[My good friend, Paul James, posted this essay on Facebook. I hope that you find it as inspiring as I did. — Art Z.] As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense […]
Need Gas? Help Yourself.
This is a sad indicator of how tough times have become for some people. Our garage was burglarized recently and the only item taken was the gasoline can. Not tools. Nor the radios out of the cars. Gasoline. The sad part? This is the second time that we have been victimized in exactly the same […]
US Immigration Reform for Immigrants’ Descendants
If you are a US citizen then you are almost certainly the descendant of people to immigrated to the United States. As you consider your position on immigration reform, please look at the issue from at least two perspectives: How do immigrants affect you and your loved ones today, and, just as important, how would […]
Grocery Insurance
I have a proposal to reduce the cost of groceries very significantly, something which I think will be welcomed in this goofy economy. We will form grocery buying cooperatives, essentially grocery insurance programs, which will amortize the costs of groceries across all buyers, lowering the costs for all and protecting people from the “oh shit!” […]
Credit Crisis Explained
Here is a short, informative video which explains the credit crisis in terms which ordinary mortals (i.e., I) can understand. The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
Trial Licenses and Books
My Sony PRS-505 ebook reader continues to delight me. I have chewed my way through a couple of books and several short stories, all without the bother of braving the mall to reach Borders or the traffic to reach the library. As I have finished these books, I simply let them evaporate into the ether, […]
Boom or Bust for Open Source Software?
You might have noticed a bit of “uncertainty” in the economy these days. I was fascinated to see these two articles show up within 24 hours of each other: Economy to Give Open-Source a Good Thumping by Andrew Keen <snip> So how will today’s brutal economic climate change the Web 2.0 “free” economy? It will […]
Why the American Economy is in Trouble
With all the hoopla these days, it is very difficult to determine why our economy is tanking. Almost every news article, and certainly every political candidate, points the blame and tries to oversimplify the situation. FactCheck.org, a wonderful web site which debunks the spin in presidential candidate statements and advertisements, has a great summary in […]
