When the quarterback “spikes” the ball to stop the clock, why isn’t that “grounding”?
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RANT: Why isn’t it “grounding”?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Ranting | 
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Posted by reinkefj
TECHNOLOGY: Who needs smoke detectors?
Saturday, February 2, 2008http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/fire_at_south_brunswick_apartm.html
Fire at South Brunswick apartment complex displaces 16
by Seung Min Kim/The Star-Ledger
Saturday February 02, 2008, 2:50 PM
***Begin Quote***
The fire was first detected when a tenant working on his computer around 3:15 a.m. noticed the power flickering throughout the apartment, South Brunswick police Detective Jim Ryan said.
***End Quote***
Who needs smoke detectors? We have the “web surfers”.
:-)
Can laff now about a potentially serious incident.
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PRODUCTIVITY: Cut back. Simplify. De-load.
Saturday, February 2, 2008http://zenhabits.net/2008/01/a-guide-to-cutting-back-when-you-feel-overwhelmed/
A Guide to Cutting Back When You Feel Overwhelmed
***Begin Quote***
My recommendation: Cut back. Simplify. De-load.
***and**
1. Step back.
2. List everything.
3. Set limits.
4. Prioritize.
5. Eliminate.
6. Renegotiate commitments.
7. Take time off.
8. Create the ideal workday.
***End Quote***
Well, there’s no doubt, I’m feeling the pinch. Maybe it’s my mid-life crisis. The sadness of unmet expectations. The realization that the end of journey is closer than the beginning. An appreciation for Rodney Dangerfield’s rendition of Dylan Thomas. An small understanding of DaVinici’s tears for tasks undone. Maybe I have to try this chap’s advice.
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Posted by reinkefj
MONEY: three ways government can get the money for a stimulus package
Saturday, February 2, 2008http://www.townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2008/01/30/stimulus_package_nonsense
Stimulus Package Nonsense
By Walter E. Williams
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
***Begin Quote***
There are three ways government can get the money for a stimulus package. It can tax, borrow or inflate the currency by printing money. If government taxes to hand out money, one person is stimulated at the expense of another who pays the tax, who is unstimulated and has less money to spend. If government borrows the money, it’s the same story. This time the unstimulated person is the lender who has less money to spend. If government prints money, creditors, and then everyone else, are unstimulated. As my colleague Russell Roberts said in a NPR broadcast, “It’s like taking a bucket of water from the deep end of a pool and dumping it into the shallow end. Funny thing — the water in the shallow end doesn’t get any deeper.”
***End Quote***
Good point!
And, we, of course, know who’s going to pay for it! “The Rich!”
;-)
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Posted by reinkefj
RANT: what is happening to our money
Friday, February 1, 2008http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080218/howl
howl | posted January 31, 2008 (web only)
The Ron Paul Economy
Nicholas von Hoffman
*** begin quote ***
He is the only candidate who brings up what is happening to our money, which is another way of saying that he is worried about why the cost of buying groceries is going through the roof. While the other presidential contenders are silent on the topic, Paul reminds us that “government officials consistently claimed that inflation is in check at barely 2 percent, but middle-class Americans know that their purchasing power–especially when it comes to housing, energy, medical care, and school tuition–is shrinking much faster than 2 percent each year.”
*** end quote ***
Seems obvious to me.
It’s not that the tangible things are getting worth more. It’s that the money is worth less. All due to the inflation tax that allows the gooferment to spend more and more.
Argh!
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Posted by reinkefj
INTERESTING: A lesson to do not hesitate to act
Thursday, January 31, 2008http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2008/tle453-20080127-03.html
South Wins!!
by Russell D. Longcore
***Begin Quote***
Over 150 million people are not killed by governments and wars during the 20th century. All because Jefferson Davis did not hesitate to act on a day in July of 1861.
One Man Can Make A Difference.
***End Quote***
Interesting observation.
But like shoulda, coulda, and woulda probably not overly useful.
However, I do like alternate history better than what we’ve got!
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Posted by reinkefj
POLITICAL: but rebuked the agency for failing to protect the city
Thursday, January 31, 2008http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080131/D8UGR23G0.html
Katrina Lawsuit Vs. Army Corps Dismissed
Jan 31, 6:26 AM (ET)
By CAIN BURDEAU and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
*** begin quote ***
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Saying his hands were tied by law, a federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina, but rebuked the agency for failing to protect the city.
*** end quote ***
Sovereign Immunity?
“Rebuked” — big deal. They got there paychecks and pensions. The folks get screwed!
