The weather's just moving in!Bang! with a wall of wind...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Stonington Village Fair This Weekend!!! (good weather Saturday)
STONINGTON VILLAGE FAIR
 One of the premier events of the summer season in the Borough of Stonington and a major fund raiser for the COMO, the Village Fair will be held on Saturday, August 2, 2008, from 10AM until 4PM on Wadawanuck Square (the Village Green) in the Borough. For more than half a century, the people of Stonington and surrounding areas have come together to enjoy great food, entertainment and shopping in the picturesque environs of this classic New England celebration of community. This year's fair promises to be an eclectic mix of old and new events. Visitors can expect to find a fantastic Soup Kitchen featuring homemade soup specialties, amazing Portuguese sweet bread, bargains hidden amongst the bric-a-brac at the Treasures and Trifles tables, book titles of all types for the most discerning bibliophiles at the monster-sized book table, and some lovely floral creations from the Stonington Garden Club. |
Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds
(yes, a plan....but executable???)
Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds
The biggest opportunity to improve the nation’s energy situation is a major investment program to make homes and businesses more efficient, according to a study released Wednesday by the consulting firm McKinsey. An investment of $520 billion in improvements like sealing ducts and replacing inefficient appliances could produce $1.2 trillion in savings on energy bills through 2020, the study found.
The report said such a program, if carried out over the next decade, could cut the country’s projected energy use in 2020 by about 23 percent, a savings that would be “greater than the total of energy consumption of Canada,” Ken Ostrowski, a senior partner in McKinsey’s Atlanta office, said at a forum in Washington on Wednesday. It would also more than offset the growth in energy use that would be expected otherwise.
“The scale is vast if we can put together the means to pursue it,” Mr. Ostrowski said.
Homes account for about 35 percent of the potential efficiency gains, according to McKinsey, while the industrial sector accounts for 40 percent and the commercial sector 25 percent. The report included only efficiency improvements whose long-term savings would outweigh the initial costs. It did not consider the potential environmental benefits of cutting energy use.
The report acknowledged substantial barriers to achieving the savings, foremost among them the initial costs. The $52 billion annual investment envisioned by McKinsey is four or five times more than the nation currently spends on energy efficiency, and would have to be maintained over a decade. The economic stimulus package passed in February barely makes a dent; by McKinsey’s estimate, it contains $10 billion to $15 billion in spending on energy efficiency.
Some home or business owners may not have the money to finance efficiency improvements, even if they would pay off in the long run. Other barriers include inertia (a homeowner may simply not feel like replacing an old air-conditioner); and poorly aligned incentives (a landlord who does not pay the electric bill has no economic reason to replace the old air-conditioner).
The potential gains are also spread across millions of homes and businesses, so getting widespread participation would be a challenge.
“No question, the potential is there theoretically,” said David G. Victor, an energy expert at the University of California, San Diego, noting that he had not yet seen the report’s details. “It’s really, really difficult to achieve that full potential in the real world.”
To achieve $1 trillion in savings, Mr. Victor added, would require “a lot of people and a lot of complex organizations to change their behavior.”
The McKinsey report’s recommendations include providing education and better information about the potential savings from energy efficiency, tighter building codes, stricter efficiency requirements for appliances and greater financial incentives for making efficiency improvements.
The Obama administration has been pursuing many of these avenues — for example, some energy-efficiency funding in the stimulus bill requires states to promise to strengthen their building codes.President Obama has also made stricter appliance standards a priority.
Jon Creyts, a McKinsey partner in Chicago, said that energy efficiency presented the “most compelling” way to combat climate change, as well as to achieve energy security and affordability. It is not, however, a panacea, he said.
“Energy efficiency is an important and compelling low-cost option,” Mr. Creyts said, “but there are reasons that we need to innovate and continue to develop clean sources of energy.”
Peter Lehner, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said even greater savings were possible. The McKinsey report made conservative assumptions, he noted, and it did not account for savings from changes in behavior — people turning out lights in empty rooms or turning down the thermostat in winter, for example.
Nor did the $1.2 trillion figure take account of a possible cost for greenhouse gas emissions, which could be capped under climate legislation pending in Congress, and could bring about increases in energy efficiency.
“Even if we don’t get a climate bill this year, it’s extremely conservative to think there will not be a price on carbon in the next decade,” Mr. Lehner said.
