The trailer

Here's a picture of the trailer I picked up today. Here's some of the details:
* Torsion Axles
* Radial Tires
* White Spoke Wheels
* Aluminum Fenders
* 3/8' Plywood Wall
* L.E.D. Tail & Clearance Lights
* One Piece Aluminum Roof
* Electric Brakes on Tandem Axle Units
* 32" Side Door
* 3/4" Plywood Interior Floor
* 2-Dome Lights w/ Switch
* The "V" nose is 24" long on 6' wides and 30" on 7' wides.

And we're back!

Back in the saddle again, as it were. This morning I'm reading through a bloomberg article, "Treasury, Fed Said to Unveil Plan to Bolster Consumer Financing," and I can't help but wonder when people became so stupid. Am I completely missing something, or did I finally have one of those Matrix-esqu epiphanies? I just fail to see how debt can pay for debt.  In the end the negative number continues to grow.  But, let me be a little more critical. I'm going to pull this article apart.

There's some things that people need to understand. The Federal Reserve is NOT a part of the US Federal Government. The "Fed" (as it is commonly referred) is a privately owned organization that controls the printing of US currency, collection of old currency, and adjusting base interest rates.  I'm not going to go into detail, but The Fed has failed in every single one of it's assinged duties. Every. Single. One. Where's the oversight of the banking industry that's supposed to be happening?

The Treasury and the Fed will help fund new loans packaged
into securities for sale to investors, the people said. Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson, who scheduled a press conference for 10
a.m. New York time, said two weeks ago that he wants to spur
lending for automobile purchases and college education while
also reducing the cost of credit-card debt.

So it sounds to me like they want to make "creative" loans based on stock. Last time I checked, stocks weren't doing so well. Even commodities were decresing in value. Oh wait, maybe they're going to reinact the gold standard. Something tells me no. Not only that, but they're solution to the economic crisis is to CREATE consumer debt? Wait a minute here. Did I just miss something? How can you create debt and reduce it at the same time. Read that last sentence carefully. So credit-card debt is the cause of the financial institution melt-downs currently in progress, and moving all that debt to automobile and student loans is going to make a difference?

Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke are widening the
scope of their rescue efforts after agreeing two days ago to
guarantee $306 billion of Citigroup Inc.’s toxic assets.

What are they guaranteeing this with? Does this mean I can walk into my local bank and get a home loan as long as I have enough maxed out credit cards student and car loans to show that I have sufficient debt to match the amount I want the bank to give me?

Paulson
has spent most of the first half of the government’s Troubled
Asset Relief Program aiding Wall Street banks, and pressure is
growing in Congress to help average Americans.

Yes, that's correct, they are giving this money to lending institutions. So, as I understand this, they are taking out loans based on securities (a misnomer) using tax money (which doens't exist) to give the assets to banks to guarantee loans, and that's going to help the average American. Wait, how's having my debt backed by a debt going to help me? What bank in their right mind would accept that kind of a guarantee.

“Paulson needs to be seen taking a leadership position,”
said Axel Merk, president of Merk Investments LLC in Palo Alto,
California. “The markets are desperately looking for guidance
on the way forward.”

How can anything that's been done be considered guideance? Don't they understand that not ONE SINGLE PENNY of income taxes goes to anything but paying the interest on the national debt? Judging by Wall Street's reaction, they apparently think it's a good idea. Wall Street has pretty well proven itself to be purely reactionary anyway. Someone must be making a lot of money here, but judging from my 401k and mutual funds, it's not me. The entire investment system is broken on a fundamental level.

Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, urged the
Treasury and Fed yesterday to use the $700 billion fund to make
it easier for automakers’ finance units to lend. “It is vital that this facility be established immediately
and in sufficient size to allow consumers reasonable access to
credit for auto purchases,” Schumer said in a letter to
Bernanke, Paulson and Neel Kashkari, the official in charge of
the bailout program.

I thought the Democrats were going to fix all this debt problem? I thought Republicans were the one that "never met a debt they didn't like." It sounds to me like the auto industry is being set up as the next mortgage industry. I would be extremely careful to watch the loans coming out of lending institutions (as they are pressured by this new program) for automobile purchases and leases. I'm going to make a prediction here. I think we're going to see the same exact situation as what's going on in the mortgage industry. We've seen how well that worked.

