tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58867922024-03-27T22:32:10.175-05:00The Window Manager<b>Window Manager - An Executive Who has Nothing to do but Look out the Window</b>
<br>(aka "whatever")
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.comBlogger703125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-44639678016017398812024-03-27T19:33:00.000-05:002024-03-27T19:33:03.478-05:00WTH is TAM, SAM, SOM?<p>This is a re-post from waaay back in 2005, which was my most popular post ever. Google search picked up on it, and I would get occasional emails from students asking more questions.</p><p> So posted here again, although my guess with almost 20 years more information on the web there are a lot of other places to find this info, so doubt it will get traffic today.<br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Porter" target="_blank">Professor Michael Porter</a> is still alive today at 77.<br /></p><p>--------------------------</p><p>From the mailbag: <i>Would you recommend a good book or two on the TAM/SAM/SOM/3C business planning process?</i><br /><br />People
make fun of scientists and engineers with their use of acronyms, but
marketing has plenty of its own, and someone not in marketing may wonder
what the hell they mean.<br /><br />To answer the question, most marketing
books today typically try to push a "new" concept - guerilla marketing,
viral marketing, etc. - rather than this basic stuff, so I'll give a
quick run down on these items using some real-world examples before
getting to a recommendation.<br /></p><blockquote><b>Scenario</b> - You market a widget for the cellphone camera market. Your widget is only used in phones that have cameras embedded in them.<br /><br /><b>TAM</b> - Total Available Market - In this example this would be the total cellphone market.<br /><br /><b>SAM</b> - Served Available Market - This would be cellphones with cameras since your product is only used in them.</blockquote><br />So
the first question, is why distinguish between TAM and SAM, especially
since you don't even sell into phones without cameras? The answer is
that one way to grow your revenue without increasing market share is to
grow the number of cellphones with cameras (or the penetration rate). So
the SAM/TAM designation is used to distinguish between actually growing
your market share versus just growing your volume. It also allows you
to look at strategies on how to push penetration for your served segment
instead of just market penetration if you happen to be in a market
where SAM penetration is stuck. This chart shows the TAM/SAM breakdown
for cellphone cameras:<br /><br /><center><br /><img src="http://windowmanager.blogspot.com/cellcam.jpg" /><br /></center><br />Obviously there are plenty of markets where the TAM and SAM are the same.<br /><br /><blockquote><b>SOM</b>
- Share of Market - this is just the market share you have in your SAM,
or in this case your total volume versus the total SAM volume. As noted
above, by comparing your SOM to both your SAM and your TAM, you can get
a feel if you are really growing market share, or just increasing
volume along with the total market growth.</blockquote><br />Okay so far? Next we get to the 3Cs. Everyone knows the 3Rs, but what are the 3Cs of Marketing? <i>Customers, Company, and Competition</i>.
The idea is that when doing business planning you have to do an
analysis and get an understanding of these items when creating a
business plan. So in our case you would do an analysis of customers
Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, etc. Look at what your competition has on the
market, what their roadmaps are, and also understand what your company's
products and roadmaps are and how they compare and serve the market. In
doing this analysis you would probably do the 4Ps: Product, Pricing,
Placement and Promotion.<br /><br />When I do business planning, however, I like the model presented by <a href="http://dor.hbs.edu/fi_redirect.jhtml?facInfo=bio&facEmId=mporter&loc=extn">Michael Porter</a> in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684841460/qid=1115993586/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-2325120-9033449?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Competitive Advantage</a>.
This is a pretty hefty read, and a little dated now, but the model
itself is timeless and what I use for business analysis. It expands on
the 3C concept to understand an industry through its entire value chain:<br /><center><br /><img src="http://windowmanager.blogspot.com/porter2.jpg" /><br /></center><br />The
thing Porter points out with this model is that just understanding your
competitors, customers and company is not enough. For example, can a
supplier forward integrate into your market and become a competitor?
Can a customer backward integrate and become a competitor? New entrants
and substitutions are always a threat. And regulations by the
government should always be considered since they can break - or create -
entire markets on their own (v-chip makers owe their whole product
line's existence to a government regulation).<br /><br />Porter has some
more recent books on this topic, and his model has been picked up by
plenty of others, so I would suggest a look along this line of thought
for anyone doing business analysis or planning.The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-55221987514916250102024-03-23T15:15:00.006-05:002024-03-23T15:17:23.251-05:00Will AI Come for Your Job?<p>At my age I have lived through a lot of hype cycles. Everything from "cold fusion", to more than a couple of "room temperature superconductors", to the early days of the internet, and a lot of other magic technologies that were going to Change Everything. <br /></p><p>Now the internet did have a huge impact on everything from business to society, but not in the way anyone forecasted. And it took over a decade for things to really materialize. And along the way the companies that were supposed to create big change (pets.com?) are long gone and the companies that had seemingly insurmountable leads gave way to newcomers (Yahoo, Mosaic and a ton of other early pioneers made way for later upstart Google).</p><p>The latest hype of course is AI. While I think it represents a significant change, I think the hype about it is way overdone. Companies and stock traders are whipping up a frenzy to make gobs of money while any real changes will be years away (like the early internet). I also think that what AI can do is rather limited. Like everyone else I tried Chat GPT when it first came out and after a couple of hours of playing with it I was underwhelmed. It gave incorrect answers to several queries and its default writing style comes off like a boot-licking toady due to the woke programming.</p><p>Perhaps I am too old to be impressed by AI as I actually store knowledge in my brain rather than rely on the internet. So the fear about AI is probably true for younger generations who don't know anything, can't do critical thinking, and coasted through college while getting a Gender Studies degree.</p><p>A post over at <a href="https://mishtalk.com/economics/are-we-entering-the-ai-cognitive-revolution/#comments" target="_blank">Mish discussed a WSJ article if we are entering the "Cognitive Revolution"</a>, where someone tested if they could be replaced by an AI. Here is my comment at Mish about the article and concept:</p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i>If your job can be replaced with AI then you have a rote
data collection/data spewing job that does not create new information,
advancements, or include any true creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Now this does include a very large number of people holding
down seats in cube farms, call centers and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus anything that is cookie cutter/rules
based output like basic wills, tax forms and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>So if your answer is "yes AI can replace my job",
then maybe you are good at memorization, data management and outputting that
info, but not really with original creative thinking, interpersonal
interaction, or a dozen other human talents I could list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are worried about AI, then develop
your skills where AI cannot.</i></p></blockquote><p>I am not worried about AI replacing my job, and I don't use AI to help me because, quite frankly, I can write and find information better than it can. But I do agree that it is better than most of the graduates the US school system is putting out these days.<br /></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-4157577852565839942024-03-21T15:50:00.004-05:002024-03-21T15:51:42.086-05:00Thinking More About Social Security<p>When I was 30 I didn't think much about Social Security (SS) except that I assumed that it would not be there when I retired. So I started saving for retirement as if SS would not be there, or that the government would start means testing and deny benefits to anyone who had even a modicum of assets.</p><p>Over two decades later I can see the retirement light at the end of the work tunnel, and I find I want my #)($*%# Social Security money! Yeah, I planned ahead and I could live without it fine, but I've paid a lot into it for over three decades and I want back what was taken from me. I am also tired of the free loaders who either never put in or took out a lot more than they put in, so I think it just fair that I at least get back what was stripped out of my paycheck for my entire career, plus interest.<br /></p><p>But at this point I am actually not afraid of it not being there or being denied. SS is too politically loaded for "major" changes for people already in or near retirement. There would be old people riots and all sorts of politicians losing their jobs. As usual the democrats are pulling out the scare tactics in an election year, but no one with any common sense believes there will be major changes.</p><p><a href="https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=31748" target="_blank">Zman commented a bit on SS today</a>, more about how Republicans basically allow themselves to be beat upside the head on this topic. When democrats say the other side is going to "eliminate SS!", the Republicans don't say "LIAR!". They say "well, you do know that the trust fund does need some minor changes to help solvency <i>blah blah blah for ten minutes</i>". Retirees and near-retirees don't want nuance and statistics, the want assurances that they will keep getting their money, even if younger generations have to be screwed.</p><p>Which was my point in the comment section. SS will be forced into some changes within ten years. What will happen is that anyone over 40 won't see any changes, but anyone younger than that will have a year or so added for "full retirement", then there will be a bump in social security withholding. Note that the max income they take SS goes up every year WAY over the inflation rate, so a SS tax increase is already baked in to income, they will just raise how much it is.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>I agree with the lunacy of even bringing this (SS) up in an election year
