snarkolepsy

2012-02-01T15:01:00.001-08:00

Interesting for facebook to go IPO now. US market is fully saturated and probably soon on the decline. At least it will help bail out California.

Intense.

2012-02-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

(WFAA)--Sources tell News 8 in Dallas that police have been placed on standby as American Airlines readies to announce layoffs, which could be a significant number, according to sources. Here.

2012-01-30T14:43:00.001-08:00

We are suspended in time. Where the world neither moves forward or backward.

It's a compilation post.

2012-01-29T16:36:00.000-08:00

This week I have been sick with that cold called the seven layers of hell. Mr S. has it last weak, and I was doing really well. Then I caved, and it's all been a blur since then. The waterfalls of snot. I haven't slept through the night once. It's one of those colds where you have to tell your husband, "look, I'm a mess I'm sorry. Don't look at me. I'm hideous." The coughing attacks that make tears start streaming from your eyes, combined with the waterfall snot. Got your mental image yet? Thought so.

Anyway.....

I've been trying to stay away from people. But I still have cabin fever. Yesterday Mr S. and I decided to go out and do some urban exploration.

(He is now sick with the new strain I gave him back.)

We hopped on the freeway, and the car died. 700 bucks later - I have a new battery and alternator. Which is a bit of a pisser since my car is only 5 years old.

Turns out, Chrysler stuck the battery in the back of this car. So it works the alternator harder. Which makes it overheat and die early. I swear, I will never buy another Chrysler product as long as I live. I had to replace the tires on the car at 15 thousand miles. It is basically a laptop on wheels. Disposable. Well, except for the HEMI.

So, we got the car back this morning, and went back to our urban exploring. We were going to hunt out this place in Fremont called the upside down airplane. The people who talked about it, did so quite a few years back - so I wasn't sure it still existed.

Turns out it kinda does. That have taken the airplane apart and are just using one wing.... for something. There is a lot of urban lore with this place. I'm just not that superstitious or paranoid. I did however find it interesting that they are still staffing one man out there to basically babysit these three antennae.

They have a dummy sitting on the spot where the plane used to be. The picture at the top of the post.

They have a wing of the plane sitting on a cammo jeep with an antenna sticking out of it.

I haven't written about real estate in a while.

2012-01-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

"WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Matt Martin, CEO of Matt Martin Real Estate Management, is eagerly awaiting the introduction of a program that the Obama administration hopes will transform foreclosed properties into rehabilitated rental units and kick-start the economy.

He says he’s not alone. “There is a large chunk of capital, billions of dollars, sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what kind of program the government comes up with,” Martin said.

At issue is a Federal Housing Finance Agency push to develop a program that is expected to use government financing or guarantees to attract investors to buy up big regional or national pools of foreclosed properties currently owned by government seized housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The plan would be to convert these properties into rentals, a market that has strengthened recently. See story from August on foreclosure-to-rental program "

One of the more fascinating developments of the entire recession has been the steady price of rents. As some of you know, I bought my crapshack back in 2008 thinking we were close to flattening out in the housing market. After having it on the market for a couple of months I realised the market had changed much more rapidly than I expected - so I shoved a renter into it.

For the next two years I scoured rentals every week to make sure my rental was competitive with the market. Housing was crumbing so quickly, I was sure rents would also decline somewhat. Meaning if my renter left I would have to reduce the rent for a new tenant.

To my surprise, in those two years, rents only fluctuated a hundred bucks from what I was currently asking.

Skip forward to last year. I noticed rents were rising, but they hadn't been doing so long enough for me to feel it was a real trend. After about a year of the higher rental rates, I decided that maybe it was indeed the new trend. They are now roughly 300 bucks over what I am asking. Which is a relief, because my renter is a bit of a tard. Finally I was more in the drivers seat. If we had a falling out,it would work out better for me.

Then the last month or so, something really strange happened in my region.

You can't find a 3 or 4 bedroom house in my city at all - or any of the burbs surrounding me. The property management companies that once had a page and a half of listings, now only had 7 properties total listed. I mean, there is literally nothing to rent around here. And I notice the rents for a 2 bedroom are starting to approach what I am asking for a three bedroom.

This of course provides me with some comfort. Instead of panicking and just backing out of my crapshack - I made a bet on the future that a lot of people wouldn't be able to buy a house and this would be reflected in rents. I guess I just didn't expect it to be so dramatic.

All of this made me consider going to an auction this week. Not to buy, but to observe. Global events are way too unstable to consider buying anything now. Plus our current administrations which hunt on private investors in the market makes it even less attractive.

This is why when I saw President Money Bags was setting up a program to help his cronies buy houses in chunks at I'm sure a greatly reduced price - sort of pissed me off. And it is quite obvious the only reason these people would be buying these houses is because of the government subsidies. While real normal private investors are sort of screwed. Ya know, the people who would do it with their own money and not government incentives. The higher rental rates are an incentive into themselves.

We don't even know what there is to be bough because of the shadow inventory is hidden from us. Which ironically is that same reason a lot of private investors are not buying right now. That mysterious shadow inventory threatens to make their investments radically less valuable.

It is just frustrating. People will buy those houses - if you just let them. It isn't rocket science.

WTF 2012

2012-01-21T22:44:00.001-08:00

This is Gingriches "are.... you..... fucking.... kidding me?" look. All he needs is an F right at the top of his head in this picture, and it would say WTF 2012. Which I love.

If things are totally going to suck - it might as well be funny. I mean.. the whole thing is a mess.

2012-01-21T13:38:00.001-08:00

Man in suit selling home made cookies on BART. Loves it.

2012-01-20T15:26:00.001-08:00

Ive never loved rain quite this much.

You can be the boss.

2012-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Naaaa. You don't say.

2012-01-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am not completely sure, and I don't want to hunt it down now - but, I'm guessing this is from the solarstrong project.

Navy losing money on solar project that used stimulus funds, audit finds.

"WASHINGTON – The Navy is losing money on new solar energy panels installed with stimulus funds at Naval Air Station Lemoore and other California bases, auditors say.

Lemoore, located in the sun-baked San Joaquin Valley in Kings County, was among 10 Navy and Marine Corps bases in California to have solar energy systems installed, even though they won't be cost-effective, the Pentagon auditors found.

As a result, taxpayers will be out $25.1 million, while the Obama administration finds another shadow cast over its use of stimulus funds for renewable energy. "

The article goes on to say:

"Projects were selected in part for their "contribution to the achievement of energy goals rather than cost-effectiveness," Navy officials stated.

According to auditors, energy cost savings from the Lemoore solar panel system will recoup only an estimated 26 percent of the installation cost. At Naval Base San Diego, the solar panels will recoup only 16 percent of the cost, they said.

Over the course of 20 years, auditors concluded, the solar projects studied will fall $25.1 million short of paying for themselves."

This is complete insanity. Every single one of these projects likely will not pay for themselves... perhaps ever.

Solar is the least cost effective way to get electricity. No matter how much money governments shove into it to disguise the truth. Making panels is quite energy intensive, and no one takes this factor into account when they calculate energy efficiency. Our alleged enemy (China) is disguising all the operating costs. If all the panels we consume were built in the US, you would see the feedback much more rapidly.

And don't even get me started on California schools who have mortgaged their present and future for this crap. They even put panels on schools that are closed. I thought these panels were suppose to be saving districts money. I guess they could now argue the panels are meeting 100% of the energy needs of that closed school. I don't even have children, but I still have to pay for this shit because I own property.

Even more frustrating is the philosophy that people should pay more for power. All of the progress we have made as a nation over the past 100 years is because we had a source of cheap reliable energy. Every time this process is disrupted, our economy suffers. This time is no different. Except now we have a looming bill for an unknown amount just chillin' out waiting to explode on us. I mean, no one knows how many bonds were sold for this crap.

Which of course make President Money Bags rejection of the XL pipeline just plain funny. Yeah, funny. It's what people wanted!

In one full swoop he could have tossed out all of the oil speculators and gas would have fallen relatively quickly. But, no. That wouldn't fit his agenda. Now gas prices will again start their climb, which will depress the economy, causing temporary deflation. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The politics of California.

2012-01-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I went to one of those architectural salvage places. We actually don't have that many of them in the Bay Area. Everyone wanted everything new - so I'd think there wasn't really a market.

Come to find out - it was a den of socialist douchebaggery. Which I didn't expect. Too bad I'd say. There was a three inch thick door without the glass I was interested in to make into something else. I just can't give any money to these causes.

Audi Urban Concept vehicle.

2012-01-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

Normally I never post anything stale. I am too ADD, and other stuff competes for space in my brain. Having said that, every year the Audi's never make it onto my blog. Despite them having quite amazing booths at CES. A bit over saturated, but still pretty darn awesome.

So, I give you the Audi Urban Concept Vehicle.

The in car navigation is what really is going to make Audi special. It can recognise street signs!

I can't figure out if these EV's are going to make it into the bad ass tag. Can it do 180? NO! Now, when my body gets mushy and I can't drive anymore - maybe then I will put them in.

I've seen a lot of things tagged - but never this.

