Please Don't Lecture Me About Climate Change If...

Please don't lecture me about climate change if...

1) You live in a large or elaborate (by most standards) home. And don't tell me that you offset the carbon. You should live in a much smaller home than average AND offset carbon if you REALLY cared, but you do not, not really, you want your lavish, energy intensive lifestyle and say, and I can't believe it, that everyone else needs to change in order to save the planet. 

2) You have a second home... or third, house boats count.

3) You fly to a climate meeting when a video call would suffice except you won't get to spend time in some tourist city or meet people and rub shoulders with other rich folks. A video call WOULD suffice and also demonstrate that you and your colleagues might really care about the climate.

4) You own more than 10 pairs of shoes.

5) You own more than one TV. Suck it up, share the TV in the "common" room, don't watch TV in your bedroom, patio, basement, library, kitchen or game room. Save the energy of making all of those TVs.

6) You eat meat. Haven't you heard that you are destroying the planet.

7) Your name is Bill Gates, John Kerry OR any politician, politicians especially, they lecture us AND pass laws that cost us, the lectured, $$$.

8) All your clothes don't fit into a 3 cubic foot box, likely more clothes than what 1/2 of the world could put into a box, and if you are going to lecture me you might go under that.

9) Any of your elaborate clothes are made from fossil fuels/synthetics, ditch them and show us that you really care. 

10) You own more than one car. You are one person. You can't drive more than one car at once.

This list could go on and on. 

You get the point. Anyone lecturing us on climate change needs to live with MUCH less carbon emissions than average. But do you think the elites and others will sell their nice homes and toys, heck no. So they don't really believe it, they just want to tell everyone else how to live. They want their energy-intensive lifestyle and won't sacrifice it.

Downsize

Let's pick a number 1,000 sq feet, you can live in one house with that square footage, OK, add 150 sq ft for every child. Elites WON'T DO THAT, therefore they are NOT sincere. 

What to do without all of that downsizing money?

What will you then do with all of that money that you can't spend on stuff that took energy to create and/or consumes energy? How about give it away to the poor. How about put solar panels on homes for the poor, 1, 10, 100, 1,000 or 10,000 homes, whatever you can afford on your new minimalist lifestyle.

Just please stop lecturing me on climate change if... 

ChatGBT and Climate Change

So I just started playing with ChatGBT. After failing to get a prediction from her or he or it (what do you call the thing?), wait, let me go ask. It said that I could call ChatGBT by it's name or use neutral pronouns like "it" or "they", screw that, I'm calling her, she. I don't think that she will mind, let me ask. [INSERT NOTE: Stick with me for a minute, I'll get to the climate stuff in a sec.]. OK, she gave me some long answer (below), but in the end she said that "she" won't offend her.

Ok, so I asked her some geeky questions about geology, the last ice age specifically. I am not a climate denier, I just don't believe that humans are going to cause the end of the world from changing the climate. We got a lot of other pretty serious things to worry about. Sure, lets work for a cleaner environment but lets not cause our economy to collapse and our dollar to lose value and our place in the world as the leaders of freedom to suffer. There are a lot of serious issues to address, lets just focus our resources elsewhere right now, please.

So, according to ChatGBT, and I have no reason to doubt her, I had a rough idea of the numbers and she provided the research to support more specific numbers, about 18,000 years ago there was an average of 3,000 feet of ice over Pennsylvania. We were just starting to come out of an ice age at that time. 20,000 years ago the ice sheet was "several thousand" feet thick. ChatGBT just told me that several means more than a few by not many and generally implies a number between three and ten so let go to the middle and pick 6,500 feet, that is over a mile thick, 20,000 years ago. 12,000 years ago she says there was about 1,500 feet or less. By 10,000 years ago the ice sheet retreated up to northern Canada and the Arctic region.

That is quite a bit of climate change. Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean a bit over 500 years ago. Twice that is 1,000 years. 20,000 years ago we had a 6,500 ft sheet of ice over Pennsylvania, that shed about 5,000 feet in the next 8 years. ChatGBT says the solar radiation has been one of the large factors that contributed to the warming, and that the previous cycle of glacial forming and then retreating (which lasted about 100,000 years) was also caused at least in a major way, but variation in solar radiation. The sun is scary. Another Carrington sized CME and this world will change in some big ways. So, during the glacial and interglacial periods the cyles the sun's solar radiation was fluctuating widely in cylces that we have not witnessed or can fully understand.