as the discussion is nuanced. But <a href="https://money.com/social-security-benefits-cut-2033/" target="_blank">SS will have automatic cuts in benefits starting about 2033</a>. It’s written into law. And apparently this
is not hand wringing BS, it’s going to happen if not addressed </i>
</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>Like my own SS benefits way back when, the typical answer is to raise
the age for full benefits for people under 30 by a little and raise the
withholding tax a bit. This of course makes everyone on or near SS
feel no pain and puts the problem on the young. It’s the baby boomer
solution to everything and what will happen.</i></p><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">
</div><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i> But there is time to do this after the election and have it done in
the back room. Or kick the can to 2030 when cuts are imminent and
everyone panics.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">The general response to my comment is that nothing will happen until midnight before the automatic SS cuts start in 2033, so in a bit less than 10 years. I will be eligible to take SS then but probably not taking it yet as each year you wait, the greater the monthly payout.<br /></p>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-15493091945309655722024-03-19T15:01:00.001-05:002024-03-21T15:51:50.021-05:00Avoid Target Date Funds<p>I'm a conservative investor, coming out on the side of "wealth preservation" versus "gambling". But I was pretty lucky when I read an article and decided that "Indexing" was for me, plowing the vast majority of my equity investments into Index funds over 20 years ago. It has been a great wealth builder, but whether this was because of John Boggle, who came with the concept of Indexing at Vanguard, or because everyone else on the planet piled into them over the past two decades is up for debate.</p><p>One investment where I wasn't so lucky was my kid's 529 college fund. It didn't offer much except Target Date funds. For those of you not familiar with the concept these are funds that invest in a mix of stocks and bond FUNDS with a target date in mind (for 529 the date they would start college, for retirement funds the year you retire). The further out the target, the more stocks funds it holds to capture a higher risk/reward over time, the closer in the date the more bond MUTUAL FUNDS it holds.</p><p>And the "MUTUAL FUNDS" part of the bond investment is the main problem with these instruments. Bond funds are risky! I lost $10,000 in one week in a "safe" US bond fund when the Fed raised interest rates. Sure, people made a ton when they lowered them due to ZIRP (Zero Interest Rate Policy), but bond funds have duration risk, which means that they will move up and down with more sensitivity the longer out the bond (or group of bonds) mature.</p><p>This is a long way to say that my kid's 529 invested over 18 years in a Target Date fund was a lousy investment due to duration risk. It basically was invested in stocks when they went down, then investment into bounds right before interest rates went up since it was on autopilot. That is not to say it appreciated some, but it could have done a lot better either actively managed, or if it had held <i>bonds to maturity</i>, not "bond funds".</p><p>Holding individual bonds - never bond funds - is now what I do with my personal assets. Lesson learned.</p><p>My personal experience is reflected in <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/target-date-funds-bonds-fd29f282?st=g9q1rnzx3k9vgjz" target="_blank">a recent Barron's article</a>, which had me nodding the entire time. It is behind a paywall, but basically restates my folksy experience in a more professional manner.</p><blockquote><p><i>Some say that many target-date funds are too heavily invested in a slice
of the fixed-income market—investment-grade bonds—and that can leave
portfolios overexposed to U.S. interest rates. They say investors could
get higher returns over time and less volatility during periods of
rising rates by owning a broader mix of fixed-income assets...or being actively managed.<br /></i></p></blockquote><br />The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-49384542171947554562024-03-17T10:00:00.001-05:002024-03-17T10:00:00.164-05:00Comission Changes in the Real Estate Market<p>Like most people I have a love-hate relationship with realtors. I know a few personally, including family members who dabble, but my experience with realtors has been mostly negative because they either sucked or worked against my interests (realtors I knew always worked outside the state or region where I was buying so could never use a friend or relative).<br /></p><p>That main problem with realtors - working against my interests - was when I was on the buying side because when you buy a house, you are not the client! The realtor is being paid by the seller as a percentage of the sales price, so the realtor's interest is not aligned to the buyer, but to the seller with the highest priced house with the highest commission. A realtor would rather put you in a $1M house with a 3% sellers commission, and not even show you the $800K one offering 2% to the selling agent.<br /></p><p>This dynamic played out in my current home, which I found had all sorts of issues after I moved in. The inspection report, from an inspector recommended by "my" agent, had outright lies, and my theory is the two agents paid off the inspector to give the house a clean bill of health so they would each collect their 3% from the seller. By the time I figured this out the inspector had shut down his business, so I couldn't go after him, and the hassle of a lawsuit against the realtors or sellers was not worth it as it would take a lot of money and take a couple of years. I ended up having to do a lot of work and spend a lot of money to fix problems that should have been called out in the inspection report. <br /></p><p>So besides declaring to never again trust a realtor to use "<i>an inspector I've known for years who is great!</i>", the other thing I decided that moving forward I would find a "buyers agent" that I would hire, and get out of the situation of the seller paying "my" realtor. That way the person helping me with the house would be aligned to me, then I would find my own inspectors and any other third parties related to the sale. But that model was actually hard to set up, until now.</p><p>Thanks to a settled lawsuit, <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/what-to-know-about-new-rules-governing-home-sales/ar-BB1jXZy8" target="_blank">my preferred model is what the real estate industry will start moving towards this summer</a>:</p><blockquote><p data-t="{"n":"blueLinks"}"><i>Under the current
rules, buyers typically don’t pay their own agents out of pocket. Going
forward under the new system, buyers might have to foot the bill if they
want an agent to represent them.</i></p><i>Starting
in the summer, the new rules will require most home buyers to sign
agreements detailing how much their agents will be paid for their
services. If home sellers are unwilling to cover the cost of the buyer’s
agent, these agreements would likely require the buyer to pay the agent
directly.</i></blockquote><p>The counter-arguments that buyers have to come out of pocket or can't roll the fees into the house financing run into the saying used for social media: <i><b>if a service is "free" you are the product!</b></i> Basically the real estate industry has been ripping off buyers for years by aligning agents to only the sell-side of the street, so this this settlement is a welcome change to the industry dynamics, and look forward to using for my next real estate transaction.<br /></p><p><br /></p>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-4362889725387481222024-03-16T09:00:00.008-05:002024-03-16T13:17:49.527-05:00My Reverse Bucket List<p>I was already using the term "Reverse Bucket List" before a saw an article of the same name making the rounds (now can't find the link). In this article the term meant something you wouldn't do again, but in my case it is a list of places I hope to die before ever having to go to:</p><p>1. Anywhere in Africa (before killing tourists became popular I would have seen Egypt).<br />
<br />
2. India. I guy I knew had to go to India on a technical project and brought a giant jar of peanut butter and box of crackers, and ate only that for three days. He was okay and everyone else got violently ill. And ask anyone who has been there about all the beggars.<br />
<br />3. China again. The one exception to the list where I have been a few times, and outside the major cities it's $&%-hole.<br />
