Tretakoff Musings
Monday, May 28, 2007
Which kills more birds: Wind Turbines or Cats?
As a resident of a fairly windy area, I am always amazed at the level of resistance people offer to wind power. It's free, sustainable, clean, and cheap. There are usually two reasons that anyone actually offers against wind power. The first is noise (from the spinning turbine blades); that one is solved with moving the turbines to remote locations, like unpopulated hillsides or offshore. The second is the one that gets most people up in arms: birds cannot see the spinning blades, and are cut to pieces. This leaves most environmentalists at odds with their bleeding hearts, as clean power that is borne on the back of dead avians seems to be a real gut wrencher.
Luckily, along has come this article, which correctly points out that the United States' incredibly large feral cat problem easily eclipses the amount of bird deaths caused by wind power. Windmills? An estimated 40,000 birds each year meet their ends from these power producers. Feral cats? "Hundreds of millions" of birds killed every year. That means, annually, wind turbines kill less than 0.01% than feral cats. Let's say we double the amount of wind turbines in this country; cats would still kill over a million more birds a day than all the windmills in the country.
Now, no one seems to be advocating the death of all of these felines, and they don't even produce power. Sure, they are full of personality and provide excellent greeting cards, but let's dispel this bird-killing myth of wind turbines once and for all, and start harvesting one of our last natural resources, before it's too late.
As a resident of a fairly windy area, I am always amazed at the level of resistance people offer to wind power. It's free, sustainable, clean, and cheap. There are usually two reasons that anyone actually offers against wind power. The first is noise (from the spinning turbine blades); that one is solved with moving the turbines to remote locations, like unpopulated hillsides or offshore. The second is the one that gets most people up in arms: birds cannot see the spinning blades, and are cut to pieces. This leaves most environmentalists at odds with their bleeding hearts, as clean power that is borne on the back of dead avians seems to be a real gut wrencher.Luckily, along has come this article, which correctly points out that the United States' incredibly large feral cat problem easily eclipses the amount of bird deaths caused by wind power. Windmills? An estimated 40,000 birds each year meet their ends from these power producers. Feral cats? "Hundreds of millions" of birds killed every year. That means, annually, wind turbines kill less than 0.01% than feral cats. Let's say we double the amount of wind turbines in this country; cats would still kill over a million more birds a day than all the windmills in the country.
Now, no one seems to be advocating the death of all of these felines, and they don't even produce power. Sure, they are full of personality and provide excellent greeting cards, but let's dispel this bird-killing myth of wind turbines once and for all, and start harvesting one of our last natural resources, before it's too late.
Labels: bullshit, Eco-friendly
Saturday, May 26, 2007
My Other Blog
Believe it or not, I actually contribute to another blog for my company, the Loyalty Dogs Blog. I tend to put sporadic entries in, but the comments from Mark, our CEO and one of my co-founders, are actually extremely insightful and well stated. Charles' comments are incredibly helpful, as well.
If you're looking to see another side of me, come run with the Dogs.
Believe it or not, I actually contribute to another blog for my company, the Loyalty Dogs Blog. I tend to put sporadic entries in, but the comments from Mark, our CEO and one of my co-founders, are actually extremely insightful and well stated. Charles' comments are incredibly helpful, as well. If you're looking to see another side of me, come run with the Dogs.
Labels: blogs, Loyalty Lab
The Chronicle: The End Is Nigh
I have commented several times about my opinion of San Francisco's "premier" paper, the San Francisco Chronicle. When I first moved to the Bay Area, I was disgusted with this laughable excuse of a paper. As a man who consumed the Boston Globe from cover to cover, every day, for over a decade, I was shocked that a city with such a proud literary history called this pathetic excuse of newsprint as it's paper.
In the last 5 years, however, I have been pleasantly surprised to see the quality of it's coverage improving, with an emphasis on actually finding stories, instead of just picking up what the wires spit out. Coincidentally, it happened that this was the time the Hearst group picked up the paper, and made a real dedicated effort on it, and it was paying off. From the Barry Bonds scandals, to the coverage of Nancy Pelosi's ascension to the head of the Congress, the paper has been getting to be a real paper, and one that is actually a pleasure to occasionally read. And the Chronicle's website, SFGate is easily the best newspaper website out there, even beyond NYTimes.com or any other.
