Political Pundits, The Sirens Of The Airwaves

First of all, you'll run into the Sirens,

who seduce all men who come across them.

Whoever unwittingly encounters them

and hears the Sirens' call

never gets back.

The Odyssey, Book 12

Why do we listen to the grand predictions made by political pundits? Their predictions aren't nearly as accurate as a coin toss.

Pundit Prediction Scorecard from theatlanticwire.com

Tech Crunch reports on the most successful predictor of yesterday's election, Nate Silver of Fivethirtyeight.com. Silver successfully predicted the election outcome for every single state in the nation.

Silver’s analysis, and statistical models generally, factor in more data points than even the most knowledgeable political insider could possibly juggle in their working memory. His modelincorporates the size, quality, and recency of all polls, and weights them based on the polling firm’s past predictive success (among other more advanced statistical procedures).

The answer may be that Americans rather enjoy the talking heads, regardless of the veracity of what they are saying. Television networks would have a hard time selling ads if they couldn't spend endless hours debating competing predictions all day long, all the while generating the perception of uncertainty which they can then relieve with their "news." These sirens of the airwaves render (nearly) all who listen incapable of rational thought. Nate Silver is a rare example of a person who takes an empirical approach to answering the question, "Who will win the election?" His is an example I try to emulate. Until then,

Tie Me To A Mast And Fill Your Ears With Wax!

Pissed Off Fridays!

Verizon provides telephone service to my parent's house. Recently my dad tried to remove a high speed internet line and downgrade to a regular DSL line. You would think a quick call to Verizon customer service would be all that's necessary to accomplish a simple feat such as this.....

Happy Customers! Yay!

50 hours of customer service calls later, Dad tells me this morning that they are finally getting the high speed internet line removed, but that they will have to lose their home phone number of 30+ years! This is the phone number that I grew up with. It's a number that gives me security and peace of mind. I know the tones that each number makes as if it is a song that I've been singing my whole life.

And now this number will be lost to my family forever because Verizon cannot provide the most basic of services in a timely manner.

Thanks Verizon! You're awesome, Great Job!

I thought the company bosses should know firsthand what a great job they've done, so I checked with Consumerist to find their email addresses and wrote them a thank you letter. Wanna see?

Date: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Subject: Unacceptable Customer (Non)Service
To: holly.hess@verizon.com, suleiman.hessami@verizon.com, virginia.p.ruesterholz@verizon.com, thomas.j.tauke@verizon.com
Cc: Dad


Good Day,

It is only out of complete and utter frustration that I have resorted to contacting you directly.

My father has spent over 50 hours speaking with various customer support reps at your company to perform what to my ears should be a simple task: remove a high speed internet line and replace it with a regular home DSL line. Well, after those 50 hours, it's finally happening. But, he was just told that in order to complete the removal of the line, he will have to give up his home phone number of 30 plus years. It is beyond my comprehension that

A. This took 50 hours to accomplish

B. He must lose his home phone number of 30+ years

How on God's Good Earth does your company manage to fail my father so perfectly and precisely, fitting the worst possible image of a corporation that cares nothing about it's customers?

Should you have any sense of decency at all, you will immediately call my dad (310-459-****) and apologize for your ineptitude, ensure that my parents keep their home phone number, and perhaps offer him 50 hours of foot massages to settle your debt to him.

Sincerely,

The Engaged Observer
http://engagedobserver.blogspot.com/

See & Be Seen

Biking in an urban environment such as Los Angeles has many challenges. The one that makes me most nervous is not being seen by motorists. The most obvious solution is to have really bright bike lights front and back. But what about cars approaching from the side? As important as it is to have adequate lighting to see where you're going, it's also critical to be as visible as possible from all directions. Front and rear lights will only provide limited visibility to cars traveling perpendicular, ie at intersections. Intersections are the most dangerous places on the road, so this is where visibility is arguably most critical.



I had the opportunity to try out a novel new product called Reflecta-Tyre that makes your wheels into glowing circles of light. They're made by a company in Australia called Be Seen Reflective. From their website:

Reflecta-Tyre is designed to stick onto the actual bike tyre,so as not to interfere with brakes.this comes in 1 size that is designed to fit on all size wheels/bikes.
Reflecta-Tyre comes with 32pieces per pkt(16pieces per tyre,8 per side).Reflecta-Tyre usually needs replacing 12 - 18months, depending on riding conditions,frequency of bike use

These highly reflective little stickers pack a powerful punch! The faintest amount of illumination sets them blazing in the night. Mount them on your tires and they create Tron-Like circles of light when you ride at night, making you extremely visible to cross traffic. I'm stoked to have them on my bike and I hope I'll never know just how safe they're keeping me!

