines of war and take the battle to Mars. Very engaging and delightfully quaint sci-fi written by someone who apparently accomplished a great many sci-fi firsts even though I'd never heard of him before. A surprisingly fun download.

“Bones to Ashes” by Kathy Reichs. Another great book in the “Temperance Brennan” series that spawned the TV show “Bones” (which I love). The books are very different in tone and set-up but are quite enjoyable in their own right. Reichs has a real talent for creating mysteries with “expected” outcomes that don't payoff in expected ways. Great weekend or travel book (it's no wonder I always find her books in airport bookshops, they make long journeys feel short).

“Breakthrough: From The Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility” by Ted Nordhaus & Michael Shellenberger. Absolutely excellent book on the environmental movement, right & wrong. Although the authors liberal bias is very prevalent, they do present a fair portrayal of both parties’ stances. Their prescriptions for reforming our energy situation are thought-provoking. I found this a hugely interesting read.

Link to full post.

Petroleum & People Skills

When will the US government is finally getting off its duff and allow drilling in "coastal" waters! With oil prices as high as they have been, I’m really surprised we haven’t been OKing a lot more domestic drilling. There are at least three major sources of domestic oil that aren’t being exploited: ANWR, oil shale and coastal drilling. If we started accessing these resources and building some refineries it could really reduce the prices at the pump both short term and long term.

So, there’s no good reason we have to keep paying through the nose for foreign oil. No good reason except certain people would rather make working Americans pay big money in order to discourage oil use.

While there have been great strides in making solar and wind power more affordable, they aren’t yet ready to compete with coal and oil. They are getting there. Yes, we should be encouraging this trend. But, we should also be working to make that transition as painless as possible. Otherwise, too many people will associate going green with financial ruin and bureaucratically coerced sacrifices. By preventing us developing resources and infrastructure, what could have been a painless (and more voluntary) transition is going instead to be a financial train-wreck for working class Americans. Don’t environmentalists realize how much damage they are doing?

If you’re a working class American paying $4+ per gallon and you found out that there was plenty of oil, only you weren’t allowed to use it, how happy would you be with the the people who told you “No”? How much would you trust them next time they said going green was necessary? There’s been some very good strides recently in the environmental movement to portray a more positive message of the future (not “OMG, We’re Going to DIE! And we kinda deserve it.” but “Hey, the future could be cool if we work at it a little”). Now, for many Americans, that good is being undone. Because when they think of the green movement, they will think of artificially high oil prices and coercive manipulation by bureaucrats.

(I know the green movement includes a very diverse selection of opinions, some of which I have no problem with. However, the “average” American isn’t necessarily informed about that diversity. There is a real risk of the subset of opinions on drilling and refinery construction harming the average American’s opinion of the larger movement. Considering that some changes do need to be made, I really worry about this.)

Link to full post.

Authoritarianism " for the Greater Good"

Via Coyote Blog, here is yet another example why people don't trust environmentalists.....

Having argued that democracy has failed humanity, the authors go even further and demonstrate that this failure can easily lead to authoritarianism without our even noticing. Even more provocatively, they assert that there is merit in preparing for this eventuality if we want to survive climate change. They are not suggesting that existing authoritarian regimes are more successful in mitigating greenhouse emissions, for to be successful economically they have adopted the market system with alacrity. Nevertheless, the authors conclude that an authoritarian form of government is necessary, but this will be governance by experts and not by those who seek power.

So basically, because we haven't done what is necessary (according to them), they need to establish an authoritarian government in order to compel and coerce us to do what is necessary (according to them) and because they're in it "for the greater good", we shouldn't worry about it? Hmmmmm....Where have we heard this before?

Dear Environmentalists,

This is just a humble suggestion from a lowly engineer. Perhaps, the reason why so few people take you seriously is because when you fail to convince, you complain like a bunch of 5-yr old girls. Not to mention the whole advocating fascism thing. It's not a strategy to make friends and influence people. FYI...

Thank you for your time,
Jessica

There's also this gem: "Society is verging on a philosophical choice between 'liberty' or 'life.'" Look, people I don't believe it when the President says we have to make this choice for terrorism and I don't beleive it coming from a bunch of scientists either. Although, it does remind me of a Terry Pratchett quote:

"There was a thoughtful pause in the conversation as the assembled Brethren mentally divided the universe into the deserving and the undeserving, and put themselves on the appropriate side."