<br />
4. New Jersey<br />
<br />
As for things I would still like to see, I can't say I have an official bucket list. I have been to a couple dozen countries, and have seen and done amazing things. There is nothing left where I am thinking "I gotta do THAT". But things that might interest me would be like a reboot of the show Booze Traveler:<br />
<br />
1. Port tasting in Portugal<br />
<br />
2. Scotch tasting in Scotland<br />
<br />
3. Vodka tasting in Russia - I would like to see the Kremlin and St. Petersburg, but don't think tourism will open back up there for another decade or two, so a question of when Russian tourism will return versus my longevity.<br /></p>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-51297821384312133622024-03-15T18:31:00.004-05:002024-03-16T12:54:29.020-05:00Short Term T-Bills As a Good Investment<p><a href="https://wolfstreet.com/2024/03/15/short-term-treasury-market-walks-away-from-rate-cut-mania-inflation-has-the-upper-hand/" target="_blank">Wolfstreet confirms my investment strategy for the last six months of parking lots of cash into short term treasuries (T-Bills)</a>, or money markets that hold them and pay about the same.</p><p>I never bought into inflation coming down (I can see it with my own eyes), nor the Fed lowering interest rates multiple times this year (not for economic reasons anyway, politically they will be pressured to do one in an election year). So I have lots of money in a ladder at 5.1-5.3% where one matures every month, which I just put it back into another T-Bill earning 5.1% or better. Note I am in a high tax state so it would take a CD earning 5.5% or better to match a T-Bill.<br /></p><p>The risk here is if I get caught with lowering interest rates then end up having to re-invest at a lower rate than if I had locked in a longer duration. I am betting my own money that inflation isn't going anywhere and rates are not coming down.</p><p><a href="https://wolfstreet.com/2024/03/15/short-term-treasury-market-walks-away-from-rate-cut-mania-inflation-has-the-upper-hand/#comment-576638">My run-on sentence comment there</a>:</p><blockquote><p><i>I’ve been keeping a large pile in short terms and money markets that buy
them since I never bought into the rate cut mania. I’ll make 5+ risk
free all this year, just a question on when I lengthen duration, but
won’t buy anything less than 5%, which I expect to happen further out
the yield curve since inflation isn’t cooling and government spending
keeps going through the roof.</i></p></blockquote>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-1267090966374318692024-03-11T09:00:00.005-05:002024-03-16T13:22:26.896-05:00So What Do I Do With My Old Blog?<p>Way back in 2003 I was working at a job with nothing to do (hence the term "Window Manager", from a Japanese phrase) and I was bored out of my mind. Blogging was a New Thing 21 years ago, and I spent a lot of my spare time wandering around the Blogosphere.</p><p>One day I decided "I can do that!" and <a href="https://windowmanager.blogspot.com/2003/10/welcome-to-my-blog.html" target="_blank">started my blog</a>, naming it after how I was spending my time.</p><p>I really enjoyed it the first several years, and it became a part of my daily routine. I posted mostly on business, economics, tech (where I work), and started wandering into politics. I also put a lot of personal stories and details on the blog since most of my friends and family read it (remember this was before Facebook). At its peak in the mid 2000s I had quite a bit of traffic, with hundreds of unique readers a day. I kept things mostly anonymous, but maybe someone with a lot of effort could figure out who I was. <br /></p><p>Several things lead me to ramp down and abandon it for years at a time. Part of it of course was the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter, which killed traditional blogging. I also got busy with other things in life, and like many hobbies my interest simply waned.</p><p>A strong under-current was the rising Cancel Culture, and although I don't think I ever posted anything controversial to a normal person, one never knows what the HR gate keepers at potential employers might think. So although I had abandoned the blog for years at a time, I did take the effort to delete most personal related posts. Except <a href="https://windowmanager.blogspot.com/2019/05/goodby-rice-university.html" target="_blank">the rant against Rice University</a> stays public forever, the woke *%#$ers. <br /></p><p>Although my blog laid fallow I still read and commented at traditional blogs using the moniker "whatever" (yeah, whatever). These blogs are getting fewer and narrower as more readers abandon long-form blogging for the quick dopamine fix of Twitter (sigh, I mean "X") and Facebook. But I really enjoy (and of course don't always agree) with blogs listed on the right like The Z Man (alt right), The New Neo (moderate right), WolfStreet (economic, libertarian) and Mish (economic, left-center). I also read daily but don't comment at Instapundit (a bit of everything from the moderate right), Ace (more of everything, further to the right) and Zero Hedge (economic with a dash of conspiracy theory). Sadly <a href="https://americandigest.org/" target="_blank">American Digest</a> will have no more posts, its talented writer Gerard Van der Leun passing away last year.<br /></p><p>But starting by blog back up, my main question is: who would read it and why? I don't think I have anything particularly new to say as every opinion can be found on the internet, even as repression has vastly increased. I suppose I could be on the <a href="https://windowmanager.blogspot.com/2016/11/temporme-tempraman-tmj-disorder-and.html" target="_blank">few people blogging about tinnitus</a>?</p><p>I suppose "how" something is said can be different or more entertaining in a blog. And some blogs have incredibly interesting comment communities, which are often more compelling than the original blog post. I don't expect much commenting here, but will keep commenting at my usual locations and now link back and copy here if the comment is interesting or pertinent.<br /></p><p>Fundamentally, however, I think a blog exists for the writer. Even if no one ever reads it, it is an outlet for the author, basically a hobby. And I think I need another one of those these days.<br /></p><p><br /></p>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-91082828119798396222019-05-29T12:00:00.001-05:002024-03-16T12:54:14.785-05:00Demand Limited Economics<p>(Updated to Remove Missing Links)</p><p>From an article no longer on the web:<br />
</p><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What has changed in recent decades is that the mobility and automation
of productive processes, combined with a glut of the supply of financial
capital, results in a macroeconomic production function that is
demand-constrained rather than supply constrained. </i></blockquote>
I have walked through empty malls with miles and miles of goods stacked to the ceiling, and no one around to buy. We have global over capacity, and for the economy to run (or at least not break down) governments have to get more people to soak up this excess capacity. So we have these perverse effects:<br />
<ul>
<li>The need for mass immigration, to create more consumers to buy crap</li>
<li>The push for broken households, who spend more and save less </li>
<li>The push for more welfare and income distribution programs to create more buying</li>
<li>The push for ever increasing amounts of consumer debt</li>
<li>The push for ever more student loans</li>
<li>The push for people to buy houses who shouldn't (yes, it's happening again)</li>
<li>Ever increasing levels of government debt and monetary devaluation </li>
</ul>
The global economy is in a giant debt trap. If consumers stopped buying the whole house of cards would come down. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-46585046273809018932019-05-28T18:13:00.000-05:002019-05-28T18:23:17.069-05:00Let's Ban Gas Leaf BlowersOne of the fun side effects of tinnitus for a large portion of suffers is hyperacusis, which is increased sensitivity to sound. It's not bad enough that there is constant ringing or whooshing in the ear, what sounds you do hear seem louder than they are and can actually be <i>physically</i> painful.<br />
<br />
And one of the most annoying, painful sounds is gas leaf blowers. There are no house walls or windows thick enough that can block the sound. I am a climate skeptic, but like most who push it, I am willing to sign on in order to push an agenda (and ignore it for stuff that I like to do).<br />
<br />
According to the State of California, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/02/28/517576431/california-weighs-tougher-emissions-rules-for-gas-powered-garden-equipment">gas powered leaf blowers and hedgers will pass cars to become the number one polluter in 2020</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politicians rail on
everything from cars to planes to cut down pollution, but for some reason no
one ever talks about leaf blowers and other 2-stroke gardening tools (which mix
oil with gas for fuel), all of which have quieter electric
counter-parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we are in a 12 year
crisis, as claimed by many, how come nothing is being done with these devices
that generate not only the most pollution, but unwanted noise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How come politicians are pushing regulations
for more electric cars but not more electric gardening tools, which would
