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.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Accountability, Incentive, Self Sufficiency, and the Government
I am a U.S. Citizen, a tax payer, a husband, a citizen of the USA, and a father of five children. I am concerned about our nation.
Times were different then
When I grew up in the 70s I would sometimes hear people comment that they needed to get a job so that they could get health insurance. Now you can get health insurance without having a job.
Spending wisely?
The other day I was watching a news channel report on the rising costs of various things and the reporter went into a home to talk to a worried parent who was receiving government support. As the camera scanned the dwelling I could see children playing computer games with an Xbox or PS2 visible and I could see cell phones. Does the family understand the concept of budgeting and saving? Do they prioritize their spending? Do they delay gratification?
No more stigma
In the past when someone received "food stamps" there was some stigma attached because when they went to the store the fact that they were on government assistance was obvious since the physical food stamps were unique and clearly indicated that the person was receiving government assistance. Now the recipients of government assistance receive what looks like a debit card or a credit card and the stigma or potential to be embarrassed is gone.
As of September 2013, according to the USDA .gov Web site, 47,305,667 persons participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Incentive and motivation
I don't doubt that there are a large number of people that have a need for government assistance. I am not insensitive. What I do know is that the more that the government steps in to "soften the blow" and give people what they need, there will be less incentive, less motivation, and less desire for individuals to become more active and more focused in lifting themselves to the point where they rely less on government assistance.
If I work hard and save for a rainy day and have a large amount of cash in my bank account, the government's means testing will reduce the amount of assistance that I will get. If I don't save for a rainy day and spend my money on newer cars, toys, trips, and other things, and then I lose my job, I will be eligible for more assistance. Something is wrong with that. We are rewarding the wrong behavior.
They are spending OUR money
If I spend my money unwisely, don't save for a rainy day, and lose my job, the government steps in quickly and offers me assistance. Some of that assistance is paid for, most if it is not. If my neighbor loses his job and asks for my help, and then I see him spending money on things that I don't because I am frugal or I see that he is not downsizing his lifestyle (trading in a new car for basic transportation, selling off things that are not necessary, etc) I would be taken aback and would not feel that my money is being used properly. When we give our money to the government via taxes, we don't look at it the same way, though we Should. The government does not have the resources to go into every home, access the true needs and insist on some downsizing or accountability, but there are things that they can do.
Giving and compassion
I am a giving person. I donate 10% of my salary to my church, amounting to over $1,000/month. When someone at my church falls on hard times they go to our Bishop and he assesses their needs, hooking them up with someone to go into their home and evaluate their finances, review their budget, look at their bills , and help them with resumes and finding a job. If the family in need does not take concrete steps toward budgeting, wise spending, and finding a job, then the assistance is terminated. The church funds are viewed as sacred.
Our church also has compassion. The same individuals that receive assistance will also be receive gifts freely given during the Holiday season from church members. These are other occasional acts where there is no one judging, just giving. In a similar manner, our church will occasionally provide direct food assistance. In all cases there are members of our church that know the families well and have knowledge of true needs.
Our government just gives
Our government does not look at the budgets and spending of those that receive assistance. Money is being given out more freely and with less accountability than ever before. Until we start getting tough and demanding accountability we will create an ever increasing number of doles or people that have little incentive to be self-sufficient. The more we give the more is expected and perceived as some sort of right. The more we give the more people will expect it and even plan for it.
There is no free lunch. Our tax dollars are being wasted on many, many people that are making poor decisions. If we directly paid money to a neighbor in need, would we would be concerned on how they spend their money? We would and though this might seem mean, insensitive, or controlling, it is OUR MONEY and that is TOO BAD.
Means testing and accountability
Maybe the person should go live with a relative until they could take care of themselves. Oh that is definitely harsh, that is difficult, it is embarrassing, it is uncomfortable, it is mean, it takes work. but hey, it is OUR MONEY. If you want ME TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY then you will lose some of your privacy, sorry, but not so sorry.
It is difficult for our government to do this but they SHOULD or they should not not give the money. STRINGS MUST BE ATTACHED. They should pry into the spending habits of individuals that we give OUR hard earned money to. There will be many that, through no fault of their own, are in a particular situation that is difficult and long-term assistance may very well be necessary, but we must be tough or they will most likely stay in their situation. It is OUR MONEY, it is NOT the GOVERNMENT'S MONEY.