2012-01-17T15:40:00.001-08:00

Hey, at least they aren't costing the city anything.

What kind of tattoo would make a guy go this apeshit?

2012-01-17T14:26:00.001-08:00

Sexually explicit tattoo angered Pinkberry founder, officials say.

"A founder of the Pinkberry yogurt chain allegedly beat up a homeless man with a tire iron because he found the transient's sexually explicit tattoo offensive, according to L.A. prosecutors.

The incident took place in June 2011 on an off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway at Vermont Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Young Lee was stopped at a light when he was approached by a man seeking money, police said.

Words were exchanged, and Lee and another man in the car chased the homeless man and "beat him down" with the tire iron, police Capt. Paul Vernon said.

According to a statement by the district attorney's office, Lee felt disrespected by the tattoo. Officials did not provide a detailed description of the tattoo."

I have to admit - this story made me insanely curious. It isn't the part where the guy thought the tattoo was offensive - it was that he felt "personally" offended. Especially since the homeless are wearing every piece of clothing they possess.

So, how did he get a shot of any tattoo? Unless the guy had balls tattooed on his chin. I mean, what could it be? A fat chick? What?! I hope it wasn't that guy who had a bear mugging that chicks boobs on his leg.

oh! Maybe it was this! I'd forgotten I'd even made that post.

It brings a new meaning to "locally sourced".

2012-01-15T14:21:00.001-08:00

We've had turkey's on the outskirts of town for a while. They have mostly been contained on the grounds of the wineries.

Then, about a year ago I started seeing them dead in the roads. Self, I thought - it's only a matter of time before they get into town. They are spreading.

They must have figured out there is dog and cat food to be found in town. Not to mention crazy bird ladies who feed them. (Not that all people who feed birds are crazy. Some however are, and will bring species in that are not helpful to the community.)

So, I guess we get to see how this turns out. Turkeys can get quite aggressive. I've seen videos of other places that had a heard of them, and they will chase you and try to wreck your cars. I only wish they were peacocks. Because that would be funnier.

That will definitely screw up your day.

2012-01-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

2012-01-12T13:38:00.001-08:00

All of a sudden I am hoping ARE2012 invites me back this year.

I was absentmindedly deleting junk mail when I saw this in my inbox:

Innovega Demonstrates Megapixel Contact Lens Eyewear. Site.

I saw very little augmented reality at CES and didn't know to look for them. So, I assume they will be at ARE as well.

The gem I got from last year.

I see that trend hasn't run its course yet.

2012-01-11T14:18:00.001-08:00

Last year at CES it felt like fully a quarter of the booths had a device sitting in water.

This year still had a fair number of TV's, pads, and phones immersed in water. Because when global warming hits next year and causes all the icecaps to melt, flooding San Fransisco bay with 10 feet of water - we are going to need to be able to run our devices. No seriously - that is what people think. At least our government does.

On the brighter side - at least we got rid of all those booths catering to guitar hero.

Ford makes something interesting. Finally.

2012-01-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

Ford Evos. I don't think my shots came out the well. Those damn lambo doors make everything difficult. You can look at all the glamor shots here.

Miscellaneous CES 2012 shots.

2012-01-11T13:02:00.001-08:00

Okay - how do you get your dog into CES? In 5 years, I've never seen that before.

The only reason I took a shot of this was because it looked like a bear was holding that girl's boobs. Look at his giant man hands! It's weird. I've seen tattoos like this before, and I've never seen such giant man hands holding the boobs.

I have one word - Cubify.

2012-01-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know that 3D printing is a technology I have been watching for a really long time.

I first saw it at RoboNexus in 2005. Then again in the World of Next Tuesday post in 2006. Maker Faire 2011, 3D printing had made great leaps. Then most recently in the dashboard of that Ultima kit car.

So when I saw the Cubify booth at CES, I thought I'd die. I continue to believe 3D printing will be one of the most disruptive technologies of our time. The technology has gone from very simple objects, to being able to print multi color simple toys.

The price is now to a point that it's affordable for average consumers. I believe every household will eventually own a 3D printer.

When I first starting watching it, these printers were 40 grand. The Cubify machine was apparently only 1200.00 bucks. I had to ask the guy a few times because I thought he said 12 grand. The price has been halving every year - so 12 grand didn't seem that out of range. 1200 bucks though is very affordable.

2012-01-10T19:47:00.001-08:00

CES wasnt that bad. Not best year ever. But not bad.

2012-01-10T12:58:00.001-08:00

I havent beaten anyone with a rolling suitcase..........yet.

2012-01-10T05:55:00.001-08:00

Vegas bound.

You know how this blog works. You will either get nothing today, or a barrage. I won't be able to offload pictures until late. I might twitter some stuff. @snarkolepsy. Youtube = snarkolepsy.

There is nothing more irrelevant than journalists covering CES.

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

NBC Bay Area by Scott Budman.

"The New York Times just published a piece about how CES is pretty much over. The products don't matter, and even the cool stuff doesn't ever really make it to the real world."

I read this piece this morning and it made me want to punch journalists in the neck.

Listen, I am not going to defend CES. The past few years have been almost like death. It isn't because of the show. It's because the capitol to start new innovative companies has evaporated. Products are basically in refresh mode.

However, when I read this paragraph it really made me realise what idiots the people covering this conference really are.

"That said, I can't really defend the show as being completely up to date - even with its futuristic leanings. Where's the Square checkout counter? Where's the Facebook shopping demo? Amazon? Twitter? All used regularly by consumers, but rarely shown off at a convention like this."

Let me translate this: "I'm a journalist, and I'm bored. They should retool the show to entertain me rather than appealing the actual paying customers for which the show is intended." i.e. retail outlets like Best Buy. That is why you are suppose to actually work in the industry to even get into the show. Unless you are an idiot journalist who gets in for free.

Square should be there. They however are relatively new. But seriously? Facebook shopping!? Amazon and Twitter? Have any of these dumbasses even been to a software convention? People are going to fly from all points around the world, to look at a monitor where software is displayed? Ridiculous. Software shows are typically small because they have one or two product segments to demo.

Demo being a key word here because most of the products are CES are almost vaporware. They exist, but they typically are not functioning.

Software shows are domain specific. It could be an augmented reality show, or AutoCAD, or GIS shows like ESRI, but they are all focused on one segment.

You can't have a show like CES for software, because you can't sell software by showing a box. You can't sell software by visual dynamics, you have be convinced of its worth.

What exactly would someone coming to a convention see with a Twitter booth? Or an Amazon booth? I mean, the postal service has a booth almost every year. Maybe they should hunt that down.

The hardware sector is moribund, but what do they expect software to run on? Eventually it will go through a product cycle and things will reverse.

Having said that, if the journos are bored - what hope do I have?

I don't know what to say about it honestly.

2012-01-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Just about every day now, something happens that makes me say "wow.. I've never seen that before!"

"Blue-chip names like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Peugeot are among firms bailing out Europe's ailing banks in a reversal of the established roles of clients and lenders.

One source with knowledge of the so-called repo deals, or short-term secured lending, said the two U.S. pharmaceutical groups and French car maker were the latest to sign up for them.

Europe's banks are struggling to secure the cash to fund their day-to-day business and have largely stopped lending to each other for fear Europe's sovereign debt crisis could land any of their peers in trouble." Source.

When this hits our shore - people are going to scream "why didn't anyone tell us about this". My response will be - what would it matter if they did? On the bright side - if Europe doesn't make it - all these companies will suffer greatly. Oh wait.. I don't know how that is a bright side - but all the things I knew to be true are no longer valid in this world.

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are feeling confident enough in the economy to go back to a time-honored tradition — taking on a little extra debt.

Consumer borrowing surged in November by $20.4 billion, the Federal Reserve said Monday. That's the largest monthly gain in a decade." Source.

Only Americans could be so complacent to believe that credit drying up isn't a huge deal for the entire world. Most especially.... us.

But, hey - get your credit on. I guess.

Pursuit Of Happiness

2012-01-09T10:54:00.001-08:00

France goes full tard.

2012-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

French government to rescue struggling Photowatt.

"The French government is set to offer Photowatt France an 11th-hour reprieve by investing in the ailing panel manufacturer.

Two months ago Photowatt, a subsidiary of Canada’s ATS Automation Tooling Systems, was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy after falling demand and increased competition led to escalating losses. However, in an RMC Radio interview on Tuesday, Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said the government was ready to step in and rescue the country’s leading PV manufacturer."

PV installations plummet by 97 percent post FiT cut.

"The Department for Energy and Climate Change has revealed that from December 12-18, a measly 812 systems were installed. The figure is down by 97 percent from last week’s incredible installation figures that saw 125.93MW of capacity installed, as installers rushed to beat the December 12 deadline.

The effect of Government’s decision to half the subsidy afforded to sub 4kW systems has lead to just 803 systems being installed the week after the cuts were imposed. The installs make up a total capacity of 2.12MW, down from a staggering 80MW the week before, an eye-watering 98 percent drop."

Another sleepy day in the burbs.

2012-01-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

My city had a little "swat" incident today.

