Wednesday, April 30, 2008

KC Metro is now on Google Transit

I found out that the KC Metro bus service is now on Google Transit, so you can put a start address and end address, and it tells you which buses to take and where to transfer.  In goofing around with it, I found that I can go most places via bus if I use the bus stop two blocks over.  That's good to know, I guess, if I find myself without access to a car.  <shrug>

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

McCain on Health Care

John McCain has a new ad about his approach to making health care more affordable.  It involves making health care tax deductible up to $5000.  That's almost as great as tax free gas during the summer months.  He is speaking my language.  I like it.

New Deal, er, Missouri Promise

Jay Nixon, who is running for Governor of Missouri, has proposed a plan where potential college students who show a need, commit to 50 hours of community service, keep their grades up, and avoid disciplinary action, get 100% of their tuition paid out of state coffers.  I guess it's like the G.I. Bill, but you only have to do 50 hours of community service instead of military service.  It's not exactly a Pell Grant or a scholarship, per se.  It's not exactly a "work study" program.  Only 50 hours?  I worked pretty hard during the summers, and my dad worked a second job, when I was in college.  50 hours?  So there's an online petition to get this on a ballot or legislative agenda somewhere.  College education is important, and expensive, but should it be free?  I guess nothing is free, so I mean, should taxpayers pay for it?  Is there an age limit on this program?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Just add water (continued)

I'm still intrigued by these HHO generators and the concept of using the car battery to fracture water to produce hydrogen fuel for a regular combustion engine.  Apparently, it is nothing new.  Here's a former NASA employee from the Philippines, Daniel Dingel, who invented this thing a long time ago.  Check out his converted Toyota that runs on water!  It's amazing.




I cannot find a technical reason why we're not driving these today.  The only thing preventing it is political and/or entrenched economic interests.

Here's a better understanding of how water is being engineered in a negative energy vacuum inside the toroid (donut) coil with RF pulses to cause the hydrogen molecules to just fall off the hydroxy ion.  The resulting hydroxy gas fuel is more powerful when burned than the power required to create it from regular tap water.  This free source of energy is a gift from God.  I think this is a huge leap forward in technology.  I found a message board and a Yahoo Group on the topic.

You can get pre-built HHO generators for reasonable prices on Ebay.  These would pay for themselves in just a few months.

I found another seller on Ebay, who sells smaller HHO generators of a different design, MAP sensor adjusters, and O2 sensor extenders (an alternative to an EFIE), so you can tweak the fuel mixture to get the best results.  From what I've read, though, an EFIE is the best solution for adjusting the O2 sensor inputs into the car's computer to accommodate the new exhaust profile.  He has some great tips in the text of his auctions, and the pricesare low.

Constitution Party Convention in KC

Today is the first day of the Constitution Party Convention here in Kansas City.  I haven't seen really any news coverage, but I find a lot of their views kind of refreshing. . . and very strictly adhering to the Constitution and certain hand-picked Biblical principles, which they've more than mildly distorted.

http://constitutionparty.com/view_events.php

It's clear that our system was designed to work best with two parties.  The whole "Ross Perot got us Bill Clinton." mantra pretty much quells any thoughts of voting for a third party candidate, except that they tend to get the protest vote when you can't stomach voting for either of the major party choices.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Just add water.

A loud storm woke me up, so I thought I'd write a blog entry.  The rain is good.  Adam D. and I got the garden planted on Sunday afternoon.  It needs the water.

Not to bore everyone with what interests me at the moment, but I just spent most of the evening reading about oxyhydrogen generators you can build at home or buy off the shelf, install in your car, and increase your fuel economy by 25 to 50%.  It converts water (HOH) into "Brown's Gas" (oxyhydrogen, HHO).  This oxyhydrogen on demand makes your fuel burn more efficiently and gives your engine more power.  Now that gasoline prices exceed $3.33 per gallon, this seems worthwhile.

source: gasbuddy.com
Local Price Snapshot
Today 3.331
Yesterday 3.329
One Week Ago 3.234
One Month Ago 3.045
One Year Ago 2.705





For this invention to be completely carbon neutral, you'd have to add another battery to your car and add solar panels to charge it.  Otherwise, you're using power from your alternator.  But, my understanding is that the alternator makes much more electricity than is needed to charge your battery and the field current which is allowed to pass the regulator is based on feedback voltage from the battery, so the battery only gets juice when it needs it, so using this energy to make an oxyhydrogen additive is gainful because it's otherwise wasted.  Furthermore, the expense of installing the system is tax deductible.