provide more bang for the regulatory buck? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://backyardgadget.com/leaf-blower-noise-restrictions-in-the-usa/">Several California cities have banned gas leaf blowers</a>, and I hope the trend picks up, but it is infuriating to hear "green, green, green" but no one has suggested this very simple, big solution. Instead you have the idiot <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/nyc-mayor-de-blasio-ban-skyscrapers">Deblaseo talking about banning skyscrapers</a> or the <a href="http://theneighborhoodnewsonline.net/news/community/1323-a-ray-of-hope-for-victims-of-the-faa-nextgen-health-crisis-update">FAA "NextGen" rules creating noise nightmares in order to save a few pennies of jetfuel per flight</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It goes to show that "climate change" is BS.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-44595938406961621492019-05-24T12:35:00.000-05:002019-05-24T12:35:38.901-05:00Americans Don't Have Savings by ChoiceThese stories come out every few months: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-23/almost-40-of-americans-would-struggle-to-cover-a-400-emergency">Almost 40% of Americans Would Struggle to Cover a $400 Emergency</a><br />
<br />
What Americans don't have to struggle to pay for: big screen TVs, ipads, expensive tennis shoes, Starbucks, streaming TV services, cellphone service, legalized marijuana, and everything else in this mass consumer society.<br />
<br />
No one is saying <i>"Hey, we should cut off our cable and Netflix, which cost $100 a month, and check out free library books for the next four months so we can save $400 for an emergency"</i>.<br />
<br />
Few people live below their means, or are willing to sacrifice to do so. Mass debt shoveled at everyone means relatively poor families max out the cards for that Disney vacation. Gratification now, and worry about paying later.<br />
<br />
The lack of savings is just a reflection of debt-fueled mass consumption encouraged not only by corporations, but by the government.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h1 class="lede-text-v2__hed">
</h1>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-83773512887447622502019-05-21T12:00:00.001-05:002024-03-09T17:36:36.952-06:00Goodby Rice University<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My kid who has straight As, a 1530 SAT, speaks two
languages fluently, plays sports, and did summer internships in Japan and
Ukraine was rejected from my alma mater Rice University. Worse than that,
it was also my mother’s alma mater. My mother was one of only 100 women
at the whole university when she attended in the late 1950s, and was the first
in her family ever to attend college. She was a major reason I attended
Rice for both a bachelors and an MBA, and this rejection was a spit in both of
our faces. It shows the admissions office is divorced from Rice’s own
history and driving their own agenda.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This along with the college bribery scandal shows college
admissions is irreparably broken. Kids who shouldn’t get in are
admitted. Kids who should be admitted are not, in this case probably due
to an anti-legacy effort, or because my daughter is not “diverse” enough.
I have no doubt at all she would have been accepted if the ethnicity box were
checked differently. She is an honor student, and I was not some alum hoping
for “legacy” to dump my C-student onto my old school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the years I have gotten fellow alumni jobs. Not
job leads, but jobs. Students often reached out to me over LinkedIn for
internship leads since I am one of very few alumni working in Silicon Valley. In the early 2000s I did a marketing project for a group
of professors who were trying to spin out a technology. A few years
earlier I had connected my father’s company to hire a Rice professor for a consulting project. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite over 50 years of family connection and my staying
involved, Rice decided to cut ties with me while at the same time letting in
dozens of foreign students with no ties at all, and who will all drop all ties
to Rice once they return home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rice has a frighteningly small number of alumni – they graduate
in ten years what or Texas A&M or UCLA does in two years – and should be
nurturing their network, not alienating it. But like the foreign students will do once they are out, I
will now be cutting all ties with Rice. No job leads. No internship
leads. Applications or resumes listing Rice go to the bottom of the pile.
Students can’t find me on LinkedIn since Rice
is deleted from my profile. My own networking efforts will not be hindered
since there are so few Rice alumni in my field. I was a pathfinder.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And after all, why would I help a university that wouldn’t
accept me as a student if I were applying today?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-27453933032025515492019-05-19T16:16:00.011-05:002024-03-09T17:32:28.099-06:00WSJ Not Understanding What the "Crisis in Democracy" Is All AboutIt's more than a little ironic that <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-global-crisis-of-democracy-11558105463">an article lamenting about a crisis of democracy</a> turned off commenting.
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately the author was not talking about democracy
here in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, he is worried that
it is not being exported enough throughout the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't particularly care about that as I
watch our own democracy crumble (like the author I am using "democracy"
interchangeably with "republic").</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the problems is that an increasing number of people
believe no one is listening to them, like the comment section above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if no one is listening, people will go to
greater and greater lengths to be heard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course Western "democracies" are cracking down
ever more on speech, a result of multiculturalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more MC there is, the more the population
and its speech has to be controlled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In New Zealand, it is illegal to even possess the manifesto of
the recent mass shooter, and they are activity prosecuting several who
distributed the video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In England,
criticizing the make-up or religion of immigrants can lead to fines and jail
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of using the state to
enforce and prosecute “hate speech” was signed on by most Western democracies
just last week. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And with increasing control of speech in
"democracies", aided and abetted by Google, Twitter and Facebook, why
would anyone think "democracy", as it is developing today, is better
than other forms of government?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<br />The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-91002193291654679422017-06-29T19:16:00.004-05:002017-06-29T19:16:59.985-05:00Mobile Phones Adding to Tinnitus?Maybe not from talking, but from music and headphones. This problem is only going to get worse as kids spend more time in earphones without any sort of training or awareness of what high decibel music can do to ears over time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://guardian.ng/features/science/mobile-phones-are-damaging-hearing-as-number-of-teenagers-with-tinnitus-reaches-alarming-levels/">Mobile phones are damaging hearing as number of teenagers with tinnitus reaches ‘alarming levels’</a><br />
<br />
<em>Scientists at McMaster University, Ontario, tested 170 students’ hearing and found over a quarter are already experiencing chronic, persistent tinnitus</em>.<br />
<br />
<em>This increase is due to ‘risky listening habits’ like listening to loud music at parties, in clubs and on personal listening devices like phones – which almost all of the students engaged in, according to the researchers.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>“It’s a growing problem and I think it’s going to get worse,” said Dr Larry Roberts of McMaster’s Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, author of the paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>“My personal view is that there is a major public health challenge coming down the road in terms of difficulties with hearing.”28 per cent of the study participants had already developed persistent tinnitus.The tests found those experiencing tinnitus were more likely to have a significantly reduced tolerance for loud noise.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>This is considered a sign of hidden permanent damage to the nerves used in processing sound, which can lead to serious hearing impairment later in life.</em>The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-15359131165973689732017-03-31T14:01:00.001-05:002017-03-31T14:02:50.186-05:00More Hearing Loss, Tinnitus in Coming Generations<div abp="56">
<div abp="56">
This article has a lot of stats, but not a lot about prevention about the upcoming <a abp="163" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">demographic increase in hearing loss</a> (emphasis mine)<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore predict that 44 million — or <strong>15 percent of U.S. adults — will have some hearing loss by 2020. That will increase to 23</strong> <strong>percent of all adults 20 and older by 2060</strong>....The rise in Americans with hearing loss will be especially pronounced among the 70 and older set. In 2020, <strong>55 percent of all adults with hearing loss will be 70 or older. In 2060 — 67 percent</strong>.</blockquote>
</div>
<div abp="436">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="436">
</div>
<div abp="436">