They had the chopper out.

Sharp shooter on the roof.

The neighbors of the suspect were on the roof of their houses. Look above the command center.

When the ambulance showed up - I thought things were going to get shitty. He eventually gave up.

So... did you know they had scanner apps? I mean, I have a scanner - but last I remember, those are illegal to carry around. I don't know how that works with cell phones. One guy started talking to me, and he was dialed into the city. It was the best take away ever! The guy said the suspect was going to shoot it out. Which explains all the resources.

When I cast my gaze on you.

2012-01-07T23:04:00.001-08:00

Probably the closest you will get to a picture of me.

Ariel Atom in the wild-ish.

2012-01-06T17:56:00.001-08:00

Today I figured I would whip through the San Jose International Car show. Mr S. is still with family, and normally I want to beat a lot of people at this show anyway. In and out was my plan. The place was surprisingly busy for a week day. While trying to find a parking spot that wasn't labeled compact - I saw this thing. I couldn't wait to get to it.

As soon as I started pointing my big camera at it - the crowd started forming. This will make Mr S. laugh, because he watches this behaviour from a distance. He also knows it drives me crazy. Most of the time I think guys are just trying to get in the shot. They linger forever, and I refuse to take take shots with them in it. They hang out for even longer.

Since Mr S. wasn't with me, I wanted to get a lot of shots. And honestly most of the guys were really nice. Everyone stopped for it, and guys are happy to share information. More information than I want to know, because I'm a grrrl. So I managed to find out it is a kit car, and has a Honda engine. You are now on your own.

Every time I see this - it makes me laugh a little.

2012-01-04T16:24:00.001-08:00

Another Ontario Solar Bankruptcy.

I know you guys must be tired of the solar posts - but it isn't my fault they are all going bankrupt. One more shocking than the next. Just in the last two weeks there have been so many I've lost count.

Honestly, it is complete insanity that the amount of power you receive can be controlled by dust.

Sarcastic exhale.

2012-01-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

"The CES Robotics TechZone is always a crazy busy zone at CES, but this year, it promises to be BUZZING!

In addition to all the amazing robots that will be part of the RTZ, TOSY Robotics has confirmed that heartthrob Justin Bieber will be on hand at the TOSY Robotics booth." Here.

Oh yeah.

I am conflicted - he is a celebrity. But who wants to draw that kind of traffic to your site? Unless you are 12. Which clearly I am not.

At least the toys from the company he is promoting have some worth in the promise of UFO sighting pictures. And of course, there is the possibility they make the dradle popular again.

Oh, what the hell am I complaining about? Put lights on anything and I am probably game.

Shake it out.

2012-01-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

2012-01-03T15:07:00.001-08:00

Now that threats of layoffs are put off until after tax day - USPS works even slower. For a minute they expressed some enthusiasm to get u out the door. Not now.

California does it best!

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sacramento region sees sharp drop in million-dollar earners.

"The number of local households earning more than $1 million has fallen 40 percent since the start of the recession, according to new figures from the state Franchise Tax Board.

About 850 households in the Sacramento region filed tax returns in 2010 listing more than $1 million in annual income, down from more than 1,400 in 2007. The local drop in millionaires outpaced the statewide decline of roughly 25 percent."

The socialist economy is coming along quite well actually. Only they have much less people to tax for social services. Ooopsie.

Do you see those numbers? 40% less millionaires? That is stunning. Although aside from the large migration of large businesses out of Saci, I'm guessing the rest were right on the cusp of a million, and decided to fall under it so they didn't get taxed more.

If President Money Bags gets a second term, maybe little kids from all States will sing songs about giving up having hopes and dreams. Here.

I came from the system PMB wants to instill, and all I could dream about it running away and becoming rich. It's a good thing kids these days don't have all that pressure.

2012-01-03T12:35:00.001-08:00

Last year I realized my blog knows more about me than I know about myself.

Cloud Maelstrom

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Sure, it hasn't rained in 45 days - but we get fabulous sunsets!

Oh, and I might be exaggerating when I say 45 days - but it's been a really long time.

2012-01-01T14:11:00.001-08:00

It has been a rocky start to the pre new year.

2011-12-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

Normally when I disappear, it means I'm stressed about something. I tend to shut down so I can deal with it on my own. This case is no exception. My MIL had a stroke a couple of days after Christmas. Normally I might not even write about this, but I don't want to lose my readers and I have been gone a long time at this point.

Thankfully she was with her boyfriend when the stroke occurred and she was taken to the hospital right away. Things have been up and down, but she seems to be in control of all of her extremities. Which I think is very positive.

I promised you guys a fabulous January of posts, and I still think that will happen - but if I disappear for a little while - it just means reality got in the way of fun.

Futurama Gas.

2011-12-27T16:31:00.001-08:00

I told you the blog would suck this month. January should be much, much, better.

I was out browsing love seats today. Yes, lets all roll our eyes together. The bright side? No crowds. The downside? Desperation. Leaves you feeling a bit over watched. I didn't buy anything. And, I so hate shopping. Especially for sofas. It's like shopping for jeans - you have to stick your ass in every pair.

I did run across this kitchy gas station though. Which is only mildly interesting. But I figured it was like people searching for water in the desert - you will take even mirage water. So a kitchy gas station you get. I didn't go inside to see if there were any aliens like at the alien mart.

2011-12-27T13:00:00.001-08:00

Seniors at the table next to me doing "tech talk". And they are pretty good! I should ask if i can adopt them.

2011-12-26T17:02:00.001-08:00

Every time Anon (shortened purposefully) leaks stolen information - it makes me feel there aren't enough Clifford Stolls in the world. In the beginning of the Internet, he was a rock star of Internet security/forensics. I ~so~ wanted to be like him when I started my career.

"Clifford Stoll gained worldwide attention as a cyberspace sleuth when he wrote his bestselling book, The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage, the page-turning true story of how he caught a ring of hackers who stole secrets from military computer systems and sold them to the KGB."

"The Cuckoo’s Egg inspired a whole category of books on capturing computer criminals. He began by investigating a 75-cent error in time billing for the university computer lab for which he was systems manager and ended up uncovering a ring of industrial espionage. Working for a year without support from his employers or the government, he eventually tracked the lead to a German spy hacking into American computer networks involved with national security and selling the secrets to the KGB for money and cocaine. " More.

Having said that - even some of the smartest people can make bad predictions.

"In this Newsweek article from 1995, Clifford Stoll suggested it would be unlikely we’d buy books over the web or read newspapers online.

But he didn’t stop there. He didn’t think Internet shopping would work because the Internet was missing salespeople:

We’re promised instant catalog shopping—just point and click for great deals. We’ll order airline tickets over the network, make restaurant reservations and negotiate sales contracts. Stores will become obsolete. So how come my local mall does more business in an afternoon than the entire Internet handles in a month? Even if there were a trustworthy way to send money over the Internet — which there isn’t — the network is missing a most essential ingredient of capitalism: salespeople. " More here.

In 1995 we never imagined Ipads. The closest we got was the Palm Pilot.

In truth I am conflicted about the leaked info. I think someone will eventually get killed, but we also get to find out about a lot of stuff we didn't know.

It is funny Clifford Stoll kinda turned out to be a Luddite. You can't even buy his book The Cuckoo’s Egg on the kindle.

I hope they weren't trying to be ironic.

2011-12-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Mr S. sent me a link about Colin Powell being the third person to receive a Fisker Karma.

This of course sent me into a total spin, because if there is anyone who needs the loving arms of government welfare it is Colin Powell, Leo DiCaprio, and Al Gore. They just can't afford this shit on their own.

And I love rich people. They buy stuff when it is really expensive, bringing the price down so I can eventually buy it. Having said that - I don't appreciate them using my hard earned tax paying dollars to do so.

As I was reading through the comments of the article - one guy mentioned he had seen a Fisker Surf. Really? They named one of their models "surf"?

That is a joke. Right? I think they spelled it wrong. It's s.e.r.f. Named after all the taxpayers they are stealing money from, so the filthy rich and connected can buy luxury cars.

Continuing with the theater of insanity.

2011-12-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

"House Republicans have agreed to pass a two-month extension of the 2% payroll-tax cut, National Journal reported Thursday, citing Republican and Democratic sources."

I just can't believe those idiots up on the hill.

The single biggest impediment to this economy is uncertainty. So what do they do? Inject more uncertainty.

I mean, I know they are telling me Europe is getting it's act together. (said in the most sarcastic way) Because, it absolutely is a sign that you are getting your shit together when the ECB has to inject a half a trillion dollars in liquidity because lending has completely dried up. It's a universal sign that you're getting your act together!

Everyone would agree the best thing to do - is have this conversation again when Europe is in complete free fall. Which who knows when it will happen. I would predict next year. Every time I check on Greece things are getting quite dire. But honestly, the smoke and mirrors has gone on so long, even I am starting to believe their bullshit.

They better hope that people flood into safe havens like the treasury to keep gas prices down. Because once the dollar stops being strong.....

2011-12-22T12:59:00.001-08:00

President Money Bags went to Best Buy? Expect their stock to drop precipitously in the next few months. A visit from him is the kiss of death.