Link to full post.

One Billion Bulbs Initiative

I realized I had never (b)logged my switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs back in October. So today I registered my 5 bulbs with the Instapundit group at the One Billion Bulb Initiative. I really like this initiative as it focuses on something small but concrete the average consumer can accomplish. And they make sure to let you know that. When I registered my switch, here's the blurb that came up:

Thank you for taking the time to change 5 lightbulb(s). Your total annual savings are estimated to be $65.15. Your actions will help prevent approximately 736 lbs of greenhouse gases from being spewed into the atmosphere each year.

Totally aside from any greenhouse gas reduction, these bulbs do reduce your electricity bill. One of the light fixtures I switched is on pretty much all the time (I use it as my light that's on when I'm not at home) so it had an instant effect on my electricity bill. Not to mention, the money saved on purchasing light bulbs all the frickin' time. I only have the lights in my bathroom and I'll be completely switched over. If you want to know what switching could do for you, there's a calculator at their website.

Also, can I just say that I love the attitude towards environmentally sound behavior the sponsors of the OBB Initiative take. They're part of some group call Energy Trek. Here's some notes from them:

For members and viewers of this group, the spirit of the Energy "Trek" means:

* We focus on any positive step people take. Most people are energy abusers in some way (cars, TV's, appliances, etc), and Energy Trek wants to encourage everyone to start taking steps to save energy - no matter the size - without being concerned of being criticized for being hypocritical or taking just token steps.
* Energy Trek and One Billion Bulbs comments and usage should not be political in nature. We want to bring people together to save energy regardless of their ideology or motivation - environment/global warming, national security/energy independence, saving money, convenience, or some combination thereof. As a matter of fact, we'd like you to encourage others you know, whatever their political persuasion, to help out.

Positive attitude toward change, small steps and encouraging of a variety of viewpoints so long as we can all work together? Awesome.

Link to full post.

Why Signing Kyoto is Irrelevant

Via Instapundit, here's a post describing progress made by the United States in reducing emissions versus signers of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Guess what?

If we look at that data and compare 2004 (latest year for which data is available) to 1997 (last year before the Kyoto treaty was signed), we find the following.

* Emissions worldwide increased 18.0%.
* Emissions from countries that signed the treaty increased 21.1%.
* Emissions from non-signers increased 10.0%.
* Emissions from the U.S. increased 6.6%.

In fact, emissions from the U.S. grew slower than those of over 75% of the countries that signed Kyoto.

Not to mention most of the countries that increased CO2 emissions more than the US are significantly smaller than the US. That includes Finland (+15%), Italy (+16%) and Japan (+11%). China is up 55%. But that's no surprise because one of the great flaws of the Kyoto Protocol is not placing any emission reduction requirements on developing countries (like China and India). These countries were some of the first people to sign on because they were basically voting in favor of restricting their economic competitors.

The article posts a link to the absolute figures so you can compare them for yourself.

But this article points out another great flaw in the environmental movement besides their gloom-and-doom message, too many people care more about being seen signing a treaty versus actual results in reducing emissions. They want to look like their doing something as opposed to actually doing it.

Link to full post.

Why People Don’t Care About Global Warming

That’s the title of a very intelligent op-ed discussing how the environmental movement’s apocalyptic outlook damages its credibility with the average consumer. They also mention new advocacy for a more optimistic and progressive mind-set.

I would be absolutely in favor of that. There’s something quite masochistic and self-hating about how certain environmentalists look at the world. Most especially repugnant to me is their refusal to acknowledge mankind’s capability to solve problems as well as cause them. Thankfully, it appears some environmentalists are embracing approaches which focus on innovation and technology development.

The op-ed author also gets points for mentioning an insightful monograph entitled "The Death of Environmentalism" by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger. Their new book “Break Through” is at the top of my Christmas list.

Link to full post.

Thursday Miscellaneous

1) Ok, I know this is old but....OH MY GOD. I'll be sleeping with a can of bug spray tonight.

2) In rebuttal to crazy lady dissing Harry Potter, here are two articles discussing the latent pro-Christian symbolism of the books.