Paulson previewed the new program in a Nov. 12 speech, when
he said the Treasury and Fed were “exploring the development of
a potential liquidity facility for highly rated AAA asset-backed
securities.” The government could use some of the bailout fund
to encourage private investors to re-enter the market, he said.

So they're going to pay people off to get back into the stock market? But they're backing these securities with DEBT! What am I missing here? How on earth is this a good thing?

“Addressing the needs of the securitization sector will
help get lending going again, helping consumers and supporting
the U.S. economy,” Paulson said.

I thought the U.S. economy was driven by supply and demand - basic capitalism - not by debt. Unfortunately, it seems that having debt is the only way you can attain financial freedom. That's what they're saying here. You must have debt to spur the economy.

This will be the second Fed lending program involving
funding from the Treasury. The central bank’s Commercial Paper
Funding Facility, begun last month, took $50 billion in seed
money from the Treasury and purchased $272 billion of the short-
term debt from U.S. companies as of Nov. 19.

The Fed’s other emergency-lending programs begun over the
past year provide auctioned loans to commercial banks, cash
loans and Treasury securities to Wall Street bond dealers and
aid to money-market mutual funds experiencing redemptions.

Okay, so since it didn't work the first time, it must work the second? Several times we've heard from various members of the U.S. Government that all this bail-out work is just to SLOW DOWN a recession. Not end it. Not fix it. Just slow it down. So, bleeding to death slowly is better. Commercial Paper funding is intended to limit major disruptions. It's not going to fix the problem.

The Art of Conventions

Good morning - it's just barely 7:00 am, and the sun is just peaking over the horizon this morning.  It rained last night a little bit around 9 or so - but not enough to do much aside from settle the dust.

So, I've been to a few conventions, Sci-Fi and otherwise, and I'd like to make a few pointers to folks that might be planning on attending one themselves. Fan-based conventions attract an incredible variety of people from every walk of life. It's really amazing to talk to some of the people you meet while wandering from booth to booth - panel to panel. One thing is certain - we are all fellow geeks, and it gives us all a good starting point for chit chatting while waiting in line for whatever reason.

Anyway - on to some pointers for conventions:

1. Leave your library card at home. Really - you should only bring ID (driver's license), medical insurance card, and a credit card (needed for things like car rentals, etc). Honestly, the chance that you'll use your Albertson's grocery card is pretty small. Before you leave - scan or take a digital picture of all of these (front and back) and keep a copy (electronic and paper) someplace where you can get to it. That way if you lose them or they are stolen - you'll have a copy and the phone numbers on the cards for reporting them as stolen/lost. Be brutal - if you don't absolutely need it - don't bring it.

2. Don't carry a lot of cash. Plan ahead each day for how much you'll need for the little things - drinks, etc. Pulling out a wad of cash is really a bad idea in some places. On that note, keep track of where you're spending money - one of those little spiral mini scratch pads works well. That way you know where you are spending-wise and can plan for things like dinner. Plan for the area - some small businesses and individuals don't accept credit cards or checks.

3. Take a bath - with soap - and use deodorant - frequently. Seriously, everyone should do this at least once a day considering how crowded these conventions can be. This doesn't mean take a bath in your cologne/perfume. That can be almost as bad, or worse, than the alternate. Oh, and brush those teeth too! Also, it's a good idea to have some mints (altoids for example) or some gum.

4. Take a backpack. A small "book bag" style generic pack is great for lugging around souveniers and swag (aka loot). Make it a practice to occasionally empty your loot bag someplace safe (at you hotel room for example) if you are acquiring a lot of loot. Carrying a laptop bag or rolling computer bag is a great way to advertise that you have an expensive piece of equipment you'd like to "donate" to someone. Leave that stuff at your hotel room.

5. Wear comfortable shoes. How else can I describe this - you'll probably be doing miniature marathons and standing for long periods of time. Wear the most comfortable shoes you can, but I don't recommend going out and buying brand new ones the day before the conventions.  Can you say "blisters?"