Christmas Series #2.

2011-12-20T20:27:00.001-08:00

I might swap this shot out. It is really hard to capture so many lights. I was loving that the lights were reflecting off the car. Now, not so much.

Christmas Series.

2011-12-18T20:33:00.001-08:00

Same shot in IR. I haven't done any IR shots in a long time. It's kind of a pain in the ass most of the time. But, maybe I will get back into it next year.

Where the sidewalks are paved with glass.

2011-12-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

I was up in Walnut Creek yesterday. It's like Northern California's version of Hollywood. Without all the stars and beautiful people.

I am never that excited about getting bad ass cars in Walnut Creek. It's a little like shooting animals at a game preserve. No matter where you look there are beautiful cars (animals). You just have to point and shoot.

There is no fun in that.

And yes - the sidewalks are paved with a tumbled glass/concrete mix. They know the sea could have done that for free.

Is this a new trend?

2011-12-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

The past month I've been noticing a distinct trend of women, basically, infantilizing their young boy children. As a woman, I can only cringe for the women these boys will eventually date.

Take today for example. Mr S. and I went out to breakfast and were waiting for a table. We were right by the restrooms. All of a sudden I hear a young boy pitching a fit. It caught my attention because he was way too old to be acting like this. The mother was literally trying to drag him into the ladies room. He's screaming "I don't want to go!"

You can see him there even holding onto the wall. After what felt like a minute she gave up.

Now, women have stalls, obviously - but I've never seen a kid this age in any restroom - anywhere - in my lifetime. I would have pegged him for ten, but they were treating him like he was five.

When Mr S. and I talked about it later (he'd apparently had been paying attention to the earlier part of the fuss) he said the dad was trying to take him to the men's room, but told the kid he wasn't going to unless he was sure the kid was going to pee. WTF?

Certainly I don't know when boys can pee by themselves - but it has to be by 10. Right? I don't know if he thought the kid was going to get molestered or what. That's when the mother jumped in and tried to get him into the women's room. The whole thing was just really odd.

Yet, it wasn't the first time this month I'd seen a boy about this kids age being treated as if he were a toddler. At first I thought this other kid just might be slow, and I was the asshole. But after watching him, he didn't seem to have any obvious deficits. It just looked like his mother treated him like a baby.

My rabbit is wearing a contact lens. No - seriously.

2011-12-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

When I have problems with my rabbits, I never talk about it here until I'm less stressed. I am just not into the sympathy, but rather want to add to the searchable knowledge database.

So...

A couple of years ago my rabbit Saffron was diagnosed with genetic glaucoma. Which really sucked. You see, we'd already been through the glaucoma route with Jane Doe. She's a stray that showed up on our doorstep.

Soon after taking Jane in - she started having a problem with an eye. We took her in and found she had an ulcer. After treating her for a while, the eye specialist told us we should consider just taking the eye. At the time I was really afraid to do it. My general feeling was - I am going to save this eye. The ulcer was successfully treated, but her eye had already developed glaucoma.

After about three years the medication stopped keeping the pressure down and the eye decided it wanted to leave on the 4th of July. Resulting in an emergency removal.

When Saffron was diagnosed, we decided we were going to take the eyes right away. From everything the eye specialists told us, we could keep the pressure down for a while - but positively those eyes would have to go some day. At this point we'd actually had four different doctors tell us this. So we just wanted to rip off the band aid. If the eyes needed to go - they needed to go. Now, later....what did it matter?

Despite this, we couldn't get a doctor to take a seeing eye. And, the awesome thing about genetic glaucoma (said in the most sarcastic way) is the eyes advance at different rates. The second eye didn't go until a year or more after the first. Potentially the one eye can be super fucked up, and the other might still have sight. So you have to go through two surgeries or wait till both are relatively blind.

Skip forward to earlier this week. We went to dose Saffron and her good-ish eye was completely wet from discharge. This was a rapid change from even the night before. We take her into bed every night for snuggles. So it wasn't something we had just missed before. Rabbits have almost no tear production. Which is why glaucoma is such a problem for rabbits. The compromised eye is prone to ulceration. Which is why we didn't opt for laser surgery for they eye. Yes. Laser surgery.

When the discharge didn't stop we resigned ourselves to it "being time". I was super stressed about the two holidays I had to get through and I'm going to be out of town at the beginning of the year. I didn't want to have to put her through a middle of the night emergency visit. Plus, emergency has to keep your pet for two days. That is super stressful for a rabbit. Especially those as coddled as mine.

So I booked an enucleation appointment. She was still discharge-ey, but it wasn't an emergency. If there was any sight - it was in the one spitting out discharge.

I get to the eye specialist and she tells me sometimes glaucoma in rabbits will burn themselves out. Which I had never heard or read before. She was the 5th doctor I seen specifically for this problem. And let me point out - would have been really helpful to know many years ago. Removing both eyes is psychologically messed up. It is one thing for your pet to go blind, but to actually go through the process of removal is rough. Super stressful. Having said that - with Jane we wished we had removed her eye a little sooner.

Honestly, I'd been preparing myself for this moment for years. It isn't that they look all that different. It was just the image of her face all shaved and filled with stitches that would just grind at my gut.

Still, this specialist did not recommend removal at this time. Not only that - she gave me a 75% chance that Saffron could live the rest of her life without having them removed. I wouldn't give a rabbit a 75% chance of anything. Life is very uncertain with rabbits obviously. But those are pretty good odds.

At first I was pretty skeptical - but both of Saffrons eyes reported pressure readings of only 4. A normal eye is 10, and an eye that had to be removed right away has a pressure of 40. Saffrons pressure was less than a normal eye. Meaning that she wasn't experiencing any pain.

She does have a slight ulceration on the cornea. I guess the glaucoma can cause calcium deposits that cause this. But she gave an 80% chance of fixing that.

The specialist put in a contact lens which I guess acts like a band aid. It is suppose to help the eye heal better. I'd never heard of rabbits wearing contact lenses. Imagine if you could have cats eye contacts in rabbits! I hesitate to even joke about that, because I don't want people effing with their bunnies eyes. Consult a vet dammit.

So, Saffron still has her eyes. And she might even get to be weaned off medication. Go figure. It seems that Glaucoma in rabbbits really can burn themselves out. I still would have liked to know that was a possibility way earlier. You can't imagine how much extra stress the constant watch for when the right time to remove the eyes produced.

California puts solar panels on schools that aren't even open.

2011-12-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

This school system in the East Bay has been on my radar for a really long time. They were famous for no bid solar installations. But who cares about that now?

"CONCORD -- A majority of Mt. Diablo High teachers has voted "no confidence" in the school principal, several educators told district trustees Tuesday night.

"There is a lack of safety on campus," said teacher Patrick Oliver. "Teachers, parents and counselors are not valued. She has failed Mt. Diablo High School."

The article goes on to say:

"During the meeting, the board adopted a "qualified" budget, showing that it may not be able to pay its bills through 2014 due to state budget cuts, declining enrollment, unsettled teachers' union negotiations and the possible conversion of Clayton Valley High to a charter school.

Board trustees also approved a $4.3 million increase in the district's contract with SunPower for solar panels on 51 sites, including two schools that were closed last year. In addition, the board agreed to change its meeting dates to Mondays starting in January." Source here.

"Hypothetically" - if they put solar on all buildings not in operation - we could reach grid parity.

We finally named her Jasmine.

2011-12-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

A stripper name. Just not one of the sluttier ones.

She has only had a name for a few days. Which has to almost be a record for us. Naming convention in the Snarkolepsy house had to involve these criteria.

Most important - you have to be able to yell it. They do learn their names and will stop temporarily chewing on - whatever. It gives you time to get to the squirt bottle.

It needs to have a cute short version. I'm not crazy about any of the short versions of Jasmine. But we were coming under pressure because a little over a week ago she learned she could beg for attention. Before she was just cute, and what the fuck else did she need? A bunny that begs for attention deserves a name.

Also, I'm starting to believe this trait she has about flopping out in Mr S's armpit is going to stick. She doesn't do it all the time, but enough that I think that once she hit puberty, she might keep it.

2011-12-13T14:01:00.001-08:00

A week ago when I posted about Best Buy circling the drain - I didn't mean, right this second. I meant eventually.

"NEW YORK (AP) — Electronics retailer Best Buy said Tuesday that its third-quarter net income fell 29 percent as it cut prices in popular categories such as tablets and TVs to drive sales and traffic during the busy holiday season." Source.

That should make everyone feel better.

2011-12-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

Existing-home sales to be downwardly revised.

"WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Data on sales of existing homes from 2007 onward will be downwardly revised, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. The adjustment will be announced during the next release of existing-home sales data on Dec. 21. "

Why the hell did they import that?

2011-12-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

This doesn't go into the bad ass section at all. The only reason I was interested in it was because it looked like a strange El Camino.

