Informal Brain

Thought:

What is Bhutto is right and Bin Ladden is dead?  If we don’t care about him any more is the power he holds gone?

Today:

Spent the day running errands this morning.  Tried to get my iPhone dock connector cleaned at the Apple Store because my phone periodically reports it has something plugged into the dock when infact nothing is plugged in.  Bummer.  I probrably need to make a genius bar appointment downtown and have it looked at.

Tomorrow:

We are driving up to Hood River for the day.  Hopefully the bad weather holds off as I don’t have the now tires on the honda and the Volkswagen can’t take chains.  I suspect it will all be fine but let’s just say I have put the car out of commision more then one time in my brother in law’s driveway   Hey, it is long and gravel after all!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The plastic killing fields – Environment – smh.com.au: “‘Charlie once found a mile-long trail of Taco Bell wrappers which had plastic in them. I didn’t see anything like that, but that’s not the point, because it’s the little bits that are really making it a plastic soup,’ Connacher says.”

Holly cow. A mile long? This article pains a dire picture where ships avoid a continent sized flotilla of garbage in the Pacific Ocean.

This really gives us something to think about the next time we buy or throw away a plastic object. All of it is slowly ruining the earth and killing us.

I noticed this article on the Seattle Times website this morning. I can’t help but notice that our family grocery purchases have definitely been hitting the pocketbook deeper in 2007.

Business & Technology | ‘08 forecasts: food at least 3% higher; gas up 10.7% | Seattle Times Newspaper: “The sharp rise in food prices seen in 2007 is expected to be followed by another higher-than-normal jump next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said last week. And 2008’s punch will be to the breadbasket.”

Looks like the trend will continue in 2008 which is somewhat unnerving. To top it off it looks like the trend will be close to the magic 3% number traditionally given to employees as a cost of living increase.

What this means to me is the increase in basic costs of goods including groceries and fuel will most likely nullify any cost of living increase in 2008 holding everything pretty much even. Let’s just hope we don’t see a larger increase.

In another note, some of the 3% increase in food was directly attributed to increase in transportation costs most directly related to fuel. I wonder if we will finally see a return to locally grown food options as a more viable alternative to mass produced globally transported food. Local farmer’s markets will probably see an increase in use if costs of especially international organic foods increases rapidly.

As I monitor my 2008 spending, food will continue to be an area to watch closely.

Paramilitary troops in the most volatile areas have been given permission to use deadly force against rioters.

Rioting in Pakistan continues – Los Angeles Times

We continue to see unrest and violence in Pakistan today.  I worry when the government (see Musharraf) has authorized his troops to use deadly force against citizens of his own country.  I feel for those troops, firing their weapon at a fellow citizen must be one of the hardest and most difficult things they will ever have to do.  Let’s hope Musharraf still has control over the military and the nuclear weapons.  I see a great deal of risk in the India / Pakistan situation if Musharraf can’t prove he has control.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Monkey Bars
Originally uploaded by Shawn Smith

Molly and I went to Gymboree today. I took this shot of her climbing on the monkey bars. She continues to get better each time we go. In the winter she doesnt have a chance to go to the park near our house so gymboree is a good substitute.

This is a post I never imagined writing. But with so many year-end reviewers panning Vista, somebody other than Microsoft must make the defense.

Microsoft Watch – Vista – Defending Windows Vista

No, actually Joe Wilcox we are beginning to think you are secretely paid by Redmond to promote their products. You are starting to sound about as bad as Scoble during his Microsoft years. Just deal with it, Vista sucks. Move on. The rest of us are holding our breath for Windows 7 hoping the mothership can get it right.

And don’t even get me started on the Zune post… come on…
Blogged with the Flock Browser

I love my Apple TV. We turned off Cable in the early summer in favor of using just and Apple TV, the iTunes music/tv store and Netflix to get our content.

There is just one thing I don’t understand about Apple TV? If Apple can build the iTunes music store for the iPhone then why can’t they build an iTunes Music/Video store for the Apple TV? I can’t tell you how many times I have wanted to buy a new show for my daughter and have had to run upstairs, buy the show, download it to my laptop, and then sync.

Really, all I want from Macworld is the ability to buy content directly from the Apple TV. Preferably without having to buy a whole new unit too

Embedded Video

Excellent comentary on the complete supply chain of consumption.

A couple of things hit me as I watched this:

1) Recycling helps, but the recycled materials are in the wrong place. They need to be back where the manufacturing happens. Unfortunately it is just too expensive to ship all those recycled products back. So, what happens? We put them in landfills. Sad but true.
2) The cost of transportation. Ships, Planes, trucks and trains consume enormous amounts of energy.  We forget that as we speed up the time between manufacturing and consumption that we use more expensive modes of transportation like aircraft.  Believe me, I worked for UPS for years.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The “Skinny” on Starbucks® Caffè Mochas and Caffè LattesMade with Starbucks® signature espresso, the tall (12 fl. oz.) Caffè Latte or Caffè Mocha ordered with sugar-free syrup, perfectly steamed nonfat milk, and a dash of foam contains only 90 calories. If customers replace their daily tall Starbucks® Vanilla Latte with Starbucks® Skinny Vanilla Latte they would save 700 calories and 35 grams of fat per week. Swapping out a daily, tall Caffè Mocha (made with 2% milk and no whip) for a Skinny Mocha would save 550 calories and 30 grams of fat per week.

Starbucks Latte and Mocha Offerings get a Skinny Makeover to Help Coffee Lovers Feel Great in 2008: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance

Wow, 700 Calories per week.  That is literally pounds off the old bod per year.  It is nice to see Starbucks finally giving coffee drink lovers a wakeup call in 2008.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

The death of Ms. Bhutto, leader of Pakistan’s largest political party, throws Pakistan’s politics into disarray less than two weeks before parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan. 8 and just weeks after a state of emergency was lifted. There was immediate speculation that elections would be postponed and another state of emergency declared.

Bhutto Assassination Sparks Disarray – New York Times

How can it get any worse?
Blogged with the Flock Browser