3) Defending Earth: Two Space-Based Approaches. An excellent summary reflecting on asteroid deflection options. Also, there's reference to two papers by a man named Claudio Maccone that discuss how to use Lagrangian points for asteroid deflection.

4) 10 Little Known Historical Mysteries. About half of these are new to me. And I call myself a history buff.

5) NASA revises temperature figures used by pretty much everybody. But that's not the punchline. I had no idea the governments' software for analyzing temperature data isn't shared so that other scientists can duplicate the results. How does that make any sense at all? Look if global warming really is a problem, then we need the best possible information to counter it. And if it's not a problem, then a lot of people will be appearing in the late 21st century version of Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man.

Link to full post.

Tuesday Miscellaneous

1) Why are we so scared of offending Muslims? Excellent Question. Good article by the ever-topical Christopher Hitchens. The tone is a bit anti-religion in general but the questions asked are ON.

2) Chinese Govt Once Again Shafting Tibetans. Respect their (outdated, totalitarian) authority. Between this and the Yahoo! debacle, why do we trust these morons?

3) MIT working on a HCCL engine design. Fantastic stuff. Diesel fuels are not the cure-all some people (cough*Europe*cough) think they are. The diesel reduction in nitrogen pollutants are offset by an increase in particulate (soot) emissions. TANSTAAFL people. Making an engine that actually burns less fuel more efficiently seems like better all-around alternative.

4) 10 Tips To Make Sure You Stay Broke. The Consumerist tries it's hand at some reverse psychology.

5) MIT's Digital Water Pavilion. A building whose walls are made of water for upcoming Expo on water and sustainable development. Check out the pictures thru the link. COOL.

Link to full post.

Auto News & CO2 Emissions

More interesting auto news from my Company-supplied e-zines:

Alliance partners Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. are conducting a feasibility study for the potential of a $3,000 car for the Indian Market...Last week a French newspaper reported that Renault already was developing such a vehicle and plans to open a new technical center in India with 1,000 engineers to support the program.”
“Ghosn [head of Renault and Nissan] didn’t confirm that report. But he did vow that Nissan and Renault would be key players in the next wave of low-cost vehicles...
“…Ghosn notes that India’s low-cost engineering and manufacturing base – and growing number of local suppliers – makes the country well-suited for the program...

Ok, cheap cars for India are great. These cars represent continued upward mobility in the world’s largest democracy. And the mention of the suppliers shows there’s a solid reason for expecting long-term growth. Considering the market for cheaper cars in India is HUGE, this is a good investment for Nissan. But, articles like this one point out the futility of the following (also from industry e-zine):

[US] lawmakers are considering a compromise on fuel economy standards as dissent over the issue threatens to derail the U.S. Senate’s plans to vote on a new energy bill this week...
...The compromise would still raise average fuel economy requirements for cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020...But it would eliminate 4% annual increases after that, which would have raised the standard to 52mpg by 2030 – a level automakers have declared impossible.

With India and China comprising an increasing % of the global car market, what good do tightened US car regulations do for bringing down world-wide emissions?

Answer: Not much, except continue to highlight the attitudes of those who think the US and Europe are solely responsible for environmental problems. And those same people who give the rest of the world a free pass.

In a more humorous excerpt, the e-zine had this TRW* advertisement:

Is it just me or does he look like an Asian version of Mike Myers’ Dieter persona?
See? See? Apparently, nothing says safety like a grim-faced men in black turtlenecks.

*Bias alert! I work for a competing automotive safety company. But I would totally make fun of our ads if given the opportunity.

Link to full post.

Thursday's Occurances of Note

1) Flemming Rose of Mohammed cartoons fame now has a blog with Pajamas Media. His first few posts cover everything from Sir Salman Rushdie, women’s lib for immigrants in Denmark and worldwide demographic trends. It definitely leaves me eager for more.

2) CA company develops lasers without heat. And it’s being tested for various commercial applications right now.

3) The latest weapon in the War on Terror – Cyborg Moths. The US military plans to use chip-implanted moths to find, track and eavesdrop on terrorist enclaves.

4) China surpasses US as No.1 in CO2 emissions. I eagerly await condemnation from environmental organizations.

Link to full post.