Like eyesight, there is age-related hearing loss for which there is not a lot someone can do. What people can do is for people to take common sense approaches to protecting their ears. I see all sorts of activities every day which can lead to hearing loss (plus tinnitus) in later years:</div>
<div abp="436">
</div>
<ul>
<li><div abp="436">
Extremely loud music in the car - If I can hear your music through both your closed window and mine, you are putting too much pressure on your ears. This goes double with loud concerts. Go to Tinnitus Talk and just a brief browsing of people show dozens of young people who got permanent tinnitus or hearing problems after being at a loud concert.</div>
</li>
<li><div abp="436">
Extremely loud musing with headphones - This more than anything is why there will be an upward trend in hearing problems for the next few decades. Smartphons, ipods, tablets and the like have people with earphones in for days at a time. I have sit next to people on airplanes where I can hear their music quite clearly - even though I have my own earphones on. The key is to keep it at a reasonable level.</div>
</li>
<li><div abp="436">
No use of ear protection around heavy equipment (including chain saws, lawn mowers, etc). I am seeing better use by professional lawn crews (but not always).</div>
</li>
<li><div abp="436">
No use of ear protection when hunting or shooting with friends. Gun ranges require ear protection, but people on their often skip this. Several people in Tinnitus Talk have "T" because they did not take gun safety (which includes ear protection) seriously. Also, if you having a hunting dog, get him protection as well - they sell ear protection specifically for gun dogs.</div>
</li>
<li><div abp="436">
Skipping the Dentist (who can often see signs of bruxism) - This is the one that got me. The dentist noted I had early signs of bruxism, but then I didn't go back for two years. If had gone back and she had noticed increased signs, she might have gotten me into a biteplate before my TMJ got further deteriorated.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div abp="436">
I now carry earplugs with me for things like sporting events and surprise situations that I might find myself in, like being near heavy equipment. Much hearing loss (and the tinnitus that comes with a lot of it) is preventable with some pretty easy precautions. </div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-59339808188809932872017-03-13T14:44:00.003-05:002017-03-21T19:40:46.060-05:00The Restaurant Experience is Declining in California<div abp="1172">
<a abp="57" href="http://wolfstreet.com/2017/03/11/restaurant-recession-meets-february-debacle/">Interesting article at Wolfstreet about the restaurant business still going through turbulence</a>, but surprisingly still up a bit in California.</div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
But my guess is that California restaurant revenues are up due to inflation and steady traffic at very high-end restaurants that serve the upper-crust in LA and SF. But I think the mid and low-end of the spectrum is flat to down as this segment massively makes cuts to offset increases in wages. </div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
I have watched over the past two years as an ever increasing number of restaurants become "countertop ordering" where customers order at the register. You then get a number and someone brings you your food, or even worse, they call your name and you have to make your way up and fetch the food yourself. This is fine for a pizza joint or fast food, but the problem is that this is happening <em>everywhere </em>at places that are supposed to be family or casual dining. At a mall close to my house there are over a dozen places to eat, but only one has wait-staff.</div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
Outside of pizza or lunch I simply refuse to eat at a place like that. There are a couple of mom and pops that I frequent that have wait-staff, but they are not exactly cheap to eat at any more. </div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
I think counter-top dining and $8 beers seem to be the future of most California dining.</div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-35892640504630653342017-02-09T04:35:00.002-06:002017-03-21T19:41:18.596-05:00The Long-Term Layoff<div abp="56">
<div abp="3454">
I discussed before how <a abp="58" href="http://windowmanager.blogspot.be/2017/01/you-cant-forecast-business-future.html">those close to the corporate forecast know when a company is imploding and know before anyone else that layoffs are coming</a>. The other situation where this happens is M&A.</div>
</div>
<div abp="60">
<div abp="3457">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3459">
M&A layoffs by acquiring companies come in two main flavors: immediate layoffs after the acquisition is closed, and long-range layoffs once the knowledge of the acquiree has been assimilated into the acquirer. </div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3461">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3463">
I have been on the acquisition side a couple of times, and few people know how medieval it can get during initial cuts. Managers go through lists of names and simply check off boxes on who will be eliminated. They are just names and checks, but the result is a few hours later that person is gone. It would make Stalin proud. And few people have any clue how simple statements can get them doomed. For example, one engineer at an acquiree company mentioned in passing that he might want to go into marketing one day. That simple comment got him the axe when the culling came. The company was acquired for their engineers, and anyone who didn't want to stay an engineer wasn't wanted.</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3465">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3467">
I am now on the receiving end of an acquisition, but it was a "friendly" buyout and there were no immediate cuts after SuperGiantCo bought the little start-up. But this is covering up the long-range plan to assimilate the smaller acquisition into the collective whole of SuperGiantCo. </div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3469">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3471">
The main way they are doing this is by "boiling the frog slowly" on engineers and "salami slicing" the management. By the former, they create ways of "knowledge sharing" between acquiree engineers and SuperGiantCo engineers that are really "knowledge transfer" from the former to the latter. But this is done a little at a time, in a very natural, friendly way through exchange programs, meetings, joint projects and the like. What the acquiree engineers don't realize is that they are slowly transferring their brain to SuperGiantCo engineers, and in 2-3 years they will not be needed. They are basically training others to do their job, but in a way that seems benign. Already SuperGiantCo has "shadow design centers" doing the exact same thing as the acquiree company used to do. Once those shadow design centers are up the learning curve, my engineers will become redundant and ready for the chopping block.</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3473">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3475">
On the management side (my side) they are doing "salami slicing". Instead of removing responsibility of the old managers all at once, they do it one small piece at a time. No single piece means much, and in fact the offload sometimes might be welcome, but after a while you realize that your whole job has been sliced away piece by piece and given to various managers at SuperGiantCo. This is also about a two year process.</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3477">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="61">
<div abp="3479">
At the end SuperGiantCo won't need either the engineers or managers from the acquiree company. At that time they will either let us go, or for a few lucky ones might be Borg enough to land a position in the parent company. </div>
</div>
<div abp="62">
<div abp="3481">
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<div abp="63">
<div abp="3483">
</div>
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The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-63916493505808091832017-01-25T10:00:00.000-06:002017-01-25T10:00:27.422-06:00Six Months of TMJ Tennitus<div abp="1172">
<div abp="4493">
Six months I ago I woke up to loud, constant ringing in my ears. While that is my "start date", the fact of the matter is that T had been sneaking up on me for years. For a long time:</div>
<ul abp="4494">
<li abp="4495">When I yawned I heard a high-pitched whine. It had gone on so long (years) I thought it was normal</li>
<li abp="4496">When I swallowed a big drink (swallowing a few times in a row), my ears whined. I also thought this was normal</li>
</ul>
<div abp="4497">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4498">
What I didn't know was that jaw misalignment plus night bruxism was slowly pushing my jawbone further and further up into my skull, pinching and damaging my inner ear. It was getting worse for years in the background, and finally became constant 6 months ago.</div>
<div abp="4499">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4500">
But when the tinnitus started, I didn't remember all this. All I knew was there was loud ringing in my ears and seemed to be getting worse. It started at a 5/10, and panic and anxiety (and unknown to me more grinding of my teeth) just made it go up as high as a 7. I went to specialist after specialist getting more desperate as I searched for an answer. I heard everything from ear infection to "you're just getting old" (I am younger than 50). It took a month before I found a brilliant specialist who with a CT scan diagnosed it as TMJ+bruxism. For the previous 4 weeks I thought I was going deaf, could hardly sleep, and couldn't work or concentrate. I was in despair.</div>
<div abp="4501">
</div>