I have an affection for El Camino's. My girlfriend would steal the keys from her mom, and we would push that car out of the driveway and down to the street before we could start it - so as not to wake up her mom. It was her car. Left to her by her dad, but we were underage driving. Which ironically, we'd steal to cruise The El Camino Real. Which is a road that goes through many cities in Silicon Valley. That used to be a "thing" back in the day. And by the day, I mean, the 80's.

Yes - that is the kind of kid I was.

At any rate - I thought it was some kind of Chevy. But it turned out to be this car called a Holden. Which is apparently Australian. The inside was circa 1970's. But, I'd never seen one before. So there is that.

Right hand drive.

Hypothecation. It's a fancy word for legal theft.

2011-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Rehypothecation is a practice that occurs principally in the financial markets, where a bank or other broker-dealer reuses the collateral pledged by its clients as collateral for its own borrowing.

---

Source.

(Business Law Currents) A legal loophole in international brokerage regulations means that few, if any, clients of MF Global are likely to get their money back. Although details of the drama are still unfolding, it appears that MF Global and some of its Wall Street counterparts have been actively and aggressively circumventing U.S. securities rules at the expense (quite literally) of their clients.

MF Global's bankruptcy revelations concerning missing client money suggest that funds were not inadvertently misplaced or gobbled up in MF’s dying hours, but were instead appropriated as part of a mass Wall St manipulation of brokerage rules that allowed for the wholesale acquisition and sale of client funds through re-hypothecation. A loophole appears to have allowed MF Global, and many others, to use its own clients’ funds to finance an enormous $6.2 billion Eurozone repo bet.

I thought it was funny a couple of days ago when President Money Bags said this:

"Obama blamed the financial crisis and subsequent recession on a philosophy that left everyone to fend for themselves. “We simply cannot return to this brand of you’re-on-your-own economics if we’re serious about rebuilding the middle class in this country,” he said.

The president also said there is a “deficit of trust” between Main Street and Wall Street, and that big banks must “go the extra mile” to close it."

Ironic really. Since all the farmers who had their money flat out stolen, are left to fend for themselves.

How about ya'all stop stealing from us? Just a thought. And please send this memo to Olympus. Because that shit - is really fucked up.

Not as fucked up as farmers not being able to buy seed now.

There is a deficit of trust. A deficit that even though we do the right thing, PMB's buddies will get to steal with abandon. Then you "dear leader" will come in to tax us to cover up for those thefts.

Maybe by next Christmas we will know how bad things were.

2011-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

This whole year I've been shocked at how the news media crows about how low crime rates have been through the recession. It just didn't match up with what I've been seeing - everywhere.

I estimated that murder has increased 40% over the past year. Most cities are experiencing a "spike" in homicide. They call it an anomaly. I hope that is true.

San Jose claims 28 murders so far this year. Last year they had 20. Oakland enjoys 101 murders. They had 70 last year.

None of these increases in violent crime has ever been noticed by the crime stats or the media.

Well - now I know why. Apparently by the time they release the data - it is a full year stale.

2010 California Homicide Rate Drops To 44-Year Low
December 5, 2011 1:12 PM

"SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) – A new report by the California Department of Justice shows that the homicide rate last year dropped to its lowest level in more than four decades.

According to updated 2010 figures, there were 4.7 reported homicides for every 100,000 people. That’s a 7.8 percent drop from 2009."

I don't at all see why people were buying guns en mass for black Friday. I can't imagine I am the only one who feels this disconnect. They see crime everywhere, yet no one will confirm what we already know.

I don't know how the trendy murder/suicide tracks into this - but 16 people have jumped in front of a train this year in California. 16.

Hell, in the past 6 months - 2 people have jumped off freeway overpasses in my city, and the next over. I certainly would be interested in suicide stats, because they are almost an every day occurrence.

2011-12-05T16:04:00.001-08:00

December is a notoriously shitty month for this blog. It's patchy.

Circling the drain?

2011-12-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

I don't get Best Buy's business model anymore. Of all the home improvements - sinks have got to be the lowest turn over. I mean, are they an electronics store - or a home improvement store?

As a side note - I will try to get a picture of Bed Bath and Beyonds new confused message of selling electronics.

Marx would be proud.

2011-12-03T18:34:00.001-08:00

I thought this was odd.

2011-12-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know what is up with people making T-shirts with Steven Chu on them. But both of these looked vaguely communist. The second shirt has a windmill with blades that look very close to the hammer and sickle.

After we left the city today - we thought we should have made a game of how many times we could spot communist symbols in a the two block region we were in.

I thought this concept was clever. In a geeky way.

2011-12-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

I was up at the Bizzare Bizaar today in the city. I think the name overstates it. There was nothing there I would clasify as bizzare. But, it was "a" bizaar.

We ran across this guy selling bracelets made of camera lenses. Company is Focal Length Designs. Which I found interesting because I'd never seen anyone do that before.

When tomorrow never comes.

2011-12-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

Every single night, I go to bed with a knot in the pit of my stomach, wondering if tomorrow is the day I wake up and the world has changed forever.

It goes on for so long you start to question your sanity. Inflation/deflation - it doesn't matter what side of the fence you are on. I happen to be on both depending on the day. Virtually every prediction on what will happen with this, has so far not materialised. It's been three years now!

You can't help but wonder how this can be. How things are "suppose" to work has been tossed out the window. You start to think, maybe I am the one who has gone a little crazy. On one hand you look at people and wonder if they have the slightest idea of what is going to happen to them. On the other, most of them don't, and they seem happy in relative ignorance. So far, it's has been a net nothing.

Maybe they are the smart ones. If you keep yelling fire, and there is no fire - maybe you are the one who is crazy.

And worse, I don't think there is anyone who can tell you exactly how they have been able to hold everything up for so long. When I start hearing words like "decoupled" or disconnected. It pretty much translates to "I don't know what the fuck is going on either". And everyone wonders why there is so much apathy. Even I have it now. There is nothing you can do to stop them. Not starving the beast. Nothing.

There is no way to prepare, because no one knows why things are working the way they are. I keep hearing "I would have thought xyz would have happened by now".

Yet it doesn't.

Making things worse, they've stopped telling us how things are working. This makes me exceedingly nervous. Not that I don't know how things work, but that so few people do, as noted in this article "How Bankers Saved the World From a Euro Meltdown"

"So what happened to reverse the tide? An announcement that the largest central banks in the world, including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, had agreed to reduce the cost of bank borrowing of dollars by half a percent. A seemingly innocuous and highly technical decision that only a few large institutions really grasp, it sent global stock markets up 4 percent, eased credit markets. and in an instant changed the tenor in finance-land from one of intense panic to sudden calm."

Paying less to borrow money - everyone should understand. So what else did they do?

Our government has become a gambler who keeps hitting you up for 20 bucks. This time I will win! The whole thing has become a Mexican standoff. Everyone knows the world will break. One day we will wake up and the world will be in chaos. There is just no way to know when. We don't know how they are making it work now. Not just me - but a lot of really smart people.

I don't really understand how this ends up. Sane people are clamped down on their wallets, and the government keeps thinking we will spend like it's 2007. They refuse to make the government in line with reduced spending as far as the eye can see.

Here is a head scratcher.

2011-11-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

SolarCity revives military homes solar project

"(Reuters) - Solar power developer SolarCity and Bank of America Merrill Lynch will go ahead with a plan to build more than $1 billion in new solar projects on military housing, despite their failure to win a U.S. loan guarantee."

"Under the new pact, Bank of America will finance the debt portion of the project, while SolarCity will create equity funds that qualify for a tax renewable energy tax break."

"What we've done here is create a financing model that can make distributed solar affordable on a huge scale without a guarantee from the federal government."

When I first read this story - I honestly couldn't believe it. If virtually your only source of money is from the government, it really isn't a financing model. The government is quite "fickle".

What could motivate a bank to lend this kind of money when there is nothing but bad news out of this sector. Don't believe me - I read this article just this morning!

Solar power bankruptcies loom as prices collapse

"Solyndra was just the beginning," said Jessie Pichel, head of clean energy research at the investment bank Jefferies & Co. "We're going to see a lot of companies go bankrupt."

Just how many? Of the few hundred or so solar panel makers worldwide, just 20 to 40 are expected to remain standing in a few years time, said Mark Bachman, a renewables analyst at Avian Securities."

And if you think they are joking - they are not! The green energy sector is collapsing faster than even I could have predicted. Just the headlines from this week alone.

REC to cut Norway output as solar market suffers

"Nov 29 (Reuters) - Norwegian solar firm Renewable Energy Corp plans to halt 60 percent of the capacity of its 650 megawatt multicrystalline wafer facility at Heroeya as global economic turbulence has cut demand and depressed prices, the firm said."

When anyone has to cut production by 60%, you know bad things are going to happen.

A123 Systems lays off 125 workers at Michigan battery plants

I didn't actually even know about this company. Apparently they supply batteries to Fisker Automotive. Who quite apparently is not doing well. Interestingly I saw the article was updated to reflect things wouldn't be so bad because they got a contract from GM. (chuckle) I think this is their second layoff this year.