Learn more at BeSeenReflective.com

How to Share a link on Facebook

How to share a link on Facebook:
1. Copy the URL of the page you want to share
2. Go to Facebook
3. Click where it says "What's on your mind?"
4. Click on the link button
5. Paste your link in the link field
6. Type a note
7. Press "Share"

DSL Internets Engaged!

So I switched my DSL service today and I couldn't be happier. DSL Extreme is a great option as is my previous provider Sonic.net.



I switched because I'm not satisfied with the rates for internet service. Why has the cost for internet remained flat? Weren't we supposed to be riding hoverboards by now? What happened?

If you're considering new DSL service and like DSL Extreme, let me know and I'll send you a referral email. You and I both get a $20 credit if you sign up thru my referral!

For Sale: Hand Made Laptop Stand

Buy my custom made plywood laptop stand. I'll make it to your specifications. You can even email me a simple drawing and I'll drill the holes out to your design! You can specify the angle of rake on the stand and if you have any requests for wood type, let me know. This one is made from scrap plywood I bought at Home Depot.

A basic laptop stand will set you back $45.00 plus shipping.

I take Paypal.

Thank you!

Breaking free from the chains of Epson

I love my old epson printer. Epson Stylus Photo R200. All I use it for is to print random things like Paypal shipping forms and movie tickets to the Arclight, perhaps a google map here and there.

The other day, the printer kindly notified me that 2 ink cartridges were out of ink, Magenta and Light Cyan.

"No bother", I told my printer. (I was only printing a B&W shipping form.) "Continue and print my form please."

"NO!" said the printer. "I will not! Not until you replace the empty ink cartridges."

"Printer, it's cool. It's not color, just go ahead and print it. I promise it will work just fine", I said, getting a little warmer. Was the AC on in here, I wondered to myself.

"You don't understand!" the printer scolded back at me, it's red light now blinking at a furious pace. "I cannot and will not print one more thing until you replace those cartridges."

Now I was angry. My printer thought it knew better than me what it could and couldn't do. I knew the black ink was just waiting to be spit out on the paper, giving me a shipping form that I now wanted more than a trip to Scoops!

So what's going on here? Why does my printer defiantly disobey my commands like it doesn't have any respect for me?

Epson cleverly, or rather deviously, placed a small microship in each ink cartridge that monitored the use of ink and once the level was determined to be empty, it would tell the printer to stop printing. Mind you, the cartridge doesn't need to be actually empty for this to happen. It could have many pages left and still be functionally useless due to this mis-application of technology.

Seeing that I was up against a corporation intent on forcing me to purchase their liquid crack at outrageously high prices even when I didn't need it, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was going to give my little printer a lobotomy, and remove the parts of it's brain I found useless. It turns out people have been thinking the same thing for a while now, and even built special surgical instruments to quickly slice out this useless flesh in one stroke.

Making it's debut all the way from Nanshan District in Shenzhen China....Behold the YXD268-II! It's a multi-function chip resetter with the following specs:

1. YXD268-II can RESET the chip on the cartridge into full mode.
2. YXD268-II can also DETECT the chip status.
3. Red and Green LED for easy identification.
4. Both sides CONCAVES for easy holding.

It slices, it dices, it saves you money time. Folks, step right up and gets yours today!

Now my printer is happily printing in black and white, blissfully unaware it's almost out of magenta and light cyan. And when it runs out, I'll know, because my printouts will be ugly and weird. I don't care, it's just a google map...

A Bicycle for Non-cyclists

Bicycle Design, a blog dedicated to exploring, you guessed it, the design of bicycles, recently held a design competition for a commuter bicycle that would appeal to non-cyclists. The winner is an elegant roofed recumbent by Torkel Dohmer. Dohmer's “ThisWay” concept looks like a comfortable ride, though I wonder how heavy it would be. I imagine it would be fine for commuting a few miles, but probably not over hills like Laurel Canyon, at least without electric assist. It's clear the design takes into consideration weather, safety/visibility, comfort and efficiency. Would you trade the gridlock & stress of L.A. traffic for a smooth riding bike like this? There's a great analysis of the design and the problem it attempts to address at the link above.

