Sep 17, 2009
Quotable
When people cease to believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.
Stimulated Internet
The $787 billion stimulus bill set aside up to $350 million to create a national broadband map that could guide policies aimed at expanding high-speed Internet access. According to AP, it is also to figure out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is. The NTIA also wants extensive data on that behind-the-scenes Internet infrastructure. Officially, the goal for the map is to help shape broadband policy and determine where best to invest the $7.2 billion in stimulus money earmarked for broadband programs.
In addition to the NTIA's mapping project, there's a parallel push at the FCC to gather more detailed data on broadband subscribers. Both efforts are designed to aid the Administration in setting telecom policy, said Colin Crowell, a senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
Of course the mapping will not be done by the February 2010 release date of a national broadband plan being developed by the Federal Communications Commission, which is also mandated by the stimulus bill.
North Carolina's state broadband authority e-NC already maintains a map of broadband availability in the state, detailed enough to list individual addresses, according to executive director Jane Smith Patterson.
Rory Altman, director at telecommunications consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co., which has helped clients map broadband availability, said $350 million was a "ridiculous" amount of money to spend on a national broadband map. The firm could create a national broadband map for $3.5 million, and "would gladly do it for $35 million," Altman said.
Dave Burstein, editor of the DSL Prime broadband industry newsletter, believes a reasonable cost for the map would be less than $30 million.
Internet service providers have already committed to handing over data about where they have broadband coverage, so the main job will be to collect and translate that information into a map.
When the Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed people who didn't have broadband in 2007 and 2008, it found that most of them aren't interested in it, find the Internet too hard to use, or don't have computers.
In addition to the NTIA's mapping project, there's a parallel push at the FCC to gather more detailed data on broadband subscribers. Both efforts are designed to aid the Administration in setting telecom policy, said Colin Crowell, a senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
Of course the mapping will not be done by the February 2010 release date of a national broadband plan being developed by the Federal Communications Commission, which is also mandated by the stimulus bill.
North Carolina's state broadband authority e-NC already maintains a map of broadband availability in the state, detailed enough to list individual addresses, according to executive director Jane Smith Patterson.
Rory Altman, director at telecommunications consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co., which has helped clients map broadband availability, said $350 million was a "ridiculous" amount of money to spend on a national broadband map. The firm could create a national broadband map for $3.5 million, and "would gladly do it for $35 million," Altman said.
Dave Burstein, editor of the DSL Prime broadband industry newsletter, believes a reasonable cost for the map would be less than $30 million.
Internet service providers have already committed to handing over data about where they have broadband coverage, so the main job will be to collect and translate that information into a map.
When the Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed people who didn't have broadband in 2007 and 2008, it found that most of them aren't interested in it, find the Internet too hard to use, or don't have computers.
Sep 11, 2009
Most Expensive Chocolate
I found it. Knipschildt's La Madeline au Truffe was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the most expensive chocolate in the world.
La Madeline au Truffe starts with a decadent 70% Valrhona dark chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, truffle oil and vanilla as the base for the rich creamy ganache. A rare French Perigord truffle is then surrounded by this ganache. It is enrobed in Valrhona dark chocolate and then rolled in fine cocoa powder.
The result is pure extravagance! Lying on a bed of sugar pearls in a silver box tied with a ribbon. For a 1.9 ounce ball as shown, costs $250. This product is made to order and ships within 14 days of order date. Product has a 7 day shelf life. Mmmm!
La Madeline au Truffe starts with a decadent 70% Valrhona dark chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, truffle oil and vanilla as the base for the rich creamy ganache. A rare French Perigord truffle is then surrounded by this ganache. It is enrobed in Valrhona dark chocolate and then rolled in fine cocoa powder.
The result is pure extravagance! Lying on a bed of sugar pearls in a silver box tied with a ribbon. For a 1.9 ounce ball as shown, costs $250. This product is made to order and ships within 14 days of order date. Product has a 7 day shelf life. Mmmm!
Chocolate
There is a theory that chocolate slows down the aging process. It may not be true, but should you dare take the chance?
Unwanted Catalogs
When you receive unwanted catalogs or other paper mail from specific sources, call the (usually toll-free) customer service number of the organization or business and request that your name be removed from their mailing list.
Other options are to make your request via e-mail from the company's website, or via letter or postcard.
Since the mailing label will help the company identify how you are listed in its files, have the label handy when you call, or tape it to the postcard if you make a written request. Sign and date your request. Think of the cycle, they print the stuff, send it to the post office, which delivers it to our mailbox, and we take the paper from the mailbox, and deliver it to the garbage. What a waste. Literally!
Other options are to make your request via e-mail from the company's website, or via letter or postcard.
Since the mailing label will help the company identify how you are listed in its files, have the label handy when you call, or tape it to the postcard if you make a written request. Sign and date your request. Think of the cycle, they print the stuff, send it to the post office, which delivers it to our mailbox, and we take the paper from the mailbox, and deliver it to the garbage. What a waste. Literally!
Double Chicken
KFC Double Down Sandwich - Two pieces of bacon and two slices of cheese smothered with the Colonel’s Sauce and two fried chicken patties as buns. Mmmm!
Speaking of Chicken
Did you ever wonder what chicken poop is good for? A study last month Aug, 2008 shows that shooting ranges in Japan have extremely high levels of lead in the soil. To get rid of this, they developed a method of remediating the contamination by mixing the soil with chicken poop to reduce the bad environmental impacts from the lead.
The study (published in the Journal of Environmental Quality this past month, and last year at the Soil Science Society of America) demonstrated that the amendment reduced the toxicity characteristic leaching by 90%. It also showed that levels were reduced even further when plants were grown in the amended soil.
The study (published in the Journal of Environmental Quality this past month, and last year at the Soil Science Society of America) demonstrated that the amendment reduced the toxicity characteristic leaching by 90%. It also showed that levels were reduced even further when plants were grown in the amended soil.
Cool Charger
An 8in x 6in universal recharging pad with a conductive surface that powers up to four mobiles and iPods at a time from the mains. You attach a specific adaptor sleeve to the device to charge, then simply place it on the pad.
A recharge is said to take as long as with a conventional charger. The pad comes with one sleeve (you choose), and others can be bought separately, with major phone brands such as Apple, BlackBerry, Motorola and Nokia supported.
The Duracell MyGrid that you see here is one of those that can charge several mobiles at one time including products from Nokia, Motorola, BlackBerry, as well as the iPhone and iPod touch. It should be available in October for $80.
You have to buy a device (sleeve) to plug into your devices so they can attach to the surface. Seems like a multiple power cord strip with less cords.
The Duracell MyGrid that you see here is one of those that can charge several mobiles at one time including products from Nokia, Motorola, BlackBerry, as well as the iPhone and iPod touch. It should be available in October for $80.
You have to buy a device (sleeve) to plug into your devices so they can attach to the surface. Seems like a multiple power cord strip with less cords.
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