6. Dont' bring the kitchen sink. Don't forget to bring things like batteries, charger plugs, alarm clock, medications (tylenol and benedryl, for example) or prescriptions and whatever else you might need. I'm not saying that you should pack your whole house. Remeber, the less you pack, the less you have to carry around. Plus, you have more room for loot - loot is good.

7. Ask, don't assume. What do I mean by this? This one little guideline has a lot of different applications. Don't assume because someone is wearing a really cool costume (or incredibly skimpy) that they want their picture taken. As a matter of courtesy, always ask permission first. The same goes for taking flyers and little things like pins, pens, posters from tables - it might not be free. And always as before handling any kind of display items - statues, weapons, pictures, etc. - you really don't want to break something. You might see "celebrities" or authors - they are people. You never know who you're going to meet, and you might not even recognise them. Always be polite when asking for things like an autograph or picture. I know, I mentioned that twice, but it really is important. Watch you're language when talking to people too. Nothing says how intelligent or charming you are like a string of "4-letter words."

8. Food is expensive. Especially when there's a convention. It's not unheard of for local restraunts, delis, and the like to jack up their prices for a convention weekend. Plan ahead. If you're on a budget, go to a grocery store if you're driving to the convention. If you flew - I recomment finding a 7-11 or something close to the convention. You'll save a LOT of money not having to buy a $3 8oz pepsi (I've seen worse, too).

9. Get a room. Hotels where conventions are located are notorious for jacking up their prices for the weekend of the convention. Do some research. If you have the money - fine - get a room at the hosting hotel, but you'd better book it early. Google maps and expedia.com (or hotels.com) can be very helpful in planning where you're going to stay. Be very, very careful of splitting a room with someone you don't know.

10. The early bird gets the best seat. Plan ahead and get a convention calendar (watch for last minute changes though). If you know that a panel or show is going to be popular - you better show up early. Sometimes an hour or more ahead of time depending on the subject and the number of seats available. If the room is full - go do something else. If you're late and the door is closed - go do something else. There are very specific rules about how many people can occupy a room. Please don't badger the staff because you couldn't get into something. Everyone else got there in plenty of time. Also, as a side note, keep the discussion on the current topic.

Okay - this isn't the entire list, but it's the biggest stuff I could think of off the top of my head. It's by no means complete, but it's a good start. As a side note, a really good way to enjoy a convention is to volunteer. Either for a company you like or just as general convention staff. Most convetions and companies will post online if they are looking for volunteers, and most will give out goodies to those volunteers. It's not guaranteed, but it's a good way to see a convention from "the other side." It can also get you into a lot of invitation only events, after-parties, etc. ;)

Where have you been?!

Hi! I'm alive! Sorry folks, I've just been very busy.

Recently, the biggest story out there is money. Actually, it's debt.

Please tell me if I'm completely off on how I understand this. I'm imagining what would happen if our government could at least reduce the capital gains tax on businesses to around 10-15% total. This is the kind of injection of capital that is needed. Companies would make immediate higher profit increasing cash flow and helping to them to stabilize their costs. Also, as industrial costs are stable or even decrease, my money's value goes --- wait for it --- UP. That means I would be able to get more for my dollar, and that allows me to SAVE and INVEST more money. That change not only helps balance my personal financial situation, it actually INCREASES the overall tax revenue. It also makes more liquid cash available to business and banks to grow their business, resulting in a better return on my investment and the lending bank's investment. Not only that, but since I'm saving more, I grow out of the trap that is personal credit (aka debt). Am I missing anything here?

Oh, and one other thing. Whenever I buy stocks, bonds, funds, etc., I always have to acknowledge that I know there is risk involved - that it might lose money - that the investee might fail. So why should I, as a tax payer and even a business owner, have to pay for someone else's financial ineptitude or greed (AIG, GM, Fannie Mae, etc.)? It's time the people that caused the issues in the first place be brought to task. It's time that when a business or individual fails, they take responsibility for their own actions.

A 300 TRILLION dollar debt is NOT the right way to fix the problems out there. Good Lord, what are these thinking!?