On the street: BMW H7

Last weekend, I spotted this BMW H7 parked outside the gallery. I had a feeling it was being used by auto dignitaries in town for the LA Autoshow. But is it available? The distributor plates tell me that it's available to an extremely select few individuals with serious clout in Bavaria, Jay Leno for example.

Biodiesel from a fungus?

If we needed another reason to save the rainforest, along comes Dr. Gary Strobel who discovered a fungus that produces diesel hydrocarbons readily. From physorg.com...

"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Professor Gary Strobel from Montana State University. "The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment."

The fungus, which has been named Gliocladium roseum, produces a number of different molecules made of hydrogen and carbon that are found in diesel. Because of this, the fuel it produces is called "myco-diesel".

"Gliocladium roseum lives inside the Ulmo tree in the Patagonian rainforest. We were trying to discover totally novel fungi in this tree by exposing its tissues to the volatile antibiotics of the fungus Muscodor albus. Quite unexpectedly, G. roseum grew in the presence of these gases when almost all other fungi were killed. It was also making volatile antibiotics. Then when we examined the gas composition of G. roseum, we were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives. The results were totally unexpected and very exciting and almost every hair on my arms stood on end!"

Detroit, bring your pencil and notebook, Class is in session

American Auto Companies! Take Note! This is what consumers want! Style! Zero Pollution! Performance! Range! Efficiency! Pardon all the ! but Detroit whines like a baby over "unreasonable" fuel economy standards, instead of innovating and anticipating the future! Meanwhile, Germany and Japan are moving forward. American Auto Manufacturers, this is your competition. Innovate, Develop, De-Couple from Oil. Now!

Mini Cooper is going all electric.

A NEW EXPERIENCE - DRIVING PLEASURE WITHOUT EMISSIONS: THE MINI E
10/18/2008

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - October 18, 2008... The BMW Group will be the world's first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. The MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery technology will have a range of more than 240 kilometers, or 150 miles. The MINI E will initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The possibility of offering the MINI E in Europe as well is currently being considered. The MINI E will give its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19 and 20, 2008.

The MINI E's electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95 mph). Featuring a suspension system tuned to match its weight distribution, the MINI E sports the brand's hallmark agility and outstanding handling.

By introducing the MINI E, the BMW Group is underscoring the resolve with which it works towards reducing energy consumption and emissions in road traffic. The BMW Group is drawing on its unique technological expertise in the field of drive systems to develop a vehicle concept enabling zero emissions without renouncing the joy of driving. Putting some 500 cars on the road under real daily traffic conditions will make it possible to gain widely applicable hands-on experience. Evaluating these findings will generate valuable know-how, which will be factored into the engineering of mass-produced vehicles.

The BMW Group aims to start series production of all-electric vehicles over the medium term as part of its Number ONE strategy. The development of innovative concepts for mobility in big-city conurbations within the scope of "project i" has a similar thrust, as its objective also includes making use of an all-electric power train.

The energy storage unit: cutting-edge lithium-ion technology engineered specifically for use in the MINI.

Based on the current MINI, the car will initially be available as a two-seater. The space taken up by back-seat passengers in the series model has been reserved for the lithium-ion battery. When in use in the zero-emissions MINI, the battery unit combines high output with ample storage capacity and a small footprint with power ratios that are unrivalled in this field of application so far. The lithium-ion storage unit will have a maximum capacity of 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) and transmit energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal 380 volts. The rechargeable battery is made up of 5,088 cells grouped into 48 modules. These modules are packaged into three battery elements that are compactly arranged inside the MINI E.

The energy storage unit's basic components are based on the technological principle that has proven itself in practice in power supplies for mobile phones and portable computers. The MINI E's lithium-ion battery can be plugged into all standard power outlets. Its charge time is strongly dependent on the voltage and amperage of the electricity flowing through the grid. In the USA, users can recharge a battery that has been completely drained within a very short period of time using a wallbox that will ship with every MINI E. The wallbox will be installed in the customer's garage, enable higher amperage, and thus provide for extremely short charging times. Wallboxes fully recharge batteries after a mere two-and-a-half hours.