Here are some plans for making an HHO generator out of some #80 CPVC pipe and concentric stainless steel exhaust pipes with a 1mm gap. These pipes are the diodes and electricity is pulsed at a frequency you can tweak for the best HHO to fuel mixture for your particular engine.  http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/feb2/carplans_doc.htm

On YouTube, I've seen pure HHO lawnmowers and cars, so using water plus a pinch of baking soda for fuel with an electrical assist to convert it to HHO is a viable emerging technology.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Suspending the Gas Tax

I read about how John McCain's economic plan includes suspending the gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  They tried to pass something like this in Texas last year, but it was quashed on the Senate side after the House unanimously passed it.  The only people against it are the people who get this earmarked transportation money, the road builders.  The price of everything goes up when gas prices go up, so the reasons they give in this press release seem like a small price to pay for getting a smaller price to pay for everything that's transported by taxed gasoline.

http://www.artba.org/news/press_releases/2008/04-15-08.htm

Boo hoo.  I'm for repairing and upgrading highway infrastructure, but I think the states can handle paying the bill if the Federal Highway Trust Fund is missing a few months of gas tax revenue.  And the argument that gas tax relief will cause car accidents is quite a stretch.

One of their reasons is highway congestion wastes gas.  It's a bit ironic that most of the congestion I experience is due to lane closures in construction zones, for which the road builders are responsible.

18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline is Federal gas tax.  Who knew?  Ouch.  Diesel tax is 24.4 cents.  That's wacky.  Diesel cars are less polluting than petrol cars.  This disparity in the fuel tax rates encourages pollution.

Master of numeracy

On an employee self-assessment I was asked to rate my "numeracy".  I had to look that one up, and then rate myself very highly.  :-)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

April 15 is over.

The Nieda is in town this coming weekend, so there will be some sort of get together.  That's exciting, because my social scene has been confined to work, hockey, and the gym lately. 

There was no hockey last night.  The rink took their ice down last week to repaint it.  They were still making ice last night, so our game was postponed to tonight.  That's fine with me.  I took the niece and nephew to the city rink for public skating, instead, just so I wouldn't be bored and sedentary at home on the couch.  Mission accomplished.

Shuffling money around to avoid paying too much income tax, getting the tax preparer paid, paying the mortgages, and paying for two bathroom updates. . . what a crazy month.  $3.23 per gallon gas doesn't help.  I shopped for loans to get everyone paid.  Instead of taking a crappy interest rate, I obtained a family loan to get me over the hump without selling something.  That'll save me some bank intere$t.  Much thanks to mom and dad.  Last month I had more going out than coming in.  With some prudence and perseverance, I should be able to turn the corner next month.

The garden will be planted next weekend.  I'm excited about that, if the weather allows it.  Adam D. has already started the seeds indoors, and called to tell me not to buy seeds.  He's got it covered.  I like this co-op garden thing already.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Monday

I found out today that I can get "buy one get one" Royals tickets on select dates because I paid my Jackson County personal property tax.  Info here.  Nice.

It's a boring day at work, so I'm doing paperwork.  I hate make work that fills in the gaps between the real work.  If you ask why enough times, someone will admit that the government requires it.  Fine.  It's easier than actual work, but it's all overhead, because I get paid the same to be unproductive as I do to be productive.  Our client's don't want to do the government regulation paperwork, which is one reason why they outsource their IT stuff in the first place.  There seems to be a philosophy of "if it's not written down, it didn't happen."  I mean, we have a Fifth Amendment that says you don't have to give the government information about yourself, but nobody who is beholden to a government regulating body seems to recognize that.  If the government wants to come check the network out, they're welcome, really.  Since the network is used in the manufacture of a drug, I can sign documents all day to that affect, which don't make it any more or less true.  The end result is I've wasted a lot of time and paper so some FDA auditor can check a box.  It's a big game.  I know why drugs are so expensive, though.  Refer to my pay stub.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Hulu to the Rescue

Finding and retrieving torrents of the shows I want to watch has been mostly automated, and only disappointing on occasion.  The main drawback is my internet connection is always sending or receiving video.  I need a second cable modem so I can surf.  The quality and variety of content I can get via torrent is excellent, but I can't always get the hockey games I want.  Today, through some searching, I found what I wanted on Hulu, and it's not HD, but great for streaming video.  Check out some hockey action..

