Category: Rant
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Irrigation System Work and Poetry
Today, we had to take a trip up to Juniper Gulch to service the irrigation system. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been working, and the part we’ve needed to fix it isn’t available anymore. Ken spent all day at his metal lathe making a new one, so now we need to go install it and see if… Continue reading
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Banned Books
The American Library Association’s Banned Books Week is from September 25th to October 2nd. Here are just a few of the books on my shelves that have been banned at one time or another. How many times must we repeat this before we learn that banning ideas does not make them go away? Freedom demands… Continue reading
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Apple iOS 4 Problems on iPod Touch: Update Downgrade Instructions
Well, I stupidly upgraded my iPod Touch to iOS 4 yesterday. Don’t do it! My battery now lasts less than 12 hours, even with wifi off. The advantages of the new OS are not with the hassle, but to add insult to injury, I cannot go back. The first rule of any computer system is… Continue reading
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Coal vs Natural Gas
Our valley has a lot of coal mines. It’s what is called “compliance coal” because it’s very clean-burning. New laws forcing coal-burning power plants to switch to natural gas may spell even more unemployment, and that affects everything in our rural area. The coal mines are the biggest taxpayers and the second-largest employers after the… Continue reading
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No Fooling – It’s Time for Local Food
It may actually be spring now. Many people are planting gardens, and on our farm, spring work is getting underway in earnest. That makes it a great time to ask where your food is coming from. Who is YOUR farmer? Do you know where your food is grown? Do you know how it was grown?… Continue reading
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SplashShopper Problems
I’ve been a loyal user of SplashShopper on the Mac and Palm for years. It’s one of the best shopping applications out there. It’s fast, it’s responsive, and it allows the creation of many lists and stores. When I got my new iPod Touch, I was looking forward to getting SS running on it. The… Continue reading
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Quick Note-Taking Systems
A short recap: I needed a faster way to take notes during brainstorming sessions. After reviewing traditional shorthand, LiveScribe, and a few other choices, I narrowed my options down to EasyScript and QuickHand. To get a feel for the two systems, I bought two books off of eBay: EasyScript Express and the QuickHand Self-Teaching Guide.… Continue reading
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RMPBS Signal, Lost in Translation
PBS is the only TV channel that we get with useful programs. They air real news via the Nightly Business Report and the News Hour, plus other interesting shows, documentaries, and entertainment. Unfortunately for much of rural America, the vaunted digital transformation is a joke. You see, a little-known exemption means that anyone who receives… Continue reading
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Salt in Old Wounds
Apparently, unsatisfied with simply cancelling our Pioneer Plan phone without contacting or notifying us, Sprint had the gall to send us a letter asking if we still needed the line. I called and was told that the letter went out in error because the line had already been cancelled. I’m waiting to hear back from… Continue reading
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Is Wealth Really Gone?
A headline today said that 45% of the world’s wealth has disappeared in the recent economic storm. But is this really true? It depends on how you define wealth. No one has destroyed any gold bars. The semiconductor plants are still operating. Barring soil erosion, farms can still grow food. Snow still falls, generating water… Continue reading