Driven by electricity: reliably, affordably and free of emissions.

A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity from the grid. Based on the car's range, a kilowatt hour translates into 5.4 miles. Besides the benefit of zero-emissions driving, the MINI E thus offers significant economic advantages over a vehicle powered by a conventional internal combustion engine as well.

The heavy-duty battery delivers its power to an electric motor, which transforms it into thrilling agility. Mounted transversely under the MINI E's bonnet, the drive train unleashes its full thrust from a dead standstill. This provides for the car's fascinating launch capability. The MINI E's intense driving experience is augmented by its dynamic deceleration potential, which is also directly coupled to the accelerator pedal. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force, and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery. This interaction ensures extremely comfortable drives – especially at medium speed with constant, but marginal, variation. In city traffic, some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes. Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the car's range by up to 20 percent.

Signature MINI agility in a new guise.

Weighing in at 1,465 kilograms (3.230 lbs), the MINI E has an even weight distribution. Minor modifications made to the suspension ensure safe handling at all times. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system has been adapted to this model's specific wheel loads.

The MINI E's brake system comes with a newly developed electric underpressure pump. Its Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs. Both brake and steering assistance react to driving conditions and are thus extremely efficient. Even the air conditioning's electrical compressor only operates if desired or necessary.

Design: unmistakably MINI, undoubtedly new.

At first glance, the MINI E is obviously an iteration of the brand. But its design, which is the blueprint for the zero-emissions two-seater, has been complemented by a number of visual cues that point to its revolutionary drive concept. All of the units produced for the pilot project will have the same paintwork and bear a serial number on their front fenders.

The MINI E's coachwork sports an exclusive combination of metallic Dark Silver on all panels but the roof, which is clad in Pure Silver. What distinguishes the zero-emissions MINI is a specially designed logo in Interchange Yellow, depicting a stylized power plug in the shape of an "E" set against the silver backdrop. It has been applied to the roof, in smaller dimensions to the front and back, to the charger port lid, the dashboard trim, and – combined with the MINI logo – to the door jamb, in slightly modified form. The color of the roof edges, mirror housings, interior style cues and seat seams will match the logo's yellow tone as well.

Moreover, the central gauge and the battery level indicator behind the wheel of the MINI E, which replaces the MINI's rev counter, feature yellow lettering against a dark grey background. The battery level is displayed in percentage figures. The central gauge includes an LED display indicating power consumption in red and power recuperation in green.

MINI E customers will be part of a pioneering mission.

A 500-unit, limited-production MINI E series will be manufactured through the end of 2008. The project will thus attain an order of magnitude that clearly exceeds the size of currently comparable test series. Putting the MINI E on the road on a daily basis will be a pioneering feat to which both the drivers and engineers of the first zero-emissions MINI will contribute as a team.

MINI E customers will join forces with BMW Group experts to assist in the project's scientific evaluation. MINI E engineers accord high importance to staying in touch with the drivers on a regular basis, as this will help them analyze driver behavior besides vehicle characteristics in order to gain the most accurate and realistic picture of the demands placed on a vehicle with a purely electrical drive in the select usage areas.

Special charging station and full service for every MINI E.

The cars will change hands based on a one-year lease with an extension option. Monthly lease installments will cover any required technical service including all necessary maintenance and the replacement of wearing parts. At the end of the lease, all of the automobiles belonging to the project will be returned to the BMW Group's engineering fleet where they will be subjected to comparative tests.

The MINI E's lithium-ion battery can be charged using a wallbox provided to MINI customers. Only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E.

Maintenance by qualified specialists.

The electric drive's high-voltage technology requires that maintenance work be done by qualified personnel using special tools that are not included in MINI service partners' standard toolboxes. In light of this, a service base will be set up on both coasts, staffed by service engineers that are specially trained to perform maintenance and repair work on the MINI E's electrical components. In the event of drive malfunction, these experts will provide professional support at the customer's local MINI dealer or the service base's specially equipped workshop. Technical inspections will take place after 3,000 miles (just under 5,000 kilometers) and at least after six months.

Production in Oxford and Munich.