The study was partly financed by McKinsey, and by a group of co-sponsors that included the Southern Company, a utility holding company, as well as the United States Green Building Council and the Department of Energy.
A separate study released on Tuesday by the National Research Council cited potential energy savings of 15 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030 if more efficient technologies were adopted. Unlike McKinsey, the research council included transportation, acknowledging that it would be a difficult sector to transform quickly.
f.y.i.: Twitter Guidebook
"Twitter is a social network used by millions of people, and thousands more are signing up every day to send short messages to groups of friends. But where's the user manual for Twitter? Where do new Twitter users go to learn about Tweeting, retweets, hashtags and customizing your Twitter profile? Where do you go if you want to know all about building a community on Twitter, or using Twitter for business? How can you find advanced tools for using Twitter on your phone or your desktop? To answer all these questions and more, we've assembled The Twitter Guide Book, a complete collection of resources for mastering Twitter. Happy Tweeting!"
- Pete Cashmore, @Mashable
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Alternative meanings for common words.
Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.
The winners are:
1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men
The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
Here are this year's winners:
1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
2. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
3. Giraffiti (n): Van dalism spray-painted very, very high.
4. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
5. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
6. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
7. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
8. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
9. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
10. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
11. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
12. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web
13. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into you bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
14. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating. |
Mandatory 15-Second Voicemail Instructions
Personal Tech
Last week, in The Times and on my blog, I've been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.
Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: "Hi, it's David Pogue. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you"--and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message.
* Sprint: "[Phone number] is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options."
* Verizon: "At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)"
* AT&T: "To page this person, press five now. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished, you may hang up, or press one for more options."
* T-Mobile: "Record your message after the tone. To send a numeric page, press five. When you are finished recording, hang up, or for delivery options, press pound."
(You hear a similar message when you call in to hear your own messages. "You. Have. 15. Messages. To listen to your messages, press 1." WHY ELSE WOULD I BE CALLING?)
I, the voicemailbox owner, cannot turn off this additional greeting message. You, the caller, can bypass it, but only if you know the secret keypress--and it's different for each carrier. So you'd have to know which cellphone carrier I use, and that of every person you'll ever call; in other words, this trick is no solution.
These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste your time. Good heavens: it's 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP.
Do we really need to be told to hang up when we're finished!? Would anyone, ever, want to "send a numeric page?" Who still carries a pager, for heaven's sake? Or what about "leave a callback number?" We can SEE the callback number right on our phones!
Second, we're PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up--bigtime. If Verizon's 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That's your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.
In 2007, I spoke at an international cellular conference in Italy. The big buzzword was ARPU--Average Revenue Per User. The seminars all had titles like, "Maximizing ARPU In a Digital Age." And yes, several attendees (cell executives) admitted to me, point-blank, that the voicemail instructions exist primarily to make you use up airtime, thereby maximizing ARPU.
Right now, the carriers continue to enjoy their billion-dollar scam only because we're not organized enough to do anything about it. But it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to sit there, waiting to leave your message, listening to a speech recorded by a third-grade teacher on Ambien.
Let's push back, and hard. We want those time-wasting, money-leaking messages eliminated, or at least made optional.
I asked my Twitter followers for help coming up with a war cry, a slogan, to identify this campaign. They came up with some good ones:
"Where's the Beep?"
"Let it Beep"
"We Know. Let's Go."
"Lose the Wait"
"My Voicemail, My Recording"
"Hell, no, we won't hold!"
My favorite, though, is the one that sounds like a call to action: "Take Back the Beep."
And here's how we're going to do it.
We're going to descend, en masse, on our carriers. Send them a complaint, politely but firmly. Together, we'll send them a LOT of complaints.
If enough of us make our unhappiness known, I'll bet they'll change.
I've told each of the four major carriers that they'll be hearing from us. They've told us where to send the messages:
* Verizon: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/FJncH.
* AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations: MS8460@att.com.
* Sprint: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/9CmrZ
* T-Mobile: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/2rKy0u
Three of the four carriers are just directing us to their general Web forums. Smells like a cop-out, I know. (As for AT&T: Props to the guy for letting me publish his e-mail address! Hope he knows what he's in for!)
Yet all four carriers promise that they'll read and consider our posts. And we have two things going for us.
First, I have a feeling that the volume of complaints will be too big for them to ignore. To that end, I hope you'll pass these instructions along, blog them, Twitter them, and spread the word. (Gizmodo, Consumerist and others have agreed to help out.) And I hope you'll take the time to complain yourself. Do it now, before you forget.