There is no government's money, it is our money.
Times were different then
When I grew up in the 70s I would sometimes hear people comment that they needed to get a job so that they could get health insurance. Now you can get health insurance without having a job.
Spending wisely?
The other day I was watching a news channel report on the rising costs of various things and the reporter went into a home to talk to a worried parent who was receiving government support. As the camera scanned the dwelling I could see children playing computer games with an Xbox or PS2 visible and I could see cell phones. Does the family understand the concept of budgeting and saving? Do they prioritize their spending? Do they delay gratification?
No more stigma
In the past when someone received "food stamps" there was some stigma attached because when they went to the store the fact that they were on government assistance was obvious since the physical food stamps were unique and clearly indicated that the person was receiving government assistance. Now the recipients of government assistance receive what looks like a debit card or a credit card and the stigma or potential to be embarrassed is gone.
As of September 2013, according to the USDA .gov Web site, 47,305,667 persons participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Incentive and motivation
I don't doubt that there are a large number of people that have a need for government assistance. I am not insensitive. What I do know is that the more that the government steps in to "soften the blow" and give people what they need, there will be less incentive, less motivation, and less desire for individuals to become more active and more focused in lifting themselves to the point where they rely less on government assistance.
If I work hard and save for a rainy day and have a large amount of cash in my bank account, the government's means testing will reduce the amount of assistance that I will get. If I don't save for a rainy day and spend my money on newer cars, toys, trips, and other things, and then I lose my job, I will be eligible for more assistance. Something is wrong with that. We are rewarding the wrong behavior.
They are spending OUR money
If I spend my money unwisely, don't save for a rainy day, and lose my job, the government steps in quickly and offers me assistance. Some of that assistance is paid for, most if it is not. If my neighbor loses his job and asks for my help, and then I see him spending money on things that I don't because I am frugal or I see that he is not downsizing his lifestyle (trading in a new car for basic transportation, selling off things that are not necessary, etc) I would be taken aback and would not feel that my money is being used properly. When we give our money to the government via taxes, we don't look at it the same way, though we Should. The government does not have the resources to go into every home, access the true needs and insist on some downsizing or accountability, but there are things that they can do.
Giving and compassion
I am a giving person. I donate 10% of my salary to my church, amounting to over $1,000/month. When someone at my church falls on hard times they go to our Bishop and he assesses their needs, hooking them up with someone to go into their home and evaluate their finances, review their budget, look at their bills , and help them with resumes and finding a job. If the family in need does not take concrete steps toward budgeting, wise spending, and finding a job, then the assistance is terminated. The church funds are viewed as sacred.
Our church also has compassion. The same individuals that receive assistance will also be receive gifts freely given during the Holiday season from church members. These are other occasional acts where there is no one judging, just giving. In a similar manner, our church will occasionally provide direct food assistance. In all cases there are members of our church that know the families well and have knowledge of true needs.
Our government just gives
Our government does not look at the budgets and spending of those that receive assistance. Money is being given out more freely and with less accountability than ever before. Until we start getting tough and demanding accountability we will create an ever increasing number of doles or people that have little incentive to be self-sufficient. The more we give the more is expected and perceived as some sort of right. The more we give the more people will expect it and even plan for it.
There is no free lunch. Our tax dollars are being wasted on many, many people that are making poor decisions. If we directly paid money to a neighbor in need, would we would be concerned on how they spend their money? We would and though this might seem mean, insensitive, or controlling, it is OUR MONEY and that is TOO BAD.
Means testing and accountability
Maybe the person should go live with a relative until they could take care of themselves. Oh that is definitely harsh, that is difficult, it is embarrassing, it is uncomfortable, it is mean, it takes work. but hey, it is OUR MONEY. If you want ME TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY then you will lose some of your privacy, sorry, but not so sorry.
It is difficult for our government to do this but they SHOULD or they should not not give the money. STRINGS MUST BE ATTACHED. They should pry into the spending habits of individuals that we give OUR hard earned money to. There will be many that, through no fault of their own, are in a particular situation that is difficult and long-term assistance may very well be necessary, but we must be tough or they will most likely stay in their situation. It is OUR MONEY, it is NOT the GOVERNMENT'S MONEY.
There is no government's money, it is our money.
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