The MINI E has already gone through the major phases of product development for mass-produced vehicles and passed numerous crash tests on the way. Aspects investigated besides passenger protection were the impact of collision forces on the lithium-ion battery and finding a non-hazardous location for it in the car. The MINI E's energy storage unit emerged completely unscathed from all of the crash tests mandated by US standards, which are especially high.

Production of the approximately 500 cars will take place at the company's Oxford and Munich sites and is scheduled for completion before the end of 2008. MINI's UK plant will be responsible for manufacturing the entire vehicle with the exception of the drive components and the lithium-ion battery, with the brand's series models rolling off its assembly lines concurrently. The units will then be transferred to a specially equipped manufacturing complex situated on BMW plant premises where the electric motor, battery units, performance electronics and transmission will be integrated.

Try My Proven Technique For Voting on Propositions!

How to vote for propositions by seeing who opposes them

Except for those mysterious "Undecided Voters", we all pretty much know who we'll be supporting in the presidential election. So instead on spreading the gospel according to Barak, I wanted to give you all a quick tour of California 's many confusing but important propositions on the November 4th ballot. I'm going to show you how easy it is to vote based on who opposes a proposition, because I believe that says more than anything about what the proposition really means. So often wording is meant to confuse voters. Opponents cannot be mistaken, you either like their positions or want to vomit all over their positions. So here we go!


Proposition 1A VOTE YES!
Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act.

Who's Against it? HON. TOM McCLINTOCK, State Senator (YUCK!), Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (VOTE OPPOSITE THIS GROUP EVERY TIME!)
Analysis: Spend lots of money on much needed public transportation infrastructure that's not automobile based! Can we afford not to do it? VOTE YES!!!!

Proposition 2 VOTE YES!
Standards for Confining Farm Animals. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? DR. CRAIG REED, DVM, Former Deputy Administrator Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Analysis: USDA sucks. Slaughterhouses suck. Read Animal Vegetable Miracle. Do you like to lie down? Then VOTE YES. Otherwise, live in a cage for a year, and let me eat your soft flesh.


Proposition 3 VOTE YES!
Children's Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? LEWIS K. UHLER, President National Tax Limitation Committee
Analysis: How low can you go to oppose children's hospitals? Parents support it. Kids are cool. Let's hospitalize all of them. VOTE YES!


Proposition 4 VOTE NO!
Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Who's Against it? Nurses, Doctors and School Counselors. Nuff Said.
Analysis: VOTE AGAINST ANY CHANGES TO OUR CONSTITUTION. VOTE NO!


Proposition 5 VOTE YES!
Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? California Narcotics Officers Association. CHOKE! Of course you vote opposite a bunch of narcs!
Analysis: The California Prison Industry is an entrenched political machine in California politics. Here's a reasonable and fair alternative for non-violent drug offenders to get the rehab that they need. I see no public benefit for putting them in jail. VOTE YES!


Proposition 6 VOTE NO!
Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? DANIEL MACALLAIR, Executive Director Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice
Analysis: Whenever you hear people talk about safety, Vote opposite, they are using fear to persuade you. It's basically guaranteeing money in pockets of those supporting it. Just another misguided spending mandate, VOTE NO!


Proposition 7 VOTE YES!
Renewable Energy Generation. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? Puppet Environmentalists who have links to the for profit utility companies, PG&E, Sempra, you know who they are, you pay them every month!
Analysis: There's lots of money being spent on this one! The stakes are high! VOTE YES!


Proposition 8 VOTE NO!
Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Who's Against it? Doctors, Nurses, People you rely on every day to keep the world functioning.
Analysis: CONSTITUTIONAL AMMENDMENT, AUTOMATIC NO! A vote of No means you like gay marriage, FYI!


Proposition 9 VOTE NO!
Criminal Justice System. Victims' Rights. Parole. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Who's Against it? SHEILA A. BEDI, Executive Director Justice Policy Institute
Analysis: Not Necesary. Fear Based Advocacy always means VOTE NO!


Proposition 10 VOTE NO!
Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. Bonds. Initiative Statute.

Who's Against it? Yawn...It's really late and I'm sleepy. Must...Finish....Voter..Guide......
Analysis: It might be a gift to T Boone Pickens, I'm actually getting tired now, going to sleep, VOTE NO!