Second, we'll all be watching. I'll be reporting on the carriers' responses. If they ignore us, we'll shame them. If they respond, we'll celebrate them.
Either way, it's time to rise up. It's time for this crass, time-wasting money-grab to end for good.
To which I responded (Verizon):
I would like the "feature" of the 15 second pre-message announcement to be shorter and optional. It costs me so much a day to waste that time on such redundant messages. It's probably my #1 gripe with you guys at the moment. Get serious and make a change.
We're free to use any carrier. Be my choice.Follow-up from Pogue 7/31/09 reads: "...there are secret codes to bypass the obnoxious instruction messages. It’s * for Verizon, 1 for Sprint and # for T-Mobile or AT&T.But this is not a solution. It requires you to know in advance which carrier the person you’re calling uses, which is unrealistic! Making the instructions optional would be a far superior idea. Many of you replied: “Well, why don’t you give out the code when you record your voice mail greeting? For example: ‘You’ve reached David Pogue. Press star to cut to the beep.’”So, when you call ME, Press star to cut to the beep!m ~A.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Jamestown
Check out what they're finding at the excavation of Jamestown, VA. Original, daily. Bill Kelso is the champion archeologist. I met him there a few years ago when he published a book about opening up the site.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
The Prem Rawat Foundation
The Lamp that Needs to Shine
Prem Rawat speaking at London's Guildhall
What I talk about is something very, very simple. I don’t have a written speech to give—just words from my heart. Sometimes it is the little things in life that have the most significant impact. Little things like peace being felt in the heart of every human being. The formula of “peace, then prosperity” was set forth a long time ago.
We sometimes forget that we are human beings who have very simple needs. On the top of the list has always been to feel contentment, to feel a heart full of joy, to feel peace within. This is a need we all have, irrespective of religion. Just like there are so many different cuisines, but they all have food that satisfies hunger. We get caught up in the recipes and forget about the hunger.
I go around from place to place reminding people of the most important things in their lives. Simple things—not complex things. I see wars in this world. Nobody likes wars, and yet they happen again and again. And every time there is a war, there is a call for peace. It is not a new call, but one that has always been there, for it comes from within us. The quest for peace is within us, and the solution for peace also lies within us. This is who we are.
We are human beings striving, each in our own way, to reach the same goal. Maybe some people have more resources and others very few, but the driving force is exactly the same for everyone. The same ambition drives us all. Aside from all our accomplishments, a lamp shines in the heart of every human being. This is the lamp that needs to shine. In this time of great darkness where people are fighting with their own kind, that lamp needs to shine as bright as it possibly can.
What I say to people is that if you are looking for peace, turn within. Look for the other things you want, but also look within. People find that to be a powerful message. I can understand why. Sometimes we forget those simple little things. We go fumbling in the darkness while the solution has always been with us. A little opening of the heart, a little shining of the lamp, and we don’t have to stub our toes on all the obstacles out there.
Simple it is. Simple it will be. Simple it always has been. Peace, then prosperity. Your own call, your own thirst, your own wisdom you feel within. Let them be true. Let them be real. Peace is not a fiction. Peace is not a work created by someone else. Peace is that one flower that is held by every human being. And that is what peace needs to be.
Prem Rawat
Friday, May 29, 2009
Scott Blum Summers Path book download
Summer's Path is the remarkable story of Don Newport, an engineer that comes face to face with his personal destiny under extraordinary circumstances. After losing his job and his health insurance, Don learns he has a terminal disease with only a few months left to live. On his death bed, he meets Robert, a brazen angel of death that promises to help Don with a graceful exit. As Don prepares to say his last goodbyes to his loving wife, Robert attempts to change Don's perspective about his mortality and proposes an exceptionally unique option.
Robert leads Don through an astounding meditation of life and death and reveals various healing and spiritual concepts including walk-ins, embodiment and soul destiny. On this magical journey of self realization, Don discovers that it's never too late to learn profound life lessons about ourselves and our loved ones.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
SlideShare
SlideShare is the world's largest community for sharing presentations and documents. With over 1,000,000 presentations online, Slideshare recently took the step to go mobile. In March, they launched their new mobile platform built on Yahoo! Blueprint. We spoke with Slideshare CEO Rashmi Sinha and CTO Jon Boutelle about the implementation:
