#energy #green #solar #power
This is great news on cost reductions in solar technology Solar - Cheaper than you think.
I hope the trend continues.
I'd be curious about the ecological footprint of manufacturing, delivering, and installing solar panels vs the environmental impacts of mining, shipping, and burning coal as well.
I'm pro the idea of solar, wind, and tidal generating capabilities. I think ecologically they make the most sense although financially they aren't there yet and it is that usual chicken and egg situation. The cost needs to come down to increase demand and the demand needs to increase before we can get the cost down. It sucks that so many great ideas and technologies don't make it because of the financial barriers to entry and the strong market position of the less efficient, less environmentally friendly current market leaders.
After the Japan incident I'm even less of an advocate for nuclear. It is pretty obvious that dollars and not safety rule most of the decisions in where to place and implement nuclear power plants and anything that screws up the environment that significantly when it goes wrong is just not worth the risk. No one will be living in Chernobyl any time soon. Chernobyl 25 years on
In the case of nuclear there isn't a way to really clean up from an epic fail. The disaster at Chernobyl destroyed the lives of many of the people in the immediate impact area and it affected all of us in some way. For example the worlds background radiation levels allegedly increased three times. That doesn't seem to be a huge deal because the background radiation levels aren't at a point where we are going to start mutating or dropping like flies but still it is worrying to me. I couldn't find a simple graph of background radiation levels over time so if anyone has one I'd be curious to see it. How much did we increase them with our nuclear testing programs? How many times did they increase after the ongoing disaster in Japan? How many of these types of incidents can we as a species sustain before things start to get really ugly for us and the rest of the life on the planet? Not to mention the headache with dealing with spent fuel disposal.
I think clean coal is an oxymoron and a great marketing opportunity for the coal mining companies but a dumb idea for the rest of us. Pumping crap down into the earths crust and hoping it stays there, doesn't leach into the water table or supply, and doesn't cause any kind of earth stability issues also seems like it really isn't worth the risk. Because at the end of the day the companies that implement these technologies aren't held fully accountable for the subsequent clean up. We have less environmentally dangerous options!
From what I have seen battery technology is not quite there yet on both life expectancy and on the impact to environment with disposal to make buying a hybrid or electric vehicle, and dumping my old gas guzzler, a net gain for the environment worth what it would cost me financially. Honestly I've never owned a new car because I'd rather recycle a second hand one and save myself a ton in depreciation. But I might have to figure out how we can afford to buy one at some point to get the newest most efficient technology. Really I'd just prefer someone made cost effective conversion kits for older cars.
This article indicates that the tipping point is getting closer with Solar. That point where it is worth it financially. I got a quote a few years back and it was almost 20k for the installation I wanted. Despite the considerable power company and government subsidies it still would have been more than 7k or so out of my pocket.
With the rate that improvements are being made in the technology it also feels smart to wait to get a much more efficient product in the future.
But I'm committed to doing it because there are a ton of intangible benefits as well. If I splurge on a battery backup in my garage I can set the system up to continue to function in a blackout situation making us less dependent and vulnerable to a power outage. I can also add a generator into that setup as well to provide an additional backup. When we finally get a hybrid or an electric vehicle our transportation and our home power consumption will be much more independent of the infrastructure that is in place.
Also the act of implementing a personal system for my house is also taking a small step that I can personally make to promoting America's energy independence from foreign oil and coal.
Then their is the feeling that I've done as much as I can to reduce my impact on the environment and that any power I am using, or even a percentage of the power I am using, is sustainable for the long term and helps preserve elements of the world I love for my boys and future descendant's to enjoy.
If we have options like Solar, Wind, and Tide to generate electricity why would we want to continue with those tech options that aren't good for the planet? For the sake of money? Money is a human concept that we have total control over. We can make plenty more of that. Hell the Fed has been making a ton of it over the last few years!
But we can't undo the radiation damage to areas in Japan and Russia. We can't seem to figure out how to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions despite a ton of interest globally doing so. Therefore it seems to me to be a no brainer to push hard for sustainable energy solutions that have low or no environmental impact.
But maybe I'm missing something?
What do you think?
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
5 inexpensive Christmas gift options
#music #free #christmas #inexpensivegifts #5ideas #cheapgifts #gifts
Christmas need not be an expensive nightmare experience. Really it should be about connecting with people and sharing the holidays with those you care about. So if you find yourself running around like a mad person, in a panic on how you will pay off your credit card next year, and generally stressing out take a deep breath and relax and continue reading.
If the budget is tight or you just want to have a less commercial christmas here are 5 ideas on inexpensive or free gifts.
1. Christmas Mix "tape"
There is a lot of free music floating around out there at the moment. Amazon in particular has a large selection and I am pretty sure they are DRM free. For example 23 this year. They also have a 25 days of Christmas deal where you get a new song every day.
When you "purchase" them they go into the Amazon cloud. The second step lets you download them to your computer. One you have them on your computer you can burn them to a CD or DVD if you have a burner. Or you send them directly to the person as Christmas gifts from the Amazon store as they have that option.
The wow factor in this gift is in how well you know the person and how you personalize their Christmas mix. You could perhaps make an album cover and/or write a commentary on each of the tracks and how it made you think of the person you are creating the mix for. You can splurge a little and buy some individual tracks that have meaning or your can go with best of the free options.
Total cost - If you gift them virtually them just your time to create the personalized aspect. If you make a CD then the cost of the writable CD and your time. If you buy any special songs to include then add in that cost.
2. Christmas Gift certificates for an experience or event
This can be the Christmas gift that gives all year round. Create several gift certificates for experiences or for help doing chores or projects that the person you are making them for would love. For example a certificate that entitles the bearer to laundry or dishes services for a week, or two, or a month The length can depend on how much you REALLY love them or hate the chores yourself. ;)
For couples massage vouchers can be a great option if you have any talent in that area and your partner enjoys receiving them. Also romantic picnics for when the weather gets hotter. Of perhaps an indoor picnic before then or special meal voucher. Date night certificates can also be clever both in allowing the other person freedom to pick their favorite activities (like the ballet <sigh>) or in pre-promising something that you know they will love. There are all sorts of other options but I'm keeping this post PG so you need to figure out those on your own!
For parents "sleep in" vouchers are a cool idea for your spouse. Vouchers for their favorite meals or foods also work. For your kids you can promise them time with you, or time away from you, in a voucher depending on their age. You can also give vouchers to children promising them time spent together on whatever activities they really love that you know you don't spend enough time with them on.
Total cost - your time and the materials you make the Christmas vouchers from.
3. Look for cheap or free options that play to your strengths
If you are a great cook make a special Christmas recipe in their honor and cook it for them. If you are a musician write them a song. An artist make them a piece of art. A writer then write them a story. If you are a comedian then put together a routine that you think will have them in hysterics. If you are a gardener then plant them some seeds or a tree or something that they will love (you may have to wait until after Christmas when the ground thaws if you live anywhere near I do in Denver!). If you are an accountant set up their system to make their taxes simple and easy every year. If you are a lawyer write them a contract promising not to sue them this year. :/ Or maybe you can take care of a piece of legal work that helps them in some way. The point is everyone has some sort of strength or talent. Your strength applied to a relevant need or want = great inexpensive Christmas gift
Total cost - your time and any incidental charges related to the application of your talent or strength
4. Photo Montage or Story Book.
In this digital world with cameras in every phone you probably have a million photos that you have taken that would contribute to some sort of message, story, or even just a shared moments experience board. Think back over the most important events or shared experiences and pull together the best photos that represent those moments. Wrap it up with a handwritten note or explanations and give it to them for Christmas.
Total cost - If you don't have hard copies of the photos then the time and cost to produce them. Although you could just make it a pdf that you mail the person or a slideshow or presentation that you show them. Your time is the main component.
5. Baking or sweet making or gift baskets.
If you Google candy making or baking you can find a lot of great recipes for cupcakes, toffee, fudge, or a variety of other decadent Christmas holiday goodies. Many of them use sugar and butter which aren't that expensive to buy and go a long way.
With a little bit of innovation you can makes some personalized treats that people will love. Cupcakes decorated in a way that tell a story of your shared experiences.
Christmas Gift baskets can be made with fruit or flowers that you can pick up inexpensively and padded out with re-gift options from your home. You can combine some of the other elements above to make a bountiful basket.
Total cost - bag of sugar or confectioners sugar, fruit costs, basket, and time to put it all together
Have a stress free lead up to your Merry Christmas everyone. Hope it is a great one for you all and that Santa brings you all the gifts that really matter, like connections, love, friendship, health, happiness, and an abundance of time to get done what you need to.
Christmas need not be an expensive nightmare experience. Really it should be about connecting with people and sharing the holidays with those you care about. So if you find yourself running around like a mad person, in a panic on how you will pay off your credit card next year, and generally stressing out take a deep breath and relax and continue reading.
If the budget is tight or you just want to have a less commercial christmas here are 5 ideas on inexpensive or free gifts.
1. Christmas Mix "tape"
There is a lot of free music floating around out there at the moment. Amazon in particular has a large selection and I am pretty sure they are DRM free. For example 23 this year. They also have a 25 days of Christmas deal where you get a new song every day.
When you "purchase" them they go into the Amazon cloud. The second step lets you download them to your computer. One you have them on your computer you can burn them to a CD or DVD if you have a burner. Or you send them directly to the person as Christmas gifts from the Amazon store as they have that option.
The wow factor in this gift is in how well you know the person and how you personalize their Christmas mix. You could perhaps make an album cover and/or write a commentary on each of the tracks and how it made you think of the person you are creating the mix for. You can splurge a little and buy some individual tracks that have meaning or your can go with best of the free options.
Total cost - If you gift them virtually them just your time to create the personalized aspect. If you make a CD then the cost of the writable CD and your time. If you buy any special songs to include then add in that cost.
2. Christmas Gift certificates for an experience or event
This can be the Christmas gift that gives all year round. Create several gift certificates for experiences or for help doing chores or projects that the person you are making them for would love. For example a certificate that entitles the bearer to laundry or dishes services for a week, or two, or a month The length can depend on how much you REALLY love them or hate the chores yourself. ;)
For couples massage vouchers can be a great option if you have any talent in that area and your partner enjoys receiving them. Also romantic picnics for when the weather gets hotter. Of perhaps an indoor picnic before then or special meal voucher. Date night certificates can also be clever both in allowing the other person freedom to pick their favorite activities (like the ballet <sigh>) or in pre-promising something that you know they will love. There are all sorts of other options but I'm keeping this post PG so you need to figure out those on your own!
For parents "sleep in" vouchers are a cool idea for your spouse. Vouchers for their favorite meals or foods also work. For your kids you can promise them time with you, or time away from you, in a voucher depending on their age. You can also give vouchers to children promising them time spent together on whatever activities they really love that you know you don't spend enough time with them on.
Total cost - your time and the materials you make the Christmas vouchers from.
3. Look for cheap or free options that play to your strengths
If you are a great cook make a special Christmas recipe in their honor and cook it for them. If you are a musician write them a song. An artist make them a piece of art. A writer then write them a story. If you are a comedian then put together a routine that you think will have them in hysterics. If you are a gardener then plant them some seeds or a tree or something that they will love (you may have to wait until after Christmas when the ground thaws if you live anywhere near I do in Denver!). If you are an accountant set up their system to make their taxes simple and easy every year. If you are a lawyer write them a contract promising not to sue them this year. :/ Or maybe you can take care of a piece of legal work that helps them in some way. The point is everyone has some sort of strength or talent. Your strength applied to a relevant need or want = great inexpensive Christmas gift
Total cost - your time and any incidental charges related to the application of your talent or strength
4. Photo Montage or Story Book.
In this digital world with cameras in every phone you probably have a million photos that you have taken that would contribute to some sort of message, story, or even just a shared moments experience board. Think back over the most important events or shared experiences and pull together the best photos that represent those moments. Wrap it up with a handwritten note or explanations and give it to them for Christmas.
Total cost - If you don't have hard copies of the photos then the time and cost to produce them. Although you could just make it a pdf that you mail the person or a slideshow or presentation that you show them. Your time is the main component.
5. Baking or sweet making or gift baskets.
If you Google candy making or baking you can find a lot of great recipes for cupcakes, toffee, fudge, or a variety of other decadent Christmas holiday goodies. Many of them use sugar and butter which aren't that expensive to buy and go a long way.
With a little bit of innovation you can makes some personalized treats that people will love. Cupcakes decorated in a way that tell a story of your shared experiences.
Christmas Gift baskets can be made with fruit or flowers that you can pick up inexpensively and padded out with re-gift options from your home. You can combine some of the other elements above to make a bountiful basket.
Total cost - bag of sugar or confectioners sugar, fruit costs, basket, and time to put it all together
Have a stress free lead up to your Merry Christmas everyone. Hope it is a great one for you all and that Santa brings you all the gifts that really matter, like connections, love, friendship, health, happiness, and an abundance of time to get done what you need to.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Creativity - Do you doodle?
#Doodling #Creativity #Doodles #Drawing #Art #Design #Stressrelief
The subconscious mind is a powerful tool that we can learn to use. In addition to using meditation or directing your dreams to provide you with answers while you sleep, you should also consider doodling as an opportunity to get in touch with it.
If you can put yourself in a relaxed state and just start drawing squiggles, lines, circles, and anything else that takes your fancy on a piece of paper who knows where it might lead.
Try this exercise.
- Clear 15 minutes in your calendar and find an interruption free space to work in (doodle a do not disturb sign and hang it on the door perhaps?)
- Organise your work space so your favorite writing or drawing implement is close by and you have plenty of paper.
- Spend from 30 seconds to a minute taking deep breaths in to a count and then exhaling to double that count (so if it takes you 3 seconds to fill your lungs try to exhale for 6 to empty them).
- Clear your mind as much as you can.
- Pick up your implement and put the tip down on the paper. Now start to draw and let it do what it may.
This is just an exercise but doodling can happen anywhere, under any conditions. I don't recommend doodling in meetings unless you can do it fairly surreptitiously as it can be seen as a sign of not paying attention or of disrespect. Unless you can design something totally awesome in line with the meetings objective in which case you should absolutely go for it.
Remember it's doodling. There is no pressure. You can keep your doodles, toss your doodles, or even redoodle over the top of your doodles.
There is also no rules or right way to do it. Back in ancient times, when I was just a wee laddie, back when you had to be attached to a corded phone to carry on a conversation, I used to doodle a lot while talking on the phone. I miss those days sometimes. Sometimes the doodle would be affected by the conversation, sometimes it would have a mind of it's own. Now days my doodling is much more infrequent.
Doodling as an opportunity to tap into your creativity. You can also start your doodle with some sort of agenda in mind but try to let the pen or pencil flow across the paper to where ever it feels the need to go.
You can take a word relevant to your question and write it on the paper first and then doodle off that.
You can take an existing image and start doodling from that.
You can pick random words from a dictionary and try and doodle in elements of that word to whatever the core concept is you are working on.
Again there are no rules. You just have to put aside some time to do it.
Here are a couple of video clips from a master doodler Vihart from Youtube. Check out her channel for some more mind blowing information on all sorts of maths and music topic.
If you need proof that doodling is useful here's a link on a Doodle Study that was done back in 2009.
Happy doodling.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Gaming
#gaming #entertainment #gamification
Call Of Duty hits 400million day 1
400 million people spending <x> hours per day on a video game. And that is just one game. When you look at the hours spent on zynga and other social games there is a huge potential resource there if you can build games that have a social good and are just as engaging as these entertainment only titles.
I have to get back to my pitch for www.gamelayerz.com
Call Of Duty hits 400million day 1
400 million people spending <x> hours per day on a video game. And that is just one game. When you look at the hours spent on zynga and other social games there is a huge potential resource there if you can build games that have a social good and are just as engaging as these entertainment only titles.
I have to get back to my pitch for www.gamelayerz.com
Be a Hero
#penn%23state #paterno #mcqueary #self
Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’'
Can anyone involved in witnessing or knowing of the acts in this case and not moving heaven and earth to get them stopped still claim to be in any way good? Does not speaking up, or backing down in the face of authority after speaking up, destroy any claim to 'goodness' for ever after? Is there a path to redemption or forgiveness for anyone involved?
The comment sections of articles all over the web are filled with people who are crystal clear on whatthey would have done if they had witnessed the act or learned about it. I like to think I also know what I would have done. I'm the father of 4 and 5 year old boys and I think my reaction would have been influenced by that. But I don't know what I would have done if I was Mike McQueary or Joe Paterno or any of the other people involved. I, like most of the commentators, like to think of myself as morally upstanding person willing to stand up for what I believe in.
I do find it weird that there seems to be more outrage at the perpetrators of the inaction than there is with the perpetrator of the act itself. The bulk of my anger is directed at Jerry Sandusky. I can accept he is sick but that doesn't excuse what he has done.
But a lot of people knew or suspected what he was doing and either all those people are morally bankrupt and evil or there is another force at work here.
Time and time again we see examples of people who don't want to intervene. Who back away from confrontation. Who justify in their own head why they should or shouldn't act. I did it once in a night club when I saw a woman knocked to the ground in front of us. There was a group of us standing stunned in the VIP lounge. The woman, obviously drunk, approached one of the high rollers in the area who was drinking with friends. They seemed to know each other pretty well. They had some kind of argument and he punched her and knocked her to the ground. Violence against women is not okay for me. My initial reaction was to immediately intervene but no one else was moving and I hesitated. It was long enough for the voices in the head to get started. There were 30 or more people who had seen it with me and none of them were moving. None of us was moving. The "if I go over there what will be the consequences" analysis started. We liked our access to the VIP and this guy was a regular and high roller. He had a lot of friends with him. How many of mine had my back? Conversation broke out again with many of my friends acknowledging what we had all seen as well and we all spoke in hushed outraged tones. She was crying and the bouncers, who had also seen it occur, picked her up off the ground and physically escorted her off the premises while she called insults back at the guy. The guy and his friends laughed and went back to their drinks. To this day I carry guilt for not doing something. She wasn't badly hurt but I still saw something that was morally reprehensible to me and did nothing. Am I evil? Am I a good man who did nothing? Did I let evil triumph that day? Am I flawed for thinking it isn't okay for a man to hit a women short of self defense or to prevent a greater evil?
What I experienced was an effect called the diffusion of responsibility. It is more pronounced the bigger the group and more pronounced in heirachy based organizations or cultures.
Wiki on Diffusion_of_responsibility
Is this in part how you explain Nazi Germany and other examples of ethnic cleansing around the world? How do you explain cultures and religions that still now allow 8 year old girls to be married to old men? Are all individuals involved in those situations evil? Or are some of them good people who stood by and let it all happen?
There's another effect called the bystander effect where in a crisis situation people stand and watch or move on rather than doing anything to help.
I'll leave you with a final thought and a chilling video link of the bystander effect in action. Don't be a Mike McQueary, a Joe Paterno, a parent of one of the early victims, the police officers involved in the 1998 complaint of him showering with two children where he allegedly confessed, the children and youth services employees who closed the case, or any of the many others who knew or suspected and ultimately let it go on.
Be a hero, help those who need it, and be true to yourself. If you won't do it for the victim then do it for yourself. Otherwise you might find yourself remembering a punch thrown in a bar 11 years after it happened and still second guessing and berating yourself.
Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’'
Can anyone involved in witnessing or knowing of the acts in this case and not moving heaven and earth to get them stopped still claim to be in any way good? Does not speaking up, or backing down in the face of authority after speaking up, destroy any claim to 'goodness' for ever after? Is there a path to redemption or forgiveness for anyone involved?
The comment sections of articles all over the web are filled with people who are crystal clear on whatthey would have done if they had witnessed the act or learned about it. I like to think I also know what I would have done. I'm the father of 4 and 5 year old boys and I think my reaction would have been influenced by that. But I don't know what I would have done if I was Mike McQueary or Joe Paterno or any of the other people involved. I, like most of the commentators, like to think of myself as morally upstanding person willing to stand up for what I believe in.
I do find it weird that there seems to be more outrage at the perpetrators of the inaction than there is with the perpetrator of the act itself. The bulk of my anger is directed at Jerry Sandusky. I can accept he is sick but that doesn't excuse what he has done.
But a lot of people knew or suspected what he was doing and either all those people are morally bankrupt and evil or there is another force at work here.
Time and time again we see examples of people who don't want to intervene. Who back away from confrontation. Who justify in their own head why they should or shouldn't act. I did it once in a night club when I saw a woman knocked to the ground in front of us. There was a group of us standing stunned in the VIP lounge. The woman, obviously drunk, approached one of the high rollers in the area who was drinking with friends. They seemed to know each other pretty well. They had some kind of argument and he punched her and knocked her to the ground. Violence against women is not okay for me. My initial reaction was to immediately intervene but no one else was moving and I hesitated. It was long enough for the voices in the head to get started. There were 30 or more people who had seen it with me and none of them were moving. None of us was moving. The "if I go over there what will be the consequences" analysis started. We liked our access to the VIP and this guy was a regular and high roller. He had a lot of friends with him. How many of mine had my back? Conversation broke out again with many of my friends acknowledging what we had all seen as well and we all spoke in hushed outraged tones. She was crying and the bouncers, who had also seen it occur, picked her up off the ground and physically escorted her off the premises while she called insults back at the guy. The guy and his friends laughed and went back to their drinks. To this day I carry guilt for not doing something. She wasn't badly hurt but I still saw something that was morally reprehensible to me and did nothing. Am I evil? Am I a good man who did nothing? Did I let evil triumph that day? Am I flawed for thinking it isn't okay for a man to hit a women short of self defense or to prevent a greater evil?
What I experienced was an effect called the diffusion of responsibility. It is more pronounced the bigger the group and more pronounced in heirachy based organizations or cultures.
Wiki on Diffusion_of_responsibility
Is this in part how you explain Nazi Germany and other examples of ethnic cleansing around the world? How do you explain cultures and religions that still now allow 8 year old girls to be married to old men? Are all individuals involved in those situations evil? Or are some of them good people who stood by and let it all happen?
There's another effect called the bystander effect where in a crisis situation people stand and watch or move on rather than doing anything to help.
I'll leave you with a final thought and a chilling video link of the bystander effect in action. Don't be a Mike McQueary, a Joe Paterno, a parent of one of the early victims, the police officers involved in the 1998 complaint of him showering with two children where he allegedly confessed, the children and youth services employees who closed the case, or any of the many others who knew or suspected and ultimately let it go on.
Be a hero, help those who need it, and be true to yourself. If you won't do it for the victim then do it for yourself. Otherwise you might find yourself remembering a punch thrown in a bar 11 years after it happened and still second guessing and berating yourself.
Be the Change!
#change #addvalue #motivation #inspiration
Amazing clip. Take a look at your world. The network of people you interact with are the opportunities you have at the moment for making the world a better place right now and you can do make that change no matter where you are at in life.
The right word of support, the right challenge, the right compliment, the right request for help, or the right lesson delivered to the right person at the right time can change a life.
How do you know if it is the right time? You probably won't. So just go for it now.
All the people you don't know yet could use a hand as well.
Be the change you want to see. If the world is unfair, unfaithful, or just plain hard. Be the change you want to see it become.
You have more power than you can possibly imagine.
Amazing clip. Take a look at your world. The network of people you interact with are the opportunities you have at the moment for making the world a better place right now and you can do make that change no matter where you are at in life.
The right word of support, the right challenge, the right compliment, the right request for help, or the right lesson delivered to the right person at the right time can change a life.
How do you know if it is the right time? You probably won't. So just go for it now.
All the people you don't know yet could use a hand as well.
Be the change you want to see. If the world is unfair, unfaithful, or just plain hard. Be the change you want to see it become.
You have more power than you can possibly imagine.
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will stop the mail. But bankruptcy might.
#postoffice #usps #economy #employment #bankruptcy
So the Post Office is looking at axing 28k-35k jobs by March 2012 to get their 14billion dollar deficit under control.
post-office-to-cut-services-jobs
As a small business owner who relies on them for the bulk of my shipping I have to say I am disappointed. I print my shipping labels and pay for my postage through their free online application. I'm currently working having a new Prestashop website that will automate the copying and pasting of address information from my ecommerce site to the USPS site. So generally I am pretty happy. For many parts of the country their priority mail comes close to Fedex delivery times to my customers. I only have to deal with the terrible wait times at my local post office when I'm clearing returns. It's a strong motivation to make sure I have happy customers who don't want to return anything!
Anyway during those long waits to clear my box I've often wondered why it seems so hard for the post office to get the customer facing part of their business right.
I have some suggestions for them.
1. Invest more in their automated kiosks and their online tools. They obviously aren't user friendly enough because way too many people end up waiting in line for stuff they could be doing at home.
2. Double the cost of a stamp and invest in better quality service. Maybe not everyone will agree but I would happily pay more for letter or card rates for a better quality of service for all postal services in general. You would still be looking at under a dollar for most postage. Online alternatives are already eating away at that business and many of them are free. So people aren't posting something because it is necessarily the cheapest option. The post office loses a lot more business from their bad post office experiences than they do from the cost of a stamp.
3. Change your employee policies. Treat them better and demand they treat the post office customers better.
4. Make your trucks into limited functionality mobile postal outlets. Empower your delivery vehicles to offer those postal services that can be quick and to sell products. Some drivers will take my labelled and paid for packages and some won't. Being able to pay for a package right there would help as well.
5. Install more consolidated mailboxes. So people collect the last of the neighborhood leg from a centralized point in the neighborhood thereby freeing up the drivers time for more of option 4 above and 6 below.
6. Offer additional paid services that make sense for location based value add. For example the postal delivery vehicle could be modified for electronic meter reading for energy and other utility companies. It could deliver newspapers at the same time it delivered the mail. It might collect certain types of non hazardous recycling for a small fee. It could have a mobile redbox kiosk on the back for DVD rental (not sure how keen netflix would be on that one since they toss a ton of business the post offices way). Anyway there are many possibilities they could be and should be looking into.
The post always gets through but in the future it probably won't be in any rush.
So the Post Office is looking at axing 28k-35k jobs by March 2012 to get their 14billion dollar deficit under control.
post-office-to-cut-services-jobs
As a small business owner who relies on them for the bulk of my shipping I have to say I am disappointed. I print my shipping labels and pay for my postage through their free online application. I'm currently working having a new Prestashop website that will automate the copying and pasting of address information from my ecommerce site to the USPS site. So generally I am pretty happy. For many parts of the country their priority mail comes close to Fedex delivery times to my customers. I only have to deal with the terrible wait times at my local post office when I'm clearing returns. It's a strong motivation to make sure I have happy customers who don't want to return anything!
Anyway during those long waits to clear my box I've often wondered why it seems so hard for the post office to get the customer facing part of their business right.
I have some suggestions for them.
1. Invest more in their automated kiosks and their online tools. They obviously aren't user friendly enough because way too many people end up waiting in line for stuff they could be doing at home.
2. Double the cost of a stamp and invest in better quality service. Maybe not everyone will agree but I would happily pay more for letter or card rates for a better quality of service for all postal services in general. You would still be looking at under a dollar for most postage. Online alternatives are already eating away at that business and many of them are free. So people aren't posting something because it is necessarily the cheapest option. The post office loses a lot more business from their bad post office experiences than they do from the cost of a stamp.
3. Change your employee policies. Treat them better and demand they treat the post office customers better.
4. Make your trucks into limited functionality mobile postal outlets. Empower your delivery vehicles to offer those postal services that can be quick and to sell products. Some drivers will take my labelled and paid for packages and some won't. Being able to pay for a package right there would help as well.
5. Install more consolidated mailboxes. So people collect the last of the neighborhood leg from a centralized point in the neighborhood thereby freeing up the drivers time for more of option 4 above and 6 below.
6. Offer additional paid services that make sense for location based value add. For example the postal delivery vehicle could be modified for electronic meter reading for energy and other utility companies. It could deliver newspapers at the same time it delivered the mail. It might collect certain types of non hazardous recycling for a small fee. It could have a mobile redbox kiosk on the back for DVD rental (not sure how keen netflix would be on that one since they toss a ton of business the post offices way). Anyway there are many possibilities they could be and should be looking into.
The post always gets through but in the future it probably won't be in any rush.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Choose wisely
#choice #meaning #livingfornow #selfdevelopment #katiekirkpatrick
When I have trouble finding anything positive in the moment I think of the images of this beautiful bride on her special day.
Katie Kirkpatrick's Wedding Day
Many of you might have seen them before. The story and images circulated a lot in 2009. They're inspirational and uplifting and very very sad all at the same time.
The truth is any day could be our last. At any point we might get that pain in the chest that won't go away, the diagnosis from our Doctor that we dread to hear, the accident that catches us on our blindside.
We're all vulnerable out there. That doesn't mean you should wrap yourself in cotton wool and hide under the blankets. You still might get hit by a meteorite in your bed or be stuck there when a fire breaks out in your house!
I would argue that _understanding and accepting how short our lives are is part of the path to living a fulfilled and happy life_.
Viktor Frankl is another inspiration to me when times are tough. He found humanity and freedom and understanding in a concentration camp during a horrific time of personal loss. A place of execution and death. Where you would think hope was dead and nothing reigned but despair and desperation.
Doctor Kurt Van Wyk is also an inspiration to me. You probably haven't heard of him. He was my chiropractor and he passed away last year after a battle with cancer. His funeral was hugely attended and I while I knew he was an amazing man just from how he helped me, I had no idea of the impact he had made. A small unimpressive office in a strip mall which was always busy but not insanely so. At his funeral I heard things I'd known and also things I hadn't known. How he discounted his services for the clergy, how he treated patients free of charge for months or years when they had circumstances where they couldn't pay, and how he touched the lives of many many people in small but deep and meaningful ways. The large church was packed to standing room and the eulogies and respect flowed.
Seeing Doctor Kurt's impact through the eyes of the people who's lives he changed I realized there was so much more I could be doing to help others than I had been doing. There were small things he did every day. Small interactions that made the man into a force for good in the world. He empowered and supported and healed others with his time.
We're all sending out ripples constantly in this ocean we call life. The ripples from others wash over us all the time and they can lift us up to the sky or drag us down into the depths. Our own ripples might be small little circles that travel only a small way or they might be mighty waves that surge out from us. The question is do our ripples buoy people up and carry them on to their destination or do our ripples swamp over them or push them backwards? In my case I really want my ripples to be the former kind because I feel responsible for the ripples I send out and because I want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Because I feel compassion for others and how I affect them. Do you?
If people like Victor and Katie and Kurt can find a path to meaning and freedom in the circumstances of their lives, then it becomes obvious to me our state of mind is something that we do have control over. Just like our actions. We might be fighting our own bodies or brains on a chemical or physiological level. We might be experiencing circumstances that most people, thankfully, will never come close to being tested under.
*But while we have limited control any of the external stuff that happens to us, we have control over our response and how we react to it.*
So I'm going to send a little ripple out right now. The next time things are tough for you. When you think it's all a little too hard. When maybe the challenge feels less like a challenge and more like an ass whipping being handed down to you by life. I challenge you to find your own inspirational thoughts and your own inspirational people. I challenge you to find the levers that help you move yourself to the state you want to be in when you want to be in it. Meditation, Music, laughter, smiling, hugs, and beauty can all perhaps move you from a dark place into the light if you use them right. In the case of severe depression it might take even take drugs and therapy and other tools external to help you. Whatever the tools you need you should do your best to figure them out and use them to supplement your own personal power.
Above all remember you have more power and freedom than you perhaps realize. You have the ability to choose how you react. Choose wisely. Choose the path that lets you spread some ripples of your own.
When I have trouble finding anything positive in the moment I think of the images of this beautiful bride on her special day.
Katie Kirkpatrick's Wedding Day
Many of you might have seen them before. The story and images circulated a lot in 2009. They're inspirational and uplifting and very very sad all at the same time.
The truth is any day could be our last. At any point we might get that pain in the chest that won't go away, the diagnosis from our Doctor that we dread to hear, the accident that catches us on our blindside.
We're all vulnerable out there. That doesn't mean you should wrap yourself in cotton wool and hide under the blankets. You still might get hit by a meteorite in your bed or be stuck there when a fire breaks out in your house!
I would argue that _understanding and accepting how short our lives are is part of the path to living a fulfilled and happy life_.
Viktor Frankl is another inspiration to me when times are tough. He found humanity and freedom and understanding in a concentration camp during a horrific time of personal loss. A place of execution and death. Where you would think hope was dead and nothing reigned but despair and desperation.