Proposition 11 VOTE YES! YES! YES!
Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Who's Against it? MARTY HITTLEMAN, President California Federation of Teachers (Hmm. An entrenched powerful interest group opposes this, me thinks VOTE YES!!!)
Analysis: Just woke up! VOTE YES. Something has to change in Sac Town!


Proposition 12 VOTE YES!
Veterans' Bond Act of 2008

Who's Against it? Who is "GARY WESLEY?"
Analysis: Seiously, Who is "GARY WESLEY?" Since only one person opposes it, VOTE YES just to be safe.

Check out:

http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_j.htm#2008General

And to All a Good Night!

How Safe Is Your Commute?

Have you ever wondered how dangerous the roads are that you travel on each day? Well now you can visit saferoadmaps.org type in your address and see just how many traffic fatalities occur in your neighborhood.

SafeRoadMaps.org "combines information from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System with Google Maps to give you a visual representation of traffic safety across the entire nation."

I found out that a 17 year old girl was struck and killed by a car less than a mile from my house as well as a 51 year old male bicyclist! Bummer...

The site is incredibly thorough and has links to news report videos of many crashes, and detailed police reports of each incident.

“The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle”

A few days ago I posted an image of two Firebirds crashing into each other. Yesterday I met the artist, Jonathan Schipper, who explained the piece to me. He rigged a pneumatic mechanism to slowly crash the two cars over the course of 6 days. The crash happens so slowly that you need to record the event with time lapse to see it happen. Here the cars are on the last day of NEXT, rising about 3 feet in the air. I'm looking forward to seeing the sped up movie of this piece.

Comcast Admits to Blocking Free Speech!

From SavetheInternet.com:

An investigation by the Associated Press caught Comcast secretly inspecting online communications and crippling users' ability to share information with one another.

The FCC has launched an investigation into this gross violation of Net Neutrality. If they do not act soon, large telephone and cable companies could control what you do, where you go and what you watch online.

To learn more, visit the URL below to check out what's at stake and send a loud message directly to the FCC:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/comcast.php



SavetheInternet.com just caught Comcast Corp. stacking an FCC hearing with paid (and apparently sleepy) seat-fillers.

The hearing was set up to investigate Comcast's recent blocking of the Internet. But Comcast packed the room so that the public couldn't get in to voice their support for Net Neutrality.

We took pictures and recorded an interview that proves Comcast was taking seats from concerned citizens. Now, we need you to make sure that the company doesn't get away with this ever again. Here's what you can do:

1. Tell the FCC to stop Comcast Web blocking.
2. Urge your representative to support the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act."
3. Tell your friends to take action at SavetheInternet.com.

Comcast is blocking the public debate just like it is blocking the Internet: it wields its substantial political and financial power to shut out debate and shut up people.

The picture above (which you can redistribute as you wish) tells a part of the story. Comcast paid people to fill space who were so uninterested in the issue that they took the opportunity to nap. Meanwhile, more than a hundred people with legitimate concerns were left out in the Boston cold. (read more about it on our blog and the links below)

Tens of thousands of people have already protested Comcast by writing the FCC a or urging their elected officials to support the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act," a bipartisan bill that would re-establish Net Neutrality protections as a foundation of communications policy.

For too long, media policymaking has been rigged against us. By taking action, we're sending a wakeup call to phone and cable lobbyists that they will no longer set the agenda.

Whether it's on the Internet or at public hearings, we will stand up for everyone's right to connect and be heard.

Thank you,

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
SavetheInternet.com

My birthday is coming up soon....ish.

What is this strange machine, you ask? Just the future of city commuting in a post carbon world. An all electric moped (combination motorcycle and bicycle), Electrobike’s Pi has a range of 30 miles on a full battery and goes up to 20mph. For more oomph, they sell a gas/electric hybrid that has 30 horsepower and can probably go 90mph!

Available at DWR for $8000.

And If you're looking for even more power????

How bacteria can replace carbon

hydrobacteria
Originally uploaded by lakersalex

I was listening to NPR Science Friday and overheard an amazing discovery. Scientists at Penn State were able to use bacteria to convert biomass (sewage, old food, anything organic) into hydrogen, at 90% efficiency. If this process can be scaled up, you could use 5% of our national electricity consumption to create enough hydrogen to fuel our entire transportation sector. Every car, truck train and plane! All with a little bacteria and leftovers! Someone in industry please invest in this technology!