AMSC cuts 20 percent of workforce

"AMSC continues to hit setbacks with today’s announcement that it has cut 20 percent of its staff in an attempt to move the Devens-based wind technology firm toward profitability. News of the layoffs come one month after the company abandoned plans made in March to buy Finnish company The Switch Engineering Oy for $265 million after it was unable to raise enough money."

Then really - the best headline of them all. Evergreen Solar only managed to get 11 million dollars in their bankruptcy sale. The company only walked away with a 50 million loss. They listed assets of $424.5 million and had debts of $485.6 million. Here.

You and I taxpayer will never know how much we lost in tax dollar subsidies for this company. I read this morning the gment has scrubbed the "grant" records. If you are diligent enough you can look at old articles that list grants in piecemeal.

So again I ask. Why would BofA still be shoveling out money in a declining solar market. I mean, the whole declining housing market worked out so well for them.

It is really a sad day in America when you actually have to start rooting for the short sellers to make the market more honest. And I hate those fucks. I know they serve a purpose. I also know that when they latch on to your company, a small stumble could lead to almost certain death. They pack on.

Right now however, the government and the banks are above the law. The only people with the power are the short sellers. Unfortunatly.

2011-11-29T19:01:00.001-08:00

Did I miss a memo? Everyone in my town has their xmas lights up. I mean everyone!

Lazy Sundays with Skyrim and Brazil.

2011-11-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mr S. and I picked up Skyrim and Halo 3D. I am so over the Halo franchise, but 3D does add something.

Honestly by now, I thought there would be a lot more 3D games. I mean, they have been pushing out all those TV's. And I know it takes a long time to build games. But 3D TV's have been out for a couple of years now. I guess the game companies are all fixated on online play. Which I think is ruining the whole game space.

Anyway. Skyrim isn't really my type of game. I feel like I'm stuck in a renaissance faire and I can't get out. You have zillions of pick-em-ups, but no real need for most of them. From what I can tell so far.

Honestly - I almost hate this game. It takes 45 minutes of movie segments and set up before you actually get to do anything. And there is so much talking. I want to be shooting crap by now. However, the world is so amazing and rich - you want to keep pushing through to see the interactivity. I almost get stuck just looking at how the trees have been rendered. And the shadowing is really good. The water effects are super impressive. Snow blowing off rocks is so realistic. You can interact with almost everything.

Still - the visuals aren't going to last me forever.

Now I'm going to watch one of my most favorite movies in the world. Brazil.

Biggest assholes ever.

2011-11-27T14:21:00.001-08:00

Women.

This is a huge reason why I hate women so much. When it comes to shopping they are the most inconsiderate assholes on the planet. They will literally stop in the middle of an isle, and just walk off. Leaving the cart. You either have to move the cart to get by, or just walk around. Which is just easier. But when you have to start slaloming through the isles to avoid these people, you do notice that shopping takes a lot more effort. Which makes me cranky.

Last week - a woman parked her cart sideways in an isle. And they do it all the time.

This cart belonged to this woman. Who completely sucks.

She's wilting.

2011-11-26T15:59:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get these pictures out, because the girl is pretty much a full lop now. She was a half and half for two days. She only had control of the one ear.

Still no name. We've tried sprocket, honey badger (because honey badger doesn't give a crap) frolick, strudel, and lola. Mr S. tried to sell me on snickerdoodle.

I might update, because there has been a lot of them.

She has been a dream litter box training. Although she has an intense hatred of tissues. (shrug) I don't get it either.

What's this... a Thanksgiving Day post?

2011-11-24T12:36:00.000-08:00

I just got my turkey in, so I have some time. So I wanted to blog about the conversation Mr S. and I had last night.

Me - Mr S. I think people are starting to get the impression I hate people.

Him - Well, maybe you should stop telling everyone you hate people.

Me - I don't hate people. I just don't like them as much as they want to be liked. And anyway - I never say that on my blog. I think I am a people person. People seem to like me.

Him - You are not a people person. You are pleasant, but you are not a people person.

Me - Look Mr S., if I hated people so much, I would just be a shut in. I like people. Just in smaller doses. People entertain me.

At this point he whips out the tablet and starts searching my blog. He is quiet for a while.

Me - So far so good.

Him - Well, here is a post where you say you hate women.

Me - Well, I do bitch about hating women a lot.

Still silence.

Me - I think I'm doing pretty good.

He finally arrives on this post. I knew it existed. It's actually become very popular since the recession.

Him - See you do blog about hating people.

Me - What's the date on that post?

Him - 2007.

Me - Oooh. What did I say?

Him - Do you want me to read it to you?

Me - no, you can paraphrase.

Him - It's a post about that time we were buying corn at a roadside stand.

Me - Oh, I remember that.

At this point he just starts reading the post. He's about halfway through and I interrupt him.

Me - Well, first of all - how cheap was corn back then? 8 ears for a buck! I bet you can't get 4 ears for two bucks these days.

He reaches the end and I say: Man, I was so funny back then. You could totally bitch about people. Now you have to be conscious of how people are having hard times. You don't want to look like an asshole. And it turns out that despite that, people just suck anyway.

Him - See - people person.

2011-11-22T16:16:00.001-08:00

There is nothing that makes me so aware how much I hate women like the holidays.

That is a lot of percent.

2011-11-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

Clearly this is that evil China's fault! Ditching sub par panels at discounted prices.

Oh wait - these are Chinese companies? You mean, they aren't going to be our whipping boy anymore? Or conversely, no chants of China, please save us! These panels will reach parity. But only briefly as overcapacity is flooded out. And right before most of these companies go bankrupt.

If China, who can build anything the fuck they want because they don't have an EPA, can't make this work. What hope do any of us have?

LDK Solar swings to loss on 30% lower sales.

JA Solar swings to loss on 32% lower revenue.

Commies suck.

2011-11-21T13:37:00.001-08:00

Since I was in the city on Saturday I finally made it out to OWSSF. I know there is nothing left to talk about when it comes to this group. Communist sympathisers lathering up the useful idiots. Still, they remain.

It's probably because there was a news truck that looked to be permanently parked at the camp to catch every hyperventilating moment. I don't remember that at any of the Tea Party protests. I went to quite a lot of them, and never saw the news there. Whatever.

Immediately upon exiting BART we developed a "minder". Which was appropriate I think - because within a minute of us getting to the camp, they started off on a march. Mr S. went to the front, I fell to the back. When we came back together he said "Did you see what it said on that Che' banner"? It caught my eye too. I mean, all these protests are basically whipped up by international answer, or the pslweb. However, even my mouth dropped when I saw what it read.

Defend Cuba. Where the 99% rule.

I was only able to get it from the back, so you have to read backwards. My shots are not great, because I didn't expect there to be a march and I was totally unprepared.

It does explain the liberal use of minders though. It seems like all the camps have them. I mean, every socialist society needs them. The government can't be everywhere after all.

Idiots.

Mr S. did like the Portal call back.

Worst auto show evar.

2011-11-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was up at the San Fransisco Auto show. Honestly, I don't even know why they call it that anymore. While technically all the cars there were autos, probably half were plug ins. And so frickin tiny. That tiny new Fiat. I don't know where you put any of your crap. There is like one foot of space behind the front seats. And honestly all the small cars are that way now. If you want a small car I don't know why you don't buy a Mini Cooper. They are small and at least have some room inside.

Last year we at least got a concept corvette. They did have the Mcclaren this year. But they had all the doors open making it a shitty shot. They had a Fisker. And for the life of me I've never seen one of them with the doors open. I'm curious what that whole wood drama is about. If you need a picture of that, I will search my archives. I already shot it in Monterrey two years ago. Before they went douchey. But I've never seen the inside.

This is the bullshit they fed us for exotics.

Which made me want to kill myself. Really? All red. Exxxccciting.

They did have one of those cars with the pocket doors. Until this year I never knew they existed.

Even though the show sucked, I'm glad I went because it was interesting who was not there. No little tiny Smart Cars. No Tesla. I wanted to see that 17inch screen they are going to have in the sedan. I mean, I can't even get my cell phone to stay charged for two days. But Tesla is going to have a giant 17 in screen in their cars. No Cube, I believe. I didn't see one there.

This show sucked so hard that Toyota was giving out paper clips as swag for audience participation. And the audience didn't even really want them. They had to keep dumbing down the questions. I'm totally serious. If I feel like it, I'll offload the video.

Seen.

2011-11-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Fall.

2011-11-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

The fall colors are pretty awesome this year. Rain hasn't dropped the leaves yet, and it's been pretty cold at night. You can probably find your pick of scarlet covered tree pictures - but this is how we do it in my town.

Food stamp inflation.

2011-11-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

"CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Food stamp use continued to rise in the U.S last year, with almost 12% of all households receiving some form of the assistance, the Census Bureau said Thursday. In 2010, 13.6 million households reported receiving food stamps, a 16% increase over the previous year. The state with the highest percentage was Oregon at 17.9%. Other states near the top of the list include Tennessee and Michigan. Among those with the lowest level of food stamp use were California, New Jersey, and Wyoming. Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 45 reported increases while only one - Louisiana - posted a decrease. Nevada, Idaho and Rhode Island had the fastest rates of growth in food stamp use."