Ironically, after the year in which a successful film was released about the rich history of the Chronicle and the Zodiac killer, the paper itself is falling under the killer's stare. It is a bit sad to see that the increased quality has not been enough to stem the tide of red ink, as the Chronicle announced they are laying off 25% of the newsroom this summer.
To me, in the heart of Silicon Valley, this is the time to make a major strike. Hearst should make a deal with the folks who are providing the LCD's for the OLPC, and strike a delivery deal with the cell carriers. The Chronicle should go all digital: you get the screen/device for free, as long as you a) subscribe to the service for rates equivalent to a newspaper subscription, and b) agree to read the "paper" (and see the embedded ads) at least twice a week. In return, the device will automatically download the morning paper over the cell provider's network, and be ready for your commute. No waiting to download pages; you read them instantly, along with the photos and layout. How to protect it from being a fad? If you don't read the paper, you'll get one month to return the device, or you'll be charged $100.
The ad revenue still drives the business. The platform gets into the hands of commuters. The content still drives the adoption. Then, the Chronicle can license other Hearst publications to be available on the device, or make the ads clickable. The possibilities are endless: the key is making a lightweight, fully loaded device with the right content behind it. No more messy newsprint, and a truly trailblazing approach.
C'mon, Chron: if anyone can, you can.
I have commented several times about my opinion of San Francisco's "premier" paper, the San Francisco Chronicle. When I first moved to the Bay Area, I was disgusted with this laughable excuse of a paper. As a man who consumed the Boston Globe from cover to cover, every day, for over a decade, I was shocked that a city with such a proud literary history called this pathetic excuse of newsprint as it's paper. In the last 5 years, however, I have been pleasantly surprised to see the quality of it's coverage improving, with an emphasis on actually finding stories, instead of just picking up what the wires spit out. Coincidentally, it happened that this was the time the Hearst group picked up the paper, and made a real dedicated effort on it, and it was paying off. From the Barry Bonds scandals, to the coverage of Nancy Pelosi's ascension to the head of the Congress, the paper has been getting to be a real paper, and one that is actually a pleasure to occasionally read. And the Chronicle's website, SFGate is easily the best newspaper website out there, even beyond NYTimes.com or any other.
Ironically, after the year in which a successful film was released about the rich history of the Chronicle and the Zodiac killer, the paper itself is falling under the killer's stare. It is a bit sad to see that the increased quality has not been enough to stem the tide of red ink, as the Chronicle announced they are laying off 25% of the newsroom this summer.
To me, in the heart of Silicon Valley, this is the time to make a major strike. Hearst should make a deal with the folks who are providing the LCD's for the OLPC, and strike a delivery deal with the cell carriers. The Chronicle should go all digital: you get the screen/device for free, as long as you a) subscribe to the service for rates equivalent to a newspaper subscription, and b) agree to read the "paper" (and see the embedded ads) at least twice a week. In return, the device will automatically download the morning paper over the cell provider's network, and be ready for your commute. No waiting to download pages; you read them instantly, along with the photos and layout. How to protect it from being a fad? If you don't read the paper, you'll get one month to return the device, or you'll be charged $100.
The ad revenue still drives the business. The platform gets into the hands of commuters. The content still drives the adoption. Then, the Chronicle can license other Hearst publications to be available on the device, or make the ads clickable. The possibilities are endless: the key is making a lightweight, fully loaded device with the right content behind it. No more messy newsprint, and a truly trailblazing approach.
C'mon, Chron: if anyone can, you can.
Labels: news, San Francisco, transit
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Big Brother Takes Flight
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAV's, were once the subject of science fiction (Real Genius, anyone?), but the one thing this illegal invasion of a sovereign nation (aka, the horribly misnamed "Iraq War") has proven is that UAV's are here to stay. With "an astonishing 80%" of all military flights in Iraq being flown by UAV's today, these remote controlled/robot planes have proven their worth as bloodless soldiers in the military skies, from surveillance to full on hunter/killers.