<div abp="4501">
Once I was diagnosed I could come up with a treatment plan. Today after 4 months of orthotics and PT - and now in orthodontics to permanently reset by bite - my T is usually at a 2/10, with occasional dips into 1 and spikes into 3. This is "manageable". Yes, it sucks, but I can work and function. I have also adapted enough that a 2 is forgotten when I am absorbed into work/pleasure/reading, but I do miss my silence.</div>
<div abp="4503">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4504">
On the downside, other TMJ symptoms have shown up, including jaw soreness and tenderness of bite. So I haven't eaten anything firmer than fish for 5 months and will have a metal mouth for the next 12-18 months.</div>
<div abp="4505">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4506">
Some thoughts/tips for anyone out there who has this:</div>
<div abp="4507">
</div>
<div abp="4508">
- <b abp="376">Meds</b> - Get anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drugs and sleep meds ASAP after getting tinnitus. I was having panic attacks and took meds for that at first. After stabilizing I don't need anti-anxiety meds any more. Sleep is also critical since stress dials the volume up. With sleeping aids I now sleep 8+ hours a night and the T runs low. When I can't sleep much I notice it results in a bad day of T, which gets to the next point.</div>
<div abp="4510">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4511">
- <b abp="379">Reduce Inflammation</b> - For TMJ and many pulsatile T sufferers, I am a big believer that inflammation is a huge part of the problem. Try to keep that low with diet, sleep and NSAIDs. For me Aleve lowers my T half a notch, plus relieves pain in my jaw. Aspirin didn't do anything for my T, and Advil actually increased it a notch. You will have to experiment on what works for you.</div>
<div abp="4513">
</div>
<div abp="4514">
<strong abp="4515">- Less Coffee, More booze!</strong> Eliminating coffee is something that most T sufferers recommend. I read about this when my T first started and stopped my 2-3 cups a day immediately. Six months later I miss my coffee a lot, but when I decide to try a bit, my T goes up within 30 seconds of taking a sip. On the plus side alcohol, like Aleve, lowers the T half a notch. However, too much increases inflammation and affects sleep, so don't overdo it. </div>
<div abp="4516">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4517">
- <b abp="382">Try Various Therapies</b> - When this all started, the TMJ inflammation was not only in my jaw, but had spread to my neck. I could change the tone and volume of my T by pressing on different parts of my neck for the first 4 months. I did massage therapy for three months, and still jump in the Jacuzzi daily, plus ice my jaw every evening. Now that inflammation has gone down to only my TMJ area, I no longer can change the tone/volume of my T by pressing on my neck - and I believe this is part of the reason my T went from a 5 to a 2. I can manipulate my T today only by rubbing on my TMJ area.</div>
<div abp="4519">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4520">
- <b abp="385">Be patient</b>. It took a month of orthotics and PT before I saw improvement (month 3). I then saw pretty quick improvement in month 4, then have been stalled for 2 months. My braces are on for 12-18 more months, and I hope to get down to a 1, but I actually don't think I will get to a permanent "0", which gets me to...</div>
<div abp="4522">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4523">
- <b abp="388">Acceptance</b>. This is probably the hardest part. I accept the worse case that I will always have some level of T (which will leave me pleasantly surprised if things get all the way better).</div>
<div abp="4525">
<br /></div>
<div abp="4526">
- <b abp="391">Compassion</b>. I know I am "lucky" in that I know what caused my T, have a treatment plan, and have had improvement, with the potential for more improvement. While that brings hope, I know that I am an outlier, and the vast majority of people with tinnitus (especially those with nerve damage due to loud noises) have to live with their condition as-is with little hope of getting better. This is why I am doing these posts plus contribute to the site <a abp="4529" href="https://www.tinnitustalk.com/">Tinnitus Talk</a> (TT) every so often.</div>
<div abp="4531">
</div>
<div abp="4532">
- <strong>Remember the Limitations of the Internet</strong> - I write these posts in hopes that someone with T finds them and finds the helpful. I also linked to the Tinnitus Talk site above, but one word of caution: many (probably most) of the posters at TT are in despair, and you can find a few who are suicidal. As a "newby" of T, one might go there, see all the negativity, and become desperate. Remember that people who had T and got better don't post any more on sites like that, and there are lots of sufferers who do get better. Also you do eventually adapt. The first month is total hell, but today (even at a lower volume), my T is constant but I don't hear it most of the time. Your brain does adapt, and there are treatments from various clinics that can help your brain adapt if you can't do it on your own.</div>
<div abp="4532">
</div>
<div abp="4532">
</div>
</div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-4944946031250027982017-01-18T15:40:00.001-06:002017-01-18T15:46:55.605-06:00You Can't Forecast the Business Future<div abp="1172">
One of the tasks I have absolutely dreaded over the course of my business career is the annual forecast. It would save everyone a lot of bother if the executive in charge would just state the number that will give him his bonus and be done with it. But instead there is a big kabuki theater of staff doing market analysis, market inputs, competitive analysis, inflation and currency trends, and creating giant spreadsheets of models that generate a number. Then the executive then says "too high" or "too low", a few variables are tweaked, and the model generates the number desired.</div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
In my 25 plus years of business I have never seen an accurate business forecast. They were either cooked (revenue already signed and in the bag, then the model tweaked to match the sales manager's give-me), sandbagged (forecast put waaaay below the number the sales manager knew he could hit so it would be a slam dunk), or totally optimistic forecasts that everyone knew was impossible, but presented to executives so everyone knew they had time to interview before everything fell apart. </div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
I have been in several situations when things were definitely going to be bleak 12 months later - no question about it - but didn't end up in the forecast. A flat or slightly up forecast was presented and everyone hung on 9-12 more months until the truth was out. The forecast-lie was sort of an extended layoff package for those in the know.</div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
Sandbagging is my usual tactic if things are not bleak. I might have contracts lining up for $80M, but forecast $60M. This gives the sales team wiggle room for contingencies, but makes everyone look good when the forecast is blown out. </div>
<div abp="1172">
</div>
<div abp="1172">
Of course the problem when you blow out "forecasts" is that you have to explain the next year why that won't happen again. The easy explanation is that the upside was due to "blue birds" - one-time customers who came in out of the blue and could not be forecasted. Because these upsides were out of the blue and one-time events, you can go back to your previous baseline, plus a couple percent, successfully sandbagging for another year.</div>
The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-31590663732177482732016-12-07T22:02:00.001-06:002016-12-07T22:03:04.760-06:00Start-Up Pet Peeves<div abp="17">
I work in the electronics supply chain and am consistently amazed at small customers who don't understand economics. Company after company expects that if they buy 1,000 of a custom item, that it should be the same price that Apple gets when they buy by the tens of millions. And when I explain to them that making 1,000 units requires the factory to set-up and do a run, and that the fixed costs have to be amortized over those 1,000 units bringing the costs way up, many customers lose it. They get angry. They call me names. They threaten to go to my competition (which I them welcome them to do). And it is not an act. They really can't understand why their little robot which they are making 1,000 (soon to be millions of course) can't have component pricing like the iPhone. They are totally clueless.</div>
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I think this is partly a carryover of their consumer mentality. Whether it is blue jeans or electronics, most products today are made by the millions, making their incremental cost infinitesimal. And those costs are passed to the consumer (and economics tells us that in the long run price ends up at incremental cost). So they see the iPhone cost breakdown and figure their gadget should cost that much or cheaper, and are shocked when it is multiples more. They don't get the whole volume/price thing.</div>
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Those that do ask about forward pricing. They tell me "<em>My product is going to be yuge volume once it launches! Price me at a million now and I'll buy more when it takes off</em>!". Do you know how many times I have heard this and saw the company disappear off the face of the planet? Literally dozens of times. When a customer asks me to do this they are asking me to become an investor, and my job is not to invest in companies, but to make money for my own.</div>
