tough times - hanging tough

read article in the New Yorker by Surowiecki - hanging tough

he makes the point that recessions are times of great opportunities but also that it takes a great deal of courage to do it.  while the article is mostly focused on corporations the same holds true for the individual - even more so in this time....

almost every corporation is cutting spending - as are individuals.  while financially  safe, it also prevents you from growing as fast in the years to come.  Finding the balance - if at all possible - is the key.

The cartoon (again with credits to the New Yorker) is for my friends of a previous world!!

house is sold

wow - counter was accepted.....

it is sinking in slowly that we really are going to have to move all this STUFF!!   and when you start thinking of it - how much of this STUFF is really important?  memories?  toys?  gadgets?  pottery?  paintings?  cars?  and the list goes on.

really is going to be tough to change from rampant consumerism.  i can see why some just give it all away to charity instead of dealing with it - it is simply easier.

i'm sitting here looking at four different pots filled with pens from four different kid projects - including one holding a pencil topped with a smurf smiley face - how can we get rid of any of them?

four computers here plus two at the canyon - one was the first Bren built.......

tools, tools, tools - drill press, band saw, welder, cutting torch, table saw.....

rock saw and a garage filled with rocks - all memories that have to be dealt with.....

cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel - have to start digging out!!   just pick one task and begin.....

sleep sounds great first! 

moving along

offer in on the house - now countering.

when it is sold what next? the move will be the big thing especially how much. years of collection come into play. the fiesta, kalideoscopes, gc book, lamps, camping, looming, sewing, rocks - all take up space and don't take easy to moving

luckily the appliances are taken off the list- go with the house. (wonder what they will think of the speed queen dryer with the magnetron magnet holding the door shut. great dryer that only cost $1 at an auction 25 years ago.....

most of the rest of the house we can sell or donate. no real desire to hang on to 'stuff' except for the family pieces. We'll need to store quite a bit until the new abode is built but that could be a few years out.

how much stuff do we really need??

Swimming Without a Suit - falling behind on education

as a country we're failing to educate - especially in high schools

link

Op-ed piece by THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: April 21, 2009

cell phone etiquette

short talk on becoming human with cell phones

Saturn - close and personal

This is the first of a great set a pictures of Saturn from the Daily Mail


This image was taken by Cassini as it moved above the dark side of the planet. As very little light makes its way through the rings, they appear somewhat dark compared with the reflective surface of Saturn. This view combines 45 images taken over the course of about two hours

Long term forecast

coming to the west in the next half century - to 'live within means' (or your ecosystem) is even more poignant.  Water will be the driver for development as we go forward.   And J.W. Powell captured it all  in 1881 

West Is Told to Expect Water Shortfalls

To sustain Lake Mead, water delivery shortfalls will be necessary.

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Published: April 20, 2009  NYTimes

The Colorado River is a critical source of water for seven Western states, each of which gets an annual allotment according to a system that has sparked conflict and controversy for decades. But in an era ofclimate change, even greater difficulties loom.

The scope of those potential problems is detailed in a study being published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tim P. Barnett and David W. Pierce of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography report that under various forecasts of the effects of warming temperatures on runoff into the Colorado, scheduled future water deliveries to the seven states are not sustainable.

The work builds on an earlier study by the researchers that looked at whether Lake Mead, the huge reservoir behind Hoover Dam, would eventually go dry. For the current study, they tweaked their model of river inflows and outflows and looked at the delivery shortfalls that would be needed to keep Lake Mead at the lowest functioning level. The modifications in the model “didn’t really change any of our answers,” Dr. Barnett said. “It just made the study a lot stronger.”

The study found that, with a 20 percent reduction in runoff, by 2050 nearly 9 of every 10 scheduled deliveries would be missed. But the problem may be even worse, because the allotments were determined in the 20th century, when, according to tree-ring data, the region was wetter than normal. So if drier conditions persist, delivery shortfalls will be even greater.

Water deliveries would have to be reduced, something that is achievable through conservation, water reuse and other measures. “We are hopeful that this would serve to get people to sit down now and see what options look realistic,” Dr. Barnett said, “before you have a crisis on your hands.”

E-Books........

Got a kindle a couple of weeks ago - first to check it out first hand and secondly (primarily) to give it to my parents. Thought they could use the adjustable font - works well - and wanted to see how well the text-to-speech functioned - heard differing opinions.... but for them it works well especially having both male and female voices.

Today read an article in the WSJ entitled "How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write" by Steven Johnson. He discusses how e-books may change the future of reading. One point he makes is that the kindle gives you a bookstore wherever you are - have the desire to read something else and it can be be purchased and read in a little over a minute. Used it myself and it makes it easy to satisfy those sudden urges to try something else.

But he also brings up the entire notion of how we are going to be able to reference and discuss books in the future. No page numbers on the kindle....... by text location? or will we simply take everything down to a few key sound bytes or quotes and not even reference the source?? do we need some type of filing system? i'm sure there are a zillion ideas out there of how it might work - i should tag this article - but what tag??

Time for change

retirement......

selling the house......

moving......

all coming together at once. the suddenness of it all is staggering but at the same time refreshing and envigorating. it was time to move on and find something new to play at.

stay tuned as it happens......