Tretakoff Musings
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Paper: The Hobgoblin of Analog Minds
I have an admission: I hate paper. From printouts of emails, to handwritten notes, I detest paper in almost all forms. It has become the trash and detritus of our daily life: credit/debit cards have nearly replaced paper money, but they leave behind the droppings of indecipherable receipts that we, as a society, are terrified to leave behind for fear that our entire identity will be stolen from that innocuous pizza payment. As we have moved to a digital world, complete with multifunction scanner/printers and both enormous hard drives and online storage, paper is simply a crutch to be finally snapped in favor of bits.
It looks like the New York Times is noticing. The article points out how a Google engineer has already eliminated paper from his family's life; I have been fighting this battle for nearly a decade. My weapons of choice? Visioneer's line of sheet-fed scanners and both CD burners as well as Moxy. I scan EVERYTHING: receipts, photos, notes, legal documents, even recipes, with just a flick of the wrist into the small slot behind my keyboard. In moments, the digital facsimile is written to my hard drive, for future archiving to CD and Moxy. PaperPort software not only scans a perfect copy, but also offers, if warranted, optical character recognition to make those static blocks of ink into digital, malleable, components. After the scan, straight to the shredder for erasure of identity theft risk.
Why do this, you ask? Many reasons. One, a catastrophic disaster. If your papers are stored in your house, what good will they do you in a fire? A fireproof safe? Uh, yeah, that's what you want to entrust your life to: a block of metal that you have now way of testing will survive, and your only recourse is a refund from the manufacturer? Oh, yes, IF you can find the receipt for it, that is.
Want more? Years ago, this country's revenue collection agency informed me they had doubts about my claims of income and expenses. They instructed me to provide proof. In one weekend, I was able to pull up every receipt, every pay stub, every scrap of evidence and set my printer a-churning to ship them undeniable evidence. In a week, the matter was amiably settled, thanks to my information.
I'm clearly not the only one here. Starbucks now asks if you want a receipt when you pay by card. Banks and credit card companies push the "benefits" of paperless statements (though, since it's a cost reduction for them, I think they might be better served by offering an incentive). I bought a house by doing a stock transaction via a cell phone's mobile data connection, and executed the paperwork all with a digital signature: not a single actual piece of paper until we refinanced.
The article points one one downside: power consumption. It fails to point out the other: paper is a renewable resource. The more we use, the more trees are planted, the more global warming is fought. Notice I didn't say recyclable; Penn & Teller made a very eloquent and thought provoking piece on why paper recycling is horrible for the environment, and greater paper use is actually a far better alternative. See for yourself (warning: language may be offensive, and it's 29 minutes long):
With the advent of the Kindle, Amazon is trying to produce a watershed digital moment for one of the biggest paper consumers: books and magazines. Direct marketing has already found e-mail far more effective than traditional mail. And note taking? Laptops and smartphones are already de rigueur in the classroom and boardroom, making those 8 1/2" x 11" pads look like a quaint relic. Our offices already make the offices of just 10 years ago look like they came from an episode of Mad Men.
It's time to free ourselves of the paper handcuffs. We no longer consider etching on a wax tablet, or chiseling out our thoughts in stone, or capturing a moment in oil and canvas. Let's throw off this last, pervasive vestige of our past and finally embrace the world of tomorrow, today.
I have an admission: I hate paper. From printouts of emails, to handwritten notes, I detest paper in almost all forms. It has become the trash and detritus of our daily life: credit/debit cards have nearly replaced paper money, but they leave behind the droppings of indecipherable receipts that we, as a society, are terrified to leave behind for fear that our entire identity will be stolen from that innocuous pizza payment. As we have moved to a digital world, complete with multifunction scanner/printers and both enormous hard drives and online storage, paper is simply a crutch to be finally snapped in favor of bits.It looks like the New York Times is noticing. The article points out how a Google engineer has already eliminated paper from his family's life; I have been fighting this battle for nearly a decade. My weapons of choice? Visioneer's line of sheet-fed scanners and both CD burners as well as Moxy. I scan EVERYTHING: receipts, photos, notes, legal documents, even recipes, with just a flick of the wrist into the small slot behind my keyboard. In moments, the digital facsimile is written to my hard drive, for future archiving to CD and Moxy. PaperPort software not only scans a perfect copy, but also offers, if warranted, optical character recognition to make those static blocks of ink into digital, malleable, components. After the scan, straight to the shredder for erasure of identity theft risk.