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The other thing I get tired of hearing is small companies wanting to do a "joint development effort". That is just a fancy way of saying "can I get free technology from your company?" or "I need more investment money and you look like someone I can sponge from." I got so tired of hearing this I just started telling customers "<em>We don't do joint development. We sell and you buy</em>." That gets rid of most of them.</div>
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Now I have been in several start-up's myself, about a third of my 27 years in business, so I do understand that you have to push to get as much as you can from vendors. And I do know what it's like to see only a month left of cash left and having to do anything you can to get product out. But these companies need to understand that I have to make money too, that I have my own company's interests to look out for.</div>
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The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-17575861530743571802016-11-28T13:16:00.001-06:002024-03-16T12:55:20.830-05:00TMJ Disorder and Tinnitus<div abp="1327">
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<span abp="3552" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As noted </span><a abp="3554" href="http://windowmanager.blogspot.com/2016/11/tinahtis-or-tineyetis-it-still-sucks.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in a previous post</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I have been suffering with acute tinnitus (often referred to by sufferers as simply "T") for nearly 5 months. It started out truly debilitating, but has now gone to a manageable level and trending better. Here is an overview for other sufferers out there, and a warning to others to make sure you don't suffer from night bruxism.</span></span></div>
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<span abp="3563" style="font-family: inherit;">Doctors chased my T around as an inner ear problem for several weeks, which makes sense when dealing with phantom ringing (mine is a piercing 9 KHz and usually pulsates with my heartbeat). T is most often a problem with the inner ear, but can also be caused by things outside the ear, such as the nerves, blood vessels or joints.</span></div>
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<span abp="3571" style="font-family: inherit;">The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is a ball-and-socket joint where your jaw comes into a receiving area in the skull. When your jaw moves, the end of your jaw rotates around this socket. As you can see from the image the only thing separating this socket from your inner ear is a little piece of cartilage. And if that cartilage gets pinched or deteriorates, your inner ear gets impacted, which can cause everything from tinnitus to vertigo.</span></div>
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<span abp="1336" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1337" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3587" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The set-up for my T started out with orthodontics 35 years ago that set my jaw too close my skull. This crowded and removed any "guard band" for the cartilage cushion. Over the years, day and night bruxism (grinding of the teeth) kept compressing this space until it deteriorated, causing tinnitus.<span abp="1341" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span abp="1336" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1337" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3593" style="font-family: inherit;"><span abp="1341" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span abp="1336" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1337" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3599" style="font-family: inherit;"><span abp="1341" style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;">Figuring all this out too two brilliant doctors, who I feel lucky to have found. Most tinnitus comes with hearing loss, which I didn't have. TMJ usually comes with pain, jaw clicking or other symptoms, which I didn't have. So I had T and few other concrete symptoms except: the level of T changed when I turned my head or pushed on the side or back of neck, and the T seem to come down some when I drank alcohol.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It took a very old, nearly retired ENT to figure out from these two symptoms I had some sort of TMJ Disorder. It took another old, and a bit wacky, TMJ Dentist to figure out the why, and come up with a treatment plan. The insurance companies consider TMJ Disorder a "dental problem", not medical, and there is no dental plan in the world that is going to cover all the expenses with TMJ. People with this disorder have to dig deep into their own pockets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span abp="1346" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1347" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3611" style="font-family: inherit;">After four months of treatments with "orthotics" (bite plates for sleeping and eating), and a few months of massage therapy around my neck and jaw, my T has gone down significantly. The inflammation of the TMJ area, which caused the T to change when I turned my head or pushed on my neck is gone. But now </span></span></span><span abp="1356" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1357" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3614" style="font-family: inherit;">I can’t touch my back teeth any more (I haven't had anything firmer than sushi July). Once my jaw was "relaxed" to a more natural state that took pressure off the TMJ, it didn't want to go back. So at nearly 50 I am now back in braces to restructure my entire bite.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span abp="1356" style="line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1357" style="font-family: "calibri";"><span abp="3624" style="font-family: inherit;">The hope is that in 12-18 months a new bite will allow me to chew again, plus allow the inner ear/TMJ area to heal completely and remove my tinnitus. I am hopeful of the treatment plan due to the progress so far, but I know there is a good chance that I could have low-level T the rest of my life.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For dealing psychologically with T, that will be another post.</span></div>
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The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-71256582171726430542016-11-11T16:17:00.000-06:002016-11-28T13:42:06.443-06:00Tin"ah"tis or Tin"eye"tis it Still Sucks<div abp="3520">
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I woke up with <a abp="3685" href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Tinnitus">tinnitus</a> (I say it with "eye" in the middle, both ways are acceptable) on July 16, 2016. This began a remarkable journey to discover what I had, why I had it, and how to get rid of it.</div>
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For those who don't know what it is, tinnitus is a constant ringing in the ears. You hear it at all times: when you go to sleep, when you get up, when other people are talking. There is no escape from it. No drug will turn it off. It is constant and unending. </div>
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To imagine a bad case of it: suppose someone attached a fog horn on each of your ears and turned them on 24-7. You have no way of lowering the sound or turning it off. Now imagine how long you could last knowing that there would be no relief from it for the rest of your life.</div>
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Many who have T at a very loud level over an extended period of time commit suicide. Others at a high level are debilitated as it prevents conversation, sleeping, reading or any other normal activity. </div>
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Tinnitus is caused in several ways: </div>
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<li abp="3526"><strong abp="3742">Noise Induced Inner ear damage</strong> - The vast majority of T is the result of loud noises like explosions, gun shots, or even very loud music (<a abp="3744" href="http://listverse.com/2011/07/25/10-famous-musicians-with-hearing-damage/">Ozzie Osborn and other musicians have it</a>). It can also be caused by extended occupational noise like a jackhammer. In these cases the ear becomes deaf only at one frequency, and the brain tries to make up for the missing signal by turning that pitch constantly "on". In the case of sudden noise induced T (gun shots, concerts), sometimes the T will go away on its own in a matter of weeks or maybe months, but if it is chronic there is no cure. In most cases the only relief is for the suffer to adapt, or use sound therapies such as hearing aids that pump in alternative sounds.<br abp="3746" /> </li>
<li abp="3526"><strong abp="3687">Drug Induced Inner Ear Damage</strong> - The inner ear is very delicate and can be can also be damaged by "ototoxic" drugs, most of which can cause permanent damage, but some are temporary (like <a abp="3528" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8397891">aspirin</a>). In the case of permanent damage, these people are in the same category as the noise-induced sufferers above. (Note: Be VERY careful of antibiotics, many of which can cause permanent tinnitus).<br abp="3544" /></li>
<li abp="3531"><strong abp="3688">Somatic Tinnitus</strong> - This is tinnitus caused by some sort of problem surrounding the inner ear, such as problems with the blood vessels, tumors, or the <a abp="3629" href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Temporomandibular_joint">temporormandibular joint</a> (TMJ). It is estimated about 80% of somatic tinnitus sufferers can get cured. Sometimes somatic tinnitus pulses with the heartbeat, and gets the name "pulsatile tinnitus". In rare cases a doctor can actually hear the tinnitus as well if it is caused by a constricted blood vessel or structure, making it "objective tinnitus" (a sound both the sufferer and another can hear), rather than "subjective tinnitus" (only the sufferer can hear).</li>