Despite the rampant warning we have received from countless scifi films about the wisdom of allowing semi-autonomous vehicles of speed and strength roaming the skies, these UAV's are slowly seeping their way into the civilian skies. This Popular Mechanics article focuses on their ever increasing presence in our day to day lives, as Big Brother straps on his goggles and takes to the air. As with all such adoptions of military technology to civilian matters, the first incursions are benign: forest fire monitoring, border patrol, even search and rescue. However, it doesn't take an oracle to see the black and white paint being slapped on in less than 5 years to assist police with urban pacification.
It's awe-inspiring, creepy, and generally good when humans can be spared dangerous jobs, but the applications of this technology to the individual are definitely worth keeping an eye on. After all, that next speeding ticket you get might not be from the cruiser with the radar gun, but from the cruise missile with the laser target designator.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAV's, were once the subject of science fiction (Real Genius, anyone?), but the one thing this illegal invasion of a sovereign nation (aka, the horribly misnamed "Iraq War") has proven is that UAV's are here to stay. With "an astonishing 80%" of all military flights in Iraq being flown by UAV's today, these remote controlled/robot planes have proven their worth as bloodless soldiers in the military skies, from surveillance to full on hunter/killers.Despite the rampant warning we have received from countless scifi films about the wisdom of allowing semi-autonomous vehicles of speed and strength roaming the skies, these UAV's are slowly seeping their way into the civilian skies. This Popular Mechanics article focuses on their ever increasing presence in our day to day lives, as Big Brother straps on his goggles and takes to the air. As with all such adoptions of military technology to civilian matters, the first incursions are benign: forest fire monitoring, border patrol, even search and rescue. However, it doesn't take an oracle to see the black and white paint being slapped on in less than 5 years to assist police with urban pacification.
It's awe-inspiring, creepy, and generally good when humans can be spared dangerous jobs, but the applications of this technology to the individual are definitely worth keeping an eye on. After all, that next speeding ticket you get might not be from the cruiser with the radar gun, but from the cruise missile with the laser target designator.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Coffee is the new Data
Ok, so what the heck is with this trend to deliver data via alternative indicators? For example, Ambient Devices makes the Orb, which changes shade of color to determine weather, stock trends, etc. We've all heard the little chirp of the IM client as a message comes in (like you couldn't see the window spawn). But this one takes the cake...er, cup.
News Brews brings the world of RSS feeds, dynamic data monitoring and on demand computing together with...a cup of coffee. Yep, the system monitors RSS feeds for the mention of certain countries and dynamically, once a minute, changes the brew of coffee it makes, in response. As TechDigest says,
Has to be seen (tasted?) to be believed. Check the website for a nice video pitch.
News Brews brings the world of RSS feeds, dynamic data monitoring and on demand computing together with...a cup of coffee. Yep, the system monitors RSS feeds for the mention of certain countries and dynamically, once a minute, changes the brew of coffee it makes, in response. As TechDigest says,"The concept behind News Brews is, why read the news when you can just drink it? The steampunk-style machine contains a wide geographical assortment of coffee beans, and generates a custom blend every minute depending on what coffee-origin-country is in the RSS fees. If Ethiopia scans at 33%, Kenya at 50% and Costa Rica at 17%, you'll get coffee that's half Kenya, with an Ethiopian buttress and a Costa Rican topper. Your tongue will, theoretically, know the difference."
Has to be seen (tasted?) to be believed. Check the website for a nice video pitch.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Gentlemen, place your BluBets
Like so many of the "sins," this country has its collective head up its ass when it comes to the natural inclinations of its inhabitants. We are the most open nation on the planet, in terms of individual freedoms and founding principles to protect them, and yet we are constantly hobbled by our Puritanical beginnings. Sex, drugs, controversial music or movies: we litigate against them and yet celebrate them in popular culture at the same time. But nothing shows the US of A's utter hypocrisy more evidently than gambling. It's illegal, yet in over half of the states in this country, you can legally gamble in casinos. And let's not even get started about the lottery: the worst cruel trick you can play on the most helpless people, and yet the state makes its revenues from it.