Why do this, you ask? Many reasons. One, a catastrophic disaster. If your papers are stored in your house, what good will they do you in a fire? A fireproof safe? Uh, yeah, that's what you want to entrust your life to: a block of metal that you have now way of testing will survive, and your only recourse is a refund from the manufacturer? Oh, yes, IF you can find the receipt for it, that is.
Want more? Years ago, this country's revenue collection agency informed me they had doubts about my claims of income and expenses. They instructed me to provide proof. In one weekend, I was able to pull up every receipt, every pay stub, every scrap of evidence and set my printer a-churning to ship them undeniable evidence. In a week, the matter was amiably settled, thanks to my information.
I'm clearly not the only one here. Starbucks now asks if you want a receipt when you pay by card. Banks and credit card companies push the "benefits" of paperless statements (though, since it's a cost reduction for them, I think they might be better served by offering an incentive). I bought a house by doing a stock transaction via a cell phone's mobile data connection, and executed the paperwork all with a digital signature: not a single actual piece of paper until we refinanced.
The article points one one downside: power consumption. It fails to point out the other: paper is a renewable resource. The more we use, the more trees are planted, the more global warming is fought. Notice I didn't say recyclable; Penn & Teller made a very eloquent and thought provoking piece on why paper recycling is horrible for the environment, and greater paper use is actually a far better alternative. See for yourself (warning: language may be offensive, and it's 29 minutes long):
With the advent of the Kindle, Amazon is trying to produce a watershed digital moment for one of the biggest paper consumers: books and magazines. Direct marketing has already found e-mail far more effective than traditional mail. And note taking? Laptops and smartphones are already de rigueur in the classroom and boardroom, making those 8 1/2" x 11" pads look like a quaint relic. Our offices already make the offices of just 10 years ago look like they came from an episode of Mad Men.
It's time to free ourselves of the paper handcuffs. We no longer consider etching on a wax tablet, or chiseling out our thoughts in stone, or capturing a moment in oil and canvas. Let's throw off this last, pervasive vestige of our past and finally embrace the world of tomorrow, today.
Labels: bullshit, Eco-friendly, lifehacks
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Tesla Uncoiled
Amid the strange doings at Tesla Motors, the first all-electric, 250 mile range, stunningly fast production Tesla Roadster arrived stateside today, with the "P1" (Production, 1st model) making landfall at Tesla HQ for its happy owner, Tesla chairman Elon Musk (of PayPal and SpaceX fame).
Tesla, located in the Bay Area, has been a darling of the technorati, but has recently gone a bit off the rails. Many of the key personnel have left; the Roadster was long delayed (despite having sold through the initial run in preorders); the transmission was scrapped for a "temporary" 1 speed that will be replaced in all of the cars when the new one is perfected. But even odder comes the news that the fabled WhiteStar sedan, which was always Tesla's secret weapon (they used the Roadster as a lure to get customers and funding; the sedan is for mass production) is not dead as previously was rumored, but is now coming back as a hybrid? Look, I'm all for Silicon Valley to make Car 2.0, but Tesla needs to get some stability to be there for the long run.
Congrats to them for the first car off of the line. Uh...got any extras?
Amid the strange doings at Tesla Motors, the first all-electric, 250 mile range, stunningly fast production Tesla Roadster arrived stateside today, with the "P1" (Production, 1st model) making landfall at Tesla HQ for its happy owner, Tesla chairman Elon Musk (of PayPal and SpaceX fame). "P1 was flown from the Lotus manufacturing plant in Hethel, England; its battery pack came from Tesla’s plant in Thailand and is being installed this afternoon at the company’s California headquarters."
Tesla, located in the Bay Area, has been a darling of the technorati, but has recently gone a bit off the rails. Many of the key personnel have left; the Roadster was long delayed (despite having sold through the initial run in preorders); the transmission was scrapped for a "temporary" 1 speed that will be replaced in all of the cars when the new one is perfected. But even odder comes the news that the fabled WhiteStar sedan, which was always Tesla's secret weapon (they used the Roadster as a lure to get customers and funding; the sedan is for mass production) is not dead as previously was rumored, but is now coming back as a hybrid? Look, I'm all for Silicon Valley to make Car 2.0, but Tesla needs to get some stability to be there for the long run.
Congrats to them for the first car off of the line. Uh...got any extras?