The money would have to come from somewhere, and guess who would pay it. Us - the middle class wage earners - the consumers. Redistribution of money never works - it's part and parcel to socialism, and that has failed in every case where it was ever used (examples - Social Security, Medicare, Welfare, and more). There's all these chain emails running around about taking the 85 billion to bail out AIG and giving it over to us. Um... how about no... to both. Just handing out cash? The money has to come from someplace! Guess where? Us. I don't know about you, but I don't need any more taxes. In fact, this type of situation would cause heavy inflation as the large injection of capital would further dilute the value of the dollar. You would have more money, but it would be worth less (worthless?). Companies would still be debt-laden and failing. Prices would continue go up. Look what happened with the so-called economic stimulus checks that went out. Market prices still declined, food and gas prices still increased, and mortgages still didn't get paid. That was a slap in the face of the American people and a lot of us smiled when we cashed the check?

We all know that government and efficiency are an oxymoron (mostly run by the last half of that word). If we want oversight on Wall Street, we need INDEPENDENT, non-government companies to provide this type of service. There are plenty of them out there already - imagine a free market solution we don't have to pay for and that won't be influenced by politics or special interest. There's no need to invent even more government as oversight.

I'll stop this rant with a quote:

"Credit buying is much like being drunk. The buzz happens immediately and gives you a lift.... The hangover comes the day after." ~Joyce Brothers

More on Chrome

I've been watching message boards and posting here and there regarding Google's new browser.

One concern was that there is a googleupdater in the background. Folks are concerned it's a monitoring program. Okay - couple of things here. Chrome is in BETA test. When you install it, it asks if you want to send anonymous usage stats and crash messages to Google. You can disable the "monitor" during set up - or turn it off from options.
Sheesh people - pay attention. Firefox and IE have the same thing.


Anyway, there's a really interesting function in chrome. Hover
over any element on a page, right click, and select inspect element.
This opens a code view with the element highlighted. Below it shows how
the element is nested. On the right side, it shows how styles are
applied to the element, the metrics of the element, and properties.
From a web page builder point of view, this is a really nice feature.



Could be a nice html editor made from this with little difficulty
imo, and really handy for tracking down bugs (or swiping code).
The code is open source - get to work someone! Just an interesting feature, and a lot more useful than the "properties" menu option in either ff or ie.

Another nice thing I see is no pop-ups. Nada. Zilch. Not unless you pull it out as a pop up. Now if some of the FF add-ons could be built for chroms - like scribefire, no-script, etc., I think it'd be a great product.

Google Chrome

Unless you're sleeping under a rock or never browse the internet on a semi-regular basis, you've seen news about Google's new open-source browser - Chrome. Supposedly, the release is today (Tuesday), but I've not seen anything yet. Blogoscoped has some screen shots from an accidentally cached version of the download page (though I doubt it was an accident). It's interesting nonetheless. There's a 28 page comic from Google that's actually out explaining the features of the new browser.

On other news, yes, I'm still alive. Hopefully, that's obvious from this post, but you never know - I could be posting this from the grave (insert menacing music and low light). I had a nice two day weekend over the Labor Day holiday, and managed to accomplish very little aside from housework. I did finish my laundry and clean up though. Plus, I got a shower in - which is a good thing! I even used SOAP! (kidding - soap is evil).

All kidding aside, the job is progressing very rapidly, and we should be on schedule. It's looking like we'll finish somewhere around the end of October. It will be nice to have some time off this year to do a few things.

Anyway, I'm off to run around the countryside trying to find people! (No - really - they're hiding!)

Find Something on the Web?

Are you a Firefox or Seamonkey user? If so, you can blog about what you just stumbled over. The add-on (from mozilla's site) is called ScribeFire, and is very easy to use. In fact, I'm making this post from the ScribeFire add-on right now!

This is also a post to say, "I'm alive!" as I haven't posted anything in a little while. I'm trying to set up some reminders to make sure I post some stuff here on a bit more regular basis.

It's overcast here today, and there was a tiny bit of rain really early this morning (5 am). It pretty much just cut down the dust - which is a nice change after the last few weeks.

On another note, I'm planning a short trip to the west coast in October. More on that maybe a bit later :)