The gooferment is just here to protect and serve … … itself!
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Posted by reinkefj
TECH HARDWARE: OLPC can’t deliver!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/25/0625206&from=rss
Big Delays, Small Laptops: OLPC XO Recipients Mad
Posted by Soulskill on Friday January 25, @08:15AM
from the give-one-get-one-if-you-are-lucky dept.
Portables Hardware
***Begin Quote***
PCWMike writes to tell us about the growing concern over the failure of OLPC to deliver laptops to some of its customers. PC World editor-in-chief Harry McCracken notes that record-keeping was poor for some of the people who paid via PayPal. A report on LinuxJournal also suggests that customer information was lost due to errors in the database software used by OLPC. Quoting PC World: “OLPC spokesperson Jackie Lustig acknowledges problems with the ordering and the fulfillment process, but says the biggest challenges are a short supply of XO laptops and the organization’s ability to meet consumer demand for the XO laptop. Some also wonder whether chronic delivery problems for Give One, Get One donors may bode poorly for the 15 countries slated to receive nearly 500,000 XO notebooks. Lustig says delivering in bulk to just over a dozen countries is infinitely simpler than processing and delivering 80,000 individual laptops.”
***End Quote***
Guess I wasn’t lucky. Now the “early January” date has slipped to “maybe April”. Argh! What did these guys take lessons from Dell? They should have outsourced it to Amazon!
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Posted by reinkefj
MONEY: Creating a ladder — continuing the conversation from where I left off
Sunday, January 27, 2008MONEY: Creating a ladder
***Begin Quote***
You walk in on January 2nd with your 16k$ and buy A one year, two year, three year, and a four year cd for 1k$ each. You also buy a Ninety day, One Hundred Eighty day, and a Two Hundred Seventy day cd for 4k$ each.
***End Quote***
MONEY: Deploying a CD ladder isn’t easy
*** begin quote ***
And, if your account goes over the FDIC insurance cap, I’ll set up the overflow with my competitor down the street.
*** end quote ***
Well, picking up from where I left off, it’s very easy to flow over the FDIC 100k limit. So one has to plan ahead to avoid this problem. For example, in the example of a five year quarterly cd ladder, one has 20 slots to fill. Assuming the 100k limit, then one is limited to 100,000/20 or 5k$. If you do a five year twelve month cd ladder, then the limit is $1,666.66. So, you’ll be using different banks to avoid that.
Now if one wants to have say 100k in retirement income, that’s 5% of 2M$.
(Before you do a Redd Fox — clutching your heart and exclaiming this is the big one — recognize that this is not much in terms of inflation and costs in retirement. Not when a ride on the NJ Turnpike is going to cost 50$! Argh!)
So, how does one develop a 2M$ ladder? And, how do you grow into your own “annuity”?
2M$ across a 20 rung (4 Quarter by 5 years) comes out very neatly to 100k$.
So you need 20 DIFFERENT FDIC banks for your CDs at full capacity. You are always taking the interest, so you never rollover the entire cd.
Since most folks I know don’t start with 2M$, how do you do this organically?
I suggest that you start with one bank and target your deposits with an eye to the magic 100k five year cd. So assume that you can “save” 5k/year, then it’ll take you 20 years to get to that 100k target. (Don’t be discouraged! Make a game of it.) Each year you buy a five year cd for your 5k, rollover interest, and as you “range in” on your goal tune your maturity to have it all come due at the same time.
Do it in your IRA and it’s tax deferred.
The more you save the faster you get there.
Seem “easy” in terms of the financial injineering!
:-)
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Posted by reinkefj
TECH HARDWARE: Sitting on the back seat was a … …
Sunday, January 27, 2008http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080126/D8UDG2N00.html
Photo Clues Lead to Camera’s Owner
Jan 26, 4:43 AM (ET)
By BRIAN BERGSTEIN
***Begin Quote***
At dusk on New Year’s Eve, Erika Gunderson got into a taxi in New York City and entered a digital-age mystery. Sitting on the back seat was a nice Canon digital camera. Gunderson asked the driver which previous passenger might have left it, but the cabbie didn’t seem to care. So Gunderson brought it home and showed it to her fiance, Brian Ascher. They decided that the only right thing to do was to find the owner.
***End Quote***
I won’t spoil the story by revealing the ending, but …
… why don’t electronic devices have a return address?
… why don’t all cell phones suggest an ICE (In Case of Emergency)?
… why don’t more people try harder like these folks?
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Posted by reinkefj
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