"The last ice age, also known as the Pleistocene epoch, was characterized by a series of glacial cycles, during which large ice sheets advanced and retreated across much of the Earth's surface. Each glacial cycle was punctuated by warmer periods known as interglacials, during which the ice sheets retreated and the climate was relatively warmer and more stable.

During the Pleistocene epoch, there were many glacial cycles and interglacials, but the exact number is difficult to determine as the cycles were not always uniform in duration and intensity. However, scientists have identified at least eight major glacial cycles during the Pleistocene epoch, each lasting from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, and each interspersed with periods of relative warmth and stability.

These interglacial periods were generally warmer than the glacial periods, with smaller ice sheets, higher sea levels, and more temperate climates. Some of the better-known interglacials include the Eemian, which occurred between approximately 130,000 and 115,000 years ago, and the Holocene, which began around 11,700 years ago and continues to the present day. ChatGBT, March 2023, Question: How many interglacial cycles did we have in the last ice age?"

There is a lot that we don't know. I have witness a lot of extreme weather that was abnormal in its time, records were being broken and perhaps records are being broken at a more rapid pace and that does concern me, so lets be smart about making changes, but lets not end civilization, freedom, and this great nation in the process. And please don't blame every weather extreme on climate change. Do a better job at determining what variability and extremes are normal vs what is abnormal.

The Six-Word No-Excuse Free Diet Book

What's the problem?
ABC news reported on May 2012 here that the U.S. weight-loss industry generates $20 Billion in annual revenue, while according to The Huffington Post, the U.S is the most obese nation on the planet.

We must need to spend more money
I guess we must need to spend more money on diet books, diet plans, diet pills, diet coaches, and other diet stuff. And let's make sure that we get the government involved, they can really fix stuff like this, didn't they fix the national debt already?

I just searched Amazon.com for diet books and it reported 80,771 results, and we are still overweight! We must not be reading enough because there are certainly enough books and advice to fix this problem.

Now, before you start getting all bent out of shape, it is better to get in shape, no, just kidding. What I want to say in all seriousness is that you MUST NOT believe that you need to look like some skinny little model to have a healthy weight. All I care about, really, really, is helping to lower the odds that a really hefty person is sitting next to me on an airplane, crowding me and forcing me to brush up against their hairy arms, really don't like that.

Shortest diet book ever
While their are a number of exceptions, the vast majority of us know what we need to do. The shortest book on dieting ever is below, six words.

Eat less
Eat better
Exercise more

I call this my Triad of Diet Success. Each is good alone but you must do all three to be successful. Eat less and eat better but sit on your fanny all day and :-(
Eat better and exercise more but still eat too much and :-(
Eat less and exercise more (without eating better) and you might die, seriously, you might so :-( :-(

I could have made it look more like a book but why bother.
 Oh OK, here is the book, though the words fit on the cover so I won't make any pages.

Print the diet book right here FOR FREE!
You can print this page, cut out the book image below, and you will get my book, absolutely free and it fits in your pocket or you can add some tape and stick the book to your refrigerator or your snack door where most diets meet their demise. This is a one time offer, while supplies last, I reserve the right to remove the image below at any time so ACT NOW.

WAIT, WAIT, and I have a large print diet book option absolutely FREE here:

The disclaimers based on extenuating circumstances might fit on one page, or maybe I will put them on the back cover. "I am not a doctor, blah, blah,blah."  We are over weight because we eat too much, don't eat well, or don't exercise enough, and we most of us know that. We don't need to read books.

Oh wait, wait, I found diet book that looks like it is shorter than mine. Ah, but wait, they use chapters and chapter headings have words, so I still have them beat. And I will argue that you can gain a lot of weight if you "Eat healthy food" in too much abundance, so "Eat Less" are two words that matter. I can't believe that the other books passes off as a true diet book when the omit those two words, what a scam.