Hulu seems to have mostly Fox and NBC content, in addition to NHL. I'm kinda hooked.  Tonight I watched more Hulu over the internet than I watched MythTV on my local media server.  Hated the ads, but love the ease of finding what I want to see.  If it had the Viacom content, Hulu would hold my attention over the torrent content.


Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Go Lakotah!

My buddy at work, Joe, was upset on Friday because his son got detention for saying the word "gun" at school.  I said, "no way!"  What is wrong with that?  He and I both grew up in Southeast Oklahoma where teachers were more likely to participate in a discussion of guns than to quash it.  I guess they don't teach the second amendment in that school.  The irony is that Joe's boy was referring to his biceps.  I sent an email to Cam Edwards at NRANews.com in hopes that Joe gets interviewed on the program.  Joe moonlights as a gunsmith, so I'm sure he would.  I discovered the show on Sirius 144 and now I listen when I can.

In December, the Lakotah tribe renounced their treaties with the United States and declared their independence based on the United States' violation of those treaties.  In the not so near future the western 50 million acres of South Dakota which is owned by the tribe may be recognized by the State Department as a separate nation.  I think that they will become the richest nation on our continent, because they are free from the Federal Reserve system of banking, which dilutes our money, and free from oppressive taxation.  They, like Canada, will borrow protection from the United States military because of location.  The Black Hills is rich in resources.  Because of all of that, international investors are pouring tons of money into the Republic of Lakotah.  These Native Americans are putting up windmills to become energy independent.  They are attracting talented professionals who are renouncing their U.S citizenship to work without having their income taxed.  How it would expose the problems in the United States if a truly free country were to emerge within its borders by following the model of our founding fathers.  I'm going to keep an eye on this story.  They are already issuing drivers licenses and passports.  When will they print their own money?  I wonder if they will be socialist or have strongly enforced property rights.  What kind of constitution will they draft?  Will it be in their native language or English?  Will the liens they are placing on illegally homesteaded property be honored in court?  Will the fight escalate outside of court if they lose?  Will people who own property in the Black Hills be compensated if their land was obtained in violation of a treaty?  Which U.S. allies will recognize their sovereignty?

People for the Extensive Termination of Animals

Less than 3% of the animals put in PETA's care survive.  The irony just slays me. . . and a few thousand animals.

Pets Killed By PETA
PETA's Death Toll
See The Proof


House versus bridge

Question of the Day


Q.) How much does a house weigh ???   

 
 A.) Just a tad more than a rural two-lane bridge can hold, apparently.   
   
    
    

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Garden

I did my usual rounds at the City Market on Saturday, buying my usual 7 squash for a buck, and 4 dozen fresh eggs for $9, except all he had were extra large, so I spent $12.  I always pick up a couple dozen for my trainer, who also loves those brown eggs with golden yolks.  Range chickens make much tastier eggs than caged chickens.  There were some gorgeous tomatoes, and I regret not buying any, but I was on a schedule Saturday.

For years I've been talking about growing my own veggies.  I have the space for a large garden.  I was shopping for a tiller on Craigslist, but ended up buying a brand new one for slightly more than I had budgeted since Home Depot had them on sale (and they accept Visa).  I ended up with a smallish Cub Cadet front tine one, because the rear tine, self-propelled, electric start models are mega expensive.  A lot easier to handle, but cost prohibitive.  I saw $3 per pound tomatoes at the grocery store, so I'd have to grow a lot to justify a $700 tiller.  (Mine cost half that.)  Today, it rained a bit, which softened up the ground.  I took advantage of this and tilled up the portion of my back yard which obviously was a garden before I moved here.  The grass grows much greener in this particular sunken square.  The first pass with the tiller was pretty rough.  The tiller had a mind of its own, and I had to hold on with every muscle flexed.  That ground hadn't been tilled in 8 years, and I was wishing for the heavier rear tine model.  A black, rich, fertile loam emerged.  After the ground was broken, I made some crosshatch passes to break the soil up even more  By the third pass, I only had to gently guide the tiller.  I think there's nothing more zen than growing your own food.  I have friends who want a garden, but don't have any space for one.  I'm happy to let them plant in my garden, as long as I'm not the only one cultivating and watering all summer.  I'm sure I won't be the only one picking and eating.  :-)

