Windmills

Good morning, readers.

I've decided today to climb up on my high horse and, like Don Quixote, tilt against windmills. Or actually, tilt FOR windmills and solar panels and water turbines and any other forms of alternative energy.

I think most people agree that the U.S. needs to become as energy self-sufficient as possible. Too many of our policy decisions are forced by our need for imported oil. So how can we fix this?

I'm not an energy expert but I have some thoughts.

Lets decide that electricity is the power of the future. Homes and industries use it; our cars, buses, and trains could. So we need to generate more electricity. How?
We can explore all the options available; coal, nuclear, solar, wind, etc. But we spend too much time debating the source rather than moving forward.

Lets employ them all.
1. We already use coal. Let the federal government provide funds and resource to build new
clean, coal burning plants and revamp old plants with newer equipment.
2. Start the process toward building the next generation of nuclear plants. Offer tax incentives
to start production of new facilities.
3. Put solar panels and wind turbines on ALL federally owned buildings. Make this the law.
Use the vast areas of land owned by the military as solar and wind farms. You could even
put new nuclear and coal power plants on the facilities and send their power production into
the civilian grid. Less regulatory hassle if the government already owns the land.
4. Put more federal money into battery and transmission research. We lose vast amounts of
power in transmission inefficiencies and battery technology keeps electric car and bus
development limited.

As I said, I'm not an expert. But I think we need to act. These four steps would create jobs and foster energy freedom. They could help revitalize our infrastructure with the creation of new roads, buildings, and industries.

OK. I'll get off my horse.

For now.

But, I'm keeping Sancho Panza's cell number close and sharpening my lance!

Drawing by Pablo Picasso.

Me, again.

Good morning.....err...afternoon, everybody.

Seems I'm getting a slow start today. I took Tylenol PM last night; man, that stuff works great. I'm having a heck of a time getting my brain to function. But considering my last posts, no one will notice.

Here ya go: according to the BBC website, naked hiking will soon be outlawed in a part of Switzerland.

You know, I never realized that naked hiking was an issue. (I have got to get out to the woods more often!) I guess the hikers were frightening the wildlife. We all know how much bears are afraid of naked people.

I am amazed that the Swiss government had allowed this to get so out of hand. How many naked hikers do you need to decide that you should outlaw naked hiking? I mean, was there a mass influx of naked people into the mountains last summer?

And were was I when all this happened? Where was CBS,NBC,CNN? This is the kind of story that would get me to watch the nightly news.

As long as they had video.

Photo courtesy of BBC.

Good mornin', everybody.

Here's something for you to ponder;
According to livescience.com, a British study shows that cows with names produce 3.4% more
milk than unnamed cows.
Now you have something to share with your friends and family. You can thank me later.

I am a serious fan of trivia. And, for good or evil, my computer provides me with a portal to a vast amount of it. I was probably better off before. Now I have access to such great quantities of B.S. that I am driving my family and friends nuts. My wife shakes her head and laughs and my kids are afraid to ask me a question, fearing I will go on and on about the subject. Too much of a good(?) thing.

I have a great thirst for knowledge. I love school. If I had the cash, I'd be a full time student, studying all the esoteric classes that college's offer. I'm not a big fan of math so science can be a challenge but I love language, arts, and philosophy. It would be great to have the time and money to go to school just for fun.

Unfortunately, college has become a trade school to so many students; a ticket to be punched for your career. I understand it. It is SO expensive for school that your return on investment has to be maximized. You need to make sure your education provides for you in the long run.

But wouldn't it be nice if, after you got your degree and started work, your college would offer you a chance to return just for fun. Just to take stuff that interested you. For free! I mean, you or your family just spent a ton of money at this school. How hard would it be for the school to let you back in to take something that's fun? I don't think there would be that many people who would take up the opportunity so overcrowding wouldn't be an issue. Most people are so sick of school, there would be a delay in students returning. A lot would never come back.

But there would be some. And think what an impact this could have on society. People could
learn about things that, while in school, they could not afford to study. I've found that sometimes knowing strange and unique thinks help in your day to day work.

There would be interaction between the working individuals and the students. This would bring outside experiences into the class room. Often there is a vast gap between what you learn in class and what happens when you're in the real world.

There would be networking opportunities, social interactions between generations, and a general enhancement of the knowledge base in society.

Sounds nice.

Mornin' folks. I'm back.

My wife says that for this blog to work, I need to make it a more personal statement about me and my life. I'm going to try but as I said in my first post, I not a very talkative individual.

It seems that the most consuming part of my life right now is the search for a job. I was laid off back in 2004 and deciding that I needed to expand my options,I went back to school. It seemed to take forever to finish my degree. I'll admit I got distracted along the way; working and living are more fun than school. But I managed to get it done, graduating with a degree in Computer Graphics. I thought that now I could write my own ticket and have a job with relative security. You know, computers being the way ALL things are done. And it started well. I had a few job interviews and thought the market looked promising. And then.... the world decided to screw with me AGAIN!

The economy began its decline, and jobs became few and far apart. More and more designers were losing their positions and becoming freelance designers (my name for the unemployed designer). Competition for not only jobs but independent work grew. Since I am a newbie, I don't have a large portfolio of published work to show. Designers with vast amounts of experience were having a hard time finding work so my small number of examples were lost in the dark.

I know I can do a great job if given the chance. I'll admit I'm not the greatest artist. But I bring more skills to the table than just my designs. I've been in the business world for a while, both as a consumer and as a salesperson. I think I have a good understanding of how to service a client and help them translate their idea from concept to reality. I can provide more to an employer than just design.

But there's the rub. You've got to get hired to show these skills. And right now, that's very, very tough.

But, I'll keep plugging along. I started this blog to help sharpen my writing and show my work to others. It's also a way to keep me sane (not that you'd know it if you met me). And I keep exploring options for work in other fields. As I said, I do have a fairly large skill set.

So I'll keep posting.

First

Well, this is a first. I'm going to try to express myself on this piece of tech. I'm not usually a ranter or a prolific wordsmith, but I'm feeling that now's the time. There is so much to say about our world, our lives, and our relationships, that even I might be able to come up with something.

It's a new start- not just for me, but for society as a whole. We have a new President who has great ideas but a rough road to travel. The economy sucks, people have NO confidence in our institutions, and fear is the word for the day. ( So far, pretty encouraging, huh! )

I'm not sure our problems can be solved by the government. It's a nice thought that Sir Galahad will ride in on his white horse and save the day but it ain't happening. The people will have to make the decision to change; change spending habits, change saving habits, and decide to become more involved with their community. We can NOT count on a savior to arrive and fix stuff.

I know this is the same crap that everyone is saying but I just wanted to join the chorus.
I'm done now.
Feeling much better.

Maybe there is something cathartic about this. I'll be better next time. Thanks.