Now there are of course many, many, many reasons (AKA excuses) why most of us don't eat less, eat better, or exercise more. I won't coddle you, you are already coddled by all of the commercials and "feel good" books and advice from people that want to make money off of you and tell you that it is not your fault and that sitting on your butt and snacking on garbage has nothing to do with your "rotundity", yes that is a real word, Google says so, don't look at me like that. 

We often don't eat better because we: opt for that quick meals that come in a wrapper and has ingredients that we can't pronounce. We sometimes eat too much because we have become addicted to salt, sugar, or fat and we have a lot of stress in our lives. And we often don't exercise enough because sitting on the couch staring at the tube is easier. Any more excuses?

Sorry that I am so mean, but too many people are too nice, someone needs to give it to you straight and tell it like it is, that is my Greg Sense.
 

Why Extending Unemployment Benefits is a BAD idea

Historical unemployment benefit
Unemployment insurance dates back to 1935 and in normal times is geared to provide six months of benefits. At the height of the recession, benefits went beyond one year. Now, congress, and democrats in particular, want to extend beyond the normal six months again.

So what is the problem? 
People are getting use to it. Once you give people something they expect it, and taking it away is viewed by many as harsh and uncaring. We are creating people that are expecting more and more and more from the government. Guess what, the government does not have money, we give them our money in the form of taxes. So it is not the government running up the bill, it is us. Look in the mirror. You and your kids are funding all of this.

Won't unemployment benefits stimulate the economy?
I actually heard that statement on the news yesterday, unbelievable. "Extend benefits they said", "the money will bet spent in local communities and it will stimulate the economy". In the short term maybe. But with that rational we should double the benefit, or not stop there and triple it, if we REALLY want to stimulate the economy, right? Wrong. Someone is paying for it and sooner or later these unpaid bills will start to hurt.

Hardship? I did not have to work or hustle for any job, please don't make me
On the news the other night I actually heard someone complain that if unemployment checks did not get extended they would have to go back to work at a lowering paying job that they did not like and it would be difficult to continue their education at the same time. I am sorry (not really). Life is difficult. Sometimes we have to work at a job (or 2 or 3) that we don't love and have to go to school nights, evenings, or weekends to better ourselves. 

It is cycle, the more we give the more that it expected
We can't keep going on like this and hope to be a nation that leads the world. Take away the motivation to hustle, innovate, work hard, and lift yourself, and we are more likely to become lazy, waiting for the government to provide. 

Being uncomfortable is a motivating force. It is not cruel.
You might need to downsize, move in with parents or relatives (oh no, that would be awful). You might have to suffer and work long hours and not watch one minute of TV or cancel cable, oh no, not that. Get over it and get busy. Giving you stuff just takes away the motivation for you to rise above. Giving you stuff is what is REALLY cruel.

That's my Greg Sense.

Is Solar Power Worth It?

It sounds so good
Solar power is a great thing. Harnessing the free energy from the Sun is a fantastic idea. Why pay for fossil fuels when the Sun is free! It all sounds so good. So why aren't we all basking in this free energy?

Cost is still prohibitive for most
Very unfortunately, for the vast majority of us the cost is prohibitive. If I had the money to make an environmental statement and feel better about my foot print I would be all over it. But like most of you, I am not wealthy enough to do things that don't make economic sense. I've done the math and for my specific case, here in Texas, I would spend about $14,000 after rebates to save about $800/yr on my electric bill. Darn, darn, darn, if only...   So I would be looking at a 15 year payoff at least, factoring in a modest increase in the cost of energy.

If it were so good...
You know that old saying, if it is too good to be true it probably is. Similarly, if solar powering your home was such a great money savings machine then we would all be doing it.

More government involvement and rebates? One word: Solyndra
Let's please not repeat this mistake. The government really sucks at picking winners and losers. I would like free markets to do that.Let's not remove the incentive for people to innovate and come up with something that brings down cost.

Need innovation to bring down costs - Think LCD TVs ~5 yrs ago.
The answer for me is innovation. About 5 yrs ago or so I paid about $2,300 for a 32 inch Sony LCD TV. Now those same TVs run about $300. If we can bring solar panels down by the same factor I would run, not walk, to the nearest solar installation company.