While I was plowing the ground, I thought about how hard it must have been to use a regular plow pulled by a domesticated farm animal.  I remembered the book "Hill of Fire" about a Mexican farmer who complained that nothing happened in his life, then his cornfield swallowed up his plow and erupted into El Monstruo, a volcano.  I just remember how the entire first half of that story is about the tedium of plowing behind a stubborn ox day in and day out.  Thanks to modern gas guzzling machinery, I got the job done inside of two hours.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

There's a KU song in honor of their effort this weekend in San Antonio.  "Rock Chalk Jayhawk (Luv That Crimson Blue Remix)"

NHL exhibition games in KC

In case you missed the article in today's (4/4/08) KC Star.....

Stay tuned for a possible NHL exhibition game this fall.....


NHL group narrows dates for exhibition at the Sprint Center
  Boerger

Attention, NHL fans. You can pencil in one of two dates for a 2008 NHL exhibition game at the Sprint Center.

Depending on team availability, the game will either be Saturday, Sept. 27 or Saturday, Oct. 4. Candidates for the Sept. 27 game are St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota. If the game is Oct. 4, it would probably pit either Phoenix or Chicago against the Los Angeles Kings, who are owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group, which manages the Sprint Center.

There’s still one holdup in announcing the game. The Nashville Predators, who are under new ownership, have yet to formally sign their new lease at the Sommet Center in Nashville. The lease was supposed to be signed this week, but the Metro Council has postponed its vote until April 15.

“We didn’t want to schedule any preseason games until the Nashville Predators situation has fully played out,” said Paul McGannon, president of NHL21.

After seeing basketball games, concerts and ice shows, it will be nice to watch a hockey game in the new arena.

“We’re going to have an NHL product in one way, shape or form, pending working out schedules for different NHL teams,” McGannon said. “We’ll sell out whoever comes in, and we’ll price it that way, so we fill the building. That’s the whole idea, to send a strong message to the league on a regular basis in the form of sold-out preseason games.”

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

NHL Hits of the Week

Jim got a cut on his eyelid during our Tuesday night hockey game a couple of weeks ago when his face met someone's stick, and he finished playing the last half of the game, before going to have his eye checked.  He showed up Tuesday night with a new helmet with a visor to protect his face.  I've been skating without face protection, but I'm putting a cage on my helmet today.  His cornea covering was actually injured.  He said they had to grind his eyeball.  Yow.  I wonder how long that takes to heal?  Anyway, I've decided face protection is no longer optional.

I subscribe to these NHL top 10 videos every week.  This latest video of NHL hits starts out slow.  I think I've been hit harder.  But, the last few are fun to watch.




I found out that I owe a taxes for 2007 because of some rules specific to Sprint's 401k plan.  When I quit that job in 2006, my 401k loan which I used to buy my Jeep accelerated, and I couldn't make the payments, not because I didn't try, but because once you're not an employee, there's no paycheck for withholdings, which is the only payment method the plan accepts unless you pay the entire principle in one payment.  They returned my money, the loan defaulted, and it appears as an early withdrawal which has tax penalties.  If I could do it all over, I would have rolled my previous 401k funds into an IRA, which I could access and repay without being penalized.  I thought I'd have enough deductions to cover the penalty.  Nope.  It could be worse.  Check out this video.


NBA in OKC

It appears that the Seattle Sonics are moving to Oklahoma City.  I suppose the owners noticed the sell out crowds at the games when New Orleans was playing there after Katrina.  Any number of struggling NBA teams should jump on that opportunity.  Now some Seattle businessmen are trying to raise money to build a billion dollar arena to lure another NBA team to Seattle.  Fat chance, if Seattle fans don't fill the seats.

http://www.kuow.org/mp3high/mp3/News/20080402_DBW_NEWSTADIUM.mp3

Since the NBA isn't likely to expand, I wonder if any other teams are moving.  I suppose it'll be a while before we have NBA in the Sprint Center in Kansas City.