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So like "fever", tinnitus is not a condition it itself, but a symptom of an underlying problem. And the ones I listed are just the main ones. There are a few other rare causes and diseases of the ear (like <a abp="3552" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ni%C3%A8re%27s_disease">Meniere's disease</a>), and a huge number of people at the support site <a abp="3641" href="https://www.tinnitustalk.com/">Tinnitus Talk</a> have no clue what caused their problem, even after many years of searching. But to address the T and find out if it is permanent, you need to figure out what is caused it. </div>
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At first I didn't know what caused mine, only what it was like: a high-pitched, piercing whine at 9Khz, like the sign-off signal of TV stations way-back-when. Most people with T experience a whine like mine, but some experience "whooshing", "crickets" or other noise. The noise level can be so low that it can be ignored (I'll call a Level 1), to being so loud it is the only sound the person hears (Level 10). Anything 7 or above is incredibly debilitating, and it is when it is chronic at this level that leads to suicide. I had peaks of 7 at the beginning, but today am a 2 and hoping to get lower. </div>
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I said my T started July 16, but that is actually when it was "on" all the time. The fact of the matter is that I experienced low level tinnitus for a long time but ignored it. Before July 16 it was either too low to notice (Level 1) so I heard it only when absolutely quiet, or it only happened in certain situations (when I yawned, when I turned my head sharply in one direction). Like a sore joint I just thought it was apart of aging and ignored it since it didn't bother me.</div>
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On July 16 the T was not too low to ignore. It was equal in volume to general conversation, Level 3-4. And it did not go away. In fact it seemed to be increasing in volume. I was worried.</div>
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I went to the doctor and they said "swimmers ear" and gave me drops. A week later they said I did not have swimmer's ear and that "tinnitus happens". Don't EVER let a doctor tell you that! Always, always get a second opinion. </div>
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It took me two weeks before I could see an Ear Nose Throat Doctor (ENT), and during that time my worry and anxiety only got worse. The T continued to increase and I was convinced I was going deaf. My T was now peaking at a 7 and I couldn't work, read or concentrate it was so loud. I would sit across the table from my wife at dinner and see her mouth move, but all I could hear was a high pitched whine. It was quite horrible.</div>
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The ENT took an audiogram (hearing test) and my hearing was perfect. Usually when there is inner ear damage causing T, there is related hearing loss at that frequency. So I did not have nerve damage. It was not caused by loud noises. I work in an office so there was no occupational issues. The doctor was stumped as we sat and discussed it. The "ah hah!" moment came when I told the doctor that my T changed in loudness when I moved by head up, down, left or right. I also noted that the T reduced somewhat when I drank alcohol.</div>
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Based on these two issues, the doctor said that my T was caused by<a abp="3801" href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Temporomandibular_joint_dysfunction"> temporormandibular joint disorder</a>, called TMD, but often referred to by just the joint name "TMJ".</div>
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So I had a cause, but what was the cure? How would I get my tinnitus down? That is for another post.</div>
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The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-56042437787430522572011-03-15T17:26:00.000-05:002011-03-15T17:26:01.591-05:00Existential Sales PsychologyIn many situations my sales technique is indistiguishable from a therapy session. After all, sales is about establishing a relationship, a relationship is built on trust, and trust requires intimacy.<br />
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In these sessions you have to start with the fundamental fact that people are insecure about something. The insecurity may not necessarially be about you or the situation or the reason you are even there. But you have to wait, to be patient, and tease the thing out, because ultimately you need to support this insecurity.<br />
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Most insecurities come back to the prime existential doubts: death, isoloation, independence, having to make decisions. These usually manifest themselves in very indirect ways. Your job as a salesperson is to find out what these insecurities are and to support them.<br />
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And how do you support them?<br />
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The opposite of insecurities are vanities, what a person takes pride in. Everyone has these too, and unlike insecurities these are usually pretty easy to distiguish. Your job as therapist-salesperson is to use a person's vanities to support their insecurities, acting as middle man and earning trust.<br />
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It's really not that hard.<br />
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The difficulty lies in taking your own emotions - your own insecurities and vanities - out of the equation, while at the same time remaining authentic (and, yes, this exact same advice is given to therapists).The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-88095673968082542632011-02-09T12:24:00.000-06:002011-03-15T17:31:19.894-05:00One Casualy of the Digital Age?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lG8z1v7uxKs/TVLIud5q-kI/AAAAAAAAAzk/LgLi3FK2Qqc/s1600/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lG8z1v7uxKs/TVLIud5q-kI/AAAAAAAAAzk/LgLi3FK2Qqc/s400/bookcase.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Browsing through a catalog I stumbled across something that sort of startled me: big ass bookcases. <br />
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Now I grew up with these things all over my house. For their three kids my parents shelled out the big bucks for Encyclopedia Britannica and the Great Books, sizable investments relative to their income at the time. They also loaded up on all sorts of Time-Life series, the ones I liked best being the science-oriented books on Nature, Science, the Mind....remember those?<br />
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PLUS there were lots and lots of novels: hardbacks, paperbacks, mysteries, thrillers, you name it. I grew up with essentially a private library, so large, crowded bookshelves were in nearly every room in the house, the Britannicas proudly displayed in the living room where guests might see them.<br />
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Today I carry the same information on my eight by twelve inch tablet computer. <br />
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I've gone digital, a process I started years ago. My few holdover "real" books that I can't let go of largely out of sentimental reasons sit in a semi-discarded desk in the garage, the few visitors who might find themselves in there running a curious eye over everything from philosophy to religion to the entire opus of Michael Connelly. "Real" books might be found on my bedstand the few times I can't find something in digital format, but they go to the library or garage when they are completed, never being displayed or stored in the residence proper.<br />
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But when I go "home" (I own my own house, but where my parents live will always be home) I find I miss the musty smell of the stacks, the ability to peruse old acquaintances, discovering new additions my parents added since my last visit.<br />
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I may revert back to bookshelves eventually since much of the library is to be bequeathed to me once my parents pass on. Once in my possession I plan to actually finish the Great Books I haven't read, my parent's investment finally paying off in my old age. But by that time displaying books in the home might be the same as displaying antiques.The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886792.post-49497839146731127262011-01-22T19:15:00.000-06:002011-03-15T13:08:15.540-05:00The Fallacy of "Green Jobs"Every time I hear a politician talk about government spending to create "green jobs" I can't believe the illogic of the argument:<br />
<ol><li>If "green" energy works, it will take the place of "old" energy - oil, coal, natural gas, etc.</li>
<li>So if green jobs go up, old energy jobs go down. Best case there is a one-for-one trade off a lost carbon energy job for every green worker who gains a job.</li>
<li>If green energy <em>really</em> is more efficient, it means that the total energy needs of the U.S. will be supported by fewer people, so green energy means a <em>net loss</em> of jobs.</li>
</ol>But at the end of the day "green jobs" is just a code word for government spending boondoggles that do nothing to help the employment picture, or create more energy, or bring energy costs down, but some people go along with it because it "sounds good".The Window Managerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741399065742483055noreply@blogger.com1