I almost didn't blog about this, because well, at this point I think this food stamp number is a bit of a sham. It does get most of us who care about this topic to clench up in a visceral reaction.

Also, I was surprised California wasn't at the top of the list. Oregon was. So I basically shrugged and moved on.

Still it has been nagging at me. The government of course believes with all it's heart, that food stamps are a form of economic stimulus. How much stimulus is up to interpretation.

In 2008, Mark Zandy of Moody's, said for every dollar the economy would see a return of $1.64. Here.

Two years later, the number returned to the economy is $1.84. Here.

This site claims that for every 5 bucks spent on food stamps, two times that will be returned in economic activity. Here.

And poor Oregon! Did you see how many people were on food stamps? At the top. What a shit hole that place is. 17.9%. That has got to make you feel really bad. Right? Well don't.

Oregon actually just got a 5 million dollar bonus because they rock so hard at signing people up for food stamps. No shit!

"In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls." Here.

The article goes on to say:

"This week Oregon officials bragged that the USDA has given the state $5 million in “performance bonuses” for ensuring that people eligible for food benefits receive them and for its “swift processing of applications.” The money comes on the heels of a separate $1.5 million award from the feds for making “accurate payments of food stamp benefits to clients.” So welfare recipients are clients?"

I wonder how many Oregonians there are in the Occupy movement. Because honestly - I haven't seen so many beards since the 70's.

Not political favoritism. Just idiots.

2011-11-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

As some of you know - Steven Chu is not one of my favorite people. If anyone deserves to be thrown under the bus - it is this guy. As I've outlined here, he was on the board of directors of a semiconductor company. A sector of the economy that operates on razor thin margins and has to spin on a dime to compete with changing market forces.

Having said that - I don't believe political influence had much, if anything, to do with Solyndra. And I will tell you why.

Everyone in Silicon Valley bet on Solar. Everyone. It is a viable technology. Expensive as it may be. Just wildly overpriced for the benefit it provides.

Even I had become complacent of the relationship between government and tech companies. Many companies probably would not exist if it weren't for the government buying goods or services. Like Irobot for example. However, somewhere we went from buying goods and services - to just trying to create a whole industry. Shoving money out the door hand over fist to everyone imaginable.

Political influence is awesome. It's also really awesome to send money back to your homeys in the form of extra business. Steven Chu is just not savvy enough to be a political insider. If you look at his background, you can see that he is bathed in the misguided, pervasive, Berkeley douchebaggery/ideology of Eco-Capitalism. Well before he even met President Money Bags.

He just got lucky and fell into a match made in heaven with PMB. And it all would have worked - if it weren't for the recession. They could have hidden the ramifications of market forces that didn't agree with their delusions of grandeur.

Sadly, the only way we get to see how much money was being shoved out, is by the wreckage of the industry collapsing. You aren't going to track every company that has a stake in solar. But when they start failing or taking losses - that is really easy to track.

Take for example Applied Materials stunner of a presser today.

Applied Materials suffering from steep decline in orders and revenue from solar sector

"After a record revenue financial year, Applied Materials is experiencing a significant reduction in equipment orders and revenue from PV manufacturing customers. Though cancellations were minimal, backlog decreased by 26% to US$2.4 billion, of which 14% is within its EES division, which includes PV equipment. Management expects PV related global CapEx to at fall by at least 50% in 2012 as manufacturers combat massive overcapacity and focus on cell efficiency improvements and technology buys"

Analyst: bills rising due to overpriced renewables

"SAN FRANCISCO—Dozens of renewable energy plants being built to meet California's tough global warming laws, including a major Spanish-owned solar plant in the Mojave Desert, are so overpriced they will increase consumers' energy bills for decades, according to the independent watchdog arm of the state's utility regulator. "

The article goes on to say:

"Earlier this year, the watchdog unit estimated that 59 percent of the renewable energy contracts that the commission approved in recent years were above market value, according to the commission's own pricing benchmark for when the contracts were signed. The contracts involved a variety of utilities and developers."

This is what happens when the government circumvents market feedback. And anyone that even bothered to look would have seen this. But they just didn't want to because of their ideology.

Did you know a lot of these large companies that have solar installations on the top of their roofs can't even sell power back to the grid? I was taking to someone I've known for a long time who is a buyer at Costco in my city. They have 10% overcapacity at night. They can't sell any of it back to the grid.

Rather than adopt a conspiracy theory, I am guessing there is actually a logical explanation. Probably load capabilities. But still! Every single school I hear talk about these solar installations boasts about selling power back to the grid. Yet, it sounds like most large companies are not able to.

It makes no difference because as you can see, day after day, more and more companies show the strain of the government not shoveling boatloads of cash at them.

LDK Solar trims earnings outlook as prices fall.

Jinkosolar cuts year revenue and shipment estimate.

Day4 Energy’s CEO quits, 28 laid off.

Varnish is not your bitch.

2011-11-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

It doesn't care what your problems are. Varnish makes everything in the world slow down. Because if you don't - you are gonna pay.

Because I was too ADD, tired, or ADD - my lid added four days to my project. But I finally got the girl moved in today. To an astonishingly large place. She is little and her litter box is little.

But tunnels help make the space look smaller.

I'm sure today, the still unnamed bunny, couldn't believe life could get any better. I'm pretty sure she's thinking "ya know, I never realised it, but my old life sucked".

You can see she is already getting aquainted with the enforcer. (The squirt bottle) Babies have to test their teeth on everything.

Temporary lumber store junkie.

2011-11-15T14:32:00.001-08:00

Depending on the day, and how well my project is going - I think I'm going to be a woodworker. On days when my project isn't going well, I think - who's crazy idea was this. But you have to understand - I have access to these new exotic woods. It makes me want to build something out of them. Maybe not something so artful as shoes made from Purple Heart wood. Like the FullerCraft Museum. OMG I wonder how long that took.

This is that wood that I talked about a few weeks ago that is super heavy. Which is odd, because it is known to have large voids in the middle that make some lumber yards sell this stuff by the pound, and you get to find out the nasty news later that the inside might be nothing but a void. Here.

How to live lavishly.....

2011-11-14T11:31:00.001-08:00

If you are a bunny.

One of the things that has taken up a lot of my time this month has been redoing the cages. These do sit in my living room after all.

I wanted to stick a lacquer coat on, because these sit in my living room. I wanted them to look more like furniture. Also, babies are well.... babies. All teeth and digging. And babies have to be taught not to do that with a squirt bottle. A time honored method of discipline. So these are going to get wet, a lot, for a few years.

The thing with lacquer though, is that bunnies can't eat it. So I had to spend a lot of time making sure anything that bunnies could get their teeth on - didn't have any lacquer.

The lid lacquer has been causing me problems. So, I don't even have the new bunny's level done yet. She is hanging out in a carrier learning to love her litter box.

Murple in the house.

2011-11-13T16:07:00.001-08:00

Today we were finally able to get our velveteen lop. I will probably have a pocket of rabbit stuff this week. Now that the whole thing is over. It's almost been all encompassing.

I didn't make any of the protests. I even scratched a car show today.

She does not have a name. And who knows when a name will come. Mr S. has been living out his boyhood naming conventions of old lady names. Or old poodle names. He wasn't able to have pets as a kid. So I've been scratching a lot of names like ClaraBell, Snickerdoodle, or Sugar.

I'm serious - every name out of him is a pet his grandmother could have owned. I of course want to name them stripper names.

The bunny is amazingly laid back. She traveled the hour drive mostly on her side. If they are stressed they will slipper up.

I've been joking we should just name her lotto. She went from living outside, barn style. To a brand new inside place with big screen TV. Carpeted floors and bottled water.

Yes. I give my rabbits bottled water. Whatdoya want to say about it?

We are calling her color Murple. Mmmmmm. Not quite brown, not quite grey. Sometimes she looks a little purple.

Island of misfit biscuits.

2011-11-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Someone watches South Park. Seen at my local feed store.

The sun is already down.

2011-11-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Second update: Wow... I guess all these companies will go into "temporary inventory control" before they go belly up. No doubt hoping for more government money. I mean, how can you afford to keep plants idled? Oh.... right.

Updated:

It's hard to believe that Solyndra only went bankrupt a little over two months ago. Which makes it notable what has happened in to solar sector over that time. Solyndra was only a bad apple with bad management. Remember?

Photowatt files for bankruptcy. Here.

Sunpower announces a huge loss, restructuring, and layoffs. Here.

Beacon Power announces bankruptcy. Here.

Energy Conversion Devices to lay off 400. Here. Scratch that. Halts production. Here.

United Solar Ovonic announces a layoff. Here. Scratch that. Suspends all plant operations. Claims they will reopen next year. Here. One plant has only been open 5 months. Here.

Canadian Solar Solutions has a layoff. Here.

Stirling Energy files for bankruptcy. Here.

All these in the time it's been since Solyndra fell out.

Add Vestas Wind Systems. Here. Says sales for these companies will fall of a cliff if government help not extended. Here.

They are a lot of work.