Doctor Kurt Van Wyk is also an inspiration to me. You probably haven't heard of him. He was my chiropractor and he passed away last year after a battle with cancer. His funeral was hugely attended and I while I knew he was an amazing man just from how he helped me, I had no idea of the impact he had made. A small unimpressive office in a strip mall which was always busy but not insanely so. At his funeral I heard things I'd known and also things I hadn't known. How he discounted his services for the clergy, how he treated patients free of charge for months or years when they had circumstances where they couldn't pay, and how he touched the lives of many many people in small but deep and meaningful ways. The large church was packed to standing room and the eulogies and respect flowed.
Seeing Doctor Kurt's impact through the eyes of the people who's lives he changed I realized there was so much more I could be doing to help others than I had been doing. There were small things he did every day. Small interactions that made the man into a force for good in the world. He empowered and supported and healed others with his time.
We're all sending out ripples constantly in this ocean we call life. The ripples from others wash over us all the time and they can lift us up to the sky or drag us down into the depths. Our own ripples might be small little circles that travel only a small way or they might be mighty waves that surge out from us. The question is do our ripples buoy people up and carry them on to their destination or do our ripples swamp over them or push them backwards? In my case I really want my ripples to be the former kind because I feel responsible for the ripples I send out and because I want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Because I feel compassion for others and how I affect them. Do you?
If people like Victor and Katie and Kurt can find a path to meaning and freedom in the circumstances of their lives, then it becomes obvious to me our state of mind is something that we do have control over. Just like our actions. We might be fighting our own bodies or brains on a chemical or physiological level. We might be experiencing circumstances that most people, thankfully, will never come close to being tested under.
*But while we have limited control any of the external stuff that happens to us, we have control over our response and how we react to it.*
So I'm going to send a little ripple out right now. The next time things are tough for you. When you think it's all a little too hard. When maybe the challenge feels less like a challenge and more like an ass whipping being handed down to you by life. I challenge you to find your own inspirational thoughts and your own inspirational people. I challenge you to find the levers that help you move yourself to the state you want to be in when you want to be in it. Meditation, Music, laughter, smiling, hugs, and beauty can all perhaps move you from a dark place into the light if you use them right. In the case of severe depression it might take even take drugs and therapy and other tools external to help you. Whatever the tools you need you should do your best to figure them out and use them to supplement your own personal power.
Above all remember you have more power and freedom than you perhaps realize. You have the ability to choose how you react. Choose wisely. Choose the path that lets you spread some ripples of your own.
Microsoft Improving
#marketing #bing #microsoft #surface #kinect #microsoftstore
There are a number of things that are impressing me about Microsoft lately. The first was my experience early last year in buying a couple of computers from the Microsoft store. I got a great deal as they were having a sale and the fact they had removed all the bloatware from the product meant I got them both home and ready to roll immediately out of the box. They probably ran faster and more smoothly than any PC I've purchased in the last 10 years.
One was a Samsung laptop and the other a Dell Zino. The Zino hasn't held up to well to everyday use from a couple of small boys but my wife loves her laptop.
Compare that to buying a similar specification laptop on black friday from Best Buy (who I should be boycotting on principal but they sometimes have deals the bargain hounds in me drag me along for). It is so loaded with garbage I've put it aside until I have a half day to clean it up and get it working. Completely disappointing experience compared to buying from the MS Store.
The Windows 7 phone has been quietly consuming market share and getting a lot of positive reviews, they've brought out the commercial version of their surface products, they are bringing out a PC version of the minority report interface using the Kincet, and now they created this kind of cool Bing Xmas calendar.
Keep it up Microsoft. Might be time to invest in some stock.
Bing Calendar
Gizmag article on Windows 7 Minority Report
Microsoft Surface
There are a number of things that are impressing me about Microsoft lately. The first was my experience early last year in buying a couple of computers from the Microsoft store. I got a great deal as they were having a sale and the fact they had removed all the bloatware from the product meant I got them both home and ready to roll immediately out of the box. They probably ran faster and more smoothly than any PC I've purchased in the last 10 years.
One was a Samsung laptop and the other a Dell Zino. The Zino hasn't held up to well to everyday use from a couple of small boys but my wife loves her laptop.
Compare that to buying a similar specification laptop on black friday from Best Buy (who I should be boycotting on principal but they sometimes have deals the bargain hounds in me drag me along for). It is so loaded with garbage I've put it aside until I have a half day to clean it up and get it working. Completely disappointing experience compared to buying from the MS Store.
The Windows 7 phone has been quietly consuming market share and getting a lot of positive reviews, they've brought out the commercial version of their surface products, they are bringing out a PC version of the minority report interface using the Kincet, and now they created this kind of cool Bing Xmas calendar.
Keep it up Microsoft. Might be time to invest in some stock.
Bing Calendar
Gizmag article on Windows 7 Minority Report
Microsoft Surface
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