The Government actually stifles innovation by offering rebates to keep people doing the same thing that they have always been doing. And rebates are not free, someone is paying for them. The government does not have any money, they use, or misuse, our money. Where is the incentive of private individuals to invest when the government steps in and supports us buying this over-priced technology. Innovate man, innovate. The government helps sometimes but a lot of what they do falls flat.

Why you need to organize and edit your photos and videos

I believe that I create and average volume of pictures and videos with my electronic devices, which consist of an iPhone 4s (I am holding out for the iPhone 6), a Nikon D40x, and a Cannon Vixia HFM52 (a fantastic HD video recorder). I was getting concerned that no one will care to look at some of this stuff and I wondered what I should do about it.

What I did was start to organize, delete, and annotate. I started renaming those nondescript files that I've collected in various places (more on various places later). So instead of "IMG_0192" from my iPhone it now says "Kate_Concert1_Dec_2013". I still create a "Kate" folder and put the image there, and I could create folders by year there as well, but now, whenever the files is moved or shared, there is little doubt what the contents are.

Now, do you remember the days when you would go to someone's home and they would bring out these humungous photo albums and refuse to feed you until they let you go through and talk about all of the photos? Well, things have only gotten worse. Now that they, and you, can shoot pictures without having to insert a new roll of film and now that you can take picture for free, things have gotten very bad. You might have to sit through many hundreds and hundreds of photos. Now think of the photos that you shoot. I am sure that you also have hundreds and hundreds and more. So, what you need to do is go through them and save those that you are proud of, be ruthless, your ancestors, nieces, nephews, children, siblings, and friends will love you. Sure, if you want to save all of them just for you and then have another set to show real people, then that is fine. And you will come across as a great photographer because people will believe that all of your photos turn out like that, because few people take the time to delete stuff.

So, where are you storing your photos? Don't believe for a second that your home computer or iPhone will never crash, get damaged, stolen, or run away? Put this stuff somewhere. If you have a Google account or an Amazon Prime account you already have lots of offsite storage and each offer upgrades. What I encourage you to do is get a cheap 1 TB drive like that WD My Passport Ultra (highly recommended and about the size of my iPhone) and organize all of your photos, then archive this to an external location like Amazon Prime or Google Docs. If you have more $$ I highly recommend a combination of SmugMug ($60/yr for the Power edition for storage, organization, digital albums and much, much more)  and  Photoshop Lightroom.($119 for photo editing), truly a perfect combination.

Why you might NOT want to upgrade your iOS

Until today I have resisted upgrading the OS on my iPhone since I last upgraded to iOS 7. Something in my mind told that I should continue to skip the upgrade but I was not sure why. I later discovered that it was my Greg Sense warning me of an impending time sink. Since I have some time off for Christmas I usually attempt similar things during the holidays, figuring that I have enough time to make things right before work beckons. So while I was upgrading to the latest iOS 7.x today I accidentally unplugged during the process, oh, that is apparently very bad by the way, try very hard to let the little upgrade do its thing without interruption else it will reign terror on your day.

What happened you ask? It took me about another couple hours before I got it mostly right. I say "mostly" right because I continue to get an API error message when I open up iTunes on my laptop and some of my iPhone apps don't start up as they should. I have already had to remove a few apps and reinstall them to get them to work.

The good news is that prior to the upgrade I had about 3 GB of free space and now I have just over 9 GB free. I have not yet discovered exactly what I am missing, but I guess if I never miss it maybe it was a good thing. I admit to be an appaholic (made up word) and still have more apps than I could possible use consistently. Most of my apps are freebies but at .99 cents or even $1.99 I have been known to make a few spontaneous purchases.

And I heard that there is an app for your apps. The app lets you know what apps you have not used in a specified length of time. Another app? So what if I don't use this app for a specified length of time? Will it notify me when I open it up and encourage me to delete it? Hmm.. to much to ponder on Christmas day, smells from the kitchen tell me that my sweet wife is about ready to call us to a Christmas Dinner.

So, word of caution, don't attempt an iOS upgrade unless you have a lot of extra time, I suggest hours, just in case, to try and make things right, I say try because you might not be successful, if something does not go as planned, but at least you should finish up with some extra GBs left on your device, and you might not even miss them.