2011-11-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

This week I'm redoing the condos for the bunnies. I thought I'd have them moved in today so I could post pictures. But I couldn't find my sheers for the longest time and it really set me back.

That is all.

Not the only one.

2011-11-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmm.

2011-11-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hurp.

2011-11-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

You can stick your pink gun in here, and your glittery pink taser. Barbi dream house stuff goes on the bottom. You can put your pink scrunchies in the top. I don't know why they didn't just stick a mirror on the top lid. So when you open it, you could check your make-up.

Honestly, I don't know why men think that when women want to play with tools - it has to be pink to attract us. Mostly it would just be nice if it fit our bodies better. We don't have man hands.

Also, I think I can tell how much I'm going to like a girl my how much she likes pink. Way into pink, is a huge problem.

Different topic. Why does Bed Bath and Beyond have 13 isles of toiletries? What did they get rid of that they thought shampoo would improve their bottom line?

2011-11-04T14:36:00.001-07:00

I'm trying really hard to find you interesting content. November and December are pretty dry months. January starts things off with the Consumer Electronics show in Vegas. Where I'm sure it will be packed with cell phones that you can put under water. I mean, I think 3D TV's are pretty tapped out. Then car shows, and everything else.

It doesn't mean I won't have anything, I just don't have anything great, right now. Life is random though, and every time I tell people that my blog will suck - something interesting always pops up.

Stripper names are back on.

2011-11-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

It been a really hectic day. More later. But this is our newest candidate.

Made from the tears of baby seals.

2011-10-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

I forgot to get candy this weekend, so I ran out this morning. Sifting through the dregs I spotted a whole shelf of this.

The name, of course, caught my attention - but the price made me laugh. It is more than 2x's what all the other candy costs. I loves me some dark chocolate - but shit. For the price, this should be infused with white rhino horns.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

There were not many great houses this year. Maybe because Halloween falls on a Monday. I didn't even get any pumpkins out this year. I couldn't come up with any good ideas after Zombie pumkins. Mr S's south park pumpkins. Evil pumpkin snowman has been a hit. Seems like everone is hitting this link.

The angry birds house was at least a little interesting.

I would have had better content for you... but -

2011-10-29T15:54:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago when Mr S. and I decided we wanted to replace Paisley with another velveteen lop, we didn't know how much of hassle this would be. We see them from time to time. We didn't think it would be a big deal. However breeders are actually quite fashionable when it comes to breeds. And this breed is not in fashion right now.

It's actually a little worse than that. A velveteen rabbit is a rabbit crossed from and English Lop and a Rex. You get something that looks like an English Lop without the ridiculous ears. It is a recognised breed, but not a registered breed. And with no prizes, no real traction in the breed. As I've found out, if you enter a breed and you fail, you have to wait three years to re-enter. If you happen to get accepted, you have to have two successive litters to make sure the breed stays true to the form.

So, what I'm saying is... it takes a shitload of time.

As we've found out, there might possibly be only a handful of breeders in California. And, it seems that the breed has really small litters. Making them even harder to find.

It took us all week, but we finally found a doe an hour north of L.A. We arrange to hook up. I was going to do L.A. in a day. Drive down and back.

Last night as we were getting in bed at 9, because it was going to be along day - the breeder texts us. The litter mate was sneezing and had discharge.

Now, the thing about rabbits is they have all sorts of bacteria inside them. Most can live very healthy lives with it. However, most of these bacteria and protozoa are ticking time bombs. Just waiting for the right trigger. And you never know what the trigger is going to be.

L.A. breeder knew her sneezing litter mate probably had pasteurella. Which is one of the more frustrating bacteria. It usually attacks the inner ear. Giving them head tilt. Or sometimes they will completely loose control and roll over and over and over. You can't do anything but put them down. Sometimes it can be managed with antibiotics - if you catch it really early. Still we haven't found those with it don't live extraordinarily long lives. If that is what the litter mate has, the other one is also quite likely infected.

So, now we are back on the hunt.

Why even bother with this breed you ask? It's one of the few breeds that have only one set of hairs. Most rabbits have regular hair, and guard hairs. These breeds shed like crazy. Since these are indoor bunnies, the reduced shedding is a huge deal. They also have a lot of funny quirks I'll probably explain later.

Why your OWS protestors are shitting on sidewalks.

2011-10-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Early in my career I worked at a company that sits where Google sits now. It is right next to the Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheater.

A few times a year the Grateful Dead would come en mass with their posse of smelly hippies with drum circles and tie die clothing. The only thing interesting about this story is they used to bathe in the company fountains. Oh, there was a park right next to the amphitheater. But I guess the fountains were cleaner.

At any rate - Jerry Garcia died, and the deadheads became fractured. They morphed into this group called the Rainbow Family. I hadn't actually heard about them in a great many years. I probably stopped paying attention.

About a week ago though I started seeing some of the #OWS protesters and it really reminded my of the rainbow family. It was probably when the protesters started looking more like campers and less like anarchists.

So this morning I plugged OWS and rainbow family into google, and what should pop up? A confirmation that a lot of these protesters are basically the children of dead heads. Ie, the rainbow family. RF FB page. And Here.

These are probably the people shitting on the sidewalk. They actually have quite a history with the forest service - where they hold gatherings on public forest lands. Refuse to get permits, clean up after themselves, and generally cause destruction. These gatherings are like small cities.

So, we've got socialists, dead heads, and anarchists. The rainbow family will be hardest to get rid of. They have a deep seated network of people who will funnel giving cash to them. And they will never leave if you feed them.

Pictures I should have posted.

2011-10-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

Almost Miz Minka....almost.

2011-10-26T10:53:00.001-07:00

When I was inland this weekend, I got to meet one of my long time readers. She came bearing jam, I came bearing burgers you should only eat if you are into heart bypass. It's the kind of girl I am.

I was so excited about her present, I completely disregarded the name grapefruit on the label. Right next to the word marmalade.

On Sunday I couldn't wait to get to breakfast to try it. By this time I'd figured it out. No matter. And it would have worked out perfectly if grapefruit wasn't such a nag.

The first half of your brain says - Oh! this tastes really close to marmalade. Then the grapefruit kicks you and says - No! I'm GRAPEFRUIT. If it weren't for that grapefruit kick at the end, it would have all worked for me.

So....this is my proposal. Blood orange marmalade. Not as sweet as orange marmalade, and my neighbor has a tree full of them she is always trying to pawn off on me.

Behind on everything.

2011-10-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I visited my saved bunny even though he wasn't ready yet. I was trying to find out what his affection level was going to be. As I was trying to coax kisses out of him I noticed he had a slight under bite.

Under bites are a huge problem. It means there is a very good chance it will grow up with a malocclusion. His teeth wont wear on their own. I will have to trim them.

Everyone will tell you that isn't that big of a deal. It's totally a huge deal. Once you get past the lips and tongue, and get ready to cut - up will pop a skin fold. On both sides which move independently. It's like playing mouth twister. If you had to do this a couple of times you could work through it. Over the lifetime of a rabbit it's a pain in the ass. Especially in the advanced years.

We never fell in love with any of the bunnies there. Which is why I was back on Sunday.

Yesterday, Mr S. and I decided what we really wanted was another velveteen without knowing the other had. He'd apparently been searching for a breeders all day. As had I. When we met up, we were both like - I really want a velveteen!

Apparently, this is a pretty hard breed to find here right now.

I didn't think it was a common breed, but I didn't think we would need to scrub the whole California breeder list to find any.

Right now it looks like we could be going on some very long road trips. Near LA, or inland near Yosemite.

I wish my girlfriend was this dirty.

2011-10-23T17:56:00.001-07:00

Dear Banks.....

2011-10-20T12:19:00.001-07:00

It is none of your business what I do with my effing money. Quit asking me.

In the past month I have had two really intrusive experiences with banks. Since I got one of those famous letters from my bank I wound up in a branch today. She pulls up my account and immediately asks what I'm going to do with the money. Are you going to invest it, or take a vacation - she asks.

This was surprising since I don't have that much money in there. Bill paying money.

I was already raw about having this experience a month ago when I was trying to take money out of another bank. Your reluctance to answer only made them probe harder.

Mr S. got kinda shitty with the representative. I was listening to him on the phone when he popped up with - yes, I do mind you asking. I mean, that is how hard they were probing. It really pissed both of us off. I don't need to tell you why I am taking money out of my account. It wasn't even that much money. Which is why it was so odd.

My thought was - when did they start grilling you to take money out of your account?

So today when the representative asked the same question my mouth dropped, and I was trying to gauge my response. Because I really felt the same way. It's my money - I don't need to give you a reason for anything. I wasn't even taking money out. Yet I'm polite, so I'm not going to say it's none of your fucking business. This woman stopped just shy of that. She probably tried eight ways to get me to tell her what I was going to do with it.

It isn't that they ask. Banks are built to get more business. It's just that if you don't want to answer they double down and probe harder. That is irritating.

2011-10-18T15:32:00.001-07:00

I've been wondering how all the bums in my burb wound up with bikes this year. Just passed a foreclosure with it's contents on the lawn. Homeless hovering like flies.