Existential Punk

Electric Cars are Back?!

What happened to the electric car? There was even a documentary made on the subject called "Who Killed The Electric Car". i tried to see this film when it was in Richmond a couple of years ago but it left too quickly before i could get to the theater. This is nothing new in Richmond, BTW!  So, i found it interesting to read this story, especially in light of the fact that the BIG 3 American car companies may fail. i think they should be able to fail as a bailout will not work. Hawaii to be the 1st state with electric car stations as reported at Huffington Post. An excerpt from the article follows:

"Hawaii has unveiled plans to be first in the nation to roll out electric car stations statewide _ a move the governor hailed as a major step toward weaning the islands off oil.

Hawaii imports foreign oil for almost 90 percent of its energy needs. One-third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets.

Gov. Linda Lingle said Tuesday the program would help Hawaii meet its goal of slashing fossil fuel use 70 percent by 2030.

"This is the preferred future," Lingle said at a press conference. "Today is a part of the execution of our energy independence, and our getting off the addiction to oil."

Twitter of Faith

i LOVE Twitter! It is such an awesome app that brings blogging to a whole new micro level. So what IS Twitter of Faith? Adam at pomomusings says this:

"Twitter of Faith: What do you believe? You have 140 characters - give us your statement of faith in 140 characters. #TOF"

Come on, now, let's give it a go, ok?!!! i did and here is what i said:

"The more i think i know, the more i realize i don't know, therefore, i hold my faith loosely."

Now, it wasn't that painful! :)

Here is Adam's original post:

I’m trying to write my Statement of Faith today for my examination before Presbytery in two weeks. While asking some advice on Twitter, Shawn Coons came up with a nice little challenge called “Twitter of Faith.” While fitting everything you believe is hard enough to do on one page, what if you only had 140 characters to do so? So, if you’re on Twitter (if you want to know why you should try Twitter, read this), please participate in this.

In order for us to be able to keep track of them, please add the hash tag #TOF to it, and then you can keep up with the results here. If you want to track both the hash tag #TOF and the phrase “Twitter of Faith” - this is a great way to view the results.

Please post about this on your blog (with a link back to this post here), feel free to use the above image as well, and Twitter about it or put it on your Facebook. While some have suggested that this is in fact a sneaky plot to help me with my Statement of Faith - it could be interpreted in a cool social experiment in sharing your faith with the Twitter world.

Your Weekly Address from the President-elect

From Obama's Change.gov site:

For the first time, the weekly Democratic address has been released as a web video. It will also continue to air on the radio.

President-elect Obama plans to publish these weekly updates through the Transition and then from the White House.

Today's address from the President-elect concerns the current economic crisis:

Proof Is In The Pudding . . .

From my post here, one of the things listed is that Obama uses a mac. The proof is in the pudding:

 
HT to my friend, Thomas, at Headphonaught's Nanolog.

Three Cool RFID Projects to Deter Bicycle Thefts

HT to TreeHugger for this informative article about new technology to secure your green machine.

"Bike theft is a huge bummer and a always-growing problem in cities where bicycles are used more and more for daily transport. Amsterdam has always had a big theft problem, and 20,000 bike were stolen last year in the city of Copenhagen. Bike sharing programs nearly all share the feature of using RFID (Radio frequency ID) in order to identify bikes and help reclaim them if they are lost or stolen. Now RFID programs outside of bike sharing are on the upswing to try to reclaim stolen bicycles as well as deter thefts, and even reduce right-turn bicycle accidents ."

i found treehugger.com through Huffington Post's green page.

Gasoline?! That Is So Last Century!

Check out this article on 7 Electric Motorcycles You Must See! It's so awesome that people are working to green motorcycles and scooters.

"Electric Motorcycles: Cool and Green

There's nothing wrong with "cool", and we have to admit that few vehicles are cooler than motorcycles (at least in theory - not all of us would ride one). You're basically sitting on an engine with wheels. Can't get much simpler than that. They're not always practical, but the people who love their bikes really love them.

But cool is not enough. The vast majority of motorcycles are still running on fossil fuels, and that's a problem. As battery technology improves, we're starting to see more electric motorcycles: Some are commercially available, many are DIY custom jobs. Today we look at some of the coolest ones."

Dylan's Iraq Military Job

An email from Dylan's mom on what Dylan is doing over in Iraq, which has totally FREAKED me out:

"Dylan is in between Al Fallujah and  Ar Ramadi--if you google Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq---you'll see where it is.  Dylan is the gunner/driver in a Humvee. He is in the Army National Guard Calvary division-- A troop 1-152nd. He is supposed to be there for 9 months--he joined when he was 17 in November so this November it will 4 years hes been in --he has a 6 year commitment."

i am not sure if this picture is exactly the Humvee kind he is working in, but i'm sure it's close enough. GOD, PLEASE continue to watch over DJ and his fellow troops. PLEASE help this stupid and disheartening war/occupation end SOON!!!! i AM SO VERY PROUD OF YOU AND LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, DJ!!!!

Our TAX DOLLARS at work...

Have you heard the latest news on how our tax dollars are being spent? NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is tracking Santa and his operations center. Of course, Google Maps is assisting NORAD so kids can see where this IMAGINARY FIGURE is for each time zone around the world. Don't get me wrong, i am no Grinch or Scrooge, and i think it's cool to allow kids to have the their belief in Santa. BUT, why do our TAX DOLLARS have to pay people in our government for nonsensical work? Isn't the job of NORAD to keep watch for ENEMIES of the USA and protect us? This is RIDICULOUS!!!!

POSTSCRIPT:

NORAD says no tax payer funds are used to fund this silly escapade. They claim it's funded via corporate sponsors and NORAD employees volunteering their time. The lady i spoke with at NORAD claims NORAD is tracking both Santa and our enemies simultaneously. But what do you believe? Our government has not proven very trustworthy thus far, especially in light of the destruction of the CIA torture tapes. As the cable news outlets state, "WE report, you decide!" So there you go!

Consumerism gone awry once again?

Ok, i admit it. i LOVE gadgets and i own 3 ipods. i don't own an a video ipod nor do mine have color screens. i am so sad i know. But i have a beef with Apple. They always are coming out with new products and then i am tempted once again to buy. The array of accessories changes, the need to buy the latest, coolest, blah, blah, blah! i know capitalism and the almighty dollar drive competition and striving to beat the competition in what is offered. BUT, when is enough enough? Apple knows we are hooked and will buy. It's really no different from the tobacco companies who get people addicted to nicotine to keep them buying cigarettes. And i find something i like and they go and change it in the name of making it better. i love Apple products and think they are the greatests computers and gadgets but i get sick of the flooding of products in the name of "innovation".