We love to gamble. We love to believe that we are imbued with that special power that will help us see something that the other people do not. We love to compete, and gambling lets us compete with the mind and imagination. How many times have you started a sentence with "I bet..." Really? Do you? Prove it.
Enter BluBet. Part Digg, part social phenomenon, and utterly unique. Sign up, and start placing your bets. On anything. And I mean, anything. Want to see if the Governator will pardon Paris Hilton? Will the Cubs finally win the World Series? How about if MUNI will kill more than 1 pedestrian this week in San Francisco? Or will W veto the upcoming Iraq spending measure out of buffoonish ignorance again? The choices are endless.
Very Web 2.0, and very clever, BluBet has all the hallmarks of the next great social property. Tags, liberal use of Flash interfaces, and lots of syndication blend the UI of Digg with YouTube. The only downside I see is the betting currency can only be ever used as a scorecard. What they really need to do is find a way for you to spend those BluBucks: it would have to be on something that has no real-world value (thanks to those twisted Puritans), like the ability to add an avatar and pimp it out, for instance. Differing levels of access: want to take BluBet mobile, spend a few BluBucks.
For now, I'm laying down the gauntlet on my first bet. $1500 BluBucks are on the line: come take my money:
We love to gamble. We love to believe that we are imbued with that special power that will help us see something that the other people do not. We love to compete, and gambling lets us compete with the mind and imagination. How many times have you started a sentence with "I bet..." Really? Do you? Prove it.
Enter BluBet. Part Digg, part social phenomenon, and utterly unique. Sign up, and start placing your bets. On anything. And I mean, anything. Want to see if the Governator will pardon Paris Hilton? Will the Cubs finally win the World Series? How about if MUNI will kill more than 1 pedestrian this week in San Francisco? Or will W veto the upcoming Iraq spending measure out of buffoonish ignorance again? The choices are endless.Very Web 2.0, and very clever, BluBet has all the hallmarks of the next great social property. Tags, liberal use of Flash interfaces, and lots of syndication blend the UI of Digg with YouTube. The only downside I see is the betting currency can only be ever used as a scorecard. What they really need to do is find a way for you to spend those BluBucks: it would have to be on something that has no real-world value (thanks to those twisted Puritans), like the ability to add an avatar and pimp it out, for instance. Differing levels of access: want to take BluBet mobile, spend a few BluBucks.
For now, I'm laying down the gauntlet on my first bet. $1500 BluBucks are on the line: come take my money:
Dining by candlelight...er, LED-light
I normally leave the blogging about design and furniture to Pete, but this one caught my fancy. As Gizmodo says,
"When an object—usually transparent—interrupts the path of the light through the table, the light gets transferred into the object and lights it up all pretty-like. We're not sure what practical use this table has, but who can say no to LEDs?"
Labels: furniture
Apologies for the long absence...
It's been a crazy time. First, the move to the new house. Then, the arrival of the in-law family: first my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law, then the arrival of my brother-in-law, followed by the departure of my sister-in-law. Essentially, for the better part of a month, we've had houseguests. On top of that, work went crazy this week: growing pains from scale, along with the surge of the Mother's Day holiday, and several new clients (and a new team member!)...man, what a ride.
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.
Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.
Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Stranger than Fiction: The CIA, Iran hostages, and a sci-fi film
It's 1979. Several Americans have escaped the militant takeover of the embassy, and are hiding, Anne Frank-style, in various other diplomatic residences. The US knows they are there, but how to get them out? In a story that Robert Ludlum's editors would have rejected, the CIA invented a fake science fiction film, hired Hollywood professionals, and, improbably, used it as a cover to smuggle these people out.
This is too good to be believed. Read for yourself, courtesy of Wired Magazine.
It's 1979. Several Americans have escaped the militant takeover of the embassy, and are hiding, Anne Frank-style, in various other diplomatic residences. The US knows they are there, but how to get them out? In a story that Robert Ludlum's editors would have rejected, the CIA invented a fake science fiction film, hired Hollywood professionals, and, improbably, used it as a cover to smuggle these people out. This is too good to be believed. Read for yourself, courtesy of Wired Magazine.
Labels: news