Labels: cars, Eco-friendly
Saturday, October 13, 2007
A Tale Of Two Ferries
As I avail myself of ferry transportation every day, I am always fascinated with the genre and it's twists and turns. For instance, on the ferry I take, I continue to be frustrated by their lack of vision. Two key runs sell out in the morning, and all others continue to be a dramatic money loser; rather than cut service in those dead times and offer a third run in the peak times, the Golden Gate Ferry continues to plod along without changes. Heck, contract the onboard beverage service to Peet's or Starbucks, and take a piece of the revenue!
However I complain about my ferry, it is still a magnificent way to commute. Folks in Sydney seem to feel the same, as they have started to experience not just great ferry service, but eco-friendly ferry service. With a combination of flexible solar panels and wind harnessing, they commute with half of the emissions of a traditional high-speed ferry. Nice work, down under.
On the flipside, there are my friends at Hawaii Superferry. A massive service, with accommodations for passengers and hundreds of vehicles, they aim to address a major issue with the multiple islands of Hawaii: inter island travel. The ship is more luxury liner than commuter ferry, and the service is modeled around an airline, as opposed to the traditional public transportation approach. Unfortunately, the residents of the islands it was to service protested the potential ecological impact of such a large ship, and blocked the service, just days before it was set to start, causing the layoffs of hundreds of workers. The ship itself is stunning, with all of the modern conveniences and a first class area that has to be seen to be believed. Disclaimer: my company provides the frequent traveler program for HSF.
Here's to hoping the world of aquatic transport continues to grow and innovate, as it's the most stress and traffic free transportation system the Coasts and Islands can imagine.
However I complain about my ferry, it is still a magnificent way to commute. Folks in Sydney seem to feel the same, as they have started to experience not just great ferry service, but eco-friendly ferry service. With a combination of flexible solar panels and wind harnessing, they commute with half of the emissions of a traditional high-speed ferry. Nice work, down under.On the flipside, there are my friends at Hawaii Superferry. A massive service, with accommodations for passengers and hundreds of vehicles, they aim to address a major issue with the multiple islands of Hawaii: inter island travel. The ship is more luxury liner than commuter ferry, and the service is modeled around an airline, as opposed to the traditional public transportation approach. Unfortunately, the residents of the islands it was to service protested the potential ecological impact of such a large ship, and blocked the service, just days before it was set to start, causing the layoffs of hundreds of workers. The ship itself is stunning, with all of the modern conveniences and a first class area that has to be seen to be believed. Disclaimer: my company provides the frequent traveler program for HSF. Here's to hoping the world of aquatic transport continues to grow and innovate, as it's the most stress and traffic free transportation system the Coasts and Islands can imagine.
Labels: commuting, Eco-friendly, transit
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, March 17, 2007
Hot Tub. Big Screen TV. Car. ZERO Emissions.
Ladies and gentlemen, have a look at the man on the left. Looks fairly unassuming, right? Hardly what you would think of as a revolutionary? Well, prepare to bow down before him: he has created a zero emission home and car ecosystem that he lives by. As the Christian Science Monitor says,
That's zero emissions, and as much power as you want. Better, he also has a hydrogen fuel cell powered car that he fills with hydrogen from his own electrolyzer. Yep, total power and transportation from sunlight and water.
The downside? He spent $500K, but got $250K back from the state. The hydrogen generator system is hardly efficient (he loses 50% in evaporation). But, his quote is the most telling:
"Nothing is as wildly expensive as destroying the whole planet."
Ladies and gentlemen, have a look at the man on the left. Looks fairly unassuming, right? Hardly what you would think of as a revolutionary? Well, prepare to bow down before him: he has created a zero emission home and car ecosystem that he lives by. As the Christian Science Monitor says, "On sunny days, solar panels on the roof of Strizki's detached garage generate more than enough electricity to power his home. The excess electricity powers a device inside the garage called an electrolyzer, which transforms a tank of water into its base elements – oxygen and hydrogen.
"The oxygen is released into the atmosphere, while the hydrogen is stored in 10 1,000-gallon propane tanks on Strizki's property. In the winter, when the solar panels collect less energy than the home needs, that hydrogen is piped to an air-conditioner-size fuel cell, located just outside the garage, which generates electricity."
That's zero emissions, and as much power as you want. Better, he also has a hydrogen fuel cell powered car that he fills with hydrogen from his own electrolyzer. Yep, total power and transportation from sunlight and water.
The downside? He spent $500K, but got $250K back from the state. The hydrogen generator system is hardly efficient (he loses 50% in evaporation). But, his quote is the most telling:
"Nothing is as wildly expensive as destroying the whole planet."
Labels: Eco-friendly, news
